She Had to Experience God for Herself—Then She Wrote About “Perfect Glory” | Marcia West

<p>What happens when faith stops being something you simply inherit and becomes something you experience personally?</p><p>In this episode of Thought Atlas, I sit down with Marcia West to explore her journey from growing up in a largely secular home with a Presbyterian background to developing a deeply personal relationship with Jesus.</p><p>Marcia grew up as the fifth child in a family of nine. Although her family identified with a Presbyterian background, she says her parents did not regularly practice religion. Her grandparents, however, were very religious, giving her an early exposure to a more rule-centered form of Christianity.</p><p>As a young adult, Marcia experimented with drugs during college and later spent 17 years married to a man whose government work took them to different cities across the United States, as well as Bangkok, Thailand. She describes Bangkok as one of the most interesting and exciting periods of her life, while her time in Oklahoma City exposed her to a culture she associated with materialism.</p><p>Eventually, after her marriage ended, Marcia returned to Atlanta, where she says spiritual conversations with a friend who became a spiritual mentor helped lead her toward extraordinary experiences that she describes as encounters with God.</p><p>One of those experiences occurred in the mountains of Appalachia. Marcia calls it her “perfect glory” experience and says she received words of wisdom and encouragement that eventually became the foundation for her book, <em>Perfect Glory: 21 Spiritual Insights from the 21st Century</em>.</p><p>In our conversation, we explore what personal spiritual experiences can do to someone’s understanding of God, why Marcia believes faith should move beyond restrictive religious rules, and what it can mean to develop a genuine relationship with Jesus in everyday life.</p><p>We also discuss the spiritual challenges of living in the 21st century, the distractions of modern life, the importance of quiet reflection, reading the Bible, and making room for God amid everything competing for our attention.</p><p>Marcia shares what she would tell someone who feels spiritually distant, why she believes extraordinary spiritual experiences are not an everyday occurrence, and where someone interested in exploring Christianity might begin.</p><p>At the heart of the conversation is her belief that faith isn’t merely something we think about. It is something we experience, live, and continually grow into.</p><p>Con