RENEWED FAITH MAGAZINE

ISSUE01

OUT OF THE GRAVE BY JENNIFER FUENTES

CREATING A SACRED SPACE BY DALILA RIVERA

STRENGTHEN YOURSELF:

7

PRAYERS SATAN HATES

RENEWEDFAITH

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

MARGARITA OCAMPO

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

PHOTOGRAPHERS

JENNIFFER FUENTES

ARIANA DAVIS

CHRISTINA JOHNSON

GLORIA COOPER

KRYSTAL PAYNE

SOFIA HIDALGO

DALILA RIVERA

LUCY HERNANDEZ BEVERLY MOON

REYNA LAY

CORTNEY MARTIN

HEIDI BORDEN

JONATHAN BORBA

NICHOLAS GUIDRY

CHRISTOPHER METALLO

CALEB LAY

CASSIDY HAYES

KARLA OCAMPO

REYNA LAY

Unless otherwise stated, all images are licensed under Canva REYNA LAY

Two years ago I had a dream that I was presenting the cover of this magazine to a group of ladies in hopes that they’d join me in this new venture, and that the small desire I had to write and create would become something bigger than just a blog, but a full-blown magazine

I woke up with a great feeling of anticipation and excitement and with the words of Isaiah 43:19 reverberating in my mind, “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?”

God was certainly doing a new thing! I continued to seek after Him and dive deep into His presence and trusted that He would make it happen at the right time. Fast forward to the end of 2024, my dream came true I presented my ideas to a group of women and many of them believed in my vision and are now a part of the Renewed Faith Magazine (RFM) team!

These women have helped make this magazine possible. I could not have done it without their creativity and boldness to not only seek after God, but to share raw, personal, inspiring stories that come directly from their beautiful hearts. I also have to thank my sweet husband who cheered me on every step of the way and who helped me every time I needed the space to write, edit, or work on the layout.

The theme for this issue is renewal and inside the pages of this magazine you will read stories and testimonies of renewed faith and love for God. The testimonies within will give you a peek into the overcomers that will continue to write even more stories in the future for RFM. There is a variety of articles included: from the loss of a parent/loved one to how God saved a soul from an alternative lifestyle There’s also one on how God works through the dream of becoming an attorney, and even a recipe for your next Bible study or get-together! There is something here for everyone!

My desire is that you fall in love with these stories and the writers who wrote them, and that you decide to share this magazine with someone else because these stories were meant to be read. Revelation 12:11 says, “They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death ” May their boldness capture your hearts as they did mine and may they inspire you to continue to pursue after God passionately. Thank you for taking the time to help make my dream come true. I hope you enjoy every second of it!

ReynaLay

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/PASTOR

By

Dalila Rivera

Have you ever wondered what people feel when they walk into your home? Most importantly, how your family feels? Every home has a certain feeling attached to it. For example if you invite the Holy Spirit into your home you will fill your home with all the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control (Galatians 5:22-23). This is important to the overall atmosphere of your home when you are married, have kids, and are serving others.

Anointing your home is a physical act of giving your home over to the Lord and blessing your dwelling place. The anointing oil represents the blood of Jesus and the presence of the Holy Spirit. In order to give your home over to the Lord, you must first welcome the Holy Spirit into your home in prayer for His presence to dwell in your home. “Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. ” Galatians 5:25 NLT

How do we anoint our homes and welcome the Holy Spirit to come flood our homes and fill the atmosphere with His glory?

1. To anoint your home you will need some anointing oil, any essential oil or olive oil of your choice will work. Please know that anointing and prayer is about your faith and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide you. There's nothing magical or powerful about the oil itself. “Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it; consecrate it and all its furnishings, and it will be holy” (Exodus 40:9).

2. Pray over the oil (consecrate it). Start from the front door and pray that all who enter your home will be sanctified and leave all impurities outside the door and that all will “ come in peace and go out in joy” (Isaiah 55:12 NIV).

3. Pray out loud in every room and invite the Holy Spirit to fill every inch of your home. Give your rooms, your home, and everything in it over to him, pray that only His will be done, and that everything that is said and done in your home will be pleasing to him. This is a way of dedicating your home to God.

4. Bless the beds of your children and bedrooms and declare that the rooms will be a place of true rest and pleasant sleep. Pray that every head that lays on the beds will lose worry and gain sweet rest and sleep. “For he gives sleep to his beloved” (Psalm 127:2).

5. As you pray in and over each room, place a small portion of oil on the frame of every door in your home. Do this by faith, believing and receiving God’s supernatural protection over your home and family. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you and guide you to remove anything that may represent evil from your home and any form of entertainment that does not honor God. This can be books, movies, clothing with certain pictures or symbols, or objects that have connection to wrong spirits. You may even have to remove music from your electronics, such as computers, phones, or iPads, and clean them from anything on it that would not please God.

6. Rebuke the power of darkness and any attempt of the enemy against your home and family. Pray over your home to cast out any evil spirits and demonic activity

7. Finish knowing that your home is now anointed and sanctified for the Lord. 9

Verses regarding Spiritual Warfare and the importance of annointing:

Genesis 28:18

Isaiah 54:17

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Luke 10:19

Ephesians 6:10-18

Exodus 30:31

Mark 11:22-25

Exodus 25:1-2,6

Romans 8:14

John 10:10

2 Timothy 1:7

Mark 16:17

John 14:27

AWildernessRenewed: BeEncouraged

BYKRYSTALPAYNE

God’s Word is always at work, living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword. God’s Word tells us that even when we fail in our flesh, have doubt in our minds, or walk in a wilderness season, He is still seeking our hearts, recklessly working to penetrate our lives with both His grace and His power.

When you hear the word wilderness, what comes to mind? Do you think of a moment or experience in your own life? A family member? A friend?

The word, “wilderness” appears approximately three-hundred-and-four times in the Bible, showing its importance in so many stories. It can refer to the desert or dry pastures. In a deeper sense, a wilderness can represent a place of testing or isolation, causing us to feel vulnerable in a challenging season.

Chances are, we will relate more to the deeper sense of the word as we tend to reflect on the trials and tribulations of our Christian walk, triggered by the memory of the way God strategically placed Himself into what we thought was an impossible circumstance.

It is amazing how clear God has shown me His character in the most personal and patient ways, working and waiting on me to discover the things about Himself that He wanted me to lean into. I was going about my life the way I thought I should, not realizing that I was in dry pastures, searching, and seeking something that I couldn’t find on my own: My identity, my worth, my strength, and so much more.

Be encouraged! If this season sounds familiar or you are currently experiencing a challenging season, know that He is working in your favor. In fact, God is always working in our stories even when we are too blinded to see Him. He is leaving His fingerprints on the carvings of your life, waiting for you to discover who He is.

When I was pregnant with my first-born son, Ayden, I was finishing my last year of college. I was in my early twenties at the time, and I could feel my life was on the verge of a shift. The shift was preparing to move mightily, carrying with it all of the good things in my life, all the hard things, and even all of the things that were getting ready to end. I was getting ready to be a college graduate and I had so many opportunities at my feet, living many aspects of the dreams I had for myself.

I had made myself known on my college campus over the years by taking on various leadership roles and networking within my desired profession. I had the privilege as a senior to influence young women in a positive way, and I was about to build a future with the man God ordained me to marry.

I was surrounded by so much love and support as I was carrying this little boy in my belly. I was blessed in having an abundance of true friends I had made over the years that would drop anything to be there for me and vice versa. So many priceless aspects of my life were being fulfilled. There was nothing dry about this time in my life as I was inspired to be the best version of myself, but something was missing. I could never put my finger on it, but deep down I knew there was one ingredient left that had not yet been added to the mix of my life. The problem was, I didn’t have the recipe book at the time to even have an idea what that one thing might have been. This mystery was revealed to me only when I was brought into a wilderness season.

After I graduated, my life was being filled with so much newness that I didn’t even recognize who I was anymore, let alone what my next steps would be. My husband and I moved away from our University in California campus to his small hometown in Texas. He was no longer an available college student that had both lots of time and little responsibility. He was now a college graduate, a working, soon-to-be father, and a man who had a family he had to care for. He carried the reputation of “the hardest working man we know” in our family and this title has continued on to this day. When our lives presented him with this task, he took the bull by the horns and worked every chance he could, even when that meant he worked twelve hours a day, which he often did.

In the midst of his life change, I was now at the starting line of the race into my wilderness. I was away from everything I knew, not knowing anyone in Texas. I was now about to become a mother and a woman with her first “big girl” career job out of college I was away from my family, friends, and all the familiarity of where I spent most of my life. The weather was different, the people were different, and my surroundings changed more than they ever had before. I was alone in a small start-up apartment pregnant with this beautiful baby boy and I had no idea what I was doing.

My husband was always working and I was now living in the reality of my life shifting from greenery, flowing waters, and abundance, to a dry and lonely season. At the time I did not understand where I was, but looking back I now know that the missing ingredient of the unknown cookbook I didn’t have in my possession wasn’t anything material or even things of this world like a move or a job. It was someone; It was Jesus.

This wilderness season was difficult and I would be lying if I said my turn toward all that He had for me was accomplished quickly. It took years from this wilderness season for me to understand how much He can renew my wilderness moments. I had plenty of wilderness moments before this particular life season. In fact, I was taken to church sporadically when I was a child and I wasn’t oblivious to the Christian faith, but I had never fallen in love with my Heavenly Father knowing and implementing the love and redeeming power He possessed not only for me, but the people around me. I made mistakes, but there He was. Waiting on me to listen long enough for Him to teach me, guide me, and lead me.

I wish I knew in that season how to truly wait on the Lord, and how to tune my ear to what I had to learn while I was walking in that very dry desert. This skill came later, but I learned a lot when God and I were alone in those moments. I had nothing and no one to lean on at the time and He was teaching me how to rely on Him.

Be encouraged! Your wilderness is not a permanent place, nor is it the end of what being in the wilderness means. Being in the wilderness can also mean a time of renewal and divine encounters with God. I am not the first person to experience this phenomenon. I finally found the missing recipe book I was searching for and it was titled: “The Holy Bible”. I soon discovered that it held more life-altering ingredients that my spirit always knew it needed. I started to realize that what I thought was a very green and fruitful part of my life was actually just as dry as my wilderness because I didn’t truly know and have Jesus.

I had to reflect on all of the mistakes I made in my sin back in the time of my college years, including immoral sins like sex before marriage and engaging in activities that were not only unholy, but very harmful to me. My Heavenly Father knew that, but He had to bring me into the wilderness for me to see it. God had a greater purpose for me and He continued to meet me at the well, just as He did for the woman in John 4, marking the divine appointments that sent me on a path to renewal.

Challenge: Find and read God’s “Wilderness Stories” in the Bible. A few are listed below. Fill in the blanks with other wilderness stories you can use to stand on in your time of need.

Joseph- He was in his wilderness season when he was betrayed by His brothers. His wilderness season prepared him to save many people from famine as well as preparation for his title in Egypt (Genesis 37-50).

1. Jesus himself fasted in the wilderness for 40 days, when the enemy came to tempt Him (Matthew 4:1-11).

As you can see, there are many biblical stories in which God has brought His people into the wilderness, physically and spiritually. Like most women, you might have read the story of the Samaritan woman at the well, but have you considered that she was in the middle of her wilderness the day she went to draw water from the well just as I was during my life-shifting moment?

This woman was known and referred to as the Samaritan woman, the woman at the well, a woman who carried an abundance of sin throughout her life. It wasn’t even about how others saw her, it was more about how she saw herself. She had given up on her story. She continued in her sin, lost, with no hope. She didn’t know her worth or her identity. She was living in failure. She failed relationships with men and dwelt in her false identity as a culturally rejected Samaritan woman. When I first read this story in John 4, I could relate so much to her that I could insert myself into her life and have the same conversation with Jesus that day. Not knowing her worth and her identity in Jesus was the most important similarity I share with her, but one moment changed everything for her.

On one particular day, the Samaritan woman walked to draw water, thinking she would have a typical journey to the well to draw water from it. Unexpectedly, she was interrupted by Jesus. A man who did not care what everyone thought of her because she was His daughter, and He held no rejection of her in his heart. He met her alone at the well while she was living in her wilderness. He was there to intervene at the exact right time. He came to rewrite her story. He met her where she was and gave her a word that sent her on her own unique path of restoration.

7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” 19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.

27 Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” 28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” 30 They went out of the town and were coming to him. 39 Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.” (John 4:16-19, 27-42 ESV)

She went from being known in her village as a woman with many husbands to the woman who testified of Jesus, causing many to believe in Him. No matter what she thought of herself, God had a greater purpose for her. He crafted and molded her, using her mistakes and sins to bring people to believe in His eternal living water. Nothing in your life is wasted! God can use anything and turn it for good because of who He is.

Be encouraged: God is working in your waiting. Don’t waste your waiting time. Spend it with the Father. When we start allowing God to control our steps, He will lead us into where we are called to be.

Sometimes, we are in the season of dwelling in the wilderness because God is trying to show Himself to us in a powerful way. God awakens us in the wilderness. He may have brought you there because you needed Him to press pause to get you to His purpose He is with us thereworking to prepare us, develop us, grow us, and transform us. Don’t fret when you enter into a wilderness season When you think all is lost and that chapter of your life is already written, God intervenes and says, “Your story is not over; I will rewrite it–I will restore what you have lost.”

In John 4, we know her story as: Jesus and the Samaritan Woman. In my particular wilderness story, I titled this time of my life as: Jesus and The Girl Who Didn’t Even Know She Was Lost. Renewal looks like taking a large black permanent marker and blacking out those titles. Your life does not have to be defined by them. Renewal doesn’t end there; rename your wilderness story using the Word of God and all that He has done when you thought all was lost.

Jesus and The Girl Who Didn’t Even Know She Was Lost (my false identity). Jesus and a Girl who is Redeemed and Justified in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:24 ESV).

Challenge: Write your own title for your renewed testimony in the same way I did during my wilderness season. Cross out the lie and replace it with truth. Be encouraged: Where God leads, He also provides. Just as God led Israel into the desert, He nourished them with fresh manna. Be encouraged: He will feed you where he leads you.

God is not done with you. He will turn your fear into faithfulness, your battles into victory, your pain into peace, your worries into hope, and your scars into a renewed testimony!

Personal Prayer Challenge:

Take comfort in knowing that in your time of waiting, God is working for you! Pray God speaks to you during your waiting time. Ask for direction on what God wants you to learn or do in that time. Keep in mind, the greatest blessings can come from the most unexpected people, places, and moments in your life.

Don’t put God in a box! He is the Father of Renewal and only God can turn a dry wilderness into something beautiful. Only God can encounter you at the well and give you eternal living water. God’s Word is the mightiest weapon in your wilderness (Hebrews 4:12).

Anchor Prayer:

Psalm 51:10 (ESV) “Create in me a clean heart, Oh God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH SHELLY GREEN

By Reyna Lay

Tell us a little bit about your background, your journey with the Lord, and a fun fact about yourself?

My name is Shelly Green on behalf of AWE: Anchored Women Entrepreneurs. I attended college with various majors in Health Science, Advertising, Education, and Counseling. I ultimately graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood and was an elementary reading teacher for 12 years. I left teaching in 2018 and started Anchored Restorations with my husband to restore houses and cars after being led by the Lord to make some priority changes. To date, we have renovated more than 20 properties residential and commercial, and currently manage two Airbnb rental properties locally. I also started a Real Estate Team, Anchored Properties Group, to help others build wealth through real estate and investing.

Tell us about your business, what made you want to start AWE, and where did the name came from?

When I left teaching and began real estate investing, I attended all the classes and trainings I could. I desired to know what I was doing and become an expert in a new field of study. Starting a new career with very little background or experience was a challenge to say the least. I sought out mentors and desired to learn from other women in business. That too, was a challenge. Every time I reached out to a woman that seemed successful in business, I couldn’t get them to take a minute with me. Probably being that they were successful, they simply didn’t have the time. With that I began to pray for God to send me a mentor, a successful woman in business. In my prayer time, I felt the Lord impress that I should be what I needed. Kingdom principles seem upside down sometimes. Here I was searching and asking for a mentor, and the Lord was telling me to be that for someone else. What I learned in that is that first, He is the ultimate mentor ready to give you wisdom, strategies, and resources. Second, the principle of sowing and reaping. The more I began to sow into others, the more instruction and support I received. He was helping me to build connections, and that’s how Anchored Women Entrepreneurs began. It was a group of 10 ladies who gathered around a table and collaborated on business startups, ideas, training, and connections. We just celebrated our 4th anniversary of AWE which has fostered more than 15 startup businesses, we’ve had over 180 women who have attended an AWE event, and we now have monthly memberships for small group mentoring to disciple ladies to do business based in Biblical principles.

What has been the biggest challenge about being a business owner?

I think only an entrepreneur can truly understand the sacrifices made to build something from the ground up. The sacrifices you make personally, that your f il h d i h d h

What has been the best part of this journey for you?

The best part of this journey has been my experience in doing business with God. Partnering with Him as I seek His will has allowed my faith to grow in ways I could h i i d i

How has God influenced you in your journey with your business?

God has influenced my journey by giving specific plans, tasks, and resources for business. I submit my plans to Him and work to be obedient to His leading There are times things change, He redirects, or sometimes it doesn’t work out the way I thought it would, but I would never exchange the lessons learned, the character building, or seeing Him do what only He can do.

What are your goals for AWE in the future?

Although AWE has changed over the last 4 years, I commit my goals to the Lord and spend time in prayer over each year, each event, and each task. I write down directions He has given me and go back to them frequently to keep the vision aligned to where I feel the Lord leads. It has always been about mentoring other entrepreneurs, connecting through relationships with other ladies, teaching tools for business, and training women to step into their Godgiven dreams. With the focus remaining on that mission, I can then decide in what ways can AWE grow, and also be able to stand firm with not adding things that God didn’t say to do. We hope to continue our monthly meetups, keep producing more beneficial content and materials, and disciple small groups in Kingdom businesses

What do you want people to know about AWE that we haven’t covered above?

I get the question often if women can attend if they’re not an entrepreneur. I’ve also had others tell me to name it something else to reduce confusion. When I took it to God, He said not to change it. I believe he has a heart for entrepreneurs. After all, He is the ultimate entrepreneur as the creator of all things, and aren’t we made in His image? That means we ’ re all entrepreneurs, maybe we just need to see ourselves the way God does and step into what He has for us. So to confirm, you do not have to own or operate your own business to attend or be part of AWE,, but you can support other entrepreneurs, connect with others, and grow spiritually and in work!

Where can people find more information on your business and how can they get involved?

We are on Facebook and Instagram, we sell tickets to events and classes through Eventbrite.

AWE: Anchored Women Entrepreneurs 902 S Broadway Street, La Porte, TX. 77571 Email: anchoredawe@gmail.com Phone: 281-729-5286

Is there anything we haven’t covered that you would like to share?

You can attend events when you ’ re available, or you can commit to a monthly membership. We’re always looking for speakers, sponsors, and are excited to continue to build kingdom business connections

FAITH CHURCH

As the sun is rising on a Sunday morning, several cars begin to pull in along with two trailers that are filled with all the equipment, banners and things needed to turn McGown Elementary in Cypress, Texas into a church. When the clock strikes 7:45 the huddle of people make a circle and begin with a prayer to thank God and invite him into the very space that will soon become a place of worship.

The heartbeat of that Sunday’s service consists of Pastor David, his wife Louisa Tran, Andres and his wife Perla, the Worship and Production Director, along with other members of the church that will be serving that day. As the work begins and supplies get unloaded, the trunks are pushed into the building to be placed in their designated area and the set up begins.

It’s not an easy job to do but one thing is for sure, whether it’s in the heat and humidity, rain or cold days, you will always see smiles throughout as God’s people come together to make this school a place where the Holy Spirit moves as people worship, praise, and hear the word of God. It’s a vision that comes to life.

About 5 years ago Pastor Nathan Rouse, who is the lead pastor at Faith Church in Jersey Village, TX, received a vision from God to start a new campus in the community of Cypress, TX. After wrestling with the timing of it for several years, he finally felt a release to move forward As meetings began filled with prayers, asking others for assistance, casting visions and creating a campaign to resource the launch, the questions were also asked of the current members if they felt led to move. As things were set into motion and people began to pray about whether to stay at Jersey Village or to help launch the new campus, about 60 people from diverse areas of ministry answered the call.

As the launch came near the LORD gave them a vision to always choose the “right thing over the easy thing,” something that is now enveloped into the hearts of his people as they pressed in when things got tough.

Melanie Lopez, one of the members that made the transition from the main campus stated that she didn’t know what she was getting into, it wasn’t just her making that move. Her husband Angel and their two daughters did as well. “This has been a lot of sweat and tears; this was all God’s work” she said, but they have also learned so much in the process.

In September of 2023 a vision came to life as the first service at Faith Church Cypress was held at 10:30 am. The first years are always foundational and as they continue to create community awareness, build intentional relationships, and bathe everything in prayer,

their efforts to be faithful to their assignment has always been marked with a focus on Jesus as their filter.

You can expect a warm welcome as you walk in between the two welcome banners, then you are immediately greeted into an environment where Jesus lives in the heart of His people. There is an area set up for babies, where they are cared for by wonderful members of the church. Straight down the hall you will hear the echoes of laughter flow from the area where the elementary-aged children are and will soon be learning about God. You are then led down the hallway to the right where you will pass by a coffee bar as you go into the sanctuary. Worship begins and the flow of the Holy Spirit is tangible in this place. It’s felt in the worship, the room, and within the congregation.

This is a satellite campus, which means they stream a Bible centered message from the Jersey Village campus. About once a month you will catch Pastor Tran preaching inperson Don’t let the streaming stop you from visiting or making this your home, this just means you get to hear from two awesome pastors in one campus. You will always leave there thinking about what you heard and with good, applicable ways to build a Christ centered life.

As a church that is continuing to grow, they are also in the process of building a team for Faith Access This is their initiative to offer an environment to care for children with special needs, meanwhile their parents attend service. When a new guest Maria visited in the fall she said “It feels like a family when walking into the church, the pastor speaks directly and I love that” A family feel is definitely something that is heard by many. When you are a first time guest the members really do want to make an effort to connect and help you feel welcomed This is just the beginning for this campus, there are many ways you can get plugged in. 25

Come one and come all, they would love to have you join! This church, just like many that are already established or are being set up, isn’t a competition to one another. Pastor Tran says “When other churches in the area do well, the whole kingdom does well” That is a beautiful way to capture the move of God in all He does throughout the many churches. And if you find yourself in the area on a Sunday morning, stop by and say hello!

Looking to build community? Faith Church Cypress has many incredible Life Groups as well. They have a women's groups, mens, youth, young adult (which is great for those that age out of the youth program), and a wonderful kids ministry. These groups meet every other week in homes and will occasionally have fun get-togethers outside of that to help continue to foster those relationships If you are looking to grow your faith even deeper, there is Shepherd School. It is a 10 week discipleship training for those that are looking to “leave the sidelines and embrace their calling.” More information on that can be found online, on their website. This church isn’t just for the believer that has walked 20 years with God, this is a church where you can come whether you are a new believer or are just wondering who Jesus is.

By Ariana Davis

What a title, am I right? I'm sure you are trying to figure out why you would want to be messier this new year. Well stick around and I will let you know! As the year 2024 came to a close, I found myself meditating on all the things that had gone on in my life; the good, bad, ugly, and all the inbetween. Honestly, I felt like last year was a good 50/50 mix for me, absolutely wonderful, and absolutely difficult. I'm not going to lie, at first, I was ready for last year to be over and done with, and then I recognized that I would be doing the Lord a disservice for all the good things that He did for me in that year.

However, I am ready for that fresh air as this new year is birthed and new breath is given. But hear me out, I already know 2025 will come with its new challenges, hardships, and difficulties; but we have been gifted with a clean slate and have the choice of what we will prioritize as it begins. It's a time of renewal. I recently heard a sermon I've been chewing on for a bit about making room for Jesus. But not just in the clean space you've made for him, but in all of the mess you've closed off from him because it's embarrassing, shameful, or ugly, *insert cringe factor here.*

See, here's the thing: I'm a planner, and I love to have my ducks all in a row. I know I’m not the only one who also loves having their house clean if they know that company is coming over. But I for sure know I'm not the only one who sometimes just cleans the areas where said company will be, and all the other doors are immediately closed because I don't need anyone seeing the dreaded "find a place for it later room," my overstuffed laundry basket ready to explode (dirty or clean, I cannot verify), or my bras lying on the floor for all to see.

Listen to our Renewed Faith Playlist on Spotify. Scan the QR code at the end of the article and follow for the perfect worship playlist.

But friends, when Jesus comes over, He genuinely and earnestly wants to see those "rooms" in your heart. He wants to come in and clean (and sometimes do a complete remodel) to make room for what He has in store for us. I know most of us would prefer to wait and do our "spring cleaning" well…in the spring! But why not start that now instead of waiting?

There is no better time than the start of a new year to let the Lord renew and refresh us. With all that being said, I want to, in theory, have a messier year; a year where Jesus has complete control to start purging things from my heart that don't need residency anymore. Things that have become dormant, things that have begun to collect dust and cobwebs—things that have begun to suffocate the remaining air that’s in the space. I want room for the light to come in; I want room for things that will give me a fresh, clean, crisp, mountain breath of exhilarating air!

JESUS HAS COMPLETE CONTROL TO START PURGING THINGS FROM MY HEART THAT DON'T NEED RESIDENCY ANYMORE.

I love what Psalms 51:6-12 (TPT) says, "I know that you delight to set your truth deep in my spirit. So come into the hidden places of my heart and teach me wisdom. Purify my conscience! Make this leper clean again! Wash me in your love until I am pure in heart. Satisfy me in your sweetness, and my song of joy will return. The places you have crushed within me will rejoice in your healing touch. Hide my sins from your face; erase all my guilt by your saving grace. Keep creating in me a clean heart. Fill me with pure thoughts and holy desires, ready to please you. May you never reject me! May you never take from me your sacred Spirit! Let my passion for life be restored, tasting joy in every breakthrough you bring to me. Hold me close to you with a willing spirit that obeys whatever you say."

I want to highlight a couple of verses that stuck out to me. One of them is in verse one. When you allow the Lord to come into the hidden places; he teaches you wisdom. Who doesn't want more wisdom? I fully believe that when we allow the Lord into those spaces, it’s the vulnerability, transparency, and trust that usher in a place for wisdom to spring forth. In verses eight & twelve, the word joy is mentioned, specifically a song of joy returning, and a tasting of joy. When we are constantly bogged down with the “stuff” we’ve allowed into our hearts, it begins to crush that very joy, and those sweet-tasting things become bitter and unsatisfying.

Also, the last part of verse eight shows the beauty of letting the Lord move, because even though there is a painful crushing in the beginning, the Lord completes it with His healing touch. How sweet it is to be loved by Jesus y’all! All I know is that I want my mess outta here ASAP! My heart's desire is for the Lord to come in and do a full sweep of my heart, every corner, crevice, and angle, from top to bottom!

I want my mess in the full light of his goodness so that what was once messy, is now beautifully inviting to him. I want 2025 to have permission to make space in my heart because the Lord is the guide of our steps, and the last thing I want is to be tripping over my mess (especially since I'm not very graceful to begin with).

As we embark on a new year my challenge not only to you, but to myself, is to get messy and unbox all the things we've been keeping in our room for another time. Do it now, let things go, make amends, find and extend forgiveness, find freedom, find healing, bask in the goodness of the Father, in his flowing mercy & grace, and let joy's refreshment wash over every area of your life. Get messy, and then make room for the King. I promise you it will all be worth it in the end.

KEYS TO RENEWAL

By Christina Johnson

Gimme a Break! Sometimes in life, you just need refreshing! This may be in the form of a vacation, a staycation, a fresh vision, or a spiritual revival. Everyone grows tired at some point in their lifetime. Perhaps you’ve had a need for renewal on more than on occasion. The Word of God has the antidote to our needs. Through studying the Scriptures, I have discovered there are keys to obtaining renewal. These keys are activated by our faith and are completed in conjunction with the transformational power of the Holy Spirit. Whether you need mental health refreshment, spiritual refreshment or just a fresh vision from the Lord, these keys are applicable to every area of our life:

Renewal is obtained through Christ- (2 Corinthians 5:17; Psalm 51:10)

There is a promise that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. There must be a desire for the Lord to renew within us the right spirit, and a purified heart.

Renewal requires faith in Christ – (Job 14:7-9, 2 Corinthians 4:16, Isaiah 40:31)

In Job 14, we see that even if a tree is dead, at the smell of water it will come back to life. We must not lose heart. As we wait on the Lord for renewal, we are to put our hope in God.

Photo by Jonathan Borba

Renewal depends on obedience to Christ(Ephesians 4:22-24, Romans 12:2)

We are commanded to put off the old self. We must not conform to this world by remaining stagnant. We are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds in Christ through the Word of God.

Renewal is activated by the Word of God(Colossians 3:10, Ephesians 4:23-24, Titus 3:5)

We are to put on the new man in Christ. When we do our minds and spirits are renewed through the righteousness and holiness of Christ. The transformational power of the Holy Spirit regenerates and renews us through

WE MUST NOT CONFORM TO THIS WORLD BY REMAINING STAGNANT. WE ARE TO BE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF OUR MINDS IN CHRIST THROUGH THE WORD OF GOD.

Prayer for Renewal:

Heavenly Father, your Word promises that when I wait upon you that your life giving, sustaining power will strengthen me. I declare by faith, as I walk in obedience to your Word, that every area of my life has a fresh anointing of renewal.

By Lucy Hernandez

Egyptian Blue Water Lily

Scientific Name: Nymphaea caerulea

BloomWhereyouarePlanted

Flowers in bloom are so beautiful to admire and they brighten your day but how often is it that we don’t think about the process that it takes to get to that point. The flower starts out as a seed that is planted in good soil, and that has to be at the right time for planting. The seed needs watering, sunlight, and care as it begins to grow roots and starts to grow upward above the soil for us to see and admire its beauty While growing, sometimes the gardener will need to pull out the weeds that are trying to grow around the flower and take the life out of it. At times the gardener will have to spread fertilizer and add some additives to help the flower grow.

Anise Hyssop

Scientific Name: Agastache foeniculum

Blue Passion Flower

Scientific Name: Passiflora caerulea

Life can be beautiful, especially if you have God in it, but it can have messy seasons where the enemy is trying to take that seed of faith from us. We are to find a good Church (the Soil) and begin to learn; a church where you can be fed and get the light (the Son’s light) to shine in those dark places of our life (sin) as we begin to take root and grow into our purpose and the plan God has for us. As we grow the enemy brings the sickness, disease, doubt and his lies (the weeds) to attack our growth and even tries to kill that faith that could possibly blossom into something beautiful. The rough seasons are when the fertilizer is being applied. It stinks! Let me tell you, it really does. In November of 2023 I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer, my third bout with Cancer in my life, and the enemy whispered that “the third time was it.” He whispered the lie that I was not going to make it, that I would surely die, and the question, “Where is your God?” After all, I had been a mentor, involved in the children’s ministry, a greeter, a missionary for His kingdom, but all these were lies that I had entertained as many of us do when in a dark season, a season of Trial. This is the season when your faith is tested, and boy was it! Many watched it. Because in case you did not know, you are being watched! You are being watched by your kids, grandkids, other believers, and nonbelievers. “How is she going to handle it? Will she endure or lose her faith?? She has walked with God for so long…” Those were the whispers of the people watching me during my storm.

The enemy had managed to take me down! I stopped all ministry work, I stopped going to church, and I isolated myself (satan’s tactics). He was laughing, thinking he had won and brought down one of God’s children. He thought he had stopped the purpose and the plan that God had for me. Even friends and family were concerned for me because they were watching and seeing that I was not myself.

BUT GOD!

God wasn’t going to let me go that easily! Brothers and sisters, it’s okay to not be okay. God is not giving up on you just because you listen to the lies of the enemy. He doesn’t walk away from you even though you walk away from Him. I want you to know that He chose you and me. He loves you so much and has never left you . We are special to Him and we are to grow during the fertilizer process So, stand tall, even if it is with our brothers and sisters holding us up. Let the Son’s light in by worshiping and reading His word. Let Him bring the rain, that waters you as you worship. He will give us strength when we are weak! Let me tell you, there were days when all I could do was cry out “Jesus!”

And if that’s all you can do too, that is okay He knows your heart and as you get stronger you can continue to pray and talk to Him a little more each time.

I’m not out of the woods yet but I’m headed in the right direction. Last week I went to Church, this week I unlocked my jaw and worshipped Him. I know it’s rough, but I also know there is a great reward to come, and I will blossom into exactly what God has for me. It doesn’t matter what part of the growth process you are in, bloom where you are planted!

MYJOURNEYTOBECOMING ANATTORNEY

A PATH OF FAITH AND PERSEVERANCE

After seven years of unwavering commitment, twists, turns, and detours, I was finally sworn in as a Texas immigration attorney on October 28, 2024. My heart overflows with gratitude to God, who guided and strengthened me through every challenge.

Originally a licensed attorney from El Salvador, I moved to the United States in 2017 to start a life in Texas with my husband. Driven by a deep passion to help others through immigration law, I decided to pursue an LL.M. in Immigration Law at Texas Southern University. Stepping into this path was not easy English was not my first language, and I had no experience with U.S. law. I remember those early years: balancing intense study, adapting to a new country and career, and preparing to welcome our first child, our beloved Caleb. Even when I was attending classes just weeks before giving birth in April 2019, I was so grateful to have the resilience and motivation that God had blessed me with.

Graduating in May 2019 with a 4.0 GPA felt nothing short of miraculous, and I felt incredibly blessed to reach this milestone. But the journey was far from over. As I began preparing for the Texas Bar in 2020, the pandemic struck, and we made the difficult decision to pause my studies to focus on remote work and caring for Caleb. Life’s twists continued, from moving to California for my husband’s career and resuming my bar studies, to discovering I was pregnant again in early 2021. Despite my best efforts, severe pregnancy sickness through the whole nine months led me to withdraw my Bar application once more. When our beautiful daughter Lucia was born in September 2021, I fully embraced motherhood, trusting that my time would come in God’s timing.

Though I put my Bar dreams on hold for a few years, I kept my heart open to the possibility, trusting that the right time would come all in God's timing. Through it all, and despite two failed attempts to even sit for the exam, I held onto my faith and sense of purpose.

By early 2024, I felt ready to pursue my goal once more, but the journey demanded immense sacrifice from my family. Soon after, I traveled with my children to my home country, El Salvador, leaving my husband behind, to study full-time for the Bar. For a month and a half, my family in El Salvador wholeheartedly supported me, taking care of my children and creating a peaceful space for me to focus. When we returned to Houston, my family here continued their support, caring for our children and pitching in with daily responsibilities, allowing me to stay dedicated until the end. My family’s support, encouragement and prayers lifted me every step of the way.

In July 2024, I finally sat for the Bar Exam. I knew the odds were challenging passing rates for foreign-trained attorneys are notoriously low, less than 50% Three months later, after many sleepless nights, I received the email: I had passed on my first attempt. I am deeply grateful to God for guiding me, for my family’s support, and for the resilience instilled in me.

During my long study sessions, I kept a sticky note nearby with two powerful reminders: "I get to do this, not have to do it," and a verse from Numbers 14:8: "If the LORD is pleased with us, He will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and give it to us."

As an immigration attorney, I have the blessing of making a meaningful impact on the lives of individuals, families, and businesses.

These examples are just a glimpse of my work: in family immigration, I work to reunite loved ones, assist victims of crime and abuse in regularizing their immigration status, and support those seeking asylum or humanitarian parole to access medical care in the U.S. On the employment side, I help small-business investors bring their entrepreneurial visions to life and help professionals advance their careers while achieving their American dream.

When given the opportunity, I have had the privilege of sharing bible verses with them and the hope found in Jesus. My career is incredibly rewarding, and I consider it a tool for the Kingdom. This journey has taught me that perseverance and faith can make the impossible a reality. Today, as a Texas immigration attorney, I am honored to use my gifts to help others. This achievement belongs as much to God and my family as it does to me. Thank you for this journey! 38

“MY LIFE IS A TESTAMENT TO THE LORD'S REDEMPTION. NO MATTER HOW FAR WE STRAY, HE IS ALWAYS THERE, READY TO EMBRACE US WHEN WE TURN BACK TO HIM”

FROM BROKEN TO REDEEMED

One of the most important things I want to convey to you is this: everyone has a testimony, and every one of them is important and worth sharing. Your story is vital to someone’s victory and breakthrough because you never know who is reading or listening to your story. And with that, I now invite you to read my story.

From as far back as I can remember, Jesus has always been a part of my life. I grew up in the church. My dad was the worship pastor, and my mom was always involved in church activities. Additionally, my childhood best friend was the daughter of our pastor. Needless to say, the church was like a second home to me. At a very young age, I remember having prayer and worship sessions at my Nana & Papa’s house. My Nana played a significant role in my relationship

with Jesus, teaching me how to connect with the Holy Spirit. She and I would journal together, talk about Jesus, sing to Him, and pray before starting our day. I cherish those moments from my childhood, and as an adult, I can see how they have shaped me into the woman I am today in my relationship with Jesus.

My dad is, and always has been, my hero. I grew up watching him go into his "man cave" and spend time praying, worshiping, and reading the Word He always allowed me to come in and just sit with him, listening to whatever he had playing on the stereo or practicing on the keyboard. I loved when he would explain to me what he was reading or what the Lord was speaking to him. These moments taught me the invaluable lesson of spending time with Jesus in my own quiet time.

Fast forward to my senior year in high school. Me and my younger sister were homeschooled throughout our lives. My dad was a local music teacher/choir director for our middle and high school, and my mom was a private piano teacher/substitute teacher for a local elementary school.

They arranged with the state of Maine, our home state, for my sister and I to participate in the public schools for choir/band, theatre, sports, or any extracurricular activities and have the credits count towards our graduation. This allowed us to interact with other students and be part of the "normal society," which greatly helped our social skills. I understand this might not seem like important information, but it's an essential part of my story, so keep hanging with me!

My family and I are very close. We had what I think was a healthy relationship with each other and did things together as a family many times. I was also a good girl, nicknamed “goody two shoes” because I never wanted to drink, go to parties, or partake in smoking of any sort. I didn’t see the appeal in it, but I also never condemned anyone for it. I just let them know that I wasn’t interested in that, and they quickly found out that no matter how much pressure, I wouldn’t back down from saying no. This caused a stigma with how I was perceived. My friends from school who weren’t believers would think it was weird that I had a good relationship with my family.

That wasn’t the “norm,” which I found to be so saddening. My friends would constantly be saying how good of a life I had and that it seemed like such a perfect life. While yes, it was a beautiful life, I was still a teenager, going through teenage things, feelings, and honestly just being part of society while still holding onto my morals and integrity.

Soon, my bubbly, spirited, and joyful personality slowly began to dwindle, and I quickly found myself putting on a façade to mask the depression that had slowly started to infiltrate my life. It was becoming increasingly challenging to spend time with friends; as I was becoming the recipient of everyone's problems because my life seemed "perfect," which was draining. I soon found myself thinking that maybe I didn’t need to stick around anymore and that no one cared about me except to suck the little joy I had left and continually just come to vent. I didn’t feel like my life mattered anymore, and so I began to think about how I was going to strategize my “exit from life.”

During the summer of my senior year, I began working in the town next to mine. I grew up in Northern Maine, in a farm town, so my drive to and from work mainly consisted of fields of potatoes, broccoli, and corn, with random strips of wooded areas. It was dark, with random street lamps placed near the farms and residences along the stretch back to my house. I knew there was a darker spot along a field, and that was where I was going to end it by crashing into a telephone pole. I still remember it as if it were yesterday. I began to accelerate in my Honda Civic towards the telephone pole, slowly moving my hands away from the steering wheel as I raced toward the giant wooden pole.

At that moment, I started seeing visions of my family crying and asking, "Why would she do this? We didn't even know." It was a picture of my sister crying and

saying how she "couldn't imagine a life without me" that snapped me back to reality. I had only a split second to turn the wheel as fast as I could to avoid that telephone pole. I thank the Lord I am still here today. I remember being in a daze the rest of the drive home, and as I pulled into the driveway of my house and walked inside, I quickly put the façade back on as I told my parents about my day, that I was exhausted, and just wanted to head to bed.

As I lay down on my bed, I began to weep, feeling completely broken and lost. It was at that moment that my body experienced something that I can only explain as a spiritual encounter with the Lord. My body went completely numb, and I could

physically feel someone holding me close, feeling warm breath against the side of my face What happened next is a moment I will never forget. Trickling down my body was this warmth like liquid lava, in the best way possible, overtaking my body, and I heard the Lord begin to speak to me.

First, it was a gentle correction that it was not my choice to end my life, that it was a gift from the Lord and not mine to take. And then He sweetly reminded me that He had caught every tear that I’d cried and that He had allowed me to walk through depression to bring Him glory; that people would drift towards me as a safe place to express the depression that they were experiencing. This was a gift!

Now, you may not agree with me, saying that depression is a gift. But don’t miss what I’m saying here friends; the gift was not depression; it was experiencing it to know how to walk through it, and the key to that was Jesus. I began to rely on my strength and not His, which led me to walk through that dark season, but never alone. Jesus was there all along, waiting for me to call to Him. To say that I went to sleep with the most perfect peace would be an understatement!

I remember waking up with so much joy that it felt like I would combust To this day, I have never experienced depression again, and that experience did bring many to my walk in life to listen, pray, and let them know they weren’t alone. Jesus always gets the glory. Oh, and those flashes of my family, those came to the reality that Thanksgiving, as my whole extended family went around the table and said what they were grateful for, naturally, I was last. And I expressed my thanks for being alive by sharing my story with them; it was a powerful afternoon of

breakthrough for me. A few years later, I transferred from a college in Maine to attend a bible school in Texas called Christ for the Nations Institute.

I was very involved in our school's worship team and earned double bachelors in Practical Theology and Music & Technical Arts I never thought I would end up staying in Texas, but here I am, many years later, a Texas transplant! Life was good, and I became a part of my local church's worship team, eventually becoming a worship leader for a small church in the area. I was also in a relationship that seemed to be going well until it took a turn for the worse. The church

where I was leading worship treated me unfairly, which left me hurt. Then, my relationship became controlling, and I knew it wasn't right for me, so I ended it. This made me very angry and bitter towards God. I couldn't understand why a good God would allow such terrible things to happen to someone faithful like me. Shortly after that, I found myself distancing from the church and even my relationship with Jesus. Not too long after all of that happened, I found myself entering into a long-distance, alternative, emotional relationship with a woman.

Mind you, I had never really given any thought to same-sex relationships, it genuinely began as a friendship and then subtly turned into more until I realized I was in a relationship with a woman. You might ask me, “Ariana, how could you have done something like that?” And unfortunately, the answer is easy. I was mad at God, and I was desperate for love, so I went looking in the wrong places and was an easy target for the enemy to weave his lies into my heart. Even worse is that I kept all of this a secret, slinking around in the dark, not thinking that any light would find its way into my situation. In the back of my mind, I knew it was counterfeit to what the Lord had for me, but if I’m honest, I didn’t care at all!

I used to stew in my anger and wallow in bitterness, creating a toxic brew that I drank regularly. I was self-sabotaging and didn't care until I did. I started drinking alone to numb the pain and began experiencing severe panic and anxiety attacks. My health rapidly declined, and the woman I was with was extremely manipulative and was a frequent gas lighter I was in a very bad place. Then, one gloomy day, my mom called to check in on me. It was clear that I was miserable. The next thing you know, I found myself pouring my heart out to my mom about being in a toxic relationship with a woman and feeling like I was on the brink of collapse.

Before I continue, I want to acknowledge and honor my parents When I opened up to them about the destructive lifestyle I had been leading, they could have easily turned their backs on me and told me to clean up my mess. Instead, they surrounded me with prayer, loved me despite my mess, and, most importantly, directed me back to Jesus. They guided me through my healing, checked in on me, and kept encouraging me to reconnect with the church and community.

The impact of having praying parents goes beyond what I can put into words, so let it be an inspiration to those who are praying for a situation in their own lives or a loved one. God listens to the prayers of his children!

With a lot of hesitation, I found a church in my area to visit, and thankfully, my parents agreed to come with me so I wouldn't be alone. If I had walked into that church by myself, I probably would have bolted as soon as I felt like all eyes were on me. I had been out of the worship scene for about three years, so I wasn't familiar with the current worship songs being sung in churches. And wouldn't you believe it, the worship team started playing the song "Reckless Love " When I say that all my anger, bitterness, and defenses started to crumble, they came crashing down like the walls of Jericho! I was a total mess, crying my eyes out during that worship session. Friends, the Lord is closer than a brother; He is always near to us. I had felt distant from Him, but during a beautiful moment of worship, His love flooded back into my heart, reigniting the barely alive spark

After that experience, I knew I needed to get my life back on track and reconnect with God. Through His grace and mercy, I ended the toxic relationship and returned to church. I found healing and support in a community group surrounded by women who loved and encouraged me. I am grateful to be living a life of restoration, healing, and overwhelming love Five years later, the Lord blessed me with an amazing husband, and we will celebrate our third anniversary in February. We also found a welcoming church family, and I have been serving as the Associate Worship Pastor at Risen Nation for three years. My life is a testament to the Lord's redemption. No matter how far we stray, He is always there, ready to

embrace us when we turn back to Him. If you were to ask me if I would have done anything differently, I could confidently tell you "No," because every step that I took had already been sifted through the hands of my Heavenly Father He equipped and prepared me, even if I didn't see it then, to conquer and find victory in the trials and paths that I had embarked on. I have had countless opportunities to minister to broken and lost hearts, to cry with them, worship with them, walk with them through it, and point them back to Jesus.

“This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long.”

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. ” Numbers 6:24-26 ESV

IASKEDGODFORACAR, HEGAVEMETHEMANOFMYDREAMS

BY BEVERLY MOON

Five years fresh from a divorce I took a huge leap of faith and moved 4 hours away from my lifelong hometown in Aransas Pass, TX, my children (who wanted to stay there), and everything I thought I had ever wanted. The year was June 2017. Moving to the Houston area was a call I made after God had pressed upon my heart that I needed to pick up my cross and follow Him. I had always been a believer, but I haven’t always been the best follower.

Upon arrival my oldest brother and his wife, as well as my other brother, had prepared for me a two bedroom apartment, with some nice furniture and essentials. I brought some of my worldly belongings in a 5 x 10 Uhaul with plans to gather up the rest at a later date. I could not get my belongings, as 2 months later much of them were destroyed by hurricane Harvey. It was not easy for me to begin again, with limited ability to see my children, (13 and 18 at the time) as well as cut off ties with so many people who had been such a big part of my life. I plugged into a great body of Christ and began to see God work on me. After a semester in college with a 4.0 gpa, I had to begin my journey of employment, and learning to be a good steward of what God gave me.

I wasn’t afraid of the hard work, but the unknown was always a problem for me. I was a natural born planner. This journey has taught me to appreciate the moment-to-moment unexpected things that inevitably pop up in life. My first job found me dealing with people who couldn’t handle people who love Jesus. So the job didn’t last long, less than a year. But, I learned a lot about deadlines and pressure, how to accomplish big things with little time, and how to deal with no appreciation from people.

The next job was even worse than the last as far as no words of appreciation. I was overworked, underpaid, and had no room to move up, but the path I was on projected me into such a place of gratitude. In a short five years I had restored most of my relationships, fully removed all the bitterness I had carried for 47+ years, gotten involved with some of the very best people imaginable in ministry, and felt confident in whose child I was.

My brother Wayne and his beautiful wife Ruth Ann had mentored me well, and led me by being the greatest marital and spiritual example I have ever experienced in my life. I had driven into town in 2017 with my original 2005 Tahoe, and it was no longer a happy SUV. I knew it wouldn’t be long before I would need another form of transportation. While those thoughts flooded my mind, I also knew that I had not been tithing regularly like I had originally told Wayne and Ruth Ann I

would. Boy, did I get convicted about that! Upon prayer and consideration, I made a covenant with God to officially be a devoted tither to Him.

The next paycheck, I remember distinctly praying and saying, “as long as I am earning and breathing, you will get my first and best, Father!” The next day I was called into the office at my job to be informed that the day I made that covenant tithe, the very hour I hit the send button to pay tithes online, they had made a decision to give me a $1.50 an hour raise! This came out to the exact amount I paid in tithes.

The shock I experienced in what God did was indescribable. Several weeks went by, and many prayers of gratitude went up, but the fact that the car was still running was a miracle in itself, and I knew another car had to be attained in my near future. So my prayers became, “Lord help provide the means to attain a better vehicle.” In my mind, I hoped a car would appear with a free and clear title, or through an unexpected small fortune, but we know God does not work anything out like we would.

Within a few weeks I got a call from a great friend, mentor, sister in Christ, Chey who had been my roommate for three years after I moved to the area. She said another mutual friend's husband was hiring. I said “sure,” but did not take it too seriously. Right away I got a call to interview for what seemed too good to be true of a job and they agreed to hire me on the spot, but I didn’t say yes. Two days later the HR called and asked if I was starting the following week. I said I had to pray about it and I needed it in writing, and I absolutely had to give at least twoweeks' notice. She immediately emailed me the offer (which was more than

originally offered) and I made a meeting with my HR to notify my company of the offer I had been given, and gave them a chance to counter that offer. They could not, so I took the job, with my current job guarantee that I could come back at any moment if it did not work out.

Two weeks later (after starting at my new job) I began looking for a new car and found one. All my normal avenues of help for a ride to get my new vehicle were tied up, but out of nowhere I received a message on my Facebook Messenger from a man from church, John, asking how I was doing. I told him, “Great, just in need of a ride at the moment.” He gladly offered assistance. John is a two time widower, a great man of God, faithful and true, and vetted by all of my brothers and sisters in Christ at the church I was attending. So I felt completely comfortable accepting a ride from him. We had an enjoyable conversation, and I got to the dealership to get my car.

all kinds of people, to travel, and share God's love around the world, to be an example to our kids/grandkids of how to love one another, and to be a blessing wherever we go. I only asked for a car, but God had so much more in mind for me, he gave me the love of my life through John and he is now the man I will walk beside and share how being faithful to God will bestow blessings beyond all measure.

We married July 3, 2024 and we feel as if we are the happiest couple anyone could meet. I have learned patience beyond measure, that God’s grace is sufficient, to trust His plans, to stay closely plugged into ministry and God’s word, to share your testimony of God’s light and love, and to express your gratitude through praising our King for all he has done in your life.

If you are in a place of unease, please just turn all your focus on Jesus, he will train you, provide for you, and turn your story around in ways you could not imagine. I’m 54 years old and I am absolutely living a season that is better than any fairytale I was ever told, but this is a Godtale! He authored it, he taught me, he loved me through my failures, and through being faithful to Him, and he proved His promises are always true! I can’t explain why this is one of my favorite scriptures, but I suppose it is because it resonates with me in that much of my life I felt low, leaning on the Lord always, which lifted me to new heights. I share it so that you too may find your strength in God today!

Fast forward a year later and I can say that we continued the free “taxi” rides when I needed to go to the airport and we shared many meals here and there, and a great friendship was forged. We actively prayed together, and talked a whole lot about God and our journeys with Christ. Many days it seemed as though John was just another mentor, friend, or brother in Christ. But, that wasn’t the case, God gave both John and I a great gift, an opportunity to be a helpmate to one another, to disciple to 50

Isaiah 40:31 NLT, “But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”

The Fingerprints of my Father

BY KRYSTAL PAYNE

WA testimony of heartache, loss, and what God can do when we feel that our lives are too messy to deal with.

hen I first started to think about my story and all of the paths I have taken in my life, I quickly started to become overwhelmed by the grace and patience my heavenly Father had for me. Like many, my journey was more of a process, a collection of moments and experiences, rather than a one time revelation. Statistically, through a worldly and fleshly lens, I should be someone else; the proverbial, “I was one decision away from disaster.”

Looking back, even in the trials and tribulations that were made by my circumstances, other people, as well as myself, I see the fingerprints of God on my life. He was protecting me and guiding me even when I didn’t realize it Those moments I felt in my gut to stay away from that one person or do this instead of do that, was the crucial still small voice God spoke into my spirit.

My beginning was already a playground carved and paved out for the enemy to try and move early on in my life. The enemy wanted to stop God’s calling for me right off the gate. I was born into powerful strongholds, good intentions, and damaged love; all tied together in what we called our family. I want to say up front that I know I was loved, but I also had to navigate many stumbling blocks. Some were the size of boulders that could have easily defined my character and my life. Those stumbling blocks were intense at times.

My mother was a battered woman, who couldn’t break free from a life of abuse and even when she finally did, God called her home at the young age of forty nine. My father was a genius prodigy; talented beyond measure, spoke nine different languages, and was intelligent in many areas of life. From book smarts, to creations and inventions, along with a knack for manipulation and persuasion. He was charismatic, but potent and dangerous. He was the kind of man that could research “How to be a lawyer” in a week and represent

himself in court getting himself off scot-free from any and all charges. That actually happened by the way. This kind of talent and charm built in one man could be used either way; for the good or for the bad. He channeled it into the world of business and profit, but most of all into women. Being a master con man, he started all of his real work in the 1960’s, making himself rich as well as using his manipulation and street smarts to run a prominent female trafficking ring in New York, the big city. He ran the show and everyone feared him, and they had no choice but to respect him. This man was my dad.

controlled by him. She was the face of it all, since in that time black men were not respected in the world of business. Most women at the time were coming full force into the working world and my mother’s Italian background brought about so many more opportunities for my Dad causing her to be the lucky woman he married and then used for all the purposes and benefits he intended for himself. My mother was an Italian immigrant who lived a childhood full of vulnerability causing her and her sister to become easy targets in the sex trafficking ring, even though they didn’t use that exact terminology back then.

A man like this is hard not to love, but easy to despise all at the same time. He was born in 1938, which made him fiftytwo years old when I was born in February of 1990. His prime days were basically over and although I saw some of the evil side of my Dad, I was also blessed to get the best of him too. You see, a testimony is not always as simple as one-two-three. Mine sure isn’t.

I am his daughter and my mother was just an amazing woman who happened to be

I found myself an orphan at the age of twenty two, but because I lost the most

THESHATTERINGOFLOSINGMYMOTHERHADALLOWED METOBEBROKENENOUGHFORGODTOCOMEANDPUT MYPIECESBACKTOGETHERFORHISGLORY.

important woman in the world to me, my mother, at the age of twelve, I already started to carry the orphan spirit prior to this, since my dad could not take care of me. He had to give me up upon her passing. It is easier now to understand his decision, but it sure cut like a knife when he signed his parental rights over to my older sister, stating that he did not want me anymore. That’s the rejection I felt in my heart even though he was right; he couldn’t care for me.

He was too needy in his old age and he was not in any place to care for a twelve-year-old girl. The reason ’ s didn’t stop the stabbing I felt in my heart. All throughout my young life,

I felt like I was different. I knew God was calling me to be better, aim higher, and be the kind of believer that spreads His Word to the world. He spoke to me from a very young age through visions and dreams as well as providing me with the gift of discernment. But, I did not fall in love with Jesus and His purposes for my life until I was in my late twenties. I had to wrap my mind around the fact that He was recklessly fighting to get me to His calling.

Like I said before, there was not a big revelation tapered in to the sky with fireworks and flashing lights. He slowly broke down my hurts and all the strongholds that were set

and ready to play out in my life. I learned there was man that called me daughter. A man that wanted nothing more than to know me and to love me.

God is still healing my broken heart even to this day. Healing my trauma, from watching my father hurt my mother, to showing me my real worth and that it doesn’t come from my body Even to the understanding of how broken my mother was in her love for me; how much of a victim she was, and how she needed Him to bring her home at the exact time that He did so that He could reunite us one day in heaven. He healed my understanding of men and how a man controlling many women is not godly and women working in clubs using their bodies to make money was not normal. The shattering of losing my mother had allowed me to be broken enough for God to come and put my pieces back together for His glory.

When I am asked to speak about my testimony I always say these words, “I was supposed to be someone else, BUT GOD!” My journey was messy and I made a lot of mistakes, but I also have to own my victories within those mistakes. In fact, I have to intentionally highlight my victories by telling myself over and over, “It is okay to be victorious and that there was plenty of good within the bad.” It was easier for me to believe all of the failures and the shortcomings in my journey than it was to believe I had any seasons of victory.

Even when I was suffering from what people would define as “father issues,” as well as other childhood road blocks, God gracefully gave me His son Jesus as a way to get to the real truth, the real way, and the real life of a man who loved me enough to die for me Even in all the chaos I am blessed that my parents wanted to be their best for me growing up even when there were times they failed. My journey is not over and my walk is not perfect, but thankfully my God is! God’s way is better and He is always for you. Don’t give up, and when you think everything is going wrong, our God can take anything and turn it into miracles. He can turn it into a testimony defined by His love. Gracefully, only God can open up channels for us to pour out our own unique stories, fulfilling His purposes for the gift of life He has given us. There is power in renewed faith!

“When I am asked to speak about my testimony I always say these words, ‘I was supposed to be someone else, BUT GOD!’”

THE BEAUTY OF LETTING GO

byArianaDavis

Have you ever found yourself staring into the void? Surrounded by wonderful, beautiful things, the ones that make you smile, but somehow it all seems so heavy? When instead of going inside the house, you sit in your car in silence because you don't feel like moving? And before you go and ask, “Ariana, are you depressed?” Let me tell you, I am far from that!

Sometimes things feel burdensome.

And here's the thing: I love to talk, and the Lord dropped a few extra drops of the "gift of gab" on me. And yet, I find that sometimes I clamp up tighter than a corset from the 1800’s, keeping the inner thoughts and monologues to myself. Sound familiar?

CENTERPHOTO:COURTNEYMARTIN LEFT&RIGHT:CANVA

You know, it's interesting because as I recognized that heavy feeling, I started internally digging within myself to figure out what seemed to be the culprit. Some of it is personal, things I'm having to walk out with the Lord, some of it is just the normal day-to-day things, some of it is the weight that ministry brings, some the weight of being a wife, and some just the weight of being human in its purest form.

At that moment I began to pep talk myself, “Ariana, come on girl, snap out of it.” But then the Holy Spirit quickly jumped into my conversation and reminded me that it's okay to feel heavy because He can handle the weight of it. Sometimes it's not as simple as telling yourself to "snap out of it."

“Thelimbsonthetreesareleftbareand naked,thoughstillbeautifulintheirway,” T H E B E A U T Y O F L E T T I N G G O

Sometimes it's having to work through things with the Lord, sometimes it's having to learn a lesson in that heavy place. The Holy Spirit was quick to tell me that maybe part of the heaviness I'm feeling is because I have refused to let go of some things that He's been asking me to lay down, that part of the problem is ME. How rude of me! And yet how true. How many things are weighing you down, things that you so desperately want to put down, but that you're holding onto far too tightly? I think back to last fall, which to be honest isn't much of a fall season here in Texas! But hey, it tries for at least a few weeks, so I won’t complain! But here’s the thing, I was born and raised in New England, where the fall was magnificent every

single year! So, I often revert to my fall days in my little hometown in Maine. The way the air smelled and how crisp it was, the vast array of breathtaking colors as the leaves turned from green into a symphony of fire tones. There is nothing quite like a New England fall y ’all

But as the fall begins to end, the colors soon begin to fade, and the leaves wither away and gently begin to drift toward the ground for their annual shedding. The limbs on the trees are left bare and naked, though still beautiful in their way, making room for the purest of snow to cover them in a blanket of white until spring awakens.

THE LORD TOLD US THAT HIS YOKE IS EASY, HIS BURDEN IS LIGHT, SO WON’T YOU ALLOW HIM THE HONOR OF MAKING WHAT'S HEAVY LIGHT?

Friends, maybe we should follow suit and be like the trees. Maybe we should let the beautiful things have their moment of being seen and admired, but when it's time for things to go, we allow them to fall from us with minimal effort. Maybe the trees have known all along that the secret for new things to come forth, is to let go of the beautiful things they had, because seasons are ever-shifting, and they don't all look the same.

I'm reminded of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (ESV), For everything there is a season, and a time

for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace."

Hear me out; it's perfectly okay if you are in a heavy season. Why? Because it is a time to learn! It's learning to well, be a tree. Learn that it's okay to hold onto things for a little while, but when it's time, and the winds of change start blowing, allow those things that you're holding on to so tightly to float off of you down towards the ground. The Lord told us that His yoke is easy, and His burden is light, so won’t you allow Him the honor of making what's heavy light?

Allow Him to bring you to a place where new things can be birthed, where dreams are awakened, and maybe what you're holding onto will come back in the spring with a refreshing newness, wild, and free to thrive in that warm summer sun.

Sometimes, it's just not in season, and we can't hold onto something that isn't in season because it can't thrive when it's not the right time. I want my season to be in His timing, not my own.

Isaiah 40:28-31 (ESV) says, "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

I leave you with this. I read a quote by William Blake from The Letters in 1799 that said, "Though a tree grows so high, the falling leaves return to the root." So, though it may be heavy now, learn from the leaves, learn to let go, and fall to the roots, our source of life. I know I will. Are you ready to be renewed?

7 PRAYERS THAT SATAN HATES

There are many times in the Word of God where brave men uttered the words, “Here I am” and changed the trajectory of their lives. The prayers below are based on those verses, which you can add to your daily prayers in order that God may move mightily in your life. It is when we truly surrender and give God permission to fulfill His mission in our lives that wonderful things begin to happen!

Prayer of Obedience

Based on Genesis 22:1 “Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.”

Lord here I am, ready to obey. even when the cost is high. Help me to trust your plan above all else.

Prayer of Guidance

Based on Genesis 31:11 “The angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob.’ I answered, ‘Here I am.’”

Here I am Lord, ready to listen and follow your guidance in my life, even in dreams and visions. I invite your divine direction and clarity whilst awake or asleep.

Prayer of answering the call

Based on Exodus 3:4 “When the LORD saw that he turned away [from the flock] to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”

Here I am God, ready to step into the calling you have for me, even if it seems beyond my ability.

Prayer of responding to God’s voice

Based on 1 Samuel 3:4 “Then the Lord called Samuel.Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 5 And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

Lord, I open my heart to divine communication and spiritual connection with you and I decree and declare that with these words weaken satan’s power and influence over my life as I prioritize your voice above all else. Here I am Lord, speak to me, for I am ready to listen and act upon your Word. No other voice shall I hear.

Prayer of Willingness to Go

Based on Isaiah 6:8, “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’”

Lord, I am ready to serve you wholeheartedly and fulfill your mission. I rebuke satan's desire, ploy, or tactics to keep me passive, indifferent, and inactive. Here I am Lord, send me! I am willing to go wherever you lead, for your glory.

Prayer of Yielding to a difficult task

Based on Acts 9:10 “Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, ‘Here I am, Lord.’”

I acknowledge your Lordship, Jesus, I subject my life, and submit my desires and I yield myself not only to easy tasks, but difficult ones. I frustrate Satan's plans to instill fear and confusion in my life. I follow you God even in the most challenging situations. Here I am Lord, ready to obey, even when the tasks seem daunting or dangerous.

Prayer of Absolute Surrender

Based on 2 Sam 15:25-26 25 “Then the king said to Zadok, “Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place again. 26 But if he says, ‘I am not pleased with you,’ then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him.”

Here I am Lord. God, do to me what seems good to You. Lord, I'm your servant, you can do whatever you want to me because I belong to you. I trust in your sovereignty in uncertain times. I rebuke Satan's plans to create doubt and despair in my life and my thoughts. I resign my control and I relinquish my grasp on my own life and I give my future, fears, and life into your hands. Here I am Lord, let your will be done in my life, whether it brings favor or discipline.

These prayers have been taken and shared into this article from Pastor Vlad Savchuk’s video teaching on prayer, which you can watch on his YouTube channel by scanning the QR code on the right.

“we have to be willing to show Jesus where we have laid the dead parts of our life. It is not that he does not know where they are but rather it's our surrender and willingness to involve Him in the process of our healing that he desires ”

OUTOF OUTOF THEGRAVE THEGRAVE

BYJENNIFERFUENTES

“LORD,THEONEYOULOVEISSICK.”WHENHEHEARDTHISJESUSSAID, “THISSICKNESSWILLNOTENDINDEATH,NO,IT’SFORGOD’SGLORYSO THATGOD’SSONMAYBEGLORIFIEDTHROUGHIT.”JESUSLOVED MARTHAANDHERSISTERMARYANDLAZARUS.YET,WHENHEHEARD THATLAZARUSWASSICK,HESTAYEDWHEREHEWASTWOMOREDAYS.

JOHN11:3-6NIV.

I don’t know about you, but this scripture has always been so hard for me to digest Though I have lived and died and…. lived again through it many times in my twenty-seven years of walking this journey of faith with the Lord, I can honestly say it has not gotten any easier but the reward is so great. I have just accepted that this is the way of the Lord and the way to resurrection life. I have learned through His Holy Spirit how to endure the struggle, overcome the disappointment, and press through the pain and brokenness just to surrender to the death of myself that I might experience Jesus’s true resurrection life.

The life that Jesus died for and purchased for me, he wants me to experience now here on earth. Not a perfect life void of trouble, but a life filled with heart-ravishing love, unspeakable joy, unwavering hope and a peace such as the world will never understand. And guess what, He wants you to experience this same life here and now. There is just one prerequisite, death and the grave. It’s the only path that leads to resurrection life. Now, don’t turn the page! Stay with me! Because I promise this ends well.

In this scripture, there is one word that triggers

me and it's the simple word “yet”. Other definitions would be, “in spite of”, “nevertheless”, and “regardless.” Jesus had full knowledge of what was happening in Bethany, but he did not come. I often wonder what Martha, Mary, and especially Lazarus’ thoughts were about Jesus’ delay. I wonder what questions filled Martha and Mary’s hearts when they saw their brother take what they thought would be his last breath. Was it fear? Abandonment?

Confusion? Sorrow? Anger? All of them?

When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at His feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled” (John 11:32-33).

“Lord if you had been here.” Like Mary, this was an accusation against the Lord that I struggled with in the beginning of my walk with Him. You see, when the Lord found me back in September 1997, I was a lost, broken, angry, selfish, and lonely nineteen-year-old kid who had just come through a life filled with major losses. As a child I was heavily exposed to domestic violence, as well as being sexually abused from the ages of four to ten. As a teenager I was a victim of rape, as well as incurring a debilitating injury to my body that would have a lasting effect for 30 years. But the greatest loss in my life was the death of my mother at seventeen years-old that caused a rift in my family which resulted in me being abandoned by them.

The heartbreak of my mother's death led me down a path of destruction, where my life spiraled into a chaotic mess of

debauchery. Rebellion had become my name and partying, drinking, and promiscuity were my friends to numb my pain. My childhood was hijacked, my innocence was taken, my womanhood was stripped, my physical strength was robbed, my home and security were ransacked and the only love I had known had died. My life had become a plethora of raw wounds that were painful to the touch when Jesus found me. So yes, I could understand the pain in Mary’s question to the Lord. “Lord, if you had been here, I would not have suffered the way that I did Why did you wait so long?”

My answer would take some time to unfold.

“‘Where have you laid him” he asked. “Come and see Lord”, they replied. Jesus wept” (John 11:34-35)

I have learned on this journey with him that we have to be willing to show Jesus where we have laid the dead parts of our life. It is not that he does not know where they are but rather it's our surrender and willingness to involve Him in the process of our healing that he desires. God will never impose himself and force us to do anything we are not willing to do. Remember, we are co-laborers with Him and he waits patiently for our cooperation so he can begin His work in our lives. He feels our pain deeply and desires to remedy it but too often we feel the need to conceal the graveyards within our hearts out of fear or even pride. We’d rather keep them buried than have to painfully look upon them. Jesus cannot heal what we are not willing to reveal. This is something that has troubled me in the body of Christ.

I too often see many of God's children needlessly suffering because they have yet to take this step of faith with Him. It has become easier to believe in the outward blessing (money, jobs, career, house, cars etc.) than being inwardly delivered and set free I often say that in the beginning of my walk, I was so clueless and had no idea what I was doing. So I read, I prayed, I listened, and I obeyed. When the Holy Spirit wanted to take the scenic route of my heart, I warned Him it would not be pretty but I also allowed him because at this point what else did I have to lose? Except my

own life, which wasn’t much of a life at all anyway. I gave Him free reign and with every venture through my heart he always led me to a gravesite where something in me had died. I had become accustomed to this way of life with him and David’s Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me oh Lord and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way of everlasting” had become the melody of my life. It’s a song that has been on repeat since the beginning.

“Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone ” He said “But Lord,” said Martha the sister of the deadman, “by this time there is a bad odor for he has been there four days.” Then Jesus said, “ Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone” (John 11:38-41).

I find that every time we are offered the possibility of a new life, we often hesitate out of fear; fear of failure, disappointment, embarrassment and ridicule. Here was Jesus, Life and Resurrection itself staring at her in the face and her concern was the stench that would come from removing the stone. Let’s face it, the process of experiencing new life often stinks! We have to be willing to face these things and the decaying parts of our hearts to experience new life and growth. We all have a choice to allow the Lord to remove the stone of fear, anger, unforgiveness, and bitterness that has calloused our hearts so He can reveal what is inside Will you be brave enough to allow him to remove the stone and reveal

the dead parts of your heart?

“So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father,I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me ” When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go ” (John 41-44).

I’ll never forget the day I heard the Lord's voice for the first time calling me out of the death that had become my life. At the time, I had nowhere to live until two girls I met at a club offered to let me crash in their spare bedroom. I took it! I had no choice. All other doors were closed. One evening after work, I came home, grabbed a beer from the fridge and sat on the recliner hoping to relax, but soon after my roommates came home. They sat on the couch and proceeded to shoot up crack cocaine. I was not one for hard drugs but the temptation that evening was great. I was dying and dead at that point and wanted nothing more than to quickly numb my pain

“Here Jenn, take a shot!”, my roommate offered. I sat there contemplating the choice in front of me. I instinctively knew that if I gave in, there would be no coming back from it. In that moment, as I was about to answer her, my ears popped and I heard a voice that brought a holy fear and comfort all at once. I heard the voice call

my name “JENNIFER, STOP! GET OUT NOW! COME TO ME NOW!” An instant holy fear gripped my heart and I ran to my room, called my boyfriend and asked him to come over. I spent the rest of that night trembling in fear. I was wrecked and ruined from that day forward. When you hear the voice of your Father, the one that created you, knew you before the foundations of the world, formed you in your mother's womb you can’t help but respond.

My life drastically changed in a matter of days. I left the only life I knew and started on this journey with Him The journey has not been easy but it has been worth it all. With every gravesite visited and every stone rolled away, Jesus has resurrected my life in more ways than I could ever count. He has restored everything that I ever thought I lost. He has restored love, joy, hope and peace to my life. He has given me identity and purpose to live and die for him. At the beginning of this article I asked “Why did he take so long?” I truly believe that there were two reasons. The first was that He would get the glory for my life and anybody that knew me before would know that it was God who changed me and the second reason, was for you!

I wholeheartedly believe that if you are reading this, God has ordained it. Maybe, you feel the way I felt. Maybe, there are circumstances and situations in your life that you don’t understand why they happened the way they did. Maybe, like me you grew hopeless, fearful, lonely, thinking that there was no other way of life. Maybe there are areas in your life that God is calling you to and asking you to show him

where the dead parts of your life are. Maybe you know where your graves are but yet you haven’t had the courage to remove the stones that have blocked true life from entering. If that is you, you are not alone. I encourage you to be brave today! Our lives can sometimes resemble a valley of dry bones as explained in Ezekiel 37, but your story does not have to end in that Death Valley! Let God do the impossible and put the broken pieces of your life back together and breathe new life into you! He can and he’s willing!

Today he is calling out your name and asking you to come out from the grave of your past! Come out of the pain and disappointment and allow Him to give you a new lease on life! I think of Lazarus and the days after his resurrection, he probably cared less about the minor things in life since he was experiencing a new life. Jesus took off his grave clothes and gave him a new wardrobe of life, love, joy, hope and peace I hope you have the courage today to respond to His calling like Lazarus, and to face the gravesites of your life like I did and countless others, so you too can live the life that Jesus had always destined for you!

“WE ARE JUST CONSTANTLY LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO HOLD ONTO IN MOMENTS OF CHANGE, LOSS, UNCERTAINTY, YOU NAME IT. WE HAVE TO FIND HOPE IN THAT VERY PLACE WE ARE IN.”

By Gloria Cooper

As I sat waiting in the cold room at my doctors office, my mind began to flow with the many ways that this appointment could go It reminded me of what it's like to wait on God. It can get lonely as our mind floods with scenarios, thoughts and all these “What Ifs.” Then we begin to look for ways to pass the time or be distracted in some way. Like reading, watching a show, shopping, texting, the list goes on. Since there wasn’t much movement in the room, I eventually found myself in the dark, alone, with my distractions and thoughts. That was a pretty humorous way of God telling me that what we do, how we do it and where we place our hope in the waiting matters.

As we navigate hard situations of healing, whether physical, emotional or whatever we are waiting on, we are placing our hope somewhere Is it in something? Or someone? Eventually, I wasn’t alone in that room anymore and like a stringed needle pierced through a piece of fabric, so were the words that came to me, “Don’t get discouraged. ” At that moment I couldn’t help but feel anything but that.

Chronic urticaria.

If you were like me and have never heard of it, it is when your body breaks out in hives, and sometimes there is no reason for it.

The hives can go away or stay and just get bigger, and then they can bruise. Sometimes it would feel like I had a bad sunburn as itching turned into pain. Then came my face, which I later found out was Angioedema, which was great, because you know, sometimes, that is how life throws things at us.

So there I went, pity party for one, as I allowed the failed hope and the real discouragement to set in. Have you been there? Where you are overcome with emotions and you sit in them for way too long? You are not alone but, even in that we are given a choice.

Hope, It can be fickle due to our everchanging emotions. We grip to one thing, lose it, then grip to the next. That's what holding on to hope can feel like. We are just constantly looking for something to hold onto in moments of change, loss, uncertainty, you name it. We have to find hope in that very place we are in.

Proverbs 13:12 states, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” I think about this verse a lot because in that room I was hopeful that something would work for me. That was until my hope turned into discouragement as weeks turned into months and the year mark came and went. For some, discouragement happens quickly, like when you don’t get that promotion. But for others it's a gradual process over time. You don’t realize it until you are there, in the thick of it. Like when a relationship is ending or a prayer goes unanswered. Discouragement is such a joy

killer and hope taker.

The opposite of Hope, according to google, is despair. It’s when we accept and resign to this position or mind frame that things will never change. It’s hard to find words and as we search and pray to God, it can begin to feel like there are waves inside of us that just toss us because we are not always combating the lies that we have believed, but we are desperately seeking for a way to intertwine God’s truth with our truth.

We weren’t meant to reach for God’s word to nullify the situations that we walk through and just declare it like we aren’t going through something. We were meant to intertwine our lives with His living Word. As we begin to interlace the truth of our circumstances with the truth of His Word it begins to form this beautiful weave, like a strand of DNA. There are many facets to it but it’s a part of our genetic code. It’s a part of Him and us. Hope is then intertwined with hurt and loss as faith wraps around our unbelief. Pain is intertwined with God’s compassion as grace and truth pull together the fabric of our very being into His. It becomes who we are. But, how do we actually do that?

Here are some practical ways:

1. Pray and ask God for help.

2. Reflect on God’s goodness in your life. Remember all the testimonies.

3. Share what you’re going through with

someone. We weren’t meant to do it alone. When we allow ourselves to be vulnerable it becomes an opportunity to allow others to come alongside us to pray, and to speak life and God’s truth into us

4. Combat the lies. What are they and what do we really believe? Ask the LORD to highlight something that you have believed. Write them down and find something in God’s word to combat that lie. Listen, we don’t have to feel something to know that it's true That’s where faith comes in. It's believing.

5. Recognize where our hope has been placed and check if it has been placed outside of God. There is nothing wrong with being hopeful about something but there is a difference when we are hopeful FOR an outcome and our hope being IN that outcome.

6. Start to bring together the Word of His truth and the reality of your situation and know that there can be two truths at the

same time. Talk to God, write down your truth and His

FOR EXAMPLE:

My truth: I'm tired, I can’t sleep, I'm worn out.

God’s truth: He is my strength, not just physically, He is my emotional strength as well

My truth: I'm hurting because I am having to walk through this, not because I expect to be immune, but my hurt is real. My feelings are valid.

God’s truth: He is the source of my joy and He loves me. So I can be hurt and have joy because it's okay to be in two places at once.

7. Write some of the truths that you have written down on sticky notes or index cards and place them around your home as reminders of God’s faithfulness. As we do this we are not asking God to just pull us out of this but we are asking him to meet us in the depths of it.

There are several different scenarios that we are walking through. So can we have hope for certain things? Yes! But, if you just stop there and something doesn’t work out then you will struggle like I did. So, bring that to God and place your truth and hope in Him because Romans 8:28 says that we know “God works all things together for the good of those who love him.” So take your expectations to God and allow him to work in it and renew your hope not just for that circumstance, but for your everyday life.

Reflection Questions:

Have you found yourself in the waiting room for a while? What do you do to pass the time and how can you use that time to bring God glory?

Other Verses to read:

Romans 6:19

Proverbs 13:12

Romans 5:5

Isaiah 40:31

ATESTIMONYBYREYNALAY AstoryofhowGodcanturn amarriageonthebrink ofdivorceintoaministry.

Photo by Caleb Lay

As I sit comfortably in the corner of the coffee shop, rain and thunder sounds dancing around in my earbuds from my favorite playlist, I glance at the window only to notice that it has actually started raining outside as well. I stare out the window with a smile on my face and just watch as the raindrops fall sloppily onto the ground and water what is now a faded green grass that has almost died from the summer heat. It’s December in Houston and the temps have finally dropped into the 50’s this week, basking us all with cool breezes and hope for a cold Christmas day. The coffee shop is cold as always, and as I sip on my Iced Caramel Macchiato with extra whip and caramel drizzle, I pray the rain will continue for longer than just a few hours.

You see, I love the rain. I know most people don’t, especially in Houston where traffic is part of daily life and where rain is looked at as a hindrance, slowing down Houstonians that are rushing off to work. For most, it’s not a blessing, but for me it is. There’s just something beautiful and calming to me about a rainstorm, especially after a hot, dry, fall season in Texas.

Thanksgiving came and went and instead of cold, fall evenings, we got an extended hot, humid summer; so a nice, rainy week is just what we need to bring down the temps and wash away all the dirt from the last season so we can start anew. “That’s kind of how it is with God too,” I think to myself, “He washes away all the dirt from the previous season and leaves us feeling clean and new, ready for what’s ahead.”

I take a sip of my Macchiato and contemplate on the past year. Coffee shops and Bible studies have become part of my weekly routine. But, this wasn’t always the case. Coffee was always part of my life, but the Bible? Yeah, I could do without that. Unless of course I needed a verse to get me through a tough day and then I’d pop one out like a fortune cookie with a sweet little proverb for good luck.

I grew up in a Christian home; my dad is a pastor who has helped plant churches around the Houston area for the last 25 years and has helped lead worship for as long as I can remember. There isn’t a day I don’t remember being at a church on a Wednesday, Friday for vigils, and Sunday morning and evening for regular services. To this day I can still remember sitting in the pews on the right side of my dad, head on his shoulder, as the pastor preached his sermon. My dad would quietly take out a pack of the long, rectangular Halls cough drops and hand one to me, my reward for sitting quietly with him. To this day, that strong, minty flavor brings me back to those church pews with him.

I believe those years of hearing sermon after sermon, memorizing Bible verse after Bible verse in Sunday class is what led me to where I am today. The Word says, “Train up a child in the way they should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6 KJV). I always assumed this meant they’ll never depart from it, they’ll never walk away from God. But now, after everything I’ve been through, I realize it means, even if we try, God’s Word will never depart from us. It’s

WETRAVELEDALLAROUNDTHEUNITEDSTATESFOR17 YEARSASWEMOVEDFROMDUTYSTATIONTODUTY STATION,ANDHAVENOWBEENTOGETHER21YEARS.

a part of us. It’s written in the depths of our soul and inscribed in our hearts. We might grow older, walk away from our faith for a bit as we explore and learn about other religions, or maybe even try to purposely ignore the words we learned when we were young as we foolishly try to live a life without God in it. But, we can’t ever truly separate ourselves from the truth. It’s like the book of Romans says in chapter one verse fifteen, “they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them. ”

It’s written in our hearts, and for that, I’m grateful. For most of my life I called myself a Christian. I met my husband while serving in the U.S. Army. He was also in the Army and although I only served a few years, he was a

lifer and served 25. We traveled all around the United States for 17 years as we moved from duty station to duty station, and have now been together 21 years.

Life wasn’t always easy. Moving often means never really putting down roots anywhere, because just as you ’ re getting comfortable, it’s time to move again. Family was always too far and most of the time I was busy in school as we raised three beautiful children Hectic seems like the perfect word, but it was also wonderful. I couldn’t have asked for a better married life, that is until 2019.

After 25 years of service it was finally time for my husband to retire. Something we ’ ve dreamt about for so long. No more moving, no more house rentals, no more getting comfortable and having to say goodbye to friends we’d made.

Photo by Cassidy Hayes

We could finally go wherever we’d like, buy a house, settle down, and put down roots.

We asked the kids where they wanted to move to and they said, “Texas!” The place where grandma and grandpa were. So we packed our belongings, bought a house in Houston, and went back home. It was a bittersweet moment because I never actually intended to come back to Houston. I left right after high school graduation and never looked back. Houston held too many bad memories for me from my childhood, and I felt that if I could distance myself enough, they’d stay buried there forever. But, my kids wanted to know their grandparents and meet their family, so off to Texas we went.

Soon after moving into our new house, my husband got recalled back to Massachusetts; his retirement pushed back another six months To say we were caught by surprise is an understatement His retirement had been put on pause for a moment and he was told he’d have to come back, even though we had already given up our house in Mass and driven for six days to Houston with three kids, two dogs, and two cats halfway across the state, countless vomit sessions in the back by a carsick daughter, it felt like a punch in the gut. We were looking forward to retiring, finding jobs, settling in and enjoying life together. But, instead, it meant we’d have to stay in Houston while my husband went back to Mass alone. It felt like another deployment, something we’d experienced way too often. Depression kicked in for myself and this time for my husband as well.

Six months dragged on but eventually he was

back home with us But, by that time school had already started and the Coronavirus outbreak was at an all-time high I had gotten a job as a Marketing and Events Planner for our city and my husband stayed home with the kids. As he was gearing up for days full of fishing, relaxing, and shooting guns, schools were canceled and children had to switch to online schooling. Because my job required me to still work in the office full time, my husband ended up taking over 1st grade school duties for my middle child and babysitting duties for my youngest daughter who was only 3 at the time while I was at work.

After many months of this, plus a few postretirement surgeries that left him couch-bound for months, my husband became depressed and our relationship became estranged. Our roles had completely changed overnight, he stayed home, washing dishes, doing laundry, cooking three meals a day, plus snacks, and became an Uber driver for our kids after-school activities. This was nothing like the retirement he dreamed of and resentment began to creep in. I was excited because I was finally working hard and making money, but his resentment made me angry and bitter towards him, which made our marriage the perfect playground for the enemy to play in We didn’t communicate well or sometimes at all. We definitely didn’t ask for forgiveness or contemplate that either of us were at fault for anything that happened. Resentment and bitterness grew and pride solidified it in stone.

What had once been a beautiful marriage had turned into two roommates sharing a house, but nothing more. The Coronavirus pandemic had come like the disease it was and everything

we had built had crumbled without Christ at the center. We both numbed our pain and resentment with alcohol. We’d drink to “relax” but one drink would turn to three, to five, and then all the pent up bitterness that had been stored up within us would rear its ugly head The next two years would turn into the worst years of our marriage

We had stopped going to church the moment we had moved to Massachusetts, something we’d never done before. By the time we moved to Houston we had found a church but were just regular Sunday morning pew-warmers and nothing else. We went to church to check off a box, argue most of the time we drove there, and then go back to our daily lives of work, alcohol, party too much on the weekends, and ignore the issues in our relationship. With the pandemic closing everything down, church was no longer something we did, because we barely made it to church so we definitely weren’t going to watch online.

After two years of drinking way too much, jealousy, frustration, anger, and resentment became our closest friends. Now that I look back, I can trace back every angry encounter with my husband and it all started with alcohol. Every single one. Alcohol lowered our inhibitions and rid us of our self-control and turned us from partners to enemies. We began to watch pornography to bring excitement into our marriage, or so we thought, until we realized all it brought was jealousy and insecurities. jealousy, frustration, anger, and resentment became our closest friends. Now that I look back, I can trace back every angry encounter with my husband and it all started with alcohol. Every single one. Alcohol lowered our inhibitions and rid us of our self-control and turned us from partners to enemies.

We began to watch porn to bring excitement into our marriage, or so we thought, until we realized all it brought was jealousy and insecurities. What a lie the enemy sells us through pornography! It really is just a slow poison in a relationship and a life

I still remember the night it all came to a crashing halt. We had tried to reconnect after having watched more porn and we were completely drunk off the vodka and beer we had drank to once again “relax.” But, it ended in a monstrous fight, both of us spewing words of hate and resentment. I ran into the restroom heartbroken, hopeless, and full of sorrow. I rubbed my eyes as tears streamed down my face and I heard the bedroom door slam as my husband left the room. I fell to my knees and broke down crying. “I can’t do this anymore, ” I thought. “I want a divorce.”

It had all become too hard, too painful, and I couldn’t even remember what love felt like anymore. It felt as if it all had disappeared from our lives. As I cried I suddenly remembered how the Lord had changed my husband's life once before, at the beginning of our marriage. I remembered walking up to the front of the church during an altar call, hand in hand with my husband as he answered the call to accept Jesus in his heart. I remembered the day as if I was reliving it all over again at that very moment, and a flicker of hope overwhelmed me. If God did it before for my husband, maybe he could do it again But, this time for me too

I had gone up to that altar call and I had stood there as he accepted Jesus but I didn’t accept Him. I pridefully assumed because I had accepted Him when I was thirteen that it had been enough.

But, I had fallen away from Him in my teens and wasn’t really a real follower of Christ. But, in my pride I had assumed, “he’s the sinner, not me. He’s the one that needs Jesus, not me. I’ve had Jesus, I’m good.” But, on that day many years ago, something amazing happened. My drinking, cursing husband was not that person anymore. That evening after accepting Christ he had emptied out the fridge and poured out all the beer. He threw out anything that he felt was detestable to the Lord. He spent all his evenings after work praying and reading the Bible for the first time in his ife He truly had a life-changing encounter with God, and I resented him for it.

After a few weeks of this I felt like he was just “too holy” for us “You’ve gotten so boring,” I’d say, and would entice him to take me out to the bars. He didn’t at first, but when he saw me becoming angry, he finally caved in and ent with me. At first he wouldn’t drink and again I’d say, “ you ’ re boring” or “ you ’ re too holy.” Jesus still loves you even if you drink!

As I think back to these moments I feel ashamed just remembering my words.

Before I knew it, my husband wasn’t “too holy” anymore. He walked away from the Lord because the conviction was too strong. He later told me that he couldn’t sin and then go back and read His Bible and pretend to follow God. The conviction was too strong and it was easier to just not face it.

As I sat there on the floor of our bathroom remembering I said, “I’m sorry Lord” and sobbed until I felt like I had no more tears left. The Lord had brought it all back to my memory for a reason

wThe years of pretending to be a Christian just because it was my father’s faith, the years of going to church and hearing sermons but not allowing them to truly sink in, the years of resentment and bitterness had hardened my heart and made me build walls around it so that no matter how much the Lord knocked on it, I couldn’t feel it. But, there on that cold bathroom floor the walls shattered in a million pieces and I could feel Him calling me back to Him as he had when I was thirteen. But, this time it was different, because I knew He didn’t just want me, He wanted both of us. He wanted our marriage He didn’t want divorce, he wanted to heal us, if we would just let Him. I got up, got dressed and headed downstairs hoping my husband hadn’t left the house. I remembered the extra communion I had brought home that day in my purse from church and I grabbed it. I saw him sitting on our dining room chair and I walked up to him and said, “I’m sorry. ” He opened his arms to me and I sat on him and cried some more. “I can’t do this anymore, ” I said. “I want to truly follow God and I know that if we both decide to follow Him one-hundred percent He can heal our marriage. I don’t want to divorce, but if we don’t do this right, that’s where we ’ re headed.”

He looked at me and I realized he had been crying too, desperate for a way to fix us. “I want the same thing,” he said. I took out the communion cup and said, “let’s do it right.” We prayed the most earnest, sincere, heartwrenching prayer we had ever said. We begged God to wash away all the dirt, just like the rain falling on the ground. We begged Him to give us a second chance and to forgive us of all the sin we had committed against Him and each other

We asked Him to not only come into our hearts but into our house and to truly make it a home. We begged for the shame, anger, and bitterness to be taken out of our hearts and for us to love each other the way we had before, and most of all, we asked Him to fill us with a passion for Him and nothing else. We shared the communion bread and juice, hugged, and then headed upstairs and went straight to bed. When I opened my eyes the next morning everything had changed. I felt lighter, cleaner, and like I could see clearer than ever. It’s as if I had been wearing rose-colored glasses and they had been taken off. Everything felt new. What had once felt like a dark house full of hate now felt full of peace and love. I descended the stairs to see my husband at the dining table with his coffee in hand and the Bible opened in front of Him. I felt my heart fill with love and compassion for him and as I stared at him I saw him the way God saw him, brand new and completely loved. All the hate towards him had vanished and my now-softened heart felt only love.

I walked over to him, saw him smile at me the way he had when I first met him, and he hugged me, pulled me on his lap, and told me how much he loved me.

I’m happy to say that we are not divorced, in fact we are so beautifully in love, even more than we have ever been, and we have a peace in our lives that I never thought was even possible We have shared our story with so many people that God has put in our path and our goal is that our story of redemption will help those who are in the midst of trials. Just like the fresh rain during a storm can wash away the dirt off the cars and homes, God’s love can wash away the dirt from your life and your relationships. His love, if you let Him, can break down walls and bring you back to your first love, Him.

The next year God would take Bobby and I through hours, days, and months completely

Photo by Cassidy Hayes

enthralled in His presence and in His Word. We began dating each other again, talking about our experiences, we put work into our relationship, we went dark from everything and everyone else as we focused on bettering ourselves and our kids We stopped drinking alcohol completely and we began to truly follow Christ as real Christians, not just Sunday pew-warmers. The sermons that had once been the background noise as I colored or drew next to my dad in church growing up would come to the forefront of my mind when I least expected them to. Bible verses I had once memorized as a young girl would pop into my thoughts during conversations with others. The Word of God became like honey to our lips and we couldn’t get enough of it. We began to lead Bible studies and later a life group. We started a marriage ministry to help other couples avoid what we went through or to overcome it. We were anointed as pastors and we opened the doors to UNICO Church in October of 2024. God brought beautiful friendships into our lives that only spurred on our love for Christ. And as we turned our eyes upon Jesus, everything else became dim in the light of His mercy and grace (Psalm 123:1).

“Train up a child in the way they should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6 KJV). Isn’t that the truth? I thought I was following God, but the prayers of that young, thirteen year old girl were overwhelmed by the cares of the world. I had separated myself from real faith but thankfully, God had never separated Himself from me. Throughout every military move, every new city, every fight, and every trial, Jesus had been there with me every step of the way. As I look back on all of it now I realize that His words never left me. Although I buried them deep in the recesses of my mind, they were still there. I never departed from

them, just like He never departed from me.

I don’t know what state your relationship with God or your spouse is. Maybe you ’ re in deep with God basking in His presence daily and this story will just confirm how good God has always been. But, maybe your relationship is where mine was as I sobbed on that bathroom floor. Maybe you ’ ve given in to the lie that pornography, alcohol, or recreational drugs will help numb the pain.

Maybe your marriage is hanging on by a single thread. If so, make sure it’s the thread of God’s garment. Turn your gaze upon Jesus and cry out to Him. He is The Miracle Worker. He can turn a marriage that’s on the brink of divorce into a marriage that is full of love and respect for one another. He can turn a depressed, battered heart into a heart full of joy and peace. All you need to do is to turn to Him, submit your whole life, trust, and put your full faith in Him. He’ll do the rest. Let His fresh rain wash the pain away and make you new! I mean, you ’ ve probably tried everything else already, so what do you have to lose?

Reyna and her husband being anointed as Pastors.

Photo by Caleb Lay

CARROTS

Ingredients:

Bacon(12ozpackage)

Carrots(2lbBag)

BrownSugar(2cups)

Salt(2teaspoons,oraccordingtotaste)

Igrewupwithafriendwhoalways asked for the recipe to practically everythingIcooked,butwhenIrattled offtheingredientsshewouldsay,“Oh youlostmeonthefifthingredient.”Her desire was always to have four ingredients or less to put together somethingtasty.Otherwiseshewasout, andnorecipereplicationwouldoccurfor her.Soinhonorofthemanypeoplewho dislikerecipesthathaveagrocerylista milelong,Ihavechosenasidedishthat hascontinuallybeenasurprisingcrowd pleaserformanyget-togethers:brown sugar,baconwrappedcarrots.Thisrecipe isliterallythethreeingredientsinthe titleplusalittlesalt.Simplicityisinthe execution, and the sweet savory complexityinthedevouring.

I like to use medium to regular-sized carrots,butyouarewelcometocutthe bacon smaller and do it on the small carrots instead. I also like to use the thinnerbacon,becauseitwrapsaround easilyandstickstothecarrot,huggingit withthepowerofnaturalbastingduring thecookingprocess.

1.

Begin bywashing andpeeling the carrotswhilestillwet.

2

Lightly salt the carrots before wrapping a whole slice of bacon aroundthecarrot.

3

Inapyrexdishorglassbakingpan sprinkle½cupofbrownsugar.

“Simplicity is in the execution and the sweet savory complexity in the devouring.”

RECIPE AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY BEVERLY MOON

1. Place in a pre heated 400-degree ovenandbakefor1hour-1.5hours dependingonhowthickyourcarrots are.

3

Placethebaconwrappedcarrotsin thedishandgenerouslycoverthe visiblespotswithabout1½cupsof brownsugar.

2. Oncecookedthoroughly,drainyour greasecarefully.Thecarrotsshould be brown with crispy spots of candiedgoodness.

Manypeoplewhohatecarrots,haveeaten theselittletreatsandhavebeenthoroughly shockedthattheyenjoyedeatingacarrot! Butinmyopinion,ifyouwrapanything inbaconitisautomaticallybetter.Aswith anyrecipe,feelfreetoadjustthisforyou and your family, by adding peppered baconorseasoningthebaconwithother things such as jalapeño salt or chili powder. Enjoy!

“Jesus answered, It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” - Matthew 4:4

Learn more about our writers and editors on our website: MyRenewedFaith.com

Photo above and bottom left by Reyna Lay, above right by KO Photography, bottom right by Heidi Borden.

Photos by Reyna Lay.

DOWNLOADOURMAGAZINETODAY!

This magazine is free: all writers, photographers, editors, and designers are unpaid. Your donation helps us to raise the funds needed to make this magazine possible. Consider donating to our ministry in order to make this digital magazine a print issue.

DONATE BELOW

RENEWED FAITH MAGAZINE

ARENEWEDFAITHMINISTRY

CHRISTIANLIFESTYLE

From raw, unapologetic stories to inspiring testimonies, each issue is a curated guide to inspire you on your walk with God and with the community around you.