"And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead." (Acts 10:42 NASB)

Cameron Perry
Lukewarm to HOT
"The only problem is that [going to church] was not always of my choice. I was very lukewarm for God."

B.E.

I grew up as an atheist, by my own choice primarily. My mother had been brought up by a rather odd single mom, who created her own mix-and-match New Age religion. My mom believed in God but was completely confused about what that meant, rejecting her mother's beliefs but not knowing what her own were. My father was an atheists, an engineer who saw everything as black or white, as logical and measurable or as irrational and false. I always considered myself to be 'smart', and I couldn't help but laugh at how gullible people who believed in God were. If you're 'smart', you aren't Christian... at least that was how I saw it

Sometime around my sophomore year in high school, my mom started trying to find a church to go to, because she just felt that she should; after all, she believed in God. She dragged me to a youth group fundraiser at a small neighborhood church one night. The bottom line was that I saw several attractive girls from my school in the youth group and decided to come to the weekly meetings, solely for that reason. I was slightly annoyed that these cute girls were Christian and therefore not that bright... but hey, I didn't need girls to be smart, just pretty. The youth group was very largely a social one; it spent a lot of time just hanging out, though there was worship and a short message in each meeting. I thought the worship was weird, laughed inside at the messages, and did the social thing, week after week. But slowly, little by little, God poked holes through the wall of pride and 'intelligence' I had erected between him and me. By the time six months had passed, I went on a winter retreat with the church, and for the first time had the gospel clearly and fully put before me. I didn't understand why it would be true, but at the same time I felt God tugging at my heart and convicting me, even though I doubted His existence. For the next six months my eyes and my heart opened a little bit at a time, until at Hume Lake during the summer God used an awesome pastor to completely destroy the rest of my 'intelligence superiority complex'... the evidence I saw all around me and all through the Bible for God's truth was overwhelming, I had just never seen it before, or chosen to ignore it. My new life became so incredibly more meaningful and satisfying as I let God in that I simply couldn't believe it. That pride I held for so long, that was so bitter and arrogant, never ceases to cause me to be amazed that God loves me regardless. My heart, once full completely of self interest, God has transformed in such an amazing way that even my atheists father is now on the edge of belief, and my mother and sister today walk with the Lord. My walk has had its ups and downs for three years since then, but today I live only for His will, and on the grounds of Stanford University seek to show others who are still like I was, stuck in the idea of intelligent disbelief, the truth of God's word.

[ T O P ]

Cameron Perry

I accepted Christ as my savior at a very young age, probably around five or six. I grew up in a Christian home where God was always present. Naturally, I also went to church, Sunday school, and Vacation Bible School on a regular basis. The only problem is that this was not always of my choice. I was very lukewarm for God.

As summer of last year approached, so did the idea of starting college and meeting awesome Christians, but most important, my heart began burning with desire to know the Lord. Finding Campus Crusade for Christ helped me grow in leaps and bounds in my spirituality. I now own my relationship with God. I no longer do things because my mother wants me to or because that1s what I do because I1m Christian. The decision to be hot for God is mine. As a result, I now feel more on fire for God than ever before. I can feel His presence in my life and I love it! I am excited about getting to know Him more and spending more time doing His will, rather than my own.

[ T O P ]

Whoever