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Josh Hillyer Have you ever experienced a moment that changed everything for you? A moment that you can look at - and without a doubt - say your life hasn’t been the same since?

Maybe it was moving to a new city or school. Maybe it was a new friend entering your life or an old friend exiting. Maybe it was a beautiful marriage or the birth of your first child ... or a painful divorce or child turning away from you.

Maybe your “That Changed Everything” moment had nothing to do with the things of Earth - instead it took place due to a spiritual experience with God in which you KNEW that your faith was real. We’ve officially entered November, so all of the usual suspects of the fall season are showing up: color-shifting leaves, quickly vanishing daylight hours, nervous Facebook posts about the College Football Playoff, and of course: pumpkin-flavored everything. Take a few seconds to look at the palms of your hands.

You likely noticed one thing above all else: lines. Lots and lots of lines. Some deep, some traceable, some barely noticeable...these pathways serve as unique identifiers for every person. Known as palmar flexion creases, the lines on our palms are actually there so we can open, close, and stretch our hands. Indeed, we are wonderfully made. As for why the song seemed odd to me as a child: I had never really thought of prayer being something that happens outside of traditional worship settings or beside a bed at night. To hear this mainstream entertainment superstar talking about prayer being something we need to do every day just to “make it” was kind of mind blowing. “All movies treat the same theme: identity.” - Richard Walter, in Essentials of Screenwriting: The Art, Craft, and Business of Film and Television Writing). I tried not to write a post about the New Year and goals and positive changes; I really did. Being a Christian is easier said than done. We deal with devastating setbacks followed by incredible opportunities, the death of loved ones followed by the birth of new loved ones, situations we can’t control followed by moments of knowing exactly how to help, and seasons of isolation followed by times of fruitfulness and friendship. I’m writing about depression today, and I chose to write about it because I’ve had a rough time with it over the last few days (and off-and-on for the last ten years). In the late 1980s Rich Mullins released an anthemic song with the following memorable lyric:

“Our God is an awesome God, he reigns from Heaven above…”

That said, “Awesome God” might not tell the whole story about Jesus. “Seems like you need a clearer vision of what you’re doing after college. Try coming up with a five-year plan.” Those were the words of an academic advisor at Auburn University after listening to me propose careers such as reporting the news, researching media effects, writing for the then-popular King of the Hill television show, and of course, touring in a rock band.


