Kyle Merck

Church was not important to me as a child. I was only there because my mom made me go with her. I said the prayer to accept Christ and got baptized, but I was really just going through the motions.

During college, I started getting paid to play music at a couple of churches. If I hadn’t been getting paid, I wouldn’t have been in church at all. I called myself a Christian and considered myself to be a good person, but there were aspects of my life that I knew weren’t right. I was angry and judgmental and didn’t treat people with love like a Christian should. I knew I wasn't living exactly like I should, but I looked around and saw people behaving worse than me, so I felt like I was doing OK compared to them. I didn't have a relationship with Jesus, and I didn't feel like I needed one to be a good person.

That all changed when I heard a sermon on the importance and power of prayer. The pastor said, “If you don’t know what to pray about, pray about that.” I prayed often, but only for myself, and only for superficial things. I decided to try what he said and I started setting aside time every day for prayer and bible study. Spending time talking to and learning about Jesus helped me develop a real relationship with him and made me realize that I needed to truly accept Jesus Christ into my heart.

After accepting Christ, I’m less angry, more compassionate, and I handle stress better because I know that my Lord Jesus Christ is bigger than anything this world can put in my path. I’m still a work in progress, but I know that with Jesus by my side, I’ll become the man I’m truly meant to be.

Kyle Merck