Meditations from an Ordinary Soul: Reflections on Christianity

By Judith Michel

Meditations From an Ordinary Soul is a refreshing collection of inspirational discourses on love, conversion, temptation, suffering and learning the Christian faith. Judith Michel weaves in and out of Christian theology from an ordinary believer's perspective. She reveals the actions of God in the struggles of her own life and her loved ones through a clean and honest writing style.
It is more than a memoir, but much less than a theological teaching manual. Judith Michel's meditations are cited by sound scriptural references from the Old and New Testament. Yet her life experiences with the Divine touches the human heart and inspires us all. Her voice is clear as a bell and rings true of the love of God and His mercy. 
This little gem of a book is a mainstay in today's society. For those searching for a comrade in the Christian faith or perhaps, seeking to learn more from an everyday believer's perspective, this book is for you!

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Oct 17, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310075988

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Meditations from an Ordinary Soul

by

Judith Michel

Copyright © 2014 by Judith Michel

Published by Smashwords, Inc.

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Printed in the United States of America

First Edition

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For Marie Jose Bien Aime

CONTENTS

On Hearing

Middle School

High School

My father

College

Law school

On Temptation

On Suffering

On Converting

On Loving

Final Word

About the Author

On Hearing

God first spoke to me when I was seven years old. I was sitting in between my mother and brother at mass. My usual childhood behavior was always subdued, somewhat obedient, but never overly religious. Like many other children, I used to tune in and out in church, blankly staring at the altar as if I were watching a semi-boring play.

But that Sunday was different. The priest stood up and walked to the podium to deliver his homily. He was dressed in the colorful vestments appropriate for a Sunday mass. He was hunched over and tired. His hair was disheveled. He walked with a slight limp. I had heard this priest before. In fact, he was the same one who had ministered my first communion just one year before. His voice was familiar to me. His style of talk, I knew very well.

Yet, today, when he opened his mouth to speak, something was different. It was his voice and it was not his voice. It was his tone and it was not his tone. The words that came forth were like daggers thrown directly at me, nailing me down in the pew. I sat surprised and breathless through his entire homily. The authority that emanated from him made me tremble inside. I slowly realized that it was not the priest's voice I was hearing. It was the voice of God.

The priest discussed many things in his discourse. Primarily, he expounded on the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 28. This scripture passage illustrated the post-settlement of the brand new Israeli nation after their forty years of wandering in the desert. Through Moses, they were given regulations, ordinances and policies to govern their daily life. They were ordered not to engage in incest, bestiality, perversity or theft. They were commanded to observe every holiday, feast day and sabbaths set aside for the Lord. They were given regulations concerning family relationships, neighbor relationships, employer-employee relations and more. Specifically, they were ordered to serve God alone.

Verses one through fourteen list the blessings God promised for Israel's obedience:

1 And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.

2And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God.

3Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field.

4Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and he fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock.

5Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.

6Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.

7The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.

8The LORD will command the blessing on you in your barns and in all that you undertake.

9And he will bless you in the land that the LORD will establish you as a people holy to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in his ways.

10And all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by he name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you.

11And the LORD will make you abound in prosperity, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your livestock and in the fruit of your ground, within the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give you.

12The LORD will