I am a passionate follower of Jesus.

That was not always the case. Growing up, I was raised and went to both grade and high schools as a Catholic. I remember learning that I was to love God and love other people. I married as a teenager, was divorced in six months and of course according to the church I could not be a Catholic anymore. I met some nice people in a local Baptist church and pursued my belief in Christ as got to know Him more personally. I read somewhere that the Bible said that Jesus, God’s son, came to earth to die for me so that I could know God personally and somehow it stuck with me.

Since then, I have been part a few other churches that my heart felt more comfortable with and they did not have a lot of “dos and don’t” rules. I struggled with the fact that my original church said, “If you don’t believe exactly what the church teaches, you will not go to heaven” I thought Geez, “would the God I know, not let me into heaven because I broke a couple of rules?” My relationship with Him did not allow me to believe that “No Way!”

After I finished college in the late 70’s, I worked as a musician and I continued to practice my faith. Sometimes I back slided with various relationships and did not truly let Him guide me. Finally at some point in my 40’s I figured out to ask God to forgive me and make Jesus the “helmsman” of my life. I didn’t get struck by lightning. Nothing bad happened. Until a few days later when I went to a church service with my friends. The Bible was alive! It all made sense. Everything seemed to come together and I found that my spiritual belief was so relevant to my life! I was now a child of the living God. Not because of my good works — his standard is perfection, I am nowhere near it — all I had to do was accept His gift of love for God in Jesus. I learned the following:

• God loves you and offers you a wonderful plan for your life.
• Man is sinful and separated from God. Therefore he cannot know and experience God’s love and plan for his life.
• Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for man’s sin. Through Him you can know and experience God’s love along with His plan for your life.
• All of us must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God’s love and plan for our lives.
• I should not and will not judge, or I will be judged, so all religions are OK with me. When you ask God for forgiveness for something that you know was wrong, He has already forgiven you.

So, I believe that the Bible is completely true (King James version my favorite).  I believe that a person can only be made right with God by trusting in His one and only son, Jesus, who died for our sins (he did not have any) and rose again (what we call Easter). Jesus is alive at this very moment. Now, I do things hoping to please God out of gratitude for the forgiveness he has given me by my faith in Jesus not hoping he will let me into heaven. It is a life of freedom and purpose.

After failing at a few marriages it wasn’t until my 50’s that I became spiritually strong and am better prepared to give advice on what a good relationship is made. We have 3 grown children and 3 grandchildren. What possibly more can I ask God to bless me with and to leave me feeling so content?

However, I will always recognize and respect your beliefs.