What better way to start off my new blog than with a story of how God radically shaped my life early on in my walk. Of course, I'm certain God had many things to do with my life before this moment, but one of the coolest things about being a Christian is being able to recognize God at work, and this was the first time it really hit me.
I had been saved at a Clemson FCA event two years prior. Sadly, my life had little change to show for it. I knew that if I wanted to take another step towards Christ, I needed to get my butt to church. Thus, I began searching for a church in the area, or "church shopping" as my Southern Baptists friends informed me it was called.
At the time, I worked in the restauarnt industry with some amazing Christians. Several invited me to their church in Greenville, SC, which I of course accepted. The Sunday I attended, I was met with an odd dichotomy of classic church and contemporary worship. There I sat in a pew, surrounded by stained glass, listening to.....is that a guitar on stage?! And drums?! And is that college students wearing shorts and a T-shirt to church on a Sunday?! I mean, I know I haven't been to church in a while, but when the heck did this all change?
I wasn't really sure if it was "right", but I liked it. I liked it a lot. I learned a new word that Sunday, Worship "band". I knew that God was about to get exciting in my life, but I grossly underestimated just how much. I guess you can say my faith began a trend in that aspect, but that's a topic for a much latter time.
After the "band" was finished, the Pastor came out and preached a great message. I was really digging all of it. It felt fantastic to be around God and His word again. I wanted to wrap myself in it and learn more and more. The hunger that had plagued me for years was beginning to be satiated. Then my experience took a very unexpected turn.
At the very end of the sermon, the Pastor through the most vicious curve ball I had ever seen to this day. It went something roughly like this...
"Scientist are offending God by trying to clone human embryos. You know who wants to clone human embryos? The Homosexuals! That's who! They can't reproduce naturally, so they want to clone an army of Homosexuals to take over."
::blink:: Umm.....
Did that just happen? Surly I just totally missed something. I even turned around (keep in mind I was on the 2nd row) and looked at the rest of the congregation to see if anyone else caught that. I was hoping to see some pained or confused faces, but all I got was intent focus as if nothing out of the ordinary had just taken place. Suddenly, I was in the Twilight Zone.
Suffice it to say, I continued "church shopping" and the next week lead me to Newspring church on Easter Sunday. That was to be my home for the next four years of my walk, the place I was baptized, and the place where I made the commitment to live my life 100% in the name of Jesus Christ.
A few months later I asked my friends about the odd sermon, no one remembered it. The more I asked and thought about it, the more it became apparent that it was a section of the message devoted exclusively to me.
Later, I retold this story to some friends, and ended by saying, "If it wasn't for those 60 seconds, I probably would not have ended up at Newspring Church." Suddenly WHAMMO!! A ton of God bricks landed on my heart, and for the first time I saw how God was directing my life in the most spectacular way. I saw how God used a very public message to speak to me in a very personal way, and in his supreme power made it practically disappear to those around me.
God put a desire in my heart (to attend church), allowed me to step up and take an action (the wrong one), and acted within that decision to lead my down the right path. You see, I had been invited to Newspring months before, but refused to go because I didn't like the guy inviting me.
To me, this is a very powerful example of how God uses Outside Influences to direct our path. More on that topic next....
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