Grammer wasn’t raised a Christian. He grew up in the Christian Science church, but he remembers seeing the Jesus hippie movement during the 60s and 70s.
He told USA Today, “They were energized and optimistic, and I thought that was a great thing to see.”
So when exactly was it that he said Jesus made a difference in his life? He explains it in relation to Chuck Smith.
“What Chuck did went back to one of the basic precepts of Christianity, which is inclusion,” he said in his interview with USA Today.
Continuing on, he said, “He thought, ‘Well, I’m doing it this way and people aren’t listening,’” so he finally surrendered. He said, ‘You show me a hippie and I’ll listen.’”
According to Grammer, what happened was, “It became a very dynamic relationship between [Chuck Smith] and Lonnie Frisbee. It became a great adventure, which is still going on. His church branched into 1,000 churches around the country and it still exists. Christian contemporary music is going gangbusters and put that at his doorstep.”
So when Grammer played the role of Chuck Smith, it was close to his heart because Jesus made a difference in his own life.
Of course it hasn’t always been peachy-keen. “I’ve had hiccups. I’ve had some tragic times. I have wrestled with those and worked my way through them,” Grammer told USA Today in his interview with them.
“Sometimes rejecting faith, sometimes rejecting God even, in a period of being pretty angry about it, like, ‘Where were you?’ That kind of thing,” he explained about his faith.
Regardless, his faith stands strong. “But I have come to terms with it and have found great peace in my faith and in Jesus,” he said. “It’s not cavalier—Jesus made a difference in my life. That’s not anything I’ll apologize for.”
So how has Jesus made a difference in your life? Take a moment now to reflect and consider what you’d tell someone about the reason for the hope you have in Jesus?
