I BELIEVE

Deer-through-windshield Faith

Derek Johanik

I am currently involved in the College Group here at church, and the last year has been tremendously developmental for me because of the ways God has been working through and around me. I hope that my story can be one of encouragement for you, especially if you are in college and likely dealing with the same things I have been dealing with.

I have struggled on and off with apathy during my time in college. Just when I found myself growing in relationship with the Lord, I would become enticed by the things of this world and subconsciously begin to drift away from him toward more temporal things. I fell into patterns where the focus of my attention and worship was sadly not on Christ, but rather on school, football, relationships and many other things that managed to steal my gaze away from my Savior. Patterns of sin became more established because I was not assessing my actions before the Lord and others regularly due to distraction. Yet, at the right time, God reached out and showed me his faithful love even when I was drifting.

On January 2—the second day of the new year—a friend and I left his house in Knoxville, Tennessee, to drive down to Atlanta for the Passion Conference.*

I had been in a spiraling pattern of apathy for a few months in which the Lord felt distanced from me. Much of it was what I mentioned before: a fundamental misplacement of my priorities and desires that shifted my focus to the fleeting things of this world. I was beginning to truly drift away from the Lord, and it was in that very moment that he reminded me that my relationship with him is not dictated by my effort or even my feelings, but by his unrelenting, unconditional love. I was called that morning in my quiet time with the Lord to remember his presence and to obey him.

I sensed the Lord’s presence more than I had in a longtime, and I do not believe that he chose to reveal himselfto me in such a way on that specific day by mere chance.I would come to realize that his presence is my life, myhope. Even in my doubt and distraction, the Lord wouldremind me what was true of him in his faithful presenceand unfailing love.

We were about an hour south of Knoxville later that day,on our way to the conference when, in an instant, thefleeting things of this world truly showed themselves to befleeting. Four of us were in a small Honda Civic, when a deerjumped out into the road too quickly for us to react, andthe car hit the deer. The deer went through the windshieldstraight to the back seat, skimming my face and narrowlyavoiding my buddy, who was driving. All of us braced, eyesclosed, including our driver, for the inevitable impact.Instead, by the grace of God, the car ended up parkedperfectly on the shoulder of the interstate—and we wereall safe. The paramedic at the scene said that in 31 yearshe had never seen anyone live through an accident wherethe deer went through the windshield.

I was in shock initially, but when I came around, I wasflooded with thankfulness to the Lord for his mercy.I learned that the Lord remains faithful to his people evenwhen we stumble or find ourselves lost. He does not quit,instead he reminds us that there is urgency in this life,urgency to proclaim the name of Jesus no matter theopposition or comfortability, and that the time to do thatis now, not waiting until this fragile life is over.

After the accident, I was distinctly convicted to engagemore with the family of God. Too long had I tried andtried and tried to go at this life alone. I got plugged inwith College Group and have been tremendously blessedby godly leadership and relationships whose sole focus ison Jesus Christ. I learned just how powerful God’s churchcan be, and how essential it is that we hold each otheraccountable for even the most subtle, slight changes forthe worse in our relationship with God. True union withthe body of Christ, his church stems from oneness withthe Lord himself and with Jesus, his Son.

*The Passion Conference “exists to glorify God by uniting students in worship, prayer and justice for spiritual awakening in this generation.”

College Church, thank you for your ongoing support ofthe college students involved here. Here are three waysyou can pray for us:

• Pray that students would find a home here at College Church during their four years in school.

• Pray that the urgency of the mission of the gospel would be realized among college studentsespecially in an environment that intends tohinder the Lord’s work in young adults.

• Pray that college students would recognize and be presented with opportunities to share thegospel at home and at school.

The college years can shape us as peoplein ways unlike any other age of adultlife. Friends made in those years canlast a lifetime. Things learned can shapecareers and relationships. The God of theBible is at the root of our ministry and hisWord deeply shapes us at this amazingstage full of questions and discoveries.

We long to see students cultivate avibrant relationship with Jesus and learnhow to live for him in daily life. We dothis through weekly Bible teaching, Biblestudy and mentoring relationships.

During the week small gatherings ofus meet in homes to study the Book ofRomans. On Sundays, all college-agedstudents are invited to the Crossingsbuilding at 10:45 a.m. for a time ofcollege-geared teaching, music andrelational connections. Come join us!