.Real.Greg.Lee.

Diane Kolarczyk (gotta love “The Region” names!) was baptized Sunday by her friend Susan.  I love hearing people’s stories and she took the time to write hers out so she could share the change in her life with all of her friends.  I asked her if I could share it with my friends too. Here it is…in her own words.

From as far as I can remember, God has been a part of my life. As I grew up in our home and in my school and in my church, God was there. I had no doubts. I simply believed.

As I got older I had more questions. I found that I didn’t agree with the rules of the church and I knew that if you didn’t follow the rules you weren’t a good Catholic and good Catholics went to heaven.

Over time I moved further and further away from Church but when the chips were down, times were bad, I was scared, I always turned to God. He was my rock.

In 2003, my best friend died after a 7 year battle with breast cancer. The morning of her death I was sitting on the front porch with her 7-year-old son. We were both crying. He said, “ Di, I never thought it would happen.” I said, “Connor, I know exactly what you mean.” And I did. That was the day I walked away from God. I was done with Him.

In those next years, I didn’t feel like I was the same person anymore. I felt like a part of me was gone. Rachelle took it with her when she died. More years went by and not only did I not feel like myself, but I began to feel more and more lost. My friend Sue would share her faith with me from time to time. She encouraged me to join her at church. I did occasionally but nothing ever made an impact. That is until the Sunday we went to a movie theatre and someone handed me a betting chip on my way in. I listened that day to Pastor Greg’s message in a way I hadn’t in a long time.

Sue and I continued to go to Suncrest at the St John campus. I listened more. I sat in a Sunday service and was so overwhelmed by emotion that I thought I was going to have to get up and leave! I realized after hearing the song “Unstoppable” by Rascal Flatts that I was lost because I was no longer whole. And it wasn’t Rachelle that was missing, it was God. He wanted me to come home to Him. I felt as though He was standing in front of me waving his arms and doing everything to get me to come to Him except actually take me by the hand. I had to be the one to choose. So on April 15, 2009, I took my leap of faith and gave myself back to God. The moment I did I felt whole again. I was me again.

At Suncrest I have found a relationship with God. I chose to be baptized to declare my commitment to Him and to my faith. I believe that it is my next step on my journey to a deeper relationship with Him. Each night I pray that I can go “all in” with my relationship with Him. That I will live my life based on the example that Jesus gave us. And that I will open my heart to his Holy Spirit so that it may be filled with love for Him until that love becomes my very foundation.

~ by Greg Lee on September 22, 2010.

Posted in Suncrest