The Name
The Title of the Blog is taken from the Hebrew Bible: The Book of Hosea, Chapter 2, Verses 14-15.
“Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came out of Egypt.”
These verses best capture my life with God. God has lovingly enticed me into His desert and there He is transforming my valley of trouble (Valley of Achor) into a door of hope.
Intentions
There are three things I hope to convey in this blog. (1) My story didn’t end in the “valley of trouble” and yours doesn’t have to either. No matter how dark things seem, no matter how great the suffering and chaos, love is always present and actively working. In the depths of the abyss, I discovered a hope that cannot die, and a love that is indestructible. You can too.
(2) To tell the story of how I came to discover my spiritual home is with the Jewish people after spending the first 50+ years of my life wandering from Christian denomination to Christian denomination.
(3) To deepen the Christian world’s understanding of Judaism and the Jewish people: The beauty of their faith, the gifts they bring to the world, and their suffering-much of which has been at the hands of Christians.
Me
The blog will tell you who I am but it won’t give you the facts…
The Early Years: I grew up in Big Rapids, Michigan, a small college town in Western Michigan with a most excellent hockey team. When I was a kid you could have written to me at RR1 (Rural Route). My playground was nature-forests, and fields, swamps and streams, and there were few boundaries other than where my feet or my bike could take me. My mom raised me in the First Assembly of God Church, a church that taught me to love God, read the Bible, and give to those in need. I moved to California at the age of 21 to finish college.
Graduate School: I finished my education at Rosemead School of Psychology at Biola University. My Rosemead professors gave me a solid education in clinical psychology and taught me how to work with dimension of spirituality while conducting psychotherapy.
Employment: I am a Licensed Psychologist in the States of Michigan and California (Inactive) with a background in trauma, with most of my experience being in child trauma.
I was a a full time Professor of Psychology at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, CA. I taught across their three psychology programs which means I worked with everyone from first year undergraduates, to adult students returning to finish their degree, to graduate students training to be therapists. I also completed a three-year training to become a Spiritual Director, a person who accompanies individuals as they unpack their spiritual journeys and deepen their awareness and connection to the divine (Sisters of St. Joseph in Orange, CA).
Religion: Orthodox Judaism(in the conversion process). I left the Catholic Church in 2020.
I Will Allure Her: Blooming in God's Desert 
Dear Julie, I hope you remember me. My sister is Kathy and my mom is Dianne matter. We were in assembly of god church with you in big rapids and I have not talked to you in many many years. My mom shared your blog with me and it made me cry with happiness! I too joined the Catholic church on holy Saturday about 4 years ago after a very long journey in and out of churches and personal struggle. God called me and loved me into the church. Sometimes I think that I have spent a lot of energy trying to forget my past, but yet it is such a part of the journey that led me to God, that I cannot discount it. When I read your blog it filled me with such emotion because it brought my past and present together in an instant. It blessed me so much to read words I have felt in my heart, that you have written in your blog. May god bless you tremendously in your life and especially this coming weekend.
Dear Shannon, I remember you and Kathy and your mom (Diane Matter) and you are such special people to me. Thank you for the heartfelt comments. I am thrilled to hear a little about your journey and that you, too, have found some peace. I’d like to hear more. Your mom is one of the people who helped me through some difficult times, though she may not realize it. When I was about 13 She gave me a beautiful piece of art that she made for me. On it she wrote Jeremiah 29:11-12 in calligraphy. I held onto her gift and the promise for years and years. Thank you so much for being part of my journey.