The Bible (NASB, NIV, KJV, & NAB), Sun Tzu, The Left Behind Series, Chronicle of Narnia, Oliver North's novels, Panzer Commander by Col. Hans Von Luck, With the Old Breed by Eugene Sledge, The Witness of the Stars, The Case for Christ/Case for Faith by Lee Strobel, Philistine and Saga by Ramon Bennet

Christian Music and Hymns, Country, Celtic, Classical, and Soft Rock.

Cinderella Man, Gladiator, We Were Soldiers, Lord of the Rings, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Black Hawk Down, Judgment, Love Comes Softly, Sleepless in Seatle, A Walk to Remember

Shooting, Chess, message boards and chats

I was born in a Roman Catholic Family but grew up not really caring about what is being taught nor understood why going to church is important (you can call it a typical feeling many kids had). That all changed one day when I began to read the NIV Bible that my mother received on her wedding day and my life changed (1). I have become a moral person reading the gospels, I began to be courteous, friendly, and had a sense of right and wrong.

By the time I was in high school, I began having a liberal outlook on religion but at the same time, thought seriously about becoming a Franciscan Monk. At the same time, I began to meet with members from the Evangelicals persuasion and other religious groups including the Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons. We even had a pair of LDS Missionaries come inside our home because we were curious and intrigued about this, other testament of Jesus Christ (2). I also began studying under the Jehovah's Witnesses.

When I began College, I've become more entrenched in my Catholic religion as a result of a lot of negative talk about the Catholics from the Pulpit of the Witnesses and how a lot or Evangelicals and Protestants always pick on the fact that we have statues, traditions, and believe that we are saved by works. That changed when we met with members of the International Churches of Christ/ICC (aka The Boston Movement).

Now here is the real Authentic Christian Church because they seemed to love one another, brought back Discipleship, and they are in strict keeping with the Bible (they called themselves Disciples). However, little did we know that this enthusiastic group fast becoming known as one of the most abusive Cults around, often targeting College age students who are insecure and naive.

In the meantime, since reading the NIV, I thought I was in the Right relationship with God. I believed that we do have to earn our salvation, not just have faith. After all, didn't Jesus say that we have to surpass the righteousness of the Scribes and the Pharisees (Matthew 5:19-20)? Didn't we have to endure to the End, to be saved (Ibid 24:13)? I resolved never to have any confidence that I was going to Heaven Jesus will say to me “I knew you not!” I knew even then that the kind of gospel I believed in at the time produced Pride, even arrogance (Romans 4:2). Prior to meeting with the Disciples however, I thought I was, so far, safe... but since meeting them, I realized just how much really I needed to work, to assure that I was safe.

“Did you go out and preach, making Disciple?” “Did you sin today? Did you confess your sins?” “Do you want to be a disciple or not?” We, as the members of the ICC faced those questions constantly from our Disciplers and to ourselves. We wanted to please our assigned mentors and our leaders not to disappoint them. Some have left the cult, and so we believed that like a Finger cut off, it will rot. Whoever has left will likely be damned for eternity. In fact, it is not unusual for a disciple and for any Cult to say that “...if you leave this church, you have lost your salvation.” They have often used that line to scare and threaten members to stay with them (3).

My brother and I stayed in the Cult for 4 months but thankfully, an ex-member reached out to us (many aren't so fortunate). We knew her before, she was a member, but she left soon after. Through her, we met with a Counter Cult minister, part of “Mission in Action” and before long, we left that Cult learning about this new Gospel, which is not really new, but it is truly revolutionary to me because for the first time in my life, I know that if I die one day, I will be in Heaven but not because of anything I have done, but because of what He did for me at the Cross (Titus 3:5). I am truly Saved. I no longer HAD to repent, make disciples, love God and others under a threat of eternal damnation, now I do those things because I love Him and that He first loved me and have died for me (1 John 4:19).

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Footnotes and Site
1. New International Version (NIV) is a popular easy-to-read version of the Bible. It is a cross between Word-for-Word literal versions such as the King James Version, New American Standard Bible (NASB) etc, and the Paraphrase, Thought-for-Thought version like the New Living Translation, The Message etc.

2. Initially we have had an interest in being Mormon but because the LDS didn't believe in the Virgin Mary, the way we did as Catholics [in terms of devotion, and the belief that she remained as a virgin and without the Adamic nature
(sin nature) in order to bore the Son of God], we had to turn them down.

3. www.reveal.org is a non-denominational/secular site about the International Churches of Christ in it's history, practices, abuses, and accounts from former Members of that Cult.>