Moved from Introductions and Testimonies
 

Unsure,

My parents gave me 2 college ultimatums...I could only go where their is a church life and I had to live with the brothers. I grudgingly accepted both

I was pretty behind you in regards to finding my way outso it took college graduation to do it. I do wish I had seen the light sooner but happily here we are.

I was frank with my parents but have not told them of the additional reasons for my lc unbelief. It may be different as after briefly church hopping I dropped religion entirely. My folks are still supportive despite both them and my sister being very active lc members...I wish you the best in your decisions.

Depending on what terms you come to you could still get a lot done while laying low as a token lc member. Any additional symbolic freedom may not be worth it if you loose financial support. You would know best as to the likelihood of this.

Re: Trapped... Help?
 

Hi Intothewind,
Please ignore this question if it is too personal, but just wondering if you dropped your love and devotion to the Lord Jesus? Were you unable to meet with other groups because of your LC baggage of everyone else being "daughters of the harlot?"

Re: Trapped... Help?
 

Me too Intothewind. I had to dump it all. And for the sake of my sanity I did. For that reason today you won't here me telling you the answer is Jesus. Because it's not always true for everyone. Jesus is not a magic pill, or magic wand, unfortunately.

However, our relationship with God does not depend upon us. It depends way more on God. So we might let go of God but God doesn't let go of us.

Hang in there bro. I know many exLCers that have gone thru what you are going thru, or something similar enough.

Re: Moved from Introductions and Testimonies
 

HERn...that baggage definitely existed. But for me it was more the lack of connection and buy in on my part. In the lc you grow up in a strange social environ where a lot just comes your way as you drift along and so any unsureness drowns in the undercurrent. I could very well have chosen to continue meeting with other church groups but by then my self reflecting abilities realized that my personal values(which I kept bottled up growing up in the lc) went against those of people of faith. So I decided id be better off not meeting.

Awareness: I actually feel better and more alive in many ways. Watch the Perseid meteor showers for the next couple days. Bike across the gg bridge at sundown with the sky burning like a dull ember as fog rolls across the headlands. Tell friends and acquaintances your weird upbringing and wonder and even laugh with them. Ask a girl out and go on a date for the first time. I do of course dream for the future (though my personal life goals are now in muddly formation) and think about the past...but the sheer bliss of a moment without any weird spirituality or guilty baggage is a gift from no one.

Re: Moved from Introductions and Testimonies
 

Re: Moved from Introductions and Testimonies
 

I feel privileged to have Intothewind in LaLa Land -- as you like to call it -- with us.

Welcome Intothewind. Let's have some fun ...

Harold

Re: Moved from Introductions and Testimonies
 

Just growing up in the local churches especially during teen years can leave you with baggage by the time you reach college just in everyday life. That was my experience. Both my younger brother and I felt socially dysfunctional. I associated the legalistic manner of the local churches with all Christianity. There's the LC concept only genuine seekers of Christ meet in the local churches. By my second year of college, this concept was proven to be a fallacy.