Life rarely unfolds according to our charts and compass readings.
Raised by an evangelical Christian mother, I was the child who constantly asked questions about God. My course seemed well marked from the beginning. I accepted Jesus into my heart as a child, was baptized, attended Christian schools, Bible clubs, youth groups, camps, and even Bible college. My faith was sincere, and my desire to know God ran deep. Family members affectionately called me “the missionary” because I was always eager to share what I believed.
As the years passed, my spiritual journey carried me through many Christian denominations. Like a sailor exploring different harbors, I found blessings, friendships, and valuable lessons in Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, Charismatic, and non-denominational churches. Each year I revisited my beliefs, carefully studying Scripture and writing personal statements of faith as my understanding grew. Yet beneath the surface remained a persistent desire to understand God more fully and to follow truth wherever it might lead.
Then came an unexpected change in tide.
At forty years old, in 2017, I sold my home, parted with most of my possessions, and moved to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, knowing few details beyond a conviction that God was leading me somewhere new. My goal was simple: help others find God. I launched a small business and settled into life near the ocean.
What I did not realize was that while I thought I was navigating toward God, He was quietly redirecting my course.
Living beside the sea, I spent countless hours studying Scripture. My attention became increasingly drawn to the Hebrew Bible—the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings, collectively known as the Tanakh. The deeper I ventured into those waters, the more questions surfaced. Long-held assumptions that once seemed firmly anchored began to drift.
One discovery led to another. One question opened the door to ten more.
Gradually, my understanding of God, covenant, obedience, repentance, and salvation underwent a profound sea change.
I found myself drawn toward practices rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures, including honoring the Sabbath and observing biblical dietary laws. What began as curiosity became conviction. The currents of study, prayer, and reflection carried me into places I never expected to go. After living in a small beach condo in Myrtle Beach, I sold it, and purchased a sailboat in Kemah, Texas (in cash), to liveaboard full-time. While there, I attended a messianic Jewish congregation, and discovered more Jewish customs and the fascinating layers of Torah.
The journey was not always calm. There were storms of doubt, seasons of grief, and moments when familiar shorelines disappeared from view. Yet there was also a growing sense that God was guiding me through deeper waters than I had ever known before.
Eventually, after years of study and soul-searching, the proverbial seas parted in 2020, I embraced Judaism and formally converted to Reform Judaism in 2021, an eternal decision I never imagined for myself.
By 2025, I returned to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and am an active member of a Reform Judaism congregation. I continue to study Tanakh, learn from Jewish teachers, worship God, and seek His guidance. I remain grateful for the many friendships and experiences from my Christian years, even as my spiritual voyage has taken me in a different direction.
Looking back, I find it remarkable that I named this ministry Flip Flop Fellowship years before realizing how dramatically my own beliefs would be turned upside down. The name became a fitting reminder that growth often requires us to leave familiar shores behind.
This website is a record of that journey.
Whether your own faith feels steady as a lighthouse or uncertain as a boat navigating fog, my hope is that these reflections encourage you to keep seeking, keep learning, and keep listening for God’s voice.
The ocean is vast. Truth is deeper still.
There is always more to discover beyond the horizon.
~Carrie Renee
