Introduction + Questions about Faith

[Infinite]

This is my first post so please do bear with me if this is the incorrect section or topic for this forum; I have been seeking a faith community for a while in which I could provide and receive insight into the many problems and questions facing us today.

For those of you who care, I suppose I wanted to introduce myself first and foremost as that seems to be the norm on this site; my name is James, I am a 16-year-old male living in Alberta, Canada, and I am currently in Grade 12 of distance-learning, planning to take Computer Engineering with a specialization in Network Architecture, or possibly Biochemical Engineering with a specialization in Pharmacology. Currently, the most important thing to me is building myself a community surrounded by other men and women of faith, in order to assure that I can have a sense of direction and morality going forward with my faith. I spend the majority of my time on my schoolwork as the requirements for the faculty of engineering in my city at the University of Alberta are very competitive; my favorite subjects are Physics and Chemistry. As for my life, I currently have a part-time job in web development and data entry in a local company specializing in health products, a position I am sincerely grateful for as I find myself in a community that accepts me and gives me work in which I thoroughly enjoy. Throughout the time I am free, my favorite hobbies are computer programming and marksmanship, though I primarily enjoy the outdoors. My biggest goal in life is to immigrate to the United States of America, a country and lifestyle that I have been obsessed with from a very young age. The majority of my memories from when my father was alive were memories visiting the USA, and my admiration for this great nation will never, ever leave me; my main motivation for working hard before finding God was the desire to move to the United States. I also love the lifestyle and traits that the rural community around the Bible Belt exhibits, and I have always considered myself one of them, despite living in the city.

Anyway, I wanted to ask a few questions to the community around here to gain some insight into the lives of others. Please feel free to answer any of my questions, and Godbless!

TLR:

1. Throughout your day-to-day life, in what ways do you actively pursue God and your relationship with Him?
2. What role does the God, and then additionally the Bible, play in your life?
3. How do you avoid falling off the path God desires for you, especially when surrounded by those who are far from him?
4. How do you surround yourself with a community that encourages and catalyzes your ability to pursue God?
5. When and where were you when you truly had that discovery of your relationship with God?

 

[Ada Lovelace]

I'm happy to be the first to roll out the welcome mat for you, James!

Hi, I'm Ella and am a college student.

I appreciate the mini autobiography you've provided for us in your introductory post because it has given us insight about your faith, personal hopes, interests, and career aspirations. You seem very impressive! My older brother majored in bioengineering and computer science, and those fields are of interest to my younger brother as well, and my dad is a physician who transitioned into biotech. You'd probably be able to participate with more gusto in some of our dinner table discussions than I, ha. I do share their interests, but am not as naturally gifted in STEM. One of my favorite classes in high school was pharmacology, and in college I've forced myself to take biostatistics and courses on structural biology and medical research because they pertain to my passion of advocating for public health. I was intimidated by the courses but am so grateful for the opportunity to have taken them, not just for the knowledge gained but because they forced me to really exercise my perseverance. If you start any threads about topics relating to pharmacology, biochemical engineering, or network architecture please send me the links and I'll try to participate in them.

This section tends to gather dust, so please don't be disappointed if you don't receive many responses here. There are very few younger participants who are active on this forum, and this section is age-restricted. One of the reasons I joined CF was specifically to interact with those I typically wouldn't engage in informal discussions with in person or on my social media- older adults and those who live in areas very different from my own (LA and now Silicon Valley) and hold ideas and beliefs that I don't regularly encounter - because I think it's beneficial to expand your range. Sadly some of the best participants in science discussions are no longer active here. There were actually people here who were genuinely helpful when I was studying for my AP Bio exam.

I'm on a flight and we're preparing for landing so I will hold off on answering your thoughtful questions for now.