John
God has brought excitement to my life and to everyone
Encounter August 2022
John

I fell in love with skating. I’d watch all these skate videos and that’s what I wanted to be: anti-government; anti-authority. I was living so fast paced and doing whatever I wanted.

I couldn’t take care of myself, so I end up homeless. I was real messed up, really hurting and real lost. I had a friend who told me how he’d sold his soul to the devil and received certain things from him. Even though I didn’t believe in the devil, I figured I didn’t want to talk to God, so I decided to pray to Satan. I figured what’s it going to hurt? Eventually I went to jail, and it was there that I started to cry out to the Lord for help.

One of my friends there, Mario, really discipled me in the faith. We would see what all the denominations believed. Then we started to study, and read the Church Fathers, and Church history.

When you come to them you see all the early Christians were Catholic who believed in the Holy Eucharist and the Real Presence of Christ. I eventually visited the Catholic Church. I’ve had more excitement in life following God than I have being involved in drugs.

Your story matters

The story of our relationship with Jesus Christ is the best tool we have to spread the Good News. It is personal, it is real, and it is the thing we know the most about our own experience with God.

Share Your Story

Use these prompts to help craft your story. 1. Reflect on the Discipleship Pathway Your story might encompass elements from your encounter with Jesus, being formed as his disciple, or evangelizing others. Aim to focus your story on one aspect of the Discipleship Pathway (e.g. Encounter, Form, Evangelize). 2. Write your story down. Sit down, pray, and write out your personal story asking the Holy Spirit for help. Writing it down will help organize your thoughts. 3. Keep it brief. Your story should be able to be told in 3 minutes or less. This may seem challenging, but a good story should be engaging and concise. All of Jesus's parables were this way, and we would love to tell stories like Jesus.

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