Stories of Proximity- BAKERSFIELD, CA

Thomas was tucking his little son, Thomas Jr., into bed, and felt inspired to say, "Why don't we have a bedtime prayer?"  His son asked, "What is prayer?"  Thomas was taken back, but said, "You know, talking to God."  Then, like a dagger in his heart, his son said, "Who is God?"  Thomas left the room in tears, shaken that he had never taught his son about God.

He was living with his girlfriend and their two kids at the time, but Thomas' main priority was Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitions.  He was obsessed with succeeding at his sport, in pursuit of gold medals.  Looking back, he sees that it was pride and ego-driven and a way to battle the demons of alcohol and drug-abuse in his past.  His girlfriend had tried to get the family going to church, but Thomas kept putting it off.  They had finally started going to the Bridge church, and in light of his son's revelation about not knowing God, He signed up for the men's retreat.

As he was pulling into the retreat, he found out that his son was going to have to have some teeth pulled unexpectedly.  He was ready to turn around and go home, but his girlfriend urged him to stay.  So, he said a prayer, "God if you'll take care of my son, I'll follow you."  He had made "Deal Prayers" with God before, but this time, he meant it.  Not long after, he found out that Thomas, Jr. was fine.  He got on his knees and said, "Ok God.  Show me.  Direct me.  Guide me."

Immediately, God connected him with a wrestling coach who was attending the retreat, which helped to ease Thomas' fears.  He noticed Les Pearsey, Regional Director of Influencers Bakersfield, and felt God telling him to help Les.  He began diving in to serve wherever needed.  He also had a heart for a group of young guys from Teen Challenge who were at the retreat.  God was stirring his heart into service, and he didn't want the weekend to end.  However, he also heard God telling him to get his house in order.  He knew he need to marry his live-in girlfriend as soon as he could.

Thomas started following-up on his promise to God, as he began making drastic changes in his life.  He also began emailing Les, asking how he could get more involved.  Les told him that he wanted to mentor him for a year, and Thomas was all-in.  Les got him involved with going through The Journey.  The books and the curriculum were drawing Thomas deeper and deeper into a walk with Christ.  A hunger for God's Word grew within him.  He was learning what it meant to abide in Christ and to hear His Spirit's voice.

A year later at the next men's retreat, Thomas was asked to speak about the life-change he had experienced.  He prayed for guidance and felt God asking him to ask his family.  When he asked Thomas, Jr. about this, his son said:

Thomas could not stop weeping and praising God.  He is now one of the leaders in Influencers- Bakersfield and continuing to learn the importance of staying in proximity with Christ.  He's got a wife and kids and a lot of other broken men in Bakersfield who are so glad he is.