I was raised in a very loving Christian family and attended church, but some time during high school I veered off that path. It was the Woodstock era and I embraced it. I continued that lifestyle into a marriage and had a son. But without God in our marriage or lives, the marriage dissolved. I remarried and went from “partying hardy” to “partying crazy.” My husband had spent two tours in Vietnam and lived his life on the edge. I lived on the edge with him. I built a fence around us — I could see out but regular folks couldn’t see in.
Seven years ago my husband became ill and my Christian background kicked in. I started going to a church, but I didn’t embrace it and it didn’t embrace me. When my husband passed away only two people in that church knew it. Then, my neighbor asked me if I wanted to go to her daughter’s baptism. She said that she had been going to Blue Ridge and was being baptized the next Sunday. I’m thinking, “no way am I going to miss that!” I came and I liked the place.
The next Sunday I came back. I walked in and the band was jamming and having been an old “dead head,” I’m liking this. Then a guy in jeans and a T-shirt got up and starting speaking. I left crying. I came back the next week, rocked with the band, listed to the same guy and left crying. I have always considered myself a rock so I couldn’t understand what was going on. I heard about the Encounter group and decided to give that a try.
There started looking at the book of John. I could feel this rock beginning to crumble; I was being pulled toward God. My problem was asking forgiveness for my sins. I thought it shouldn’t be that easy. I had accumulated quite an extensive list; I felt I should suffer before I let them go.
I was told Jesus had already suffered for me so I didn’t have to. All I have to do is ask forgiveness and accept Christ into my heart. I knew that this is what I wanted. I now have come full circle in my life, I am back in a church community that has truly embraced me and I have embraced it.