Growing up in California, I always went to any length to impress my friends, trying to fit in. Unfortunately, this included developing the very dangerous habits of drugs and alcohol. Throughout my teens, I got into a lot of trouble with the police and ended up in juvenile detention for about a year. When I entered my 20s, I did manage to quit drugs, but I still held on to alcohol.

My beautiful wife, Krissy, grew up in a very different environment, being raised LDS here in Utah. We fell in love and got married in 1995, but my party lifestyle followed me. It continued for years and began tearing our family apart. Although we had agreed when we were married that divorce would never be an option, Krissy began to believe it was the only way to make things better for her and our children. Something had to give, or we were on our way to becoming a statistic.

But God had something else in mind! Unbeknownst to each other, we had both been praying for a miraculous change in our lives.

The “awakening” — as we like to call it — happened on June 9, 2004. In the middle of the night, I woke up surrounded by four or five paramedics. I had suffered a seizure and was being rushed to the hospital. I was later diagnosed with a brain tumor the size of a lemon on the right side of my brain. Not knowing how much time I had left, it forced me to put everything into perspective.

Although I had heard about Jesus, I’d never paid Him much attention. But now I had to face the ultimate question: is He really who He says He is? Is He really "the Way, the Truth and the Life,” and the only way to the Father (John 14:6). It was at this point that I surrendered my will, my life, and my wants to God's will for me and my family. Realizing that ultimately I had no control anyway, I finally let go of the reins of my life. And God became the peace in the midst of our storm. He sustained us throughout the entire medical crisis — the surgery, the radiation, our finances — everything. He cradled us like a loving daddy cares for his children.

During this whole ordeal, we had seen a sign on The Rock’s building that read "Interested in God, but not religion?" Growing up LDS, Krissy absolutely loved this concept. We began to attend, soon realizing that we didn't need to struggle through this Christian life alone. We have to say that God has completely transformed our lives through this experience and The Rock Church. Our family and our marriage is not the same, and we don't ever want to go back to how it was. We have learned so much about Christ's Love and how good He is. We have found friends that we wouldn't trade for the world — friends that are like family to us. We have such godly examples to model ourselves after, enabling us to live an abundant life in discipleship, fellowship, and accountability to other believers. The Rock is a group of people who desire to know Jesus more, to make Him known, and to lift Him high in all that they do — and there is nothing more exciting then being a part of that!