I share this story of Mark, a friend who came to faith in Christ this year, for encouragement and inspiration.  It’s a great reminder of the power of the gospel working in the life of the kind of guy who may be in your church right now.

Who Was I?

I went to church on Sundays (most of the time), hoping for a good uplifting sermon and had the typical stable family life: wife, three children. I didn’t think that I needed anything more in my life or that I was “missing” anything.   A year ago, I would have called myself an agnostic - not knowing what to believe.  I had been curious about Christianity and had plenty of questions about faith and “proving” the existence of God. Over the years, these questions were never adequately answered and I had given up hope that they ever would be or could be answered to my satisfaction. The so called “leap of faith” seemed impossible to me.

The concept of a living God being a presence in my daily life was foreign to me. Jesus was a nice guy, good teachings… but the Resurrection?! Now that was something those crazy Christians believed.  Easter was just another holiday when you got together with family members that you hadn’t seen since Christmas. The Easter egg hunt was more important to me than any thoughts of the living Christ having an impact on my daily life. I didn’t want to be bothered by those hypocritical believers and their rules or their tithing or their singing.

What Happened?

Well, that was a year ago. Really it was my whole life up until a year ago. Why did I change? Under the pressure of my family and some really pesky neighbors, I attended a Sunday service at Godspeed. How can a bunch of people meeting in a school for a few hours every Sunday make a difference in my life? How much is this going to cost me? I hope it doesn’t interfere with any of my other Sunday plans: the couch, the TV (I hope they know that it’s football season).

Well my expectations were not met. There was no tithing bucket in my face. There was no pressure to commit to anything. They seemed actually genuine and happy about their beliefs. What was going on here? These people seemed like me but they had something else. My curiosity was piqued.

The Evidence

After building some surface friendships and general trust, I’d thought that I’d give these Christians a chance to answer my questions about faith and the existence of God. These Christians spent time with me, week after week, patiently answering my skepticism and offering books and resources for my own personal investigation. Without offering all the details of my search, the evidence started to piece itself together. In the category of science, the improbability of Earth evolving independently and randomly to support life, the intricacies of the human body — it all led to my first conclusion that a master designer or God was evident. Next I tackled the religious side of the argument: who was this Jesus? He seemed like a nice guy, good teachings but he said that he was God. What kind of lunacy was this?! His biggest claim was the resurrection, so I started there. Again, to my amazement, the evidence, when examined, supported this claim.

Finally in January, after many Christian books and talks, I reached a spiritual crossroads.  My decision point was not a big dramatic moment - no lightning bolts or thunder. Based on the facts, the evidence, the lives I saw in other Christians and the message that could bring lasting benefits to my life, my “leap of faith” was a small step.  I accepted the free gift of salvation and it changed my life.

Who Am I Now?

I was a die hard Red Sox and Patriots fan growing up. I lived and died by their performances. Bernie Carbo and Carlton Fisk in 1975. Bucky Dent. The 1986 Red Sox. The Bears-Patriots Super Bowl. Finally when the Patriots defeated the Rams and the Red Sox broke the curse of the Bambino, I was truly excited. But this fulfillment faded. I went to work the next day, paid the same bills, dealt with the same traffic. But since becoming a Christian, I have felt a true fulfillment that hasn’t faded. It has actually grown stronger each day that I walk forward in faith.

A year ago, I didn’t think that I needed anything more to fulfill my life. But after becoming a Christian, I quickly realized that I had been missing something. My relationship with my wife (I’ve known her for 24 years) has never been better. I feel better equipped to be a strong leader and father for my children. I have stronger friendships and stronger community with others that I never thought that I would desire. My stress is less and I wake up each day with a new sense of discovery and anticipation. Peace may be the best way to describe it. I still have the daily ups and downs as everyone else but I now tackle life without fear knowing that I’m not in this alone and help and guidance is always by my side.

One final analogy would be to compare our spiritual struggle to a hot summer day. We want to jump into the cool ocean water but have some trepidation. It’ll be too cold, I’m not really that hot, it’ll mess up my hair, etc. Well I’m here to tell you that the water will change your life. Come on, jump in, the water is great!

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