Building a personal relationship with God is sometimes hard. Thankfully, authors like Marianna Albritton share their own unique experiences, offering inspiration to others.

Marianna Albritton is the author of the book Come Climb Toward God: Are You Hungry for God? She was born premature and at a time when most hospitals did not have an incubator or a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Her chance of survival was low that the attending doctor doubted Marianna would survive. But she did. Since that day, Marianna has always looked to the Lord for guidance in her life.

A Growing Passion

Marianna Albritton started writing when she was in high school. She once submitted an essay for the Church Association which held a contest with the theme “Why young people are important in the work of the local church?” Much to her surprise, Marianna’s entry won the said contest. Marianna’s essay was read during the Association’s meeting. She considers that moment as the turning point in her life where she developed a desire to write on the subject of helping other people get acquainted with God.

Marianna then attended Southern Junior College in Laurel, Mississippi. The school offered her a two-year Bible Study program in addition to the regular two-year basic college courses. The Bible study program gave Marianna the foundation she needed to further study the Bible. Her passion to study the Bible and learn more about God grew stronger at this point.

The Road to Writing

Marianna Albritton never imagined herself standing in front of the crowd to speak. It was her high school speech teacher, Mr. Hassan who encourage her to express her ideas and speak in public. Marianna then taught Sunday School Class for five years. The pastor started a church magazine and Marianna serves as its editor. She wrote editorials, edited articles from staff, and church organizations. This experience helped build Marianna’s self-confidence as many of the church members expressed their appreciation and compliments on her writing skills.

After she graduated from college, Marianna Albritton went on to teach high school in Jones County for 4 years while still teaching Sunday School, leading a youth group, and editing the church magazine. It was during this time that she met and married her husband. After moving to Lucedale, Marianna continued to study the Bible and teach Sunday School. She was then asked to teach a Bible Study Class. This opportunity enabled Marianna to learn how to research and write studies specifically for the women participating in the study.

A Life of Dedication

We moved to Stone County. The job offered a quiet place to learn and study. During the 15 years we lived there, God inserted new avenues of service; one on one discipleship study, teaching and speaking at churches other than my own, and most surprising of all_assignments to write Sunday School lessons for the Baptist Sunday School Board.

Despite various setbacks in her life (her husband lost his job when the timber company shut down), Marianna never lost her faith in God. They then moved to Stone County where her husband found a more stable job. The new place allowed Marianna to study and learn more about the Bible. This also provided new opportunities for her; one on one discipleship study, teaching and speaking at churches other than my own. Most importantly, she was assigned to write Sunday School lessons for the Baptist Sunday School Board.

For Marianna, writing Sunday School lessons to be read in churches all over the United States was so amazing, exciting and unbelievable. Letters of encouragement from the people and her students encourage inspired her to finally write a book. Marianna Albritton then published Come Climb Toward God in 2013.