Soul Journey

“After Effects

I remember asking God once, in the midst of all this change, “God, am I now, or have I already lost my mind?” The answer came from deep within: “Yes, you are losing your mind; and, I am giving you mine. ” But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 2:16

One of my friends said to me after all these events: “You seem so different now.”

My response: “I am different. I’m a new person. I’ve been born again.”

It may have taken more than nine months; it was more like two years.

But the basics were

there: signs of life, labor, and a new creature.

And, it wasn’t just I who was changed: the whole world around me seemed new and different. I found myself paying attention to nature and its tiniest details, like the shapes of tree leaves and shades of flower colors. These would catch my eye as I walked or drove past them and I just had to constantly thank God and praise Him for the wonders of creation. My mindset changed to one of continual gratitude and light and joyfulness at being alive. Later, I would learn the term “second blessing” and believed that I had certainly received one during these years of change. It was like an infusion into my mind and spirit of the spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit.

“You must be born again. The wind blows wherever it pleases.

You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.

So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:7-8

Segue to Ministry: Finding the Seminary

During this in-between time period, I was sometimes confused as to my future; I was used to being in control; letting God take the driver’s seat took some getting used to. I could not see the future and felt such a new power in my life that I felt I must simply “let go” and follow as I would be led. I would never have imagined myself in a Protestant seminary; but that is where I would be led in a short time after my return home from the flight to Cincinnati. I knew that I must be even more committed to God and Jesus Christ than ever before. So, I began taking courses in a Pastoral Ministry program at the University of Dayton where I had gotten a Masters in Counseling earlier. I took a few courses and then could not find any I liked. So, I went for counsel to the Student Advisor, who happened to be a Benedictine nun. She told me that UD was in a consortium with United Theological Seminary in Dayton (which I had never heard of before) and that I could check out what courses they might have there. Isn’t this just like our God of surprises – using a Benedictine

to cross me over to His next place of grace?

And, when I walked into the United Methodist Seminary and began meeting the staff and faculty there, I felt somewhat like I had on my trip to Cincinnati: a feeling of love taking me to a new life. I felt so loved and cared for instantly that I knew God had brought me there. So,

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when I learned that a campus apartment large enough for my kids to stay part-time had just

opened up, I found myself signing up for, not just one class, but for the whole program and life on campus. The door had opened for my new life, a life in ministry in service to the Lord.”