Jesus was not only the most important and influential person in history, but he is also the living Son of God who is still changing millions of lives all over the world. Jesus has changed my life, the lives of many of my relatives and friends, and the lives of countless other people in hundreds of countries.
Jesus is still changing the lives of people of all ages, races, and classes. He changes our mess into his message, and he enables us to live the life of joy, peace, and purpose that God wants us to live on this earth.
Let me give you just two examples of famous people whose lives have been changed by Jesus. One famous person whose life has been changed by Jesus is a restaurant chain founder, and another famous person whose life has been transformed by Jesus is an actress.
“Famous” Dave Anderson has been called America’s Rib King. Not only is Dave a member of the BBQ Hall of Fame but he is also the founder of Famous Dave’s of America. How you ever heard of Famous Dave’s or been to one of its restaurants? Famous Dave’s is a chain of more than 150 barbeque restaurants located primarily in the Midwestern United States. Famous Dave’s serves a delicious menu of pork ribs, chicken, beef brisket, and several flavors of barbeque sauce. I have eaten Famous Dave’s food several times, and it has always been outstanding!
Dave Anderson just posted on Facebook yesterday that he has now been sober for 28 years.1 Isn’t that awesome? His life is proof that there is always hope for all of us, and God never gives up on us. Dave became a follower of Jesus as a result of his battles with alcohol and three separate occasions in which he should have died but God miraculously saved him. Dave says that “once I was able to surrender my arrogance and being full of myself, I was able to find the humility I needed to ask for help. I found that there is great power and victory in surrender. It was there on my knees that I said, ‘God if there was ever a time to take over my life…the time is now. Jesus, I need your forgiveness…”2 “Famous” Dave found his hope, joy, peace, and purpose in Jesus. His faith in God is still at the center of his life.
Actress Melissa Joan Hart is another famous person whose life has been changed by Jesus. Melissa became famous years ago as Sabrina in the sitcom “Sabrina the Teenage Witch.” Although Melissa grew up in a religious home, she didn’t trust in Jesus as her way to heaven until she was an adult. Since she trusted in Jesus, Melissa has appeared in the movie God’s Not Dead 2 (2016), an American Christian drama film that I and millions of other people have seen. It’s a great movie! Melissa believes that Jesus is God’s Son and her Savior. She also enjoys praying for the light of Jesus to fill her life and her home. Melissa knows that Jesus has filled the emptiness that used to feel and completely changed her life.3
My exciting new book The Life Changer: Finding Joy, Peace, and Your Purpose by Discovering Truth has dozens of stories of people whose lives have been transformed by Jesus. You can purchase a copy of my book at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop, Books-A-Million, and ThriftBooks. Here is the link to buy my book at Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Life-Changer-Finding-Purpose-Discovering/dp/1685264972/.
1 See Dave Anderson’s post from April 20th at https://www.facebook.com/famousdave.
2 The Barry Agency, “Famous Dave: Inspirational Speaker,” https://www.thebarryagency.com/faith-based-speaker-famous-dave.
3 Benjamin Gill, “‘This Is a Jesus Home, Satan’s Not Welcome Here’: How Melissa Joan Hart Went from ‘Teenage Witch’ to Spiritual Warfare,” CBN, March 29, 2023, https://www2.cbn.com/news/entertainment/jesus-home-satans-not-welcome-here-how-melissa-joan-hart-went-teenage-witch.