This is my spiritual journey with the Lord. Somehow I ended up here at Huntington University, studying for the degree I want in the field of study that I am most equipped for. Somewhere along the line my parents, friends and I must have done something right.
Lets start at the beginning because that makes the most sense. I accepted the Lord as my savior when I believe I was 6 years old. My mom prayed the prayer with me before I went to be. I think I may have felt something, but it would be years before I felt anything like it again. I was happy to pray the prayer of salvation, because I was really scared of hell. However, I also had the inclination to want a third option if heaven was going to be like sitting through church every day for eternity.
I grew. When I was in third grade I went to my first church camp. We went to a place called Camp Lambec. It was a major growing point for me, but not necessarily in a spiritual way. Yeah, sure, it was like a week of bible school with no parents and hanging out with friends and studying the bible. But I dont remember growing all that much in my faith.
In the winters, we were also sent away. This time of year, we would go to the River Ridge castle it Franklin. Its really a castle, but it was built around the turn of the 19th century when franklin was booming with cash from all the oil. Those days have passed, and now its used as a retreat center. As with the church camp, I dont remember growing all that much as the retreats either. Not saying they weren't important.
When I got to jr. high, I finally started to catch on. The summers of camp and retreats in those jr. high years really got my attention. I started to realize there is more to life than chocolate milk, girls, and Pokemon (which was en-lighting and disheartening at the same time). I began to take my bible reading a little more seriously. I started to feel the Holy Spirt when I worshiped and when I read every night.
After my 8th grade camp experience, school came quick. I dove in to being a freshmen head first. I soon attended high school youth group, which became my sole spiritual pick me up for the week. Eventually in november I attended ATF. Acquire the Fire in Cleveland. It was some sort of spiritual gathering where they target teens, especially high schoolers, to get involved with their faith. Let me tell you, that was the first time I really felt the fire of the Lord. I will always remember that weekend.
After my ninth grade year, I ended up on a mission trip my home church does every year. We have bible school the second week of summer every year. The week after that, we pack everything up and take it all to Circleville, West Virginia and do it all over again. We take tents, stay at at a local camp grounds, and perform bible school for the children of the mountains. Its always hot, your tent is guaranteed to leak, and you will fall in love with the kids for the rest of the summer, if not the rest of your life. This mission we have been doing is now 25 years old. Ive gone a total of 4 times now. It is literally “Holy ground†for me. I have the worst spiritual high hang overs when I come back home to boring Pennsylvania.
This first adventure into the mountains of West Virginia proved to be a memory I would never forget. I really felt at home there. I did games for the kids. I loved the sites and sounds of the mountains. I made some really good friends that week as well. I came home on that mission trip spiritual high like most.
I crashed a week or so later, when my parents landed me a job at a local green house. This wasn't your normal water the flowers all day greenhouse. This was your “Move those 400 flats to the other end of the property†and manual labor greenhouse. I slipped into minor depression that summer I believe. I actually wanted to go back to school.
That proved to be dangerous too. The girl I liked decided early on in our sophomore year that drinking would solve all her problems. I learned the most painful feeling I have ever felt. I reached out to help her and she rejected. Ouch.
It wasnt just her that turned to drinking. It was almost all of my close friends. I dont exactly remember how I kept my head above water that year, but it was not easy. I fell into one of my darkest spiritual times I have ever experienced. I hurt all the time. I didn't know what to do. I eventually drifted into warmer times, temperate and spiritually. When summer arrived, I was so happy to go back to West Virginia. I grew in my faith yet again. It was amazing. I had a better job that summer as well. Life was pretty good for a while. I looked back on my struggles between me and Michele and moved on.
I am now here at Huntington. I know I wouldnt have done well at a state school but I feel like it might have done me good too. My dad always likes to tell me that I was a great kid. He never had to pay a ticket, never had to bail me out of jail, and never had problems with girls (I never told them about my girl problems cause I never actually had a girl friend). My family has been one of my greatest supporters, as well as shelterers. There are a lot of things I haven't experienced because of them. Ive never been drunk, smoke, done drugs, and I've never had sex. Your probably thinking “well duh you should be doing those things anyways.†I agree. However. I do feel as though because I have grown up as a “Christian†I'm just now figuring out what that really means. Just a thought.
If anyone has stood by my side though all this, its been Rich Ligo. What a friend. Worked on a farm all his life, graduated top of his class, AND put up with me all these years. Man, someone get this kid a metal. I honestly don't know where I'd be without him. I've never met anyone else that was such a good peer as well as a spiritual back stop. Rich holds a special place in my heart.
All my friends have also contributed to who I am and what I stand for today. I love all of them dearly and I wont be here today if it wasn't for them believing in me. So here I am. Just now starting to get back into this thing called devotions. I'm here to better myself and others the word of the Lord. I still have tons to learn, but right now, I'll start with reading the bible from cover to cover in one year.
Lets start at the beginning because that makes the most sense. I accepted the Lord as my savior when I believe I was 6 years old. My mom prayed the prayer with me before I went to be. I think I may have felt something, but it would be years before I felt anything like it again. I was happy to pray the prayer of salvation, because I was really scared of hell. However, I also had the inclination to want a third option if heaven was going to be like sitting through church every day for eternity.
I grew. When I was in third grade I went to my first church camp. We went to a place called Camp Lambec. It was a major growing point for me, but not necessarily in a spiritual way. Yeah, sure, it was like a week of bible school with no parents and hanging out with friends and studying the bible. But I dont remember growing all that much in my faith.
In the winters, we were also sent away. This time of year, we would go to the River Ridge castle it Franklin. Its really a castle, but it was built around the turn of the 19th century when franklin was booming with cash from all the oil. Those days have passed, and now its used as a retreat center. As with the church camp, I dont remember growing all that much as the retreats either. Not saying they weren't important.
When I got to jr. high, I finally started to catch on. The summers of camp and retreats in those jr. high years really got my attention. I started to realize there is more to life than chocolate milk, girls, and Pokemon (which was en-lighting and disheartening at the same time). I began to take my bible reading a little more seriously. I started to feel the Holy Spirt when I worshiped and when I read every night.
After my 8th grade camp experience, school came quick. I dove in to being a freshmen head first. I soon attended high school youth group, which became my sole spiritual pick me up for the week. Eventually in november I attended ATF. Acquire the Fire in Cleveland. It was some sort of spiritual gathering where they target teens, especially high schoolers, to get involved with their faith. Let me tell you, that was the first time I really felt the fire of the Lord. I will always remember that weekend.
After my ninth grade year, I ended up on a mission trip my home church does every year. We have bible school the second week of summer every year. The week after that, we pack everything up and take it all to Circleville, West Virginia and do it all over again. We take tents, stay at at a local camp grounds, and perform bible school for the children of the mountains. Its always hot, your tent is guaranteed to leak, and you will fall in love with the kids for the rest of the summer, if not the rest of your life. This mission we have been doing is now 25 years old. Ive gone a total of 4 times now. It is literally “Holy ground†for me. I have the worst spiritual high hang overs when I come back home to boring Pennsylvania.
This first adventure into the mountains of West Virginia proved to be a memory I would never forget. I really felt at home there. I did games for the kids. I loved the sites and sounds of the mountains. I made some really good friends that week as well. I came home on that mission trip spiritual high like most.
I crashed a week or so later, when my parents landed me a job at a local green house. This wasn't your normal water the flowers all day greenhouse. This was your “Move those 400 flats to the other end of the property†and manual labor greenhouse. I slipped into minor depression that summer I believe. I actually wanted to go back to school.
That proved to be dangerous too. The girl I liked decided early on in our sophomore year that drinking would solve all her problems. I learned the most painful feeling I have ever felt. I reached out to help her and she rejected. Ouch.
It wasnt just her that turned to drinking. It was almost all of my close friends. I dont exactly remember how I kept my head above water that year, but it was not easy. I fell into one of my darkest spiritual times I have ever experienced. I hurt all the time. I didn't know what to do. I eventually drifted into warmer times, temperate and spiritually. When summer arrived, I was so happy to go back to West Virginia. I grew in my faith yet again. It was amazing. I had a better job that summer as well. Life was pretty good for a while. I looked back on my struggles between me and Michele and moved on.
I am now here at Huntington. I know I wouldnt have done well at a state school but I feel like it might have done me good too. My dad always likes to tell me that I was a great kid. He never had to pay a ticket, never had to bail me out of jail, and never had problems with girls (I never told them about my girl problems cause I never actually had a girl friend). My family has been one of my greatest supporters, as well as shelterers. There are a lot of things I haven't experienced because of them. Ive never been drunk, smoke, done drugs, and I've never had sex. Your probably thinking “well duh you should be doing those things anyways.†I agree. However. I do feel as though because I have grown up as a “Christian†I'm just now figuring out what that really means. Just a thought.
If anyone has stood by my side though all this, its been Rich Ligo. What a friend. Worked on a farm all his life, graduated top of his class, AND put up with me all these years. Man, someone get this kid a metal. I honestly don't know where I'd be without him. I've never met anyone else that was such a good peer as well as a spiritual back stop. Rich holds a special place in my heart.
All my friends have also contributed to who I am and what I stand for today. I love all of them dearly and I wont be here today if it wasn't for them believing in me. So here I am. Just now starting to get back into this thing called devotions. I'm here to better myself and others the word of the Lord. I still have tons to learn, but right now, I'll start with reading the bible from cover to cover in one year.
