Christ Changed My Life / Guest Post by Zeke Kaebel

I grew up in Dallas, Texas in a solid Christian home; we went to church every Sunday morning. My parents taught me that Jesus is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life," but I never really lived it. It wasn't until I was 10 years old that I really understood what the pastor was saying on a normal Sunday morning. Jesus spoke to me like never before that morning. He told me that He loves me and will give me the free gift of salvation; all I have to do is accept Jesus as Lord and Savior - which I did! From that day forward, I have lived for Jesus like never before. He has changed my life, and for me, there is no turning back to my old ways!

Everything changed from that day forward. I met new Christian friends. I now play hockey knowing that God is with me and will never forsake me. This has changed the way I play because I know that no matter how I play that day, God still loves me!

How can you be an impact in the sport you play?
You can start off by letting go of the worldly things. When I accepted Jesus into my life, all those worldly things just disappeared. And when I did go back to my old habits, I had God to lean on. I would ask myself, "Is this impacting other people in a good or bad way?" This made me not want to do those bad things because I know that this is not why I became a Christian. I became a Christian to impact others and live for him. When you live for Him you know that you are going to heaven one day and spending eternal life with Him!

How do you make "this God thing" a habit?
I suggest you read your Bible every day. Make this a habit. The more you read the Bible, the more you dig deep into who God is and what He has in store for you. One story I really like to lean on is the story of Nebuchadnezzar. Three men - Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego - were forced to worship a king, but they did not want to. The king's name was Nebuchadnezzar. He threatened the three men by saying, "If you don’t worship me I will throw you in the pit of fire." But those three did not budge. So Nebuchadnezzar ended up throwing them in the fire. Then suddenly he saw not three but four men walking around unbound! Jesus came to the rescue and they did not burn in the fire. In fact, the fire was so hot the workers for the king burnt to death! Jesus saved those men and can save you too!

Will you accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? 
Nobody besides you can make that decision. People can help you get close to Him but only you can make that spiritual decision. So will you make the decision? Or will you keep living life without a real reason why you live? Jesus really is the real deal. He is the reason why there is still hope in the sports world. For those who know Jesus, I still believe that we can be giant lights in this dark hockey world to everyone around us. So let’s do it!