-- God

We saw this billboard in the backwoods of Louisiana this weekend. It was new to me, so I thought I'd check it out. (No, the concept isn't new. How can you miss God all over the roadways? I'd just never seen this particular billboard before.)

Turns out, GodSpeaks.com has a new "campaign" running. This is their second go at it. My personal favorite is the "All I know...is everying. --God" one. Awesome.

Also, I perused some of the "testimonies" on that site. This one was my favorite.

Well, one day I was sitting in my hotel room in Miami Beach, and I got a phone call. It was a buddy of mine. He said, “Hey, you’re not going to believe it, but your old girlfriend, that girl you dated for that six-month period of time—well, she actually died last night of AIDS.” What went through my mind right then was, “Here I am, just waiting for something to go wrong, and this is it.” I went and got tested, and all the time I’m thinking, “I’m a heterosexual. I’ve never done intravenous drugs. I’m not a homosexual. Come on, I’m not going to test HIV positive, am I?”

I walked into that doctor’s cold office, sat down in the chair, and the nurse handed me a piece of paper that read “For Those Who Have Tested HIV Positive.” That’s when my world was rocked, that’s when all the money, fame, women, travel, and everything else did not matter one iota. I had put all my hope in them, and now I realized that, man, life is but a vapor. It’s only here for a moment, and then it’s gone.
The next weeks were hard for me, very hard. Modeling was becoming difficult, too, because I’d try to fake a smile while I was thinking inside, “I’m dying.” Finally, I ended up calling a friend to go to church. He was kind of freaked out, “You just handed me free drink coupons to your bar, and now you want to go to church with me.” I said, “Yeah, take me to church.” And that’s when Jesus changed my life, and I discovered a real relationship with Him. When I was growing up, my faith wasn’t founded on a real relationship. But that’s what I needed—a real relationship with Jesus Christ—and that’s where I discovered it, at that church.

You may be saying to yourself, “Bummer for you,” but you don’t understand. HIV was the best thing that ever happened to me. Let me say that again, HIV was the best thing that ever happened to me, because God wouldn’t have me where I am today without it. He wouldn’t have allowed me to meet my wife six months later. She’s HIV negative. She’s also a beautiful model; I didn’t get shortchanged there, and that’s a good thing. God really blessed me with her. We’ve been married over twelve years. He’s completely redeemed my life and given me a new life.

Wow, how inspiring! I wonder what his testimony would be if he'd have "sinned" and gotten AIDS. Oh wait, he did. That was his girlfriend...the whole premarital sex thing. Well, I'm glad God decided not to shortchange him with a hideous woman who'd love him despite his AIDS. Whew, what a load off to know how gracious and giving God is, even to sinners! Praise Jesus!