Author: Nancy Ward
Shalom Media: Protestant Introvert turns Catholic evangelist
Born Protestant, Nancy Ward was an introverted bookworm. At age 15, her prayer under a tree during a retreat in New Mexico changed her life! A “thunderbolt of love” when she met her Catholic husband-to-be led her even deeper into God’s embrace. See how Nancy shed her shyness, chose conversion, and stepped out to proclaim God’s graces, in this episode of Jesus My Savior.
Favorite: Christmas in Germany, 1944
There at dawn all the shelling ceased for the first time since coming here, and an amazing, peaceful, stillness came and lasted for several minutes, with the twitter of a bird in the distance the only living sound.
Later, at sunrise, the same thing happened and lasted for almost an hour and the morning has been comparatively quiet.
The Cookie Dough Conversion
I believe God has called me to pass the faith down to the next generation and to help young mothers find the joy in their vocation as wife and mother. I have been blessed with the opportunity to speak about Jesus on TV, radio, mom’s clubs, and churches and through the books and Bible studies I have written.
Testimony: I make all things new
When I was a child, I loved going to the Protestant church in our small New England town. I especially loved going on the first Sunday of the month when we received Communion. Our church taught that Communion was only a symbol of Jesus’ Body and Blood. I never understood what it all meant, but I somehow knew it was special. Over the years, my family drifted away from church, and I attended only sporadically. But when I did go, I still loved to receive Communion. I didn’t know why. I just followed my heart.
The Blessings of Journaling
When you open your heart and your journaling to the Holy Spirit, the floodgates of Heaven open. You will feel a downpour of wisdom, charity (love), understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.
The fruits of the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in you as the first fruits of eternal glory. You become alive in the Spirit. Scientific research has shown that when you keep a journal regularly, your mind will be brighter, your recall sharper, your senses quicker, your self-discipline stronger, your communication clearer, your healing deeper, your creativity freer, your outlook brighter, your laughter louder, your stress calmer, your compassion greater, and your confidence higher.
Best practices for keeping a spiritual journal
Remember, no one is looking over your shoulder critiquing what or how you write. Get lost in the experience of expressing yourself on paper in God’s presence as he takes you through the puddles and over the rapids of the living river of your faith story.
You don’t have to spend hours every day journaling. I don’t. Sometimes all I can manage to do is a weekly update. But when I try to remember all the graces and blessings of the last few days, I know something important is missing. I’ve forgotten many irreplaceable moments because I did not take the time to journal.