I'm Jim, I'm the new guy

Okay, so I'll start with my customary introduction. I attended the Rock ISU and Stonebrook Ames from 2005 through 2010. I made a few mistakes and broke a few rules. I made a few friends and mouthed off at a few people whose bubbles needed a little bursting. But I'm flabbergasted at the recurring themes here. Maybe I'm lucky but I never caught the same kinds of disrespect that many of you appear to have received. I was welcomed warmly and retained eagerly, even when the Stonebrook folks figured out that I was only going for the donuts (a metaphor I used when attempting to court a girl there; it went as well as you might predict) and when I stopped supporting missionaries (a fact that I mentioned when I told said missionaries that I'm an atheist and that I don't regret the money I gave them and that I want none of it back).

I stopped going when I realized that education, not playing at religion, would get me out of the rut my life was in. I enrolled at DMACC and fell into a new job. I wrote a plan for my life. I made new friends. One job went to suck and another one took its place, up a progressive ladder of awesome. I got arrested (I'm not shy about that) and the intake officer asked me my religious preference. I told him that I'm an atheist.

I get the feeling that GCM would want me back. I won't go back, but some of the friends I made there will be my friends till they say otherwise. I have no intentions of disconnecting with anybody just because they attend a GCM church. But I feel for all of you who had these horrible experiences. I've tried to conduct myself with integrity, neither cruel nor cowardly, and to make amends when I make mistakes (I hope that sounds familiar to most of you). That's why I use my real name and don't need anonymity. If I've hurt you in the past, tell me. I accept all calls and all callers.