Growing up as a pastor's kid, I had few options about whether I would go to church or not, though I do remember faking being sick so that I could stay home and watch the Sunday morning edition of Mystery Science Theater 3000. But at some point around age 13, I had an epiphany of sorts. If Jesus is real, and God is real, and the story of what God has done in us and for us is real, then this is the most incredible and vitally important thing going on anywhere. It was at that point that I became highly engaged in my church, serving others, learning more and more about God, and generally reordering my life around the truth of the Gospel.
Of course, all of that hinges on whether the Gospel is true or not. So I also set out to understand whether it made sense beyond just believing my parents. I found that Christianity offers the best understanding of all the good in the world, as well as all the evil. The negative aspects of our human circumstance is better explained by sin than low self-esteem. Having a moral absolute in a person made more sense to me than the attempts to explain morality without a standard.
Finally, I needed to have an experience of God to confirm in me his existence and his faithfulness. Time and time again, beyond the possibility of chance, God has shown himself faithful and trustworthy to me. When money was tight, a check showed up. When I had nothing left to give, someone came alongside to help without even knowing how I felt. When doubt crept in to my life, God gave me a special touch of his grace bringing me to tears of joy. Now I can't imagine a life without God in it. He has been so good to me, my family, and his church.
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