This is the first post for the Real Life Blog. It provides a foundation for understanding my writing style.
In 1987 I had recently finished Nuclear Power School and Training in the U.S. Navy. Also, I turned 21 that same year. 21 is that special number in our society of maturity. I began to reflect how I still didn't know "what I believe." (Believe Spiritually that is.) I launched on an aggressive search for truth.
The search was for the Absolute Truth. The detailed story and journey is too long for this post. The purpose of this post is to give an overview of how I believe and therefore how I write.
Here is the outline of the Journey.
1. Raised Catholic - served as what my church called "Knights of the Altar" others called Altar Boys.
2. Age 18 I splashed around briefly as a Bible Believer.
3. Bible Truth Resistor (not ready for this yet).
4. New Age investigator - Blend of Eastern and Western Religion.
5. Agnostic
6. New Age Enthusiast
7. Bible Believer
In 1987 God used my heavy math and science training to prompt my search for spiritual truth. Since the entire physical universe is governed by laws, if there is a spiritual side to life, it must be governed by laws. That became my prayer - Where are the Spiritual Laws? Where is the Absolute Truth? Where is the measuring stick I can hold my life against? What book are they in?
All those prayers were the result of the Grace of God working. The goodness of God led me to pray those things. I got tangled up in the New Age again, but fortunately I escaped.
During this time I had no church to attend. I was in the middle of the ocean on an aircraft carrier. I had a Bible and people of just about every denomination to talk to. Once God revealed to me that the Bible was "The Book", I began to "interrogate" the Christians. What do you believe? Why do you believe that? Where is it in the Bible?
I had changed my prayer to "If the Bible is the book, now you have to send me to the church and the people who believe it just like it says and don't make excuses for why they don't." How did I know to pray that? I didn't. That too was the grace of God working in me.
Most people I questioned didn't know why they believed what they believed. It was just what they were taught. I call this "They believe in their belief." They just believe what they are taught at their church without actually studying. Dangerous - see Acts 17:11. We must be ready to hear, but also verify.
Many try to "fit the Bible into what they believe" rather than adjust their belief to fit the Bible. Since that time until now I have been striving to uphold that the Bible is right and has the answers. Finding the answers takes work. (2 Timothy 2:15 and Hebrews 11:6)
We should let the Bible interpret itself. Read it without reading into it what we want it to say.
The journey in truth never ends in this life. Until we are just like Jesus there is more to attain.
God Speed on Your Journey.