I have not always been a Christian throughout my entire life. I grew up in the South where racism still looms in everyday life. I went to predominately white schools and endured racial slurs from teachers and students. So once I graduated high school, I went to a historical black college where I had the opportunity to meet guys who were young, black and intelligent. Once there I started reading more about the Nation of Islam and some there leaders mainly, Malcolm X. As I started down the path to commit to the Nation of Islam, trouble started to creep down my way. I was hanging out late at night, going to drug deals and selling drugs.
This was around the time when I realized I needed Jesus and accepted him into my life when one night I almost got shot. The part that amazed me so much was not the actually getting shot but the fact that when I got home my mother was up on the couch. It was about 4am and she was waiting for me to get home. She said that she woke up that night, with an urgency to pray for me and she did not know why. I didn’t say anything, but that was the reason that made me change from all the Nation of Islam’s messages and to accept Christ. If he loved me that much then that was good enough for me. Because, I never heard that any of the brothers from the Nation of Islam lost any sleep from my lifestyle.
The biggest change I have noticed in my life has been my lifestyle. I use to party and drink all the time. I could have cared less about how people felt about me. If I hurt their feelings then that was something that they had to deal with not me. Now I grieve if I offend someone or hurt their feelings maliciously. To put it simple, I sinned and had no remorse for my sin but now there is such a hurt that comes with sin when I commit it. I have learned how to serve people instead of hurting them. The amazing thing is that I learned how to love people like never before in my life.

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October 2, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Daniel Mackey
Brian,
Grateful for your blog and your testimony!! I think I came across your blog a while back when working on some school work. It seems we are reading and critiquing the same books. Are you a student at LU???
But i have also enjoyed your posts and now after reading you testimony i figured i’d contact your personally!
It’s pretty funny because my journey to Christ is slightly similar. I was a white kid from the North who grew up in the (semi) south-VA. So my worldview was from the cosmopolitan city and one of my b-ball coaches practically raised me during my teenage years-he was a black guy, so I started to think i was his son. Got into plenty of trouble as a teen trying to run w/ the people in my neighborhood…until i got put face down on the pavement by the police. I won’t bore you w/ the rest of the details, but I was heavily influenced by the Autobiography of Malcom X, got my first b-ball recruitment letter from a historically black college and had my heart totally set on going to one of the few in my area.
THEN CHRIST CAME! Fixed my identity crises and really set me straight. It’s been a great journey and it’s hard to believe God would have loved some one like me!
Anyhow, nice to meet like minded folks whom God is using and it’s always great to see the “unexpected journey” God takes each of us on!