"Recollections #3 - My First Sunday In Boot Camp"

These words of David have meant a lot to me for many years because they tell me of a God and Father who wants me to succeed - but I have to pay attention:
"Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant." Psalm 25:8-10 NIV
Every day of boot camp was crammed with classes, marching, studying etc, except Sunday, our one day off. My first Sunday there was my first time ever to not "go to church" as I had done all of my 19 years. I learned that there were church services for Protestants, Catholics and Jewish folks, but no "Church of Christ". Since I had no real idea what a "Protestant" was and knew I wasn't Catholic or Jewish, I decided not to participate in what was clearly not a "Church of Christ". Having been reared in a well meaning but short sighted tradition that "condemned" everyone but "us", I took the first tentative step that would lead me in a wrong direction. From then on I would follow a downward path away from God for the next 3+ years.
My grandfather had warned me before I left home that he feared I would get away from home and end up in a bad place. Over time I came to realize this was why he tried to bribe me to continue my college education in the safer environment where I had grown up. But, what he didn't realize is this was something I HAD to do for me even though there were risks involved.
In my Dad's house there was no tolerance for cussin', drinkin' and wild livin'. So I grew up with little knowledge or experience of the world outside the safe "bubble" that kept me away from much of the world's evil. I'm not complaining about it nor even being critical of that lifestyle, but as a young adult I truly believed I could make good decisions for my own life. Within a few weeks at boot camp however, I began to think, talk and act like virtually all of my shipmates, proving my grandfather's fears to be true. It would get worse.
Eventually God would rescue me but I had a long way to go before I was ready to truly hear him again.