The First Step

I asked Darren: "Knowing what you know now, what would you tell your 20-something-year-old self?" He says, with a grin, "Quit being stupid! Get back in church!"

Darren is a 45-year-old married father of four. His testimony is encouraging, although he admits he’s still shy about sharing it. "I made a lot of mistakes in my early twenties. I was lonely and depressed, was smoking a lot of pot, running with the wrong crowd, became homeless and ended up getting arrested for stealing." Although his family had legitimate concerns about the road he was going down, he says, "The way they handled things made me push them away." It wasn’t until he met a Christian girl that he became curious about Jesus. "This girl was different. She had a peace about her and the way she handled things. It sparked my interest in God and I went to church and the pastor gave an altar call but I couldn’t move! I wanted to. I wanted to walk down there, but all I could do was cry." Even though he couldn’t bring himself to make that walk, he accepted the Lord into his heart that day. He cleaned up his life, got a job, and changed the road he was on. "I’m grateful for how she helped me come to know Jesus."

Today, Darren is happily married to his wife of 14 years and has used some of the wisdom he has learned from walking with the Lord to help his son-in-law Joe. This is Joe’s first Harvest Crusade and he says it’s perfect timing. "My wife and I are going through some difficult times. I’ve lost direction and let my earthly doubts pull me away from making an effort to grow with God. I have caused her pain and I am here tonight because I believe God can restore my marriage."

Praying that the crusade will be the first step in the right direction for Joe and his wife, thanks to the encouragement from his father-in-law Darren.