Author Strobel speaks on 'God's grace' in his life, others' at La Croix

"A Case For Christ" author Lee Strobel spoke at La Croix Church over the weekend to kick off the church's new sermon series "A Grace That Bleeds."

"I want to share this message of hope and grace, far and wide," Strobel said during his presentation Saturday night. "I just, you know, seize opportunities when they come up, whether it's a small place or a large arena, like this large church like this one, to share those stories of hope and grace."

Strobel, who had been an award-winning investigative journalist for the Chicago Tribune, was a committed atheist when his wife, Leslie, became a Christian.

After her conversion, Lee Strobel set out to disprove Christianity. His research led him to become a Christian and to write and speak about the faith. The book for which the research was conducted was published as "The Case for Christ." The book was made into a movie by the same title in 2017 and features Strobel's life story, research and path to Christianity. He is the author of more than 20 books.

In his presentation at La Croix, Strobel told stories of people he knows to demonstrate "God's grace" in people's lives.

"A story can illuminate various aspects of grace in a way that a mere propositional sentence can't," Strobel said. "... I thought if I told those stories, people could get a little window into what the grace of God is all about."

Strobel said one of the things he loves about speaking at churches is seeing new people.

"I think, looking into the eyes of people who may be realizing for the first time that there is forgiveness available, there is hope available," Strobel said. "There's a new life available — there's heaven available — and seeing that realization in people's faces as I speak."

La Croix pastor Ron Watts said it was an honor to host Strobel and hear him speak.

"It is really a great honor and just a joy to have him here. He has been such a influential leader in the church, through his books through speaking and has made such a difference in the lives of so many people that for us to bring him to town," Watts said.

Strobel also encouraged people to watch the presentation online and read one of his books.

"I would say watch online, you know, or read a book, you know, all my books are free at local libraries," Strobel said. "So you know, my book 'Case for Christ' tells my story you can get at any local library or any bookseller if they want to buy it, but I'm not here to sell a book. I'm here to hopefully share a story."

For more information about Strobel's books, visit www.leestrobel.com.

Assistant publisher Lucas Presson provided information for this story.