My Journey in Christ

 

I see myself as a facilitator or assistant to one's walk in Christ because each person must chose for one's self the truth of my writings and teachings and how they apply in their life.  It is not my responsibility to dictate how one is to live one's life; I have enough to do to live my own life as Christ calls me to live.  Hopefully my life will be an example, however I know I will fail at something, and one may be injured, if one's life is not focused on Christ only.

 

I am the oldest of five children of Roman Catholic believing parents and grew up isolated on a small farm in rural southern Indiana.  In my latter pre-teen years I isolated further as a workaholic being challenged only by intellectual pursuits. Having in early teens a strong desire to serve God, I studied for the Roman Catholic priesthood until the realization that organized religion was about controlling the masses rather than developing a spiritual relationship with God.

 

Leaving the priesthood I studied physics, mathematics, and chemistry, earning a Master's degree in physics.  Questioning why there was so much animosity between religion and the sciences, I set out on my own quest to find:

1. The meaning to life.

2. The role of religion.

3. Who God is in my life.

The intricate details of physical science reactions with their mathematical explanation indicated that there had to be a Creative Force.  Thus for a number of years agnosticism (believing in a Creative Force, not the God of organized religions) was my belief while pursuing, as an avocation, the origins of religions from the most ancient and primitive to the most modern and creative.

 

The study of the origin of religions included experience with psychic phenomena, extrasensory perception and astrology.  As a practicing amateur astrologer, astrology came to be viewed as man's endeavor to explain a person's behavior, likes, etc. as influenced at birth by positions of the sun, moon and planets; thus it is definitely the forerunner of modern psychological testing which endeavors to do the same explanation only in modern terminology.  To this was added Zen meditation.  While in a large group meditation sponsored by the Age of Enlightenment, I had a vision of Christ calling me to follow Him.  It was an instant yes in the heart and mind to go with Him, just as Christian Scriptures describes the apostles' action to their call to follow Christ.  I was forty-two.

 

At this time I had contacted the Western Orthodox Church of America for joining them as a priest.  I was ordained in October 1983 as a priest and began a ministry to the aged and infirm in personal care homes and skilled nursing homes.  During this ministry Christ became more real to me and my Savior and Lord, thus I began His transformation process of repentance. Following this I grew to be more Evangelical and Pentecostal in belief, ultimately leaving both the Western Orthodox Church of America and the aged and infirm ministry.

 

The time in Evangelical and Pentecostal churches grounded me in the Scriptures, but was still not satisfying my inner spirit as these systems were more legalistic rather than being in a one-on-one personal relationship with Christ.  While in these groups I experienced release of bondages and a desire to take the message of Christ to those rejected by legalistic or Pharisaic churches because Christ still loves the outcasts and is calling them to Himself, especially the leather and bear communities.

 

Today I am in a one-on-one personal relationship with Christ without belonging to any one denomination, but having association with many denominational churches for additional spiritual feeding beyond my own studies of the Scriptures from ancient languages.

 

My quests are answered today:

1. The meaning of life is growing in a deeper love relationship in Christ in order to minister as the human Christ did when on earth and as He leads by the Spirit of God for today's conditions,

2. To be totally purified by Christ to see eternal life,

3. The role of religions, including much of Christianity, is to establish systems of one's own works to obtain eternal life,

4. God is spirituality with everything expressed by faith.

Spirituality is defined as being in a deeply mutual loving personal relationship in Christ with eternal life totally dependent on His mercy as I in my humanness will not fulfill all His commands at all times.