With this blog I hope to show you that most Christians grow into relationship with God. Not from God’s side, but from ours. Some are slower than most, like me. God loves all his children just as they are, but the thing that blocks us from him is the sin. Not so much on his part, although he hates sin, but ours. If we love the sin so much, we can’t see past it. If we love our earthly possessions, our over excess consumption of alcohol and drugs, gratification of self, we can’t Love God, we don’t have room for God. God needs all of our focus so we can grow in him. To follow God, we do so through Jesus as he is our only avenue to God as he died to wash away our sins. He took the world’s sin with him to the cross as a sacrificial lamb.

In my case I became a Christian in my 20’s…I should remember the date, but I don’t. I do, however, remember how I felt after I prayed the Salvation’s Prayer. I felt like I was in a bubble of protection. At the time I was attending a Pentecostal Church in Vancouver, BC. I never joined it and was never baptized. I made the prayer on my own in my own house, so I guess it’s a little different than if you convert in a church. My friend that was attending the same church also and a few others were praying over me to get me to speak in tongues, it never happened, I guess God had other plans for me. I later moved out of the area, and lost touch with them. I also lost touch with my walk with God. Not that I wasn’t a believer, but it’s different being a believer and being a true child of God. (But that’s jumping ahead) I went back to my sinful ways. Satan got his hooks into me; he doesn’t want any of his to be God’s. You see whether we know it or not, if you don’t choose God, the choice was made for you. There is no such thing as an atheist. (That’s a whole other can of worms)

I got married in the 80’s and got divorced in the 80’s. Went through some tough times. I was smoking about a pack and a half of cigarettes a day. Drinking a bit, but not much, had a pretty good job working as a Letter Carrier. Was getting a little crippled up after a couple of spills on slippery steps and was wondering if I’d make it to retirement.

Our family had a friend we knew when we lived in the US. She was quite disfigured from having polio as a child, but very intelligent. We used to talk for hours. She would come up for a visit to my mother’s place and I would see her there. Anyway, I was always curious about her church. It was really different than other Christian churches I’d heard of. I found we had one in the city I lived in, so I called the Pastor and he told me when the service was and so I built up the courage that week and went. I met the Pastor there; he was very nice. The Pastor invited me to a Potluck Luncheon they were having out at his place. The whole church was coming. It was outside as it was Summer.

I had been talking to my mother and she started the church in the town where she was living. The church I was attending had a stop smoking program that I took, and it was the first time I’d ever quit smoking so easily and I have never started again. It has been 33 years since I quit. I would recommend that program to anybody that asks. While I was attending the church, I was learning more and more about being a Christian, something I knew nothing about from the earlier years. As I grew in the church, they asked me about Baptism. I said I’d like to be Baptized and special arrangements were made as my mother was going to be Baptized also. Her pastor and herself, plus our special friend from Oregon all went up to Kamloops, BC and my mother and myself were Baptized at the Kamloops SDA Church. It was a very beautiful ceremony, when I think back, now that my mother has passed.

I stayed in Kamloops for another couple of years and decided, before I get too crippled up it was time to move. I moved to the Okanagan, left the Post Office and started a lawn and garden business for the Spring, Summer & Fall. In the Winter I got a job installing the great big Satellite dishes you used to see years ago.

I got married, this time to a Christian girl, who took my beliefs with a grain of salt as they were a bit different than hers and still are. Lol We had a rough start as we were set in our ways. She wasn’t married before, so she didn’t know some ‘guy things’ like guys don’t read instructions. We almost got a divorce putting up a screen tent on our first anniversary camping trip. Ok, ok, she got it up reading the directions. Man, she’s always right. Lol

One thing that seems to happen to me anyway is I get too distracted, and someone gets put on the backburner. Well, I did it again. God was put on the backburner and forgotten about. I didn’t get quite as bad as I was before, except I stopped going to church. I only went occasionally if that…my life got in the way. I owned different businesses over the years, those take up time, when you get home you park in front of the TV, eat dinner and then the next day you do it all over. Then retirement came and you figure you have all the time in the world. I can’t remember being so busy as when I first retired. Where did I find the time?

My mother passed in Dec of 2018, and I promised my wife that we’d move to Alberta closer to her siblings. What was I thinking, it’s cold over there! Well, we’re here and we’re actually enjoying it. I think it was around the illness before my mother passed, that I was thinking of my walk with God and how neglectful I’d been. Looking back at my life and all the stupid idiotic stunts I’ve pulled and didn’t die; I figure God must have something special for me. I better not blow it after all he has been extremely patient with me. More-so than any human would be, that’s for sure. All this wasted time and I’m finally finding out what it is truly like to be a Child of God.

Since I didn’t feel like going back to the Adventist Church, not for anything in particular. The people were very nice, but I wanted my walk with God to be truly focused on him. When I got into the Adventist church before I was being lazy. I wasn’t studying enough, and it got to the point where I was just ‘going to church’. I really wanted to know God on my own, so once we were settled in Alberta the Holy Spirit inspired me to start writing this blog. One thing I’ve noticed since I’ve started doing this blog is I’m studying more. Mm tricky, lol.

I still am a sabbath keeper and don’t eat “unclean meats”, which in itself can be tricky this day and age. There’s pork in everything… sometimes even when you buy hamburger it’s mixed beef and pork. (Have to read the labels) My wife has pretty well gotten used to that when she cooks. She doesn’t like me to cook too often as I destroy the kitchen and for some reason, she grabs the saltshaker before she even tries eating anything I’ve cooked.

One nice thing about YouTube is you can watch sermons from different churches all over the world. I watch videos from all different kinds of Protestant pastors. I sometimes miss fellowshipping, although with Covid-19 everyone is in the same situation. Last week I went to a nearby SDA church to see what it was like. I really enjoyed the service, although with any small-town pastors cover other churches in rotation. The pastor for the church I was at, was speaking in a church an hour away, so they streamed his sermon.

I would consider going to a Sunday worshipping church also for the fellowship of other Christians. There are many God loving Christians in the World from all kinds of churches even Catholic churches. When we consider we’ll be in heaven soon enough, we’ll have eternity to talk about our differences in belief or you can ask the author of the Bible. While on this earth, our time is limited, so seek the Lord with all your heart, mind and soul.