On a recent flight, I was reading Stuart Tyner's book, Searching for the God of Grace. A lady next to me seemed preoccupied and uninterested in talking, so I absorbed myself in the book. I was amazed when she suddenly turned, and said, "The God I learned about as a child was never a God of grace." My trip changed as I sought to give this lady a picture of the self-sacrificing love of God displayed in Jesus.

It is such a joy to share with people how Christ came to this world to establish a kingdom based on grace. Paul says about Christ, "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Ephesians 1:5).

God's grace has inspired me to be a follower of Jesus. We are told that He "lavished" His love upon us (1 John 3:1 NIV). Grace is the basis of our salvation, and provides the power for our transformation. When grace is displayed in the lives of His people, it becomes the most powerful force the church has to offer the world. I have been powerfully influenced by grace-orientated people in my life.

My parents modeled the grace of God throughout their life. They were members of different churches. In our home, we had doctrinal differences on a number of subjects. These differences many times caused tensions as they were discussed. However, there was one theme we loved to dwell on—the grace of God. Many hours were spent around the piano in the living room singing about salvation in Christ.

Since we had no Seventh-day Adventist church in our community, which was the faith of my mother, I attended another church with my dad. He was my Sunday school teacher, took me to evangelistic meetings, and other meetings of the church. But on Sabbath, I spent time in worship and devotion with my mother and brother at our home. My mother was the most powerful spiritual force in my life, and she helped me to appreciate God's amazing grace.

You can imagine the difficulty when, at age 13, I told my dad that the commitment of my life was with the teachings and mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It was a disappointment to him at that time, but he displayed the grace of God to me by saying, "Don, your commitment to God is a personal decision. You must be faithful to His leading." He did not demean me, ridicule my faith or try to coerce me. In fact, he faced ridicule because of my and my brother's decision to become Adventist ministers. At one point, he was put under church censure for not commanding his family after him.

The first Adventist minister to come to our area in Nova Scotia became a mentor in my life. Harold Friesen was a pastor of grace. He gave his life to minister to all ages of the church, and took special interest in the young people. I believe he is one reason why so many church leaders came out of that little group. It was on an outing with my pastor when he appealed to me to give my life to Christ and be baptized. He told me that God had a special plan for my life, and he gave me a sense of my being special to God.

It was a traumatic moment for my parents when I left home for academy at Oshawa Missionary College (now Kingsway College) in grade 11. Adventist education opened another modeling of God's grace in my life. I was very naive about boarding academy life. I expected a community where everyone would be nearly perfect. However, I found a lot of students who needed to grow as much as I did.

During my second year at academy, I started getting careless about my Christian commitment. I felt guilty about new unwholesome habits in my life. At a week of prayer with E.L. Minchin, God helped turn my life around. The speaker told stories of lives transformed. He gave the message of the cross and God's forgiving love. He also gave a renewed understanding of God's power to transform lives and "keep us from falling." I fell in love with Jesus anew.

I attended Atlantic Union College and studied theology there. I wanted to become a minister, but felt very unworthy. I felt that without much Adventist church background, I had little to offer. However, the leaders and teachers on that campus gave me a picture of God and a renewed sense of confidence that was foundational to my life and ministry.

Paul Riley, my dormitory dean, displayed God's grace to me. I received the theory of God's grace in the classroom by excellent teachers, but it was in everyday life that I needed to see it displayed. One night, Paul took a group of guys from the dorm out on Kilbourn Hill to pray. He told us to spread out and pray to God, individually. That night became my Abraham experience, where under the stars God revealed His presence to me in a powerful way.

Since I did not have the privilege of growing up in Adventist environment, I felt insecure about going into the gospel ministry and being a leader in the church. I felt unworthy. As I viewed the stars that night God spoke to me clearly, saying, "What I have asked you to do, I will give you the ability to do." I felt a new sense of courage. Paul's leadership that night in the prayer band and many other times helped strengthen my walk with God. He helped many others in the same way. Spiritual leaders like Paul help change people's lives forever.

Atlantic Union College was also where I met my wife Phyllis. We both know that it was God's leading that brought us together for a wonderful life journey.

I am now in my 42nd year of service for the Adventist Church. Thirty years were in Canada, and now 12 years in Wisconsin. During these years, I have witnessed hundreds of people whose lives have been changed by God's grace. What a privilege it is to partner with God to help people become forever friends with Jesus.

When our hearts are filled with gratitude for the gift of God's grace in Christ, then we will seek to be faithful and obedient to Him. Seventh-day Adventists should be specialists in teaching and demonstrating God's grace. Ellen White says, "Of all professing Christians, Seventh-day Adventists should be foremost in uplifting Christ before the world" (Gospel Workers, p. 157).

The apostle John says that when Jesus came to the world, He was "full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). I personally believe that only when truth is accompanied by grace that it has power to attract people to God. Grace without truth also does not represent God accurately. It is not enough to teach people doctrine and instruct them in correct principles of living. People must be led to a personal knowledge of God and experience His forgiveness and saving grace in their life. They must have Jesus as their Forever Friend.

Recently, I attended my home church, Madison East. On that day, the first Sabbath of the new year, a mother and daughter were baptized. They told how God led them to the Adventist message, and then how the love of the church members and pastors attracted them to join the fellowship. It was an inspiring service. I left with joy in my heart and a sense that this is what Jesus had in mind for His people—His churches being full of grace and truth.

Don Corkum is the president of the Wisconsin Conference.