The “Changed by Jesus” series features stories about how Jesus is working through the ministry of Mars Hill Church to change lives. If God has used Mars Hill to transform your life, please consider emailing your account to testimony [at] marshillchurch.org.

The following story is by John, a member of our Ballard campus. Today he celebrates his three-year anniversary of following Jesus.

Happy New Year — Changed By Jesus #24

I was running from God—and I mean running hard for about 12 years or so. And then I was 24, at the end of my rope, and lying in a backroom in Kent when I decided, “Alright God, I’m yours.”

Growing up in a Christian home, I knew Jesus but he was a long way down the list in things that I was interested in. One of my excuses for avoiding Jesus was that I didn’t want to be a hypocrite if I was to become a Christian. I wanted to be able to do things that I wanted to do, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to do them anymore if God was in the picture. In all honesty, I was scared to death of giving my life to God because I didn’t know what to expect. Satan really had a hold of me with fear and doubt.

I tried everything that I thought was more important—or at least more fun—than God. At a very young age (10 or so), I began to get sexually involved. That escalated at age 12, when I also added weed to the mix. When I left home, I started using cocaine and ecstasy and other drugs. This whole portion of my story is pretty involved, so I will leave it at that.

I knew about Jesus the whole time, but I was running. I moved to Las Vegas and began attending a large church down there, which is where God’s pursuit of my heart began to intensify. Every time I sat down, or whenever the band sang, I would burst into tears, which was embarrassing. I remember hoping that everyone would just bow their heads and pray already so I could wipe the tears and snot off of my face. I would play it off as a cold (in the middle of the Las Vegas summer), all the while looking like George in the Wedding Singer without the eyeliner.

Eventually, I broke down and moved back to Washington. I was 23, and I felt very strongly that God had forced me out of Vegas. Yet I still refused to surrender to him. The major transformation finally occurred about a year later. Seriously major. Two days after my Kent experience, I drove up to my parents’ house to publicly give my life to God. It happened to be New Year’s Eve, 2005. That night at the party, you wouldn’t believe the reactions I got when my old friends asked what was new with me.

I got baptized at Mars Hill (crying, of course…I’ve come to accept that), I became a member, and now I am involved in serving and community groups and the whole nine yards. And all the “exciting” and “fun” stuff that I put in front of Jesus seems so unimportant that it is almost comical. I guess I just had to go through a few things to learn that first hand.

I love Jesus dearly, and I owe him so much. I feel like I am making up for lost time, and I can’t help but marvel and repeatedly thank God for the protection placed on me and the patience he had in pursuing me as I chose to run to my death. I now know first hand that there is absolutely no lasting joy in anything other than Jesus. Period.