I Really Never Knew What It Meant to Be Born Again

My Name is Gabino Martinez and for most of my life I considered myself to be a good man, someone who believes in God and considered myself a Christian that attended church from time to time, I was baptized twice and had heard the term born again many times but never really knew what that meant until it happened to me.

My Light in the Darkness

I had heard stories of people becoming born again when they were at their lowest, in a deep dark place like prison. For me it was at a time in my life when I was growing in my relationship with Christ at the same time my marriage was falling apart. I went through a divorce that I did not want to go through, I loved my wife. After my divorce I remember feeling like a failure, I raised my hands and said, Ok God, I give up! I can't do anything right, I can't do anything on my own, take me and do with me what you will.

My New Beginning

And He did, talk about being born again! He gave me a new life, a new identity, and a new gift. My life and identity are now a testimony of how he took me, a lifelong Handyman with a 10th grade education who never took an Art class and turned me into an artist who is now performing live art shows all over the country at Conferences, Fundraising and Corporate Events for clients such as the McDonald's Corporation and many others.

Selfish Ambition

When I saw that my live performance paintings were raising upwards of three to six thousand dollars each for fundraising events, I knew I was blessed and thought to myself Wow! I'm going to be famous! and I began to pursue that by trying out for TV shows like "America's Got Talent" and others. But God was quick to let me know that he didn't provide this gift for me to be famous & do what I want.

I Was Made for This

He provided this gift to me so that I could bring glory and fame to his son Jesus Christ. When everything I tried on my own never yielded results, I quit pursuing opportunities on my own and began to let him take control and take me where he wanted me to go. The opportunities began to come my way. I remember getting calls being asked about how to book me and who's my booking agent. That's when I began to see that God was and is my booking agent.

Jehovah Jireh (Provider)

He began to open doors for me that no booking agent could have ever opened. I began to get calls from people and event planners all over the country. One of the first opportunities to perform on a big stage was the African Music Awards Show that was broadcast all over the Motherland with Lisa Yaro a Nigerian artist. After that many other doors began to open including my first sporting halftime event in front of 20,000 fans at the Dallas Renegades XFL football game at globe life stadium. Right after that Covid shut the world down and I thought to myself well now what? I figured that was the end of my live Art venture -But God...

The Greatest Days are Still Ahead

My booking agent came through again and again. When no performers, singers, or bands were being booked for concerts, God booked me to do corporate Zoom events for the McDonalds corporation and a few other companies. I used to say that as a Handyman I didn't have a Boss and worked for myself. I'm proud to say that now I do have a boss, I work for God. I'm blessed and love knowing that my Lord and savior Jesus Christ is leading me. My life and work have become a Ministry that performs live Christian art shows for residents of nursing homes, shelters and wherever God leads me Including volunteering & joining other ministries, sharing my testimony at prisons, jails and shelters. I'm blessed and excited to see what God has in store for me and where he leads me next.