January 14, 2006

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  With Tracy’s permission I am sharing her journey home to the ancient Christian Church. Tracy it’s just the beginning! I am thinking about you and wishing you a joyous day tomorrow; I wish we could be with you!

  
  

   

  
  

  “My background is first Baptist, then Pentecostal/charismatic, but I considered myself nondenominational.  I moved to a newer part of town and the church we ended up at was a typical megachurch – you know, rock and roll music, coffee and donuts, plenty of blond jokes from the pastor, all fun and games with the only real message being “Jesus Loves You” basic stuff. I couldn’t stand it but my husband and kids loved this “fun” atmosphere. I kept going because I figured it must be something wrong with me. When I finally couldn’t take it anymore I started trying different churches in the area and it was all the same. Nothing felt right anymore. Plus, being exposed to many denominations I was very aware of all the different interpretations of Scripture, which always bothered me. I experienced firsthand how misinterpretation can lead you astray from what is actually meant.
  
  I was at a crisis in my faith because I knew something was wrong with me and the churches, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. I decided to take the bible and start at the beginning to find the problem. I studied the Jews and Judaism, even mystical aspects of it. Then I visited a Messianic congregation to check that out. That was my first exposure to a liturgical service. I was absolutely amazed. I loved the blowing of the ram’s horn, the liturgy, the Hebrew being spoken. This was  November/December 2004. But still I knew this wasn’t for me because they were keeping certain laws including food laws and I couldn’t agree with that.
  
  On a Christian mothering board I am on (on the Internet) there were several Orthodox women who had to defend their faith when questioned by the Protestant women. I used to pay little attention their posts because I wasn’t interested in Orthodoxy. But the more I heard their explanations, and more importantly, the humble tone of their explanations, I started opening up to the possibility.
  
  So I began to read on the internet and you know how it goes once you read church history with an open mind!! I was afraid to actually visit a parish though. So I went to the local Greekfest in March to scope things out. It took me until June 5th to get the courage up to go. I went alone and was terrified. But I knew as soon as I walked in that this was where I belonged. It was sooooo exciting to me! I get excited right now thinking about it!  I even went to the social hour afterwards because one of the older women insisted. I’m glad she did. People were friendly and Father came and talked to me. He was so nice and humble and it all came spilling out – how excited I was to be there, how I loved Orthodoxy, how I’d been taught anything catholic was the “Whore of Babylon”, etc. I felt like an idiot afterwards, saying so much.
  
  My husband was really opposed to it at first. So I quit talking so much about it and just took our 7-year-old daughter with me and we attended regularly. He saw that I was serious and had prayer time in the mornings and evenings with our daughter. All I asked him was to please attend the classes they had at the parish and if wanted to reject it after being informed, then fine, I wouldn’t ask him to go anymore and would probably go ahead and go back to a Protestant church with him (although I couldn’t imagine having to do that!)
  
  After the first class he was ready to convert!!!! He heard the church history and it all made sense to him and he loved the Priest too.
  
  So here we are, only 6 months after my first visit, converting this Sunday. Even though it’s so exciting – I’m a little nervous. I read on an Orthodox board once, someone described the time of conversion as looking up at a very tall building, wondering if you can live up to it all. That’s how I feel.”
  

  
  

   

  • 11:03 pm
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