My Journey

My spiritual journey began in April 2016 when I had a near death experience, resulting in an intense supernatural experience and awakening after which I can truly say, God is real. Jesus is real. The afterlife is real. 

Soon after that event, I was plunged into what is known in Psalm 23 as "the valley of the shadow of death," and experienced a "dark night of the soul," and I was forced to review what I was doing in my life and why I was doing it, like it or not. I was 46 at the time, so making changes wasn't easy. 

Nearly everything in my life was screaming change as I traversed this dark valley, but it was mainly my job, my relationships, and my health that came to the surface. This downturn seemed odd to me because usually, from what I've read about other people's stories, these types of personal experiences result in a newfound joy and revelation. Not for me. I was in a pit of hell and knew there was only one way out - to surrender, including my ego and give it all to God. 

As a result, I got plunged into physical and spiritual isolation, what I now call my incubation period, where I prayed, studied, wrote, and developed a deep and intimate connection with God that both strengthened and humbled me. I felt ready to renew my mind and life in Christ. I suddenly had a deep desire to study and learn Scripture and the spiritual principles and instructions that are gifted to us, to renew my mind in Christ, and to know God on an intimate level. 

Since then, I've been writing and praying my way through the wilderness and the darkness of isolation and have kept records of my reflections and prayers during this time as well as my experiences with God's eternal and living word guiding my way. 

This is not an easy path to take up. I had no idea what I was getting into and how much there was to learn and how much I didn't know. I had barely read the Bible before (since my Sunday School days) and had no idea which books were from the Old Testament and which were from the New Testament. There were many books I'd never even heard of before.  But I was determined to learn God's word as well as my purpose for His Kingdom. 

When I began my work in spiritual development, I found that there really is no end in sight. That, in my opinion, is the beauty of the spiritual path. Even the battles can be beautiful when you know God is in them with you. He is fighting with you and for you. Do not be afraid.

As I was getting started, I received a lot of help from several faith-based resources when I needed it most and was encouraged by God's promises and the strength that we all have in Him. I set out to learn as much as I could. The more I learned, the more I knew I wanted not only something more but something greater. I wanted to be enlightened in my walk with God. I could feel deep in my soul that I was meant to understand more, and on a deeper level than was currently available to me.

From that point, I embarked on my own individual path asking God, together with the Holy Spirit, to guide me to the spiritual teachers I was ready for, and to the ones I needed for the higher level I wanted to get to. 

I had many questions. Why is the world the way it is? Why do people hurt us? What should we do with the evils of the world that we are susceptible to? Why do good people suffer from alcohol, drug, sexual, physical, mental, and emotional abuse? Is God in all of this? 

I surrendered my studies and beliefs and searched for answers wherever I thought I would find them. And now I am here to thankfully and undoubtedly say that my journey led me right back to God. What I learned is that not only is God real, but so is the enemy.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 

who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) 

It's an honor for me to finally be able to step out of my comfort zone and step out in faith and share my thoughts on this journey with all my heart and soul. I've always believed that our challenges are our testimony, and I hope that the experiences I share can help shine a light on the path to God, even through the darkness.

I hope that through writing about my own battles and experiences I can help guide others on their journey toward, as well as get through this life with God.   

As we read in Ecclesiastes 8:1, "To everything there is a season...," and there is a feeling deep within my spirit that says this is the season to share my journey of the last several years.  

The most painful part of my intimate path with God has been the dissolution of the ego and to be born again in the Spirit. In order to connect with the Divine and our own divine nature, our ego must be lowered, and we must humble ourselves before the Almighty God. This is not only necessary, but ongoing, as we operate in the flesh as human beings. 

As we connect to the Divine, and the Divine in ourselves, the ego (lower self) will fight to stay comfortable in matters of control, pain, mindset, etc. This is probably the hardest work we could take on, and I'm here to say that yes, it is painful, and yes, it's possible! (There's an upcoming blog post about this subject, so I won't go too much into it here.)  

I found that there's an unexpected irony in this journey -- the closer we get to God, the more difficult things become. I can attest that embarking on a path to strengthen my relationship with the Lord has been the most difficult thing I've ever done, but also the most rewarding. But I am still here - thriving, evolving, and called to share! 

As the journey to evolve our soul is a never ending one, I continue to search for God's meaning and understanding every day, and I'm amazed at what I continue to learn. 

I understand that sometimes the journey can take us by surprise. If someone had told me even a few years ago that I would be doing this, I would have given them a blank stare. "A man’s mind plans his way [as he journeys through life], But the LORD directs his steps and establishes them." (Proverbs 16:9). The key is to press on through and not give up. There will be times when it's dark and you think you're not making progress, but I assure you that as long as you're in communion with God, you are making progress.

Finally, I want to thank you, again, for being here and for being part of this community! I have come to believe that there is a divine reason for going through trials and tribulations in life, and I believe that those of us who do go through these difficulties are being prepared for something greater.

Perhaps we were born for such a time as this. (Esther 4:14)

In continuing my service to the Kingdom, I'm working on a podcast to go alongside this blog. I can't believe it, but I'm also working on my first book to help others pray through the dark valleys. Thank you and stay tuned!