by Sarah E. Pollard

Created on: July 23, 2008

In my forty years of life, I have never officially proclaimed a rebirth date other than the date I was baptized, December 24, 1967. Yes, that would be just 11 days after I was born. I don't feel I could have consciously made a choice to convert at that point. I do believe that my mother's church attendance and daily devotions with my family were part of the beginning of my knowledge of Christ as my Savior. The bible states that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. It states that no one can enter heaven except through Him. Christ is our only way into heaven. Through Him we are saved, not by ANYTHING we do on our own, lest anyone should boast.

Having been raised in a Lutheran family, my brothers and sisters and I were all baptized as infants, then confirmed at 14 years. My father also was baptized as an infant and confirmed at 14. My mother's parents were of different denominations and as a result, my mother had a truer, more eclectic view of what Christ intended for us as believers to proclaim to the world. Her motto, and now mine, was as follows: "It doesn't matter what is written on the door, so long as the gospel is preached within." Nowhere in any of this is there a proclamation of conversion, a being born again, or a day when everything changed. Change is often gradual, and sometimes takes many years.

I have 2 older sisters and 2 younger brothers, and each of us has a different relationship with our Christ and with the earthly church. My oldest sister does not attend church, but keeps an open line of communication with her Christ through prayer. My next older sister has followed in our father's footsteps, completely involved in her Lutheran church, making sure her children are raised with clearly Christian values. While both of my younger brothers fell away from church attendance for several years after high school, they both reinserted themselves about the time they planned to get married, wanting to carry on the tradition of church weddings. Unfortunately, it's not that simple. Becoming active in the church, the older of the two became overwhelmed with responsibilities and pulled away again for a time. The other, the youngest, has been severely tested in his faith and has pulled away from all faith-related situations. He doesn't attend, nor does he keep lines of communication open with Christ in his daily life.

All this I have told you from what I have observed and what my siblings have shared with me. The only true knowledge I have

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