Former Marine Sgt. Tim Lee knew his strong legs and love of sports had carried him far away from the Christ he’d accepted in his father’s church at age 10. One step on a 60-pound mine in Vietnam on March 8, 1971 blew both away.

Lee tells members of Triad Baptist on Nov. 3 about the day he stopped running from God. (Photo by Zach Decker)

Lee told members of Triad Baptist Church in Kernersville on Nov. 3 that the blast helped him rediscover God’s plan for his life, and that he’s been happy ever since. The experience has allowed him to share the story around the world about his return to God, and how others can avoid running away from eternity and God’s perfect plan for their lives.

All that’s required, Lee said, is to acknowledge one’s sin, Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and payment for it, and to come to Him and ask for forgiveness so that you can “become his child forever” and follow His special plan for your life.

“The best part about salvation,” Lee said, “is that it’s eternal.”

After months of recuperation and rehabilitation from 13 different operations following his injuries, Lee returned home to his father’s church in southern Illinois. There, he made things right and accepted the call to preach in 1973.

Gone was the open rebellion that had strained his relationship with his parents, got him kicked out of junior college and fired from his job, and led to the Greyhound Bus ride to Parris Island.

“I was tired of people telling me what to do so decided to join the Marines,” Lee joked about why a recruiting poster he’d seen countless times before finally caught his eye one day at the local Post Office.

Once he returned home after his Vietnam service and finally accepted God’s plan for his life, Lee said things changed quickly. He met and married Connie and they had three children and now are enjoying grandchildren.

Quoting Job 5:17 (“Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves, so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty”), Lee said he’s thankful for his post-Vietnam life, double-amputee status included.

Among the people that he’s seen stop running and come to Christ in churches where he’s spoken are two of the men who walked behind him on the mine-clearing operation that day. He’s also enjoyed a reunion with Cpl. Lee Gore, the Marine who openly proclaimed his faith in Christ to his fellow Marines while Lee remained silent.

When Lee regained consciousness after the explosion, it was Gore who cradled his head and cried out to God to save him. “Friends, there is no middle ground” if you are a follower of Christ, Lee told Triad members, urging them to tell others about how they can become part of the family of God and have eternal life. “I was saved but I was running from God.”

Triad’s Lead Pastor Rob Decker said that at least 54 people accepted Christ through Lee’s visit (19 in the first service, 15 in the second and 20 in the third) with scores more making recommitments and dealing with idols they had let come between them and Christ.

“Tim’s message of how he found God’s purpose for his life through his tragedy in Vietnam clearly resonated,” Decker said. “I’m praising God for how he used this simple, heartfelt testimony to convince people what they needed to do to make things right with Jesus Christ.

“What he said is so true and so clear in scripture: God made each one of us and gave us a purpose that we can embrace and run to, or, at our peril, run away from. He is a God of such infinite grace that He’ll do everything He can to bring us back if we make the wrong choice but how much better it is if we’ll simply obey and follow Him with all our heart, mind and soul from the start.”

Learn more about Dr. Tim Lee at timlee.org