Aug 15th

Blended Faith

by @nateriggs

blended-familyI was baptized and confirmed as a Lutheran.  What’s interesting is that I’ve recently made the decision to start the RCIA process and join the Catholic community.  It just fits.

Sarah and Jacob are what you would call “cradle Catholics.”  They were born into the Catholic faith.  Sarah is very strong in her faith and she’s helped to guide me back to finding my own connection with God.

Kaden’s mom is cradle Methodist.  She and Kaden attend church regularly, with Kaden having been baptized in the Methodist church.

My one set of grandparents spent their entire lives worshiping and serving their fellow parishioners in the Methodist church.  Maka even directed the choir for many years.  Earlier this year, she was buried as a Lutheran.

My other set of Grandparents spent nearly their entire lives in a Lutheran church.  Politics, questions of human values and a few crumbled relationships led them to leave a few years back.  Today they experiment with different area churches, looking to once again find the right fit.

Faith

Some might say faith is about church, but church is really just a building and a process.  Others believe faith is about building a relationship with God – a connection.  Then I know some folks who look at faith in the context of a community.  I like that idea best.

In the end, none of these are wrong or right.  Faith is personal.  Faith is what you make it and, sometimes, what you need it to be.

Blended Family

I struggle with this one.

Someday, once I’ve earned my place in the community, I will be Catholic.  That means that until Kaden is an adult, and old enough to make his own choice, he will sit somewhere between the Protestant and Catholic churches.  Stuck.  Eventually, Sarah and I will probably have a child together.  He or she will be baptized as a Catholic.  Cradled.

Not many years from now, Jacob will receive the Eucharist in the Catholic church.  Someday I will too.  And unless I decide to make a judgement call and bend the rules, Kaden will never receive communion in the Catholic church.  I often wonder how I will handle that when the time comes.

At times, blended is confusing.

Am I alone in thinking about this?

by @nateriggs

nateriggs

Like what you just read and want to get my posts delivered to your inbox? SUBSCRIBE HERE

More Posts

Follow Me:
TwitterFacebookLinkedInPinterestGoogle Plus

Jump To Comments

Do You Like This Article? Share It!

Related Articles

This Article Is Tagged With:

Join The Discussion!

Comments (9)

  • Pingback: Nate Riggs

  • http://adambudd.wordpress.com Adam Budd

    Even though I was born and raised Catholic (still consider myself one), the differences are so incredibly minimal that sometimes I think it’s more about the label (and the tradition of course, as is in the Catholic church, which I like). But besides that, not a whole lot incredibly different that the average person could identify. All down to personal preference and what you feel most comfortable with (and the specific church can help a LOT!). :)

  • Pingback: Nate Riggs

  • Pingback: Nate Riggs

  • http://nateriggs.com nateriggs

    I agree with that. I think it depends on the type of personality you have and how you come to your own beliefs. Internal and external…

  • Pingback: Ted Williams Golden Voice - Brand Ted | nateriggs.com | Columbus Social Media + Social Media Strategist | Nate Riggs & Social Business Strategies

  • http://www.smallbusinessmarketingsucks.com/ John Tabita

    You’re
    right; faith
    is personal. But it must also be Biblical. Faith
    is what the Bible says it is, not what we define it as. There are
    plenty of verses that talk about it, but if I were to sum them up,
    I’d define faith as simply “believing what God says.”

    I
    just heard a sermon on this topic this past Wednesday, from one of
    the larger churches here in Canton. The pastor talked about how Jesus
    is the author of our faith (Heb. 12:2). As a writer/blogger, I can
    appreciate the analogy. I buy a book, but it’s not really “mine.”
    All I really own is a copy. If I were to scratch out the author’s
    name and replace it with my own, I’d be guilty of copyright
    infringement. 

    In the same manner, my faith is not really “mine.”
    So how can faith be “what I make it”—when I didn’t (make it,
    that is).

    So
    faith is like a book. And like any book, I must read it and let what
    it says get inside me, if I want it to do any good. The more it
    “gets inside me,” the more I believe what God says, even if
    circumstance appear otherwise.

    But
    he’s also the finisher of my faith. So, faith-wise, I’m still in the
    middle of the book and, since I didn’t write the book, I can’t know
    how my faith will look when it ends. I just know that, if I continue
    to trust him, it will be a happy one.

    So,
    being buried as a Protestant, Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist or
    otherwise, doesn’t matter for anything. What matters is living with
    and being buried with faith in Jesus.

    Just noticed this post is a year old, but since you just tweeted it, you got my 2 cents. Thanks for re-opening the topic.

  • Pingback: Nate Riggs

  • Danasullivan

    Thanks for sharing your story about your journey. I’m a cradle catholic –”with issues” as I like to say. As a parent, my feeling is that what’s really important is making God part of your family life. The church you choose to attend is just part of that– at least that’s what i believe. At some point your kids will have to make their own decisions about their faith. All you can do — all we can do — is guide them, set a good example, and..and remember that God is love.