I had always wanted an intimate connection with God, but never could quite achieve it. Music has always played a very important role in my life. Through participation in All-State chorus in high school, and in the Glee Club and Choir at Amherst, I sang a great deal of Christian music, but I always felt uncomfortable when I sang the name “Jesus.”
While at Amherst, I fell in love with Kim, the Protestant woman who was to become my wife. After a fair amount of discussion, Kim converted to Reform Judaism before we were married.
My spiritual transformation began unexpectedly one day in 2005 when I inadvertently tuned in to a Christian radio station and heard a discussion about Yeshua (Jesus). I listened only briefly and turned it off, yet I found myself listening to this station with more frequency – not out of belief, but rather out of intellectual curiosity. Late one evening while driving home from work and listening to this station, I heard the speaker invite listeners to welcome Yeshua into their lives by believing in Him as Messiah. Almost reflexively, I found myself doing so! I recall my immediate reaction: “Why did I just do that- and mean it?!” The speaker then described those who believe in Yeshua as walking from the darkness into the light, and this resonated with me deeply.
During the Christmas season that immediately followed this experience, I vividly remember joining my mother-in-law at a Christmas church service. I had never joined her in the approximately twenty years since marrying her daughter! When it came time to sing the hymns-some of which I recalled from my youth as a singer-the moment of truth arrived as we sang the name of Jesus. That old uncomfortable feeling was gone, because now I knew He was my Messiah.
Today, I am a 46-year-old partner at a law firm in New York. I am a graduate of Columbia Law School and Amherst College. I am also a Jewish man who believes that Yeshua is our Messiah.
I remain passionate about God and thankful for the intimate relationship He has given me through His only Son. I believe my faith has made me a better husband, father, professional, and friend of God. My wife and five children have supported and encouraged me as I continue to explore my relationship with God through Yeshua. I recently was blessed to see my daughter become a Bat Mitzvah in a Messianic service, and now look forward to the Messianic Bar Mitzvah of my two sons this fall.
Written by Brian Robbins