In the early years of my spiritual journey, I often heard people pray, “Lord, get him!” —sometimes with judgmental vindictiveness. This troubled me, but I didn’t know why. One day my eyes fell on St. Paul’s words and the Holy Spirit caused me to see something I’d been blind to: it is the kindness of God that brings us to…
Many years ago, I dreamed the following dream. I believe it was metaphorically depicting the nature of the journey that the Spirit of God was inviting me to. “Jump,” the Voice behind me urges. Filled with apprehension, I look out the window. A sea of rooftops stretches into the distance. I understand that this unseen Voice wants me to leap…
Looking back over your life you can find numerous clues to your potential destiny, like your favorite childhood game, gift, fairy tale, book—or song. Accordions were all the rage in our town in the early 1950s. So despite my brief sojourn with the cello (broken) and my inability to warble “Jesus Loves Me” on key, I convinced my Dad to…
When we began our spiritual journey, it was really exciting. One blessing after another fell on us. We just couldn’t praise God enough. Our hearts filled with joy and enthusiasm because we saw the power of God at work in our lives and in our friends. By the way, enthusiasm means to be overflowing with God. Our Christian walk was…
After beginning our spiritual journey, we were learning to go to Jesus in every situation—fishing, parking, shopping, moving, buy a house, painful moments, longings. God seemed to meet us every time. Here are four of our experiences with a living God. The wild Ferris wheel ride One day, my husband, Jerry, shared how he felt anxiety whenever the airplane he…
The still, small voice urged, “You need to be baptized again.” Why? I wondered. I’d already been baptized twice, once as an infant, and again when I was twelve. But since I was baptized in the Holy Spirit, I’d become more sensitive to these intuitive knowings. And I knew their importance—if I wanted to know God’s peace, joy, and righteousness…
Shortly after I began this spiritual walk, I started to sense different things. Some of them gave me joy and anticipation, while others brought discomfort and pain. Like the day I suddenly felt an inner prompting to return two books to my high school back in Michigan. Ouch! I didn’t like this. These books belonged to me, I thought! Yet…
Shortly after moving into our new home in Massachusetts, I received a letter from a friend in San Diego. She wrote, “Judy, God is going to give you someone special very soon.” My heart quickened with faith and expectancy. I needed this word from God. I had been feeling very alone, far away from the support of our friends on…
Walking toward Longfellow’s Wayside Inn in Sudbury, Massachusetts in the spring of 1963, I suddenly knew that some day we’d live here in the Boston area—where the battle for freedom, the right to rule ourselves, had been fought and won. I’d just disembarked from our sightseeing bus, loaded with chattering young women, when I sensed this inner knowing. We were…
The pain was excruciating, I couldn’t sit long. On our home-buying flight to Boston, I had to lie on the floor of the airplane. Now in the doctor’s office I heard, “There is nothing I can do for you. Your pain is probably caused by deep varicose veins. I am sorry, but the only thing I can give you is…