New name

This Blog is about an hour old and I'm already wondering if I should have named it something else. Indecisiveness...thats what I'm known for. The reason I am questioning it is because this isn't just about "That Ol' Time Religion". Its more about life, in general. To be more specific, its about my life. And, since Pentecostalism has played such a big role in my life... and since it seems to be my biggest interest... I guess "Our Pentecostal Heritage" is as good a name as any. I can always change it (I think), but it'll do for now.

Why Pentecostal? What makes a person become a Pentecostal? Well, I guess the answer to that is as varied as life itself. For me, the Pentecostal Message filled a very big whole in my life at a time when my life was one big hole. My mother had just died... I was living with an alcoholic dad and I was all of 12 years old. Life was not good is all I'll say about that.

It was then that I was first intoduced to religion. Any religion. It just happened to be the Pentecostal religion. Speaking in tongues. Divine Healing. The works. Names, unfamiliar to most, came into play. Names like A.A. Allen and William Branham. Later new words and new phrases were intoduced: Oneness. Water Baptism "in the Name of Jesus Christ", holiness...words we now take for granted to the extent that they have become "watch words" upon which we determine our fellowship with one another.

I guess, in looking back, had I been introduced to the Catholic religion, or the Hindu religion, I probably would have jumped at them as readily. Because any life... or anything that promised a better life...was better than what I had. It just happened to be the Pentecostal faith that snagged me from the life I had been enduring.

As it turned out, the Pentecostal religion was just what I needed. It was, at least to me, a living religion that soothed my hurts and gave me hope...real hope...for the first time in my life. Then I discovered it wasn't just a religion. It was, and is, a way of life. And thats what it is to me to this day... a better, vibrant way to live. Sure...it (like every other facet of life) has its fallings. Its not what it should be... and its not what it use to be, if that makes any sense. It is what it is. And, for me, it offers something I can't find anywhere else. Whats that, you say? Time will tell. But I can say this: Pentecostalism has changed. Thats not a bad thing, really. Times change, people change and, to offer them this vibrant way of living, our message has to change as well.

And thats what scares people witless. Change. Recently, my wife and I have went through some changes... drastic changes. I'll talk more about that as time goes by. But, the point is (thats what I love about "blogs", there really doesn't have to be a point), change isn't something to fear... its not always bad. Thats the thing about God- He can make something we fear...or think is bad... and use it for our benefit. Change doesn't destroy us..our fear of change dooes. But.... change is inevitable. We just have to adapt to it...change with it. So... for now...I'll just encourage you to keep on reading. More to come. Much more.