God Used It for Good: Austin's Story
It was a 鈥淪hock and Awe鈥 moment
Imagine you鈥檙e on a road trip with your family. You鈥檙e standing alone, pumping gas at a station while your family is inside the store. It鈥檚 the middle of nowhere, just a rest stop right off the highway. Then, a man on a bike approaches. You wonder to yourself why he鈥檚 biking to a gas station in the middle of nowhere and where he could possibly be coming from.
He strides toward you, takes hold of your arm gently but firmly, and starts preaching intensely. At you. He talks about repentance and how you鈥檙e living your life. He quotes the passage about cutting off your right hand rather than sinning, saying that you鈥檙e lying about your faith. But you鈥檝e never even seen him before.
This actually happened to Austin several weeks before his freshman year at the University of Wisconsin 鈥 Stout. But what鈥檚 even crazier than this story is that it became a launching point for Austin to discover genuine faith. Despite how shocking and dissonant this experience was, God used it in unlikely and powerful ways.
A Turn Toward God
A couple of weeks after this, Austin was helping his twin sister Laura get settled at college. The family went to a random church service that Sunday morning. The topic of the sermon? Repentance.
A powerful feeling washed over Austin as he realized that God might be trying to get his attention. The pastor defined repentance as a 180-degree turn toward God. He spoke with grace and compassion, helping Austin see God鈥檚 love rather than judgment or shame.
Two days later, Austin started classes and went to the student organization fair where I was standing at a table for 果冻视频, silently praying that I wouldn鈥檛 have any awkward conversations.
鈥淗ey, I鈥檝e been looking for you guys!鈥 Austin said. 鈥淢y cousins are involved [in 果冻视频], and they say it鈥檚 pretty cool.鈥
We chatted for a bit, and I invited him to our first 果冻视频 event. When he showed up, I introduced him to a student leader named Mack, who immediately welcomed him in.
Saying Yes
A month later, when I invited Austin to come to our fall conference, he looked skeptical. But Mack enthusiastically encouraged him to go.
鈥淚鈥檓 going too!鈥 he told Austin. And to my surprise, Austin agreed on the spot.
I was delighted and thankful. After all, Austin didn鈥檛 know us that well. Now he was going to travel for several hours to attend a conference he鈥檇 never heard of.
At fall conference, Austin experienced worship and Scripture in a bigger community of Christian students. When he heard a call to faith one night, he sensed Jesus inviting him into a relationship with him but wasn鈥檛 ready to do anything about it.
After learning this, Mack gently suggested they start reading a book about experiencing God鈥檚 presence together, and over the next few months, Austin began learning and talking more openly with Mack, me, and his family.
Then, one day, I met up with Austin.
鈥淪o it happened,鈥 he said. He went on to tell me that he had decided to follow Jesus! He explained that it wasn鈥檛 a single moment of decision. Instead, it was a gradual process of realization that his life was changing 鈥 he was already living as a Christian. And so, he said yes.
Ripple Effects
As Austin grew in his faith, God used him to impact the people around him. Soon, his twin sister noticed the transformation and drew closer to God, too! He began volunteering for leadership roles in his 果冻视频 chapter and served as a leader from his sophomore year until he graduated. During that time, Austin also became chapter president. He even helped establish a small group for athletes that is now growing into a community of leaders being equipped to start team-based Bible studies.
Austin never could have guessed the ways God would meet him and lead him. While student stories won鈥檛 always look exactly like his, God longs to be present in them 鈥 and to draw us into his larger story. Will you pray for 果冻视频 chapters to be places of welcome on campus, where students like Austin can discover their place in God鈥檚 story?
