Joe's Conversion Story

Pastor Jon was thankful Joe "shook off" when he came out of the water at his baptism!

Joe’s Testimony

“A funny thing happened on the way home from the office” just doesn’t fit this context. Stunning. Life-changing. Eternally significant. Those all fit the context of Joe’s drive home from work the evening of August 6th, 2009.

The left turn arrow turned green, so Joe proceeded. Unfortunately, so did the oncoming traffic – on a main, 4-lane boulevard between his job and home! All he saw out the passenger side window were headlights barreling down Antonio Parkway. I’m told this kind of accident is referred to as a “T-bone”. Joe stomped on the gas pedal quickly enough to avoid being hit, seeing the other car screeched to a smoky stop in his rearview mirror. Praise God for His protection in a thousand ways we know not, and those we do recognize!

Shaken, Joe arrived home to a sleeping family. Not able to sleep himself, and not wanting to waken us to share his story, he began to complete the first chapter in the Partners Manual he and I would be discussing the next morning. Joe and I have sought to spend some private time together that Summer, incorporating this one-on-one discipleship program authored by our pastor, Mike. http://www.compasschurch.org/partners/

We sat down for breakfast at Corky’s and ordered a skillet to split. Not even Joe can finish one of those, and I shouldn’t finish this 5-egg, potato-laden, cheese-smothered, heart attack-producing dish. While we were waiting for the food, Joe looked nervous.

“What’s up, dude?”, I asked tenderly, trying to help Joe feel OK sharing with me.

“I don’t know why I’m nervous to talk with you about this, dad”, he reluctantly said, with a sort of embarrassed look.

I assured my son the best I could, “Well, I’m not sure what you’re going to say, but I’d be surprised if I were surprised”, I said in that fatherly kinda tone and demeanor.

“Well, last night…” And Joe went on to tell me the story of the potentially tragic T-bone miss the night before, and how he was studying the first chapter of Partners. [The first chapter in Partners is, “Being Sure of Your Relationship with God”]. Then he told me of a vision-like, semi-dream, he had while the Holy Spirit was performing the miracle of new birth. He said that he was watching himself being snatched from the precipice of hell, when he realized, clearly for the first time what it means to be a true follower of Christ!

Joe told me that “the Great Exchange” has finally made sense. He described the sense of burden taken from his shoulders, to be placed squarely on Christ. Joe described, in some detail, understanding being clothed in His righteousness. He stated that he feels like for the first time in his short life, he’s “all in”! Joe described repentance and faith and second Corinthians five twenty one.

Well, I was surprised! I would have told you, beyond reasonable doubt, that Joe was already a true follower of Jesus. As much as one man can discern the spiritual condition of another, so I thought my son was heaven-bound. He has had several crises of faith in recent years, all of which have produced another humanly discernable degree of maturity. A common occurrence in someone who is committed to following the Lord is to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12), and “bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matt. 3:8; Acts 26:20), because “it is God Who is at work in us both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13). Joe’s seemed to display the acts and attitudes, in increasing measure, of a transformed life. But he had not yet placed his trust solely and only in Christ. He had turned away from sin innumerable times, but without the indwelling Holy Spirit, that kind of repentance is of the flesh and doomed to failure.

One of my favorite pics of Joe doing what he loves

The young lady brought the heart attack skillet to our table, even as my tears welled. “Are you OK?”, was her inquiry. “Everything is just great, thanks.”, was my strained reply, as I took massive delight in seeing a new creation before my very eyes!

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