About

Hi there!  First, thanks for taking an interest in my personal story!  It all started when...

...I was born and raised Catholic, which provided me with a strong basis of religious knowledge, moral boundaries and standards, and a deep appreciation for religious holidays and rituals.  I also recall praying regularly through high school as I drifted off to sleep each night.

All through college, I would attend Sunday Mass (an obligation for Catholics) each Sunday.  However, after graduating college and moving to a new city to live completely on my own, I began to recognize my declining interest and poor motivation for attending.  The act of attending Mass became truly just an obligation to me.  One which I felt was important to fulfill simply as a preventative measure to avoid a flood of guilt.  In fact, Sunday mornings were the only time I even considered God in my life.

“Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:

'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’ – Mark 7:6

A couple of years out of school, in a new city without any of the Catholic family I had grown up around, my interest in religion completely waned...I stopped attending regular services.  At this point, I figured I’m a nice guy, and I figured I knew that’s all that mattered to God.

It was not until a few years later, when I met my (now) wife that I began to see.  My trouble was that since birth, religion–God–Jesus–Catholicism were all inextricably linked.  My religious teachings were all from academia and Catholic Priests.  After all, they were the “experts” in religion–God–Jesus–Catholicism, so there was no need for ME to attempt to learn about scripture or God on my own.  How could I possibly do better?  Besides, I was too busy trying to keep up with a busy life.

It was my wife who opened my eyes to the split between God and “religion”.  She and her congregation of believers taught me that while “religion” is man-made, “God” is His own.  Further, the congregation to which she had attended placed a strong emphasis on the Word of God – the bible...the ENTIRE bible.  The congregation convinced me to attempt something I never dreamed I would be able to find time to do – read the entire bible.  What happened when I read it? 

I found out directly from God what he expected and how He acts on earth to influence our lives.  The Word also tells us a lot about the nature of God.  For example, I had assumed God would tire of hearing constant requests in the form of prayer: not at all!  God strongly desires for us to pray and request of him.  Just as our human nature has us longing for connection to other people through relationship, God has the same desire.  How can you have a relationship with someone if you never speak to them?

Now, I’m hooked.  I am eager to talk to God through prayer, and I’ve seen that by doing so, I recognize Him moving in my own life.  I won’t have much of a relationship with God if it is only through a sense of obligation of my presence in church on Sunday.

So, what’s next?

Join me, as we make our faith at least a small part in our daily lives.  Through regular prayer and discussion about real life, we’ll figure out how to make “Believer” not just another label for ourselves.  I’m not perfect and by no means do I fully live my faith, but with continual attention to it and the tools available at this web site, we’re bound to be transformed by Him!