My Spiritual Journey

I often hear people say “I knew I was called to preach the gospel” or “ministry is in my blood.” For many years, even into adulthood, I thought ministry was only about preaching. I did not understand the depth of ministry until I became intimate with God. I realize that those who said they were called to preach are only seeking out a job because true ministry is a lifestyle. My spiritual journey began in early childhood. However, unlike many others who grew up as pastor kids, the long boring years I spent in church services deterred me from wanting to go into ministry. Even into adulthood, I went to church but that is all I wanted to do. I wanted to go to service, listen to the pastor, give my offering, say amen then go home and proceed with the rest of my life. In fact, this cycle and my view about doing ministry continued until my late 20s. As a seminarian looking back on my childhood, I discovered my family’s church habits were the norm for people at that time. My grandmother did not believe women should to wear pants because they were things that “pertain to a man (Deuteronomy 22:5)” and the skirt should always be a modest length. I could not see it at that time, but, unknowingly, while I was grumbling and complaining about my clothes and the time we spent in church, the other believers were instilling biblical values in me that would manifest later in life. My relationship with God between ages 18 and 26 is similar to the people in the last

This paper is written to share my personal spiritual journey. I will discuss the influence my family has had during my upbringing on my religious and spiritual practices. I will additionally share how my spirituality has changed and evolved over time as I married and now have a family of my own. This paper will describe how spirituality has determined and motivated my personality and the adult I have become. This will help me to expound on how my personal spiritual beliefs will establish a respectful, collaborative, and caring relationships with my future clients.

Having a deep relationship with Christ is my goal, every day I strive to reach this goal. If it wasn’t for his grace, love, mercy and kindness towards me then I probably wouldn’t be here today. God has kept me when I was going through my storms, my hardships and my rough patches. Throughout the past year I have learned to trust God and let him take control of my life and help me understand what he wants for me. I got baptized on March 25, 2016 and ever since that day I devoted my life to him. Every day I try to stay in constant communication with God through prayer. My mother who encourages me to devote time to God and many others who have helped me with my walk with Christ. Christianity is not my religion, it’s my lifestyle, being a disciple of Christ and standing out from others. So, that others recognize that I am not of this world, but I remain a child of

This course helped me develop a deeper understanding of my faith and has helped to me progress along my spiritual journey. Before this class I did not really know that much about Christian history and how it developed as a religion. Now, I have learned more about they history of Christianity and better understand it. I also learned more about the Bible, especially the Gospels and the New Testament. I never really knew the differences between the four Gospels and how each one was interpreted and just understood that they were different books of the Bible. Now I understand how each are different from one another, especially the Gospel of John. Also I now know more about some books of the New Testament. I haven’t read the Bible in it’s entirety

I find religion redundant and superfluous. Inevitably, my parent's Mexican and catholic values have contaminated me. While attending church every Sunday is not on my to-do list, I do believe in miracles. I do not pursue a religion, but miracles are real. I know this because I am one. My predators are not bullies or drugs. Instead, my predator is hardship itself. I’ve shaken the hand of death and prejudice, but I yet haven't shaken the hand of my college professor.

When I left treatment for alcoholism in June of 2007, the person who picked me up told me I needed to find a church. He told me it was not about religion, but about spirituality. So the search for my spiritual home began. I looked at fundamental Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism and Metaphysics at Unity. I found my spiritual home with Unity and metaphysics.

I gradually became confused and appealed to God consistently for help to discover an exit plan from my trauma and abuse GreenWave spiritual and -love-ecstasy senses #53. However, there never came protection from the recurring injury in and around me that continued to transpire in daily life. Thus, I began to visit various houses of worship to seek help to heal and a place to escape. Eventually, I became baptized and spent time in summer bible school with a belief this would remedy my situation. I could memorize the required verses from the bible. The part I enjoyed most about those summers was being in nature. It seemed these houses of worship often repeated a story, which since conception everyone was a born sinner. Therefore, by one means or another, this helped to provide hope I could defeat the enormous obstacle home life

An event that made me present to stop and notice was last week. My family and I were going to do our usual Sunday routine and go to church. However, before church my mom and I got in a fight about me not getting a car for my 16th birthday. I was so mad and filled with rage that I would not come down for church. I was eventually forced to get in the car when my new phone was threatened to be taken away. When we got to church a man approached us asking for food . This is a common thing that happens in my parish because my church is located in a part of town that has poverty. However,it had never happened directly to my family and I. My mom had me run inside the church to get him a food gift card. As I handed the man the gift card I realized that

Chan makes an effort in his book to talk deeply about theology and spirituality and integrate them together. He points to me issue with my spiritual reading. He mentions that our Bible focus on clarifying the meaning of the text first before applying it to life. He points out that spiritual reading should be concerned with the Bible as the Word of God that calls us to God. Therefore, I should change my approach to the reading. I should always remember to have this question in mind when having spiritual reading - “how does this particular text tell the Christian story of which I am a part” (p.159)? Also I have to be disciplined in my spiritual reading to have “openness to God, humble listening and willingness to obey” (p.160).

With each passing day, I began counting them down and marking them off on my calender. In the mean time, as I observed new patients entering the program, I could not help but notice the excruciating extent of suffering drugs and/or alcohol subjected them to. Most of them appeared almost weightless as if they were suffering from starvation. The texture of their skin appeared dried out, pale and wrinkled. The impotence they endured over their drug(s) of choice was obviously tormenting. Likewise, A glimpse into their burgundy colored eyes told practically their entire story as I could virtually feel the pain thumping inside their chests. Repeatedly, I observed storm-like tears slithering down their cheeks as their faces implied how clueless they were about what to expect. I was forced to ask myself, “how much of what I saw was me?” I continued to question whether

My Christian upbringing has enabled me to learn and embrace God’s love in my life. I know and believe that God exists and has good plans for his children (us). I also believe that I am God’s child and He is always there to assist me and comfort me whenever I need Him. All I must do is call on him. Being brought up in a Christian family, I practice prayer and read the Holy Bible for guidance. I believe that doing this has brought me closer to God and has made me have undoubted faith in God. My faith in God has allowed me to experience the

However, I eventually transferred to my local public school. Naturally, I was scared out of my mind, but I prayed and trusted in God’s plan. Luckily, I made friends with like-minded Christians, but I was still exposed to some tough situations I previously never had to face. For example, hard questions about faith were asked. Despite spending years at a Christian school, I realized that I couldn’t answer all of them. As a result, I googled, asked my parents, and listened to

My journey with God started in February of 1993, when I went to a ladies’ conference in Columbus, Texas. It was while the speaker was explaining that she knew there were some of us out in the audience, who felt guilty about something they had done in their past, and they did not feel that God could forgive them for it. But then she quoted from God’s word; “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, not principalities, no things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:38-39 NASB) The speaker continued on to say that all we need to do is

“Flight attendants, we are ready for take-off” I heard the pilot say. I put away my computer and tell my family I love them, but I want to sleep because my flight was at 7:50 am. But I can’t sleep! I am about to leave my hometown to come to my new home, New York. I have never stayed in New York for more than two weeks; rather I have never traveled on the subway with thousands of people I don’t know sitting in a seat where millions have sat before me. I am tossing and turning in my chair, so I start to think. What will my new life have in store for me? Will, I become a stereo topical New Yorker or will I stay a Chicagoan? Will New York be my home? I was ready for this journey; ready to get off the plane, and make my own “personal New York.”

I would like to reflect on a few key moments of my spiritual journey from childhood that has led me to my call to ministry. I do believe that as the prophet Jeremiah was called before his birth (Jeremiah 1:5) that some are called and know their purpose from an early age while others find their path later after stumbling through life. Perhaps it might be that they have heard the call but were uncertain or unwilling to answer the call. Looking back on my life’s journey, I can see the “God moments” and how they have influenced my faith journey.