You’d never guess it by looking at me now, but I did not grow up in the Church. I was raised by two thoroughly non-religious parents, who were suspicious of organized religion and never really mentioned God. My introduction to Christianity happened by accident when I was ten: my best friend, who was Roman Catholic, invited me on a playdate on a Sunday. For logistical reasons that I no longer remember, it was easier for her parents to pick me up before church. I had no idea what church entailed, but I gamely went along. In an unexpected twist that surprised me as much as anyone else, I had what can only be described as an epiphany. God happened to me. I fell in love with what I saw, and heard, and felt in that sanctuary. I came home from my playdate and astounded my mother with the announcement that I wanted to be baptized immediately. Read more…