Carlos Pena Vega Discusses His Moment of Conversion: ‘My Heart Was Pierced, I Was Ready To Go’
By Movieguide® Staff
BIG TIME RUSH alum Carlos Pena Vega recently shared how he balances working in a secular industry, his faith in Christ, and being a faith and husband.
On a recent episode of the SportsSpectrum podcast, Pena Vega told Jason Romano about his conversion to Christianity and how fame impacted his life before faith.
“Originally, I grew up Catholic and it was kind of like the thing where we do the first communion, you go have your Sunday school while your mom goes to church and it was very much just checking a box every single week,” he explained. “I never really had a relationship with Jesus until I was about 23 years old.”
“I had just come off a tour where I had broken up with a girlfriend, I’d always been in a relationship so it was the first tour that I was single and I did some things that I’m not necessarily proud of and I came home and I was in a really dark place,” he said. “I called my buddy Andrew and I said, ‘Hey man, I’m just in a really bad place, how are you always so happy? He said, Jesus,’ and I immediately hung up the phone.”
Pena Vega said that he did not want Jesus to be the answer but soon discovered that Jesus was the only answer to his emptiness.
Andrew later invited Pena Vega to church, and that is where he saw his need for a savior.
“I show up at church and it’s this little black church in Inglewood and they got the big hats, they’re worshiping, they’re clapping, I mean it was unreal and I love music so for me I was like, ‘okay, cool I’m hooked here,'” he recalled. “The bishop comes up and the bishop preaches his sermon and he goes, ‘When I was 23…’ I’m like, ‘I’m 23.’ He was like, I was sleeping around, I was like, ‘I’m sleeping around, it was like I was drinking all the time, I was like that’s me.”
“He preached his whole sermon, literally he was speaking to me and I left that church that day and I committed myself to God 100%,” he continued. “From that moment on it was like I was on this Jesus high of, ‘How do I get more and more?'”
Andrew invited Pena Vega to a bible study where he met his now wife, Alexa. PenaVega said that Christ was at the center of his relationships for the first time.
“We literally got to work on our relationship with God at the same time that we were working on our personal relationship with each other,” he said. “It was really cool because our whole [time of] dating was founded in us going to bible study and going to church. Everything was founded in Christ which was so amazing.”
“From then on it’s just like my heart was pierced and I was ready to go and everything that we’ve done since then, my first instinct is like what would Jesus do? and is what I’m doing, is it
for the kingdom?” he added.
Despite the joy he found in his faith and freedom from sin, PenaVega confessed that following Christ is not easy due to the persecution from a world who hates God.
“I always told people that Christianity is not convenient,” he said. “It’s the easiest decision but the hardest thing that I’ve ever had to do, is walk this walk because you are hit with so many obstacles.”
PenaVega said that he and his wife go into deal about their faith journey in their book “What if Love is the Point: Living for Jesus in a Self-Consumed World?”
Movieguide® previously reported on the PenaVega’s focus on their family:
As the couple started to look elsewhere for a new home, faith became the determining factor for their movie.
“We visited Maui and we started finding all of these young Christian couples,” Carlos said. “We prayed on it and then we moved here three months later.”
The PenaVegas then welcomed their second child, Kingston. Their third child is due summer 2021.
The couple said that their new community’s support and time to rest confirmed that their decision to move was beneficial for their growing family.
“We immediately felt that weight lifted,” Alexa said. “We can really recharge here and it’s been awesome to have a community that’s supportive.”
The couple continues to work in entertainment but emphasizes that they are in it together.
The PenaVegas competed against one another on DANCING WITH THE STARS in 2015, recently starred in indie drama MIGHTY OAK, and starred in the Hallmark series PICTURE PERFECT MYSTERIES.
“Getting to work together enables us to bring the family everywhere,” Carlos explained.
Alexa added: “I’ve never been in one place for more than three or four months. I didn’t know how badly we needed as a family to set our roots. It’s given us a chance to create those routines with our family. The L.A. mentality is work hard, play hard. We’re all about working hard, but first and foremost, it’s our faith and our family.”
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
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