Co-Founder's Testimony - Austin

Alright, I’ve never written about my testimony before, so bear with me… I guess I’ll start from the beginning. I was born into a family that loves Jesus. From a young age, my parents tried to instill Christian principles into me and my siblings. In elementary school, I started attending a local Christian school that doubled as a church. I studied under a classical Christian curriculum from 3rd through 11th grade. I attended church most Sundays. I volunteered at church with my friends. I did the summer camps.

It was at summer camp in 8th grade, at 14 years old, that I accepted Jesus into my heart and accepted Him as my Lord and Savior. Over the years that followed, my relationship with Jesus started to change. I became a little less hesitant to wake up on Sunday mornings, a little more willing to pray, a little more connected to God. But honestly, it didn’t feel authentic. I felt like I was “piggybacking” off of my parents’ religion.

In 11th grade, I began to drift. I approached my parents and pleaded with them to let me leave the Christian school and go to public school — which I transferred to my senior year of high school. I started directing my attention and energy toward things outside of the church. I started experimenting with parties, alcohol, girls — all the things that have allure to a teenage boy. My school and church friends started casting judgments and spreading hurtful rumors in the wake of my departure, which pushed me further away.

By the time I went off to college, I was completely disconnected from the church. My faith had taken a back seat to the brave new world of frat parties, packed social calendars, and zero curfew. Furthermore, my walk away from faith turned into a full-fledged sprint when I got a call from my parents notifying me that they had decided to get a divorce. Man, that stung. And who did I turn to blame? Myself and God. So… deeper into the abyss I went. More parties. More alcohol. More drugs. Anything that would distract me from my feelings and numb the pain I refused to deal with.

When you spend the majority of your college experience in a haze, time goes by quickly, and next thing you know you’re thrust into adulthood. Real responsibilities, real decisions, real problems. So, I’m 21 years old, fresh out of college, and somehow landed on my two feet (by the grace of God) with a great job in finance. I decided to get sober and get serious about my career… In other words, I cross-addicted. I purged the booze and replaced it with work. I became obsessed with being the best at work. How could I progress as quickly as possible? How could I be the youngest analyst at the firm? How quickly could I fill that void I felt in my heart?

Well, it didn’t take long for me to realize that professional achievement was not going to fill that void.

That’s when I dug my Bible out of the back of my closet and asked God to move. And He answered me by saying, “No, you move.” So I did. I started going to church — not because someone told me I had to, but because I wanted to grow closer to God. That was eight years ago… and the last eight years have been a wild ride.

I’m stubborn, so I have spent a lot of time wrestling with God — ignoring His invitation to take rest (or perhaps to trust, depending on what you meant). Trying to do things my way. But with age, prayer, and the Word comes wisdom. And in this season, God is teaching me to obey, submit, and surrender. Let me tell you… following His guidance in this area has been the best decision I’ve ever made.

Today, I am blessed to be able to say I have a beautiful, authentic relationship with God. I find myself engaging in an intimate, daily relationship with my Heavenly Father. I have a desire to live my life in accordance with God’s will. God is doing amazing things in my life and in my heart. Giving my life to Christ is the best decision I have ever made, and that void in my heart… well, that’s been filled.