How do you know He is calling? Jesus sent me to voicemail...

Jesus sent me to voicemail - It was amazing...

Have you ever received a call from Jesus? I did, and it's changing my life. It wasn’t a metaphorical nudge or a quiet whisper in my heart—it was an actual phone call, with “Jesus Jesus” flashing on my caller ID. But before I tell you about that surreal moment, let me take you back to the beginning of a journey I never expected to take.

For most of my 43 years, I’ve prided myself on being a logical person—someone who thrives on order and reason. Faith, especially the Christian kind, was incredibly tough for me. The idea of an all-powerful God floating around, capable of anything, seemed like a stretch. I’d tried it all—Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist churches—and even converted to Catholicism in high school. But no matter how many pews I sat in, I couldn’t wrap my head around it. Jesus as a historical figure? Sure, that's easy and makes complete sense. One man changing the world isn’t hard to believe; it's happened over and throughout history. But a divine God? That was a tougher sell. Living in a simulation made more sense to me.

I wasn’t shy about my doubts either. I’d argue with believers, pointing out how religion had been used to manipulate and control people throughout history. Church seemed like a nice place for community and moral lessons, but I wasn’t convinced it was more than that. The past few years had been especially rough, and I’d heard all the well-meaning advice from folks here in the South: “You need to find God.”

Then, a couple of years ago, something shifted. I "randomly" met someone at 5.11 Tactical who later came to work for me at Redland Rifle. She was a person of faith, and while I respected her beliefs, I didn’t think much of it at first. Her husband, though—someone I might have called a “zealot” back then—was deeply religious, the last person I would have wagered to have such an impact.

After she left the job on good terms, her husband texted me one day, asking if they could stop by with something for me. I liked them both, so I said yes. What they brought was a gift that would turn my world upside down: a MacArthur Study Bible, New American Standard Bible. I’d never seen anything like it—packed with references, timelines, and definitions. As someone with a career in cybersecurity and data analytics, I love a good manual, and this was like the ultimate user guide for faith. For the first time, I could dig into the scriptures myself, following the threads without relying on someone else’s interpretation.

Over the next few months, I pored over that Bible. Slowly, things started to click. I’d always thought the Bible was a convoluted rulebook for getting into heaven—if God wanted us there, why make it so complicated? I knew that if I could just find God, the rest would fall into place. As it says in Matthew 7:7, “Seek, and you will find.” I was intentionally seeking.

During this time, my friendship with the couple deepened. We exchanged countless texts and spent hours talking about faith. They answered my questions with patience and grace, helping me see the world through a new lens. In 2020, I met Jared Hudson, a Navy SEAL running for sheriff of Jefferson County. He and his family were incredible, faith-driven people who run Covenant Rescue Group, training law enforcement to fight human trafficking. I admired their conviction.

One day, I caught Jared on The Shawn Ryan Show, a podcast I enjoyed. The host, Shawn, was coming to his own faith and asked Jared if he'd run for sheriff again. Jared’s answer is, “If God puts it on my heart.” This sparked a 20-minute conversation in the podcast about discerning God’s voice.

I shared the episode with my team, including Daniel, an Army vet who’d served in Iraq around the same time I did in the Marine Corps. We’d talked about faith, and he knew I was a skeptic. That day, we found ourselves talking about what Shawn had asked: How do you know when Jesus is calling? Daniel opened up about his own struggles—anger at God for the things he’d faced in Iraq, the doubts that lingered. I could relate, having felt disillusioned myself about the events leading up to Iraq.

Then, in the middle of that conversation, it happened. At exactly 9:11 a.m. on March 6th, 2025, the phone on my desk rang. I glanced at the caller ID, and it simply said, “Jesus Jesus.” It rang once. I was floored; it petrified me.

My background has allowed me to logic through most things, but this defied explanation. I called the number back—over 20 times—but it always goes to voicemail. No one has ever picked up. It was as if Jesus Himself had reached out, sending me a message I couldn’t miss. In that moment, all my skepticism crumbled. The mental gymnastics I’d need to dismiss it as a fluke were just too much. I had to admit it: Jesus had called me.

Since that day, my faith has grown in ways I never imagined. God speaks to us in unexpected ways—through a friend’s gift, a heartfelt conversation, or even a mysterious phone call. Looking back, I see how God was weaving this story all along, even when I was too stubborn to notice.

If you’re reading this and you’ve ever doubted like I did, I want to encourage you. Keep your heart open. God might not call you on the phone, but He’s reaching out—maybe through a kind word, a quiet moment, or a nudge you can’t explain. Don’t ignore it. Answer the call.

For me, getting sent to Jesus' voicemail was the turning point. It’s a reminder that even when we’re not ready to hear Him, He’s still there, waiting. And sometimes, all it takes is a little push—or a ring—to set us on the path to faith.