A Life Transformed by Moving from Simple Belief to Full Discipleship

I'm thankful for the assurance of God's daily presence in my life and the gift of eternal life in Christ my LORD.

I have been a believer for most of my life. However, I have not always been a disciple. I grew up in a Christian home with loving parents. Although money was very tight, we never lacked in any area of basic need. I married a wonderful man and we attended college together and had many opportunities through our professional careers. We were blessed with two amazing children and three beautiful grandchildren. Life was pretty good - a few disappointments now and then but overall things moved along in a consistent manner. A new chapter in our life unfolded soon after retirement. Together my husband and I began to take better care of ourselves - mind, body and spirit. We began to study (not just read) our Bibles and became hungry for God's Word. We began to live a healthier lifestyle and moved from being overweight to healthy. Little did we know God was preparing us for the greatest trial for our lives. Our 28 year old son died unexpectedly in 2011. All of the sudden, our family was shattered. At this time our daughter was also facing serious health concerns as well as great challenges in her personal life. Our son's death and the challenges our daughter faced left us broken. In our deep despair, God brought us to a new level of trusting Jesus. There was no surviving on our own. When we didn't know how to pray, God's Holy Spirit intervened. We have been given supernatural strength to move forward despite our grieving hearts. I am amazed everyday by God's grace and love. I am thankful to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. I know my son is in heaven and the assurance of salvation fills me with gratitude and has transformed my life from trying to "fix" the problems I face, to totally trusting Jesus. I have seen the power of God in how he is leading my daughter to trust Him in all aspects of her life and in bridging the divide that separated us.

I rest confident in the truth of God's Word. His constant, abiding presence through the in-dwelling of His Holy Spirit, assures me of His love for me. I eagerly yearn for home!