In March 2013, it was twenty years since I graduated from THE Ohio State University (all alumni are contractually obligated to stress the word "the" every time we mention it). It made me reflect of my times while being a student there. The good times and the not so good times. There are people I met there who still have a major impact on my life years later and I have not seen in many years. It was fun, a time to dream, to plan, and to grow into adulthood. It was where I made long-lasting decisions for my life, met new challenges, and made bonds of friendship that still shape my current thoughts. It's also where I grew profoundly in my faith thanks to the friends I met there.
The year was 1988 (yes a long long time ago). I had just enrolled at Ohio State and was not prepared for the new experience. Although I was only two hours from home, I found myself homesick. I was away from friends and family and totally out of my comfort zone.
Outside of my roommates, the first person I met was named Art. I had heard rumors that he was a born-again Christian. In my world at that time, born-agains were people who had no fun, strict in their ways, and judgmental towards others. That had been my interactions with born-agains up to that point. Art, I assumed, would be no different. I had grown up in the Lutheran Church and was involved in the youth group. I knew I was prepared for Art if he came to do battle with me scripturally. Funny, at the time, that I thought I knew a lot.
It's funny how the Lord tends to diffuse potential situations in ways that I wouldn't expect. Here I was all prepared for battle when Art walked into our room. He looked at my roommate and said "Andy!" Then, he turned and looked at me and said "Damn!" Art didn't know my name, so I introduced myself. Him using that word caught me off-guard and my pre-conceived notions went out the window.
Art was very smart and very funny (a trait I had not seen in many Christians in the past). He was, however, very serious about his faith. We spent many days and nights discussing our backgrounds and our faiths. He introduced me to Intervarsity Christian Fellowship which I became involved with during my time in college. He was a wonderful, thoughtful speaker and I thought he would make a good pastor (He was majoring to become a police officer I believe). He was a leader of our bible study and a leader with Intervarsity. The one thing I was impressed with him was his willingness to stand in his faith. He would talk to others about what God was doing and people knew he was a Christian. He didn't hide his faith just to fit in at college. That still impresses me to this day.
One night in the dorms, we were discussing God's vision and His plans for my life. I remember Art using the wall like it was a bulletin board. He'd point at open spaces and going down like he was rattling off a series of items. There was nothing written on the wall, but he was like Step 1, pointed at wall, then step 2, and so on. I don't remember what the specific details of the talk were. I'd get up and do what Art had done and said I agreed with everything he was saying. Art looked at me and said something along the lines of "What's stopping you from accepting Christ in your heart as Savior?" I had no answer to that.
That night, we prayed for that. I had never prayed with anyone before outside of a church situation. I was hesitant. Art was gracious enough to walk me through and that is when I accepted Christ into my life. I knew of Jesus in my life, but only in a superficial way. God had been working every moment in my life leading to this point. I wanted a more intimate relationship with God.
Afterwards, Art and I remained friends throughout college. It taught me that evangelism isn't a project, but a result of relationship with others. There were things we would talk about over the years as we both grew in the Lord.
Life, of course, takes people in different directions. And, such was the case with Art and myself. I emailed him last year to touch base, but that was the only time I would say in at least a decade. Art is currently a pastor in Wooster, Ohio I believe. Married with kids and I imagine that he is still impacting lives in the same way he did mine. If you know Art, you probably know that to be true.
That was the beginning of my college experience and there were many more to come. Becoming more involved with Intervarsity, meeting new friends, going to OSU football games, and becoming involved with the Vineyard in Columbus. Also, there was fun in the springtime with the oval preachers sharing their views of the world (rolls eyes). It was the beginning of something special.
The year was 1988 (yes a long long time ago). I had just enrolled at Ohio State and was not prepared for the new experience. Although I was only two hours from home, I found myself homesick. I was away from friends and family and totally out of my comfort zone.
Outside of my roommates, the first person I met was named Art. I had heard rumors that he was a born-again Christian. In my world at that time, born-agains were people who had no fun, strict in their ways, and judgmental towards others. That had been my interactions with born-agains up to that point. Art, I assumed, would be no different. I had grown up in the Lutheran Church and was involved in the youth group. I knew I was prepared for Art if he came to do battle with me scripturally. Funny, at the time, that I thought I knew a lot.
It's funny how the Lord tends to diffuse potential situations in ways that I wouldn't expect. Here I was all prepared for battle when Art walked into our room. He looked at my roommate and said "Andy!" Then, he turned and looked at me and said "Damn!" Art didn't know my name, so I introduced myself. Him using that word caught me off-guard and my pre-conceived notions went out the window.
Art was very smart and very funny (a trait I had not seen in many Christians in the past). He was, however, very serious about his faith. We spent many days and nights discussing our backgrounds and our faiths. He introduced me to Intervarsity Christian Fellowship which I became involved with during my time in college. He was a wonderful, thoughtful speaker and I thought he would make a good pastor (He was majoring to become a police officer I believe). He was a leader of our bible study and a leader with Intervarsity. The one thing I was impressed with him was his willingness to stand in his faith. He would talk to others about what God was doing and people knew he was a Christian. He didn't hide his faith just to fit in at college. That still impresses me to this day.
One night in the dorms, we were discussing God's vision and His plans for my life. I remember Art using the wall like it was a bulletin board. He'd point at open spaces and going down like he was rattling off a series of items. There was nothing written on the wall, but he was like Step 1, pointed at wall, then step 2, and so on. I don't remember what the specific details of the talk were. I'd get up and do what Art had done and said I agreed with everything he was saying. Art looked at me and said something along the lines of "What's stopping you from accepting Christ in your heart as Savior?" I had no answer to that.
That night, we prayed for that. I had never prayed with anyone before outside of a church situation. I was hesitant. Art was gracious enough to walk me through and that is when I accepted Christ into my life. I knew of Jesus in my life, but only in a superficial way. God had been working every moment in my life leading to this point. I wanted a more intimate relationship with God.
Afterwards, Art and I remained friends throughout college. It taught me that evangelism isn't a project, but a result of relationship with others. There were things we would talk about over the years as we both grew in the Lord.
Life, of course, takes people in different directions. And, such was the case with Art and myself. I emailed him last year to touch base, but that was the only time I would say in at least a decade. Art is currently a pastor in Wooster, Ohio I believe. Married with kids and I imagine that he is still impacting lives in the same way he did mine. If you know Art, you probably know that to be true.
That was the beginning of my college experience and there were many more to come. Becoming more involved with Intervarsity, meeting new friends, going to OSU football games, and becoming involved with the Vineyard in Columbus. Also, there was fun in the springtime with the oval preachers sharing their views of the world (rolls eyes). It was the beginning of something special.
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