Faithful Writers

unslpash.com This is the second of those three sayings I live by that I mentioned in Music Is My Melody .  How do I know Joy supersedes all situations? Because I have been there. But first, I want to point out how joy and happiness are related, but can have profoundly different meanings to a believer. Happiness is a good thing, but it can often be a fleeting emotion. One moment you can be happy and the next mad, upset, hurt, annoyed ect… Joy is something else; it is deeper, it is anchored to your soul, not your heart. Joy allows a person to feel intense contentment and long-lasting happiness, no matter the situation they are in in life. I regularly describe Joy as a state of being in the soul. You can meet people battling some of humanity's worst storms, but they have joy, and it shines; they are a lamp unto this world fueled by Joy. That is a state of being, to be in a place of Joy when happiness is hard to find, that is a heart in line with the Father, and that goes beyond mere happiness.  The two are rooted together, but Joy. That is something else altogether. I have gone through many storms where I barely kept my feet on the ground, but I had Joy in my heart, and I held onto the Joy that only God could give me.  That Joy became my strength, then became my smile, then my laughter, my thankfulness, and finally my strength that I needed. Joy can stop your mind from racing out of control, it can stop satan at the threshold, it can help you see God in everything, even the mundane. You become thankful.  With thanksgiving in your heart, you see the Lord in everything, and no matter your storm or situation, you can surrender with Joy that God has you, He has a plan, and you can joyfully follow His lead. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:4 © Jane Isley Thank you for taking the time to read, and please consider  supporting my work . Your gift helps keep this work going, blesses others, and means the world to me. You can visit me at Faithful Writers  on Medium, where other Christian writers have joined me in sharing the word of God. You can also find me on   Tumblr  and   Facebook.

Interesting question, let’s see. Do I believe this question directly impacts our salvation? No. Do I think it’s a good and fun question to ask to help our understanding? Absolutely!  So let’s see what the Bible tells us. First, I’ve decided to use the terms “being” and “angel,” because there are different created entities mentioned in the Bible.  So what we know from Scripture is that angels can look human, and even more fascinating is this: “Do not neglect hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.” Heb 13:2 Talk about keeping you on your toes. At least that's what I read from this verse. Who’s to say how many of us have hosted or come across an angel unknowingly?  Think about this one for a moment, how would you defend yourself to God on judgment day when asked why you turned away a stranger in need or treated someone poorly when in fact it was an angel? Just food for thought. Anyway, angels and wings. The Bible does not explicitly state that angels have wings, and I also don’t believe that references to wings for other beings are purely symbolic, especially considering the numerous physical descriptions of Cherubim in the Bible. This honestly makes sense to me because every kind that God created has unique differences and roles within that kind. The beings we commonly know about from Scripture. First up is Gabriel, who is only thought  to have wings, based on the passage from Dan 9:21 , “Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight.” He is described as a human in appearance, but no literal mention of wings in any verses he is in, not referred to as an archangel, and scared the poo out of Daniel because of his appearance when he saw him. ( Mary and Zechariah, too.) Not a clue exactly what kind he is because we are never told that explicitly, we just know he is referred to as an angel , and delivers a lot of messages. Then we have Michael, the   only  archangel mentioned in the Bible, btw, and he is never said to have wings either. But he is a warrior and protector angelic being; words such as “ one of the chief princes” and  “great prince who protects your people” are used to describe him. (3)  Here are three fun nuggets. Here is when we learn that Michael is not the only “ chief prince,”  but he must be a pretty awesome baddy because he has already taken satan on once about Moses' body (4)  and will again when he leads his army against him in the future.  (5) Michael only says four words in the whole Bible. “The Lord rebuke you!” (well, in Greek  it was actually three words) And Michael and Gabriel are the only two named angelic beings in the whole Bible, except Abaddon, from the book of Revelation, but that is also a title, not just a name, and a whole different conversation. Anyway, back to wings. We see many other divine messengers of God throughout the Bible who looked human, didn’t have wings, and delivered messages to people, but weren’t named like Gabriel and Michael; instead were simply called angels (messengers). For example, in Gen 19:1 “The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening,” the Hebrew word is “ malak ”, which literally means “angel, messengers, messenger” but they didn’t have wings. And in Acts, we have an angel   (same meaning as malak, just in Greek),  no wings, committing some B&E and getting Peter and his disciples out of jail.  ChatGPT So, what does have wings, then, for sure? We know for certain that the Seraphim have six wings, which are their own distinct kind (1), and Cherubim, also a distinct kind, have four wings. (And four faces, but we’re just chatting about their wings today, not trying to sort that one out toda y. ( 2) Remember, church tradition and Jewish tradition consider the Cherubim and Seraphim as types of angels, not the Bible per se. Wrapping things up. The question I asked is: Do all angels have wings?  Well, that’s actually a loaded question because you have to ask the question with the right word first.  Angel (Messenger), Seraphim, Cherubim, or Archangel. Angels are the messengers of God (literally, that is the definition), and the winged beings are their own class of something, but are never called angels in the Bible. Michael and Gabriel are never specified as having wings, but are called angels, not Cherubim or Seraphim, with Michael being the only Archangel. Winging it. The wing culture comes from a blending of the verse, “ came to me in swift flight,” the Cheribum and Seraphim descriptions, what angels are capable of doing, and artwork over the centuries that kept it going. Could they all have wings, and somehow the angels are able to keep theirs invisible?   Sure, why not?  These are beings who can pack of heck of a spiritual punch, and God loves to give us mysteries to ponder on, but at the same time, we are told which beings do have wings. Like I said in the beginning. Does this affect your salvation if you believe angels have wings? No, but it is fun, fascinating, and helps a person see the Bible, not tradition. Hope you enjoyed! Sources: And yup, they’re out of order in the article. (1) Isaiah 6:2 (2) Ezekiel 10:21 (3) Biblestudytools: Archangel Michael in the Bible . (4) Jude 1:9 , (5) Revelation 12: 7–9 (6) Acts 5:17–22 Biblestudytools: Bible Verses about Cherubim Cherub | hak-kə-ru-ḇîm | kerub Seraphim | śə-rā-p̄îm | saraph

I have to admit, for the longest time, I went back and forth on this, I’d settle on one answer, then later flip to the other, not going to lie about that. But I do have an answer now, and it’s based on one verse, because sometimes one single verse can settle a whole lot of grief, but this article isn’t going to end how you think it will either. First, we’re going to look at the three relevant verses. “Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” Genesis 5:24 “ By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.” Hebrews 11:5 “As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.” 2 Kings 2:11 I’ll just spill the beans.  No, I don’t believe either went to literal heaven. Now, before you click off, I want to explain my reasoning and bring in a couple of things that maybe some haven’t considered before. Have to dig into a little Hebrew first. In 2 Kings 2:11 , the word shamayim, which does in fact mean “ Heaven(s), sky ” is used.   But it is a dual noun, and it can refer to the literal sky or  heaven.  Going to look at a few things super quick here.  So in Elijah’s case, it could mean “ went up to the sky in a whirlwind,”  and in the case of Enoch, it just says “God took him away” and  “did not experience death.”  Nothing else, just took him, and no death, and nothing about heaven. Something happened, but what? That’s a good question.  We don’t truly know just what happened to them; we are not told they died, just removed in a manner that is completely unique to these two men.  If they had died, like a heart-stopping, brain-dead, CPR won’t work situation, simply put, they’d still be in their graves until the second resurrection in Revelation; the first being reserved for those who were killed for their testimony about Jesus. You can read more about that here . But they didn’t die, we can clearly see that, and they also were not taken to heaven. The reason I hold to this is: “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven — the Son of Man” John 3:13 Here enters an interpretation. So that entire section of John 3  has been debated multiple ways, the one that really stands out to me is that what Jesus “ was really saying”  wasn’t that people hadn’t gone to heaven already, but that He was pointing out that He had the details and expertise on the matter because His home is heaven. Now I can see how this interpretation could be believed, except there are two things that throw a curveball at this interpretation. 1. “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven” That’s pretty darn specific. Heaven wasn’t an option yet because: 2. Jesus had to die and atone for our sins, and be resurrected first. No one can get there before Jesus; heaven is to be our paradise. Kinda defeats the purpose if there were two exceptions to that rule, how can heaven be our paradise, our new Eden, if their sins weren’t properly atoned for first? And no, they were not sinless; only Jesus was. What am I getting to already? The common belief is that both were taken to heaven. But as you can see, I don’t believe that. BUT……both of these situations are extremely unique, and I think that that is worth a closer look at. I guess the first very obvious one is the theory that they may be the two witnesses in Revelation. Do I think this is the case, actually? Yes, I think it’s possible.  We don’t know who these two witnesses are, but I do find it uncanny. Neither Enoch nor Elijah is said to have died, but each departure at God’s hand is very unique. Enoch was taken before his death, and Elijah hitched probably one of the coolest rides out there. Here’s the kicker and a nugget to think on. If these two are the witnesses in Revelation — just how bad does the world get that God had to take two people from the very distant past, one of whom was in the world that God had to destroy, it was so bad, and bring them forward to prophesy to the world during the end times? For this article, I’m not going to sit here and pretend I understand all of this, who those witnesses are, why those two were specifically pulled out by God, or what purpose that serves Him in the future. But I will admit that I’m only 99% certain in my beliefs regarding this, and I say it that way to be honest. There are mysteries in the Bible, and it’s ok to be certain of a belief but open to God if you're wrong.  To be excited if He shows you something different, and be accepting if you never find out. Some things are not worth losing a fellow Christian over or becoming obsessed with.  © Jane Isley Sources & References: (1) Exodus 33:18–224 Revelation 20:4–5 : First and second resurrections. Revelations 11 : The Two Witnesses Genesis 5:22–27 : Enoch’s walk with God Who was Elijah in the Bible?

I don’t know, but let’s do the math. 1 Samuel 17:4  tells us:  “A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span.” Awesome.👍 So, how tall was Goliath in American terms then? I’d love to tell you it is one simple answer, but I learned it wasn’t quite that simple. So, typically, a cubit was the length between the elbow and the tip of the middle finger. But there are other sources that say it can also be an elbow to the little finger and an elbow to the outstretched thumb. Then I discovered that there were two types of cubit lengths in the Bible.  Now, Goliath wasn’t measured using the “cubit of the sanctuary”  (1) measurement, which is the longer one. I just wanted to throw that little nugget in there because I didn’t even realize there was a difference till Ezekiel popped up in my searching. Putting all that aside, and not wanting to conduct an extensive hair-pulling analysis, let’s try to clarify the general consensus on what a cubit and span are. According to Britannica.com  a cubit is “generally taken as equal to 18 inches” and “In some ancient cultures it was as long as 21 inches.”  We’ll be conservative and go with 18”. Then we have a “span,” and that is considered to be from the tip of the little finger and the thumb when you fully extend your hand. From sources, it is generally 8” — 10”, but I’m going with one source’s conservative decision because hand sizes can vary. We’ll go with 6" for a span. So 18” and 6” — where does that put us? 6 x 18” = 108”, then we’ll add another 6” for span, and we come to 114". Doesn’t sound like a lot, but for a visual comparison, I’m 69” (5’9”) and my husband is 75” (6’3”), we are both tall for our genders according to our national average standards and worldwide average standards. Goliath trumps both of us. Using the conservative numbers, Goliath comes in at a whopping 9’ 5”. (at minimum I would say, in my personal opinion) www.heightcomparison.com Yeah. He really was a big, big guy, who got taken out by a young kid. Never underestimate the power of God when He sets you to a task; there is no mountain or person who can stand in His way. Hope you enjoyed! © Jane Isley Thank you for taking the time to read, and please consider  supporting my work . Your gift helps keep this work going, blesses others, and means the world to me. You can visit me at Faithful Writers  on Medium, where other Christian writers have joined me in sharing the word of God. You can also find me on   Tumblr  and   Facebook. Sources and References: (1) The Cubit: A History and Measurement Commentary thegaurdian.com ; How long is a biblical cubit? Goliath’s Spear: What is a Cubit?

Good question, happy you asked. According to the book of Exodus, manna was provided by God to the Israelites as they wandered in the desert after getting the heck out of Egypt. The Israelites were hungry and complained to Moses about their lack of food. In response, God promised to rain down bread from heaven for them to eat.  But what exactly was it, though? Well, no one knows 100%, but I can tell you what we do know and a couple of theories. If you need a refresher on the story, click here . “Then the Lord said to Moses, 'I will rain down bread from heaven for you.” ChatGPT First, I looked up the word bread, and it actually does mean bread —  lechem  is the Hebrew word, if you want to check it out.  I also know in Psalms 78:24  the word grain was used, so I looked that up for more context. The Hebrew word used there is dagan , which does, in fact, mean grain and corn.  So, we have some type of grain-like substance that rained down from Heaven, which can also mean the sky btw, that the Israelites used to make bread or cooked in a pot, maybe like a porridge we would prepare now? (2) From Scripture, we know: “The manna was like coriander seed and looked like resin” (2),  and “thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor,” it was sweet, “ and tasted like wafers made with honey.” (1) also, they didn’t recognize it. (new to them) It was good for a day, but when some tried to keep extra, it rotted. On the sixth day, God laid His hand on the manna, and it kept it from rotting. (can’t tell me that wasn’t a miracle, this may have been a natural substance, but this shows God’s hand behind it) God also provided quail at one point, so we know God can and does use the natural world. Here’s a condensed bullet point list of a few possibilities. The digestive byproduct of insects that feed on the sap of the Haloxylon salicornicum plant. (yup, you read that right) (3) Substance from the Tamarisk tree. (3) (4) This one sounds like a species name for a werewolf if I’m honest — Lecanora esculenta Nees (desert lichen) (4) It was literally grain, one never rained down again. Everything I’ve run across either involves bugs, sap, or trees, which makes sense given the environment they were in, and I learned that manna is still well-known in some areas and used in cooking. Amazing conclusion: I don’t doubt God was behind this miracle. A day, a week, a month, I could see as a natural event blip, but this event went on for forty whole years! He rained something down for them, literal grain or not. We honestly don’t know for sure which plant, bug, or combo of, or if it was something completely different that God put His hands on to produce that much manna for 600,000 people , for 40 years, without fail.  And it doesn’t matter because you know why?  Nothing affected this miracle for 40 years, and science still can’t explain the one day of the week that the manna did not rot. © Jane Isley Thank you for taking the time to read, and please consider  supporting my work . Your gift helps keep this work going, blesses others, and means the world to me. You can visit me at Faithful Writers  on Medium, where other Christian writers have joined me in sharing the word of God. You can also find me on   Tumblr  and   Facebook. Sources: (1) Exodus 16: 1–36   (2) Numbers 11: 7–9   (3)  Jewish World, Talk of the Table, Winter Issue 2019   (4) The Biblical Manna  Exodus 12:37 , Joshua 5:12 , Psalms 78:2 4

A big question with an interesting ending. “[…] The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high. Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit high all around. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks.” Gen 6:15–17 Well, for sure, we know it was big. And honestly, that is about it, other than the decks, pitch being used, door placement, and gopher wood, which, btw, the word “gopher” is a hapax legomenon (all I see is Dr. Suess when I see that word) because that’s the only time that word is used in the Bible, ever. So we don’t actually know what type of wood would be in today’s world. Let’s look at shapes. Based on the passage, it could possibly be a giant rectangular barge-like structure, given the dimensions provided. However, it could also have had a round-ish shape, as indicated in verse 14 , where the word tebah   is used. Why this is interesting is that in Exodus 2:3 , the same word is used about the basket Moses was laid in, indicating the possibility of a rounded shape. Kentucky, USA In Kentucky, someone actually built the ark based on the given dimensions and standard knowledge of ships, measuring a whopping 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high. If you click on the video, you get to see just how big this thing was. wikipedia.com Next, I have an image with dimensions and a comparison to the Titanic if it were built more rectangular (barge-like) shape than a traditional ship design. ChatGPT & Photoshop Why none of that really matters. Well, yes, it does matter to a point, don’t me wrong on that, but not as much as it should, at least not at first. Let me explain. Whether the Ark was a rectangular cube thingy, more ship-like, or a gigantic barge, there’s one small but huge phrase that is often overlooked in all of this debate, and I think it needs to be read, thought on, and acknowledged first before you do a squirrel dive into the science behind the Ark. “Then the Lord shut him in.” Think about that for a moment. Noah was instructed to build ONE door on the side, and when everybody was inside, He shut him in. No matter the shape of the Ark, God took it upon Himself to shut Noah in and protect him and his family. That door was the only door for people to enter. Noah was righteous before God; he had immense faith and showed that by building the ark as instructed, which you have to admit was probably a lot to take in when He got these instructions and knowing what it meant. There was only ever one door. Anyone could have walked through the door and been saved from the flood, but they didn’t by choice. In 2 Peter 2:5  we learn that Noah was also a “ preacher of righteousness  .” The Bible doesn’t point something out for no reason; Noah would have been preaching salvation and about what was coming. So, why did God “shut Him in?” A couple of reasons actually for us to see and understand, and yes, you can have a couple of answers for one thing that are all equal in meaning. To display His sovereignty and judgment. To keep that world out, the people made their choice. Safety, waterproofing, and it demonstrates His protection to those who choose Him. Sometimes God closes doors because He is choosing to shut certain things out. (figurative) The people knew what Noah was doing; you don’t start chopping down that many trees in your backyard and not have the neighbors notice the giant boat getting built in your backyard. So while all the studies, debates, and science out there are absolutely fun and amazing to read about the Ark, that fascination should not overlook or replace studying everything else being said to us about that time in history. Enter through that door today, while it is still open. © Jane Isley Thank you for taking the time to read, and please consider  supporting my work . Your gift helps keep this work going, blesses others, and means the world to me. You can visit me at Faithful Writers  on Medium, where other Christian writers have joined me in sharing the word of God. You can also find me on   Tumblr  and   Facebook. Sources, References & Reads: Genesis 7:16  — “Then the Lord shut him in.” Genesis 6:10–20 Patterns of Evidence  — Was the Ark Sea worthy? Answers in Genesis: Thinking outside the box . Biblical Thoughts — For God’s Glory: Ark of Noah

unsplash.com I know from my Dementia and CDCP training how powerful music can be for people living with dementia. It has an incredible ability to reach them in ways other methods can’t. In fact, more and more studies are being done on this, and music is now being used more often as part of dementia care. Music therapy is also gaining traction as a helpful tool in supporting mental health. God is always a few steps ahead of us. God knew what He was doing when He created music to be a part of our lives. Some may not realize this, but the Psalms is the longest book in the Bible, and it is filled with songs, hymns, and prayers that were meant to be sung. Music leads to singing, singing leads to worship, and worship leads to joy. I have three sayings in my life that I live by honestly, because I am neurodivergent, I need help in different ways than a neurotypical person to connect, feel, and focus. Today's focus is “Music Is My Melody.” Music does some pretty awesome stuff to us, just check this screenshot out when I was looking up “what does music do to the brain” My Melody. Music is my melody, it is my connection to God, it is my outlet, my movement, my pure enjoyment. Whether it’s this insanely large Christian playlist on YouTube that my daughter, Maia Vashti , and I keep adding to constantly, my vetted clean playlist, or the Christian station playing in the car, I surround myself with good music. What we fill our ears with is important. If you spend the day listening to pop music with all those gross suggestions and sometimes very blunt terminology, how is that good for you? The Bible is filled with stories of people breaking out in song, dance, and worship. Give it a try, next time you get in your car, turn off the pop music, turn off the news, and find a Christian station, and just sing and worship. You won’t regret that connection to God, sing at the top of your lungs if you want, feel the Holy Spirit touch you, cry, smile, and let the joy in. We are given music for a reason; let us use it wisely for His glory. © Jane Isley Thank you for taking the time to read, and please consider  supporting my work . Your gift helps keep this work going, blesses others, and means the world to me. You can visit me at Faithful Writers  on Medium, where other Christian writers have joined me in sharing the word of God. You can also find me on   Tumblr  and   Facebook.

A little about how I got into writing. This should be hilarious. I can write, but an "about me"or a "bio," naw.......my brain goes right out the window in spectacular form. 😅 I am the creator of Faithful Writers, and I’ll explain in a minute or two how that happened. But if I jumped straight into that, I’d miss a lot of important parts of my journey that got me here. My background actually starts in art, web design, and computers. For many years, art was my exclusive focus. I spent all that time writing artist statements, but I didn’t realize I loved writing itself until later. The realization came while I was taking bookkeeping and accounting classes… and God said, “Nope, not today.” I started those classes because I wanted to do something beyond my full-time role as a caregiver for a family member. I’m on call 24/7, never knowing what the day will bring. And art had long been my outlet for stress, depression, and loneliness during the tougher years with her. That’s when writing started to really take hold, just didn't realize it. One night, in a moment of frustration and banging my head on a wall, I took it to God, I asked Him what He wanted me to do because I felt so lost. Two things happened at once "Write for me" was whispered in my mind, just as my husband yells from the other room something along the lines of maybe you should start focusing on your writing because you really love it. 💡 And there it was, just like that. The perfect moment; clarity, excitement, peace, joy, hope, acceptance, happiness, you name it, I felt it and it's felt right ever since and I've never looked back, doubted or regretted pursuing this full-ish time. Now how I came to create this publication.   I write in a very wide varieties of styles and cover multiple topics related to my faith, the Bible, and my life experiences, which means I never fit a specific " niche, " same can be said for my art to. ​ After one email to many, I finally just got tired of having to constantly altering my work for other people and publications or watching an editor strip away my voice and natural wack-a-do flair. I wanted the freedom to write authentically, in whatever style I chose, to keep my pieces as short as I wanted, and not have a publisher tell me I needed to change a whole bunch of stuff to ultimately be what they wanted me to write about. Kinda sucks the thunder out of a person, you know what I mean? ​​ ​ So here I am, creating my own niche in this world and offering that to other Christian writers who want to share their inspired writings in a publication that holds to Biblical teachings.   I adhere to a strict rule: I will not change a writer voice. While there are guidelines , I do my best to make publishing easy, fun, and as uncomplicated as possible. ​ Have fun reading, and learning, bookmark, and feel free to leave a comment or question . If you're looking for something specific, click here to do some searching, we have every topic under the sun here. Medium Tumblr Facebook Email  Me

Nimrod represents a pattern of what the anti-Christ will be like when he finally appears on the world stage. There have been many types of Antichrists who have already appeared. Pharaoh whom Moses stood down in the Book of Exodus could be considered a type of Anti-Christ. Antiochus Epiphanies' who desecrated the second Jewish temple, could also be considered an anti-Christ. Hitler was definitely a type of anti-Christ. In fact, many thought he was the anti-Christ. Now is it not interesting that the anti-Christ will be called the “ man of lawlessness ”? Did you get that? He will be called a man against the Law of God. He will be anti-Torah. The devil has already done a great job in fooling the Christian church into believing the first five books of their Bibles have no relevance to their walk with the Lord. Starting with the Roman catholic church era, paganism invaded the first church in Jerusalem to the point where it would be barely recognizable to any of the original members. Nimrod foreshadows the Antichrist, who will attempt the same mission. The anti-Christ will try to bring the whole world under a one-government rule. Right now, we see the whole world moving in this direction. In preaching tolerance, world harmony, peace at any cost… And promoting the teaching the Torah has been done away with… And that instead we should just trust the goodness of our hearts… The modern church has unknowingly played into the devil’s hands… And is helping bringing about the satanic one-government rule prophesied in the Scriptures. Those who have ears to hear, pay heed! CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time .” - 1 John 2:18 © Richoka

Cdoncel By Guest Writer: Oluwafunke Folami W hen people hear my story, they often jump to conclusions. “Rofiat must have changed her faith for a man or peer-pressure,” they say. The truth is far more personal and profound. My name is Rofiat — meaning “kind and gentle” — and I was raised in the Islamic tradition. Islam wasn’t just a religion in our household; it was the foundation of our daily life, shaping my understanding of God and my place in the world. As I matured into adulthood, I began seeking a deeper understanding of my faith. This wasn’t a casual exploration — I invested in Islamic texts, purchasing books like the Tira to study independently. I even sought guidance from my course mate Yusuf, asking him to help me understand the nuances of Islamic practice and theology. When life took me to Abeokuta, I continued my spiritual practices, maintaining my daily prayers and observances as best I could. Yet despite these sincere efforts, something felt incomplete — a disconnection between the rituals I performed and the divine relationship I sought. The turning point came unexpectedly on what seemed like an ordinary day. Feeling restless at home, I found myself considering a visit to a nearby church — not out of rebellion, but curiosity. After a brief search, I discovered Winner’s Chapel Goshen. Standing at its gates, I approached the security guard to inquire about their service times.That simple conversation marked the beginning of a profound transformation in my spiritual journey. While I had occasionally attended church services with friends before, this was different. This time, I wasn’t merely accompanying others; I was searching for something authentic — a faith experience I could understand intellectually and feel emotionally. I longed to comprehend the words I was speaking to God and to know that He understood me in return. My decision to embrace Christianity stemmed from this desire for genuine connection — a relationship with God that transcended ritual and reached into the depths of understanding and personal experience. It wasn’t about rejecting my past but finding a path that resonated with my deepest spiritual longings. The transformation surprised many who knew me. If I could show you photographs from before — of myself wearing the hijab, observing Islamic traditions — the contrast would be striking. Yet the outward changes reflect an even more significant internal journey. Today, my faith continues to evolve and deepen. Each day brings new insights, challenges, and growth as I cultivate this connection that I sought for so long. My story isn’t about choosing one tradition over another — it’s about finding the authentic spiritual path that allows me to connect with God in a way that speaks to my heart and mind. This journey, with all its complexities and revelations, continues to unfold. And while this chapter of my testimony has come to a close, the story of my faith remains very much in progress. © Oluwafunke Folami