I grew up going to church and many of our holidays and special events were celebrated with the congregation of the First Baptist Church of Martha Lake, Lynnwood, WA. It has been nearly seven years since I have stepped foot into a church and it has been even longer since I have wanted to.
As a child I enjoyed the thought of going to church because I did not understand what church was about, to me and I am sure just about any other kid under the age of 10 that attends church on a regular basis, church was about going to see my friends that I only got to hang out with once a week.
Going in to my early teens I began to figure out that in fact the promise that I had made at the age of seven was a lifelong commitment to devoting myself and my life to God and the decision was mainly due to me just wanting to be like everyone else in the church. I did not like that at all.
During my teen years I began asking the whys and how comes and the adults of the church did not seem to think that it was smart of me to question why I was really going to church. I felt that maybe I was just asking the right questions at the right time and that they did not like the fact that I had grown up and began to think for myself.
By the age of 18, I turned to my mother and told her one Sunday morning that I no longer wanted to attend church. My mother, though calm, responded almost angrily with, "Well you're an adult and that is fine if you want to make that decision." Later that day I explained to her why I no longer wanted to attend church. My reasoning was based off of many of hours spent in church resenting ever making the decision to accept Jesus as my savior and to follow God. (crazy but true) I explained to her that I really felt that I had been raised to believe that if you wanted to be saved from death, all you had to do was accept Jesus as your savior. Also I learned through Sunday school classes that we as God's creations and as Humans were given a choice and finally realized that even when I didn't want to go to church I was forced to go. I did not agree with what church was teaching our children and our youth because I felt as though I had been misled or brainwashed to believe that if i didn't go to church or praise God then I was going to die. (Man that's a pretty heavy burden for a young person to carry, especially if they don't understand what was really meant by Death.)
My wife, Lynne, and I had a horrible argument and the following morning I just felt as though I needed a tool or something that would help my wife and I be able to communicate better. So I went to Boarders books by my work and found a devotional book for Lynne and I (mostly just to entertain the thought that there was probably something in there that might help mend our rocky relationship.) I was in the book store I found next to the couples devotional books, a section of Bibles and decided that it was time that I bought one. So back to square one, it has been many years now since I have touched a Bible and for the first time ever, I purchased my very first bible. (I have owned bibles before but not because I purchased them myself.)
Moving forward I do not have any expectations for this blog. I just hope to share with the few of you that are reading this a little about me and what Lynne and I have learned over the course of the days, weeks, and months to come. And hopefully be able to look back and see how turning to God may have actually improved our lives. my marriage and my relationships with others, as well as God.
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