Christian Heritage

My familial upbringing contributed significantly to the making of who I am. Christian faith was an integral part of our family dynamics. I was raised with a Christian worldview. My parents’ perspective viewed everything including our choices with a spiritual purpose in mind and that we should live our lives that way. We didn’t add on Christianity, we lived it.

My father farmed row crops and orchard crops. We children always worked on the farm. We learned to be careful, responsible, and to think for ourselves. Our family lived simply with few frills. I didn’t resent this. It was a way of life. It made me value hard work. I knew I was well-loved.

Both my parents and all my siblings are lovely people. My father is a man with integrity, an honorable man. Not many come as honest as he is. I have Mother to thank for her encouragement of music, spiritual guidance, and academic support. Both parents built character and responsibility into our lives. They also were rather strict in what they allowed and didn’t allow, as was our church.

Protestant in theology, Baptist in church association, strong in Biblical teaching and personal accountability, we children developed our Christian walk through the home, church, and our college choices. I did see a few chinks in the armor, though. Later I would come to see areas of my Christian identity in a somewhat differing and expanded way. God would bring this to pass in His time.

Christian College

My first venture out of the home was to attend a bible college: Western Baptist Bible College in Salem, OR. During my sophomore year, WBBC became a liberal arts college and changed its name to Western Baptist College, and now it’s Corban University. My major was Christian Education. Music, voice, and art were side studies. I traveled in music groups on weekends–concert choir and Triple Trio–whereby representing the school by performing in supporting churches.

At WBC, I loved the dynamics of being with like-minded peers. All WBC college students were required to complete 30 units of Bible and every student had to pass a Christian Theology test to graduate. Christian service was another requirement. I participated in jail ministries, music ministries, and as a puppeteer. I am grateful for the Bible-based coursework, for it contributed to my life by grounding my faith in spiritual truth.

After college, I returned to my hometown of Chico, California. I immediately began teaching at Paradise Christian school. I broke up with my college boyfriend and started to date a local man. He was a brand new believer from a nonspiritual background. He had become a Christian while stationed at Fort Lewis, WA. We first met at my church in Chico, and later became better acquainted after he was discharged from the Army. We married in 1980. My husband lacked the family/religious structures that played so significantly in my life. Our differences would not bode well for us.

Family and Church

In 1982, I stopped teaching when our first child was born. My husband and I would eventually have five children. I was a stay-at-home mom. I didn’t want anyone else to raise my children even though it meant there was limited resources, and usually there wasn’t much money. Homemaking was what I did for nine years, and it was my favorite occupation ever. In 1992 we lived in Westwood, CA. After being encouraged to substitute teach by my third child’s kindergarten teacher, I passed the C-Best and reentered the teaching field as a substitute on a part-time basis.

Over the years, my little family was always active in the local church. I served in every church we attended, mostly as a teacher. One thing my family of origin had prepared me for was working in the church. I held many positions over the years i.e. Sunday School teacher, Christian Education Director, Women’s Ministries Director, Choir Director, Children’s Church teacher, AWANA leader, Christmas Program Writer-Director, and speaker.

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I know this post was a long recital, but I’m not a young chick anymore and there was lots to say (and I left a lot out). It is kind of nice to tell you some of my life story. I hope it wasn’t too boring.

More next week.