Dave Steward was an expert in wielding the sword of the state—until he decided to take up the sword of God.

As a young man, Dave Steward came from a good Seventh-day Adventist home. He believed in the Bible, attended church, and lived a clean life. At PUC he joined a similar group—other kids who worked hard, did well in school, and avoided drugs and alcohol. Dave valued his spiritual life, but took it for granted. There was nothing wrong.

But when Dave went on to law school after graduating from PUC in 1988, his life began almost imperceptibly sliding off track. “The devil is a wizard at slowly but surely bringing us into his grasp,” he says. “I never stopped attending church but was very lukewarm and had no real relationship with God for many years.”

It was in this state that Dave finished law school in 1991 and took a job as a deputy district attorney in Riverside County. It was his dream job. “I loved bringing out the truth of how a crime occurred and especially persuading juries to hold bullies accountable,” he says. “Many of the most violent people were used to controlling and terrorizing others, so it was rewarding to see them squirm as they realized they were now being controlled by the law and would be going away for what they had done.” He tried over 100 cases, often with the defendant facing a life in prison.

In addition to the power it offered him, the job also provided him with a substantial amount of status and money—the three things that had become most important to him at that point. But after 10 years of punishing criminals on behalf of the state, he began to feel like there was nothing more in his life.

The last straw came in 2001. On vacation from work, Dave met up with his friend Calvin Kim, a Seattle dentist and fellow PUC graduate (and one of this year’s Homecoming Honored Alumni).

Desperate to take any pleasure that could be had, Dave tried out some recreational drugs and the two headed to riotous dance party. But as the minutes went by, instead of feeling the artificial drug-induced euphoria, he began thinking vividly about the controversy between God and Satan. The contrast between the blessings of Jesus and the ultimate destruction that results from a life following the devil became clear to him. “The choice was a no brainer,” he says, “and I asked Jesus to be my Lord and Savior right there on the dance floor—filling me with instant peace and joy!”

Abruptly the power died in the warehouse where the party was being held, cutting off the loud music and flashing lights. Dave took it as a clear sign of God’s interceding power, affirming his decision.

After his conversion experience, Dave began studying the Bible again. He had relocated to the Sacramento area from southern California, and had a lot of respect for his pastor at Sacramento Central Church, the Seventh-day Adventist evangelist Doug Batchelor. Dave decided to give up his career in law and serve God full time as an evangelist, and began training at Batchelor’s Amazing Facts Center for Evangelism. “I now have the privilege of sharing the three angels’ message full time.”

Today Dave serves as the president of ARME Bible Camps, an evangelism ministry founded by his friend Calvin (who had his own conversion experience not long after that fateful rave). ARME Bible Camps hosts four-day conferences teaching attendees methods of rigorous Bible study and uniting them in prayer. A big focus of the ministry is bringing an attendee to Christ for an experience that will last, rather than just a flashy revival that fades away quickly. “After an ARME Bible Camp experience, many people say it was the most powerful spiritual experience of their life,” he says.

After several years of focusing on setting people free in Christ instead of putting them behind bars, Dave couldn’t be happier about the change in his life. “I still can’t believe that instead of going to raves together, Calvin and I are doing ministry together where we see so many lives blessed.”