Although I was raised in a church setting (Lutheran), I did not turn over my life to the Lord until I was about 17. I did not know what it meant to be "saved", nor did I have the vocabulary to describe my decision to submit to Him. As smart as I was, I firmly believed I was not smart enough to cope with the trials life presented me. I got down on the floor, my face to the ground in utter defeat, and asked the Lord to come into my life, not as my copilot, but as my pilot--my Master. Needless to say, He has always been faithful to me, looking out for me, guiding me, instructing me, and blessing me richly.

Years later, I came to learn of my Jewish heritage at the same time I was learning more about the Hebraic heritage of my faith. While my Jewishness, as it were, was abandoned by my recent ancestors, I chose to recapture that which is most Biblical. I embraced a better understanding of the Tenakh, the "Old" Testament, and the previously apparent contradictions began to melt away as the Scriptures became wholly consistent and clear.

I have been baptized by water, by Spirit, and by fire. While I am not sinless in my fallen flesh, my sins have been washed clean by the blood of ישוע (Jesus) HaMashiach in the eyes of YHVH the Judge. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! I accepted the call of the Lord and live according to His will (albeit imperfectly!). As a means of temporal, legal recognition of my call into full-time ministry, I accepted Christian ordination and claimed all its rites. I gladly surrender to Him and serve Him to the best of my ability, and I pray He continues to draw me ever closer to Him.