Welcome to John of AllFaith's MyStory
True Stories
That Changed My Life |
Part One: In the Beginning
Greetings and Welcome to MyStory!
From time to time people write in asking questions about me: How did I come to believe as I do and so on. Here at MyStory I touch upon the answers to these questions. In its present form this site remains incomplete. After all how can one present a life in a few paragraphs? As I read it I think, "but what about..." For now however I think it will do.
This site, like all of AllFaith.com is an unending work in process. I've tried to lay out an accurate chronology of my life experiences before but it's quite difficult. From a mundane perspective, this is because I wasn't keeping notes or records and 'my memory ain't what it never was' as the saying goes. However as strange as this doubtless sounds it's also because there were a few periods when time simply didn't follow its normal patterns. I don't know how else to explain it. My chronology will be correct as to series of events and yet when contrasted to other equally certain events the two time lines simply don't harmonize. But I'll do my best and I ask you not to be too critical in this area (although if you were involved in some of these events and can shed light your feedback (and photos) is more than welcome! Plus its always nice reliving past memories.
In a nutshell, I was born in 1957 in North Georgia (you can do the math; I seem to get older every year for some reason so I've stopped counting!). Today I live in the Northern California buttes with people I love.
I grew up in the "Old South" and when I was 12 years old I became a Christian in a small North Georgia Baptist church. When I committed my life to God, I did so with the conviction that I would walk the Path no matter where it might lead. While I have taken a different path than most people in my situation, I remain convinced that for the most part I have been faithful to the personal covenant I made with the God of my understanding in 1969, at Harrell Grove Missionary Baptist Church.
Just to be clear from the outset, I make no claims to knowledge or enlightenment. I freely acknowledge that I am but one of billions of travelers on this endless Path we call life. But if you're interested in my humble opinions, I'm happy to share a bit of what I believe. If you have questions, especially of a spiritual nature, check out my Questions and Answers section. Take what works for you, and leave the remainder on a shelf. You might also check out my Yahoo 360 Blog or my MySpace.
The civil rights struggles of the 1960's played a vital role in my early development as an individual and in my beliefs. It is partly because of the lessons earned from these struggles that my philosophical and religious beliefs have always been more inclusive and my desires have always been for peace and social equality. In this piece I discuss the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement as they influenced my life. How well I remember the day he was shot! Atlanta of course was the home base of Dr. King and his Ebenezer Baptist church. While my family was on the wrong side of the Struggle, it had profound implications on us all.
In 1969 I was 12 years old and began a spiritual quest that has not yet ended. This quest has led me through several religions, philosophies and spiritual traditions. It has taken me to different countries and immersed me in diverse cultures. It challenged many of my Southern Bible Belt assumptions and in many ways knocked me out of my 'comfort zone'. These experiences have shown me how utterly insignificant and yet how absolutely remarkable each of us truly is. I have learned that opposites can be both be true and that absolutes seldom are. My ongoing quest and desire to realize the Truth, has been the guiding light of my life.
And what a year 1969 was! In my life to be sure, but it seems elsewhere else as well! That year many things changed for me. I can honestly say that the things that occurred in my life during that single year determined how the remainder of my years on this rock would go.
It was in the spring of 1969 that I walked to the alter of Harrell Grove Missionary Baptist Baptist Church and gave my life and heart to God. While I wouldn't have worded this way at the time, I understood even then that God utterly transcended my conscious understandings. I knew that I didn't know. And so as I knelt and prayer for God's mercy I promised that I would spend my life seeking Him and His will for my life. The intervening years have convinced me that God heard and accepted that promise.
Just a few short weeks after dedicating my life to God, I was visiting my grandmother in the foothills of the Great Smokies. Early one morning, around three or four AM, I awoke to the strangest sound I'd ever heard. It was a loud whirring sound but it seemed to suck air in rather than expel it. Walking into her living room I found my grandmother, then in her mid-eighties I'd suppose, peering out the window as if hiding yet courageously straining to see something outside. A faint pulsing light, clear to yellowish-blue-red, illuminated the curtains and thickly paneled living room walls.
"Mamaa?" I asked.
My maternal grandmother lived on a small farmstead with no neighbors in sight (other than my aunt's house, which was dark at the time). There were no streetlights or any other source for this radiance, yet it illuminated the living room walls. Hearing me she glanced back, her face a mixture of awe and concern, and said simply, "Their back." When this line was later used in a famous horror movie I almost jumped out of my skin! LOL
I hurried out onto the long front slat porch for a better view. My grandmother, Mamaa, hurriedly tried to drag me back inside. I discuss this experience elsewhere (not currently available), but this was my first UFO sighting. It would not be my last. What these visitors want remains a matter of conjecture, that they are real is a matter of fact, as far as I'm concerned.
Around this same time I also began having a recurring dream that has remained with me my entire life. I don't believe it has any connection to the UFO sightings, although I have considered this possibility from time to time. As memory serves it began a few months after Mamaa and I watched the UFO 'paint' her barn with light. This recurring 'dream' has long haunted me with memories/nightmares of the European Shoah (Holocaust). I am convinced the dream is a true memory of my last life. In the dream I was a Jewish man in my late teens or early twenties. I was from Bulgaria but I am not certain which country I was actually in at the time. What is certain is that my city had recently come under the control of the greater German Reich and that as a Jew that was problematic. Although it isn't possible to fully present the sense of a dream completely, I attempt to do so. My dream is recounted elsewhere on this website. The reality of this memory, for I am convinced it is more than a dream, has given me a sense of peace and courage throughout my life. As I encountered the teaching of reincarnation I immediately accepted it and knew in my heart of hearts that it was true.
In 1969 I also had a vision of my future that I attempt to describe in this section. I believe this vision and the other odd experiences I had in 1969 are all related. This vision showed me seven teachers who would enter into my life and teach me certain critical lessons. I have now met all of them but one. For various reasons described in the piece, I asked God to allow me to die. This vision was part of God's reply to that request. His answer was that if I wanted out He would "take me home" then and there. After seeing what my future held however I chose to remain. Portions of this vision is recounted here.
Also in 1969 I had another significant experience when three men whom I believe may have been 'angels in disguise,' visited our north Georgia church and taught me an important life lesson.
These 1969 experiences marked the beginning of my adulthood and my life's mission. I say "mission" for lack of a better word. I believe we all have a reason or purpose for our existence in this reality, whether we understand it or not. By sharing this with you I am not claiming to be anything special.
Such experiences forever altered the course of my life. I believe that through such experiences God has been leading me all the time. There's a song by Mark Chapman (I believe it is) that says, "I can't believe God is leading me, unless He led me here..." In the same way if I believe God is leading me now, I must accept that He has been leading me all along.
What a short strange trip its been!
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