I have been attempting to journal daily, with little success. I decided to start a blog that will serve as my journal, in the hopes that I will publish to a blog more frequently than I would write in a journal. So, this is it.
First of all, I will explain the name of my blog. I was raised in a valiantly Southern Baptist home. My parents were both ministers in Southern Baptist churches, my father a Minister of Education and Youth, and my mother a Minister of Music. As such, I felt an obligation to be a leader among my peers at church, to be extra welcoming to new members, set a great example, and be diligent in my Scripture study.
When I was 20, I met a guy who was a member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. (This church later changed its name to Community of Christ.) He was not active in the church. About two months after we met, my father died. That summer, I read the Book of Mormon, and I could feel my father's presence as I was reading it, telling me that what I was reading was true and that he was in a place where he knew it to be true. I married the guy, and continued to attend Southern Baptist churches, without my husband, although he socialized with the young married Sunday School class, outside of church meetings. About two years after we married, we moved to Wichita, Kansas, where he had relatives, and these relatives were very active in the RLDS church. I decided to join the RLDS church, and my husband began to attend church with me. The next year, our son was born, and I felt my life was great!
Before our son turned three, we had moved back to St. Louis, and divorced. I decided to go back to the Southern Baptist church, and my son was baptized at 9 years of age. My life was not so perfect anymore, but I was content.
Around 2000, missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints knocked on my door. I let them in, told them I already believed in the Book of Mormon, and entertained them for nearly two years. I was baptized on April 27, 2002, and am so happy in my faith. That being said, there are things about the Southern Baptist church that I miss so very much, especially the music. I miss the Sunday night sings, where you could raise your hand and shout out a hymn number, and then the whole congregation would sing one or two verses of that hymn. I miss singing in my mother's choirs. I miss having a pianist and/or organist who has had extensive training and education on the instrument. I miss being looked to as a leader among my peers.
My mother spent a few weeks with me in 2012, from Thanksgiving to the second week of December. Sisters from church took turns bringing her lunch and visiting with her, while I was at work. After Mother left, one of the sisters told me that Mother had told her I was a "misplaced Baptist" and that I could not turn away from my roots and upbringing. That is where the title of my blog comes from.
I appreciate your being here and following my writings. I plan to use this space to talk about things that bother me, as well as things that make me happy. I welcome your comments and opinions.
Have a great day!!!!
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