I was born into a Catholic family. My mother baptized each of her five children at birth and we were later baptized at church. My sister and I were sent to catholic schools through high school. I had all the theology classes you could imagine and was heavily schooled in belief. When it came to religion I knew where I was coming from.

I became disenchanted with the church because of all the hypocrisy that I saw and eventually shunned all of what I termed "organized religion". I was a good person and felt that all I needed to get to heaven was to be good. I felt that people who had religion needed some sort of crutch to get them through life. They were the weak ones but I was strong because in life I knew where I was coming from.

As a teenager I fell into a life of rebelliousness and sin which carried forward until after I was married. I was still more good than bad and I did not abuse my family, commit crimes or get drunk. My wife Judith tried to get me to church but I was still too hurt by my experience with the Catholic Church. Besides I had lots of self-confidence because in my profession as a law enforcement officer I knew where I was coming from.

A good friend named Jim Clemensen turned away from his life of sin and tried to get me to become a Christian. He tried to get me to admit that I was a sinner and I resisted because I felt I was a good person. I almost threw him out of my house and the only reason that I was still polite to him was that we were good friends and although I knew that I was a sinner I also knew where I was coming from.

Then one weekend Judith and I were at a large conference in Oakland, California and there was to be a Sunday morning non-denominational worship service. There were perhaps five thousand people at this service which was conducted by a former Miss America. She was articulate and I thought that she was like me in that she knew where she was coming from. At the end of the service she gave an altar call and several hundred people went forward.

I thought that was nice for them because they needed religion. Then she went through a list of excuses one by one and more people went forward. I'll never forget the moment when she said, "You will not get to heaven on your good works alone." Something inside me snapped and I stood up and said to Judith, "She just called my number." I went forward and Judith went with me crying happily all the way. I confessed that I was a sinner and surrendered my life to Christ. When I did that an incredible peace came over me.

As a Christian I am a work in progress but now not only do I know where I'm coming from but also I know where I am going.
David Lynch