And Now for Something Completely Different...

(This is my contribution to a syncro-blog started by RobbyMac.)

It was the summer after my freshman year in college. That first year in college, I, like many freshmen, "got a little wild". But back home after the school year, I really began to try to figure out the whole "God" thing. I knew God existed, but didn't really have much of a grid of how to relate to Him.

So that summer I started attending my hometown Methodist Church. I joined the choir, and went every Sunday. Right at the end of summer, I was sitting in the choir loft off to the side looking out over the congregation, just watching the people as the pastor gave his sermon.

There were probably 75 people there. Near the front were the gray hair and bald heads crowd, half of which were nodding off. In the middle, there were a few middle aged couples. On the back couple of rows were the teenagers, mostly passing notes (this is before texting existed) and talking. Pretty much no one was paying any attention to what was being said.

As I sat there, I thought to myself, "God...if this is it...if this is what being a Christian is...I'm just wasting my time. I could have been working this morning and making some money."

Now, I did not hear the audible voice of God (which I always picture sounding like Charlton Heston), but deep in my heart, I heard a "No!". As in, "No, this is not all there is."

I left there thinking, "Okay, if this isn't all there is, that means there's something different. What is it?"

A few weeks later, school started back and I went back to my college town. This year, though, there were a couple of new freshmen. Actually, there were lots of new freshmen, but three in particular stood out. They were all friends from before college, but they welcomed me into their circle, and I started hanging out with them around school. I was a music major, so we spent lots of time together in the band hall, etc.

They seemed a little "different" to me. They didn't laugh at my vulgar jokes, but at the same time, they didn't berate me either. Apparently none of the drank either. Weird. A month or so into school, one of them, Mike, asked me to go to church with him on a Wednesday night. To his surprise, I said yes. So that night we went to Christ Is Life Church.

Hold on!! Something's different here. These people actually seem excited to be at church. Now that's just weird!

They played upbeat songs. They clapped and sang...some people even kinda danced a little jig. Near the end of the service, the pastor had everyone stand and asked everyone to raise their hands and pray with him. So I did. I wasn't religious enough to know I wasn't supposed to do that. During that Wednesdy night service, and specifically that prayer, God really began to change my heart. That was the moment that I saw there could be something different.

Since this is a syncro-blog, I won't go any further with my story, but this was definitely my first "charismatic" moment.

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Okay, I lied. Sorry. I am going to continue on with my story. Just one more thing.

A few months later, after I had jumped into spiritual life feet first, Mike and I were talking about something related to God or the Bible, and he said to me, "If someone had told me 3 months ago that we would be sitting here having this conversation, I never would have believed them. I was shocked when you went to church with me the first time and shocked when you went to that Carmen concert. On the outside, you didn't look interested at all."

I often use this story to encourage myself whenever I try to talk myself out of sharing with someone because "they wouldn't be interested", or "they aren't really ready to hear this."

As if I know what someone else's heart is ready to hear.