Osage Bluestem
Puritan Board Junior
I got this idea from another forum I post in where there was an introduce yourself thread that I thought was a great idea for a forum that new. Why don't we have a testimony thread here to get to know one anothers backgrounds a bit better and show folks how we got to where we are today?
Here's mine:
My name is David. I live in Richardson Texas and am a member of a PCA Church. I post at a few different christian forums around the web and always use the same formula for my moniker; my initials and the year I joined the site. I love to fellowship with other christians and share the gospel of Christ with those who don't know him.
I grew up in Oklahoma. I was raised by my grandparents. My grandpa was a calvinistic amillennial Southern Baptist Pastor. I responded to an altar call when I was seven and was baptized shortly thereafter. I was raised on the bible (KJV mainly). I was taught it and read it regularly as a child. I was at church with my grandparents pretty much every time any event happened there at all, even business mettings many times. However, I turned into a wild teenager.
In my military/college years (USAF, NMSU) I fell away into secularism/scientific empiricism for awhile.
I eventually fell deep into error due to worldly rational and joined the Roman Catholic Church where I read mainly RCC documents and books to try to grow in faith using the scientific cookie cutter approach. I joined the Knights of Columbus during this time. I was married, had a child, divorced, remarried, had another child. The entire time I was in the RCC I struggled with it's teachings. I tried to take them in good faith, but my earlier instruction in the bible as a child always haunted me when I would pray the rosary or participate in mass or go to confession or call a priest father...and many other issues.
Later I felt a strong urge to re-read the scriptures because I just wanted to re-hear what the bible actually said. I had many unresolved questions about Catholic Doctrine and I wanted to worship God in Spirit and in truth so I decided to catch back up and read just the bible through. I had been reading many encyclicals council documents and theology books and such but very little bible study.The little I was doing was mainly topical. During that time I put everything else down but the bible and a few study helps when I needed it. I read it through with a highlighter to mark the key passages that jumped out at me. I became convicted that the RCC was unbiblical. I saw that my calvinistic upbringing was biblical and wished I had listened to my grandpa instead of being hard headed. It all (my childhood teaching) started coming back to me and I thanked God. By the time I finished re-reading the bible through with no distractions I was a convicted 5 point calvinist.
That lead me into studying reformation theology. I am a paedobaptist (because of biblical covenat theology and church history). That and a belief that liturgical corporate worship is more desireable kept me from returning to my baptist roots. I have a general mistrust of non-denominational churches so they were never an option. No Arminian churches were an option. So I started looking at Lutheran and then Reformed churches. I rejected Anglicanism right away because they have many of the problems of the RCC with the additional issue of a low view of scripture. I rejected Lutheranism based on their view of unlimited atonement and consubstantiation among some things I disagree with in Luther's small catechism.
So, I came to the realization that I believed what the Reformed believed was biblical. I visited Presbyterian churches. I at first briefly joined a PC-USA church. That was a mistake because I found rather quickly that I disagree strongly with them on a few key doctrines. I then found my home in the PCA, where I fit right in. I believe the PCA is the most biblical denomination we have right now. There are some other smaller denominations that are very biblical as well, but I believe the PCA is open to reformed unification where as some of the smaller ones are not. I think John 17 is clear that unification should be a Christian goal. I love the PCA and am glad that God had that denomination in the plan for my life.
I'm not sure when I was saved exactly. I don't know if it was when I was seven and I just backslid for awhile, or if it was when I was an adult and found a real desire to follow Christ. I know I am a believer and I trust in Christ as my savior. I believe that God wants us to worship him in Spirit and in truth. I pray that I will follow him the way he wants to be followed all my life. I hope for his return. And I look forward to spending eternity with him and the whole family. I thank God for his mercy and grace.
I love being with God's people and sharing the gospel with others and glorifying God. I don't know what the future holds or what God wants me to do with the life he has given me but I'm confident that he is in control and I am not worried because he is great and I love him. There is no need to worry about anything.
Here's mine:
My name is David. I live in Richardson Texas and am a member of a PCA Church. I post at a few different christian forums around the web and always use the same formula for my moniker; my initials and the year I joined the site. I love to fellowship with other christians and share the gospel of Christ with those who don't know him.
I grew up in Oklahoma. I was raised by my grandparents. My grandpa was a calvinistic amillennial Southern Baptist Pastor. I responded to an altar call when I was seven and was baptized shortly thereafter. I was raised on the bible (KJV mainly). I was taught it and read it regularly as a child. I was at church with my grandparents pretty much every time any event happened there at all, even business mettings many times. However, I turned into a wild teenager.
In my military/college years (USAF, NMSU) I fell away into secularism/scientific empiricism for awhile.
I eventually fell deep into error due to worldly rational and joined the Roman Catholic Church where I read mainly RCC documents and books to try to grow in faith using the scientific cookie cutter approach. I joined the Knights of Columbus during this time. I was married, had a child, divorced, remarried, had another child. The entire time I was in the RCC I struggled with it's teachings. I tried to take them in good faith, but my earlier instruction in the bible as a child always haunted me when I would pray the rosary or participate in mass or go to confession or call a priest father...and many other issues.
Later I felt a strong urge to re-read the scriptures because I just wanted to re-hear what the bible actually said. I had many unresolved questions about Catholic Doctrine and I wanted to worship God in Spirit and in truth so I decided to catch back up and read just the bible through. I had been reading many encyclicals council documents and theology books and such but very little bible study.The little I was doing was mainly topical. During that time I put everything else down but the bible and a few study helps when I needed it. I read it through with a highlighter to mark the key passages that jumped out at me. I became convicted that the RCC was unbiblical. I saw that my calvinistic upbringing was biblical and wished I had listened to my grandpa instead of being hard headed. It all (my childhood teaching) started coming back to me and I thanked God. By the time I finished re-reading the bible through with no distractions I was a convicted 5 point calvinist.
That lead me into studying reformation theology. I am a paedobaptist (because of biblical covenat theology and church history). That and a belief that liturgical corporate worship is more desireable kept me from returning to my baptist roots. I have a general mistrust of non-denominational churches so they were never an option. No Arminian churches were an option. So I started looking at Lutheran and then Reformed churches. I rejected Anglicanism right away because they have many of the problems of the RCC with the additional issue of a low view of scripture. I rejected Lutheranism based on their view of unlimited atonement and consubstantiation among some things I disagree with in Luther's small catechism.
So, I came to the realization that I believed what the Reformed believed was biblical. I visited Presbyterian churches. I at first briefly joined a PC-USA church. That was a mistake because I found rather quickly that I disagree strongly with them on a few key doctrines. I then found my home in the PCA, where I fit right in. I believe the PCA is the most biblical denomination we have right now. There are some other smaller denominations that are very biblical as well, but I believe the PCA is open to reformed unification where as some of the smaller ones are not. I think John 17 is clear that unification should be a Christian goal. I love the PCA and am glad that God had that denomination in the plan for my life.
I'm not sure when I was saved exactly. I don't know if it was when I was seven and I just backslid for awhile, or if it was when I was an adult and found a real desire to follow Christ. I know I am a believer and I trust in Christ as my savior. I believe that God wants us to worship him in Spirit and in truth. I pray that I will follow him the way he wants to be followed all my life. I hope for his return. And I look forward to spending eternity with him and the whole family. I thank God for his mercy and grace.
I love being with God's people and sharing the gospel with others and glorifying God. I don't know what the future holds or what God wants me to do with the life he has given me but I'm confident that he is in control and I am not worried because he is great and I love him. There is no need to worry about anything.
