Born in Latvia, I was placed in a Riga orphanage as a baby.
We have a Latvian Holy Book proving my Catholic baptism in '91.
My international adoption was finalized in '93-'94.
Growing up in IL, I attended a weekly, hour-long, Catholic night class from first through eighth grade, until confirmation. That was the only time I set aside for reading the bible. I only went to church when we sang in Catholic class performances, usually for the major holidays. I wasn't that intrigued by the services.
The night class was ok, but it was a bit dry. It was missing something.
I have always preferred praying quietly to God, just Him and me. It felt right to do so. Even today I still pray in private before bedtime.
Matthew 6:6 (NIV) "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
Sometimes when I am relaxing, different scripture titles and numbers pop into my head, prompting me to grab my bible and read those passages. That is when I feel God Himself wants me to focus on something in particular and meditate on the Word.
Proverbs 2:1-5 (ESV) "My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God."
Now being older, having more Christian experiences and more bible study time, I came to the conclusion that the annual Catholic class was missing the personal touch of faith that reaches us.
We were all a bit too young to achieve life-changing faith fulfillment in a little town's Catholic program. All of us were baptized as babies, and grew up Catholic from our parents. We simply went along with it.
Just like any bible class, they showed us stories where Jesus healed, corrected wrong-doers, and spread God’s Love. We grew up knowing that Jesus Loves us, and that we should be kind to others. That is the positive I got out of the night class.
The Catholic teachers were all forty-something and older, well-learned in the prayers, Commandments, Sacraments and relating materials. They drilled all of this into our heads, and made us take a long test to be considered for confirmation.
Faith is on a totally higher, complex level. Saying a prayer with personal faith is more important than just saying a prayer for memorization and a test.
Praying to Mary bothered me a bit, simply because she was never God herself.
She was chosen by God due to her purity. Mary is certainly a modest role model that women of all ages should consider. Absolutely.
Elegant versions of the song "Ave Maria" are performed all over the world by soloists and choirs. Ave Maria is the Hail Mary in Latin. (Just because people sing it, does not always mean that they are praying.)
Hanging pictures of Mary without accompanying photos of Christ was a bother as well.
Repetitive prayer felt pointless in Catholicism.
I felt like I was not growing in faith while attending Catholic services.
The Rosary, as pretty as they are, was an issue for me due to repetitive prayers.
Matthew 6:7 (ESV) “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words."
Another note: it is odd to see a Catholic attendant, who is not a priest, wearing a Rosary as a piece of jewelry out in casual, public settings. It is cool that they are confident to show their faith to the public, but the Rosary itself is a sacred tool.
It should be used appropriately, for private prayer meditation.
There are plenty other types of cross necklaces to wear out in casual settings.
A family friend, Donna, traveled to Italy one summer. She brought back blessed Rose Rosaries, which are special rosaries whose beads are made of crushed, compacted rose pedals. They also have a scent to them. I received one from Donna as a Christmas gift. Absolutely beautiful.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
College Campus Ministries:
Non-denominational Christian groups around the U of A (Tucson, AZ) campus reach out to students every semester. There are also boisterous open-air preachers.
I took the time to see what each group had to offer in terms of spiritual advice and their own takes on bible passages. Many groups tended to study the New Testament for bible studies, only dipping into the Old Testament every once in a while.
(By the way, the open-airs are actually nice people when they are not on their pedestals, or getting verbally and physically abused from critics. I spent time with a handful of them during my third year.
The controversial “Revelations and Things” blog that caught a lot of online attention back in 2013 was a collaboration of ideas stated by different Christians, which I agreed with and posted.
When liberals ask me why I did that, I say that it was a burning that stopped just as fast as it started once it was out to the public.
The poor Weebly team, residing in you-know-what California, bless them on respecting my Constitutional Right to Freedom of Speech. They let me keep that blog up.
To be respectful to their site, I posted a disclaimer, stating that the content provided does not reflect any views from Weebly.)
Four of my roommates were different Christian sects, and another one was a quiet and modest Mormon that did not push anything about her faith. I asked her about their sect and she answered to what I asked. Not all Mormons are crazy. Not all Jehovah’s Witnesses are crazy either. It is the loud and proud ones that ruin it for the rest.
Looking back on college, I feel like God was surrounding me with opportunities to seek Him and learn lessons. I am glad that I explored the different Christian campus groups.
*****Religious Cult Activity Warnings in Tucson, AZ around UA campus******
If you are a U of A student or a prospective one, Faith Christian, sometimes referred to as Wildcats for Christ, is (was) one of the largest non-denominational groups.
They often approach students with “Do you have time to answer a survey?” or
“Do you have some time to talk about your faith?” kind of questions.
They practice Glossolalia “tongues,” so services can be exotic for new attendants.
(“Tongues” is only achieved if God grants that gift to you. First you accept Jesus as your Savior, then accept the Holy Spirit while getting baptized, and pray for the gift of “Tongues.” Not everyone is granted this ability easily. It's actually quite rare, genuinely.
Back in 2010/2011 in Faith Christian group, whenever they baptized a new attendant, they expected that the newly ‘born’ was automatically granted this gift, as long as he/she fully accepted Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
The teachers were taking some bible passages literally.
They seemed disappointed when a student didn’t receive that ability after baptism,
even shaming them for not receiving the gift.)
There was an official investigation about Faith Christian back in 2015 executed by UA newspaper staff.
This lead to further investigations on FCC offshoots in other states!
Please at least consider these warnings listed in this detailed tracking website of FCC and its sister churches:
formerfccmembers.com/
In one of UA's detailed articles (link below), they explain how Faith Christian is a remnant of an old cult from the 80s, Maranatha, reborn with a new name.
When I was attending F.C., I got discouraged due to sketchy vibes radiating from the leader, Steve Hall, as well as odd social behavior from various bible study teachers.
The most common complaint about them is that the ministers and bible study teachers sneak into dorms to wait and point out students with whom they had connected with previously around campus grounds.
Some would even find students' room numbers that they had jotted down before during initial one-on-one bible studies to see if they were there.
I witnessed this odd behavior in my own all-girls dorm during Freshman Year.
Something did not feel right.
One day on campus, I just so happened to meet a mild-mannered open-air preacher, Roy Spears. He lived in Tucson for a long time, and claimed that he saw the shutdown of the old cult as well as the beginning of Faith Christian with overlapping names.
I left that group soon after Roy's insightful advice.
Sure enough, the 2015 UA Daily Star article confirms this Maranatha connection, as well as the leader being an ex-convict out of Florida:
http://tucson.com/news/local/star-investigation-tucson-ministry-a-cult-former-followers-say/article_8824efc5-f210-5041-8088-a654585e4673.html
I did see aggressive behavior that is tagged to cults from Faith Christian.
One of my friends, Christi, from Freshman year was put on academic probation due to the laborious bible studies and teachers' persistence in getting her to attend their off-campus mixers with other Christians.
These conflicted with her school studies and clogged her focus.
Those particular aggressors that I was aware of back in 2010/2011 moved out of Tucson to begin a new church in Northern Arizona.
That church up north, Hope Christian Church, was also investigated after student complaints in 2016, very similar to the Tucson complaints.
I am thankful for meeting Mr. Spears when I did. He opened my eyes to manipulators and helped me feel much more confident trusting my gut that something was wrong.
Some of the Faith Christian bible study leaders that I met back in 2010 are still living in Tucson. There is suspicion that they continue to recruit.
The weekend services are hosted off of campus.
In the 2015 Daily Star article, it does state that the UA Admin revoked Faith Christian back in 2015, meaning they lost rights to recruit on campus due to student concerns.
IF one is ever plagued by aggressive, cult-like behavior, there is always university faculty to help you leave the group, or ward off persistent pastors, if you need more personal security and moral support.
The UA has private investigators through the general Dean's Office for assistance.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Navigators” is another large non-denominational group at UA.
They are not controversial.
Navs is a very successful group, hosting gender-segregated bible studies in every dorm. They are also common hosts of weekend recreational sports on the main grassland of central campus called the “mall.”
"Cru" is a third Christian group around Tucson that is available for spiritual growth and Christian connections. I attended their meet-n-greets briefly back in 2009. They were all polite and hosted a positive environment for attendants. No complaints about them.
There are smaller, quiet groups like “Damascus Road” and “Heritage House” if one prefers to join a closer-knit type. Sometimes, these smaller ones host rec sports on campus or meet-n-greets. Attending their services was refreshing and peaceful.
If you feel better going off of campus to independent churches, there are many sects around Tucson.
I highly recommend visiting “The Cool Church.”
They are a successful and uplifting group with a few centers around Tucson.
One of the bigger centers is 30-ish minutes away from campus. That property has a few buildings for activities, as well as a playground and a concession stand.
There were a lot of faith-focused and determined Christians I got to spend time with.
It is empowering to see their happiness and God-given talents.
Sadly, I saw the misery of atheists and agnostics that did not have faith in God.
They were constantly suffering from personal conflicts, stubbornly trying to handle their issues on their own. A group harassed Christians in social media and in public.
Common psychiatry says that they distracted themselves from their own self-pity by asserting themselves on others. It gave them a weird satisfaction to confuse and argue with other people.
To the determined Christians such as myself, the non-believers were trying too hard to convince themselves that God was not real, and did so by heckling Christians.
I saw it first-hand and got heckled myself.
IF one of them decides to heckle you as a Christian, just ignore them.
Whenever they approach you with their no-god-blah-blah, be the better person and distract them with positive thoughts and non-religious topics.
A few of the non-believers tend to get this glint in their eye, letting you know that their species instinct is ready to argue. They are not worth the aggravation. Do not give them any satisfaction by arguing with them.
Open-air preachers will visit “the hill” in front of the UA admin building throughout the semesters, so they are there to do the arguing for you. Let them do the dirty work.
Anyway, all this exploration and realization helped me redefine my personal faith with God, my outlook on life and relationships, and setting new goals for my future.
He Helped me grow my modest public image, graduate college, and cope with family sickness and loss.
He Helped me save up funds to move to Alaska, get married to the most wonderful man, and find a church that finally feels like Family.
Thank you to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church for the love, support, and volunteer dedication to assisting the Matsu valley community through their 5 Loaves 2 Fish Kitchen, and partnership with Matsu Food Pantry.
I am grateful for His Love. I am grateful for Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
The Church is within me, and I will continue to seek God’s guidance for new
opportunities and successes through my own walk with faith.
We have a Latvian Holy Book proving my Catholic baptism in '91.
My international adoption was finalized in '93-'94.
Growing up in IL, I attended a weekly, hour-long, Catholic night class from first through eighth grade, until confirmation. That was the only time I set aside for reading the bible. I only went to church when we sang in Catholic class performances, usually for the major holidays. I wasn't that intrigued by the services.
The night class was ok, but it was a bit dry. It was missing something.
I have always preferred praying quietly to God, just Him and me. It felt right to do so. Even today I still pray in private before bedtime.
Matthew 6:6 (NIV) "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
Sometimes when I am relaxing, different scripture titles and numbers pop into my head, prompting me to grab my bible and read those passages. That is when I feel God Himself wants me to focus on something in particular and meditate on the Word.
Proverbs 2:1-5 (ESV) "My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God."
Now being older, having more Christian experiences and more bible study time, I came to the conclusion that the annual Catholic class was missing the personal touch of faith that reaches us.
We were all a bit too young to achieve life-changing faith fulfillment in a little town's Catholic program. All of us were baptized as babies, and grew up Catholic from our parents. We simply went along with it.
Just like any bible class, they showed us stories where Jesus healed, corrected wrong-doers, and spread God’s Love. We grew up knowing that Jesus Loves us, and that we should be kind to others. That is the positive I got out of the night class.
The Catholic teachers were all forty-something and older, well-learned in the prayers, Commandments, Sacraments and relating materials. They drilled all of this into our heads, and made us take a long test to be considered for confirmation.
Faith is on a totally higher, complex level. Saying a prayer with personal faith is more important than just saying a prayer for memorization and a test.
Praying to Mary bothered me a bit, simply because she was never God herself.
She was chosen by God due to her purity. Mary is certainly a modest role model that women of all ages should consider. Absolutely.
Elegant versions of the song "Ave Maria" are performed all over the world by soloists and choirs. Ave Maria is the Hail Mary in Latin. (Just because people sing it, does not always mean that they are praying.)
Hanging pictures of Mary without accompanying photos of Christ was a bother as well.
Repetitive prayer felt pointless in Catholicism.
I felt like I was not growing in faith while attending Catholic services.
The Rosary, as pretty as they are, was an issue for me due to repetitive prayers.
Matthew 6:7 (ESV) “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words."
Another note: it is odd to see a Catholic attendant, who is not a priest, wearing a Rosary as a piece of jewelry out in casual, public settings. It is cool that they are confident to show their faith to the public, but the Rosary itself is a sacred tool.
It should be used appropriately, for private prayer meditation.
There are plenty other types of cross necklaces to wear out in casual settings.
A family friend, Donna, traveled to Italy one summer. She brought back blessed Rose Rosaries, which are special rosaries whose beads are made of crushed, compacted rose pedals. They also have a scent to them. I received one from Donna as a Christmas gift. Absolutely beautiful.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
College Campus Ministries:
Non-denominational Christian groups around the U of A (Tucson, AZ) campus reach out to students every semester. There are also boisterous open-air preachers.
I took the time to see what each group had to offer in terms of spiritual advice and their own takes on bible passages. Many groups tended to study the New Testament for bible studies, only dipping into the Old Testament every once in a while.
(By the way, the open-airs are actually nice people when they are not on their pedestals, or getting verbally and physically abused from critics. I spent time with a handful of them during my third year.
The controversial “Revelations and Things” blog that caught a lot of online attention back in 2013 was a collaboration of ideas stated by different Christians, which I agreed with and posted.
When liberals ask me why I did that, I say that it was a burning that stopped just as fast as it started once it was out to the public.
The poor Weebly team, residing in you-know-what California, bless them on respecting my Constitutional Right to Freedom of Speech. They let me keep that blog up.
To be respectful to their site, I posted a disclaimer, stating that the content provided does not reflect any views from Weebly.)
Four of my roommates were different Christian sects, and another one was a quiet and modest Mormon that did not push anything about her faith. I asked her about their sect and she answered to what I asked. Not all Mormons are crazy. Not all Jehovah’s Witnesses are crazy either. It is the loud and proud ones that ruin it for the rest.
Looking back on college, I feel like God was surrounding me with opportunities to seek Him and learn lessons. I am glad that I explored the different Christian campus groups.
*****Religious Cult Activity Warnings in Tucson, AZ around UA campus******
If you are a U of A student or a prospective one, Faith Christian, sometimes referred to as Wildcats for Christ, is (was) one of the largest non-denominational groups.
They often approach students with “Do you have time to answer a survey?” or
“Do you have some time to talk about your faith?” kind of questions.
They practice Glossolalia “tongues,” so services can be exotic for new attendants.
(“Tongues” is only achieved if God grants that gift to you. First you accept Jesus as your Savior, then accept the Holy Spirit while getting baptized, and pray for the gift of “Tongues.” Not everyone is granted this ability easily. It's actually quite rare, genuinely.
Back in 2010/2011 in Faith Christian group, whenever they baptized a new attendant, they expected that the newly ‘born’ was automatically granted this gift, as long as he/she fully accepted Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
The teachers were taking some bible passages literally.
They seemed disappointed when a student didn’t receive that ability after baptism,
even shaming them for not receiving the gift.)
There was an official investigation about Faith Christian back in 2015 executed by UA newspaper staff.
This lead to further investigations on FCC offshoots in other states!
Please at least consider these warnings listed in this detailed tracking website of FCC and its sister churches:
formerfccmembers.com/
In one of UA's detailed articles (link below), they explain how Faith Christian is a remnant of an old cult from the 80s, Maranatha, reborn with a new name.
When I was attending F.C., I got discouraged due to sketchy vibes radiating from the leader, Steve Hall, as well as odd social behavior from various bible study teachers.
The most common complaint about them is that the ministers and bible study teachers sneak into dorms to wait and point out students with whom they had connected with previously around campus grounds.
Some would even find students' room numbers that they had jotted down before during initial one-on-one bible studies to see if they were there.
I witnessed this odd behavior in my own all-girls dorm during Freshman Year.
Something did not feel right.
One day on campus, I just so happened to meet a mild-mannered open-air preacher, Roy Spears. He lived in Tucson for a long time, and claimed that he saw the shutdown of the old cult as well as the beginning of Faith Christian with overlapping names.
I left that group soon after Roy's insightful advice.
Sure enough, the 2015 UA Daily Star article confirms this Maranatha connection, as well as the leader being an ex-convict out of Florida:
http://tucson.com/news/local/star-investigation-tucson-ministry-a-cult-former-followers-say/article_8824efc5-f210-5041-8088-a654585e4673.html
I did see aggressive behavior that is tagged to cults from Faith Christian.
One of my friends, Christi, from Freshman year was put on academic probation due to the laborious bible studies and teachers' persistence in getting her to attend their off-campus mixers with other Christians.
These conflicted with her school studies and clogged her focus.
Those particular aggressors that I was aware of back in 2010/2011 moved out of Tucson to begin a new church in Northern Arizona.
That church up north, Hope Christian Church, was also investigated after student complaints in 2016, very similar to the Tucson complaints.
I am thankful for meeting Mr. Spears when I did. He opened my eyes to manipulators and helped me feel much more confident trusting my gut that something was wrong.
Some of the Faith Christian bible study leaders that I met back in 2010 are still living in Tucson. There is suspicion that they continue to recruit.
The weekend services are hosted off of campus.
In the 2015 Daily Star article, it does state that the UA Admin revoked Faith Christian back in 2015, meaning they lost rights to recruit on campus due to student concerns.
IF one is ever plagued by aggressive, cult-like behavior, there is always university faculty to help you leave the group, or ward off persistent pastors, if you need more personal security and moral support.
The UA has private investigators through the general Dean's Office for assistance.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Navigators” is another large non-denominational group at UA.
They are not controversial.
Navs is a very successful group, hosting gender-segregated bible studies in every dorm. They are also common hosts of weekend recreational sports on the main grassland of central campus called the “mall.”
"Cru" is a third Christian group around Tucson that is available for spiritual growth and Christian connections. I attended their meet-n-greets briefly back in 2009. They were all polite and hosted a positive environment for attendants. No complaints about them.
There are smaller, quiet groups like “Damascus Road” and “Heritage House” if one prefers to join a closer-knit type. Sometimes, these smaller ones host rec sports on campus or meet-n-greets. Attending their services was refreshing and peaceful.
If you feel better going off of campus to independent churches, there are many sects around Tucson.
I highly recommend visiting “The Cool Church.”
They are a successful and uplifting group with a few centers around Tucson.
One of the bigger centers is 30-ish minutes away from campus. That property has a few buildings for activities, as well as a playground and a concession stand.
There were a lot of faith-focused and determined Christians I got to spend time with.
It is empowering to see their happiness and God-given talents.
Sadly, I saw the misery of atheists and agnostics that did not have faith in God.
They were constantly suffering from personal conflicts, stubbornly trying to handle their issues on their own. A group harassed Christians in social media and in public.
Common psychiatry says that they distracted themselves from their own self-pity by asserting themselves on others. It gave them a weird satisfaction to confuse and argue with other people.
To the determined Christians such as myself, the non-believers were trying too hard to convince themselves that God was not real, and did so by heckling Christians.
I saw it first-hand and got heckled myself.
IF one of them decides to heckle you as a Christian, just ignore them.
Whenever they approach you with their no-god-blah-blah, be the better person and distract them with positive thoughts and non-religious topics.
A few of the non-believers tend to get this glint in their eye, letting you know that their species instinct is ready to argue. They are not worth the aggravation. Do not give them any satisfaction by arguing with them.
Open-air preachers will visit “the hill” in front of the UA admin building throughout the semesters, so they are there to do the arguing for you. Let them do the dirty work.
Anyway, all this exploration and realization helped me redefine my personal faith with God, my outlook on life and relationships, and setting new goals for my future.
He Helped me grow my modest public image, graduate college, and cope with family sickness and loss.
He Helped me save up funds to move to Alaska, get married to the most wonderful man, and find a church that finally feels like Family.
Thank you to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church for the love, support, and volunteer dedication to assisting the Matsu valley community through their 5 Loaves 2 Fish Kitchen, and partnership with Matsu Food Pantry.
I am grateful for His Love. I am grateful for Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
The Church is within me, and I will continue to seek God’s guidance for new
opportunities and successes through my own walk with faith.