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My brother and I were raised Christian by a Christian mother and an agnostic father. As a teenager, my brother left the church. He later married a Catholic and raised his kids that way, although he does not attend.
I, on the other hand, chose to stay in the church and have been a practicing Christian ever since. I married a Christian woman & we raised our kids in the Christian faith. I'm now a part-time music minister in a large Baptist Church.
Immense conviction that what I was reading is true. I can't really describe this with words. I simply knew it, it made so much sense, felt so - home, so to speak.
Immense conviction that what I was reading is true. I can't really describe this with words. I simply knew it, it made so much sense, felt so - home, so to speak.
home....i like that, it is lovely. feeling at home.
the thirst and yearning for it can feel like being homesick
someone described it as hearing a bell, and once a bell is heard it can not be un-rung
home....i like that. coming home someone described it as hearing a bell, and once a bell is heard it cannot be un-rung
now imagine having a tad bit of understanding about how that "sound" can work. I think it's more of walking out into a warm rain when being bone dry. To those that are wet, no matter what they believe, you're the one crazy.
To those that still reside in the desert no manor of words can convince them. No matter how much they know about water and weather, the warm rain will never be totally understood. Again, it is independent of belief about no-god or god. Their descriptions fall short and what they know; is all they think one needs to know.
Immense conviction that what I was reading is true. I can't really describe this with words. I simply knew it, it made so much sense, felt so - home, so to speak.
So, you're willing to put your faith wholeheartedly in an answer to the deepest questions about life and the universe based on a warm, fuzzing feeling that the answer gives you?
I must say that sounds courageous in a strange sort of way.
I was living in a rural area of Central-East Texas. SomeWhat isolated. I was diagnosed with lung cancer with a very poor prognosis. I declned all treatment and began getting my affairs in order. I was an Atheist at the time and had been for 20 years or so. My wife unexpectadly died suddenly. cpm[letly unexpected. She was fine on Mon, went to the Doctor for an annual check-up and was found to be in excellent Health. She went into a coma on Wednesday and was gone before Thursday Morning. Turned out she had a knotted intestine that had long died and was essentially rotted away.
I went into a a deep depression and began a very serious drinking binge. my daily food was usually either a case of Heinekens or a fifth of Chivas Regal. That went on for a year. Then one morning I work up and said enough of this nonsense. and began a clean-up of the house. which after being occupied by a drunk slob for a year was quite a mess. In my cleaning I cam across a box that contained the few items I had salvaged from our previous home that had been demolished by a Tornado. Inside the Box was a Qur'an I had bought in Morocco in 1960/ I was in the USAF at the time and for part of my job I was studying Arabic at the university of Rabat. I thought I could use the Qur'an as a study guide. Later when I got out of the AF I returned to Morocco as an Evangelist preaching the Bible. I kept the Qur'an and used it in my sermons in my quest to convert Muslims. I travelled throughout the mid east a few months eachyear for about 20 years when I came to the conclusion god did not exist. During that time my first wife died. I married my second wife about a year later. We spent nearly 20 years being self employed and travelling as we pleased until her sudden death in Texas.
Anyhow After coming across the Qur'an I decided to see if I could still read Arabic. I began reading and a feeling of peace came over me. For the first time in my life and having had read the Qur'an many times. I felt like I understood it. I read and could not step. I do not know how many times I read it. I could not put it down. I felt like it was written for me personally, the words seemed to glow. I finally realized I was a Muslim and said the Shahadah then and there (I had learned the Shahadh in Morocco with the idea that if I every crashed in North Africa, it might come in handy if I survived the crash. (didn't help, I ended up crashing in Vietnam) Anyhow I said the Shahadah then and there and have been a Muslim ever since. I did not even think there were any Muslims in Texas. It had been nearly 20 years since I last saw a Muslim. I realized I was hungry and decided to walk to the only store in town and get a bite to eat. When I got there there was a dark sinned man in there asking for direction. He glanced at me and said "As Salamuu alaikum" I immediately replies "wa Alaikum Salaam wa Ramatullahi wa Baraktuhu" He smiled and said how long you been Muslim. I answered about 15 minutes.
Then things began getting really crazy. A day or two later My Daughter that I had not seen for almost 20 years called me. The VA had contacted her as I had not had any medical treatment in over a year (Iwas estranged from my children since I married my second wife, they did not like her and cut all ties with me) Anyhow to my surprise My children had all reverted to Islam nearly 20 years ago. I moved in with my daughter in Austin, we re-established family ties and I finally met my grand children
I was living in a rural area of Central-East Texas. SomeWhat isolated. I was diagnosed with lung cancer with a very poor prognosis. I declned all treatment and began getting my affairs in order. I was an Atheist at the time and had been for 20 years or so. My wife unexpectadly died suddenly. cpm[letly unexpected. She was fine on Mon, went to the Doctor for an annual check-up and was found to be in excellent Health. She went into a coma on Wednesday and was gone before Thursday Morning. Turned out she had a knotted intestine that had long died and was essentially rotted away.
I went into a a deep depression and began a very serious drinking binge. my daily food was usually either a case of Heinekens or a fifth of Chivas Regal. That went on for a year. Then one morning I work up and said enough of this nonsense. and began a clean-up of the house. which after being occupied by a drunk slob for a year was quite a mess. In my cleaning I cam across a box that contained the few items I had salvaged from our previous home that had been demolished by a Tornado. Inside the Box was a Qur'an I had bought in Morocco in 1960/ I was in the USAF at the time and for part of my job I was studying Arabic at the university of Rabat. I thought I could use the Qur'an as a study guide. Later when I got out of the AF I returned to Morocco as an Evangelist preaching the Bible. I kept the Qur'an and used it in my sermons in my quest to convert Muslims. I travelled throughout the mid east a few months eachyear for about 20 years when I came to the conclusion god did not exist. During that time my first wife died. I married my second wife about a year later. We spent nearly 20 years being self employed and travelling as we pleased until her sudden death in Texas.
Anyhow After coming across the Qur'an I decided to see if I could still read Arabic. I began reading and a feeling of peace came over me. For the first time in my life and having had read the Qur'an many times. I felt like I understood it. I read and could not step. I do not know how many times I read it. I could not put it down. I felt like it was written for me personally, the words seemed to glow. I finally realized I was a Muslim and said the Shahadah then and there (I had learned the Shahadh in Morocco with the idea that if I every crashed in North Africa, it might come in handy if I survived the crash. (didn't help, I ended up crashing in Vietnam) Anyhow I said the Shahadah then and there and have been a Muslim ever since. I did not even think there were any Muslims in Texas. It had been nearly 20 years since I last saw a Muslim. I realized I was hungry and decided to walk to the only store in town and get a bite to eat. When I got there there was a dark sinned man in there asking for direction. He glanced at me and said "As Salamuu alaikum" I immediately replies "wa Alaikum Salaam wa Ramatullahi wa Baraktuhu" He smiled and said how long you been Muslim. I answered about 15 minutes.
Then things began getting really crazy. A day or two later My Daughter that I had not seen for almost 20 years called me. The VA had contacted her as I had not had any medical treatment in over a year (Iwas estranged from my children since I married my second wife, they did not like her and cut all ties with me) Anyhow to my surprise My children had all reverted to Islam nearly 20 years ago. I moved in with my daughter in Austin, we re-established family ties and I finally met my grand children
A year after that I met my current wife.
The synchronicity of faith always touches my heart. Thank you for sharing your journey.
I was living in a rural area of Central-East Texas. SomeWhat isolated. I was diagnosed with lung cancer with a very poor prognosis. I declned all treatment and began getting my affairs in order. I was an Atheist at the time and had been for 20 years or so. My wife unexpectadly died suddenly. cpm[letly unexpected. She was fine on Mon, went to the Doctor for an annual check-up and was found to be in excellent Health. She went into a coma on Wednesday and was gone before Thursday Morning. Turned out she had a knotted intestine that had long died and was essentially rotted away.
I went into a a deep depression and began a very serious drinking binge. my daily food was usually either a case of Heinekens or a fifth of Chivas Regal. That went on for a year. Then one morning I work up and said enough of this nonsense. and began a clean-up of the house. which after being occupied by a drunk slob for a year was quite a mess. In my cleaning I cam across a box that contained the few items I had salvaged from our previous home that had been demolished by a Tornado. Inside the Box was a Qur'an I had bought in Morocco in 1960/ I was in the USAF at the time and for part of my job I was studying Arabic at the university of Rabat. I thought I could use the Qur'an as a study guide. Later when I got out of the AF I returned to Morocco as an Evangelist preaching the Bible. I kept the Qur'an and used it in my sermons in my quest to convert Muslims. I travelled throughout the mid east a few months eachyear for about 20 years when I came to the conclusion god did not exist. During that time my first wife died. I married my second wife about a year later. We spent nearly 20 years being self employed and travelling as we pleased until her sudden death in Texas.
Anyhow After coming across the Qur'an I decided to see if I could still read Arabic. I began reading and a feeling of peace came over me. For the first time in my life and having had read the Qur'an many times. I felt like I understood it. I read and could not step. I do not know how many times I read it. I could not put it down. I felt like it was written for me personally, the words seemed to glow. I finally realized I was a Muslim and said the Shahadah then and there (I had learned the Shahadh in Morocco with the idea that if I every crashed in North Africa, it might come in handy if I survived the crash. (didn't help, I ended up crashing in Vietnam) Anyhow I said the Shahadah then and there and have been a Muslim ever since. I did not even think there were any Muslims in Texas. It had been nearly 20 years since I last saw a Muslim. I realized I was hungry and decided to walk to the only store in town and get a bite to eat. When I got there there was a dark sinned man in there asking for direction. He glanced at me and said "As Salamuu alaikum" I immediately replies "wa Alaikum Salaam wa Ramatullahi wa Baraktuhu" He smiled and said how long you been Muslim. I answered about 15 minutes.
Then things began getting really crazy. A day or two later My Daughter that I had not seen for almost 20 years called me. The VA had contacted her as I had not had any medical treatment in over a year (Iwas estranged from my children since I married my second wife, they did not like her and cut all ties with me) Anyhow to my surprise My children had all reverted to Islam nearly 20 years ago. I moved in with my daughter in Austin, we re-established family ties and I finally met my grand children
A year after that I met my current wife.
You've lived - and continue to live - a full and rich life, my friend.
Thank you for sharing that, Woodrow. Happy Ramadan to you and your family.
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