Religious Autobiography.
[Reflect on your past religious experience,
including the most significant spiritual event/influence in your life, the role
of a redeemer/Christ in your religious experience, your involvement in service,
and your reason(s) for attending your church/temple/mosque/forest/desert. (minimum 250 words; maximum 500 words]
Religious
Autobiography
Christian Experience
Born again.
In beginning was Word. And
translation issues. Not born with
language. Baby picks up used tongue and
puts in mouth[TK2] .
Was third child of missionaries living in Aztec village about 60 miles and 400
years outside Mexico City. Spoke Spanish,
Nahuatl, and English, and none of them. Father
said learn to speak by Grace. Mother said
learn to read by Bible. Experience
constant miracles.
Moved to
Bolivia, grew up in tropical jungle of Amazon delta. Visits to Andes, Pampas, and flights to Mexico City, Guatemala,
United States. Intermittent attendance
in public schools of Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas and California. Sunday schools in synod–approved Presbyterian
Bible Schools. Eagle Scout. Music for worship in over 100 Churches. Music
creates ecumenical outlook.
Spiritual experience
Every
thought. Thoughts are God to a child always in His Hand. Could not separate from His Presence, and never
so inclined. Listening to others. Began
to understand Power of Prayer.
Learned of Ancient
Egyptian civilization. Now-lost lineages
of Pharaoh took up Trinitarian God. Sons of women claimed to be Sons of God, prepared
for Eternal Life. Pharaohs believed Thoughts
constituted evidence of divinity: “I think, therefore I am”.
When 17 years old in 1968, traveled States, living off kindness of strangers and
playing music. Found little “chaos” and
rebellion often described now of then. Found
constant generosity and kindness. Huddled
against cold nights, experienced ecstasies and out-of-body visions. (Recently, during
hospitalization, saw “Heaven” clearly). Hard-wired.
Drafted in
last month of Vietnam era Draft. (Mexico and US universal Draft). Found,
repeatedly, importance of Chapel to Soldiers.
So often facing displacement, boredom and death.
Role of Christ
Limned
clearly in earliest Joban literature, great crying need for Redeemer, leitmotif
of Whole Story. Christ, exemplar and Numen. Transgression against Name of Iesus
Christo brings tear to eye. Message of love, is clear. Why rejected?
Involvement in Christian Service
Led
Bible Studies in Claremont College. Before graduating from University of San Diego,
began to build Church. Struggled for decades in Ramona. Supported by farming, soldiering (300th
Armor, National Guard), music, and construction. Passed Bar Exam, became Director
of law firm with 29 employees. Service-connected
injury lit up deterioration and partial disability. Led counseling programs for Veterans and their
families. Lobbied in Washington DC.
With
wife, tried to adopt orphans. When political
economy collapsed in Summer of 2008, clients gone. And Church still not
built. Lost health, peers, property, pride
and hopes for family.
Failed
so many ways, feels like success. Failure made us free. Wife close, still have garden home with
library. Continuing quietly “in service”.
Reason(s) for attending your Church
This
Light beams me toward Unitarian Universalism:
Its creed adopts Christic exemplar.
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