Christian

radio personality Sheila Richards of J93.3 beams as she

exits the studio at the close of her morning show.

She is a

woman in love. Richards is on top of the world with her

wedding just two weeks away. She has a great job, a new

home in Tyrone and a faith that continues to grow daily.

Life wasn't

always this perfect for Richards. By her own admission,

she was a "prodigal child" who has been making

the slow walk back to Christ since her beloved

grandfather died when she was 17.

Richards

will share her testimony of faith and explain the guises

she hid behind for many years Thursday night at Braelinn

Baptist Church. The theme of this "Ladies Night

Out" program, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., is "Behind the

Mask." Richards will explain how she was able to

shed her personal masks and experience the freedom to be

real.

The evening

with Richards includes dinner, skits and music and costs

$10.

"My

first mask was the one I had as a child. My mother would

tell me to go to my room until I had a smile on my

face," Richards recalls. It translated as:

"You'll love me if I'm happy," she explained.

As an

adult, her job as a country music disc jockey known as

Kelly Richards was an ideal foil for her emotions.

"Radio was perfect for me," Richards said. She

may have sounded upbeat, happy and together on the air,

but stripping away her radio facade to reveal the true

Richards was "real scary."

She filled

the voids in her life in true '70's fashion: with men and

an uncaring attitude. Although she accepted Christ as her

savior in 1969, Richards said she did not rededicate her

life to Christ until 1991. "I became a prayer

warrior," she said. "Never give up on praying

for someone."

Richards'

road to happiness through her faith and conviction was

achieved by taking "baby steps." She is still

taking those steps daily, trying to follow the plan God

has laid out for her.

In

November, her life took an interesting turn when she was

introduced to Jimmy Harper, the man she will marry April

8. "He was praying for a Godly woman," Richards

said of her fiancee. A mutual friend brought them

together and Richards said the two couldn't stop laughing

and smiling at each other from the moment they met.

The couple

will marry in the Magnolia Garden at the Holiday Inn

Express in Fayetteville. Richards said the small wedding

they initially planned has blossomed into a 300-guest

gala complete with 10 attendants, groomsmen and a host of

family and friends.

For

Richards, April 8 will be a day to celebrate. Her face

may be lightly veiled, but certainly unmasked.