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Church & Religious Experience

I have always believed that God is with me in every personal and profession involvement

When I was growing up, my heroes were ministers. I had no interest in any type of collections or sports in my very young years. Standing on the foot of my bed I was the song leader, teacher, evangelist, and preacher rolled up in one. My parents must have thought I was the most “touched” child they’d ever known, mentally that is.

Dad enjoyed showing me tools and how to use them. I could make any piece of lumber look like a shredded honeycomb in no time flat. Soon, lumber was turned into a tiny pulpit with a little altar nailed across one-foot two-by-fours. And next, a clubhouse every bit as endowed as Solomon’s Temple, at least in my imagination. Several friends and cousins attended from time to time and found their way to the Lord on the little two by four altar. I don’t think Mom and Dad were as excited about my endeavors, but it was just playing after all.

Sermon after sermon flowed from that little pulpit. Likened to what I was hearing in several weekly services, I preached all the aspects of Gods love one time and hell fire and brimstone the next. Mom, Bethel, entered me into piano lessons and soon my interest in gospel energy flowed in music and song from pulpits within several churches our church associated with. I had such a drive and earnest desire to encourage the faith of people’s lives that I never hesitated to do whatever I could to assist in church functions.

Throughout my raising my dad, Joner, was a great example of unending love, because He always displayed confidence in every person no matter what condition anyone was in. Dad loved people in every lifestyle, from families and friends to those in self-destructive lives. He wouldn’t hesitate to stick up for anyone in a situation and try to be an encouragement to them. The only times I ever saw Dad have trouble sticking up for anyone was when they were haughty, proud, and self-centered. Dad was a fine example of Jesus love in my life. By dads’ example I could understand how Jesus was able to provide immortal reconciliation. It was because Jesus provided unending, unbiased, loving confidence in people’s ability to accept His simple provision of reconciliation. I can only hope to share that kind of love with others.

I grew up attending the Pentecostal Lighthouse Church in Warsaw, Indiana with my family. We attended services every Sunday morning and evening as well as Thursday and Saturday evenings when possible. We also attended nearly every evening of revival services for a week or two as they occurred a few times a year. When I was 12 years of age, my family began attending a closely associated church to the Lighthouse, the Silver Lake, Pentecostal Church of God where I gained a lot of ministry and church activity experience. After three years we returned to the Lighthouse where I continued with the family for several years until switching to a young, conservative, charismatic New Life Christian Church and World Outreach in Warsaw, Indiana. I became a primary song service pianist and Youth Pastor attending there for quite a few years. Later involvements in other Charismatic mega-churches and organizations has brought a balance to my Christian experience that could not have been experienced any other way.

During Middle and High School, I was much more involved in church than the secular school activities of my fellow students. Starting at age 13, I assisted the Church Youth Pastor with organizing concerts, parade floats, and group tours for church and national revivals. Within a few years I was doing these things on my own as well as organizing Christian music group, media production, youth education, theatric productions (writing to production), song and curriculum writing; development, production, and presentations.

Applications for higher education in these areas were rejected and without a family history of higher education experience, and no other person experienced in these matters involved, I was unable to pursue these interests or higher education at that time. Other college pursuits did come later on though.

Upon entering the workforce, the majority of my meager income went to building up the faith and church involvement of anyone who showed interest. I learned in real life circumstances that as long as someone is willing and motivated to bring such a cause together and as long as the cause is true in my heart, people are willing and eager to be a part of that cause.

It is such an exciting time to be a part of the new, rising revival. My faith is charismatic, and non-exclusive. I believe earnestly that all faith in universal central purpose is one faith and the One Central Source and Focus of Existence, who knows every person’s heart, will sort it all out when the time comes. It is each person’s own responsibility to recognize and accept God’s simple provision of reconciliation. Even though I'm not a regular practitioner of rituals, I believe activities like fellowship gatherings, baptism, occasional communion, meditation, and such can be useful in experiencing faith. There is nothing wrong with considerate expressions of personal faith, especially with tempered enthusiasm.

Though some might hesitate to mention it, I am very appreciative of indepth experience and involvement’s beyond local churches in the organizations of Billy Graham (http://www.billygraham.org/), Jesus and Creation Festival Ministries (http://creationfest.gospelcom.net/), Lester Summeral (http://www.lesea.com/), Jim (http://www.jimbakkershow.com/) & Tammy (http://www.tammyfaye.com/) Bakker PTL Club, Ernest Angley (http://www.ernestangley.org/), Jimmy Swaggart (http://www.jsm.org/), and more. I highly value the experience of being involved with these organizations as well as being present for the unfortunate experiences of seeing the situations in which some of them have diminished. The range of ministries of faith has increased; it is their willingness to realize the ever-renewed direction the Central Source and Focus of Existence is leading that foretells their temporal destiny.

I have also been a member and leader of Christian music bands. There isn’t much I enjoy more than being a part of worship in music and song. Being a part of the rise of many great groups has been a blessing, sometimes a blessing in disguise.