When I was a teenager I became a Christian. My faith was professed publicly that I believed Jesus is the Son of God, and that all of my sins were forgiven. Even the ones I hadn’t committed yet! Pretty good deal, huh?

Over time I put God on the back burner, calling for His help when I got myself in a mess. Then I put him back where He belonged. My experience with Jesus is very similar to many other people’s.

This is not to suggest that I stopped believing. No, my belief never wavered. My focus was out of whack. The outer world had my attention. Well, God is always working on us. So let’s fast forward to May of 2013.

Due to a sequence of events I’ll write about in a future column, in May 2013 I had what I call my second encounter with Jesus Christ. Man it was powerful. He got ahold of me and never let go. My spiritual life took off in ways I couldn’t have imagined.

Jesus brought the real me to the surface, the man he created me to be. I didn’t become a weirdo or religious freak. My life continues to evolve and grow.

My fight with worldly stuff is ongoing. But Jesus has taught me a peace and contentment that I couldn’t have had without him. It’s available to everyone who believes…