Immersed In Christ
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” II Corinthians 5:17
In the summer of 1972, as an older teenager, I came to know Christ as Lord and Savior. God, in His grace, allowed me to go to a student camp where I was able to not only hear the gospel, but see it demonstrated in the lives of the students at the camp. What makes my story so unusual, is that this was the first time that I heard the simple message of the gospel.
You see, I grew up in a small town in South Louisiana. Like most in my community, I was brought up Roman Catholic and, although I knew a lot about God, I didn’t know Him personally. I had “religion” but I didn’t have a “relationship with Jesus”. In fact, I didn’t know one Bible believing Christian in my hometown.
As you can imagine, when I came back home from the week at camp, I didn’t know what to do or how to grow in my new found faith. Thankfully, a student leader gave me a Bible and suggested that I begin reading the New Testament (he had highlighted several passages that I should give special attention to).
As I began to read the Word of God, I had this deep desire to immerse myself in it. In fact, I couldn’t get enough of the Bible - spending hours at a time reading and meditating on the Scriptures. The more I read, the more I desired God’s word. I had so many questions.
Someone told me that at the little Baptist church they studied the Bible. So, the next Sunday, I showed up with my Bible in hand, ready to receive all that God had for me. I can only imagine what the student leaders thought the day I showed up at church. I am so grateful that they realized that I had a life-altering experience with the Lord, and they helped me grow and mature in my faith.
Conrad Bieber, our student leader, took the time to invest in me spiritually. He not only taught me Christian concepts but he modeled before me what it meant to follow Christ. He did a kind of life-on-life discipleship with me that was life changing. I learned how to pray, because he prayed with me. I learned how to share my faith, because I watched him do it. I learned how to memorize scripture, because we did it together. I can truly say I wouldn’t be the man I am today if Conrad hadn’t invested in me during those formative years.
When I graduated from high school, I went to college at LSU. During my time there, and after doing summer missions in North Carolina, I felt God’s call to vocational ministry. During the summer, an older college pastor helped me work through God’s call on my life and figure out my next steps.
As I look back over the years of ministry, I am amazed by God’s faithfulness! Whether it’s been the time I spent on a college campus doing collegiate ministry (20 years) or pastoring in small, medium-sized, or mega church roles, I have had a burden to walk alongside pastors, church staff, and emerging leaders to help them discern God’s calling on their lives and try to figure out their next steps. It’s been my great joy to coach and mentor scores of men and women as they follow Christ and live out their God given calling.
That’s why I’m so excited to partner with Rob and Mark Millman to begin “Follow the Call” ministries! I’m looking forward to walking alongside you in the days ahead.
Tim LaFleur
Director of Spiritual Formation
