Many of you don’t know during high school I was part of a youth group called Raphael Peer Ministry or RPM for short. Religion was a huge part of my core development years. I say religion because even though I was raised and continue to identify as Roman Catholic, the essential themes of most churches are the same and I’ve wandered through many. Over the course of my 4 years in the group, I became a leader, providing “witness talks” at retreats in front of many of my peers about my faith and challenging others to explore their own faith.
When I moved onto college, my connection with a church was quickly erased. RPM no longer had a place for me and I needed somewhere else to continue my growth in my faith. I tried the on campus Catholic ministry but it never felt right. Finally, my friend Joe introduced me to New Life Community Church. There aren’t words to describe the instant connection I felt to this community. A lot of it was because of lead Pastor Mark Jobe. I had never seen such a vibrant speaker that was able to make any biblical teaching applicable to my life. It seemed every week Pastor Mark was speaking specifically to me and addressing a current problem I was having. Needless to say, it was devastating to have to leave that church when I moved to Texas.
I wandered for 3 years, bouncing from church to church, Catholic, Methodist, Christian. I moved to Arizona, continued to look, all the while ignoring my friend Martha’s insistence that I try her church in Chandler. When I moved next door to her, I finally decided it was worth a shot.
That’s how I found Cornerstone.
It has taken some time to feel connected. There wasn’t the instantaneous draw like there had been with New Life. But I was willing to put in the time because deep down I felt that it was a fit.
Today it paid off.
Pastor Jeff Royce delivered the second lesson in the sermon series “Bump” today, which covers teachings from the Book of Proverbs. It spoke perfectly to what I have been questioning in my life lately and gave me that connection just like I used to feel at New Life.
If you would like to hear it, check out the media player. Click on the “Alignment & Alliances” link for 6/15/2009.