I grew up in the Assembly of God. While I lived in Ft. Worth (age: 13-14) my parents began to get unhappy with the particular one we went to, so they switched to a non-denominational church (Church on the Rock). We began going to Assembly of God again once we moved to Tennessee (during my high school years, age: 15-18). My last year there we switch to a Rhema church (non-denominational) because the former youth pastor at the AG church had come back into town and started a new church. After I graduated I went to college at Oral Roberts University for 4 years. I went there to study for my pre-med studies and graduated with a degree in chemistry. Up to this point I would have classified my religion as a charismatic Christian, only giving a specific denomination if some one asked (that being the Assembly of God). While at ORU I began to learn of all the eccentricacies of these charismatics (from all denominations). Eventually they turned into outrageous ideas even to the point of heresy. But no one there would criticize anyone else because of the famous sermon taught by Benny Hinn every year about "not touching (criticizing) God's annointed." Only some of the theology majors had enough sense to see through some of the ludicrous ideas people were teaching. During my freshman year, a friend of mine converted to Roman Catholicism, but it wasn't until my senior year (when I was completely disillusioned with ORU) that I had enough interaction with him to really start questioning Prostestant Christianity. By this time i am married, and my wife would give her background as Southern Baptist and a "closet charismatic" (a.k.a. a Bapticostal)! As we sear through this together we find problems with the Roman Catholic Church, but since our friend is a Byzantine Catholic, he also tells us about Orthodoxy. I fall in love with it much quicker than my wife. She struggled with a few concepts, but now she understands that her struggle was due to these concepts being presented from a Catholic understanding. Once she began to know Orthodoxy from an Orthodox understanding, she quickly fell in love with it too! So, just before graduation, on Easter of 2000, we became catechumens. And the following November we were chrismated and united to the Holy Orthodox Church! And this has been a most wonderful year and a half. We have seen the conversion of at least 10 other current and former ORU students at our parish in Tulsa, OK, and there are other ORU students who are visiting every Sunday!
Wow, that turned much longer than i had planned! I hope it's not too hard to follow.
There are certain parts of the Divine Liturgy that greatly affect me due to the struggle to get to the Church. "We have seen the true light, we have received the heavenly spirit, WE HAVE FOUND THE TRUE FAITH..." And from Vespers I really enjoy "PRESERVE, O GOD, THE HOLY ORTHODOX FAITH, and all Orthodox Christians..." And I also love anything to do with the Holy Mother, I've missed out so much of my life! "More honorable than the cherubim..." is one of my favorite parts and the part during the Canon of Orthros when we honor her.
OK, I've said enough now.
May you all have a glorious day.
Glory to be God now and forever!
A Brother in Christ,
Andrew
P.S. And my Byzantine Catholic friend who played a major role in mine and my wife's conversions is also Orthodox now!
