I was born and raised in the 2×2 Fellowship in Oklahoma by my professing parents. My dad was born and raised 2×2 and my mother “made her choice” when she met him in the 1950’s. Our family is originally from Kentucky. My parents were highly educated - my dad was a Ph.D. statistician who taught at the University of Tulsa. He was the smartest man I ever knew. He could fix anything in a house or car, and you did not want to play Trivial Pursuit against him! My mother was a R.N. who went on to get a Master’s degree in nursing.

My parents never put any real pressure on me or my siblings to profess, and for that I am eternally grateful. When I turned 18 years old I moved out of their house and never went to another meeting again. I’ve come to realize that my parents were more “liberal” than a lot of other 2×2s. Of course we didn’t have television, but we did have a stereo player and computers, even in the 1980’s. I grew up reading voraciously and listening to the vinyl albums they had. My dad liked his Kentucky bluegrass (Flatt & Scruggs, Grandpa Jones, etc) as well as old school country music (Hank Williams, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Johnny Horton). My mother liked Joan Baez, Judy Collins and Stevie Wonder. I have fond memories of listening to my dad, who despite his many talents was profoundly tone-deaf, singing at full volume along to that Johnny Cash song Troublesome Waters, “tossed in the turmoil of life’s stormy sea I cry to my Saviour have mercy on me.” I will always be grateful for them giving me a love of reading and music, as well as giving me my first introduction to Jesus. They were not demonstrative in their affection, but that was the way they were raised. I felt loved and cared for by them, all the way until they passed away a few years ago.

I was allowed to play sports and date girls and have friends who were “worldly”. Sometimes I wonder if this was partly because I was not only a boy but also I was the last kid born in the family. By the time I came along I suspect my parents didn’t feel the inclination to be as protective. My older sisters had much different experiences, although they were allowed to play volleyball and participate in the drama club in school. They never professed, either. As soon as they got their drivers license they got jobs that, somehow, always required them to be at work on Sundays…

Despite my relatively mild 2×2 upbringing, I still carry the burden of not feeling like I fit in anywhere. For years, every Sunday morning and Wednesday night the dangers of the outside world were drilled into us. I felt the usual 2×2 adolescent discomfort of not being able to understand my peers when they would talk about their favorite TV shows, but, more importantly, it made trusting people difficult for me, because I had the additional discomfort of feeling that there was something wrong about the 2×2’s and their beliefs. One night, for some reason, my parents allowed me to go with some other worldly friends to a Baptist revival meeting. During the altar call my friend Stacy pulled me up to the front. I didn’t want to make a scene so I went up there after some initial protest, but I had no idea what to say. All I can remember, when asked by the pastor what I wanted, was whispering with downcast eyes, “I want to be with Jesus”. I felt like I was doing something severely wrong. The pastor must have sensed my fear because he kept asking me if I was okay. I never told my parents about this because I was absolutely terrified.

Despite sitting in meetings and conventions for 18 years, I always say that I learned more about Jesus from singing Christmas carols each year in my public elementary and middle school Christmas pageants. To this day I love traditional Christmas carols and the Christmas season as a time of hope and renewal. I specifically remember a seminal moment when I was in high school sitting in a Sunday morning meeting. It was Easter Sunday, but there was no mention of Christ’s triumphant resurrection by anyone. There were the usual homespun testimonies about being grateful for being in this simple way. It was just another Sunday to them, but it didn’t feel right to me. I remember being mortified a few years later in college, when my worldly girlfriend was simply astonished that I didn’t know what the I.N.R.I. sign placed at Jesus’ head at His crucifixion meant.

While I was an undergrad I associated with the Baptist Student Union, mostly because my older sister who went there before introduced me to them. This was my first real exposure to sincere Christians who were filled with genuine love for Jesus and each other. I will also be grateful for my time I spent with them, even though I couldn’t let my guard down totally around them, either. They were some of the best people I ever knew.

I loved books and history, but I also liked science. I decided to go to medical school. The next 8 years were kind of a blur, but there was one singularly important moment as it relates to the 2×2s. This was the 1990’s when the internet was a new phenomenon. My sister found Cherie Kropp’s Telling the Truth web site and showed it to me. I was astounded to learn that there were a lot of other people who grew up like me. Learning about William Irvine as the founder made so much sense to me from my reading of history, including the Protestant Reformation. To this day I consider Cherie to be the world’s foremost expert on the 2×2’s, and I am forever grateful for her courageous scholarship.

Later I got married, entered my medical residency, and then started a family. During those years I didn’t really think that much about God. but when I learned that I was going to be a father for first time something changed in my heart. I knew I did not want to raise my children without faith, but which faith should it be? I dove headfirst into the Bible and the history of Christianity. With much prayer and study I became convinced that the Catholic Church is the church established by Jesus Christ with the promise that the “gates of Hades will not prevail against it”. I entered the church in 1999, and I have been a joyfully practicing Catholic ever since.

Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.