Baptism Testimonies: Sojourn’s Sam Lentz

We will celebrate another Baptism Sunday on January 23. If you would like to take this important step in identifying with Christ and His bride, email baptism@sojournchurch.com by Sunday, January 16.

And now, Sam Lentz tells the story of his salvation, which led to a recent baptism at Sojourn Gathered:

I grew up as a United Methodist in a Christian family. From the beginning, I knew about God and I delighted in the Bible and its stories, because I believed them to be true. However, I knew Christ in a limited way. I believed, but it always seemed like God was a history book, a series of wonderful events that had occurred and never were to come again. And I was never going to see anything so spectacular in my life. God was not active in my heart and I made a choice to not let him in and it caused me to sin.

The first significant sign of change came my freshman year of college. I was in an unhealthy, non-Christian, long-distance relationship. I was dependent and needy and not my real self. I wanted to escape but did not know how. God saved me when she ended that relationship and literally right after that moment my cell phone, internet, and car all became “coincidentally” broken at the same time and for that one precious week that I could not communicate or travel, I tasted freedom. It was that experience that I began to look towards God again.  Because of that week and my recognition of God’s work in that break-up, I was able to repent and stay out of that relationship when she asked me back at the end of that week.

From that point onward, I began a slow progression of change, which led me to seeing how God was a part of my life and has truly gone into high gear over the past year when I graduated and moved here to Louisville for my new job. The start of my new engineering career has been tough.  My job turned out pretty quick to be a disappointment. What was worse, I was completely alone. I had no nearby friends and for uncontrollable reasons, had no support, both at work, with my fiancée, or with my family.  I struggled for months to find a church that met my needs and beliefs.

With nothing else left, I turned even harder to God. He did not fail me. He taught me patience and endurance and how to let go of control. I learned what mattered most to me during that time and He helped me to understand myself. Most importantly, I learned my identity of being a son of God and that that meant something. Though I suffered, God answered my prayers by eventually leading me to Sojourn where I met a community group who also had many members struggling with careers and who were in long distance relationships.

I thank God shown through Christ Jesus for everything He has done. I am here now being baptized because I have made a choice to follow God with my heart and not just my head. I want others to know that having a heart for God and Jesus makes life more real. God does answer prayers and I have found that those who trust in Him live their own very unique story just like all the great heroes in the Bible.