Throughout my long life, I have almost always been skeptical when friends told me that had spoken with God ... or that they had had visions.

Then everything changed.

For the last few weeks here at Rancho Cortez, I have been doing hypnotherapy to try and overcome some of my many personal flaws -- eating too much, being selfish, being lazy. My biggest problem has always been that I have been crippled by my past, constantly reliving my own failures and disappointments. I only half-jokingly told people that I had never really gotten over anything.

I have felt for some time that I have things to say that could make a difference to people, but I have often held back -- or pulled my punches -- because I felt I was a totally flawed messenger. What the last month (and the coming one) have been about for me is overcoming those flaws so that I can be happy -- and make the people who love me happy -- for the rest of my life.

About halfway through today's session, as I was going deeper into trance and listening to the positive affirmations the therapist was giving me, I began to feel a presence. Now depending on how you want to look at it, you can say that it was God or that it was the spark of God that lives within each one of us. Either way works for me.

As incredible as it may sound, God told me I was a worthwhile messenger and that I should tell as many people as possible what I believe. He told me -- and I use "he" only because "she" would sound odd and "it" would sound wrong -- that there was no reason to let what happened in the past cripple me and keep me from doing what I believe is right.

In essence -- and I know how egotistical this sounds -- God told me my message was a good one.

It isn't as if any of it is original.

The message is to love God and to let go of past disappointments so that you can serve God and mankind by loving your neighbor and making the world a better place for the fact you lived. The world isn't about how much money you have or what religion you are or what your politics are. It's about love, and our goal ought to be to make as many people's lives better as we can.

Believe me, I feel sort of "out there" on a limb right now. It's very strange to be telling people I have known my whole life -- not to mention Facebook friends -- that I had a vision and that I have a message.

I don't blame anyone for asking, "who the heck do you think you are to tell me God's message?"

But I'm not going to let it stop me.

Ever