Eyes on Jesus, Not Everyone Else's Highlight Reel

Do you ever find yourself scrolling through social media, looking at someone else’s perfect life, and suddenly feeling like yours doesn’t measure up? It seems like one minute, you’re fine, and the next, even though no circumstances have changed, you’re convinced you’re failing at everything - your house isn’t like everyone else’s, your job is not that exciting, and even your dinner looks blah compared to what you see everybody else eating.

It’s exhausting, isn’t it? I mean, really exhausting.

But here’s the truth: Comparison is a liar. It whispers deep inside that you’re not enough, that God’s blessings are skipping over you, and that you need to strive harder to keep up. But that’s not what God says about you.

God’s plan for you is yours alone.

Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” God handcrafted you, your personality, your gifts, even your quirks - on purpose. That means He didn’t create you to live someone else’s story. He numbered each of your days with the utmost intention and care.

When we start comparing, we’re essentially saying to God that what He gave us isn’t good enough. Ouch! But, friend, His plans for you are just as intentional and just as beautiful as the plans He has for anyone else.

Remember Peter in Matthew 14? He was literally walking on water! What?? As long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, he stayed above the water, but as soon as he looked at the wind and waves (the distractions around him), he started sinking.

That’s what it’s like for us with comparison. The moment we take our eyes off Jesus and start looking at someone else’s life, job, talents, relationships, we begin to sink in self-doubt, frustration, and jealousy. It’s true!

So how do we stay above the waves that inevitably are going to come?

• Start your day in God’s Word! Fill your mind with His truth. It’s all there - His promises, blessings, instruction, and encouragement. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

• Pray for a heart of gratitude. Nothing kills comparison like counting your blessings.

• Celebrate others without questioning your own worth. Someone else’s success doesn’t mean your life is lacking.

• Trust that God is writing a story in your life - one that isn’t meant to look like anyone else’s.

• And, finally, run your own race!

Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”

Your race is YOUR race. Not his. Not hers. Not theirs. YOURS. And the only way to run it well is to keep your eyes on Jesus.

So next time comparison tries to creep in, shut it down with this truth:

God’s plan for me is good. His timing is perfect. And my life is right where it’s supposed to be.

Now go purpose to live your story with joy, confidence, and your focus locked onto Him!

What Are You Claiming for Your Life?

In the tapestry of our daily lives, conversations often revolve around ourselves. We share the nuances of our day, our emotional states, and even our aspirations for the future with those we encounter. These exchanges may often seem like casual chit-chat, but we must remember that every word we utter about ourselves carries profound significance and, consequently, consequences.

The spiritual realm operates on a principle often described as "legalistic," meaning it adheres excessively to spiritual laws and principles. So when we verbalize statements about ourselves, such as expressing frustration with our boss at work by saying, "I'm sick and tired of my boss," we inadvertently make a declaration that the spiritual realm takes note of. This declaration can give the enemy a legal right to ensure that we indeed become "sick and tired."

Or how about discussing physical conditions we may be struggling with, like saying, "my cancer" or "my weak back." In doing so, we unwittingly partner with the enemy, whose mission, as John 10:10 tells us, is to kill, steal, and destroy. So we really only have two options. We can either partner with God, aligning ourselves with His good intentions, or unwittingly align with the enemy who harbors no good for us.

Understanding the delicate equilibrium between the sovereignty of God and the choices we make is crucial. Our claims and declarations in the spiritual realm are not mere utterances; they are powerful agents that help shape the course of our lives. Proverbs 18:21 reminds us that "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit." Every word we speak carries the potential to affect our lives. So it is vital to ground our declarations in the promises that God reveals to us through His Word.

Also, Galatians 6:7 introduces us to the principle of sowing and reaping. It emphasizes that God cannot be mocked, and whatever we sow, we will ultimately reap. In the context of our spiritual claims, these declarations can be likened to seeds planted in the fertile soil of the spiritual realm. What kind of seeds we choose to sow will undoubtedly affect the harvest we reap. Because of that, we must be vigilant about the words we sow into our lives.

As Christians, we are called to walk in faith, believing God’s promises and good plans for us, understanding that every promise He has made is a resounding "yes and amen." It's important to remember that the spiritual realm is legalistic, where each word carries substantial weight. To navigate this terrain wisely, we must seek God's will, employ discernment and wisdom, and consciously partner with Him and His good plans, thereby avoiding alignment with the enemy who wants to destroy us. In this balance, we find not only spiritual wisdom but a pathway to aligning our lives with the divine purpose God has ordained for us.

70 x 7

Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive someone who did something against him. Seven times? Seems reasonable, doesn’t it? In fact, downright generous.

But Jesus went much further than that and told Peter we should forgive 70 TIMES 7. That’s a lot!

In the Bible when the number seven is mentioned, it is associated with perfection or completion. It makes sense then that Peter used the number seven in his question.

Why do you think Jesus replied the way He did? He then followed His reply with the parable about the unmerciful servant. The servant, after having a very large debt he owed forgiven by the king, turned around and had someone who owed him a small debt thrown into prison because he couldn’t repay it.

When the king found out what the servant did, he called the servant in and questioned his lack of mercy towards the man who owed him the small debt. The king was so angry that he then reinstated the servant’s debt and turned him over to the jailers to be tortured until he was able to repay his large debt.

As followers of Jesus, we have each been forgiven a large debt. Our sin comes with a price that we cannot pay ourselves, so Jesus came to pay that debt with His own life. We haven’t earned it, but it is free if we choose to accept it. When we ask Jesus to rule and reign in our lives, we walk knowing that we are forgiven simply because we received His gift. No matter how many times we sin, His forgiveness is available to us.

So what does that look like in our relationship with others? If you spend any time with people at all in your home or outside of it, you know that things can come up. People can do things that rub us the wrong way, offend us, or even hurt us deeply. Once that happens, we have a choice. We can choose to pick up that irritation, offense, or hurt and let it steal our peace and cause division, or we can choose to forgive them so that our hearts don’t become hard and bitter if the unforgiveness takes root, festers, and grows.

There is much more to be said on the subject of forgiveness that we aren’t going to touch on here. But the short and simple take-away is that we always have a choice on how we are going to respond to the things that take place in our lives. As we walk with Jesus, it’s our desire to be more like Him and that our minds are renewed to be like His, and this is one small step in that process.

So next time an issue comes up with another person, pause and choose to forgive them, even if you don’t feel like it, and then see what God does in your life and also in theirs.

Joy McLaughlin

As a co-founder of The Renewal Project, one of Joy's greatest passions is to help others walk in freedom, joy, and hope. When she is not ministering to others, she also enjoys writing, hiking, and spending time with her family and friends.

The Perfect Gift

In this season of remembering the birth of Jesus, one of the ways we celebrate is by giving gifts to those we love and appreciate. We choose to do this in a variety of ways – homemade expressions of gratitude, thoughtful well-intentioned personalized gifts, sometimes grand displays of charity, and sometimes small tokens of appreciation, to name a few.

Matthew 7:11 says that although we are imperfect (evil, even), we know how to give good gifts to our children, and our heavenly Father gives even greater gifts to those who ask. The greatest gift He gave us was His Son in human flesh who died to pay the price for our sins. God didn’t have to do it. Jesus didn’t have to come. But He chose to.

Along with the gift of eternal life, Jesus’ death purchased for us the opportunity to live in freedom. Freedom from shame and condemnation, freedom from fear, free from the curses associated with sin. And while this freedom is readily available to each one of us, we must choose to walk in it for ourselves.

What does that mean exactly? It means we can choose to receive His forgiveness for the things we’ve done wrong. It means that we can choose to allow Him to continue to renew our mind, exchanging thoughts of worthlessness and hopelessness for the mind of Christ which only engages in thoughts that God has about us that are outlined in His Word. It means being transformed and walking in hope and great expectancy for our lives even in the middle of tough situations. It means stability among the shifting sands of culture and politics.

The baby King came as a gift and also bearing gifts for each one of us. And just as we give gifts to our loved ones without any strings attached, God’s gift to us comes without any strings, just more gifts.

Sometimes we feel unworthy of gifts given to us and may even refuse them, but the gifts God gives us are not because of who we are but because of who He is. His love is without end, and so are His grace and mercy. He doesn’t have to give us anything, but He chooses to!

If you’ve never received the gift of a relationship with Jesus, today is a great day to say “yes.” And if you have, but still feel as though you are carrying around shame and hurts from the past, today is a great day to say “yes” to the freedom Jesus is offering you! A relationship with Jesus is the greatest gift you will ever say “yes” to. Why not receive it today?

If you have any questions about having a relationship with Jesus or obtaining freedom from shame or past hurts, we would love to talk to you! Contact us through the contact page, and we will reach out to you!

Merry Christmas!

Trayson and Reginna 
Todd and Joy

Taking Captive Thoughts

“I cannot function without coffee! Don’t talk to me or expect breakfast before liquid fuel is in my body. I literally cannot parent well or be a nice person until I’m caffeinated.”

This may seem a little extreme, or it may hit home to you. Many people jokingly accept the lie that they cannot function without coffee. I don’t have a problem with joking about things in general, but let’s look at this example and see the other belief systems it’s putting into place.

Because I believe that I NEED coffee to make breakfast, parent well, or be a nice person, I create excuses for how I act if I haven’t drank coffee yet. Is it physically realistic that I cannot cook up some eggs or cut up some fruit before I drink coffee? No. What about snapping at my kids or being unkind to others? Is not having coffee a legitimate excuse to treat people poorly? Absolutely not! Yet because, to some degree, it is believed, it is accepted as ok.

If I believe a lie, it becomes my reality. Everything I do is based on what I believe whether it is true or not.

Believing I have to have coffee to function well can lead me to lack love, joy, and peace, because I believe I need something other than God to create those feelings within me. This wrong belief also leads me to not be as effective as I could early in the morning. I can change this belief to: I enjoy my coffee in the morning. It is not what gives me life, but it is a gift from God that gives me pleasure and extra energy.

Whatever I surround myself with or put within me will become part of me unless I’m proactive about separating truth from lies.

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5

 Demolishing arguments and pretensions that go against the knowledge of God and taking captive my thoughts and making them obedient to Christ is more than just recognizing a bad thought.

 We can all point out negative thoughts, but can we point out what the lie is? Do we catch thoughts that go against the knowledge of God? Do we know what’s true? How can we figure out if something is a lie if we don’t know what’s true?

 It is vital for us to know who God is, what God thinks about our circumstances and us. If we don’t know what He thinks, we will live in bondage. Lies keep us in bondage. Truth sets us free.

 So what does taking our thoughts captive actually look like? When a thought comes into my head I check it with what I know of God, His character, His heart for me, and His thoughts of me. All these can be found in the Bible. So, if a thought comes into my head contrary to what God would agree with, I need to grab the thought, REJECT the lie, and then REPLACE the lie with what God thinks, the truth.

 It’s very easy to want to push away negative thoughts, and the general idea behind that seems good. But if we don’t replace it with truth, there is opportunity for it to keep trying to pop back up and torment us. We need the truth from the Word of God to battle the lie and kick it out.

 Let’s look at some examples:

• “My opinion doesn’t matter. No one cares what I think.”
  Lie: I shouldn’t talk. I have nothing to say that’s beneficial.
  Truth: I have words that will bless others. What I speak gives grace and builds people up. (1 Peter 3:9, Ephesians 4:29)
  -I do have value to bring to conversations. God has given me a brain to think and has taught me things that can be beneficial to others.

•  “My body is ugly. I don’t look like _________.”
  Lie: I was created without thought.
  Truth: I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I was created in God’s image (Psalm 149:13, Genesis 1:27).
  -I was created by the Master Craftsman, and not only that, I was created in His image. 

• “I can’t do this. I’ve failed at this in the past. It’s not going to be different this time.”
  Lie: I’m a failure. I shouldn’t try again. Fearing this is reasonable.
  Truth: I was created for good works that God has prepared for me to do.  I can do all things through Christ Jesus, because He gives me strength. I have not been given a spirit of fear, but power love and a sound mind.  (Ephesians 2:10, Philippians 4:13, 2 Timothy 1:7)
  -I can do this. The past does not define me. I have messed up before, but it has given me understanding of how to do this better.

Continuing to believe lies no matter how insignificant they may seem to us creates a place of bondage in our lives. We won’t confidently pursue what God is leading us into if we aren’t actively pursuing truth in our lives. God gifted us with a powerful mind with intent. Let’s use it by filling it up with truth, so we are prepared to follow the Lord and do what He’s asked us to.

Reginna Luna

When she comes across a "mom break" (aka sleeping children), Reginna will most likely be found snuggled up to her husband, cooking, or reading. Being a co-founder of The Renewal Project, she loves the opportunity to minister life, love, and hope found in Jesus.

I AM THE GATEKEEPER

When we moved into our house, we installed a fence around our backyard. The main reason for the fence was our big fluffy Labradoodle Darcy. She spent her first three years on a farm with many acres to explore. Her love of exploring didn’t disappear when she joined our family. On the occasions that she escaped our house or yard, she would race joyfully around the neighborhood looking for new friends and fresh scents, eventually returning home exhausted but happy for the adventure.

In addition to keeping Darcy in, another reason for the fence was to keep critters out that didn’t belong in our yard.  

In the perimeter of the fence, we installed three gates.  The gates were essential for mowing and moving lawn equipment and building supplies from one area to another.  As sturdy and solid as the fence was, if a gate was left open, the fence was useless, and Darcy once again ran the neighborhood.

What about fences in our lives?  Fences or boundaries are a good thing.  When placed properly, they provide security and protection.  Keeping what belongs to us safe and secure, and keeping out things that don’t belong.  

In addition to external physical gates, each one of us also has an internal gate.  It’s called our mind. When functioning as designed, we allow the good things in and keep the harmful things out.  We are the only ones that have control of the gate of our minds. We get to choose what we allow in.

Negative thoughts?  In or out?

Words of affirmation?  In or out?

Lies about who we are?  In or out?

Godly wisdom?  In or out?

Every one of us has experienced words or actions against us.  They can be hurtful and cause wounds. Not minimizing the effects of trauma or abuse in any way, we get to choose what kind of internal dialogue we allow to occupy our mind.

We are instructed in the Bible (2 Corinthians 10:5) to take every thought captive.  What does that mean? I like to think of it this way: Every thought must stop at our mind’s gate.  Godly thoughts that line up with God’s Word and His character, they are allowed passage. Thoughts that do not line up with God’s Word and His character, no admittance allowed.

Being intentional with our thought life enables us to focus on what is true and right.  We know that we have a spiritual enemy that seeks to steal, kill, and destroy. He doesn’t want us to be at peace or live with hope and joy.  He wants us to focus on our shortcomings and let our weaknesses define us. When we are mindful of those things, we will make all thoughts stop at the gate and then only allow entrance of thoughts worthy of our mind’s attention, rejecting the lies and noise of the enemy.

God speaks to us with love, grace, and mercy. He is good. He has good plans for us. He offers hope and peace.  Let His words pass through the gate of your mind and fill you with encouragement and joy. Just as we train our physical bodies for tasks, we must also train our minds.  Start today by taking each thought captive. Let the Godly ones in. Reject the ungodly ones. 

Joy McLaughlin

As a co-founder of The Renewal Project, one of Joy's greatest passions is to help others walk in freedom, joy, and hope. When she is not ministering to others, she also enjoys writing, hiking, and spending time with her family and friends.

When What We Know about God and What We See Don't Match up

“God is good.” I hear this all the time, and full heartedly agree with it! I’m so glad there are many recognizing the blessings in their lives and giving credit to the one whom every good gift comes from.

My thoughts then go to the ones who are going through hardships or tragedy. What is our stance on God during those times when fresh wounds, hard life circumstances, or devastations are happening? Will our minds change on the nature of who God is?

Let me clarify something, God is big enough to handle your questions for the difficult things in life. You can ask Him about them. You can seek out His Word. And I pray you get clarity. But if you don’t right at that moment and maybe not even for years, will you still believe that He is who He says He is?

Our Healer

Our Deliverer

Our Peace

Our Protector

Our Provider

Always with us… the list goes on.

I’ve heard a pastor say that when we don’t see the breakthrough we were praying for, it should humble us and move us into the place of recognizing we need more of God. We should be so moved to seek out time in the secret place with God and let Him teach us, correct us, fill us, love us, heal us, or whatever it is we may need. To stand on the Word of God, the promises of God, and the nature of God is never wrong. If we don’t see what we have contended for, we cannot let it create a division in our hearts to step away from the truth of who God is, but we have to let it draw us to a place of humility that says, 

“God, this is who You say You are and this is what happened. I don’t understand why, but You do. Please lead me into greater intimacy with You so that I will see You for who You truly are in this life. I want to co labor with You to see Your promises fulfilled. I humble myself before You and ask You to lovingly teach me, correct me, fill me, heal me, and guide me. In Jesus name, Amen.”

And then I encourage you, wait for the Lord to renew your strength. He will.

Reginna Luna

When she comes across a "mom break" (aka sleeping children), Reginna will most likely be found snuggled up to her husband, cooking, or reading. Being a co-founder of The Renewal Project, she loves the opportunity to minister life, love, and hope found in Jesus.

YOU KNEW WHAT I WAS WHEN YOU PICKED ME UP

Several months ago, a speaker at church started his sermon by telling a story. Such a simple story with a profound message. I’ve found myself reflecting on it many times since I first heard it.

Here’s the story: A boy went down to a creek to go fishing. As he was standing on the bank, he noticed something rustling in the brush. He turned and saw a snake coming towards him. The snake rose up and spoke, asking the boy to take him across the creek. The boy refused, afraid the snake would bite him. The snake assured the boy that he wished him no harm. He just needed to get across the water.

After much pleading, the boy was finally convinced to carry the snake across the creek. The boy cautiously picked up the snake and took him across the water. Just as he placed the snake on the ground, the snake rose up and bit the boy on the arm.

The boy winced in pain and questioned the snake. “I thought you said you weren’t going to bite me. You promised!”

The snake, with a smug expression on his face, responded as he slithered away, “You knew what I was when you picked me up.”

Wow! Doesn’t that make you pause and think?

I’ve thought a lot about things that I’ve “picked up” in my life. Things that I knew that had the potential for harm, but I justified allowing them in my life.

I Peter 5:8 tells us to be alert to the schemes of the devil. We know his sole mission is to kill, steal, and destroy. There is no good in him. He loves no one but himself and will try anything and everything he can to cause us harm.

So what about the things in our lives that we have picked up? 

Is it okay to “pick up” witchcraft and wizardry in the name of entertainment?

You knew what I was when you picked me up.

Racy pictures?

You knew what I was when you picked me up.

Gossip?

You knew what I was when you picked me up.

Occult practices such as horoscopes, Ouija boards, and tarot cards?

You knew what I was when you picked me up.

Even with the best of intentions, opening doors to destructive influences in our lives can have devastating results.

Just because the boy believed that the snake was harmless didn’t change the fact that the snake was still a snake and did exactly what snakes by nature do.

Can you think of any “snake” in your life that you’ve “picked up?” Ask God to reveal it to you.

If you have identified anything, now what? 

Thankfully, God has provided a way for us to get rid of the “snakes” in our lives.  It’s called repentance. To repent means to ask for forgiveness, turn, and go the other way.

Every door we’ve opened in our lives to the enemy, with God’s help, we can shut.

If God has brought any “snakes” to your mind, ask Him to forgive you for allowing those things in your life and then stop doing it. According to Philippians 4:13, you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength. He will not leave you alone in the process, but will empower you.

Thank you, God, for your love and your power to do what is right!

Joy McLaughlin

As a co-founder of The Renewal Project, one of Joy's greatest passions is to help others walk in freedom, joy, and hope. When she is not ministering to others, she also enjoys writing, hiking, and spending time with her family and friends.

I am Significant

My husband felt like the Lord wanted a friend of ours, Jill*, to know something. He pulled Jill and I aside to share with her what God had shown him. My husband is a man of many wise words but what the encouragement boiled down to was, “You are a big deal.” 

For my husband and I, when we realize we’ve believed lies, we renounce the lies and declare the truth. In the same way, he encouraged her to speak out loud, “I’m a big deal.” But she struggled with the idea of saying it, because it felt prideful. After discussing it further, Jill said she’d take it and pray about it instead of just saying something she wasn’t sure about (Totally do this friends! God will clarify if it was or wasn’t Him. Just ask!).

The next time I saw Jill, she shared with me that she had gone to one of her friend’s houses during that week. Her friend was pregnant and was showing off her prepared nursery. This couple had struggled getting pregnant and had waited with anticipation to have this baby, and FINALLY they were going to have this precious one they had dreamt of. On the wall in the nursery was the initial of the soon to be born baby’s name and underneath that was written, “You’re a big deal.”

Jill realized God’s heart for herself in that moment. Just as her friends had been looking forward to this precious baby they were about to meet, God excitedly designed Jill and waited for her time to be born. He knew the joy that would come from her life. God loves her so much. It’s not according to the accomplishments that she has or hasn’t done. It’s not according to what she will do. God is so in love with her. She is a big deal.

Every person is very significant. 

I think, in attempt to be humble, we’ve normalized the idea that “I’m no one special.” or “I’m worthless.” That’s not true. You are a big deal.

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Ephesians 2:10

You are God’s masterpiece! God created you and has good things planned for you to do! You were created for a purpose! 

Jill’s friend’s baby is being declared over that she is a big deal. Whether or not this baby grows up to believe it or not doesn’t change the fact that it’s true.  If we don’t grasp the truth about our identity that God had a specific design for each one of us and laid out plans ahead of time for us to accomplish, we will submit to a lesser life than God created us for. And though we don’t want to confuse the things God lets us accomplish with Him as our identity, we can’t subtract the beauty that is God’s good things he planned for us to colabor with Him to accomplish. 

You are a big deal. You are a masterpiece. You have purpose. The world benefits from you choosing to believe what God says about you.

*not her real name

Reginna Luna

When she comes across a "mom break" (aka sleeping children), Reginna will most likely be found snuggled up to her husband, cooking, or reading. Being a co-founder of The Renewal Project, she loves the opportunity to minister life, love, and hope found in Jesus.

Rejecting Fear

We have so many pet names for fear, don’t we?

Stress, anxiety, worry, concern, dread, apprehension.  Sometimes when we tell others that we are feeling afraid we use these other words, because they sound kinder and gentler.

At the end of the day, though, they all designate a place in our lives where some sort of fear has crept in.

Now, of course, I’m not talking about the God-given healthy respect for danger, i.e. we don’t walk in front of moving vehicles, we don’t poke things into light sockets kind of fear.

I’m talking about the fear of the “what ifs”, the “I can’ts”, the “what will people think?”, the “I’m not strong enough”, “capable enough”, “smart enough” thoughts that invade our minds.

Throughout His Word, God tells us hundreds of times not to be afraid. 

He TELLS us. 

Not a vague suggestion or a “you might want to try this” kind of statement.

He makes it sound like we have a choice.

Wait a minute… What?

When fear comes knocking on our door, we get to choose whether we open the door and invite it in … or not.

So many times fear saunters in masquerading as the voice of wisdom bringing safety and protection. It sounds rational and reasonable. 

That is until you unwrap its pretty packaging and realize it has painted a bullseye on your peace and joy and wants to keep you stagnant, stuck, and paralyzed.

The Bible (2 Timothy 1:7) says that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.  So if we are feeling a sense of fear, we can recognize right away that it is not from God. 

We can counteract those feelings of fear with the promises from that same verse.  God has given us power, love, and a sound mind. 

Friend, on the other side of fear is victory.  I really want you to grasp this. If we trample the fear under our feet, we will be victorious.  We will experience growth, progress, and a strengthening in our spirit because those are things that God promises to us when we persevere. 

And one more beautiful result of rejecting fear is that it makes room for God’s peace that surpasses our understanding.  Real peace, true peace – peace not dependent on our circumstances but on the One who has promised it to us.

So today, let’s choose to reject fear and walk in victory.  It doesn’t mean that our circumstances will change right away.  They may, but even if they don’t, we will most certainly gain a greater understanding of a Godly perspective which will bring peace to our souls.

Joy McLaughlin

As a co-founder of The Renewal Project, one of Joy's greatest passions is to help others walk in freedom, joy, and hope. When she is not ministering to others, she also enjoys writing, hiking, and spending time with her family and friends.