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.

Mars Hill has a great team of men and women who keep the church running smoothly. Kyle is one of those men, and this is his story.

The Glow — Changed by Jesus #14

I grew up in a Christian home, and after many conversations with my mother I very soberly, at the age of twelve, made her pull over to the side of the road because I was ready to ask Jesus into my heart. I had her pull over just incase I started glowing; I didn’t want her to crash into anything. As you can probably guess, I didn’t start glowing. I honestly didn’t really feel much different. I knew that I was a Christian, but I didn’t really understand what it meant to walk with God.

I spent the next fourteen years doing my own thing and drifting along. When I turned twenty-six, I felt Jesus really telling me that it was time to pay attention to him. I started reading my Bible and occasionally attended Churches here and there. All the churches that I tried out did not pass my extensive two-prong test: did the pastor preach from the Bible, and did I fall asleep.

When I was twenty-seven, I met Kathleen, my now wife. She asked what church I went to and I said that there weren’t any good churches in Seattle. Her pastor from California recommended MHC. Kathleen and I first attended in June of 2000. We went into a small theater called the Paradox in the U district. When we left, I felt something new and different; it was called conviction of sin. I immediately started serving and volunteering. I discovered what it meant to have my identity in Christ Jesus and have my life be an act of worship.

Over the years I have been amazed at the growth that Jesus has spurred through the Biblical teaching at Mars Hill Church. I have grown from being a consumer interested in what I got out of life, to a realization that I am nothing outside of Jesus’ grace and forgiveness. That glow that I was worried about when I asked Jesus into my heart, I now realize is Jesus.