Thom S. Rainer - The Unexpected Journey

Other Books by Thom S. Rainer

Breakout Churches

The Unchurched Next Door

Surprising Insights from the Unchurched

Eating the Elephant (revised edition) (coauthor)

High Expectations

The Everychurch Guide to Growth (coauthor)

The Bridger Generation

Effective Evangelistic Churches

The Church Growth Encyclopedia (coeditor)

Experiencing Personal Revival (coauthor)

Giant Awakenings

Biblical Standards for Evangelists (coauthor)

The Book of Church Growth

Evangelism in the Twenty-first Century (editor)

ZONDERVAN

The Unexpected Journey

Copyright 2005 by Thom S. Rainer

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Zondervan.

Mobipocket Edition February 2009 ISBN: 978-0-310-54290-2

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Rainer, Thom S.

The unexpected journey : conversations with people who turned from other beliefs to Jesus / Thom S. Rainer.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN-13: 978-0-310-25741-7

1. Christian convertsUnited StatesInterviews. I. Title.

BV4930.R35 2005

248.2'46'092273dc22

2005013994

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version . NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

05 06 07 08 09 10 /DCI/ 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To
Tom Hellams
Chuck Lawless
Brad Waggoner
Three great colleagues
Three great friends

And always to
Nellie Jo
Beauty. Courage. Love.

CONTENTS

An Incredible Journey to Christianity

A Jew Discovers His Savior

A Former Hindu Shares His Journey

From Atheism to Christianity

A Turbulent Journey from Jehovahs Witnesses to Christ

A Former Agnostic Tells Her Story

The Amazing Testimony of a Former Witch

The Journey to America and Christ

The Journey from Unitarianism to Christ and the Trinity

The Unexpected Journey from New Age to Christ

From Black Muslim to Traditional Islam to Christianity

The Unexpected Journey from Satan to Jesus

I remember well that chilly day in Grand Rapids as my wife, Nellie Jo, and I sat across the breakfast table from Paul Engle and Jim Ruark. Those two men have become more than editors of my books; they have become friends and encouragers. I was proposing a new book about people who have become Christians from other faiths. They not only said my idea was worthy of publication; their enthusiastic response made me believe that this book really could make a difference in many peoples lives.

Thank you is simply not adequate for Paul, Jim, and Mike Cook, the ever-encouraging marketing guru at Zondervan. Indeed, words fail me to express gratitude for the entire Zonder-van team. These men and women have become my friends and extended family.

In the twelve stories you are about to read, you will hear from thirteen extraordinary individuals. I am forever indebted to these six men and seven women. They gave me time. They gave me their testimonies. And they stole my heart in the process. Thank you, Rauni, Dennis, Steve, Ravi, Mrs. J., Paul, Mia, Kathi, Helena, Karan, Marsha, Mumin, and Jeff. I am convinced that your stories will be used by God to make an immeasurable impact on thousands of readers.

In the dedication you see the names of three men who work with me at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. I am grateful for great colleagues. But when these colleagues just happen to be three of my best friends, the blessings are multiplied. Tom, Brad, and Chuck are three of the most selfless and generous men I know. I will never take their friendships for granted.

As is the case with all my books, this book is also dedicated to my wife, Nellie Jo. My family is the greatest gift from God out side of my salvation through Jesus Christ. My sons, Art, Jess, and Sam, are incredible young men, and they encourage and advise me on all my books. But Nellie Jos story is even more poignant.

My wife was an equal part of this entire Unexpected Journey project, and in many ways her name deserves to be on the cover as much as my own. She traveled with me all over the nation and asked better questions than I did. She established an immediate rapport with the thirteen people we interviewed and more than compensated for my socially dysfunctional personality. Furthermore, she gave invaluable insights and suggestions. Yes, I wrote the pages of this book, but Nellie Jo is the coauthor of the project.

Nellie Jo was diagnosed with breast cancer just two weeks after the last interview. I have been amazed at her courage and selfless love as she travels the road of her own unexpected journey.

How can I express the love, devotion, and admiration I have for my wife? How can I say adequately how she has complemented and completed my life? Words are not sufficient. I do know that without her love and encouragement I wouldnt have written any books. And I also know that this book is more hers than mine in many respects.

Nellie Jo, you have heard and read it many times: I love you. I hope you have some idea of the depth and breadth of this love. I am with you every step of the way on your own difficult and unexpected journey. And I have full confidence in God that we have many journeys left to travel in this great adventure called marriage and life.

BEFORE THE JOURNEY

My wife, Nellie Jo, and I started The Unexpected Journey interviews in Salt Lake City and ended them nearly a year later in Augusta, Georgia. The concept was simple. We wanted to hear from people who came from other belief systems to faith in Christ. We had no idea what to expect. What we both can say, however, is that these conversations were unlike any we had engaged in before. We heard stories of changed lives, and in the process we began to see our own lives changing as well.

Two of our interviews were conducted in the comfort of our hosts homes. Several took place in restaurants, and a few of the conversations were in churches. In each case we heard stories that could best be described as miraculous. We heard stories of people on the brink of suicide discovering the life-giving and life-changing power of Jesus Christ. And we listened to some tell me how they learned to love and forgive after being consumed with bitterness and hate.