How am I going to get out of this? Bob thought. His Christian friend, Stoney, whom he played college basketball with, had set him up.

When Bob had accepted Stoney's dinner invitation, he had no idea seven people from Stoney's church, including the pastor, would also be there.

Now with dinner complete, the pastor had asked Stoney's guests to tell their testimonies.

Bob had heard the Gospel before.

From age 2 to 8, he had periodically gone to church with a friend and learned that God so loved the world, and "Jesus loves me, this I know."

But when Bob's family moved, he stopped attending church.

After his family moved again, this time to Portland, Ore., his mother, Joyce, became a Christian.

At the time, Bob was attending the University of New Mexico on a full basketball scholarship. While home on breaks, he saw the change in his mom.

"She had a joy that wasn't there before," Bob said. "When she was talking about the Lord, there was a twinkle in her eye."

While home on breaks, Bob needled his mom: "Why is there evil? Why suffering?"

"Because we choose sin," she said.

Another time, Bob asked, "God's going to send that person to hell because he's never heard the Gospel?"

"I couldn't tell you God's will for his life," Bob's mom said, "but He gives everyone a chance to know Him."

Her answers made sense. Her honesty impressed him. And she never coerced him, unlike his friend, Stoney.

Now cornered by sincere college Christians in Stoney's home, Bob barely heard their stories. He wracked his brain for ways to get out.

"Bob, would you like to accept Jesus?" the pastor finally asked.

"No," Bob said, "I'm not ready to make a commitment."

Bob left Stoney's that night irritated. If that's the way they get people to be Christians, Bob thought, I don't want any part of it.

Several years later, Bob graduated from college but with no direction. For the next 10 years he moved around and finally returned to Portland, Ore., where he worked as a bartender.

During those years, Bob kept asking his mom questions.

She gently answered and faithfully prayed. In fact, since she had become a Christian, she had prayed for Bob twice a day, every day for 14 years.

Shortly after his 31st birthday, Bob knew he needed her prayers.

Bob was golfing when he bent down to place the ball and heard a "pop."

I know that's going to hurt, Bob thought. The next morning, he awoke in agony. His back screamed in pain.

A week of increasing pain and numbness drove Bob to the hospital, where doctors told him the muscles in his back had tightened and contorted his vertebrae into an "S" shape.

For three months, Bob lay bed- ridden, staring at the ceiling, thinking.

Most of his life, he had the freedom to play sports. But over the last 14 years, that freedom had atrophied into an aimless, sinful life.

By the time of the injury, Bob said, he drank heavily and used marijuana.

Now guilt and shame crippled Bob as much as his back injury. He saw a future without hope.

"I was really afraid that I was going to be paralyzed," Bob said.

Then he heard good news.

Bob's radio had been tuned to 93.7 FM, KPDQ, a Christian station. He listened as a preacher shared the Gospel and gave an altar call.

Distraught and scared, Bob knew he "had to give it all to Jesus.

"I hobbled out of my bed," he said, "got down on my knees and accepted Him into my life."

The next day Bob called his mom.

"There was a long silence on the other end of the phone," he said. And then he heard her crying.

Two weeks later, his pain totally disappeared, along with his desires to drink and smoke.

For the last four years, Bob Arnold has attended Lake Grove Christian Church in Lake Oswego, Ore. He is now pursuing a graduate certificate at Multnomah Biblical Seminary.