IT IS A DIFFICULT

POSITION.

NOBODY REALLY SPENDS MUCH

TIME THINKING ABOUT THE

ISSUES.

I WAS ESSENTIALLY PURSUING

MY PLEASURE AND MY HAPPINESS

IN LIFE.

SO I ENDED UP PLAYING THE

PIANO IN A ROCK BAND AND I

PLAYED VOLLEYBALL IN A

NATIONAL LEAGUE, TRAVELLING

THE COUNTRY.

AND PART OF THE FRENCH IDEAL

IAT MY AGE IS TO HAVE

FEMININE CONQUESTS, AND I

NEVER REALLY FELT GUILTY

ABOUT MUCH.

I TRAVELLED ON VACATION TO A

TROPICAL ISLAND IN THE WEST

INDIES.

IT STARTED WITH TWO AMERICAN

TOURISTS IN THERE, AND THEY

WERE ACTUALLY LOST FROM THE

AIRPORT.

SO WE STARTED TALKING, AND I

QUICKLY FOUND OUT THAT THE

ONE THAT I WAS INTERESTED

IN, WHO LIVED IN NEW YORK,

TOLD ME SHE WAS A

CHRISTIAN.

WE STARTED DATING.

AND I CAME BACK TO FRANCE.

SHE FLEW BACK TO NEW YORK.

AND HERE WE WERE IN A LONG

DISTANCE RELATIONSHIP.

SO I JUST NEEDED TO

CONVENIENCE HER OUT OF HER

STUPID BELIEFS ABOUT GOD SO

THAT WE COULD BE HAPPY

TOGETHER.

BUT IF I WAS GOING TO

CRITICIZE CHRISTIANITY, I

NEEDED TO KNOW WHAT IT

ACTUALLY CLAIMS.

I PICKED UP THE BIBLE AND I

STARTED TO READ THE NEW

TESTAMENT.

I FIGURED IF ANY OF THIS IS

TRUE, IT MEANS THAT THERE IS

A GOD CURRENTLY WHO IS

LOOKING DOWN ON US, AND HE

IS PRESUMABLY INTERESTED IN

MY PROJECT, SO I'M GOING TO

PRAY AND ASK HIM TO SHOW

HIMSELF TO ME.

AND NOTHING IS GOING TO

HAPPEN.

SO I STARTED TO PRAY.

ALL RIGHT, GOD, I'M HERE AND

LOOKING INTO THIS

CHRISTIANITY THING.

IF YOU'RE REAL, WHY DON'T

YOU GO AHEAD AND REVEAL

YOURSELF TO ME.

A COUPLE OF WEEKS AFTER I

PRAYED THAT PRAYER, MY

SHOULDER JUST STARTED TO

BURN.

HERE I WAS OFF THE

VOLLEYBALL COURTS FOR A

WINDOW OF A COUPLE OF

WEEKS.

I FIGURED SINCE I'VE BEEN

INVESTIGATING THE

CHRISTIANITY THING, I MIGHT

AS WELL SEE WHAT THESE

CHRISTIANS DO WHEN THEY GET

TOGETHER.

I WALKED IN THERE, THE SAME

WAY YOU WOULD GO TO A ZOO,

TO SEE SOME WEIRD, EXOTIC

ANIMALS THAT YOU'VE SEEN OR

READ IN BOOKS THAT YOU'VE

NOT SEEN IN LIFE.

THE PREACHER PREACHED HIS

MESSAGE, AND I DON'T

REMEMBER A WORD OF WHAT HE

SAID IN HIS MESSAGE.

BUT I FIGURED I'VE SEEN

ENOUGH.

NOW I NEED TO ESCAPE.

I LITERALLY HAD ONE FOOT OUT

THE DOOR, AND I SENSED A

STRONG WAVE OF CHILL IN MY

CHEST, GOING ALL THE WAY TO

MY THROAT, AND GRABBING ME

ON MY THROAT.

AND I WAS FROZEN ON THE

DOORSTEP, WITH CHILLS ALL

AROUND.

I TOOK A SECOND, CLOSED THE

DOOR AND TURNED AROUND AND I

WENT STRAIGHT TO THE HEAD

PASTOR.

SO I SAID, SO YOU BELIEVE IN

GOD?

AND HE LOOKED AT ME AND SAID

YES.

AND I SAID, HOW DOES THAT

WORK OUT?

HE SAID, WE CAN TALK ABOUT

IT.

HE TOOK ME TO HIS OFFICE AND

WE STARTED TO TALK.

HERE WAS A MAN WHO WAS

CLEARLY EDUCATED.

HE WAS NOT OUT OF HIS MIND.

HE WAS SMART AND CAREFUL AND

METICULOUS, AND HE BELIEVES

THAT GOD EXISTS AND JESUS

WAS RAISED FROM THE DEAD.

AND I JUST COULDN'T FATHOM

IT.

AND OVER THE COURSE OF

SEVERAL MONTHS AFTER THAT,

WE WOULD JUST MEET

TOGETHER.

I WOULD COME AND BOMBARD HIM

WITH QUESTIONS, AND HE WOULD

PATIENTLY WALK ME THROUGH

THIS.

MY PRAYER AS A UNBELIEVER

STARTED TO SHIFT A LITTLE

BIT, TO, OKAY, GOD, IF

YOU'RE REALLY REAL NOW, AND

THIS STARTS TO MAKE SENSE TO

ME, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO

REVEAL YOURSELF MORE

DIRECTLY SO I'M REALLY

COMFORTABLE JUMPING IN AND

YOU CATCHING ME AND I DON'T

MAKE A FOOL OUT OF ME.

HE REACTIVATED MY

CONSCIENCE.

I CHEATED ON HIS GIRL A

NUMBER OF TIMES, AND THAT

WAS PILING UP AND IT WAS

VERY, VERY WRONG.

ONE DAY I WAS IN MY

APARTMENT, JUST BY MYSELF,

AND THINKING ABOUT THE

THINGS I HAD DONE.

THE THOUGHTS JUST WOULDN'T

GO AWAY.

AND I WAS IN PHYSICAL PAIN

FOR ALL OF THE GUILT I WAS

ASSOCIATING WITH THIS.

THE GOSPEL FINALLY CLICKED

IN THAT PLACE WHERE I

REALIZED THAT IS WHY JESUS

DIED ON THE CROSS.

IT WAS A VERY PERSONAL

THING.

HE DIED TO PAY THE PRICE FOR

MY SIN.

AND I CRIED OUT TO GOD AND

SAID, THAT'S IT.

I GET IT.

I'M ALL IN.

MY HEART WAS SIMPLY SET

FREE.

EVERY TRACE OF GUILT JUST

FLEW AWAY.

I THOUGHT AT THAT TIME,

MISTAKENLY, THAT GOD WANTED

ME TO MARRY THIS GIRL, NOW

THAT EVERYTHING WAS OUT IN

THE OPEN.

SHORTLY AFTER I MOVED TO NEW

YORK, I REALIZED THAT THIS

GIRL AND I WERE ABSOLUTELY

NOT MEANT FOR EACH OTHER.

I EVENTUALLY MET THE WOMAN I

WAS ACTUALLY SUPPOSED TO

MARRY THIS TIME, A WONDERFUL

AMERICAN WOMAN.

WE'VE GOT TWO BEAUTIFUL

BABIES, AND LIFE HAS JUST

TURNED OUT SO MUCH BETTER

THAN I HAD EVER HOPED IT

WOULD BE WHEN I MOVED HERE.

IT IS REALLY EVERYTHING I

COULD HAVE POSSIBLY HAVE

SACRIFICED AND GIVEN ME MUCH

MORE TO BE SATISFIED ABOUT.

I WASN'T SEEKING GOD.

I HATED GOD AND I HATED

RELIGION.

AND GOD IN HIS GRACE WENT

THROUGH ALL OF THIS TO BRING

THE GOSPEL TO ME AND BREAK

DOWN ALL OF MY DEFENCES AND

MAKE ME EMBRACE THE GOSPEL.

ANY PERSON CAN BE CONVERTED

BECAUSE GOD BREAKS DOWN OUR

BARRIERS.