I had no idea a year ago that I would be asked to write a blog. A year ago I was discerning retirement. I had built a great career later in life and was finally making decent money. That would be hard to leave. But something within was moving my heart in that direction. Maybe it was how the world was changing, or my grandkids growing up, or my aging mother-in-law moving in with us. I prayed about it. It didn’t take long. I turned in my letter of retirement and my first commitment was to learn to quiet myself and listen to God.

You can usually gage when you’re being led by the Lord when doors that you didn’t look for begin to open. It didn’t take long for opportunities to present themselves. This blog was one of them. In many ways, I felt much like Luisa did, when she was told to write her conversations with Christ. The difference …my journey with the Lord is very different from Luisa’s. And that’s okay. Like snowflakes, we are all uniquely created by our Creator. In just that thought alone, we should give glory and praise to God.

My first question was how. How should I approached this “revealing” to others my joys and struggles in discovering, accepting, and living day by day the Gift of Living in God’s Divine Will.

Let Go and Let God!

My prayer: God direct this endeavor. Lord, what should I write about today? What can I share that would be helpful to others? The words I received back in prayer and from others: Love. My search for true love. Transparent. Authentic.

As I write, I will let the Lord reveal to you who I am in Him. Alongside of that, you’ll get to know more about me and how the Lord revealed those places of me living my will. I rejoice just knowing that the Divine Will is a gift and I ask for and commit to God’s Will every day. I am His Instrument; all my imperfections, attachments, habits of self-protection, and even places of disconnection.

How was this “gift” introduced to me?

I know we all have incredible stories about how we came to know Luisa Piccarreta and how her relationship with Jesus captivated our heart. More than a year ago, someone considered to be knowledgeable about Luisa and the gift of the Divine Will visited our church to give a presentation. I heard about the event, but with a busy work and family schedule, did not attend. Besides, I didn’t know anything about the presenter -so I really didn’t give it a second thought. After that event, there were several times that Luisa and the Divine Will were mentioned to me, but I still didn’t pay attention. Then one day, a friend from church mentioned they were starting a Divine Will Prayer Cenacle and asked if I would be interested. I told her I would give it some thought. In the back of my mind, I was thinking that maybe I should pay attention to this invitation. And I did. There seemed to be something more to this invitation and since I’m naturally curious, I decided to find out who this Luisa was.

That was the beginning of this journey. The only way I can describe this is that my heart yearned to hear these messages. The messages, prayers, meditations, were filling a place deep within. It wasn’t my imagination. I am too much of a realist. I have spent a good part of my adult life running/avoiding God, questioning Him, crying on His shoulder, asking Him for things, and finally witnessing Him move in my heart in a very real way and learning to trust Him. So if He brought me to this, I needed to respond and learn about this gift in a theologically, spiritually sound way -which prompted my search for just the right teacher. The Book of Heaven is very big, not just in mass but in content. There is no way I would ever want to try to interpret what was written. Much like our Church has guided us in understanding and interpreting the Holy Bible, I wanted the same guidance in these beautiful messages. Guidance and interpretation doesn’t mean that we don’t listen to how these messages speak to our heart. On the contrary, proper understanding enhances our experience.

My quest for proper guidance led me to Fr. Joseph Iannuzzi and the Divine Will Era Ministries. There are many YouTubers and podcasters out there. I’ve heard most of them. God Bless them all! I’m not a theology or Divine Will expert. I began listening to Fr. Iannuzzi’s teachings and felt I was on solid ground. The wonderful discussions between Dr. James and Martha and Larry’s Bite by Bite presentations enhance the teachings of Fr. Iannuzzi. I have participated in Larry’s Zoom teachings three times weekly, along with smaller group sessions which go deeper into those teachings and prayer. I’ve been involved since I retired. I’m new in this journey. It’s a commitment.

The Armor of God.

My formation in the Divine Will is new but I have been solidly committed to loving God for many years. I’m a 20 year vowed lay member of the Community of Jesus, the Living Mercy (Bethesda) -under the Diocese of Cleveland- which provides a place of healing and mercy for those who have experienced abortion and trauma. I have a great heart for salvation of souls, which aligns so perfectly with the Divine Will. I attend Mass mostly daily since retirement. I’ve served the church in many ways but relationship and love is everything. The “to do” list I left behind with retirement. I wanted to love our Lord more deeply and serve in whatever way He calls me.

I have so much more to share with you, however, I understand how busy our lives are. It’s sometimes difficult to find time to read, so I pray to keep my posts -for the most part- short and sweet. I’m journeying with you! We are all one in the Divine Will, in the Body of Christ.

Which brings me to mention, that I would also like this blog to be “our journey” and would love to hear your stories -struggles, joys, and challenges- of Living in the Divine Will.

Please email me at redeemed@divinewillministries.blog to share your story and I’ll post it. If you’re not a writer, no worries, neither am I! Just share your heart. I would love to hear from you!

God bless and Fiat as we journey together.

Sincerely in Christ,

Denise