2 of 3

Where were you in life by the time you left for college?

I had gotten into drugs and I was living a pretty promiscuous lifestyle. And yet every now and then things would happen that would indicate to me that God really was still around and really was interested in me.

One was a situation that occurred as I was crossing campus one night. I had this kind of image of myself as a younger and purer person. I got this very strong impression that God would restore me to that condition. That he was calling me back to himself.

So what happened?

One weekend I had the most wonderful experience. The weekend had been horrible and I had received the worst treatment I'd ever gotten from friends.

[We were at a store] and I went around to the back while they went inside because I wasn't feeling well. I wanted to get some fresh air by the dumpster. I just stood there looking out over the mountains in Vermont. Although I wasn't thinking of God at all, I had this experience of God that I just could not possibly explain.

I was feeling crummy. I was sick and discouraged with my friends. And then, I just felt reality just fall away.

The cars weren't there anymore, the road wasn't there, and the store wasn't there. It was just God and me in these incredibly beautiful surroundings. So at that moment I thought, "If I can feel this great when I'm straight, why am I bothering with drugs?" I never did them again.

But did you feel that, as a misfit, you fit into the church?

I normally never would have gone to this Bible study thing that my friends were involved in, but one Friday night, I didn't have a date. And so I thought, "At least it's better than sitting home on a Friday night." So I was sitting at this place just really feeling awful like I didn't belong there. I didn't fit in, obviously.

Then, this professor got up and said, "God not only forgave your sins he forgot them." Why those words penetrated my spirit the way they did, why they pierced my soul the way they did, I have no idea. All I know is that was the defining moment in my life.

Copyright © 2003 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Visit DickStaub.com for audio and video of his radio program (4-7 p.m. PST), media reviews, and news on "where belief meets real life."

Recent Dick Staub Interviews include:

War Is Not a Necessary Evil | The author of When God Says War Is Right says early Christians weren't pacifists but looked at the entire Bible for advice on war. (April 8, 2003)

Jim Van Yperen on Church Conflicts | The author of Making Peace: A Guide to Overcoming Church Conflict says the early church was also "full of problems." (March 18, 2003)

Texas Pastor James Robison on the Life-Changing Faith of George W. Bush | The president of Life Outreach International talks about his friend's faith, the moral need of America, and his own conversion. (March 11, 2003)

National Book Award Finalist Ron Hansen on Christian Fiction | It's important to instruct while entertaining, but method can be as important as message, says the author of Isn't It Romantic? and Atticus. (March 4, 2003)

Gods and Generals' Director Links the Civil War with Today | Ron Maxwell talks about the role his faith plays in his career and what attracts him to the generation of the 1860s. (Feb. 25, 2003)

next page... |  2 of 3

share this page

April (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47