My Life-Change Story

Here’s my story:

Growing up in a Southern Baptist Church (First Baptist Albuquerque, NM), my father was a Deacon and both of my parents were Sunday School teachers.  Like most good Baptist children, at age 7 I walked down the isle one Sunday Morning to “ask Jesus into my heart” and was baptized.  Growing up in a godly Christian home and in church was formative, but my “walking the isle” experience at age 7 meant little to me.

I didn’t actually become a follower of Christ until I was 15.  Our church had just hired a new youth pastor, Kevin Choate, and he made an immediate impact on me.  I don’t remember what he was teaching about one Wednesday night, but I remember feeling like he was talking straight to me.  He asked for us to give our lives to Christ and I resisted.  I reasoned that I was already a Christ-follower because I had walked the isle and been baptized at age 7 so I didn’t need to respond.

That night I could not sleep and was reminded of a passage of Scripture I had memorized as a child.  Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.”  It was as if God were saying to me, “Alan, this passage describes the attitude and life of a person who is my follower.  You are nothing like the person described in this passage.  Give yourself to me.”  I didn’t know what else to do, so I got out of bed and knelt beside it where I prayed a prayer asking God to forgive, save, and change me.  He did.

Where I had once been merely a faithful churchgoer, I suddenly became a radical follower of Jesus.  I was baptized again, this time as a follower of Christ.  Together my youth pastor, Kevin, and I went out to evangelize my friends.  Soon two of my best friends became Christians after seeing what God had done in my life.  Immediately we were reaching more and more friends for Christ.  It was that time in my life that gave me an addiction:  seeing people come to know Jesus.

What’s your story?

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alandanielson@churchleaders.com'
Alan Danielson is the Lead Pastor of a church that’s probably a lot like yours. New Life Bible Church is a church of a few hundred people, but not long ago he was on the executive staff of Life.Church in Edmond, OK. Now, along with pastoring New Life, Alan is a consultant and has worked with many of America’s largest churches. Despite this, Alan has a passion for the small church. That’s why he lives by the personal conviction that no church is too small for him to work with. Alan founded Triple-Threat Solutions to help leaders of and churches of all sizes grow. Learn more from Alan at http://www.3Threat.net.