I just wanted to be loved. Everything I did, I did because I wanted to be wanted and belong. I thought that if I was perfect- getting good grades, being the best in my hobbies, being kindest friend- I would somehow earn the favor of my peers and my family. I thought the more that…
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I grew up in a pretty small town, so small we were even left off of the state map one time, but that’s another story. Growing up, diversity of religion within my community was fairly uncommon. The greatest differences in belief arose within the varied denominations of Christianity. I wasn’t ever asked what I believe…
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I always have enjoyed being with people and getting to know them. All my life I would run off and talk to people in the church I grew up in and when in public, my mom had to keep a close eye on me. She once had me on a leash when we went to…
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If I hadn’t had Christ when my parents moved away from me in high school, or when I went to college, or England, I would be a very different person. I would be bitter, mean, angry and probably depressed. I only have joy and hope because of Jesus. The only person whose acceptance matters is…
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I think I’ve believed in God my whole life. I grew up in a Christian home; I went to church. I believed in God, but I didn’t know Him. I believed in Him, but I didn’t have a relationship with Him, and it was evident in the way I lived and thought about myself. Identity…
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My origins are not much different than many. I was born and raised in a traditional church in a moderately conservative community in southeastern Wisconsin. I was basically born a Christian, being baptized as an infant and growing up in a private school where me and my seven or eight other classmates would memorize Bible…
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As a child, I went to church every Sunday, small group every Wednesday, and Bible Camp every summer. Whatever Old Testament story that was being discussed, you better believe I already knew it. I knew who God was, and I knew all the stories, but I thought that was it. I thought God was this…
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Is Christianity true and is it satisfying? The answers to these two questions have shaped much of my life. When I was young, I didn’t think too much about it. From my earliest memories I was immersed in a knowledge that God created everything, Jesus loved the world, and he died so our sins could…
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I’d like to stay anonymous as I share my story because of the sensitive nature of the topic. I grew up in a very typical, Midwestern, Christian home. My parents worked nine-to-five jobs, and my sister and I went to an average public school in Wisconsin. We went to the same church as the rest…
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