Julian Vandervelde
Outside Linebacker :: Iowa Hawkeyes
Some people don’t have a point in time when they figure out they know Christ. For me it was a long and involved process. When I was in junior high youth group, I remember watching a video describing what Jesus went through on the cross and all the agony, and I was deeply moved.
I really started to get more into my faith when I came here to college at Iowa. I needed to take it more seriously because I realized I couldn’t do life on my own. I was in the midst of a series of difficulties my freshmen year and struggling with an injury. So at this low point I asked Christ into my heart, to forgive my sin and give me the life He wanted for me.
After that I started to go down the right path and to see what it is all about. I met a couple of Iowa football players who were strong believers and they really helped me grow in my faith. I learned you can be a Christian and find strength for every situation from reading the Bible.
I attended the week-long Athletes in Action Ultimate Training Camp in the summer [2009] where I learned how to use my sport as an act of worship. That was a real turning point in my life—a big step in making a greater commitment to Jesus Christ.
I now put tape on my wrist before games with my favorite verses: Psalm 3:6, “I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side” and 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self discipline.”
My faith is a growing process, but I feel like I’ve got a lot more to contribute now to encourage my teammates. Proverb 21:31 says, “Victory rests with the Lord”!
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