Eight years ago I was living in Los Angeles.  I was living out my dream of acting the only way I knew how - working as an extra in movies and tv shows looking for whatever breaks I could find... and I actually found a few!  I had a few very close friends who I saw almost daily and I'd just begun attending a Christian acting class called Get Real and Malibu Vineyard Church where the band Lifehouse got their start.  I had just recently been asked to leave the place I'd been crashing for the previous five months and I'd moved into my Jeep.  I had no computer, no home, and my bills were being paid by my parents because, for the most part, I had no money... LA's an expensive city to live in!

The homelessness thing was pretty new on this date in 2001... I'd just left where I'd been staying three days before.  September 3 was a Monday night and I spent it the way I spent all my Monday nights - in acting class with a group of people I'd come to know as good friends.  On this particular night we were running scenes out of Sonia's small studio-ish apartment.  I don't remember what scene I did that night, but afterward, as was the usual routine, we prayed.  Sonia knew about my housing shortage and financial situation so she offered me some leftovers she had in her fridge, a little bowl of pasta.  I remember sitting there, watching the praying going on but not really sure what to make of all this (charismatic prayers were still new to me at this point) and eating the pasta.

Sonia was sitting directly in front of me praying with someone when she stopped in mid-sentence.  This was nothing new to me, lately I'd gotten use to seeing people pausing to hear what God was saying to them in that moment and I was sure she'd pick the prayer back up in a second.  She turned her head and looked at me and asked if I'd given my life to Christ.

"I don't know."

"I think you'd know if you did.  Do you want to?"

All I can remember just then was wondering what I was going to do with my pasta since she clearly wasn't expecting me to say no.  I bowed my head and she started praying... and then things changed.

The words she said were words I wasn't expecting to hear.  She spoke about things I'd not shared with anyone in that room - about my feelings of worthlessness and my brokenness that resulted from abandonment issues where my father was concerned.  She spoke about how perfect I was to God and how all He wanted was to be my Father, my real Father...  She shared visions she had about my future and my gifts in the Spirit.  She was a voice for the Holy Spirit that night and she said the things I needed to hear and by the time she was done I was sobbing - and so was everyone else in the room.

A transformation happened that night that I've never gotten over.  I realized what it meant to follow Christ and the hope that was found in that... and I learned that I had value beyond my wildest dreams.

I'd like to say the road was smooth after that but I'd be lying.  As a matter of fact, the very next day I sought and found sin... but it was different.  I found that I wasn't alone in my sinning anymore - Jesus was there with me.  He joined me in my sin and He led me to repentance.  I was now held to a higher standard and I found that refreshing as I was no longer left to flounder in my own folly but I had someone greater than I watching my back and leading my forward.

A few months later my jeep was stolen - that led to my return to Michigan where I began working in youth ministry.  Eventually I became a missionary and learned what it was like to live out my faith in a world that doesn't understand it.  I found my purpose and causes and I saw the direction God was leading me in.  And I came to this point - I'm not exactly where I want to be, but I'm exactly where I need to be... and God's still working in and through me.

Eight years ago, I had no earthly possessions except my car.  Today, ironically enough, I have everything I need... except a car!

Really though, then as now, I have everything I REALLY need... thank God!