Discipleship Explored Stories: Meet Lenny

The new Discipleship Explored features brand-new documentary-style films and inspiring real-life stories from around the world. With less than a month to go until its launch, we thought we'd introduce you to some of the people in front of the cameras.

This is Lenny's story.

"I was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri.

My father and mother are pastors here in the city and I have three older sisters.

We were always in church growing up and I can remember not wanting anything to do with church once I hit my teenage years.

I believed in God and even ‘loved’ God, but I didn’t want to ‘work’ for God. So, in essence I was running from the assignment that was placed on my life.

I was drifting more and more away from the things of God and found myself deep in a bunch of mess—alcohol, drugs, sex, and criminal lifestyle.

I ended up in a courtroom in Clayton, Missouri, three times, in front of the same judge. That third time in his courtroom, it was just me standing before him (no one in my corner, no lawyer representation, etc). He told me to look him in his eyes and to listen to him very closely. He said, “If I see you in my courtroom one more time, I’m going to lock you up for a long time. And I’m not talking juvenile detention!”

I’d rather walk through fire with the Lord by my side, than feasting on the pleasures of this world without Him.

I can remember being so angry with God about where my life was heading. I felt like God was only the God of my parents.

The day that everything changed was the day I was in my room screaming at God saying, “If you’re real, I need you to prove it and show me right now!” I threw my Bible up against the wall and it bounced open onto my bed. When I picked it up, it was open on the scripture Jeremiah 1.5: “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you and I set you apart.” That’s the Scripture that opened my eyes and got me on the track that I’ve continued to this day. It’s even tattooed on my left arm!

This journey has been filled with unbelievable lessons as well as heartbreaking setbacks.

But through it all, I’ll never go back. I’ll never walk away from my Lord! I’d rather walk through fire with the Lord by my side, than feasting on the pleasures of this world without Him.

My wife and I have been recently hired on as Student Pastor and Children’s Pastor at Grace Church STL. After ten years of praying that we’d be in full-time ministry together, it has finally been fulfilled!

God has been a comforter, a guide, a provider, and He’s been truly FAITHFUL! He’s absolutely blown my mind in the past couple of months and I’m so grateful. I’m beyond excited for what this next season holds for my family!"

Lenny lives in Missouri with his wife and four children and is student pastor at Grace Church, St. Louis

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More of Lenny’s story features in the new Discipleship Explored, which launches on 1 March 2018 and is available to pre-order now. This post first appeared on Christianity Explored Ministries blog.