**What is the Meaning of Life?**
		
		Most people wonder, I wonder if there is real 
		meaning to life, an underlying pattern or purpose to it 
		all. I had shut Christ out of my life, no I never let him 
		in, in the first place. I know nothing of him. So I was 
		never sorry for not acknowledging Him or following Him. 
		So what does it take for me to become a Christian? For 
		some people have very dramatic turn around, others 
		experience few or no spiritual feelings. As for me, I have
		just begun. I want to sense the awareness of the Lord's 
		presence and to have peace in my heart and life. I have 
		this inner desire to love God and to please him. Coming 
		to Christ will cost me everything I have. My whole life 
		must be changed, and keep changing to become what He wants
		it to be. 
		
		Jesus Christ has changed the lives of countless men and 
		women over the last two thousand years. People meet Him 
		and are never the same again. Their lives are transformed.
		Christ has so deeply affected His followers that millions 
		have willingly died for Him, and counted it an honor to 
		have done so. Why? Who is this Man who came into the world
		so discrete, yet he can change us so drastically, take away
		our loneliness, forgive our sins, restore and stabilize our
		minds and hearts, and even take us into the very kingdom 
		of God? Jesus Christ died for us, He triumphed over the 
		result of our sin, which is death. He died that we might 
		live. Because of the mercy of God, we therefore read in 
		the Scriptures that salvation is a free gift bestowed upon
		those who are joined to Christ. 
		
		The passage John 3:16 sums it up: "For God so loved the 
		world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever 
		believes in Him should not parish but have everlasting 
		life." Saint Paul reminds us, "The gift of God is eternal 
		life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom.6:23). Through Christ 
		we are born from above through Holy Baptism into newness 
		of life. We are given a fresh start in life, forgiven of 
		all our sins, freed from the hold of evil in our lives, 
		and filled with the Spirit of God to pursue a process of 
		maturity in Christ. His grace to us is a gift. Jesus 
		Christ preached one message. It's called the gospel, the 
		good news, and it is this: "Repent, for the kingdom of 
		heaven is at hand!" (Matt.3:2). To repent means to turn 
		around, to commit one's life fully to Christ, to say "Yes"
		to the Lord and really mean it. And why? Because to enter 
		God's Kingdom there is one requirement. We must be 
		righteous. We repent because we are unrighteous, we come 
		far short of living lives that bring glory to God.I have 
		gone my own way, I have ignored His will and commands for 
		me, I have acted in ways that have damaged other people 
		and some even permanently. Sometimes we turn to God in a 
		pinch, but when things smooth out we return to doing our 
		own thing, and we know it. 
		
		When we first repent, we turn to the Lord Jesus Christ and
		tell Him we are sorry at heart for how we have lived. As 
		sinners, we ask for His mercy and His forgiveness and 
		commit ourselves into His care for the rest of our lives. 
		If the Kingdom of God is worth anything, it's worth 
		everything. We are called upon by Christ to lay down 
		everything that would keep us from entering it, that is 
		why Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to the treasure 
		hidden in a fields. Once we realize the incredible value 
		of that precious piece, we will sell everything we have to
		obtain it. Repentance means, we give up what we must not 
		keep for the incomparable riches of Jesus Christ. This 
		cost to us is the greatest bargain we can ever know.
		Now I am hopping to turn to the Lord in this way to begin 
		my thrilling adventuring process of knowing God!
		
		My next question is, Am I willing to flee to Jesus Christ 
		for protection in His Holy Church, to learn to know Him, 
		to be cleansed and Changed? A new life Christ lies ahead 
		for me. My next step is to know an priest near me who can 
		guide me.

		
		Baptism is a sacrament of Christianity that gives our souls the 
		new life of sanctifying grace by which we become children of 
		God, members of the church, and heirs of heaven. The effect of 
		baptism is to take away original sin and all actual sins, 
		together with all the punishment due to them. It gives us the 
		grace of rebirth and virtues. It raises us to the dignity of  
		children of God. It incorporates us into Christ and his Church.
		It confers on us the baptismal character and the right to 
		heaven. To strive after holiness by renouncing sin and the 
		devil, and by living the faith according to the teachings of 
		Christ and his Church.
		
		
**Meaning of Life part 2**
		
		
		…Am I willing to flee to Jesus Christ for protection in His 
		Holy Church, to learn to know Him, to be cleansed and Changed? 
		A new life Christ lies ahead for me. My next step is to know a 
		priest near me who can guide me.Going to Saint Sava Church and 
		talking to Father Rada, I had about twenty questions to ask him
		after reading the books he recommended. Now what should I do? 
		It's a lot easier to put no effort into being bad than putting 
		a great deal of effort into being good and stay on the right 
		path. Ok so I choose the straight and narrow. All I need is 
		Godparents and a Patron Saint. 
		I have chosen Kathy Miskov as my Kuma and the Archangel Michael
		as my Patron Saint.
		
		This is a day of great joy for me. Baptism is the beginning. 
		Baptism is the beginning of a new life, of an enriched life; 
		of life the way God intended our life to be. Baptism does not 
		take away our free will or freedom of choice, but gives us the 
		freedom no longer to be terrorized or bullied by the devil 
		unless we choose to be. After baptism it is in our power either
		to persist willingly in the practice of the commandments of 
		Christ, into whom we were baptized and to advance in the path 
		of His ordinances, or to stray from this straight way and to 
		fall again into the hands of our enemy, the devil. We must have
		the fear of God in our hearts. This is not to be afraid that He
		is going to send me to Hell. That is not what the fear of God 
		is. The fear of God is the knowledge is whom He is, the great 
		and eager desire to become changed. May it be so that I will 
		become truly changed so that I can start in the right way. Now
		my life is to be lived and to glorify God, and to know Him. I 
		am delighted that you, Kathy will be my Kuma (Godmother); 
		you are required by God and all the angels and Saints to make 
		a commitment to remember me in your prayers and to continue 
		teaching me and be my spiritual guide. Now, I tell you, you 
		have your work cut out for me. Pray for me, pray for yourselves
		and feed yourselves with a dutiful purpose and way of life, so 
		that you can feed me. May it be that we are gathered together 
		here this today, and that we will be in the heavenly kingdom 
		on the last day. I will be blessed and have a fulfilled life. 
		Now to get up and go to church services regularly and be 
		taught to feel one with the holy mysteries with joy and 
		respect. I have to learn to constantly and without fail 
		experience prayer in my home. It is important that I grow out
		of the way I think and the way I live, and what the purpose in 
		life is, as a Christian, how do you prayerfully listen to what 
		is going on in your life? How do you identify the presence of 
		the Holy One? How do you seek God's desires for my next step 
		along my path? The way life is and our relationship with our 
		creator, we sometimes wander far from the center but we never 
		really get lost or fall off the path, we just think we do. 
		Eventually we all get to the center again.

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our 
safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. 
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do you, O prince 
of the heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into Hell 
Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world 
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen

O my most holy lady Theotokos, through thy holy and 
all-powerful prayers, banish from me, thy lowly and 
wretched servant, despondency, forgetfulness, folly, 
carelessness, and all filthy, evil and blasphemous 
thoughts from my wretched heart and darkened mind. 
And quench the flame of my passions, for I am poor 
and wretched, and deliver me from many cruel memories 
and deeds, and free me from all their evil affects. 
For blessed art thou by all generations, and glorified 
is thy most honourable name unto the ages of ages.
Amen.

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