As a young boy about the age of 5 my Mother began taking me to church service. I enjoyed attending at that age because it consisted of coloring pictures of Bible characters, getting candy from my Sunday school teacher, and stopping for ice cream on the way home. As I got older I grew to learn much about GOD, Christ, and various stories throughout the Bible. I was baptized at the age of 12 and was confident that I was on the straight and narrow path, not so, this is about when I began a criminal lifestyle. I continued my faith in a living GOD, but I had my own agenda as most rebellious teens do.
By the time I was old enough that I felt my parents couldn’t force me to go anymore I was done. I came to a point that I didn’t believe everything that I was being told, I felt there was much hypocrisy in the church. Years later I became interested in studying other religions. I was told by some that the church of Christ was the only true faith and that I would go to Hell if I even attempted to study another. Many of them appealed to me but they were all lacking in some way or another. Interwoven in my belief of GOD was that there was life in the universe other than this pathetic dirtball we live on, where were the angels from, where did Christ ascend to, and where had GOD been all these years before his creation?
17 months ago me and my neighbor were having a conversation, I enjoyed our conversations because we could talk about things that I just couldn’t with anyone else that I didn’t think was completely crazy. One day during a discussion he says to me ,”I have something I want to show you.” So he comes back holding this big blue book. He tells me to look it over and read as long as I liked. I read through the contents and realized that, Oh My GOD…this is what I’ve been looking for!! For 6 weeks I wasn’t eating or sleeping (I did sleep with the book) I was reading. My neighbor, at a moments notice was moving. I gave him back his book, but before he left he told me there were study groups. I promptly got online and found several in my city. I made a call to a host of a group and he said that he would meet with me and bring me my own copy. I was so excited to have my own book and be involved with the readership community.
A few months ago I discovered the UB chat line and called right away and met over the phone, Liz Craig. In our conversation she had told me about YaYA and that they would be meeting at the Foundation in Chicago and I was welcome to come. I had an amazing time and met some really awesome people there. I’m glad to have my Urantia family that I can have fellowship with and have faith that we will enjoy each others company on our journey to be with our Father in Paradise. 