Wow! Not sure how that works converting to Judaism after being a Christian. We know that Jesus Christ's death on the cross was the final sacrafice for our sins. With that we have direct access to God. My thoughts of different religions is as long as you believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins and through belief in him and that he is Gods son and that you have committed your self to follow his ways then I will see you in heaven one day.
I will not say anymore on this though because I respect your honesty with me.
May I ask some questions though.
Why are you getting a divorce? is it due to your converting?
I am sorry for your divorce. This is not something that I am a fan of. I know, I went through mine and ugh, it sucked! That sounds hypocritical I know. Sharron would have filed with or w/o my consent. I tried for 6 months to fix what ever it was that was wrong. I still don't know why it happened and it has been nearly 10 years now.
Why do you not want to tell your friends about your conversion? Do you think they would turn away from you? If so, they are shallow friends.
Sorry, that just came out and I don't want to wash over things like that.
Okay now on to me.
Kim my second wife and I have been married now for 61/2 years.
I lost my job of 14 years last April. It toook 6 months to find a new one. God found this for me. It was not of my doing but his. To Him be the glory for my new job.
Lillian my 19 year old step daughter is still here at home and will be starting beautician school in April. Tried college away from home and didn't like it.
Marly my daughter is 13 and only a couple inches shorter than me. She lives with Sharron 55 miles away. She wants to come live with me and that might be something we pursue this summer.
Kim and I and Marly will be going to Cab San Lucas with my Dad and Sisters family April 2nd. We are all looking forward to this trip. Get away from the wind, snow, sleet, rain, damp weather days.
Softball season is gearing up though. I am signed up for 3 leagues. Hopefully I will have a winining season in 2 of them. The 3rd is through my church of which I am the coach. Our goal is to get a sportsmanship plaque again for the 7th year in a row. We have 4 1st places and two 3rd place.
If I have not crossed your line for me to be your friend go ahead and request me. If I crossed it, I am sorry. I would very much like to keep in touch with some of my family from California.
Hope this finds you well.
Kraig
All through my upbringing the impression was that Christians knew and understood the Bible far better than the Jews of today. It disturbs me to no end that I was raised to think that (somehow) Jewish people don't understand their own Bible--that they are somehow ignorant or illogical when it comes to understanding the facts about Torah--whether it is about the origination, authorship, efficacy, understanding, history, or basic exegesis of the text. To me the absurdity falls on the non-Jew. What seems most logical is that if you really want to understand Torah, it is essential that you would go to a Jewish Rabbi who studies (in Hebrew), lives and embodies Torah everyday--in deep, spiritual traditions and in lifestyle of mitzvot! It is the subtle sophistry of my Christian upbringing that propels the lie--a form of antisemitism, I think.
What is more, I have learned that Jews have a RICH grasp of a personal relationship with G-d (without the need for someone like Jesus). So much of what I was taught in my Christian upbringing simply isn't true about Jews and is actually a gross misunderstanding of Judaism. For example, women are actually thought of as being more spiritual than men and women are not denegrated, as Christians have been known to preach and say about the Jewish culture. Another example is the notion of a Savior. What Christians say about the Jews' definition of a savior is not the correct understanding of the Messiah that the Jews are waiting for. The whole concept of redemption and sacrifice as I knew it, is actually a Christian construct, not Jewish. There has always (and only) been the personal relationship with G-d and asking for His forgiveness directly that could absolve any sins. The sacrificial offerings were only used as a physical, concrete act where upon a person felt first hand the severity of the crime. There is so much more to say about the this, but so little space. In a nutshell, when comparing apples to apples, Christianity is to Judaism what Mormonism is to Christianity--they each have a totally different set of definitions than the other's "revelation"/"prophecy". To me the most valid is the Original Revelation at Mt. Sinai given to and bound by a covenant between G-d and the Jewish people.
I have read and recommend Asher Norman's book, "Twenty-Six Reasons Why Jews Don't Believe in Jesus". The power of the information in that book, I feel, is that it builds a strong defensive against the campaign to pull Jews (specifically) away from their faith/Judaism (and spiritual heritage) and the campaign to also discredit Jews and Judaism in general. I am against disparaging campaigns that work to create a schism within Judaism. Jews have and must cling to the truth in the One and only true G-d.
Also a quick reference guide online is http://www.jewfaq.org/index.htm
I typically don't tell anyone in the community that I am converting simply because I prefer that people get to know me for who I am inside and not by any label, superficiality or even positive prejudices (much like a child of a Celebrity). Jews, actually, for the most part revere converts because they are viewed as having to overcome so much adversity--converts are highly respected for their spiritual adeptness. Many people in Torah were converts. Ruth was a convert as well as many others.
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