Mary Louise Dewolf

A Cracker Gal Finds Religion: a Life Journey Through Stories, Poems and Sermons Mary Louise Dewolf

Publisher Marketing: If you are interested in religion, or in enriching your own religion, or in searching for a religion that suits you, you will enjoy this book. It is the story of the author's religious journey in stories, poems and sermons. Early in life, her father took her brother, the oldest sibling, to one church, and she and her two older sisters went with their mother to another church. But, she recalls that her first significant religious experience happened at home when she was alone. The author's spiritual growth began in this religiously divided family. She found her way, slowly and questioning, to a different religion and to her own theology. The fruits of her journey are, basically, what the book is about - poems and sermons. The poems chronicle the changes that occur in her life through this questioning: the meaning of life, relationships, love, nature, the seasons, and holidays. Writing and delivering sermons involve the head and the heart, knowledge and intuition, sensitivity and frankness. These sermons demonstrate the author's commitment to a religion that fits her science, not a separation between the two. The sermons are about how to live in this world with all of its complexities, while understanding that not only do religions differ widely, but so do individual theologies, convictions, and personalities. The goal of the sermons is to help us all make this world a better place to live by respecting the worth and dignity of every person with justice, equity, and compassion; engaging in an ongoing search for truth and meaning; exercising our conscience and the democratic process; and acknowledging the interdependent web of all existence.