All Things New
I met my friend Victor nearly three years ago when he walked in the doors of the church we were pastoring at that time. He’s the guy on the left in the picture above.
Victor came to church a mess. A big mess. The kind of mess that you wonder how on earth someone got themselves into, let alone how on earth they’ll manage to get out. Victor is the kind of guy who stories will be written about, the person whose encounter with grace is so gripping that you know it will forever capture the imagination of those who need hope.
I’ll never forget the day Victor took the brave step to get baptized. That guarded facade he had melted away in the waters of a backyard pool, replaced by the joy and relief one feels when their deep love is no longer a secret. All things had been made new, and emerging from the waters was his declaration that he was convinced.
Tears. Shouts of joy. A giant hug. That hug was one of the strongest, most full of emotion embraces I have ever received. (You can see it in the picture below.)
It was all the trappings of a beautiful new beginning. And the decision Victor made in that moment propelled him forward into a remarkable transformation.
In just three years time, Victor’s life has changed so dramatically it’s remarkable…even miracle-like. He now teaches youth at the church’s men’s ministry, is head over the entire security team across the four campuses of Camino de Vida, has helped me host mission teams, and is getting married next month to an incredible woman who everyone teases him is way out of his league 😉
Last month Victor was back in the pool. This time on the other side of the kind of hug you simply can never forget. The hug you receive from someone who has no other way of saying “thank you for being here.”
The baptized now baptizing. A disciple now active in the process of making other disciples, Victor is now woven into someone else’s story of grace.
There is nothing, and I mean nothing, like witnessing the resurrection life of Jesus transform a person.
The world is full of Victors.
If you would like to make a financial contribution to the Gutierrez family, CLICK HERE!
