The Reformed Home Schooler

Reformation Challenge - Journal Entry #1 Oct. 31, 2007

HAPPY REFORMATION DAY!!!! 

So yesterday I instituted a Challenge for us to continue the work of the Reformers in our own lives and our own churches.  I stated that today I would write my first Reformation Journal Entry.  I believe this is important because it will help me put in perspective where I came from.  This is as much for the benfit of those reading as it is to me as I reflect upon how I got to where I am today and where I still need to go.

Reformation Journal Entry Day 1

My Testimony in Brief:  I come from a non church going family, my Father was Roman Catholic my mother was raised in the Presbyterian Church of Canada (A Very Liberal Presbyterian Church)  My mom was not religious, and religion didn't really play a part in my dad's life.  I was Baptised in teh Catholic Church and I went through all the rituals, but this was the only time my family went to church we didn't even go for Easter and Christmas.  I always had an interest so I would sometimes go to church myself it would always be Roman Catholic because thats what I considered myself.  When I was in University  I became serious about religion I started attending Mass 6 Days a week I took Saturdays off because it wasn't convenient for me.  I met a lot of friends tha twere Christians but I considered myself to be a Christian as well, after all which of my friends went to church 6 times a week.  I didn't see the conflict with Roman Catholic Tradition and Dogma and Biblical Christianity, it is evident now as I look back that I was wrong.  The three years at University were the first time I was exposed to real Christians but I held fast to my faithful Catholic Church.  I went to Bible studies and was involved with Christian groups on Campus but I didn't live an upright life, I wasn't even really a good Catholic in this respect.  Though I had been challenged by the Gospel I still hadn't responded.  Though seeds were planted.  My last year and a half of University I was sick an was in the hospital a few times for various operations on my vocal chords, this put me behind and I just let my own lifestyle put me behind further, so I didn't go back after my 3rd year.

The year after I left University was a mess anybody who knows me then will easily attest to that.  If you knew me back then and happen to be reading this I would liek to extend my sincerest appologies, I was a jerk and a complete idiot who had no care for himself or anybody else.  I took advantage of friends and ruined what were some of my best friendships in my life.  Unfortunately my selfishness and self centredness I can see now I was to busy enjoying to realize what I was doing to friends.  Of all the regrets in my life this year and a half or so period of my life is probably the biggest, it also happens to be one of the most important things happen to me.  In hitting rock bottom and seeing how alone I was I realized I needed to change. 

I started reading teh Bible, I had read it before but now I read it differently I wasn't reading it as one would a novel or biography but I started reading it as an instruction manual.  I saw the people I knew who seemed to have it together were Christians, some of whom I had acted so awfully towards that I have never seen again, but still I saw them as guides and I saw that thier faith made them better people then me.  And I wanted to be a better person so I started to read "Their Instruction Manual"  At this point I was still Catholic and still considered myself to be a Christian.  At this time I skipepd the Old Testament, I thought anything useful to me would be found in the New (I now know this is a great fallacy) anyways I had read the Gospels before and was familiar with the Stories of Jesus so they were quick reads and I wasn't struck by anything new in them.  (Now I find something new everytime I read the Bible)  Acts was interesting but it was just another story, a History.  Ah but when I got to Romans I foudn what I had been looking for Instructions on being a Good Christian, a better person.  Romans challenged me it still does which is why I'm using it for my weekly Bible Study.  When I read Romans I saw a few things first I saw when Paul was addressing Israel when he talked about thier traditions failing them I saw direct parrallells to the Roman Catholic Church.   I saw for the first time (though I had been told many times before) that The Roman Catholic Church is NOT a Christian Church and if I wanted to be a Good Christian I couldn't belong to the Catholic Church, I also saw what I did need I needed faith to have a relationship with God, I had studied History in University and had studied Luther but I saw for the first time what he meant.  I concluded I wasn't a Christian and I couldn't become one in the Roman Catholic Church.

You would think this meant my life would change and I would suddenly become a Christian, but alas it didn't work that easily and I knew it.  I had tamed my lifestyle and had become a more "responsible" adult, but I had just tamed my lifestyle down not totally disavowed it.  I still had a lot of growing to do and I by no means had faith. I started going to various churches I considered myself to nolonger be Catholic but rather I called myself a "freelance" Christian, I knew enough to know I was only nominally a Christian.  I had a lot of problems with a lot of churches I went to.  The people in them were no better than me, in fact many were worse and these were the ones professing to be Christians, I wasn't finding teh way to be a better person there at all, sure church was fun people were friendly but once people left they seemed to leave church behind.   I wasn't satisfied I did some more growing up went to College and got a Business Technology Diploma, I had always been interested in active in politics but I was very Liberal, as I matured I became more conservative and got involved with Conservative politics in Canada.  I got a job working in Politics (had been my dream since I was a kid)  I met a girl she was different than my other relationships I had decided I was serious (though seriousness for me meant moving in together, I believed in marriage but I didn't see a problem with a "trial" period) 

We became engaged 2 months later.  At about the same time a Christian friend I had kept in contact with told me about a mutual friend who had been away studying in the States at Seminary he would soon becoming back to plant a church.  This mutual friend had been a Christian i had had the biggest confrontations with about being a Catholic.  He was a few years older and not a student but ratehr part of an evangelical Christian ministry organization.  This organization was non-denominatial (I would say Armenian/Dispensationalist leanings) but this friend John had become Calvinistic and had went to a Reformed Presbyterian Seminary and was coming back to plant a reformed Presbyterian church.  These labels meant nothing to me at the time I didn't understand them but what I did understand was that he was a Christian I remembering witnessing how he had lived out his faith in all aspects of his life.  I knew he believed the Bible was teh word of God so he wanted to live his life accordingly.  I knew he would have the answers I was looking for and he would hold no punches. 

Oh I should point out since I had started University I had been living in Halifax, Nova Scotia up to this point save for 6 months I was in Winnipeg working at the end of my 3rd year of University.  John had moved back to Canada, he was completing his studies by interning at Mount Zion ARP Church in Moncton, New Brunswick.   He was coming to lead a bi-weekly Bible Study laying teh ground work for planting a church in Halifax. I started coming to the Bible Study and I brought Michelle my Fiance (she had been brought up by agnostic parents but had attened 7th Day Adventist Youth Camps as a Teen, so she had some exposure to the Bible) I met with John from time to time and he challenged me and he began to steer me towards where I needed to go.  He explained how to get a relationship with Christ and he explained about faith.  He also challenged my lifestyle and I began to reluctantly respond.  Michelle and I began taking pre-marital classes with him this challenged us more.  In about 8 months I was ready to make a profession of faith.  Michelle made one about 3 months later and was baptised a month before we were married.  We were some of the first members of Covenant ARP Church in Halifax 

Tommorow Part II How I Grew in Faith and Understanding

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mtnmamaof4 - 12:31 PM - Nov. 2, 2007