Hi, my name is Marion Merriweather

I have believed into our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Knowing Him is the only thing that matters.  Yet, it wasn’t always this way.

When we were three days old, my twin sister and I lost our mom.  Family members told us she died because God needed her in heaven.  What kind of God is this?  Why would He take away a mother of two newborn babies and three small boys?  Everybody is supposed to have a mother. 

So, I didn’t have a good impression of God from the very beginning.  When I was 12 years old, my dad became a “pastor.”  Of course, this didn’t help matters at all—“you’re now working for the enemy???”  I don’t want to be a “preacher’s kid.”  Everything that went wrong in my life I laid at God’s feet.  It was all His fault.  Of course, I did what was “expected” of me.  I “joined the church” and got baptized because I didn’t want to go to hell.

After moving out at 18, I made a declaration to myself.  “No one will ever tell me what to do again! ”  Not my parents, God, not anyone.  I felt the very people who should have taken care of me hurt me the most.  Therefore, I am going to take care of myself.  At that time, I didn’t realize what a price I was going to pay for that declaration.  All I knew was – I was free!!  Unknowingly, my decision not to listen to anyone caused me to step onto the road to hell. 

For the next five years, I walked the path of making my own decisions, unknowingly getting deeper and deeper into trouble!  I stopped attending church, and I began to live my life in total defiance of God.  It was like my conscience was seared.  There was no fear of God.  I did whatever I wanted to do, smoking, drinking, drugs—you name it, I did it. I didn’t care. I learned from that experience that God would allow me to “do crazy.”  He didn’t stop me.

By the end of these five years, my sister was so worried about my lifestyle that she constantly bothered me about going to church with her.   After several months of being harassed, I finally said okay.  I was “a tiny bit” open to listening to the message for some reason.  

I got home from church, and I told the Lord, “Okay, it can be just You and me.  I don’t have to go to church, and I don’t have to be with other people, just You and me.”  That’s the way I wanted to do it.  

I hadn’t read the Bible for a long time.  I decided to read whatever book I opened up.  It opened to the book of Daniel.  To me, this book had great stories (fiery furnace, Daniel in the lion’s den, etc.).  So, I read the book of Daniel from chapter 1 to chapter 12.  When I finished, I was so scared. This book wasn’t just a book of good stories.  I sensed a Person was talking to ME!!  Yes, there was Someone behind those Words, and for the first time, I was afraid of Him.  That day, I experienced Acts 7:2: “the God of glory appeared” to me.  Although I deserved His wrath, He met me with grace.   

It is this Christ Jesus whom I want to share with you through His Word.