Publisher's Synopsis
A Disciple's Consent: When Jesus Is The Guide, Volume One, and Volume Two, I offer an insight into one individual's determination to walk the straight and narrow path. Our God wants nothing more than to share the eternal, divine life and love with all.I attribute initiation into this spiritual walk to God and report my free response and consent. I was not coerced, threatened, or, for that matter, promised a rose garden. I was simply and directly invited into conversation with Jesus Christ. I accepted. These conversations, often facilitated by a wise teacher, helped me understand and decipher God's language and intent. When I found myself drifting or confused, it was necessary, and indeed a grace-filled occasion, to have one compassionate teacher to visit, email, or listen to on the other end of the phone.Initially, I was drawn to the utter mystery of God's presence in a well-carved church at the age of eight with a simple invitation from a friend: "Would you like to go with me to church on Sunday? My life's vocation began with a child's un-self-conscious yes. An alluring world of silence, incense, whispers, bells, candles, icons, statues, dimmed lights, hardwood floors, rich red velvet curtains, and stained glass windows all intrigued and captivated me. I intuited a yet-unknown, unseen presence whom I wanted to know intimately. Nothing ever has been the same since uttering that first "fiat. I never looked back and never regretted that consent.My initiation into the sacred mysteries has been deeply Christian. My childhood conversations were with Jesus (of Nazareth). Gradually, they matured to include silent prayers of the Christ (of Faith). I prayed a lot, read a lot, visited lots of churches in secret, and lived what I would describe as an "intensely private" religious life. Running parallel to an otherwise "normal" suburban, nuclear family childhood was a relentless desire to deepen further my relationship with Jesus Christ.My Stories are the manifestation of Jesus' guidance and an ongoing, student-teacher relationship of over twenty-four years. The journey was not without its detours, bumps, occasional dramas, and disasters, as well as peak moments of delight and refreshment. I regret nothing and would change nothing. I am grateful for it all.
