One night recently, I was at the Ballard campus office kinda late. As I finished up an email before going home, I heard a loud “pound, pound, pound.” At first I didn’t think anything of it but a few minutes later, I heard it again. Realizing that I was probably the only person still in the office, I went to see what was making the loud sound.

When I got down to the family foyer, there was a young dude, in his early 20’s, standing at the door. I opened the door and he quickly blurted out, “I know you guys are probably closed, but I really need someone to pray with me.” I let him in and we sat down to talk.

When I asked him what was going on, he started telling me that he had just broken up with his girlfriend and needed prayer. As I dug a bit deeper, he revealed he’d been struggling with drug abuse and had just been floating through life with no real stability or direction.

It was clear to me that he had built himself up as his own god. When I told him this, he didn’t object, so I asked, “Are you a good god?” He slowly shook his head and I said, “That’s right, you’re a horrible god.”

I asked him if he was a Christian and he said he was. I told him if he really was a Christian, it was time to man up and start acting like it. At that point, he asked, “What does it mean to be a Christian man?” We talked about how being a man of Jesus means taking responsibility for your life by being humble, repenting of sin and honoring Jesus as God, instead of trying to be your own god.

Afterward, I realized that the guy I had been talking to was just like me many years ago before I met Jesus and he changed my heart. I can remember sitting on the porch one summer day (I grew up in Oklahoma–that’s what we did) and thinking to myself, “What does it mean to be a man?” I had no idea or reference of biblical manhood and at that time, no one in my life to teach me.

Fortunately, Jesus pursued me and changed my heart, and today I’m grateful for what he has done in my life. He saved me, a sinner, and redeemed my past. I’ve since been blessed to have godly men in my life who have helped me understand that being a man is rooted in knowing the creator God and experiencing life transformation that is only possible in Jesus Christ. Now I’m stoked to be able to help other young men learn and experience that same thing.

If you want to know more about what it means to be a Christian man, check out Mars Hill Resources for Men from the Mars Hill Blog or watch Pastor Mark’s sermon, Marriage and Men (below).