“After the age of 10, I only attended church for Christmas, Easter or the occasional wedding. Fast forward 25 years, and things were going great – at least on the outside. I had a great marriage and a beautiful daughter, yet I felt like I was underachieving in every area of life. In an attempt to become more successful and significant, I started reading books and listening to highly-rated podcasts. It didn’t take me long to realize that each of the resources I selected had a strong Christian persuasion. After decades of a religion that basically consisted of TV specials condemning my favorite music and Dana Carvey’s church lady spoofs, all of a sudden I was consuming advice from smart, educated individuals with a deep faith in Christ.
A couple years later, we were invited to Fox River by my wife’s friend. It was nothing like I thought it would be – it was down-to-earth and practical. We started going every week. Next, we joined Re|Engage and Growth Track. I wanted to believe, but I still held onto too much doubt and skepticism. Then, on the way to work one morning I started listening to the book of Genesis on my phone’s Bible app. Shortly into it, I was smacked in the face by the message, “It’s not about you!” From that point on, the doubt was gone, my belief was clear and it was even a little liberating.
I wish I could say that I’m a selfless overachiever now – but I’m not. I’m just more self-aware and getting a little better at managing God’s possessions every day. And my faith in God impacts how I process and deal with the hard things. My mom passed away recently. While I was of course sad, I found great comfort in the fact that she knew God, and knew where she was going. Because of that, I get to see her again someday.
If you are where I was a few months ago, or a year ago – start searching and never stop. Because God won’t stop searching for you, ever. And when He finds you, He’s going to celebrate.”