Return

My return to a life of faith took many years. It was actually my lovely wife who dragged me kicking and screaming to the Methodist Center at college a few times that started the process. The lack of ceremony and informal approach to worship actually appealed to me and was intriguing, to say the least. However, the interest was short-lived and I never attended regularly.

We would be married in the Methodist Church eventually, and had our children baptised there as well (yes, as infants).

One day, my wife asked me what I thought about people who clung to religion and faith and I said that they were weak and needed religion as a crutch. I remember speaking those words today, because they represent a turning point in my faith journey. I immediately began to feel like what I said could not be correct, could not be right. The words were like a stake through my heart. I began to wonder and hunger for a deeper understanding of God and of faith. And I began to dig.

Later on, we did begin to attend church regularly and I joined a men's small group Bible study. This experience changed my life. I bought Bibles and read books and memorized scripture. I had an insatiable thirst for all things related to faith and religion. I carried my Bible with me whenever I traveled. I learned to lean on God for guidance and strength. The "hogback" experience I have written about before occurred during this time frame.

I volunteered at our church and made my way into the committee structure as the chairman of the Long Range Visioning Committee. For those who are not familiar, the United Methodist Church is built around a congregational structure, where each church is chartered by an annual conference and each church is its own nonprofit corporation, owning assets, taking in giving, and incurring liabilities and expenses on its own account. The organization is controlled by a partnership between conference-appointed clergy and a congregation-elected Board, along with various committees. I later became the Administrative Board chairman and served in this role for several years.

Throughout these days, I grew into a committed Christian. The little spark left inside of me years earlier had ignited a fire that burned hot. I had returned to the faith.