I am a 75-year-old heterosexual, thrice married and divorced woman who, I would have guessed, is a very unlikely candidate to preach the Word but here I am. Despite being baptized and raised Catholic I never practiced “my” religion as an adult. 

My children were not raised in a church family and I’m not proud of that. There often are great benefits to belonging to and having roots in a loving faith family. I did, however, always share my personal very certain yet simple tenets, there is a God, Jesus is the son of God, and there is “life” after death.

The rest… the religious rules and regulations that too often condemned and persecuted any of God’s children who do not share their beliefs, did not appeal to me. Then, around 20 years ago, while channel surfing, I came across a comedian but as I watched, I realized she was not a comedian, she was a preacher named Joyce Meyer. Thus began my journey to a personal relationship with God and an understanding of the Bible as a guide to living a joyful and peaceful life.

There’s more to explain in terms of me, who am I to be blogging on faith, but that is to be continued. 

For today I leave you with this, God welcomed me, a “sinner” by any religious standard, with open arms and he is waiting to welcome all of His children, whomever you are and wherever you are, into a personal relationship with him. Don’t allow the prejudices of religious bureaucracies keep you from Him. Jesus didn’t go to the cross to bring us religion – he came to clear a way for all of us to have a relationship with our loving father God!