Jonny had been searching for acceptance and love for a very long time.  When he felt God’s supernatural presence, he felt like someone was saying, I love you.  Jonny wanted more of this feeling, so he began to pursue God. 

Although he didn’t like to read, Jonny began to get books on Shamanism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, and the Karan because all these books claimed to know God.  As he began to read, he would wait to see if he felt the same feeling he had that night. He desperately wanted that peaceful, hopeful feeling to come back.  So finally, when nothing gave him the feeling he was searching for, he thought that maybe this thing he was trying so hard to avoid, this Jesus he hated so much, was worth checking out. 

Jonny then got a Bible and as he held it in his hands, his anger at his parents and the bitterness in his heart became so great he refused to open the Bible and read it.  But the pursuit for God did not end here.  Jonny remembered the church his parents had occasionally attended had a youth group, so he decided to go there. 

As he walked through the door of the church, Jonny (now age 14) felt as though he wouldn’t fit in; that everyone would know how much of a sinner he was. But as he made his way into the church, Paul Olson, the Youth Pastor walked up to Jonny and said, “I’m glad you’re here.”  That simple statement meant as much to Jonny as someone handing him a million dollars; someone was actually glad he was there!

Jonny was invited to join the youth group at a place called Blue Lake Camp.  The camp, which lasted one week, was in Andalusia, Alabama; far from the bullies, his parents and the mess that was his life at home.

Jonny was at a place where no one knew him. Everyone was nice and he could just be free to experience being a kid.  For the first time he witnessed people who knew Jesus living in their joy, not just talking about it, but honestly living it - by showing kindness and love toward one another.  He began to realize that perhaps this God that saved him from shooting himself was the same God the people at the camp were praising.

While at camp, Jonny was surrounded by people with genuine faith that presented the Gospel through music, preaching and testimonials.  Although he could feel himself being pulled toward God, the process was slow because of all the hurt and abuse he had suffered.  He was too afraid to surrender to God because he didn’t want to ever surrender control again.

Jonny could feel himself being pulled to a place of repentance and a place where he would find his God; where he would surrender everything. But he was still holding back. Then a man named Tom Lane asked Jonny to help with the slide projector during the worship service.  All of the sudden, Jonny was a part of something; he had been accepted.  Tom had no idea what a simple request would do for a lost boy.

As Jonny changed the songs he began to read the words; he could feel something stirring within his heart. Then the preacher got up and started preaching the gospel.  Little by little, Jonny was being drawn closer and closer to God.

At the end of the week, kids started giving testimonies. As the kids would get up and talk about what Jesus had done in their lives, Jonny began to feel that peace he had felt the night God had come to him. As he sat listening, he began to shake in his seat, feeling himself being pulled toward God.  There was an internal struggle happening in his heart because he did not want to surrender his life to God because if he did, he knew he would no longer be in control again. He was afraid to trust because everyone he had ever trusted had abused him.  Jonny began to reconcile with himself that one of two things had to happen.  Either he would run to the altar and surrender himself to God, or he would end his life.

After the kids had ended their testimonies, Tom began to sing and Jonny was filled with such desire and everything began to run through his mind.  God’s pull was so strong that all Jonny could do was run. He jumped from his seat and ran straight to the altar right in the middle of the song.  Tom stopped playing and looked down at a shaking; sweaty; teary-eyed Jonny and asked,  “how can I pray for you?”  Jonny’s response was “I need Jesus!” 

He was so overcome with emotion that he laid across the altar as he prayed for repentance and accepted Jesus as Lord of his life. At that very moment, Jonny felt God take away everything the enemy had placed in his life.  One of the most meaningful things taken from Jonny were the mental videos that tortured him by playing over and over in his mind; the videos of the sexual abuse. His mind knew the abuse had happened, but the graphic scenes where gone.

Everything that happened inside his home; he could remember them, but the pain associated with the events where gone.  He felt God came inside his heart and washed away the pain and bitterness that had been there for so long. The scars he had been trying so desperately to heal, were gone.  Jonny felt now that he had seen Jesus, he could never look away.  He had committed his life to God, he was baptized by water and in the spirit and he knew his life would never be the same.

Before leaving camp, the minister, who Jonny confided in, pulled Jonny to the side and said he wanted him to understand that 2 Corinthians 5: 17 states, “Therefore if any man is in Christ, then he is a new creation; the old things are gone and new things are to come,” which is awesome.  But he had bad news for Jonny as well.  He explained to Jonny that as wonderful as this was, it did not change his home life. He would be returning to the fighting and the yelling, but one thing would be different - Jonny...he had changed.

 Jonny went on to attend a mission trip where he heard the story  Jeremiah 18.  In the story, a prophet was listening to God and he was told to go down to a potters house where God would reveal His words to him.  While there, the prophet saw that the potter had messed up the clay pot he was making. Rather than throw the pot away, the potter grabbed up all the messed up clay and brought it together and made a better pot.  God then asked Jeremiah if He could do with him like the potter did with the clay. 

In this moment, Jonny realized that God could do the same in his life.  He could take all the mess that had been Jonny’s existence and he could make it something beautiful. Jonny made a small clay pot to remind himself that God was at work in his life. 

He now knew he was the victim of other people’s problems; that God did not cause these things to happen to him; and that God would use the events in his life to mold and shape him for His glory. Jonny began to understand that God would use what happened to him to help other people who may have gone through the same things.

Romans 8:28 became Jonny’s favorite verse , “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” This gave Jonny great hope.

While at youth group, Jonny now 15, felt God call him to ministry.  As he watched the youth pastor sing, Jonny felt in his heart that ministry was his purpose; to lead and minister to youth like himself.  He felt that if he had the courage to tell his story, that perhaps he could reach another  troubled child.

Jonny didn’t know what to do next, so he spoke with the youth pastor and explained what had happened during worship. He was told that God would lead him and to start by reaching out to the youth around him.  So Jonny wrote a letter to all the kids in his neighborhood inviting them to his front porch for bible study.

Although he had never read the bible, he didn’t care, he only wanted to reach other kids. Two kids came to his first study.  Jonny opened his bible to Job, read a chapter, closed the bible and said, “Jesus loves you!” And then they prayed.  He had no idea what to do, but he was proud that he had reached out.

Jonny began to learn to play the guitar at age 15.  And by the time Jonny was 16, he began to slide a little back into his old ways.  He wanted for someone to verbally and physically show him love, which he was not getting from his parents. So he began to search for a girlfriend. He entered into his first real relationship with a girl from his youth group when he was 16.  He found himself drifting from God because he began to focus solely on her.

Part 3, The call, continues tomorrow at 6 p.m. CST