LET ME EXPRESS MY “THANKS” TO THE REVERENDS REBECCA AND CLAUDIA! THANKS FOR THINKING OF ME FOR THIS SEASON IN THE
CHURCH ,LENT.
I WAS NOT SURE WHERE TO START, SO THINKING OF DEFINING THIS TITLE, -MY FAITH JOURNEY! SEEMED TO BE THE THING TO DO “ FIRST” ! IT SOUNDED SELFISH, WHICH IS NOT ME! ‘THEN IT CAME TO ME THAT , WE ALL HAVE A “FAITH JOURNEY”. YOUR TIME WITH GOD! TODAY I GET TO SHARE MY STORY OF ……MY FAITH JOURNEY.
***DEFINING FAITH….COMPLETE TRUST AND/OR CONFIDENCE IN SOMEONE OR SOMETHING. BELIEF IN THE EXISTENCE OF and WITH GOD.
A VERSE:2 CORINTHIANS 5:7 SAYS…WE WALK BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT HEBREWS 11:1 SAYS…..NOW FAITH IS BEING SURE OF WHAT WE HOPE AND CERTAIN OF WHAT WE DO NOT SEE.
***DEFINING JOURNEY……MOVE FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER AND OR MOVE THROUGH TIME. A LONG AND OFTEN DIFFICULT PROCESS OF PERSONAL CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT.
BEING A 77 YEAR OLD, THIS JOURNEY BEGAN SURELY AT MY BEGINNING or my BIRTH ! BEING BORN INTO A FAMILY OF “CHURCH GOERS”. MY FAMILY WAS VERY RELIGIOUS AND VERY PRAYERFUL! THE ELDERS WOULD WOULD ALWAYS THANK GOD FOR WAKING THEM AND KEEPING THE FAMILY THROUGH THE NIGHT. ! I’d LIKE TO ADD …..THANK YOU FOR ANOTHER CHANCE TO GET IT RIGHT.
MY GRANDMOTHERS AND OTHER PEOPLE FROM THE TOWN OF JACKSON, TN WERE PART OF THE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY THAT DID THE “CIRCUIT”. THEY TRAVELLED FROM TOWN TO TOWN WITH REV. CHARLES H. MASON. LATER THAT CIRCUIT CHURCH BECAME THE CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST (COGIC). THESE CHURCHES ARE PENTECOSTAL.
LIKE MOST YOUNG PEOPLE IN MY TIME , WE HAD TO GO TO CHURCH IN ORDER TO SOCIALIZE WITH OUR FRIENDS. WE DID ALL THE SUNDAY SCHOOL THINGS, EASTER SPEECHES, LEARNING PERSONALITIES OF THE BIBLE(Samson, David ,Goliath, Mary, Noah) STORIES. THEN CHURCH SERVICES. VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL , THE YOUTH CHOIR AND MORE.
I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO WITH MY NEIGHBORHOOD FRIENDS TO THEIR CHURCHES. EVERY NEW YEAR’S EVE THE NEIGHBORHOOD YOUNG PEOPLE WENT TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. WE WOULD GO THE MASQUE MIRIAM TO SEE LOUIS FARRAKHAN. WE LISTENED INTENTLY TO HIS WORDS. WE WERE LEARNING TO DECIPHER AND UNDERSTAND WHAT HE WAS MEANING. DURING HANUKKAH WE VISITED THE TEMPLE BETH ISREAL IN SKOKIE, IL… WE WANTED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT RELIGION DIFFERENT RELIGIONS. WE WANTED TO BE MISSIONARIES IN THE PEACE CORPS.
WHAT THIS GROUP OF FRIENDS FROM SCHOOL AND YOUTH GROUPS ACROSS THE CITY REALIZED IS THAT THE CREATOR HAD MANY NAMES. THAT THE CREATOR WAS WALKING WITH US ON THE PATH HE HAD CHOSEN FOR EACH OF US. WE , THOSE THAT ARE YET HERE, ARE STILL IN TOUCH .
LEARNING THROUGH THE YEARS ABOUT FAITH AND DEDICATION BOTH TO YOURSELF AND THE LORD OF LORDS, THE KING OF KINGS MAKES YOU WANT TO BE A BEACON FROM THE CREATOR. I TRY TO BE THE PERSON WHO IS ON THIS JOURNEY THROUGH LIFE WALKING BESIDE THE MAKER OF ALL PEOPLE AND ALL THINGS, ….. GOD!