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| Welcome! Tired of televangelists taking your money so that they can afford their mansions? Tired of witnesses who seem a little too perfect? Tired of pushy preachers? Me too! Welcome to a different kind of Christian site.
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What's my story? Let me tell you.
I grew up in the church. I got saved when I was, like, 9. I professed Christ and even testified once in a while. Perfect, right? Not quite.
My teenage years were filled with contradiction. I went to church and in the summers I went to church camp. Yet, like most teenage boys, I was into all of the things teenage boys are that Mom doesn't know about (at least she won't tell you she knows). I told the raunchy jokes. I started hanging out with the "bad" crowd and doing the "bad" crowd stuff (we all wanted to be Jim Morrison). But I still went to church. I still told people I was saved.
So, what changed?
Well, a few things, only slowly. When I was a senior, I skipped school with a friend, my girlfriend, and her sister. The idea was simple: My parents were at work. We would go to my house, and hang out while altering our state of consciousness. One problem: A friend of my parents saw us walking to my house during school hours and called my mom. She came home and gave me 2 choices: Straighten up or go to jail (she would make the phone call to ensure the second choice). So, I decided to go through the motions to appease her. When I did straighten up, I began to think and see things differently. That started my transformation. The culminating experience would come at 22 when I met the woman who would become my wife. Then, I decided to take my salvation seriously. I still mess up (especially when I went back to school and put God on the backburner while I became the "model" student), but I learn from my mistakes and now I don't take God for granted anymore and he has blessed me for that (especially with my kids).
| Why should I turn my life over to Christ? I'm having too much fun!
II thought so too. I liked running around. I liked doing things "upright" society would never approve of. I liked being the number one bad boy (think Judd Nelson's character in "The Breakfast Club"). But guess what? It gets old quickly. There is a void that doesn't get filled, no matter how many types of drugs you try, girls you sleep with, or people you p___ off. Eventually, if you are smart, you come to a point where you need something different. You need to feel whole. Only Jesus can do that. I was embarrassed to return to Jesus. I had spent so much time being a "Sunday Christian." I didn't know what people would think of me or if I would lose my friends. Guess what? God takes care of all of that. IF you trust him. I'm not going to go into the whole "Repent or perish in Hell" argument. If for no other reason, accept him because he will fill that empty spot (it's there, even if you ignore it or refuse to acknowledge it). There is something a lot better than carnal pleasure- a sense of peace and a clean conscience. Besides, you can be a Christian and have fun, believe it or not.
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| Why does Christianity seem so hypocritical?
Because people are hypocrites. Face it. I'm a hypocrite, you're a hypocrite, everyone's a hypocrite to some degree. I still mess up. Also, Many Christians find parts of Christianity uncomfortable or inconvenient. If you don't, congratulations: You're perfect. So, people modify Christianity here and there. Why do you think we have over 1000 denominations and a whole lot of disagreement? Don't let that stop you from accepting Christ. After all, the world is hypocritical and rife with disagreement, so if hypocrisy is your excuse for not becoming a Christian, move to the moon, because the world is too. I won't lie to you; it gets confusing trying to separate the truth from the crap. That's why you have to study the Bible, pray about it and do what God tells you, not what the church tells you. So, how do you sign up? If you are ready to try it (I said "try." Take it out for a test spin), then you only need to do a few things: Admit to God that you are a sinner. Ask Jesus to save you. Accept and believe in Christ's sacrifice on the cross. Then, find a church that preaches the word faithfully (you won't find a perfect church or one that bats a thousand in the accuracy department). Don't go it alone. Team up with another church member to help you get started. Got questions? Ask.
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