There have been many chapters in my life — some bright, others shadowed — but all of them shaping who I am today. As a performer, I’ve stood on stages where people expected cheer, confidence, and charisma. And yet, behind those lights, I’ve wrestled with valleys of spirit that sometimes felt endless, thoughts that circled like a looped refrain, and a mind that notices patterns and details others might never see. For years, I wondered if these differences meant I was broken.
What I’ve discovered through A Marvelous Work and a Wonder® is that I was never broken at all. My sensitivity, my introversion, even the struggles I once labeled as flaws are simply part of my human composition. They’re signals pointing me back toward authenticity. Instead of being obstacles, they can be the very instruments through which greater depth, resilience, and empathy are born.
I haven’t turned my back on the foundation that raised me. I still honor the tradition that first taught me Christ’s name, though my participation in it looks different today. The good I received there remains with me, and what I’ve found through A Marvelous Work and a Wonder® has only added to that light.
Engaging with this material hasn’t turned me into someone new; rather, it has helped me uncover a version of myself I always sensed but could never quite bring to the surface. A self that is both grounded and lifted — more able to meet the demands of life, art, and relationships with clarity and peace.
For me, it’s not about perfection, but about being real. And that, I’ve come to see, is the most important work of all.
Barry Knudsen
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