My faith journey has made several stops at various churches. It’s been a path that appears to be random, but I know it has evolved as God planned it.
I was introduced to the world in 1951 as a Roman Catholic baby. I remained faithful to the Church and its doctrine well into my 30s. I can still recite some prayers in Latin and miss some of the rituals and practices that put form to order in my life.
A major detour took place in the late 1980s, when as an adult I vehemently opposed the church’s conservative shift that called for strict obedience. Our family continued to attend, but my heart began searching for a closer personal connection with God.
It took a life crisis or two, via loss of several family members and my own recovery from alcoholism, to reveal where the path might take me. I was no longer operating on auto pilot. I was willing at last to follow God’s leading.
Fast forward to the late 1990s. I met my wife, Diane, and joined the Lutheran church where she played for 29 years. At this time, I was also invited to join a non-denominational Bible study that I continue to attend today.
A few years later, God intervened again, leaving us to “shop” for a new church. We visited several and eventually joined a large Methodist church. But He wasn’t done. First Baptist needed an organist in 2015 and Diane accepted the call that she continues today.
After some time, I again changed church addresses, which now considers me a member of the American Baptist faith.
Who would’ve thought? Certainly not this Catholic/Lutheran/Methodist Baptist. But God did. He puts us where He can use us to carry out His plan. Today I’m much relieved to know that He has been in charge of this faith journey all along.
