At nineteen, Lecrae Moore was dealing drugs, drinking heavily, and spiralling. He'd grown up between Houston and Dallas without stability — shuffled between homes, exposed to abuse, learning early that the world was something you survived, not enjoyed. By his late teens, he was numb. Hustling was just what you did.
Then a friend invited him to a Christian conference in Atlanta.
The Real Reason He Went
Lecrae didn't go because he was seeking God. He went because his friend told him there would be girls there. That was it. The entire theological reasoning behind his attendance was the possibility of meeting someone. He had zero interest in Jesus, church, or anything that smelled like religion.
But his friend got him in the room. And that mattered more than his friend knew.
The Cross Movement
At the conference, Lecrae heard The Cross Movement — a Christian hip-hop group who rapped about Jesus with the same intensity and skill he'd heard in the secular music that soundtracked his hustle. Something about hearing the gospel in a language he actually spoke broke through the wall he'd built.
For the first time, Christianity wasn't a white Sunday-morning thing that had nothing to do with his life. It was urgent, raw, and real. The message was clear: Jesus didn't come for the sorted-out. He came for the broken. For the hustlers. For the nineteen-year-olds who were one bad night away from prison or a grave.
Lecrae felt something crack open. "I don't want to live like this anymore," he told himself. He gave his life to Christ at that conference.
What Came After
Lecrae became the most successful Christian hip-hop artist in history. His album "Anomaly" debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 — the first Christian hip-hop album to ever do that. He's won Grammy Awards, founded Reach Records, and opened the door for an entire generation of artists who refuse to separate their faith from their art.
All because a friend knew him well enough to say the right thing: "Come with me. There'll be girls."
What This Means for You
Lecrae's friend didn't give him a gospel presentation. He gave him a reason to be in the room. Sometimes that's all evangelism is — knowing your friend well enough to get them through the door. The Holy Spirit can handle the rest. You just need to know what makes your friend say yes. For some people, it's a book. For some, it's dinner. For a nineteen-year-old dealer, it was the possibility of meeting girls at a conference. Get them in the room.