The joy of conversion, Christian community, and the Catholic faith
I will never forget the year 1996. It was the year that God visited me personally, and I was not the same afterward. In the ’50s and ’60s, Archbishop Fulton Sheen had an Emmy award-winning TV show on which he evangelized Americans to spread Jesus’ Good News. In one show, he talked about the Magi’s visit to the Holy Family that first Christmas. He said, “Of course, the Magi took another route home. When one encounters Jesus, one can never go back the same way one came.”
Right on the Mark!
When we are asked how we first realized that Jesus is our Lord who loves us, few will be able to share a coherent and extemporaneous narrative. We will probably recall our stories of faith randomly without order. Her many suggestions, especially of journaling and creating a timeline, make for a better understanding of our lives and later, for sharing our stories. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and had to carve a particular time to read it. I did not want to rush myself through the book because I found it spiritually nourishing to be able to dig deep into my memory files to recall those incidents in my life when I realized Jesus was with me. As she was going through her tips and techniques, I knew I was going to implement these in my future writings. The emotions that she felt during her journey were so alive that I thought I was walking in her shoes in my journey as well. A very inspiring read and a treasure-trove of writing tips and faith stories – An Anonymous Writer
I tell you, God is real! Jesus is real! I do not have to expound some grand quest of science to prove that God is real. He is real. I interacted with him. He loves me. He told me that. The bad thing he predicted really happened. My family was completely unhurt just as he promised. I saw Jesus in each person who visited us during that year to give us support. I watched Jesus explode out from their eyes. They looked like angels. I have never questioned the reality of God again. How could I?
The stats are in! The highest rated post on JOYAlive.net for 2017 with 462 views was From Atheist to Happy Catholic, the dramatic conversion story of Julie Davis. Congratulations, Julie! Later in the year, I interviewed Julie about her new book, Seeking Jesus. That interview was published on CatholicStand.com and CatholicMom.com. Joy Stories Everyone...
By John Chomistek In the past, I’ve had fleeting times and moments of contemplating if there was a God. Was there really this Jesus Man-God that walked the earth some 2000 years ago? I was always able, though, to see those moments of uncertainty as just a passing thought and again concluded that God and...
