GOOD HOPE, Ala. — Good Hope High School’s Alex Lay just started his junior year and, in this interview, he discusses his faith, starting with his experience at a church camp that changed his life.
“God means so much to me. I’ve dedicated my life to following Him and living out the actions I need to live out. He has blessed me so much with the family He’s put me in, the friends He has put in my life, and just everything that has come with giving my life to Him. There’s been some tough battles to face, because the devil attacks me every day, and every moment, the devil will attack, but with God, knowing Him, the devil has attacked less and less. It’s just so amazing with what comes with giving your life to Him,” Lay said. “A while ago, I was one of those guys who cussed and wanted to fit in and was trying to make everyone around me like me, when I should’ve been worrying about how the one and only God viewed me. I went to Daystar Church in Cullman, and the people around me were just so amazing and just going there, pressing in, and getting more involved there truly changed my life, going from not being a Godly man at all to me not doing all of that stuff anymore, and being a leader for the people and the kids around me. Recently, I went to this camp for Daystar, and that’s when I truly felt God and His presence. Right then, I knew I needed to change, and I have.”
Alex added,
“The camp’s slogan was called, ‘Thy Kingdom Come’, so I went into camp trying to feel the presence of God, because I hadn’t felt it at all before camp, and I just needed it and some answers about my future and why things happen. On the second night, I talked to a great leader and role model in my life named Drew Morton, and I opened up to him about how I was feeling and just my life. He was there to listen and told me I wasn’t crazy. I will have His presence, but I just have to have faith and read the Word. On the third and final night of camp, we had worship and prayer, and my small group leader, Jacob Graves, prayed for me and told me I need to keep being a leader, that my future is in leadership. It was so eye-opening, and then I was worshipping, and pastor Skylar, our youth pastor at Daystar, came and prayed for me and told me the same thing. Then, Pastor Eli Brooks, pastor at the Madison Campus of Daystar, came and prayed for me. I felt numb and felt a heavy weight lifted off of my shoulders. It was definitely the presence of God I was feeling during that moment, and it was clear that I needed to rededicate my life to the good Lord.”
Alex shared a couple of his favorite Bible verses and wants to play a part in helping others find God and being a role model that younger kids can look up to.
“My all-time favorite verse is Isaiah 60:22: ‘The smallest family will become a thousand people, and the tiniest group will become a mighty nation. At the right time, I, the Lord, will make it happen’. This verse reminds me that even with a small group of people or even just me, when the time is right, He will make it happen, and I struggle with patience, and every time I catch myself not doing that, I go back to this verse. I also like Jeremiah 29:11: ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope’. This verse means so much to me, because even though I go through hardships, God has a great plan for me, and He’s preparing me for a higher calling and strengthening me through tough battles,” Lay said. “It’s super important. That’s my top goal in life: to live like Jesus and be a leader in people’s lives. I can plant the seed in their life and make them a disciple of God and just really help others who struggle. One of my biggest dreams is to go to a foreign land that doesn’t know the Word of God and make it a mission trip. I serve the kids on Sundays for the first service and seeing all of the kids light up and being that light for them just makes me so happy. It feels so great that I’m leading the youth towards God. They can take that knowledge and action into their lives and their schools. That’s a big place where a lot of sin and wanting to fit in is, so praying and planting the seed in young kids’ hearts to go out and do things like this is so awesome.”
He has a trio of Godly role models that have all helped him out in a big way. He got to help lead Kids’ Fest, and he had a blast.
“Jacob Graves helped me so much this year, and he helped me out a lot when it came to me being a leader. Drew Morton has helped me out a lot too, and seeing his actions just makes me know that his way of living is a good way. Kloe White has helped me so much through my struggles, and she was the first one to ask me how I was doing when I was going through something, and she helped me spark my journey with God. If anyone looks at her, you know she is filled with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. She has changed so many lives around here, including mine,” Lay said. “Recently, we had Kids’ Fest, and it was so great getting to lead a team with a great friend of mine, DJ Pool. It was great.”
Alex gave some important advice to anyone that is struggling when it comes to having a relationship with God. He has learned a lot during his walk with God so far.
“Just have faith and keep being patient in every aspect of your life, even if it means losing people or losing something you like. The only time you can change the life around you is if you change the people and things that stray you from the Lord. Surround yourself with Godly people, and read the Word of God,” he said. “I do a 30-minute thing every morning: 10 minutes reading the Bible, 10 minutes I pray, and 10 minutes in worship and just worshipping the Lord wherever I go. I love worship music. That’s mainly all I listen to during the day and night,” Lay said. “The biggest thing I’ve learned is that the people you hang out with is the person you are. I always thought when people said that the people you hang out with is the person you are was a lie, but once I started to fall into sin, and noticed the people that I was around, I immediately changed who I was around, and that helped me a ton. I also learned that I shouldn’t care about what others think, because it’s my life, and it’s okay to be called weird when you have Jesus leading your life.”
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