Luke Wynen: A Snowboarder's Salvation Story

CBN.com “The best way I can explain it is, I’m dancing with God. And I know that doesn’t sound like the most masculine thing to say on TV, but I don’t really care, because it feels awesome.”

Professional snowboarder Luke Wynen is not your ordinary athlete. He’s been competing since 1999 against the top snowboarders in the world. And like most pro- riders, he lived life on the edge.

“I just thought, 'Man I’m going to do everything I can possibly do. I want to be the best snowboarder I can be. I am going to date as many girls as I can. I wanna have the nicest car. I want all that.' That’s what happiness is, that’s what I was told, and that’s what I think it is, and I was going to pursue that,” remembers Luke.

Luke had no idea of the consequences of that decision.   

“When you’re on the road traveling, you’re anonymous in a way. There’s no accountability. You can do anything you want. I would go after a girl. I’d see a girl, and I’d be like wow ... I’m gonna take her home, and I’d take her home and the next morning I’d be like, 'Why?' So then I’d be like, 'Fine I’ll take two home, I’ll take…' "

"You know what I mean, I’d go more extreme. I’d get to brag about it more because sin is fun, but I was starting to feel the cost of it. And that was what I was about. Unfortunately my nickname for a couple of years was “Wining and Dining," he says.

Luke continued to wine and dine but realized that he was left empty and alone.

“In that time in my life, I was searching for something. And I was searching for significants and love, and unconditional love. It just brought me to a place of despair. I had everything that I thought I needed, or I wanted, and I had nothing,” he says.

So Luke continued his search. He packed up everything and moved to Mammoth Lakes, CA. On the day of arrival, he met a friend that would help him find what he’d been looking for.  

“I only knew one person in town, and his name was Chris Nelson. I called him up and said, 'Hey man, I’m in town. Do you think I can stay at your place?' And he was like, 'Sure no problem.' He was living at his parents place at the time, and they were nice enough to welcome me in. Little did i know that his father was Dave Nelson, pastor at the Lighthouse."

Luke continues, "And they were like, 'Hey, we're gonna go to a meeting, would you like to come?' And I was like, 'Um, sure .. I guess, maybe.' ”

It turns out his friend’s father was the pastor of a church called the Lighthouse. Even though Luke really didn’t want to be there, something happened to him that night.    

“From the moment he started speaking to the moment he stopped, it felt like I was the only person in the room, and he [Pastor Nelson] was only talking to me. It was like adrenaline was running through my body ... like I was having the biggest snowboard run of my life.”

The next night he couldn’t wait to go back to church. 

“He [Pastor Nelson]] was basically doing an altar call. I heard an audible voice in my head, 'I am the Lord, and you need to make a decision right now to live for me or not to.' ”

With tears streaming down his face, Luke made the decision and invited Christ into his life.

"And everyday since then, I have to say that I’ve fallen in love with the Lord more and more. He’s taken everything in my life that was gross, or dirty, or shameful, and turned it around,” says Luke.

These days, Luke enjoys spending time with his wife, Danielle and new son, Enoch. You’ll find him still riding the pipe or making Jesus stickers through his business. But whatever he’s doing, he says one thing is certain.

“Jesus is the answer to every single thing, every question, every hurt, every pain, every lie that you ever believed. Jesus is the answer to that. And God wants a relationship with you, and a relationship with Jesus is incredible.”