April of 2005 ushered in an ending and a beginning. Upon completion of obtaining my Bachelors Degree from the University of North Florida in History and Religion, I soon learned that the Holy Spirit had not yet finished his work within me. Little did I know that a year and half later, my sister, Marci and I would be putting the finishing touches on Genesis and Beyond: The Divine Plan for Human Love. Its audience - the age group that has captured my heart – our young adults. Whether leaving high school for jobs, college, or GED’s, these kids have a love for life and an energy that can sometimes bring a parent to their knees. Marci and I truly believe that the only defense a mother and father have in this day in age, is prayer. Sending our young adults out into a world that has succeeded in giving them unleashed freedom is very scary indeed. This study is our attempt to give our young adults food for thought as they leave the protective arena of home. It is our prayer that our young adults may find their way to God where they can truly find authentic love - the love that will enable them to forgive themselves and to forgive those who have hurt them. We pray they find the love of Jesus Christ and the acceptance of the Grace that will give them the amour needed to break the cycle of divorce and all that leads up to it.
My journey began with promptings from the Holy Spirit. I had begun to say the rosary again about six years ago. This devotion to Mary led me to her Son, giving me the grace to say “yes” to the Holy Spirit. Initially, it was little things like a letter writing campaign for the Respect Life Ministry, a prayer and fasting campaign, and various other small things, like returning to school! I decided on history with a minor in religion. It was a little frightening taking religion at a public college, but I received support in all my paper choices – which usually ended up having something to do with Catholicism – from my professors. Three distance learning classes in Catholic Theology, and I was on my way to getting a job teaching religion in a Catholic high school. Or so I thought! God had other plans for me.
From a suggestion of a friend, I decided to read the Theology of the Body. I was hooked and as I lay awake at 1:30 in the morning, I knew that this message was something that our young adults needed to get before they got married. I would be the instrument of the Holy Spirit that would write a study for young adults. Piece of cake! A year into the project, the Holy Spirit led me to seek help from my sister, Marci. She readily accepted the daunting task, and together we set out to complete the study. Well, ok, she did take some time to discern….
I was complacently living my life in DeLand, Florida and all was going fairly smoothly until the phone rang. My younger sister, Peggy, was calling from Jacksonville. This in and of itself was nothing new. My sister and I often called each other to discuss many different topics, but our specialty, as our husbands so fondly refer to it, is “thumping”. Yes, we enjoy sharing our personal revelations about our walk in faith with each other. We really like to share articles we have read online, books we have read, bible studies we have done, and prayers that really work when we need them. I feel blessed to have such a relationship with my sister....Read More
