I think what you are saying is that you don't want to have people preach at you but simply try to give you an understanding of who God is, correct? I don't know if I can do that but I will try.
I can only speak from a Christian perspective so please take it in that context.
God first and foremost is the creator of all things. I am not going to go into arguments about the theory of evolution etc. because this is not a scientific explanation, but one based on what is in my heart personally.
As the creator, he loved all those things he created. That means he loved every man, woman and child on the planet regardless of their faith or lack of it, their color, their country of origin or what religion they do or do not follow.
He is a jealous yet totally righteous (free of sin) God and one that wants us to be obedient to his commands because he knows his way is the best way for all his children. Because of his own freedom from sin, he can not handle his creations being sinful either. (Just take a look at the commandments. Can you imagine what kind of a world we would live in if everyone followed them? It would be awesome.)
However, man disobeyed Gods commands and that did two things. First, it broke the bond that God had originally had with man. Secondly, that disobedience was passed from generation to generation. And although God still loved his creations, he more or less told them that now that they had sinned, they were no longer going to be under his protection and would have to make their own way in the world. I guess you could call it the original "tough love" concept. He hoped that man would then realize what they had lost when they turned their back on him and would voluntarily come back to him.
As it turned out, man did just the opposite and became more and more sinful as the generations passed. Eventually, God was so distraught with mankind that he made the decision to destroy them all because they had brought him nothing but heartache. It was at this time that one heavenly creature (some believe it was Jesus) spoke on behalf of mankind and pleaded that God allow the one righteous man to live. That man was Noah.
As time went by, even those that were born of the line of Noah and his family became sinners and disobeyed God. Then God brought the Ten Commandments to them and more or less said, "I will make myself clear. Here are the rules. Follow them and I will give you paradise. Disobey and you will die."
Again, some followed, some did not.
In a final attempt to get mankind to accept a life free of sin, Jesus was sent to try to teach us God's way by example. To prove he was the son of God, all sorts of miracles took place. His miraculous birth, the healings, voices spoke from the sky, he cast out demons etc., and many saw and believed and followed him. But their were still men who hated him because they themselves were the current leaders of the religious community in Israel and they feared what Jesus would do to that power base so they set a trap for Jesus which eventually resulted in his death. Jesus however knew that this was coming and had told his followers that if people would believe on him as the son of God, he would once again plead their case to God himself in the future. (Salvation) Jesus died on the cross so that all mankind would have one last chance to believe and to be saved from destruction by God. Jesus was raised from the dead as one last miracle to assure us that he had already defeated Satan on our behalf and that all we had to do was to believe and follow.
I do not know if God has a physical body as you and I do. I do know however that God is a spirit who is able to transport that spirit to people who believe in Him. That is from personal experience.
I do not know where God originated or how. I realize that this explanation may not be what you needed but it is the only way I can explain him...by trying to show you his character. Like most parents, he loves his children but will not accept bad behavior. But I think the fact that he kept trying to get mankind to understand and finally went so far as to send and sacrifice Jesus on our behalf is proof of his love for us.
If you have specific questions, feel free to e mail me. God Bless.