God, Church, and Everything in Between

I am very fortunate that my parents raised me knowing God. From a small child, I was aware of His presence in my life, knew many Bible stories, and made praying part of my bedtime routine. My parents chose to send me to Catholic grade school K-8, making God a priority in my education. Here I learned all of the rules, regulations, and traditions of the Catholic Church. I followed them to a tee - my parents called me "Sister Mary Kristi." I was always reminding them of the need to go to Church EVERY Sunday, and I would write down every POSSIBLE sin I had potentially committed prior to going to Confession. I was the "model Catholic child."

I continued this trend by going to an all-girl Catholic high school. I loved every minute of Ursuline - it truly was the perfect match for me. I was a retreat leader for both Junior Retreat and Kairos. I loved the idea of helping bring my peers closer in relationship with God and one another. I attended Church every Sunday, either with my family or alone. I was content with my relationship with God.

College came, and I didn't make the same effort I had made in the past to attend Church every Sunday. However, I still attended when home or on the occasional weekend at OU, and still held true to my Catholic morals and upbringing.

After college I tried to get back into Catholic Church. I had a hard time connecting with it, and oftentimes felt myself "zoning out" during the majority of the Mass. It didn't help that every guy I dated was Catholic, but not interested in going other than on holidays. I wanted to attend Church every week, but struggled with getting into the routine.

Now that you all know my (oh so interesting) Church upbringing, you can better understand my current relationship with God. It all began when I met my current boyfriend. Jason was raised Catholic, attended a Catholic high school, and yet did not share my desire to get into a Church "routine." He was content with Christmas and Easter, and didn't have any intention of going more often. I knew that I was going to have to "try on" some new Churches, in hopes of finding one that both of us could get excited about. Crossroads was the first place I tried, and it was an immediate fit for me. It was what I had been looking for in a Church - a relevant message that I can directly apply to my life, a friendship with God, and ways to get involved working with God's people. I was brought to tears during my first service - it was exactly what I had needed to hear! I was grateful that Mandi, Brett, and I had gone. The three of us went every weekend from that point on.

Jason was a different story. He didn't want to go with us. It wasn't "Church," as he said, which is actually what I had thought when one of my other friends, Kelly, had invited me to go a few years back. Every weekend I prayed for Jason, that God would touch his heart and invite him into a relationship with Him. There were many weekend services when tears filled my eyes; I wanted so desperately to have God and faith be a part of our relationship.

I "tricked" Jason into Crossroads during their GoCincinnati event. I told him it wasn't a service; just an opportunity to volunteer. He was NOT excited about it, especially because we had to be there at 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday! However, being the good boyfriend that he is, he decided to humor me and go. The day was spent serving fellow Cincinnatians and getting to know complete strangers. We had a BLAST! Multiple people spoke very highly of Crossroads to Jason, and I viewed that as God planting the seed in his heart.

After GoCincinnati, Jason agreed to go to services whenever it didn't interfere with baseball. It was hit-or-miss, and he insisted that he wasn't going to go regularly. At this point, I believe he was going for me. He knew it was important to me, and he knew it made me happy. Kind of like when I go to UC, Bengals, and Reds games for him! ;)

As the weeks went on, I saw firsthand God working in Jason's life. He truly had a change of heart, and eventually wanted to go every weekend with me. I could tell that he was going because HE wanted to, not because I wanted him to! We had deep, faith-filled conversations about God on a regular basis. His everyday behaviors started to change. The biggest outward sign of his change of heart were his conversations with others. Crossroads and God became commonplace topics, whether with his family, friends, or near-strangers at a bar! He shared (and continues to share) his story and relationship with God willingly and openly. I am so happy for him - there is nothing as necessary and fulfilling as a relationship with God!

Personally, I still struggle with my two faiths - my Catholic faith, and my Crossroads faith. It is hard for me when I talk with people that go to Catholic Church. I often feel like they don't view Crossroads as an acceptable Church, and that they almost think my relationship with God is different because of where I attend on the weekends. All I can say is that my relationship with God has strengthened tremendously since I made the switch. I look forward to Church every weekend. It oftentimes is the highlight of my weekend (I know that sounds sad, but that's how much I enjoy it!). I view God as a friend that is always there to guide me; he is not a judgemental God that I often felt the Catholic church portrayed Him as. I have a new-found faith in His plans for me; plans that are perfect and so much better than any plans I could make for myself! I listen to Christian music a lot, and feel a sense of peace singing praise-filled lyrics as opposed to what is on the radio (see my "Un-Plugging" entry for more on that!). I am a more generous person. I make it a point to donate money each week, something I never used to prioritize. I donate items for each drive they sponsor, and look forward to volunteering. I have met some wonderful friends by doing the "Free" journey in a small group. I have grown as an individual, I have grown as a child of God, and Jason and I have grown in relationship with each other.

I am so blessed to attend the Church that I do. I am blessed to realize that there is no "right" or "wrong" religion. There is one God, and I honestly don't think He cares if you go to a Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, non-denominational, or interdenominational Church. All He cares about is that you work on developing a relationship with Him. I am proud to serve such a loving and understanding God.