Advertisement

Local Author is Divinely Queer in New Book

Jason A. Michael

They say that everyone has at least one book in them. However, it's in the getting it out and on paper where complications sometime arise. Jennifer Miracle-Best, the author of the soon-to-be-released book "Divinely Queer: My Journey to Spirituality through Sexuality" is all too familiar with that process. She is gearing up to sign copies of the book at a launch party at Metropolitan Community Church-Detroit in Clawson on Friday, Oct. 19.
"Writing a book is something I have always aspired to do but never dreamed I would actually accomplish," Miracle-Best said. "For years, as I would share with him the drama of the moment about who I was dating or where I was moving or what my family thought about it, my best friend would always ask me, 'When are you going to write a book?' I was always amused by this suggestion and insisted he was the only one who would be interested in reading it. So while I suppose I kind of always knew I had a story to tell, it's just been in the last year and a half that I've come to understand it's a story that people need to hear."
Ironically enough, when she finally took up the pen and started to write for real, Miracle-Best says it was primarily a business decision.
"When I moved back to Michigan from Georgia in 2013 after a two-year long-distance relationship with my now husband, Ethan, I also started a speaking and consulting business," she said. "Having been the person who books speakers on college campuses I knew authoring a book would give me a more specific platform on which to speak."
That's when she started writing. Miracle-Best began with a sort of LGBTQ 101 guide but quickly into the process began feeling stuck and uninspired.
"It wasn't until I attended a speaking event by another author that I was compelled to really reflect and ask myself what my story was," Miracle-Best said. "A culmination of the experiences I'd had, especially over the previous few years had brought me a new understanding of my journey and the message I felt like I was being led to share with the world. Inevitably, things kept lining up and falling into place for me to write this book."
In "Divinely Queer," Miracle-Best speaks directly to "anyone who has ever internalized the mainstream message that they are somehow unworthy of God's love, an abomination or irredeemable because of their sexual or gender identity."
"My hope is that anyone who is feeling disconnected or separated from the Divine for any reason will connect with my story and begin to understand that our Creator, by whatever name we choose to use, makes no mistakes and that everything about each of us is absolutely Divine," she said.
It's a message that, by her own admission, took Miracle-Best a while to learn.
"Divinely Queer ultimately tells the story of my journey from a place of pain and unworthiness to a place of liberation, empowerment and Divine connection, and particularly how my sexuality was the very vehicle that got me there," she said. "When my dad first learned about my first relationship with a woman, like many parents, he declared me unworthy of God's love and said some incredibly hurtful things."
Despite those harmful words, Miracle-Best said that something "burned inside" of her and guided her to "walk" in her authenticity. Still, it wasn't all smooth sailing and she struggled with her faith for a while.
"Ultimately, I came to understand that, had I not had that painful experience with my dad more than 20 years ago, I would not have the kind of intimate relationship that I have today with the Divine," she said. "That realization has completely reframed for me my relationship with my dad and brought me spiritual healing."
But the transformation happened gradually, just one step at a time.
"One of the things I often share with people about my spiritual journey is that it has pretty much been on God's terms," said Miracle-Best. "By that I mean I sure didn't go looking for God! Well, not so directly anyway. I share in the book that there were times I can remember seeking something more in life, something larger than myself, but I did not consciously call that God."
And for anyone who is skeptical or wary of anything spiritual or metaphysical, Miracle-Best said that she too once held those beliefs.
"However my story also explains how, gradually, over many, many years, the universe kept providing me with these experiences that could not be explained as anything other than Divine. Especially over the last five to seven years, since I reconnected with Ethan, I feel like my spirituality and connection with Spirit has blossomed, opening like a flower and continually expanding as I quiet my humanness and listen with my spirit."
Now, Miracle-Best doesn't just have a book under her belt. She also has a new mission.
"I wholeheartedly believe this is a message I came into this world to deliver," she said. "What started out as a business decision has organically morphed into a calling to help bring healing to the world."
Divinely Queer is available for pre-order on Amazon.com. Jennifer Miracle-Best will be signing copies of the book at a launch party at Metropolitan Community Church-Detroit in Clawson on Friday, Oct. 19 from 7 – 8:30 p.m. At the launch party, Miracle-Best will read from the book and take place in a Q&A session. For more information, visit jennifermiraclebest.com.

Advertisement
Advertisement

From the Pride Source Marketplace

Go to the Marketplace
Directory default
Small and large residential and commercial jobs.
Learn More
Directory default
We at Orion Auto recognize the investment you've made in your vehicle. Thats why we've made the…
Learn More
Advertisement