Jim’s Story

We had the opportunity to interview Jim Popp on his story of how his past led him to Christ. His journey made many detours and went through many changes as he grew up; but it’s made him the man of God he is today! Read the rest below!

Before I met Christ back in the 80s, and specifically when I was in high school, I got into music DJing, and partying. I got into a DJ group, where we were making people happy, as well as dancing. It was all great in my mind at the time. I was the best drinker, and smoker. I would try to be the best at it all, I was also consumed with playing a lot of soccer. I was the guy who wanted to give it my all and be the best, but I was doing it for all the wrong reasons. It was a great thing in my mind what I was doing, that was, until I met Jesus.

I grew up going to church, and I got saved early, but as time went on, I just didn’t value the things in church. I got to a point in my life where church was an option and based my attendance on my feelings. Then I started living my life. I went off track, got recommitted, and fell again. Then one of those nights we were DJing, I came home from work and I was like “who’s out there playing with my equipment?” — my DJ equipment, which was strange because nobody touches my equipment — and when I went out there, pulled back the screen door, it was Ruth (my future wife), singing, on my equipment; beforehand, I was getting ready to yell, but then I saw her and was like, “Oh, hello!”. That’s when I first met her. We started dating, and then she told me eventually that if we were going to be serious that I was going to have to start coming to church, so that’s when I started recommitting my life to Christ again. 

Moving to Washington and coming to Experience Church, well, it was crazy, I can tell you that. Before we came to Experience Church, my brother-in-law came here, because we were looking for a church, one where we wouldn’t get babied anymore because we were going to a church which did just that, but we wanted growth. So, my brother-in-law found this church, and when we first came in, the message was really good and made us feel like we were growing, it felt like we were getting fed. Now, I’m in the audio department, where I help run audio and sound at church.

Now, when I look at my past and my future and see where God has brought me from, He took what I was, and he’s allowed me to use the past, to help others in the present, he’s led me from the time I got saved to the moment I’m in right now. He’s gotten us involved in missions, and helping with the youth because we used to be youth leaders in different places in times past, but the accumulation of everything he’s done for us and led us through is crazy. Because we think where we’re at now is where we’re supposed to be, but he’s continuing to lead us and take us even further then we can imagine and it’s incredible to see what God has done, and not just in our lives but in the lives of the people we’ve come in contact with along the way.