I have no memory of my father ever attending a church
service other than for a wedding or a funeral. I have no doubt the love my
father had for God. I can look back now and clearly see the goodness of God
working through my father. He required
that his children have a religious upbringing and the family church was
Lutheran.
I was baptized July 19th, 1970 by Reverend Mueller
at the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Harvard, Illinois. My godmother
was my cousin, Sandy Knull and my godfather was my cousin Mickey Vest. My soul
was indelibly marked as a child of God and I was firmly set upon the road to
Damascus where I have wondered aimlessly for the past forty-four years.
My “official” religious training started when I was three
years old. I was enrolled in the Sunday school program at Trinity and never
missed a week. I went two weeks a year for vacation bible school and added
Wednesday nights when I got to confirmation age. Davey and Goliath will always
hold a special place in my heart.
Confirmation years were tough to say the least. My parents
had separated and then divorced. My mother listed her religion as Buddhist
although I think she cherry picked what she believed from multiple
religions. The intellectual side of my
brain was warring with the creative genius side of my brain which resulted with
me being one of the weird kids. The church became a sanctuary where I could
escape a strained home life as well as the slings and arrows hurled by my
normal peers.
On confirmation day we went from being children of God to
adult members of the church. Mid-week school and vacation bible school became
memories of our youth. We were now expected to actively participate in the
adult service and were no longer allowed in the children’s classes. I missed
the intimate instruction and really didn’t care for the service. My church life
plummeted faster than a rock thrown down a well. Now an adult, church
attendance was left up to me and I chose not to darken the doorstep of any
church for a good eight years.
I had pitched my tent in a nice grassy spot along the road
and had decided to settle. God had other ideas.
