Christian Faith Journey

Christian Faith Journey

My name is Jason Dobbins from Denver, Colorado. I am on a Christian faith journey which has led me to Christian Leaders Institute to receive free ministry training. I have found that being a leader in Denver has a lot of challenges. We have a small Christian population and influence here. But, I would like to change that and make the church more relevant to the culture and community here.

My first encounter with Jesus on my Christian faith journey came at five years old. My mother and my family (not believers at the time) were influenced by watching a scary movie to feel protective of me. This feeling led to my mother remembering the Lord’s prayer her grandmother taught her when she was young. She spent three weeks by my bedside telling me about Jesus and teaching me that prayer. I fell in love with Jesus and the idea of God at that young age and made Him a big part of my life. I said that prayer and a lot more every night of my life into my early 30s.

Without discipleship and a family attending church, I was left on my own to figure things out. This did not go very well as social influences easily misled me. The Lord and my prayers became my only refuge from a life of continual sin. With no understanding of what it even meant to be a Christian, I got into trouble which led to me ending up homeless at 15 years of age. I joined a gang and sold drugs to survive. However, my heart was soft for the Lord, and in this darkness, He led my heart out slowly after many years of sinful living and mistakes including a failed marriage.

It was not until I was 34 years of age after a life of going back and forth with the Lord and misunderstanding His will for my life that He called me powerfully. My entire life was turned upside down and will never be the same. Me undoing the damage and layers of social conditioning took years on my Christian faith journey. The Lord led a strong Ghanaian pastor into my life who became my mentor and disciple me.

It surprised me to find out how intense and hardcore the Christian life is. The warfare and suffering shocked me, and I almost gave up. But the grace and mercy of my Lord Jesus Christ got me through this time, and I have learned to exercise and build my faith muscles through God’s Word and the power of Christ.

After I surrendered my life to the Lord, I married a Christian woman, and we now have four children. I have been in leadership roles over the past ten years. I have been leading men’s small groups and a food bank and evangelism ministry.  I have also counseled and discipled other new believers. I have enjoyed leading or participating in worship for the past nine years as well. My ministry goal is to fulfill God’s purpose for my life.  I wish to pour my life out for the Lord and serve Him with all my heart, mind, and strength.

Learn about Ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.