My Journey of Faith
When I was a little girl, my parents took me and my family to church every Sunday morning. I went to a good school where I received fine religious and moral training. I will always be grateful for all my teachers taught me about God.
When I reached my junior and senior year in high school, I wanted to explore other religions, mostly eastern faiths. I was a very "trippy" kid, always into this trip or that trip. Environmentalism, anti-war demonstrations, vegetarianism, meditation - I tried them all. I wasn’t a very obedient and respectful daughter.In fact, I was downright rebellious. This was a hard time for my parents. How they loved me through those years is a miracle. I certainly wasn’t very nice to them.
When I went away to college, I quit going to church. The holidays rolled around, and I bought 25 Christmas cards and stamps. I had chosen 25 names out of my address book. Hmmm, I thought, who should I send the 25th card to? I closed my eyes and flipped through my book, plunking my finger down on a name. I opened my eyes to read the name of Diane DiVito, a friend of mine from high school. It turned out that Diane was living in a little cabin in the woods in Miranda, California, which was just 50 miles south of my college town. We decided to get together at my place. We had a blast, playing music, partying, and drinking, but finally it was time for her to go home. "Next time, you come to my place," she suggested. I agreed. She came to pick me up in her van on February 10, 1972, and she took me to Deliverance Temple in Eureka. Diane had already begun her journey of faith and she was determined to take me along. As I sat in the church service, I was absolutely overwhelmed by the loving presence of God and His Holy Spirit. I could actually see and feel that Jesus Christ was among these people. I began to cry as I realized that I was a sinful person, and had not been able to find the love I had been seeking in so many ways.
The preacher spoke words of truth from the Bible and pointed me to the One who could forgive my terrible sins and give me a new life. When he gave an invitation, I raised my hand and went forward. Jesus Christ came into my life on that day and washed my heart clean of all the badness. He gave me a new life. Diane began to teach me about the things that pleased God, and the things that He didn’t like. I hitchhiked back to that church many times to receive more teaching. I began to grow in my faith and was baptized.
One day I came to a crossroads. I was still hanging on to a lot of my old friends and habits. On the other hand, I was trying to be the woman God wanted me to be with my new Christian friends at church. I realized that I had no peace, because I hadn’t really made a choice to follow Jesus 100%. Finally, one day on the beach of the Pacific Ocean, with only God as my witness, I made my decision. I wrote the name "JESUS" on the sand. I counted the cost. I decided to give Him my all, and completely surrendered my life to Jesus. Peace flooded my soul.
That was over 52 years ago, and it has been a wonderful journey of faith, growing in Jesus Christ. My favorite book is the Bible. I read it every day, learning what pleases God. I truly try to live by the words of this Book. God has helped me to grow from a self-centered, selfish person, to a woman who wants to do God’s will and help others to know Him. He has done so much for me and my family. I just want to give Him praise forever. It is my hope and prayer that your journey of faith will lead you to Jesus Christ. He is the one who loved you enough to die for you on the cross so your sins can be forgiven. He is the one who rose from the grave so you could have the power to lead a new life in Him. If I can help you to grow to know Jesus better, please send me an email on the contact page.