I came into the Alkek teaching theater on the Texas State University campus wearing soccer socks and slides on a Wednesday night. I had been invited to Crosstalk many times during the fall semester of my freshman year, but I had only made it a handful of times since it interfered with our club team’s soccer practice. Now, I was no stranger to my Community Group (or HEART Groups back then). And I personally preferred the intimate environment of a few guys asking real and raw questions about the Bible and being honest with their doubts and insecurities to the large group Crosstalk gathering. But this Wednesday, I decided to go to Crosstalk, and I thank God I did because I haven’t been the same since. I do not remember what the entire message was about that Wednesday, but I remember exactly how it made me feel.
At first, Grayson, one of the Crosstalk Pastors at the time, spoke on the heaviness of our sin. I remember feeling guilty, dirty, and aware of how grave the consequences of my sin were. I felt far away from God. Then he flipped the script and talked about the reality of the Gospel and how Jesus came to break the power of sin and eliminate the distance between Him and us. He came to bring us grace and everlasting life. At that moment, I felt something I had never felt before, true freedom. I was forgiven, I was redeemed, and I was totally changed by the love of God. Ever since then, my mind has been aware of His goodness, and my life has continued to be transformed by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Praise be to God!