Greetings! My name is Ryan Glab and I am a lifelong Christian, a husband, and a father to two wonderful children. And since about 2010, I’ve been a student of apologetics.
“What do you believe?”
Although I’ve always been a believer in God, my faith journey didn’t really take off until my late 20s. It was about that time when I was single and hot on the dating scene — and by hot, I mean as sizzling as a tepid cup of coffee sitting on a counter overnight.
As a known introvert, I was using a dating website to meet women and I came across a profile of one professing to be a Christian. I shrugged and messaged her without a second thought because to me, a Christian was just someone who attended church and avoided run-ins with the law. I didn’t know there was something deeper than that.
On our very first date, this Christian metaphorically punched me in the face with a question that was so simple and yet so profound that it has stuck with me to this day.
That question was: “What do you believe?”
Taken aback by this, I kind of just uttered what I had been told as a kid.
“I, uh, believe in God the father. I believe he had one son, Jesus, who died for us. And, uh, I believe there’s a Holy Spirit…”
Our God is three in one…
I basically recited The Apostles’ Creed, or the lyrics to This I Believe, without realizing it. I don’t know if it appeased her or not, but we dated for a while, so it must’ve worked on some level.
The walk with Christ officially picked up a notch
As we were dating, I began going to church regularly. I bought a study bible and read it cover-to-cover in two years. I softened my heart and opened my mind. I began treating my faith as a priority instead of a secondary hobby.
I believe God, while not micromanaging lives and predetermining outcomes, puts people in situations where they can grow and thrive. I believe God interweaves the lives of certain people to interact with one another, to help them grow and provide spiritual assistance when needed.
That girl I dated, while our relationship did not last, was crucial to my walk with Christ.
Prepare for takeoff!
I met my wife about two years after that other relationship ended, and my faith took off like a rocket.
My wife and I started attending a church together before we even got engaged. I joined my first small group, we led another group together, I began serving at church in the tech booth, I joined the Board of Directors, and then I’ve been leading a bunch of small groups on my own ever since.
Needless to say, my journey has reached a fever pitch, and it’s spreading like a wildfire.
Always be prepared to give an answer (or defense)
Little did I know at the time, but the girl who asked me what I believed on our first date introduced me to apologetics. In fact, she might not have realized herself what she had done. She might have just been trying to get to know me and what I believe.
But the simple question, “What do you believe?” was a golden opportunity to provide an apologetic response. My reply to her was not a great one, and part of that was because I wasn’t prepared.
1 Peter 3:15 states: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”
This is not a mandate given to pastors or other church leaders. This is for all Christians to carefully contemplate. You’ve heard of The Great Commission, right? Where Jesus urges his followers to go and make disciples of all nations, to baptize them, and to teach them to obey His commands?
Do you think disciples of Jesus — both then and now — could conceivably complete this mission without being prepared to give their defense of the faith?
Always seeking answers and solutions
As a child growing up, I had an inquisitive mind. I wanted to know how everything worked. I’d always ask my parents questions for answers and solutions.
That desire to know how things worked didn’t stop with adolescence. To this day, I’m still curious about the how and the why. It’s one of the primary reasons I took an active interest in apologetics. If someone asks me for answers about my Christian faith, I want to have reasons.
Although I’m not an encyclopedia of information about the subject — and never will be — I strive to learn as much as I can about Jesus. I’ve read dozens of books on Christianity broadly, and apologetics specifically. I encourage you to heed the call of 1 Peter 3:15. Join me on this journey so that the next time someone asks you, “What do you believe?”, you can be far more prepared to give an answer than I was back then.
Keep in touch
If you have questions about anything, you can contact me, or follow me on X or Facebook.
God bless!