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jsking1964
Member
| Joined: | Sat Dec 15th, 2007 |
| Location: | Texas USA |
| Posts: | 58 |
| First Name: | Benedict | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Basically I have been a Christian all my life, and ... |
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Posted: Sun Jan 27th, 2008 07:21 pm |
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OK it has been weeks now since I made that initail "foundational" journey on the road to the fullness of truth that the Catholic Church so well emphisizes. I have a good collection of Catholic books and teaching CDs, and I have a list of great Catholic programs that I tape as well as watch on EWTN. Heck I can even listen to Catholic radio online. Needless to say that I now have a great support system to start enveloping myself in the fullness of truth and grace.
I also have a great family of believers who have been my role models who I see both online as well as in person who have helped mold and shape me into what I am today, for I am certainly not the person I was in December 2006 when I rededicated myself to the Lord as the Protestants call it. During the major part of 2007 I continued to follow various teachings of the Protestant Church with no real direction on which to hold onto. The nursing home that I was at back then had two diffrent ministries that did services held on Friday nights and Sunday mornings, but neither one of them subscribed to a patricular denomination- they were holding meetings so that the residents could continue to "worship the LORD!" I must point out here that while I currenly had no religious affiliationm with a particular church, I had considered myself an Episcopalian for that was the last church that I remember joining into that was of a Protestant denomination.
So, with my own personal earnings I was able to send at least a dollar or two to one or two ministries that I had followed being that I was being spiritually fed. I would religiously watch these ministries, read their books and listened to their teaching CDs. One ministry even put our a study Bible that was the first study Bible in the Amplified version. So, needless to say I was on the way to getting a good stock of Protestant materials.
I must also point out that I had kept an eye on EWTN for a long time. I knew about the Alabama based network back when it was on the air for only four or five hours a night. So I knew about the Catholic Church and what it stood for, and I really wanted that beauty that the Church taught but somehow inside I knew that it was too hard because that darned course that took so long. If I wanted a course in religion to join a church, I would have signed up in a theology school. If I had known then what I do now, I would not have been so hard headed about RCIA.
Be that as it may, when I came into the Courtyards at Fort Worth, it was like a whole new light bulb went off. I came here in October of last year, and I think it was sometime during the month of November that I started going to the Mass that has been going on here period-cally several times a month. Since then I have been asking questions, reading materials and joining email groups and well just basically learning all I can about the Catholic faith.
That brings us to where we are today. For as of yesterday I have started on a major cleaning campaign by trying to through away all the junk that needed to go and keeping the things that I wanted. I also stiored some things in boxes and bins as well. Here is the exciting part. I have stored away all of my Protestant material. I have stopped watching TBN, Daystar, and other Protestant so called "Christian Networks." This year I have also started to send my dollar or two that I sent to diffrent ministries to EWTN. The point here is that I have finally built that foundation that I talked about earlier.
I want to thank you all for your prayers for my full conversion not just to the Lord, but also to Mary and the Church. I can now fully say that I have graduated that foundational journey and have gone onto that road that is paved in the beauty and fullness of grace and truth in only the way that the Church can and does provide for us all who are called together as His loving children. For by that we are all joined together are are now known as family!
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Your friend in Christ, +
JS Benedict
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemed. Mark 16:16
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Ali
Member
| Joined: | Sat Jan 6th, 2007 |
| Location: | Ohio USA |
| Posts: | 667 |
| First Name: | Ali | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | JW, finally fully Catholic |
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Posted: Tue Jan 29th, 2008 03:57 pm |
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jsking1964 wrote: I have finally built that foundation that I talked about earlier.
Many prayers for you as you continue your journey.
Ali
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Truthseeker
Member
| Joined: | Wed Oct 4th, 2006 |
| Location: | Costa Mesa, California USA |
| Posts: | 457 |
| First Name: | Laura | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | lapsed and returned CATHOLIC!!!!!! |
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Posted: Tue Jan 29th, 2008 05:50 pm |
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how beautiful. it is so free-ing to finally make a decision on were to seek truth. god bless you.
laura
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Lord, please make my will your Will!
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setapart
Member
| Joined: | Sat Jan 13th, 2007 |
| Location: | Austin, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 266 |
| First Name: | Bill | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Born Catholic, Non-Denominational Charismatic, Catholic |
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Posted: Thu Jan 31st, 2008 02:45 am |
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jsking1964 wrote
I want to thank you all for your prayers for my full conversion not just to the Lord, but also to Mary and the Church. I can now fully say that I have graduated that foundational journey and have gone onto that road that is paved in the beauty and fullness of grace and truth in only the way that the Church can and does provide for us all who are called together as His loving children. For by that we are all joined together are are now known as family!
What makes your journey of faith so rewarding is that you persevered by God's grace and our Mother's intercession. You had to overcome intellectual doubt, contrary views from other separated bretheren, and you had to confront your fears and respond to Pope John Paul's words - Do Not Fear. May you continue to grow in your new found Faith.
Your Brother in Christ,
Bill
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But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture. Mal 4:2
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