My Story
I was born at a very early age. My mother always told me that I was a beautiful baby but I grew bravely over it.
My Struggle with Salvation:
I grew up as a church kid which led me to make a profession of faith and was baptized when I was fifteen. However, after spending three years in the military, most of it in Okinawa, I came home with doubts about my salvation because of the sinful life I had been living. Living with my parents, my dad had a rule that as long as I was in his home I would go to church on Sunday mornings. No matter how late I would stay out partying on Saturday night, I would drag myself out of bed Sunday morning t go to church. One Sunday, after listen to the sermon as the invitation was given, I had a white knuckle experience holding on to the pew in front of me. But then I released my hands and walked to the front, making a second profession of faith and was baptized again.
After Carol and I were married, we were very active in church. I was teaching youth. But I was still struggling with reoccurring sinful behavior. I went to my pastor and said, I don’t think I’m saved because the Bible says in 1 John 3:9 that a believer will not continue to sin. The pastor said, “Yeah, my must not be saved.” He did’t explain to me the struggle that all Christians go through with the battle between the Spirit and the flesh. He just prayed with me and baptized me for the third time.
I’m really not sure when I was saved. I’m the wettest Baptist I know. All three experiences seemed real and sincere at the time. Here’s what I do know, if I was standing before God and he asked me, “Why should I let you into my heaven?,” my response would be, because I am fully trusting in what Jesus did for me when he died for my sins on the cross. I’m just not sure when this journey began.
These experiences have led me to want to help believers come to full assurance of their salvation. As a result, I have developed a visual presentation of the gospel that has help many people. I have led many to Christ though this presentation as well as help many believers reaffirm their faith.
My Struggle with Grief:
Carol and I were blessed with two children. Kim, her husband, Brad live in California with their five children. Brad is involved in the Living Waters ministry as well as both of them very active in their church.
Kris, his wife, Amber and son live near me in Glenpool Ok. Both are also active in ministry through their church.
Following seminary I became a campus minister (Baptist Student Union Director) in Chickasha, Oklahoma. After nine years of that fruitful ministry, I pastored several church.
As a pastor I have minister to many people during the death of a loved one. I have led classes on grief several times. I though I understood what grief was.
But then is happened. On February 15, 2021 my wife, Carol, went to be with the Lord after suffering for two months with Covid 19. We had been married for over 53 years.
We had had several talks about the time when one of us would die. We both felt that it would be better if she died first because of her health issues. She had a stroke nearly twenty years before which led her to need me to be a caregiver.
Yet, somehow, I always thought we would live forever. I did not prepare myself to be ready to live without her. The shock of her death left me completely lost as to how to think or function. Yet through all of this, God has been faithful to comfort me and to teach me many things. When I do a funeral of someone who has lost their spouse, I can tell that I’m totally different in how I empathize with them in their loss. The scripture says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
2 Corinthians 1:3–4 (NIV)
The overwhelming grief that I went through has led me to a desire to help other who have suffered great losses.
Ken Shiplet
Ken holds a Master of Divinity degree and has served as a pastor and college campus minister.