BALLIN'

My Evangelism Story

My best friend, Melissa, our freshman year.

Basketball has been a huge part of my life since I was in 4th grade. It became more significant in middle school when Melissa (who didn't even like me at first) invited me to play for her church league. Well, what she forgot to mention was that in order to play in the league, I had to go to church. So I sat through Sunday after Sunday for two years, doodling and sketching on my sermon notes and skipping Sunday school to go to Carl's Junior :) Melissa never shared the "gospel" to me in words, but her family lived it out in the way that they treated me - like I was their own daughter. Her dad spent his Saturdays and Sundays driving us to basketball practice and games for 3 years. Her mom did the same, and even invited me to their family gatherings. They were the family that lived out Christ's love and I honestly believe that was the best exposure to the gospel someone can ever have.

I guess sitting through Sunday sermons for 3 years finally worked. I remember Pastor Cory from Evergreen SGV gave a message on the heart of the Father. That morning, he made an alter call (as he did every Sunday), and something was different. I felt the Holy Spirit prompting me to raise my hand because deep down inside, I really wanted to be loved by God. So I accepted Christ that day, without really understanding what that meant for my life. I thought being a Christian meant that I had to accept Jesus into my heart and then go to church every Sunday. I had this misconception for a few years until I went to college and recommitted my life (forreal this time!) to Jesus based on a similar message at Intervarsity.

I met with Jojo on Monday night and I asked her what her favorite part about SG was. She said that she really liked our groups "Culture Shock", where I give the group the background/ context of the passage. She said that when she's trying to tell her friends about Jesus, the first thing she wants to be able to share with them is WHY the Bible is true and all the facts about it. My weakness was that I didn't know the fundamental truths about God when I first accepted Christ. I love that SVCA is so focused on Bible truths - because God's Word is infallible and it breathes life into us. SVCA youth know that God is the ultimate Creator of the universe, the Author of Salvation and He is this HUGE God! But this is just ONE out of many aspects of who He is. He is also the Heavenly Daddy, the Father who cares for us so deeply that He knows EVERY SINGLE HAIR ON OUR HEADS. Psalms 139 tells us that He thought of us, not just when we were born, but from the very beginning of time. He had already imagined EVERYTHING about us!

So thanks Melissa, and the Gotos for showing me Christ's love through the way they loved me! :D