I was brought up in Catholicism by a grandmother who took me to church every week, so I’ve always known about God and Jesus and how they were somehow a part of life. But back then I never knew God had a plan to change people’s lives — including mine. Although my earliest experiences with religion were kind of fun, they were also associated with stuffiness, tradition and guilt.

As I grew older, attending church became sparse and God was one of the last things on my mind. I graduated high school with honors and received some scholarships, but my life soon consisted of nothing but parties and little-to-no work. Inevitably, the party lifestyle took its toll. I dropped out of college, failed at one relationship after another, fell more and more into debt, and my drinking spiraled out of control. I’d been playing drums since I was a kid and had become involved in different bands, but even they weren’t doing anything meaningful. I was so ashamed of myself that I couldn’t even bear to face my own family.

One day as I was trying to choke back reality with my best friend, Jack Daniels, a friend called me to help out with Vans Warped Tour. I jumped at the chance to be a "roadie" — but that was only because it wasn’t like “real” work, they had free booze, and I got to hang out with Underoath (one of my favorite bands). Little did I know how much that would impact me.

Underoath is a Christian metal band, and every day I would watch them play. They would always pray before they hit the stage, and at the end of every performance they would thank God and tell everyone how much He loved them. I was blown away! I thought that kind of talk was reserved for the people my grandmother hung out with at church. In all the bands I’d been in, I’d never even considered that there were Christian bands. Even after the tour ended, I was branded with the memory of an awesome band that rocked, yet also preached about God.

Weeks went by, and a Christian coworker began talking to me about God and prayer. He would ask, I would decline, and the conversation would awkwardly fizzle. But one day as we were both on our way home, he looked me in the eye and said, “Randal, give prayer a chance. God will listen; you’ll see.”

That night came and I was ready. I was going to pray. It was going to be an earnest, heartfelt, lay-it-all-out-on-the-table prayer — the kind where you laugh, then cry, then laugh again, stop, look around to make sure no one else heard you, and then repeat. I got on my knees and started talking, at first with all the “thees, thous and thuses” I had learned as a child in Sunday school. But then I took a breath, pulled myself together, looked up to the ceiling, and let God have it. I told Him everything, every last detail on my heart and mind. I couldn’t stop. I kept going and going and going. I finally opened my eyes, not realizing how much time had passed, and shook my head in disbelief. Yet I quickly offered one last prayer, asking God if I could play in a Christian rock band.

The next day at work I received a phone call from an old acquaintance. We’d known each other for quite a while, playing around town in local bands, but we’d never spoken more than a handful of words. He was still playing music and his band needed a drummer for an upcoming gig. Of course I said yes, and asked, “What kind of music?” The dull hum of the warehouse lights above me was all I could hear for what seemed like an eternity before he awkwardly answered, “Well, it’s for my church.”

I lost all feeling in my hands and legs. God was after me, and I knew it. God’s great plan was falling into place.

And the rest is history. I went to some services at The Rock, played some drums, and got saved by Jesus Christ. Ever since I accepted Christ into my life, I’ve never looked back. He is the center of my life, and nothing will ever compare to the blessings I have received from God. Jack Daniels is no longer my friend; I choose instead to hang out with my Christian family almost every day. I married an amazing woman who also loves Jesus, I still pray relentlessly, and I even get to rock out in a great Christian band. Jesus has completely transformed my life — there's no other way to describe it!