Culture December 26, 2018

'Journeys of Faith with Paula Faris': Sherri Shepherd on losing faith in God and finding it again

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Sherri Shepherd visits Hollywood Today Live on April 17, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.

In a new episode of "Journeys of Faith with Paula Faris," a podcast featuring conversations on how faith has guided newsmakers and celebrities through their best and worst times, ABC News' Paula Faris sits down with comedienne Sherri Shepherd.

Listen now -- new episodes available every Wednesday.

(MORE: 'Journeys of Faith with Paula Faris': Sam Harris says evidence for God is 'not sufficient')

Here is Paula, in her own words, about the new episode:

“God didn’t love me anymore.”

That’s what comedienne Sherri Shepherd thought before she found God in the unlikeliest of places: on a bus.

I’ve known Sherri for several years. Our time at "The View" didn’t overlap, but she occasionally guest hosted. And, as the song says, she is sunshine on a cloudy day. Give me a teaspoon of Sherri Shepherd’s joy, and my spirit is full.

But, in this episode, Sherri opens up about her painful past as a Jehovah’s Witness, and why she was publicly reproofed by the church and not allowed to speak to her father. She recalls thinking that “the Bible says the greatest of these things is love. And you’re telling me that the man that I love -- I can’t have anything to do with my dad?”

However, even after she became a Christian, it wasn’t all “roses and lollipops,” she says. Sherri recalls life as a struggling comedienne, her car getting repossessed, spending eight days in jail and enduring two divorces.

(MORE: 'Journeys of Faith with Paula Faris': Tim Tebow says 'God used the highs and lows for a purpose' in his career)

She also reveals what happened when she didn’t walk away from "The View" when she believed God had called her to. “I heard God’s voice say, ‘I told you it was time to go.’”

On this episode of “Journeys Of Faith,’ Sherri will make you laugh, cry and feel every emotion in between.

What does her faith mean to her?

“If I didn’t have my faith, I probably would have had a nervous breakdown. My faith is what allows me to get up and keep putting one foot in front of the other. My faith is what allows me to go, ‘It’s going to get better.’”

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