Story and Quote of the day: Everything changed
Campus Life magazine told the conversion story of singer Kathy Troccoli. She grew up with an overprotective mother, and as Kathy got older, she rebelled, abusing alcohol and suffering eating disorders.
Says Kathy, “Maybe you’ve heard the phrase, ‘We are as sick as our secrets.’ I was real sick.”
While Kathy started out rebelling against an overprotective mom, she wound up rebelling against herself–and at the expense of her own health and self-esteem. Into this swirl of rebellion and alcohol and unhappiness, Jesus came–in the form of a nerd.
At the time, Kathy was partying with her friends and singing in clubs by night.
By day, she was working her summer job at a community pool, and Cindy was her prissy co-worker who read the Bible every day during lunch.
“She was the epitome of a girl that I would not hang out with.” says Kathy. “I hung out with harder girls. Tougher. Cindy was kind of frilly. Pink–she was like a pink girl. And when she started telling me about Jesus, I made fun of her. And yet, somewhere deep down inside, I admired her. I was intrigued by her boldness. I liked it that she didn’t seem to care what people thought about her. I even suspected she was right, and that I was on the wrong path.”
Kathy new the truth of Christianity hung by a thin thread called faith. She knew there were unanswerable questions, and day after day she fired those questions at frilly Cindy, the Jesus nerd. Finally, one answer, one statement from the pink girl got through. “She said, ‘You now, Kath, Jesus is Lord whether you accept Him or not.’ I went home thinking about that,’ says Kathy. “I did have this growing sense that if Jesus was real, I had to check Him out.”
Cindy obliged, giving Kathy a small New Testament. “My other friends thought I was weird,” says Kathy, “because I was taking this Bible home, but I did, unapologetically. I read the Gospel of John, plowing right on through, despite a few unanswered questions. When I got to the end, I knew I had to make a decision. If Jesus was who He said He was, I would have to respond. Everything would have to change.”
On August 5th [1988], it did.
Everything changed.
Or rather, the changes began. [Jim Long, “Everything Changes,” Campus Life, October 1994, 30.]
Bible verse of the day: 2 Corinthians 5:17
“So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You so much for saving me from myself. You have rescued me and because of Your Son Jesus, I have become new and my life continues to change daily. My love for You grows each day and my desire to serve You is something that I can’t explain. This passion to reach those that don’t know You as I do is burning in my soul. Thank You for quenching me with Your Word and for sharing with me Your Grace and Mercy in all that I do. I love You and thank You for the gift of my life and for this blessed day!
In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen
Bible Verse of the Day 