New to Christian Chat

Hi everyone. God introduced Himself to me when I was eighteen years of age. I am now 66. I say introduce Himself because while a neighborhood friend and I were walking across the nearly 200 yards long church grounds of the church we been raised in, and subsequently left at the age of consent, a cloud formation suddenly appeared directly above us in what was as near perfect as clouds allow, the depiction of the three crosses of Calvary. Yes, in what had been a beautiful cloudless early summer afternoon, suddenly there appears three crosses of cloud, the center the larger with two smaller, one on either end. What did I do? I freaked! I desperately searched the sky hoping to either hear the engine or see the plane responsible for creating this unwelcomed event while all along fearful that there was something far more powerful behind this. Then I felt His presence surround me. Why me? The memory of the abuse I grew up in through childhood doesn't necessarily remind me of what one might picture from some newspaper headline, but then again it was enough to destroy my life and steal away from me any understanding of relating to humanity in any real sense of being accepted or belonging anywhere in society. Most of my life all I knew to believe was that I was worthless, unwanted, unloved and had absolutely no right whatsoever to think I deserved any acceptance. Why did God introduce Himself to me in these clouds. I have come to accept that it was going to take something of that magnitude to hold me through the many difficult years of internal suffering that would await me, I guess until God could break through with my first true understanding that love actually existed even for me, which came roughly about thirty five years later. I don't suspect I shall ever be like most of you who at least have some inkling of who you are or where you belong in this world, yet I have been given at least an understanding that we're all family in Christ regardless of our backgrounds.

I don't suspect I shall ever be like most of you who at least have some inkling of who you are or where you belong in this world

Hi everyone. God introduced Himself to me when I was eighteen years of age. I am now 66. I say introduce Himself because while a neighborhood friend and I were walking across the nearly 200 yards long church grounds of the church we been raised in, and subsequently left at the age of consent, a cloud formation suddenly appeared directly above us in what was as near perfect as clouds allow, the depiction of the three crosses of Calvary. Yes, in what had been a beautiful cloudless early summer afternoon, suddenly there appears three crosses of cloud, the center the larger with two smaller, one on either end. What did I do? I freaked! I desperately searched the sky hoping to either hear the engine or see the plane responsible for creating this unwelcomed event while all along fearful that there was something far more powerful behind this. Then I felt His presence surround me. Why me? The memory of the abuse I grew up in through childhood doesn't necessarily remind me of what one might picture from some newspaper headline, but then again it was enough to destroy my life and steal away from me any understanding of relating to humanity in any real sense of being accepted or belonging anywhere in society. Most of my life all I knew to believe was that I was worthless, unwanted, unloved and had absolutely no right whatsoever to think I deserved any acceptance. Why did God introduce Himself to me in these clouds. I have come to accept that it was going to take something of that magnitude to hold me through the many difficult years of internal suffering that would await me, I guess until God could break through with my first true understanding that love actually existed even for me, which came roughly about thirty five years later. I don't suspect I shall ever be like most of you who at least have some inkling of who you are or where you belong in this world, yet I have been given at least an understanding that we're all family in Christ regardless of our backgrounds.

Hi everyone. God introduced Himself to me when I was eighteen years of age. I am now 66. I say introduce Himself because while a neighborhood friend and I were walking across the nearly 200 yards long church grounds of the church we been raised in, and subsequently left at the age of consent, a cloud formation suddenly appeared directly above us in what was as near perfect as clouds allow, the depiction of the three crosses of Calvary. Yes, in what had been a beautiful cloudless early summer afternoon, suddenly there appears three crosses of cloud, the center the larger with two smaller, one on either end. What did I do? I freaked! I desperately searched the sky hoping to either hear the engine or see the plane responsible for creating this unwelcomed event while all along fearful that there was something far more powerful behind this. Then I felt His presence surround me. Why me? The memory of the abuse I grew up in through childhood doesn't necessarily remind me of what one might picture from some newspaper headline, but then again it was enough to destroy my life and steal away from me any understanding of relating to humanity in any real sense of being accepted or belonging anywhere in society. Most of my life all I knew to believe was that I was worthless, unwanted, unloved and had absolutely no right whatsoever to think I deserved any acceptance. Why did God introduce Himself to me in these clouds. I have come to accept that it was going to take something of that magnitude to hold me through the many difficult years of internal suffering that would await me, I guess until God could break through with my first true understanding that love actually existed even for me, which came roughly about thirty five years later. I don't suspect I shall ever be like most of you who at least have some inkling of who you are or where you belong in this world, yet I have been given at least an understanding that we're all family in Christ regardless of our backgrounds.

I thank you for the kindness, but don't be surprised at my holding back. A lot to healin left to go here.

A lot to healin left to go here.

Your user name brings this John Michael Talbot song to mind from his The Lover
and the Beloved LP; words from Saint John of the Cross' One Dark Night

I have come to accept that it was going to take something of that magnitude to hold me through the many difficult years of internal suffering that would await me, I guess until God could break through with my first true understanding that love actually existed even for me, which came roughly about thirty five years later. I don't suspect I shall ever be like most of you who at least have some inkling of who you are or where you belong in this world, yet I have been given at least an understanding that we're all family in Christ regardless of our backgrounds.

I thank you for the kindness, but don't be surprised at my holding back. A lot to healin left to go here.

Hi everyone. God introduced Himself to me when I was eighteen years of age. I am now 66. I say introduce Himself because while a neighborhood friend and I were walking across the nearly 200 yards long church grounds of the church we been raised in, and subsequently left at the age of consent, a cloud formation suddenly appeared directly above us in what was as near perfect as clouds allow, the depiction of the three crosses of Calvary. Yes, in what had been a beautiful cloudless early summer afternoon, suddenly there appears three crosses of cloud, the center the larger with two smaller, one on either end. What did I do? I freaked! I desperately searched the sky hoping to either hear the engine or see the plane responsible for creating this unwelcomed event while all along fearful that there was something far more powerful behind this. Then I felt His presence surround me. Why me? The memory of the abuse I grew up in through childhood doesn't necessarily remind me of what one might picture from some newspaper headline, but then again it was enough to destroy my life and steal away from me any understanding of relating to humanity in any real sense of being accepted or belonging anywhere in society. Most of my life all I knew to believe was that I was worthless, unwanted, unloved and had absolutely no right whatsoever to think I deserved any acceptance. Why did God introduce Himself to me in these clouds. I have come to accept that it was going to take something of that magnitude to hold me through the many difficult years of internal suffering that would await me, I guess until God could break through with my first true understanding that love actually existed even for me, which came roughly about thirty five years later. I don't suspect I shall ever be like most of you who at least have some inkling of who you are or where you belong in this world, yet I have been given at least an understanding that we're all family in Christ regardless of our backgrounds.