Blogging Theologically

Theology for real life

Testimony

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So how did I become a Christian, anyway?

“And if I didn’t know him, I’d think he was crazy, too,” said Adam. It was the Spring of 2008, and a colleague was visiting us from the Netherlands. He, Adam, John and I decided to hang out one night. Over sodas1 he asked how we came to faith. John and Adam told their stories, then it was my turn. By the time I was done, I’m pretty sure he thought I was insane.

To be fair, I’ve had that happen a lot. The way I came to faith—the way both Emily and I did, in fact—is pretty intense, to say the least.

For a long time, Emily and I both hesitated on sharing it too much, mostly because of events like the one I describe above. We’ve had people try to tell us that what happened didn’t, and others essentially say, “But you seem so normal…” We’ve even had some friends who drifted away from our relationship after hearing about it.

But a while back, something interesting happened: Emily was asked to share her story with Christianity Today. And that led to more opportunities to tell it. And then in 2016, 100 Huntley Street2 decided to do something a little different: they wanted to do a documentary-style feature on us for their “Life Stories” segment, which they released in two parts (because there’s a lot to say).

So, if you’ve ever wondered how I came to faith, here’s the story in a way I honestly never expected to be sharing it:

Part one:

Part two:

The events of Emily’s and my conversion are not what most people expect. They’re certainly not common. But it’s what happened. “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15)

  1. I’m not using this as a code word. Folks were drinking Diet Pepsis and whatnot. ↵
  2. A Canadian Christian talk show. ↵

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From Bahá’í to Jesus

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Sharing how God saved you is a rewarding exercise, but it can also be challenging. Some people love to tell the story—but some of us find it difficult. This isn’t because we are ashamed of Christ, though. It’s because how it happened was kind of… weird.

Recently, Emily (my lovely wife) felt compelled to start writing down her story. She had planned on asking our church if she could share it there. Instead, Christianity Today got in touch and asked if she’d be interested in sharing it in the testimonies segment of the magazine.

Her story appears in the October 2015 issue, and is now available for you to read online:

Heading to college in London, Ontario, I was eager to be a grown-up. And the ultimate marker of my new independence, I thought, would be joining the Bahá’í faith. A local assembly met in Caledonia, and some of my closest friends were raised in Bahá’í homes, so I was already familiar with the faith. I remember leaving Bahá’í events buoyed by the leaders’ optimism about the future: no more war, poverty, or racism. One language, one currency, and equality of the sexes. It sounded perfect.…

According to the tenets of the Bahá’í faith, all major religions before 1863 were founded by “Manifestations of God.” So Adam, Noah, Krishna, Moses, Abraham, Zoroaster, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, and the Báb are all manifestations, with Bahá’u’lláh being the final and complete manifestation. The most appealing belief to me: a new order led by Bahá’í leaders that would usher in world peace.

Since I had managed to be so good at everything else, belonging to the religion that ensured perfect order seemed the right step. But I quickly found myself falling short of its requirements. I struggled to pray the long, obligatory morning prayer. I skipped ceremonial washings because I didn’t understand how to perform them.

It didn’t help that I had started dating a non-Bahá’í a few months after joining.

Sharing a personal story like this is not easy, but I am very proud of Emily for following the prompting she felt to do it. Please read her story and if you believe it will be a blessing to someone you know, I hope you’ll share it with them.

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Tell the story that’s *yours* (For the Church)

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My series at For the Church, “Letters to a New Believer,” continues. The first post addressed the dangers of rushing into leadership roles. The second takes a step back to look at getting grounded in the Bible. The third, is my encouragement to tell the story that’s yours:

We tend to follow a pretty standard three-point summary:

  • what your life was like before becoming a Christian
  • what happened to draw you to Christ
  • what your life is like now.

I’m pretty sure that there’s no Christian who couldn’t divide up their story in this fashion.

But that doesn’t mean our stories are meant to fit neatly into a template.

The first time I realized this was when I tried to share my testimony in Honduras. It was 2006, I’d been a Christian for just over a year, it was my first missions trip, and it was super-awkward. It wasn’t that I didn’t know what happened (though I did), nor was it that I was particularly uncomfortable in front of a crowd (though I was). What made it awkward was the way I was telling the story wasn’t right.

Remember the standard three-point summary? Well, usually when you hear it, it goes something like this:

“Before I was a Christian, my life was a mess. I was living for myself, joyful on the outside but empty on the inside, numbing my insecurities with drugs, alcohol and/or sex with random strangers. One night, things reached a breaking point—I hit rock bottom—and I gave my life to Jesus. After that, I realized I’d found what I’d been looking for and now I’m living my life for him, serving in my church and found an extra five dollars in my coat this morning.”

Okay, that probably came across a little cheeky, but I don’t mean it to be glib. When I hear how God has brought someone to this obvious breaking point, and taken them through the proverbial fire, and when I see how their lives have been changed through their relationship with Jesus Christ, I am so thankful. But not everyone has an obvious rock bottom moment. And for some of us, the story doesn’t get better at the end.

Keep reading at For the Church.