I remember being on my bed, finishing up C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity for the first time. That was 1994; I was 17 years old. In my childhood I was introduced to Lewis through his Narnia series, but Mere Christianity was my first foray into deeper Lewisian waters -- I was not disappointed.

Lewis' words struck a chord with me. The "latent Christianity" (his words) that infused the world of Narnia, was now blatant Christianity. His words pierced me and illuminated me; the Holy Spirit stirred me through his words.

I think the word epiphany would describe my thoughts and feelings as I finished the book. I'll never forget the last three paragraphs:

Give up yourself, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favorite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end: submit with every fibre of your being, and you will find eternal life.

Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will ever be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead.

Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ, and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.

Yes, epiphany.

For the next couple of years, I ate Lewis' books. I digested them. They became part of me. To this day, I count Lewis as a friend. I feel like I know him personally.

Within a year of reading Mere Christianity I was submerged into the Holy Spirit culture of Highland Baptist Church. I was still a sinner, living a double life in so many ways, but several forces were chipping away at my soul: My childhood faith, my newfound love for C.S. Lewis, and the stirrings of the Holy Spirit within my heart. I was incubating.

I became a Christian when I was very young, something like seven years old. As I mentioned previously, despite my loving home and Christian upbringing I soon developed deep, dark sin patterns that would haunt me for years upon years. I struggled under the weight of sin, knowing that JESUS had freedom for me, but not quite knowing how to grasp it (the reality is, He grasped me).

When I was still in high school, circa 1993 or 1994, I decided to visit my brother David at Baylor. I had heard about this wacky church he was involved with (Highland Baptist) and I was curious. Back in the day David was chummy with Jeff Bianchi and he was able to get us into a morning worship time at Master's Commission. I had never experienced anything like that before: People on their faces before God, praying fervently, repenting, giving words of encouragement, and submitting fully to the Spirit of JESUS. My spirit was drawn to the fire, but my flesh was repulsed. I remember Jeff shared something with the group to this effect: "The Spirit of God is upon everyone in this room." I thought, Does that mean me? I had gotten so used to doubting my salvation, that I thought there was no way the Spirit of God was upon me in any way whatsoever.

Fast-forward to the fall of 1995. I'm finally living in Waco as a sophomore transfer to Baylor. I'm at Highland's then-famous Back to School Retreat, still trying to figure out my place with the Lord among a sea of believers who are further along in the Book than I am, and obviously more in love with JESUS than me. During a morning worship session at the retreat, I was sitting down, weeping, asking God to reveal Himself to me. I was feeling lost, confused, and once again doubting my position as a child of God -- my soul felt dark. Suddenly a man put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Can I pray for you?" I said, "Sure." The man came up from behind me, so I wasn't sure who it was until he started to pray: It was Jeff Bianchi. I don't even think I officially met him back in 1994 (or whenever it was) when I visited Master's Commission. So I'm certain he had no idea who I was, and I'm sure he didn't know about what I was struggling with at the time. I remember, though, he prayed softly and simply said, "God wants you to know that His Spirit is upon you." WHAT!? I couldn't believe it. Those words were exactly what I was longing to hear, and they echoed the same sentiment from that morning at Master's Commission a year or so earlier. What's more, the words came from the same source -- Jeff Bianchi.

In many ways, that morning in the fall of 1995 was the catalyst for incredible spiritual growth over the next several years. Yes, I was still torn apart inside. I still struggled with hidden sins and I still, in many ways, lived a life of selfishness and rebellion. But I believe God marked me as His own, and He wasn't going to let me go. I didn't have a choice in the matter. As Ephesians 1:4 says, He chose me in Him "before the foundation of the world." So the decision was made long ago, that I would be conformed to the image of His Son . . .

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. - Romans 8:29 & 30

So the Elevator Version of my testimony would be what I tell someone while riding in an elevator about my walk with JESUS. The point is, there isn't much time, so the details have got to come out pretty quickly.

The button is pushed.

I was raised in a Christian home. I was deeply loved growing up, but, despite that, I developed sin patterns that haunted me for all of my childhood and most of my adult life. As a result of my sin, I was in constant turmoil. I often felt unloved and incapable of anything good in my life. At times, I had contemplated suicide. I lived in constant fear, and I was a slave to sin. Finally, I repented of my sins (Mark 1:15), confessed JESUS as Lord of my life (Romans 10:9), and finally felt the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). Since that day of repentance, God has set me completely free from my besetting sins, and He's freed me to receive his grace, mercy, and love. I'm now a slave to righteousness and my greatest desire is to be with Him and to know Him.

Ding. The elevator door opens. Time's up.