Faith of My Family

I was in sixth or seventh grade when I was shooting baskets with my friend Steve and he asked me, What are you?

I said what?

What are you, Catholic or Lutheran or what?

I went home and asked my dad and he said Lutheran if anyone asked.

That, in a sense, was my Christian education at home as a child.

I grew up rather hard on my parents for my lack of Christian upbringing.  this was encouraged by  the evangelical church that I attended as a child.  Today I don't disparage the faith of my parents or the faith of the evangelicals who share "led me to Christ".

Both sides of my family were and are essentially nominal Lutherans.  Dad and Mom did not attend church, but when I almost died as a child I was baptized as a Lutheran.  Only two of my aunts went to church for any regular peroid of time.

One went to the Presbyterian church in Winnebago, Nebraska, where she taught Sunday School until her children were grown.  The other aunt attended a small Baptist church near her.  The family was baptized there.

On my Mom's side of the believed in Jesus, but practiced their faith at home.  Grandma watched Rex Hubbard and Oral Roberts, among other preachers on Sunday mornings.

I once judged them harsher than I should.  I believe in Jesus as my Savior.  He knows who truly  believes and who doesn't.