My Spiritual Journey in a Nut Shell
God has been unfolding His plan for my life step by step, season by season.
I am firm believer that the Lord leads us through seasons of ministry where we grow one tiny bit deeper into his ultimate plan. Now, as I venture into my senor years, I must conclude the place He has positioned me is the “stretch” that He has planned my entire life.
Let’s start at the beginning.
First off, I want to thank the Lord for my Christian heritage. I was raised in the Roman Catholic faith and always “believed” in God’s existence, and from a very young age, yearned for more of Him. I had no idea it would be a lifetime journey when He found me in the back corner of our little school chapel dedicating my life to Him in the simple ignorance of a seven-year-old, too young and uneducated to understand the big picture.
It took seventeen years to discover that “relationship” was the ingredient I lacked in fulfilling that dream. I married into a protestant family and began my adventure into a depth of Christianity I had no idea existed. At twenty-four, after years of floundering, I found repentance and regeneration and began to walk His chosen path.
For lack of time, space, and purpose in this blog, I will not go into the seasons of growth that transpired over the years, but concentrate on the mind-blowing steps that brought me to the ministry I enjoy today—writing books for you all. You say, “fiction is a ministry?” Yes, when the Lord interjects his good news into the lives of fictional characters—stories and themes which could have been anyone’s experience in history or even in this present day—I say, yes—thank you Lord for expanding my audience outreach as I write each new book.
I need to bring you back to an evangelical service I attended in my early thirties. At the altar, the minister spoke a prophesy over me, which took years of service to nurture in my life and unfold into steps of reality. I did the usual helps in churches along the way; in children’s and teens programs, administration in the church office, testifying, preaching, and leading worship with my guitar to scores of congregations in huge settings that only the Lord could have equipped me to do. You see, I am an introvert by nature, but all it takes is a willingness to move into God’s will, for Him to throw open the doors of heaven wide through our ministries. I believe it was because of my personal deficiencies that He used me in those early years, for all the glory went to Him, knowing that in myself, I would never have traversed those public opportunities.
But, back to the prophesy, which is at the end of its 3-fold fulfillment. Firstly, the man spoke of my “Jerusalem”; the circle of influence I could touch through my every day life. Then, he declared that one day, the Lord would say, “pack up and move” to encompass a larger sphere in public ministry, which happened during the years I spent serving at Braeside Pentecostal Campgrounds. Still, there was a third outreach in his prophesy, and that was that I would reach the “ends of the earth” with the good news. That seemed a far-fetched idea to my small-town brain, but as I grew closer to retirement, I wrote my first series, a three-book adventure about a young boy with dreams for dogsledding and how God fulfilled them—a simple start into the publishing realm of which I had no idea the magnitude of its reach.
Now, I am over 90 books strong, and let God have His say in every story I write. I feel when he wants to interject, whether the message be a subtle point in His direction, encouragement to His people, or convicting in content. He has control over my fingers as we spill anointed words onto the page and into the minds of a reading audience world wide, spreading the good news of His love and interaction (fictional, yet true to experience) in people’s lives who are committed to following Him.
I still stand in awe of the prophesy spoken over me years ago, and in the journey the Lord has brought me through to get to a place where I am talking to you all as friends, co-journeyers in Christianity, or to souls searching for truth and peace in their broken situations. That is my present mission field—a modern-day apostle sent out to evangelize in an entertaining and non-threatening venue, where people can find peace and joy in Jesus from the words I pen through my fictional characters.
What a privilege! The child of seven had no idea as to the depths possible in “relationship” between the Lord and His creation.
I want to encourage you. God knows where you are today, and He hears your heart’s cry no matter what your age or situation. The journey to our eternal home is not always marked with clear skies and untroubled waters, but I believe if we walk in His will—our influence in this world will bring many to bow at the feet of Jesus. This is our great commission and the ultimate blessing of God’s work through our lives here on earth.
I could have expanded on the many facets of His intervention in my life, but wanted to end with the fulfillment of the 3-fold prophesy that was given to me years ago. It is still ongoing, and I plan on writing stories that glorify him, that speak of his rescuing and redemption power in lives, until the well of my creative juices dry up.
God is good! Can I hear an Amen?
Hugs and blessings sent your way
Thank you for supporting my God-given mission.
Stay strong in the Lord and in His mission for your life.
From Marlene, at Heartwarming Romance.