I grew up in a home where Jesus was real, so I never really doubted the existence of God. God was interwoven into our family stories and my parents were living by faith. My dad was the pastor of OCC. But, it was my own struggles that caused me to begin relying on God. I was held back in fourth grade and in tenth some of my closest friends quit school, leaving me feeling alone in the world. I started to read the Bible and journal my thoughts and prayers. My personal relationship with the Lord beginning to take root.
I went to college and shared the experience of living in community with my fraternity brothers and some other friend groups. I still maintained my relationship with Jesus, but it was mainly private and I was not attending church. This continued into my young professional life. I was dating a Christian and we attended her hometown church, but I did not get involved. I was able earn a paycheck, but I was lacking passion and purpose.
Then in the backseat of a car with a bunch of guys going to a football game, I looked up and saw a divided sky. For me, it was God laying before me a choice: light or darkness. I privately choose the light and asked for help because I was aware that I could not do this on my own. The girlfriend I mentioned became my wife and together we began to take the leap of faith. We started attending OCC, got baptized and got involved in the youth ministry. I experience the purpose I was missing. Later God called me (us) to Seminary and at my graduation my wife wept as we played (I was playing percussion in the band) “Here I Am Lord.” We were responding to God’s call upon our lives and we entered the Lord’s service.
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