Autobiography
On September 4, I was born to Mr. and Mrs. Clark Lambert. Clark was a tall, slender, West Virginian with
black wavy hair. Agnes was a petite, brunette, Georgia peach, whose father had been an alcoholic and later
gave his life to Christ and became a Baptist Evangelist.
Mom was a Sunday School teacher who dedicated her first-born son to the Lord, when I was just a baby. At the
age of two, I’m told, I would sit on the front pew and try to sing hymns with the rest of the congregation.
With Dad out of work, we loaded up the ’53 Buick Special and moved from Ohio to California, where Dad had
gotten a job with the L.A.P.D.
We were attending a small church in West L.A., Centinela Southern Baptist Church that was pastored by Rev.
Jack Blankenship. On a Sunday evening, I felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and the call to salvation. At
the tender age of seven, I walked the aisle and that night kneeling at the altar I gave my life to Jesus Christ.
As the years went by and the pressures of being a L.A. Cop, mounted on Dad, he became an alcoholic. At the
young age of 36, he died of sclerosis of the liver, leaving Mom devastated and myself at eleven to help raise my
two younger brothers. It was only by the grace of God, that I was able to bare up under this heavy burden,
which He had placed on me. As I grew, it was only the many nights I spent before the Lord in prayer and tears
that carried me through. The best times of my life were spent in church. God had given me the talent to sing, the
gift of teaching, and an insatiable thirst for His Word. All through school, I would sing in church and school
choirs, performing solos and witnessing to anyone who would listen.
In 1976, I met and married my beloved wife, Bonnie, and she rededicated her life to the Lord, as we started our
service to the Lord together. Since then, she has walked beside me as wife, and mother of our three children,
Children’s Ministry Director; Vacation Bible School Director; Children’s Church teacher; Nominating
Committee member; van driver for children; Webmaster and designer; Children’s Sunday School and Bible
Club teacher for over 30 years; personal secretary, bookkeeper and tax advisor. She is a contributor to From My
Heart to Yours Inspirational Messages from the Wives of Ministers released in February 2009 by The
Benchmark Group LLC.
At the age of 24, God called me to preach. After spending my whole life in church and unable to find a mentor,
I had become disenchanted. Church splits and hypocrisy had all taken their toll. I told God that I would serve
Him in any way, but I would not preach. The next 13 years were the hardest of my life, trying to serve the Lord
and at the same time being in a state of rebellion. Finally in 1992, I surrendered.
Through the years God has directed me into the Chaplaincy, through the National Chaplain’s Association, and
the International Conference of Police Chaplains. He has also allowed me to serve as a church planter, and in
two full time pastorates, the clergy advisory council of Life Services Crisis Pregnancy Center, and the Spokane
County Sheriff’s Chaplaincy program. Over the years I have been blessed by being able to work with those in
the corrections and law enforcement fields, children, youth, criminals, and the elderly. My life and ministry
continues to be shaped with the American Association of Christian Counselors. I was also honored by being
asked to contribute to a book for Thomas Nelson Publishers, The Chosen Path distributed through LifeWay
Stores, and have since written The Songs of the Vineyard - Sixty-six Meditations on Isaiah published by
Ambassador International, and released in October 2008. Other contributions include From My Heart to Yours
Inspirational Messages from Ministers of the Gospel, published by The Benchmark Group LLC, released in
February 2009. The Lord continues to grow me in all the endeavors that He has set before me.
Space does not allow me to tell of all the problems and victories over the years. Our oldest daughter, born with
deformed ankles, who went on to letter in track all four years of high school, by the healing power of Jesus
Christ. Jennifer now lives in Oregon, is married and has three children. She is a graduate of Oregon Institute of
Technology and serves as a teacher and counselor at her church. Cassandra our middle child, who had gone
deaf, but started high school when she was only 12, then in July of 1999 God gave her perfect hearing which
she had never had before. She is a graduate of Eastern Washington University and is now working on her MBA
at Liberty University. Cassandra is married with two children and living in Colorado. Or how God spared the
life of our son after a head injury. Clark married a preacher’s daughter and is living in England and they are
expecting their first child any day. Or all the trials, personal and financial that any modern marriage of 30+
years could go through. Yes, the God who saves is the God who keeps and it is my heart’s prayer to always be in
His will.
black wavy hair. Agnes was a petite, brunette, Georgia peach, whose father had been an alcoholic and later
gave his life to Christ and became a Baptist Evangelist.
Mom was a Sunday School teacher who dedicated her first-born son to the Lord, when I was just a baby. At the
age of two, I’m told, I would sit on the front pew and try to sing hymns with the rest of the congregation.
With Dad out of work, we loaded up the ’53 Buick Special and moved from Ohio to California, where Dad had
gotten a job with the L.A.P.D.
We were attending a small church in West L.A., Centinela Southern Baptist Church that was pastored by Rev.
Jack Blankenship. On a Sunday evening, I felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and the call to salvation. At
the tender age of seven, I walked the aisle and that night kneeling at the altar I gave my life to Jesus Christ.
As the years went by and the pressures of being a L.A. Cop, mounted on Dad, he became an alcoholic. At the
young age of 36, he died of sclerosis of the liver, leaving Mom devastated and myself at eleven to help raise my
two younger brothers. It was only by the grace of God, that I was able to bare up under this heavy burden,
which He had placed on me. As I grew, it was only the many nights I spent before the Lord in prayer and tears
that carried me through. The best times of my life were spent in church. God had given me the talent to sing, the
gift of teaching, and an insatiable thirst for His Word. All through school, I would sing in church and school
choirs, performing solos and witnessing to anyone who would listen.
In 1976, I met and married my beloved wife, Bonnie, and she rededicated her life to the Lord, as we started our
service to the Lord together. Since then, she has walked beside me as wife, and mother of our three children,
Children’s Ministry Director; Vacation Bible School Director; Children’s Church teacher; Nominating
Committee member; van driver for children; Webmaster and designer; Children’s Sunday School and Bible
Club teacher for over 30 years; personal secretary, bookkeeper and tax advisor. She is a contributor to From My
Heart to Yours Inspirational Messages from the Wives of Ministers released in February 2009 by The
Benchmark Group LLC.
At the age of 24, God called me to preach. After spending my whole life in church and unable to find a mentor,
I had become disenchanted. Church splits and hypocrisy had all taken their toll. I told God that I would serve
Him in any way, but I would not preach. The next 13 years were the hardest of my life, trying to serve the Lord
and at the same time being in a state of rebellion. Finally in 1992, I surrendered.
Through the years God has directed me into the Chaplaincy, through the National Chaplain’s Association, and
the International Conference of Police Chaplains. He has also allowed me to serve as a church planter, and in
two full time pastorates, the clergy advisory council of Life Services Crisis Pregnancy Center, and the Spokane
County Sheriff’s Chaplaincy program. Over the years I have been blessed by being able to work with those in
the corrections and law enforcement fields, children, youth, criminals, and the elderly. My life and ministry
continues to be shaped with the American Association of Christian Counselors. I was also honored by being
asked to contribute to a book for Thomas Nelson Publishers, The Chosen Path distributed through LifeWay
Stores, and have since written The Songs of the Vineyard - Sixty-six Meditations on Isaiah published by
Ambassador International, and released in October 2008. Other contributions include From My Heart to Yours
Inspirational Messages from Ministers of the Gospel, published by The Benchmark Group LLC, released in
February 2009. The Lord continues to grow me in all the endeavors that He has set before me.
Space does not allow me to tell of all the problems and victories over the years. Our oldest daughter, born with
deformed ankles, who went on to letter in track all four years of high school, by the healing power of Jesus
Christ. Jennifer now lives in Oregon, is married and has three children. She is a graduate of Oregon Institute of
Technology and serves as a teacher and counselor at her church. Cassandra our middle child, who had gone
deaf, but started high school when she was only 12, then in July of 1999 God gave her perfect hearing which
she had never had before. She is a graduate of Eastern Washington University and is now working on her MBA
at Liberty University. Cassandra is married with two children and living in Colorado. Or how God spared the
life of our son after a head injury. Clark married a preacher’s daughter and is living in England and they are
expecting their first child any day. Or all the trials, personal and financial that any modern marriage of 30+
years could go through. Yes, the God who saves is the God who keeps and it is my heart’s prayer to always be in
His will.
| Rev. Russell C. Lambert |
Our daughter Cassandra
| My wife Bonnie |
| Our daughter Jennifer |
| Our son Clark |
About Us
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| Rev. Russell C. Lambert Pastor Author Chaplain |
