My testimony has been a fairly, simple cliché story of the average Christian growing up in the church. I’m a sinner saved by grace every day of my life. For the majority of my life, I grew up in western Michigan, middle-class, suburbia. I have had a comfortable life, usually getting whatever I need when I need it. I was home-schooled until I was in 3rd grade, when I told my mom I wanted friends.  I transferred to a Christian school from 3rd-12th grade, learning all the cliché answers to a Christian’s every day questions.

I was jaded to say the least. God at home, God at church, God at school. I was pretty much the best Christian anyone could ask for. By the time I reached high school, academia hit the back seat for more important things: quarterback of the football team, captain of the drumline, co-leading worship at chapels, student council… the works. I was a social and spiritual giant. But I still had no concept of who God really was, or what a Christian really needed to do in everyday life.

Was it this “worldview” we always talked about in bible class? Was it this set of rules governing a body of people who had “moral fiber?” I began to fabricate what I thought to be the “Christian walk” pretty well on the outside. I spoke “Christianese” fluently. The “let me pray for you’s…” and the “God is good’s…” were flowing from my mouth like the Nile.

The end of my senior year I went on a trip to Israel with Kent Dobson, who was a current Bible teacher at my high school at the time. We studied and walked the paths of Jesus and learned the ways of Judaism. Climbing a mountain overlooking the Essene city of Qumran, we discussed the importance of the Biblical text and the way of life the Essene people developed around it. To spend a lifetime copying and reading scripture as your only Job completely floored me. It turned my view on life upside down. Living life with God as a component because that’s just the way you do it turned into taking every breath as a gift from God, as well as a mandate to live a life in complete and utter submission to him.

Upon my arrival home, I decided not to go to Arizona for studio recording school and follow God’s lead to Cornerstone.  He since has caught my life on fire for ministry, with hopes for seminary in the coming future. All my life I had known the practical knowledge of the bible and how to answer the questions, but was still dead on the inside. Micah 6:8 has been a huge verse for me lately “The Lord has shown you, O man, what is good: to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.” God has really been pressing on me to be completely dependent on him daily. We need to approach each situation in our lives as a divinely appointed task to impact the world for the kingdom of Jesus Christ.