My Faith Journey
 

There has been a request by a member of Emarket Traffic for me to talk about my faith. Before I do that, I want to say that anyone can join this site and membership is not restricted in anyway as far as to a person's religious beliefs.

There is a poem written by a man named Francis Thompson and published in England in 1890. It is entitled, "The Hound of Heaven" and it describes Thompson's flight from God who relentlessly pursues him like a hound on the hunt.

Thompson's experience is much like mine. I ran from God for much of my life. But one day He caught up with me, grabbed me, and I surrendered to Him.

My life was a mess before God grabbed hold of me. I was a very heavy drinker and I was a very angry man. But all that changed once I surrendered.

On behalf of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit started whispering very loudly to me, and I listened.  I was moved to become a clergyman, so I applied to a seminary, got accepted, packed up and moved there with my wife. (My children were grown by then.) We hadn't sold our house by the time I had to leave for the seminary, which was 1000 miles away from where I lived. So, we quit our jobs and just walked away from the house without looking back. A total commitment to faith is scary.  It means you have to let go with trust no matter what and with no guarantees.

We arrived at the seminary with $20 to our name after paying the tuition and rent for one month.  Nevertheless, before that $20 was gone, my wife got a call from her former employer who hired her as a consultant and sent her a computer so she could work from where we were.

Jesus has taken care of us ever since. I have never accepted a penny in salary from a Church, but I have never been in want and I have always had what I needed when I needed it for my family. And not only have I had enough for my personal needs, but I have had plenty extra to give to whatever mission God's will has given to me.  But you can't have faith with expectations. You have to trust that God knows best no matter what. True faith is not conditional. You must stick with God in good times and in bad, trusting that whatever he allows to befall you is for the best.

Before the Hound of Heaven grabbed me, I looked in many places for answers and understanding about life.  After the Hound grabbed me, I discovered that all the answers are in the Bible.  Inevitably, it all goes back to God's Word, which is truth and life. And once you learn to understand what God says in the Bible, you see and understand things you never did before.

I could say so much more, but here is not the place. Always know, however, that I will always respond to any spiritual concerns or questions that anyone has who wants to communicate to me. Simply email me at chancellor@saintjohncatholic.org. I don't push any specific denomination or anything like that. I am comfortable in the ways of my denomination, but others may be more comfortable in another.  I am not so much into denomination as I am into Jesus as I understand Him from the Bible and from His direction given to me through the Holy Spirit. So, if you want to talk, I am open to hearing from you whoever you may be.

God bless.

-Rev. Dave