The Road To Perris

The man who picked me up was named Mark. I knew right away there was something different about Mark, I just couldn't put my finger on it. He was tall and lanky, fair complected with a head of hair that would scare a comb!  He seemed to be a few years older than I, and I was in my early twenties.

Mark began to talk as we headed north on I-5, he was headed to a town called Perris.  As he spoke I knew right away what was different about him, he was a Bible Thumper! Having ridden with thumpers before I told myself it was going to be a long ride as I began looking for distance signs. Just how long would I have to listen to someone beating me over the head with chapter and verse quotes?

Even though I was familiar with churches, meaning how some preachers seemed to say the same things while proclaiming their church to be best church and the only church to save you from hell! Now pass the plate please! I didn't get that from Mark. Mark wasn't talking at me, as a lot of thumpers do, he was talking to me!

The longer he talked, the more I wanted to hear. I became fascinated by his story. A story of a group of people who came together for one cause. A group of people who lived together in one place and shared everything as one family. I thought, only for a moment, why can't I seem to find that kind of acceptance. To relish in a sense of inner peace. Thanks to Mark I found it!

Sunday School Bribes

The rewards for being good in church varied at times. Over the years most of the time I spent with my dad was in Indiana where one of his wives families are from. Time living in Indiana was pretty much divided between the outskirts of Indianapolis, or Ft. Wayne.

Being good in church in Indianapolis meant someone was going to Dairy Queen!  To this day I still reward myself with ice cream, it's just too bad there are no DQ's within twenty-five miles of where I live now.

The rewards for being good at church in Ft. Wayne were toned down but still exciting at times. On occasion we would stop at White Castle! Again not available in my area unless I want to buy microwavable... it just ain't the same.

Dairy Queen and White Castle weren't the only incentives for going to church. We had paper drives on Saturdays in Ft. Wayne.  A small church in Tulsa, Oklahoma offered softball and a chance to sit next to a beautiful girl who was the cousin of a neighbor. In Oklahoma City I went to a church that took us to a buffet after services. There was one that offered pot luck lunches too.

In the early eighties I was introduced to what I consider to be the ultimate in my limited experiences with going to church.  I was hitch hiking in California when a young charismatic man offered me a ride. This was my first time in California and had no clue as to what to expect, or where I was going. I was just hitching a ride.

Background Noise...

I have been thinking about my religious upbringing, or lack there of. As a child, going to church meant getting some type of reward. Needless to say I really didn't go for just the sake of going. I went for the promise of being good during church.

It really didn't matter if we learned anything, it only mattered that we were good. Punishment for being bad was most severe at times. It was a different time back then, my church going years were during the 60's and 70's.

My earliest memories of going to church were with my paternal grandparents. My grandparents were Jehovah's Witnesses...  Let me just say to this day I still have problems accepting or celebrating holidays. I can't find the joy in it. Also there were no rewards going to church with my grandparents.

Over the years there have been other denominations, mostly Baptist, Methodist, and Pentecostal. I can honestly say that as a child the Holy Rollers scared the hell out of me!

My parents divorced when I was just a toddler, and I spent the next several years being shipped from one parent to the other. It's strange how my only memories of going to church were with my father or his family. My father was also married a few times, and with each new step mom came a new church, or so it seemed.

It was during one of my months long visits with him that I began to experience the so called rewards of going to church.

...not to thine own understanding.

The blog title is from Proverbs 3:5.  I'm not sure which version of the Bible it is from, nor does it really matter at this juncture. If you ask me there are too many versions of the Bible as it is. It can get very confusing. Needless to say I don't like being confused.

For years I have wanted to learn the Bible. I even went as far as reading it a couple of times, but I only retained a few key points. My problem was, when reading it, I would read it as a book, front to back, cover to cover, but I wanted more, a whole lot more. Thus I began my search.

Over the years I have spent countless hours searching for a comprehensive Bible study. I soon discovered any study worth doing came with a hefty price tag. Also studies that were free were often to simple, or seemed to only cover the basics. Well my friends, my search is over... I hope. 

I came across a series of books, "the Smart Guide to the Bible". Truthfully, the thing that caught my attention is the fact they resemble the popular "For Dummies" books, and that is what I felt like at times... a dummy. 

I was able to find these books listed on my favorite shopping site (It's the one with the same name as a rain forest in South America.), and in my opinion they were relatively affordable. 

I decided to start my studies with the New Testament, so I purchased "The Book Of Matthew" Smart Guide. Over three hundred and seventy pages cover to cover. It took me two days just to read the introduction.