Faith

I was raised as a Christian. Missionary Alliance to be exact - we believed the most important aspect of our faith was sharing it with others. I attended Hillside Chapel for almost 13 years before we decided that our family was not getting the growth that we needed from it. Pastoral problems, financing, the culture of the church...it was all going downhill. My family no longer fit.

We then attended a Christmas Eve sermon at Beavercreek Church of the Nazarene - "the big church on N. Fairfield" - much to my fathers protest. We knew we were looking for a church, but we didn't know what we were looking for in a church. The service that night told us what we were looking for, we felt at home immediately. We quickly began getting involved in Sunday services, Wednesday night activities and small groups. We made friends and excelled.

Eventually, I hit a rebellious stage and refused to go to anything church related. I disowned God, BCN, and all faith. I began to do things that I'm no longer proud of - things I regret. A few years later into my rebel stage I began to mellow out and go back to my roots of Christianity. In the last year I have hungered for it, and wanted to be close to God but didn't know if I wanted to give up the easiness and comfort of my sinful life. I thought to myself "I'm a Christian, I'm going to Heaven" but I never really knew for sure. I thought I was but then I would go out and do sinful things, things I knew would damn me forever.

I made a good friend my first year of college. We began to attend Church together. It all started with me wanting to go, but not alone and she had mentioned that she was looking for a church. I invited her and immediately New Life was a hit with us. It was viral, we brought our friends, our family - we love it. To this day we still continue to go.

Todays sermon was about whether or not you are really saved. Are you a true child of God? I had been pondering these things for several weeks and today all my questions were answered. I found out how to ensure that I would have a seat in Heaven. It is going to take some work, but an enterity of happiness is worth it I believe.

Several months ago I made a "prayer box" to help me cope with the overwhelming amount of stress in my life. When something worries me and I feel that I need help with it, I write it on a note card, date it, and put it in my box. Upon closing the lid, I don't worry about it anymore, God takes it from there. Looking back through it, many of these requests have come true.

"Help find Indi a good home." Indi got picked up friday by a wonderful couple who wasn't even looking for a bird, but fell in love with him immediately.

"Keep me in good health." Haven't got sick yet.

"Help Joey give up his addiction." He did last night.

"Let me find a way to take Violin lessons." I got a call this morning after Church about free lessons in exchange for some instruction on how to work a new laptop computer - cake.

I realize that I need to follow God, I need to be his daughter. I want to be. I will be.

I'm so excited to be a part of the family.