I was raised as a Jehovah Witness. I will be honest, it wasn't easy. When I was in the 6th grade, my family was walking and we were all bombarded with eggs by high schoolers and during one of the attacks I saw my best friend from school throwing eggs at my sisters. I was always made fun of and called bible thumper. I was challenged to fights after school and at first I listened to everyone calling me chicken and coward. Then I had enough. I was in 7th grade and a junior called me out. His name was Joey Rusbult. I remember hearing it. Meet me at the library after school and we will throw down (meaning fight). The challenge was first thing in the morning and it seemed like the day lasted forever. I never really believed in Jehovah and so I didn't know what to do. Call my parents, tell the teachers, run away and pray I get home before I was caught, or do I fight? Those thoughts clouded my thinking all day. I was afraid at first, but then something new happened. That fear turned into anger and then I found that I enjoyed that feeling. As I walked up to where we were to meet there were so many people waiting to watch me get my tail kicked. I even saw a couple of teachers waiting for the fight, not to break it up, but to watch this Jehovah Witness get his tail handed to him. Like I said, I was angry. Joey was there with leather gloves, and his cheering section. I was there alone. Joey threw the first punch and the rest was very fast. I learned I can fight and I enjoyed it. Joey didn't have a chance. He was on the ground in less than a minute with me on him punching him over and over. The teachers pulled me off and dragged me to the school. My parents picked me up and my Dad kicked my tail. It was weird because even though I broke the rules of a JW, the Irish in my Dad was proud. I heard him tell Grandma he wishes he was there to see it. I went through that year fighting a couple times a week. My parents finally had to pull me out of school because I went into the locker room and challenged the varsity football team to a fight. Ok, not the smartest thing I could do.
As a kid growing up Jehovah Witness, it was hard. I have never been to a school dance, never allowed to join sports. Never went to see any high school sports. My Dad played every sport in school, so we always heard about the glory days. I feel we were robbed of our childhood. Then I was remarried and everything changed. I saw my first Christmas shows when I married my wife Nicole. Heck, my dream was always to wake up and the whole family would be in those full red pj's with a butt flap. I was so ready for my first Thanksgiving. Turkey and all the works. Yes, I was in heaven. We spent last year with my family, Aunt Sherrie , Kim and Lisa up in Michigan. It was the perfect dream celebration with family. When I sat at the table with my family, I believe it would never get better. To this day, that was my favorite holiday ever. It was kinda funny. My first Christmas was spent at my wife's family. I was so excited because in my head I was ready for another big meal. Then we got to her Grandparents and it was like this is not Christmas. They served cold cut sandwiches and exchanged gift cards. So, basically we had homemade Subway. Heck I was in my thirties and I wanted someone to dress up like freaking Santa. Growing up it was very hard to go to school and listen to what all the kids received from Santa. Or all the candy from Halloween. I would have to say growing up a Jehovah Witness was hard, but the hardest part was walking away from everything you learned and you have to live with this. I left when I was 16 years old. I was part of a large group my age to stand up during one of the meetings (what they call a sermon) and we all walked out. I walked out of the Kingdom Hall and ended up in Texas. I was free from religion.
So, why was it so hard? The things you learn. Armageddon and the last days. Four horseman and not being part of the 144,000 or the great crowd. It took me many years to sleep through a storm, without calling my mom and telling her goodbye because I thought it was the end of times. I'm not talking about being 18 years old, but all the way until I was in my 20's. One time a storm was coming and the wind blew off the window, I felt my heart stop. I believed the Angel of Death was there and it was all over. I closed my eyes and waited. It was the scariest 20 minutes of my life. I refused to touch a cross until I was in my 30's. Then the hardest part was taking communion. I have only started doing that until I was 44 years old. Yes, I said 44 years old, that is less than 1 year.
I am not telling you this because I want to knock on the Jehovah Witnesses. I am trying to show you the impact of religion. We work with the homeless everyday. Not one of them come from the same background. I wrote a blog a while back on how everyone has a story. I asked what was your story? I had learned so many stories. Some awesome and some very sad. I also have been around a lot of churches and been through many Pastors. I have been told I am over hard on them. To me being a Pastor is a privilege, but also a responsibility. A Pastor has peoples lives in your hands. Just as the case of being a Minister. We go out and we have volunteers and people we serve, lives in our hands. I will be the first to announce I am not good at this. I have the vision that God has given me, but I do have the patience for God to complete his instruction on how to get this done. So, I run around getting people all excited about things and then because I don't wait, I get people upset. I am one of the most fortunate ones that my friends forgive me. Granted, I have lost some friends in my haste, but I guess if the act of forgiveness is not someone's strong suit, then that's okay. I lost a dear friend because of this fact. I pray some day she will forgive me.
Being part of a ministry or a church is one of the keys to everyday survival. When you take that away from someone, it looks like looking at a person in the middle of the ocean, sticking your hands up and waving to them and pulling away. Is that what you really want to do? I have been in many groups and they always talk about serving people. I was part of Emmaus and I think that was such a wonderful Ministry. You are there for several days, and you when you leave you are ready to conquer the world. You want to tell everyone the power of Christ. You are set to meet with your table and meet as a group and work through life. It never happened once. Not because nobody wanted to, but because life happens. I was so fortunate enough to have some contact with a couple of my brothers, but all but one brother still has contact with me. I often wonder what would have happened if the brothers met and we actually followed through? I wonder if I myself have looked at someone and waved without throwing them a life raft and floated away. I pray not, but it is very possible.
I started talking about the hardship of religion. Let's face it, being a Christian is not easy. It is a lot easier then being a Muslim. Do you know there are 1.6 billion Muslims to in this world and a little over 7 billion Christians. This is not talking about all the other religions. However, it's not the Christians allowed to have their own room in public schools for prayer. Or time off work when it's time to pray. Why is that the case? It is pretty simple. Christians do not step up and demand there religious right our forefathers had. Consider this.
"God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever; That a revolution of the wheel of fortune, a change of situation, is among possible events; that it may become probable by Supernatural influence! The Almighty has no attribute which can take side with us in that event."
Thomas Jefferson
We lost our right to pray in school. We lost the right to wear religious items to school. Basically we lost our right to practice religion. I am saying Christians lost that right, Why? Because we are content in living day to day. We are happy going to work or school and then being with our family and maybe serve once a month with a church. And if we are not feeling lazy we go to church on Sunday.
I am here to tell you. God is not there in a glass case titled "brake in case of emergency". If he was friends I have a hammer and I will be the first to break the glass. We have brothers and sisters on the streets. We have elderly sitting on the side of roads where no place to lay their head. We have homeless that believe in Christ, but they are not allowed into Churches because they can't shower or have the clothes to wear to church. I challenge you to look into the eyes of a child that lives on the street and try to tell them that Jesus loves them. Look into the eyes of a vet that prayed everyday in battle asking God to bring them home safely, then end up living under a bridge. Tell them that Christ loves them. What do you think they will say. I know what they say. I have asked hundreds of people on the streets if they believe. I would say most of them believe and they love Christ. They might not have a home but they have a belief in Christ. And they would be the first to stand up and say let's go and serve our Lord. They may not have hope sometimes, but they believe.
Here is my challenge to you this week. Come Saturday, get up in the morning and go to your television, turn it on and spend the day watching television. I believe football will be playing. If your're up to it, why don't you go out for dinner. Have some laughs. Don't worry about praying, because you will go to church on Sunday and you will do your good deed for the week by placing 2% into the basket. There, I just put a challenge that is easy for most of you to do. But keep this in mind, when Jesus comes back, and He is, He is not going to want to know the score of the big game. Jesus might ask if you did what he commanded. But what you do in your religion is up to you.
I want to say three things.
Number one - I am sorry. I am sorry for getting people excited and not having the plan in place to make it happen.
Number two - I am a sinner as you are. I put my faults on here, because I am imperfect and like you, I am learning. I am learning to be a follower of Christ, a brother to my church family and my ministry family, a father and a husband.
Number three - I love my family. My church family, my ministry family, every single homeless friend I have ever met. I love you.
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