When I think about my life and where I am today, I would need to point to the woman who became my friend and showed me what I was missing in a relationship with Jesus Christ, the person who led me to Christ.

I didn’t believe I needed salvation because I thought I was already saved. I grew up in church. I went to church and Sunday school every Sunday from the time I was born. I went to parochial school, and loved everything about religion.

However, it was brought home to me that religion doesn’t bring salvation. Only a personal relationship with Jesus Christ does.

When I lived at home for a short time while my husband looked for work, I became friends with my parent’s neighbor. Mom didn’t want me to have anything to do with them. They had their issues. Their neighbor became a dear friend. We spent every day together while I lived at home. It was during this time that my new friend started talking to me about a relationship with Jesus Christ. She showed me it was more than religion, going to church, and saying I was a Christian. It was accepting the Person of Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and Lord. It came home to me when I did a Sunday school lesson and I couldn’t answer a question as true for my life. In that moment, I accepted Jesus Christ and turned religion into a relationship.

I haven’t looked back. Every day for the past 45 years I have spent in His presence. I went from doing personal Bible studies to presenting what Jesus taught me to posting my Bible study on a Yahoo prayer site. From there, I started sending e-mails to those who wanted my studies. I don’t know how many years I’ve posted my Bible study online, but each time I work my way through the Bible, I learn so much more about Jesus Christ. It all started in a kitchen with a new friend.

Thanks for reading. The image belongs to me.