Anthony Lessard Part 2 "Planting Seeds"

In Part 2 of his testimony titled "Planting Seeds," Anthony Lessard shares his renewed Christian faith as an active member of Brunswick Baptist Church in Fredericton, where pastors Keith and Ross serve; after feeling judged and alienated during his parents' divorce years earlier, he returned with fervor following a pivotal encounter on January 4th. Now baptized by the Holy Spirit and planning water baptism and marriage to his wife Sandra despite her health issues, Anthony stays close to Christ by modeling his life after Jesus, the apostles, and biblical principles—especially Philippians 2's call to consider others better than oneself, prioritize their needs, and break free from selfishness—letting transformed actions speak far louder than words. His family has noticed profound positive changes, with his children enjoying church and his wife remaining open (though not yet fully committed) while he gently encourages prayer without pressure; he plants seeds of faith through authentic conversations about forgiveness with his sister and her boyfriend, deep talks with military friends during a weekend getaway, and even with his Muslim barber who is astonished by his character, all while trusting the Holy Spirit to nurture growth and viewing everyday kind acts as divine openings to share the Gospel.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Anthony, you mentioned you had met someone in Fredericton that that he gave you a Bible and everything. So I guess my next question was are are you currently part of a church family?

SPEAKER_00 0:13

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Brunswick uh Baptist Church in uh Brunswick Street in Frederick Street. Yeah, yeah, Brunswick Street. Yeah, exactly. Oh okay.

SPEAKER_01 0:22

And the pastor there.

SPEAKER_00 0:24

You got Keith, Pastor Keith, and Pastor Ross.

SPEAKER_01 0:29

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 0:29

And they're trying to hire a new one as well because they they need they need more.

SPEAKER_01 0:35

They need more help.

SPEAKER_00 0:36

Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. Exactly. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 0:40

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 0:41

No, I'm I'm very happy. We I was I was one of the guys that got, I would say when I was younger, got kind of not happy about church. When my parents divorced back in the day, I felt like we got like kind of ostracized a little bit, like oh your parents, you know, and this and that, and right, and kind of judge. And in my head, I was like, we're not supposed to judge the other one with the straw in his eyes when we got like a full four by four beam in our eyes. And and that's right. Kind of like pushed me away from the church a little bit. And I was telling that to Charles at the beginning here, and he was like, he was like, Well, let's see what happened, and you know, this and that. Uh and after after the second, after the fourth of January, yeah, I was like, wait, I'm coming this Sunday. Oh, great. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:41

You're right on fire, man.

SPEAKER_00 1:43

Oh, yeah, yeah. The Holy Spirit lives in me, and I'm pretty sure I've been baptized by by the Holy Spirit as well. Uh I um yeah, I'm I'm looking right now to be baptized through water as well. And uh this summer, like I said, I would like to marry Sandra if everything fits in our schedule. My wife got some health issues, so we need to to work through that as well. But as soon as soon as possible. And right on, yeah, that's great.

SPEAKER_01 2:13

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. How do you how do you keep close to Christ, Anthony?

SPEAKER_00 2:21

What do you mean by that?

SPEAKER_01 2:22

Like, how do you like do you pray and you oh find when you when you want you want kind of my schedule?

SPEAKER_00 2:31

Well, no, no.

SPEAKER_01 2:32

I I think what I'm looking for is like how how does Anthony stay close to Christ? You know, you you mentioned about prayer, you mentioned you you now have a Bible to read, and you mentioned about going to church. Are these these are the things that are that are keeping you close to him?

SPEAKER_00 2:50

I think I think it's go it goes more than this, actually. I I try to model my life like Jesus lived is is the the only three years we got about him. I tried to model my life on that, and Paul and all the apostles, and you know, you got so many examples in the Bible of a good way to live your life, and I think in a way that God wants you to live your life like Jesus gave you so many examples just to be just to be nice to to each other. And I was reading yesterday, I don't remember the verse like perfectly, but it was written, it was written to see the other better than yourself. It's in uh it's in Philippians, I think. Philippian two or something like that. I I don't remember exactly. And I mean it's a guy named Paul who wrote that, and Paul was killing Christian before, and all of a sudden, later on in his life, he's saying stuff like that. Other people are better than you. That's how you should see things, like the other one is better than you, and think about their needs before your needs. So I try to model my life now. In a sense, I I I don't I try to not be selfish anymore a lot, even with my kids and my wife. Sometimes we say we love our kids, we love our wife, but we really think about ourselves first, you know. And no, I try to I try to break that in my life a lot, and I think that's a good way to get closer to God and Jesus. And the the other thing I could I should say it's your your action, your action show way more than your words, actually. So I try I try my kids, just for an example, my kids they're like, Dad, you've changed, dad, you've changed. They tell us. Not because I'm talking, because I'm doing it differently. So you receive that from your kids. It's I'm I'm so thankful to to God. It's like thank you, guys. I I think I'm doing the right thing right now, you know, and and uh you see the change and Sandra see the change as well. She got way more to forgive me, I would say, than the kids. But yeah, I never cheated on her or stuff like that, but I mean I did a lot of other stupid stuff. Yeah, yeah. I I told her everything, and she always stayed, so uh I don't know how she stayed, but I think there again, I think it's a blessing from God. It gave me the best woman I could ever dream of, and I was trying to destroy that completely so yeah, thankful.

SPEAKER_01 5:50

Are there any other members of your family who who know Christ too?

SPEAKER_00 5:56

Like does your all my family have been kind of in contact with Christ, God. But to my personal knowledge, I don't know their heart or whatever. That's God who know their heart, but to my knowledge and what I see, there none of them really follow Christ.

SPEAKER_01 6:18

But yeah, but they see the difference in you though, don't they?

SPEAKER_00 6:22

Yeah, exactly. I I got the uh like uh a month ago, I went and see my uh little sister and uh her boyfriend. They got like a new house and everything, like an old house in La Pancassia. And um, I was going to be with some military friends, and they play like Warhammer and Dungeons and Dragons, and and I was like, Well, I don't want to play that anymore because it's not like godlike or whatever. But Charles, my friend, told me who's gonna talk to God about to them if nobody goes with them and play those games. So I was like, okay. So I even canceled that's another great story, actually. I canceled a weekend, it was a men's retreat from uh the church and everything, and I canceled that because I was like, nope, I'm gonna go with those guys, and if I can just say one thing about God during the weekend, I'm gonna do it, you know. And I met my sister just before that, just before going to that uh cabin in the wood with them. And she she asked me about my dad and like how she was having difficulties with my dad. My dad got difficulties with everybody, it's simple. And I just told her, you need to learn to forgive, just forgive. That's all he doesn't have a he doesn't have uh a claw on you or something because you're just like, you know what, I forgive you. It's over. I don't want you cannot affect me, you know. And I was like, that that's what Jesus teach, like to forgive others, so they don't have they don't have like their hands on you. And yeah, and she was crying a lot, and I I told her, like, it's coming from God, and she knows, you know. So even our boyfriend, he never I don't think he ever heard like too too much about God, or he was not really open, he was crying next to us, listening to what we were saying. So, and then yeah, and the big but in my family, they all heard about it, but I'm not too sure if they're following or not. But I'm confident, like little, little by little, like uh my actions and maybe a word here and there. Because what we're doing as Christian, we're planting, we're we're throwing seeds, but the the the the the the miracle of growing and everything, it's got to take care of that. So it's the same thing in the heart of people. So you can say a word, you can say a word you think you send it to that person, but actually you're sending it to the 10 person down the the hallway down there. You know what I say, what I mean, it's uh yeah, it's beautiful, and I see it more and more. It's beautiful, it's crazy. It's it's it's beautiful, yeah. And and like I said, that weekend I went, I had a big discussion with one of my friends, and there was another guy listening, Sasha, who's a guy I I just met there that weekend. But uh, and and after that, after I've talked with him and everything, I I kind of feel like maybe I didn't say enough, maybe I didn't do enough, and it started to grow in my mind. And like two days later, like two days after that, I was like, Oh, I did something, and then nope, the Holy Spirit in me told me uh he said, like, calm down, like you didn't do anything wrong, keep praying, keep reading, everything's fine. And a couple days later, my friend texted me saying, like, a big paragraph, big like this, and he's not the guy you talk a lot, and he told me like personal stuff, I won't say anything here. No, that's personal stuff, and and he was not he seems not ready yet, but I'm like, take any time. And we we we had like a discussion, and so now the door is open, and it's beautiful. And I thought I didn't do enough, but it's not me who has to do anything, it's him. So me, I did what he wants me to do, blah blah blah. That's it, and I left. Bye, and he's doing the rest, so it's uh so you planted those seeds, didn't you? Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_01 10:26

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:28

And now I talk to my barber who's a Muslim in town, and he's asking me a lot of questions, and he's telling me I never met a guy like you. I'm like, it's because you never met my good friend Jesus. You know what I mean? And he's he's baffled, like and I'm doing nothing, I'm just taking his word, and I just repeat them, you know. So it's like I'm doing nothing, it's not coming from me, it's coming from him. So it's beautiful.

SPEAKER_01 10:54

God is really using you, man.

SPEAKER_00 10:56

No, no, but yes, thank you. And I'm I'm hoping he can use me as much as he wants, because uh that that's another thing I got lately. It's it's he paid, he paid for us on the cross, right? So he gave us our his grace. And I listened to Dan Moller, preacher from the states. Uh if you can uh watch Dan Moeller, it's it's that guy is crazy, he's just amazing. And he said one thing he said, That grace, Lord. If I can invite you guys to pray one prayer, it's that grace, Lord, that you gave us, you paid for it. So pour every cent of that grace on me because you paid for it. I want to give it back to you as much as I can. Use me, do whatever you want with my life. Like you paid for it, basically. So take it, you know.

SPEAKER_01 11:50

Oh, right on. Yes, yeah, yes, yeah. How do you and your family stay close to Christ? Actually, like you're you're I'm talking about like your wife and your and your kids and yourself.

SPEAKER_00 12:06

My uh my wife, we had like uh some big discussion already, maybe two or three. I don't want to push because I don't think no, I don't think Jesus was pushing anybody.

SPEAKER_01 12:17

No.

SPEAKER_00 12:18

But she's listening when I talk with the kids, even sometimes I talk with her about stuff about like uh the the truth, and and she's open, she's not she's not closing the door, but I think she's not there yet. And at the beginning it was kind of saddening me, but I'm I'm like it could it can take God if it takes four years, five years, ten years, then then it's it's gonna be like that, you know. I I cannot push anything, I don't want to be the guy in between you and another human being. So you do your thing. I I keep doing my thing with God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I want to live my life like that, and she sees the change. See she heard she heard the words and everything, and sometimes she cries and we talk, and I'm always trying to bring her back to pray God, talk to talk to God, like ask him to to save you and ask him to change your life, ask him to take control of your life. And it's like being a driver. Now I'm on the passenger side seat and Jesus driving, you know, God is driving, and I enjoy the ride. And sometime it's gonna be like this, and sometime it's gonna be beautiful, and sometime, you know, and I'm doing the same with the kids. I encourage them to pray, I encourage them to just talk to him, and I see the change in them a lot. My wife told me too, she's praying. So, I mean, in a sense, if she's praying, she thinks there's something up there, you know. So it's not lost, it's not like a lost cause or something like that. And the kids, the kids, I'm very happy. They like to go to church now to play sports, new friends, and this and that. So it's it's it's it's it's going, it's going, you know, and I'm not, I'm not, I'm very like confident with the future. I'm I'm not looking, I'm putting it to the feet of God, and I'm turning around because I don't want to take it back from him. You have this, you take care of this. Thank you, Lord. Me, I keep trying to be to change my my mentality, my intelligence, my the way I am, according to you, Lord, with your help. So, yeah, that's all I could say. It's sorry.

SPEAKER_01 14:34

No, no, don't that's that's great. And Anthony, I Anthony, I as you know, wives know they see the change. They see that they know that hey, something's going on, and it's a good thing, you know.

SPEAKER_00 14:49

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's why I'm saying I think actions actually are way more powerful than words. Because this, I mean, I've seen it with uh like just for an example, the first month, the first month in January, there's a little like pizza place here in New Maryland. It changed now, it's a new like owner and everything. So I'm just going there to get like a sublicky wrap or whatever, right? So I go inside, and there's three ladies, like all old ladies, and one of them, and I'm just coming in and I'm like, Oh, it's cold outside. And one of them, she's like, she's like, Oh, let me give you a hug. But she was just kind of ha ha ha like this. And in my head, before I would have never said yes, like I uh just to tell you how it changed and all action. And I told her, No, you asked me for a hug, I want my hug now. And she looked at me that's one thing PTSD gave me. Like one of my one of my problem, biggest problem in my life, PTSD, actually gave me some power now. It gave me some great thing, and I I can see easily how people react and stuff like that easily now. So that's one thing God showed me as well. So that's a good thing. And and the face she gave me, she was like, and I was like, Mana, you you you tell me, so now you're coming. And she gave me that hug, and it opened a whole discussion for like an hour. Wow. It was it was it was great, it was great. And those ladies, like they were sitting there, and where I was talking about my family, I was talking about the change in my life and God, and and they were like, Wow, wow! And they were they were talking too, they were exchanging and everything. It was beautiful, like it was it was great, and uh and yeah, so your action changed a lot. Uh your action actually are that's what people see, you know what I mean? Yes, because you can say whatever you want, but if you go back and do bad stuff, then your words are useless. But if your actions are changed, it's it's uh it's crazy. It's crazy.

SPEAKER_01 17:11

It makes a big difference, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_00 17:13

It is, it is, it is, and and people realize it. Yeah, and people are uh when when you say when the Lord says in the Bible, he says like uh he says like be the light of this world, it's true. When you do when when you you take you pay attention to your action and you try to do it to see it the way Jesus sees it, to try to do it the way Jesus, and I'm not perfect. I'm I I did a lot of stupid stuff, and sometimes it's not the proper way to do it, and I'm learning, I'm learning. But I mean, but I mean when you see the face of the guy in front of you changing by who's that guy? What is he doing? Yeah, why is he doing this? And and you see it, you see it, that's right there. I know God is there, and I can talk. I can talk. Now is the time to talk. You know what I mean? And it's since I follow that, it's it's crazy. It's every time there's no like it's a victory every time, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 18:18

It's uh you see you you see the opportunities that uh God gives you. Yes, yes, and you take advantage of it, and and and usually it starts by an action.

SPEAKER_00 18:32

You do an action, you do something not selfish, or something people do not expect, and they look at you weird, and as soon as they look at you weird, usually you got an opening, and that's the opening. Right on, yeah, and I'm I'm not trying to force them. Actually, no, actually, even me sometimes I'm surprised. Like with my barber, he started to ask me questions and that phase that changed. I was like, oh, okay, nope, okay, you want to what's your question? And boom, poop-poom, we started to talk about.

SPEAKER_01 19:03

We hope you have enjoyed this episode of DP1. Also, if you are hoping to connect with other military Christians in your area, consider joining the Military Christian Fellowship of Canada, which you can connect with online at mcfanada.ca.