Personal Religion

This is a paper I wrote for a religion class I am taking this semester. Thought that some of you might enjoy! (I made an "A" by the way...)


Cliff Jennings
September 19, 2008
Father Gregory Rogers
Personal Religion Essay

My Religious Beliefs

Religion has always been a part of my life. I was born in Fort Worth, Texas where my father was in seminary. This being said, I have literally been a “preachers kid” my entire life. Until I was in the fifth grade we were a part of a traditional Baptist church. In the tradition style church I learned to stand and sit in church only when told, sing the hymn that was specifically numbered from a dusty hymnbook, and read Old Testament stories at sunday school. I learned the ways of a “Christian life.” This was in the 1990’s, but the church seemed a few decades behind. We needed something new, more modern and fresh.
When my Dad told the family that he had decided to move to a new church, our family was a little skeptical, we were comfortable. The next nine years started a true spiritual journey. As I grew older, I began to understand what God really meant to me and how real he could be in my life as long as I trusted in Him. I had asked Christ to come into my life and live inside of me when I was much younger, it was not until my middle school years that I truly realized what this meant.
In middle school I firmly believed in God, and his plan and purpose for my life. I was picked on everyday because I was “God’s child” or a “church boy.” I learned to push the worldly things away and trust wholly in him. My seventh grade year I felt led to begin a bible study at my school. Myself and two of my Christian friends began to meet in the art room of Merriwether Middle School on Wednesday mornings before school at 7:00 AM. The first month or so consist of nothing but the three of us praying for our friends by name and praying that God would bring people to the art room before school to hear His word. Numbers slowly started to grow, as well as my faith. This continued through my seventh grade year and into my eighth grade year. Myself and two other musically inclined friends began to play worship music before I delivered the devotion that morning. By the end of my eighth grade year we averaged 70-80 people on Wednesday mornings. During the last month of school there was a particular Wednesday where I felt led to invite people to give their hearts to Jesus Christ. I made the invitation and a handful of people stood and accepted. My faith was on fire. I knew the Lord was very present in my life and using me in His ways. This continued in my churches youth group where I began to sing on stage with the praise team occasionally. Little did I know, my life was about to be flipped upside down.
High School definitely opened my eyes. I saw how people truly were and learned that the world and the people in it were not all good. Ninth grade was a very hard year for me. I did not have many friends and became pretty miserable. I thought that in order to have friends, I had to do the “cool” things. Through the next couple of years I grew further away from God and went away from the path He wanted me on. By the time I was a Junior in high school I was high on life, the worldly life. I was a football jock and dated all the pretty girls. Life was good. Halfway through my Junior year’s football season I had a terrible injury that put me on the sidelines. I was furious with God. I lost many scholarship opportunities and many friends because my social life consist of physical therapy and lying on the couch. My Senior year I was back on my feet and back into my party life. I was very far from God, and I never even realized it.
When I went to college I realized how wrong I had been and asked for forgiveness and began to walk the path God wanted me to walk again. The last few years have been challenging to say the least, but I have learned a lot about God and his plan for my life. I have been given many gifts, one of which is a good voice and the intelligence to play the guitar. I have learned that I have a place in the church.
I now attend TrueNorth Church in North Augusta where I am on part-time staff as a worship leader. I have been given the opportunity to lead God’s people in worship and lifting his name. I have learned that church is not about the fancy dress and the traditional ways, but that God wants to reach the people of the world we live in today. I believe that a church needs to reach out and touch the untouched. God does not want your effort in getting dressed once a week to go church, he wants your heart every hour of the week in the most humble spirit you can give. I am glad to be a part of the family of God. I am very grateful for the gift God gave us, his son. I am reminded daily that our sins are forgiven because Jesus Christ gave his life so that we did not have to. Our sins have already been paid for.
Most of all, I have learned that God is real. I have seen his power, felt his presence, and witnessed his miracles. I know that my relationship with God will be worth all of the worldly sacrifices when I get to heaven. There is nothing in this life that can compare to his greatness and his love. Jesus Christ has given his life so that I may live mine. “When you have tasted Him, really tasted Him, there is no going back.” - James Thrash.

A 'Wow' type of day...

Over the past few years I have had the opportunity to lead worship at a variety of churches and events. More recently I have been leading at TrueNorth Church. Being in a church all my life, I have had and felt many "God moments". These are the times when your knees get weak and your eyes fill with tears and it takes every bit of strength you have to keep from falling on the floor.

I love leading worship at TrueNorth, don't get me wrong, but in the last couple of months I haven't felt much God in our worship. Instead I think we have become consumed with making the church "cool" with the fancy production and expensive equiptment and we have lost focus on what REALLY matters. I have felt convicted of this as well as other leaders in the church. Through a few meetings and long hard talks, the lead worship team decided that many things needed to change in order to change our "heart of worship". I have been very excited about these changes, but in the same breath, skeptical that we would actually move forward with the changes. Today changed my skepticism, wow is the only thing I can say.

This week was not a normal week for me. I felt extremely anxious about what was to happen on Sunday morning. Honestly, this is way out of the ordinary for me. I generally do not ever get nervous. When I looked at the set list for the week, I immediately knew this was going to be a special week. I was right.

This morning during our practice, singing "I Stand Amazed" and "Unashamed" my eyes filled with tears and my voice was shaking because I was so overwhelmed by the feeling of God in the gymnasium. My anxiety turned to excitement as the day moved forward.

Through both services, there was a feeling in the worship that I had not felt in a long time. It almost seemed that the entire congregation knew something big was about to happen. As the band continued to play, I felt as if the band had put our instruments down. The music was truly about the words and hundreds of voices were praising our God together. I was blown away at the sound of his people singing praises and opening themselves to the Lord.

Today was an amazing day. I know that God changed people's lives today in powerful ways. The best part is, I am still anxious. God IS NOT done at TrueNorth. He has shown us just a glimpse of his greatness today. Are you ready? Hold on church, hold on. Greater things are still to be done.

To be or not to be...

Why are decisions that seem SO simple the hardest ones to make!? I feel my head is going to explode. This time in my life is sorta like going to Baskin Robbins Ice Cream...there are 14,000 choices and you feel that it is impossible to make a decision. I have SO many decisions to make right now...where do I start?