REAL PEOPLE | REAL STORIES | REAL HOPE
A Publication of Kristi Overton Johnson Ministries
A Passion That Drives EMILY COPELAND DURHAM
Quarterly Publication | Issue 2 2017
I WAS IN
PRISON And You Visited Me.
Matthew 25:36
SEND VICTORIOUS LIVING TO A PRISON INMATE To learn how to send a copy or to join us in other partnership opportunities, see back cover or visit our website at kojministries.org
ARE YOU AN INMATE WHO NEEDS ENCOURAGEMENT? Every day, inmates reach out to KOJM through letters asking for prayers and encouragement as well as discipleship opportunities to help them grow in their faith. Every inmate who contacts KOJM receives in-depth monthly devotionals, personal letters from ourVictorious Living Correspondence Team, and a quarterly copy of Victorious Living. BECOME A PART OF OUR VICTORIOUS LIVING FAMILY TODAY! WRITE TO:
VICTORIOUS LIVING CORRESPONDENCE OUTREACH PO BOX 328 • STARKE, FL 32091
Thank you to the following organizations who faithfully support Victorious Living.
When asked why they give, they respond,
“Because we care!”
REAL PEOPLE | REAL STORIES | REAL HOPE ISSUE 2, MAY 2017
Thank you to all who have supported this outreach. We need more churches and individuals to help support KOJ Ministries and Victorious Living. For just $1,000, you or your church or organization can sponsor our ministry in a prison for one full year. So much can be done through your generous giving.
Will you help today? American Solutions for Business cstallings@americanbus.com Community Church of Keystone Heights ccokh.org Davis Gas davisgas.com Discount Inboard Marine skidim.com First Baptist Orlando firstorlando.com First Baptist of Starke fbcstarke.org
Greater Greenville Foundation Long’s Chapel Methodist longschapel.com Keystone Plumbing keystoneplumbinginc@yahoo.com
Nautique Boat Company nautique.com The Clipping Corner Melrose, FL The Trophy Shop thetrophyshop.com
WHY I CARE You don’t realize how important something like this magazine can be until you experience or witness real need. My recent visit to prison with KOJ Ministries opened my eyes like never before. Victorious Living is full of stories of hope, recovery, restoration. and life-changing events. While I knew this, I did not appreciate it until I was handing the magazine to isolated prisoners through tiny, wired windows. These ladies needed the hope I knew they’d find on every page. I felt like I was handing them a gift of gold, a priceless treasure. Through Victorious Living, I was giving them the good news of Jesus Christ—and the chance to never feel imprisoned again.
Jennifer Leachman LaPoint
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Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Psalm 51:10 Publisher & Executive Director | Kristi Overton Johnson f
Editor | Rachel F. Overton, Wordscapes Executive Assistant | Kimberly Chassion Accounting Manager | Gizzella Guba Director of Prison Correspondence | Linda Cubbedge Creative Director | Amy Zackowski, Whispering Dog Design Inc. Partnership Support | info@kojministries.org f
Contributing Writers Sarah Beckham, David Benzel, Roy A. Borges, Greg Brock Jr., Tina Brown, Linda Cubbedge, Kristi Dews Dale, Emily Copeland Durham, Scott F., Alexis G., Kristi Overton Johnson, Jennifer Leachman LaPoint, Steven M., Matt Manzari, Nate Miller, Jeff and Valerie Mitchell, Chris Patton, Wendy Petzold, Texas Stready, Thomas Turski, Kenny Vaughan, Erin Warren f
Cover Photography | Todd Ristorcelli Photography | Zdenko Bautin, Garret Cortese/alliancewake.com, The Daily Reflector, Nan Dickson, Gina Gutekunst, Pam Jessiman, Joey Meddock, Lynn Novakofski, Geri Simpkins, Robert Wiley, Word of Life Island f
Faithful Distributors Special thanks to Bill Coleman and Tina Brown for distributing Victorious Living in local areas in Florida and North Carolina f
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Scripture marked ESV is taken from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Scripture marked KJV is taken from the King James Version of the Bible (public domain). Scripture marked NIV is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®, copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.
HOW TO REACH VICTORIOUS LIVING Receive a Personal Copy • See this issue’s back cover • Visit kojministries.org • Call 352-478-2098 • Write to Victorious Living PO Box 120951 Clermont, FL 34712-0951 • Bulk copies available, call 352-478-2098.
Submissions • Submit your story online at kojministries.org • Due to Internet restrictions, inmate submissions should be mailed to: Victorious Living Outreach PO 328 • Starke, FL 32091. ALL Inmate Correspondence • Mail correspondence to Victorious Living Correspondence Outreach PO Box 328 Starke, FL 32091
VICTORIOUS LIVING MISSION The mission of Victorious Living is to minister to the brokenhearted and to declare freedom for the captives through testimonials of God’s grace, love, and power in the lives of everyday people. Please consider supporting this incredible outreach of hope and freedom.
CONTENTS 5 You’ve Been Good to Me Thomas Turski
7 Stronger than Superman, Faster Than the Flash
Jesus is all-powerful God…so why on earth didn’t He use His power to escape the cross? Chris Patton
8 The Gift of Haley: An Interview with Jeff and Valerie Mitchell
When their daughter was diagnosed with a deadly disease, Jeff and Valerie Mitchell had to decide whether they and their family would merely survive or live life to the fullest. Kristi Overton Johnson
18 A Passion That Drives
From her stellar career as a professional wakeboarder to her upcoming appearance on American Ninja Warrior, Emily Copeland Durham is driven by a passion to succeed and the need to keep moving forward. But more than these achievements, Emily strives to introduce others to the love and grace of Jesus Christ. Emily’s story shows that we are not the sum of what we achieve. We are children of God, and in that identity, we become all that we are meant to be. Emily Copeland Durham
You’ve Been Good to Me by Thomas Turski
Lord, sometimes I get depressed. My life seems filled with constant stress. At times the pain is hard to bear. It feels as if there’s no one there. But as I look around and see, I see that You’ve always been good to me. As a man in rags goes by, Oh Lord, I start to realize. This man outside has nothing to eat, As he walks outside in his bare feet. All the while I sit with the blues, There’s a man outside without any shoes. And off somewhere in an alley lays, A man who longs for better days. Yes, Lord, I’m blind when I don’t see, How good, oh Lord, You’ve been to me.
1 0 Under the Covers of Fear
Don’t let the pain of your past paralyze your future. God is bigger than any problem facing you, and He is ready to help. Wendy Petzold
1 1 Feel Like You’re Falling?
Circumstances can leave us feeling defeated and forsaken. Jesus whispers, “I’ve got you. You’re Mine. Trust Me.” Erin Warren
1 2 Coming Alongside
Loving someone who’s facing great hardship can be daunting, confusing, and scary. But there’s beauty in living out that greatest command—to love others as ourselves. Sarah Beckham
1 3 What Do You See?
The importance of casting vision over your life. Kristi Overton Johnson
1 4 Renew Your Mind
Shift your focus from the threats of the enemy to the promises of God. Nate Miller
1 5 Humble Beginnings
When you give your talents to God, He makes them great even if they’re small. Kenny Vaughan
1 6 Moving Forward through the Darkness
Nearly killed in a freak accident two years ago, professional wakeskater Matt Manzari tells how accepting his situation and choosing to move forward despite overwhelming odds has turned those challenges into daily victories and incredible opportunities. Matt Manzari
2 0 Don’t Feel Like It? Do It Anyway
Victory comes through self-discipline. True champions are those who do the hard things despite their feelings in the moment. David Benzel
2 1 Lessons from a Lovebug
God’s eye is on the…lovebug? It is. And through His creation, we can know Him better. Greg Brock Jr.
2 2 A Broken Foot, A Mended Heart
When your dreams are shattered, your body broken, and your mind overcome by fear, take courage. You are not alone. God is with you. Jennifer Leachman LaPoint
2 3 It’s Time
It’s time to forgive. It’s time to let go of the anger in your heart and obey God. Jennifer Leachman LaPoint
2 4 From the Heart of Texas
From preacher’s kid to drug addict, Texas Stready set out on a difficult road. But God didn’t promise life wouldn’t be hard. He didn’t promise perfection. What He did promise was He’d remain with us, no matter what. Texas Stready
2 8 Self-Discipline Matters to God
Self-discipline is an act that has value and is pleasing to God. In fact, it’s one way we can honor Him. Kristi Dews Dale
3 0 Something for Nothing
Grace…love…mercy. They cost God the very life of His Son, but He offers them to us for free. Talk about getting something for nothing! Roy A. Borges
3 1 A Recipe for Life
There’s no need to experiment in the kitchen of life. Jesus brings everything we need together; without Him, something will always be missing. With Him, our recipe is complete and the result is exactly what He planned. Tina Brown
3 2 Do the Doo
Take responsibility for your actions. You must be faithful in the small (and often uncomfortable) things if you want bigger opportunities to come. Kristi Overton Johnson
6 Publisher’s Note
27 Reader Testimonies
26 Ministry News
35 Our Contributors
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PUBLISHER’S NOTE
Get off the Dock Welcome to Victorious Living. This special spring edition is one of my favorites, as it contains stories from my friends in the water sports community. I’ve been a part of this amazing community since I was four years old. I am who I am because of the people I met, the experiences I had, and the lessons I learned on the waters of the world. If you are a water sports enthusiast who’s just happened upon our magazine, I’m glad you found us. And if you’re one of the thousands of inmates receiving Victorious Living behind bars, welcome back! You are the motivation behind this magazine. No matter who you are, one thing is for sure: you are about to be inspired…and challenged. This issue is full of stories of people who, with determined spirit, renewed mind, and steadfast faith, met death, pain, addictions, paralyzing emotions, and disappointments head on. And despite the circumstances, they overcame every opponent and were victorious. In the following pages, every excuse you or I have ever made for not facing the hard things in life will be challenged and hopefully thrown right out the window! These life testimonies are incredible. They offer hope and practical steps to moving forward through tough times. If taken to heart, they will powerfully change your life. Life is tough. Every day presents challenges that can make you want to stay in bed or maybe even quit on life. Let these testimonies remind you of the truth that no matter how hard life gets, no matter how despairing the news, there is always hope. And there is life still to be lived. Hope and life…they are yours for the taking! But you have to want them; you must be willing to keep pressing forward, to keep facing the uncomfortable and the unknown. Only then does victory come. I learned this truth on the dock years ago at water-ski events. My legs would be quaking as the boat came around to pick me up for my turn. But no matter how frightened I was, no matter how rough the conditions, no matter how tough the opponent or how much my body hurt, I always got off the dock. Why? Because victory only comes when you get off the dock. And that is true whether you are in a water-ski tournament or facing a challenge in life. I know. I know. The dock is comfortable. It’s safe. You don’t have to subject yourself to a lot of pain or risk falling on the dock. But you know what else you won’t find on the dock? Victory. Life. Purpose. Those things are only found out on the water, out in the deep, away from the dock. These pages are full of stories of people who “got off the dock” in the biggest way. When they made the decision to push past their pain, insecurity, or fear; when they decided to step out of their comfort zones to face what was hard, God met them right where they were. He gave them the strength, power, provision, and peace to not only survive but thrive on the rivers of difficulty. My friends emerged through their trials stronger and better than before. Did you catch that? When you and I step off the dock—when we’re willing to face what is hard—God Himself meets us there. He infuses us with His strength and gives us everything we need. That, to me, is perhaps the greatest blessing about being a Christian. We don’t have to face life’s pain and disappointments alone! Look at Isaiah 43:2: “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” I don’t know what you face today, but I do know this. You aren’t alone in your pain. God is with you. You will not be overcome by your trial. Keep pushing, my friend. Keep fighting and keep hoping against all hope. It’s not over! Continue getting off the dock of life every day. Grab God’s rope of hope. Put your faith in Him, do what you can do, and nothing will be able to stop you.
“WHEN YOU GO THROUGH DEEP WATERS, I WILL BE WITH YOU. WHEN YOU GO THROUGH RIVERS OF DIFFICULTY, YOU WILL NOT DROWN. WHEN YOU WALK THROUGH THE FIRE OF OPPRESSION, YOU WILL NOT BE BURNED UP; THE FLAMES WILL NOT CONSUME YOU.” ISAIAH 43:2
Kristi
Publisher Kristi Overton Johnson remembers getting off the dock as she looks over Lake Kristi, the lake her parents designed and built in 1982 to help her become a world champion water-skier. Now Kristi helps people get off the dock of life to experience victory with God. 6 kojministries.org Issue 2 2017
photo courtesy of The Daily Reflector
Stronger than Superman, Faster than the Flash by Chris Patton
We’ve just celebrated Easter, and that caused an old question to pop into my head. This question used to plague me as a kid. See, I grew up in the church and heard all about the life of Jesus from the time I could walk. The one question I could never answer was this—why didn’t Jesus use His power for personal gain? Think about it. As a kid, I knew that Jesus was the Son of God. I could not explain the Trinity, but I accepted that Jesus was God and man at the same time. Some things that adults have a hard time understanding are just accepted as fact by kids. This was one of those ideas. Knowing that Jesus was a man and also God at the same time, I knew He had total power to do anything. Stronger than Superman and faster than the Flash, Jesus had the ultimate power. There was simply nothing He could not do. Because I believed this, I had a really hard time with understanding why He didn’t use His power more. I mean, I knew He worked miracles—He walked on water, turned water into wine, and raised Lazarus from the dead. But… It’s not like He wasn’t supposed to use His power at all. Clearly, God didn’t tell Jesus to hide His power. So if that is the case, why didn’t He use it more often? As a kid, I could think of so many different ways He could have used it! He could have defeated playground bullies. He could have won every arm wrestling match He ever faced. He could have even won the fastest runner award every year in school. And as an adult—Jesus didn’t have to be a lowly carpenter. He could have been a successful business owner. He could have risen to the top of the political structure of the time. He could have even defeated the Roman army singlehandedly and taken over the world! As a kid with a great imagination, I came up with endless ways Jesus could have used His power. And every year when Easter came around,
Why didn’t Jesus use His power to escape the cross? this question burned even deeper. Why didn’t Jesus use His power to escape the cross? Now, looking back, I see how silly my question was. What seemed so elusive at the time is an answer that is all too obvious now. I am sure it is just as obvious to you, but I think it is worth reviewing.
He Had An Eternal Perspective Jesus had an eternal perspective. He came from heaven to earth for a short time and with very specific purposes. Jesus knew before He came that He would return to heaven. He knew that anything material He gained on earth would be left behind upon His return to His throne.
His Purpose Was Bigger Jesus didn’t overuse His power to win fights or contests because that did not align with His purpose. He didn’t seek business wealth and success because He knew those were fleeting. He knew self-gain was worthless in eternity and promised little comfort during His tenure on earth. Jesus avoided political and military entanglements because His perspective was bigger than they could ever be. And most of all, He submitted to the cross because the lives of those He would save as a result were infinitely more valuable than the value of His additional time on earth. Folks, the question I struggled with as a kid is almost ridiculous when I look back at it. I almost laugh at myself…until I come to another realization and want to cry.
See, if this question is so ridiculous to me now, if the answer is so obvious, why am I still living as if this life on earth is more valuable than the eternity I face after this life? Do you understand the problem? I begin to laugh at my limited understanding as a kid—until I realize I am still living as if I have that same limited understanding now! When I look at all the ways I continue to seek my own personal gain today, at the expense of eternal gain, I want to cry. Maybe you are different, but I am almost embarrassed to put these thoughts on paper. In fact, I wouldn’t, except for the hope that someone else will gain from my weakness and transparency. The bottom line is that my original question is ridiculous. The answer is obvious. And the same purposes that motivated Jesus to act as He did should motivate us today. We should be exchanging what this short-term world has to offer for the eternal reward that Jesus offers us. We should be sacrificing our comfort today for the promise of our future in heaven. Some of you are doing this very thing. Some of you are nodding your head right now and maybe even pumping your fist in agreement. At the same time, others of us are silently considering our own lack of commitment.
It’s Not Too Late! For those of us in this uncomfortable position, the exciting news is that the story is not over. It is not too late! God is faithful and forgiving. He is full of mercy and grace. He is standing ready to embrace our full focus and lead us to greater eternal results. V
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The Gift of Haley AN INTERVIEW WITH JEFF AND VALERIE MITCHELL I’ll never forget the sight. My son, Ty, five years old at the time, was curled up on the sofa in a travel trailer watching a cartoon with his new friend, Haley. We were at a water-ski tournament hosted by Haley’s dad, Jeff Mitchell, and the Beaver Lake Ski Club in North Carolina. Ty had taken refuge from the heat and ski action in Haley’s family’s motorhome.The two had spent the day watching television in contented, companionable silence. Finally, it was time for us to go. Ty got up from the sofa, gave Haley a hug, and told her goodbye. We took a quick snapshot of the two of them to remember their travel-trailer cartoon adventure. We exchanged gentle hugs and said our goodbyes. Haley’s expressive face made it clear she had enjoyed her time with Ty. Her humility and peace-filled spirit left a lasting impression on my heart. Ty and Haley never had the opportunity to play together again, but for many years we kept up with Haley and her family as they courageously fought against a debilitating neuromuscular disease, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). SMA attacked Haley’s little body with a vengeance, leaving her unable to move or even breathe on her own. She lived most of her life connected to a Bi-PAP breathing machine and confined to a bed or specially designed wheelchair. Many people would say that Haley was never able to really do anything. Yet, amazingly, in her short thirteen years, Haley did what truly mattered. She lived every day. She loved well and trusted without question. She fought the good fight of faith, all the while reflecting God’s love and grace to all she met. Haley was one of God’s champions. I asked Haley’s parents, my friends, Jeff and Valerie Mitchell, if they would share Haley’s story and how their family continued to live life fully while facing terminal illness. We can learn much from their journey. ~ Kristi KOJ: Thank you, Jeff and Valerie, for agreeing to share Haley’s story with our readers. How did you first discover that Haley had SMA? Val: As a mother, I knew right away that something wasn’t right with Haley’s development. But it wasn’t until she was four months old that she was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy. SMA affects the motor nerve cells in the spinal cord, greatly reducing the ability to walk, eat, or breathe. It is the number one genetic cause of death in infants. At the time Haley was diagnosed, there was no known cure, and children were given a life expectancy of two years. The doctors basically told us to go home, love on Haley, and enjoy the little time we would have with her. KOJ: How does a parent even process such news? Val: You can’t. It was like it wasn’t real, like it couldn’t possibly be happening to us. It took a long time to absorb something that grave. Life just froze, and despair settled in. At the beginning, I was certain I’d never experience
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normal life again, much less joy. It was like there was this glass between me and the real world. I could see other people going on with their lives, but I couldn’t participate. It was a lonely time. I’m so thankful for my mom and the nurses who came alongside to help me face each day. Jeff: As a father and husband, I felt helpless. I’m a Type A personality—I fix things; I get things done. Suddenly, I couldn’t do anything. There was no fixing this. There was no helping my wife or my daughter. I couldn’t even get sufficient information about the disease—there was so little available. KOJ: What kept you moving forward each day? Val: I had two little girls who needed me to get up and be their mom. Our older daughter, Kelsie, was five. She and Haley both needed me. Curling up in despair and disappearing from their lives wasn’t an option. I had to keep going for them. So I just kept putting one foot in front of the other.
Haley taught me what trusting God looks like. It’s resting in His arms when your world is falling apart. Jeff: I kept busy. I took over the practical side of things, like insurance and paying bills. I did what I could. I worked to raise awareness for SMA. We held fundraisers, like our Haley Mitchell Ski-A-Thon. We raised over $450,000 for research. KOJ: I would imagine the stress of living with a terminally ill child, the mounting medical bills, and all that goes along with such an illness would put a strain on the best of marriages. Focus on the Family says that over 75 percent of all marriages plagued by chronic illness end in divorce. How did you avoid becoming a statistic? Jeff: It wasn’t easy. We had a lot of dark moments. Val and I were facing the same situation, but we processed it very differently. I face things head-on. She’s more of an introvert. We had to guard ourselves from resenting how the other dealt with Haley’s illness. I couldn’t force Val to deal with the situation my way, and she couldn’t force me to deal with it hers. We had to practice grace with one another. Val: The biggest challenge was caring for each other’s needs. We became so focused on caring for Haley and Kelsie that we overlooked each other. It wasn’t intentional; we were just in survival mode. We began to live very separate lives. Jeff worked, and I worked part time. Haley had constant doctor appointments, and Kelsie needed to get to sport events and dance. When the weekend arrived, we’d ask each other, “What are you doing
this weekend?” Instead of “What are we going to do?” When Haley passed, we had to learn how to be a couple again. The years had dramatically changed both of us, but we committed ourselves to doing the hard work. KOJ: When I met Haley, you were five years into your SMA journey. I was so impressed with how your family handled your situation. You seemed to be coping well and living full lives. Was it always that way? Val: No. The very first year, we didn’t live at all. Her condition was very unstable; each day seemed like her last. But at eleven months, something happened. Haley was sicker than we’d ever seen her. We called her pulmonologist, who told us to prepare for the worst, that we were likely approaching her final hours. Then her pediatrician diagnosed her with a simple ear infection. Jeff: I looked at Val and said, “This is nuts! We can’t live like this! We can’t keep waiting for Haley to die. We have to appreciate the fact that we have our children and live every day to the fullest. When it happens, it happens. We will all die at some point, but we can’t sit around and wait for it.” Val: From then on, for the sake of Haley, for Kelsie, and for our marriage, we fought to find a new normal. The doctors gave Haley a life expectancy of two years. She lived for thirteen. Can you imagine if we had lived those thirteen years waiting for death like we had at first? We would never have made it! KOJ: What were some of the things you did to find life— that “new normal”—again? Jeff: Well, waterskiing is a big part of our family life, so we bought a travel trailer. It gave us the freedom to stay involved and be active together at the lake. Val: We also tried to keep Haley involved with kids her age. We took her to school on special days. We tried to do things without worrying about what might happen. KOJ: I’d like to talk a moment about your faith journey. Did you ever struggle to hold fast to your faith? Val: Sometimes. When Haley was first diagnosed, I found myself drawing closer to God. He was my comfort and strength. I ran to Him for help. But as time went on and life got more difficult, the worries of this world pulled me away. Exhausted and overwhelmed, I began asking why—“Why us, God? Why Haley? Why don’t You just take this away?” But even in the midst of my why questions, I still believed in the faithfulness of God to see us through. Jeff: I think anyone in those circumstances would
question God about some things. Christians are often taught the “rules of faith,” but when those rules are challenged, your faith gets real personal. All of a sudden, you have to figure things out. It’s not as cut-and-dried as you once thought. I had to do some real soul searching and find answers to a lot of questions…especially about the character of God. KOJ: And what did you discover? Jeff: I found out that God doesn’t push little old ladies down the stairs! KOJ: What?! Jeff: (Laughing) I recently heard a pastor tell a story about an elderly lady who fell down the steps of her church. She ended up dying. People in the congregation kept saying how God had allowed her to fall and die for a reason, that He had some great purpose in it. The pastor telling the story got quiet for a moment, and then he said, “I don’t believe God pushes little old ladies down the stairs.” And I agree. Throughout our journey, so many well-meaning Christians said similar things. Their words didn’t help. We heard: “Everything happens for a reason.” “God has a plan.” “God doesn’t give you more than you can handle.” Those easy answers cut deep. Val: Oh, and then there was, “God gives special children to special parents.” It was horrible! I mean, who really wants to be that special? We both started questioning that Sunday School mentality of God being behind everything. The fact is, sometimes bad things just happen, even to good people. But that doesn’t mean God sent it, that He’s punishing us, or that He wants to teach us some great lesson. Jeff: God did not cause our daughter to have SMA. This evil, sinful, disease-filled world is to blame. Through our SMA journey, we concluded that our God is good. He is full of love, and He is kind. He gives good gifts to His children (Matthew 7:11). SMA is not good or kind. We could have spent our lives trying to figure out why Haley had SMA and who had caused it. But none of that really mattered. What mattered is that we allowed God—who is love and who is good—to come into our situation and shepherd us through it. KOJ: How did He shepherd you? Val: He sent people who had been through similar journeys with SMA to help us…to comfort us. They were like angels. We also experienced the love of God through people in our community. God’s love through people brought light to the darkness. Jeff: It was uncanny how many situations would pop up out of the blue. There was just no way they were
Haley and the Mitchell family, Jeff, Valerie, and Kelsie, have inspired many through their fight with SMA. Together they have raised over $450,000 through the Haley Mitchell Ski-A-Thon. Funds support research for SMA and provide assistance to other SMA families.
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Under the Covers of Fear by Wendy Petzold
I know what it’s like to be paralyzed. I’ve been paralyzed from the waist down since I was sixteen—the result of a horrific car accident. Recently, however, I experienced a new kind of paralysis. One brought on by fear. This paralysis was so strong, I literally couldn’t move. It all started with a spot on my tailbone. Seems minor, but six years ago, a similar thing led to an awful infection. I received many rounds of antibiotics, but nothing was able to knock it out. I was on bed rest for almost ten months. I felt so helpless as I missed out on life and so many activities with my family. I’ve thought about that lonely time almost daily, and I often fear it will happen again. That’s why, when I noticed that small pimple, I panicked. “Here we go again,” I immediately thought. “It’s happening. You’re going to get an infection and miss out on life just like you did before. You aren’t going to be able to travel, be a part of
family activities, finish your Bible study with the ladies, nothing!” One by one, things that were precious to me vanished right before my eyes. All I could see was myself lying helplessly alone in my bed, unable to do anything. And that’s exactly where I found myself…in bed, alone, unable to do anything. Not because of an infection, mind you, but because of fear. In my panicking state, I basically put myself on bed rest and isolated myself from the world. And it was there that Satan began to have a field day with my mind, body, and soul. The more I thought about that pimple, the more fearful I became. Before I knew it, I was unable to move physically, emotionally, or spiritually. I couldn’t even bring myself to answer the phone, leave the house, or return e-mails. I lay in bed, frightened and discouraged for days— that is, until another pimple appeared, this time on my chin. I stared at my chin in the mirror without a care in the world. I knew it would be gone in a few days, so I didn’t give it a second thought. And that’s when I heard God speak these words to my heart: “How come you trust Me
to take care of that pimple on your chin, but not the one on your rear? Am I not big enough to handle them both?” As I write this, I have to admit I’m embarrassed. Besides the fact that I’m telling the world that I have a pimple on my butt, I’m ashamed to admit that I, a lifelong Christian who loves God and His Word and even teaches it to others, would so
being concerned and being afraid are two different things. Godly concern leads to God-led actions. Fear sidelines us and causes us to be paralyzed by our emotions. quickly forfeit God’s goodness and peace. I know better! I’ve witnessed God’s faithfulness time and time again. He’s never failed me. How could I let such a small thing—a pimple, for goodness sake!—spiral me into such turmoil? Looking back, I understand. It started the moment I took my eyes off God, the answer, and magnified my problem, the zit. When I imagined the worst possible scenario and accepted it as truth, my fear grew to paralyzing proportions.
photography by Nan Dickson
continued on page 11
Wendy uses her story to help others persevere through their own fears. Here, Wendy shares with Texas inmates the hope they can have through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Once out from under the covers of fear, Wendy was able to experience life and enjoy her favorite family activity—waterskiing. Pictured left to right: daughter Grace, Wendy, husband Andrew, and son Aaron. 10 kojministries.org Issue 2 2017
photography by Lynn Novakofski
Feel Like You’re Falling?
by Erin Warren
“I wish this wasn’t happening to me,” my sweet seven-year old son said, his big blue eyes welling with tears. He was so sick, and it wasn’t fun. After sleeping over thirteen hours, he woke up and asked me to carry him downstairs. As I balanced his long legs and arms and carried him, his pillow, and his comforting fuzzy blanket carefully down the stairs, he startled a little. He felt like he was falling. “It’s okay; I’ve got you. I know it doesn’t feel like it, but I’ve got you,” I assured him automatically. Immediately, God whispered the very same thing to my heart: “Erin, even though you feel like you’re falling, you can trust Me. I’ve got you.” I’d be willing to bet you’ve felt like you were falling at some point too. The Israelites certainly did. In Deuteronomy 31, Moses tells the people of Israel that after leading them out of slavery in Egypt and around the wilderness for forty years, he won’t be leading them any longer. Instead, Moses (with God’s guidance) calls forth Joshua, a younger leader, and gives him charge in front of everyone. (Moses was one hundred twenty years old; many scholars think Joshua would have been about sixty.) Joshua had been chosen by God and trained by Moses. The Israelites knew they would have to fight enemy after enemy to claim the Promised Land—without Moses as their leader, I bet the Israelites felt like they were falling. The words that Moses speaks to the Israelites in this moment are among my favorite in the entire Bible. “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV). Then Moses has Joshua join him before all of the Israelites and speaks directly to him: “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:7–8 ESV).
I’m not sure if you caught it, but there’s a subtle difference in these two verses. In verse 6, Moses tells the Israelites, “do not be in dread.” The Greek word for dread means “to tremble with fear.” But in verse 8, Moses tells Joshua, “don’t be dismayed” (some translations use the word discouraged). That Greek word means “to be broken down with fear.” The Israelites may have felt scared, but Joshua must have been downright terrified! I don’t know what’s making you feel like you’re falling today, but here’s what I do know: whether you are in dread or downright broken down with fear, God is with you. And even more than that, He goes before you, just like He did Joshua and the Israelites. He knows what tomorrow holds, and He isn’t ever going to leave you or forsake you. That’s a promise. So don’t be afraid. Instead, be strong and courageous. God’s got you. Trust Him. V
UNDER THE COVERS OF FEAR | from page 10_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
If I had focused on God and trusted Him with my need, He would have quickly calmed my fears and cleared my mind of these crazy, negative thoughts. God is a God of peace, and He doesn’t want His children living in the grip of fear (Philippians 4:6–8; 2 Timothy 1:7). But do you know who does want us paralyzed by fear? Satan. He comes to steal our joy and rob our peace (John 10:10). I’m sure he was ecstatic the day I climbed in bed and isolated myself from the world. There was no way I could fulfill God’s purpose for my life or encourage others while hiding under the covers of fear! Fortunately, it didn’t take long for me to recognize Satan’s trap and the fact that I was
playing into his hands. I had allowed him to invade my thoughts and cause me to question God’s ability to handle my situation. Once again, I became determined to trust God. I immersed myself in His Word. I meditated on it, prayed His Word over my situation, and worshipped Him. I thanked God for His love, His faithfulness to take care of me, and even for that little zit. As I did, my fear began to dissipate, and God’s peace settled over me. Sure, fearful thoughts still tried to rear their ugly heads, but I tuned them out. I replaced them with God’s voice. I refused to give any place to fear. Isaiah 41:13 (NIV) became my focus: “For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your
right hand and says to you, Do not fear, I will help you.” You know, for me to discover a sore on my tailbone is a legitimate concern. I spend most of the day sitting in a wheelchair, so I do have to be careful not to overlook simple things that could lead to an infection. But being concerned and being afraid are two different things. Godly concern leads to God-led actions. Fear sidelines us and causes us to be paralyzed by our emotions. Have you become paralyzed by thoughts of what might be? Don’t do like I did and forfeit the peace of God. Cast your cares over to God and trust Him. He can handle it…zit and all! V
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Coming Alongside by Sarah Beckham Last year, as I was finalizing plans for my upcoming book and working harder than ever to balance work demands and family needs, I went through a very dark, personal trial. I prayed every way I knew how and confided in a handful of trusted friends, asking for prayer. I made inquiries and sought the proper authorities for help. I thought I was handling it. And then one day in workout class, I broke down in tears. I suppose it’s only natural that my stress would manifest itself eventually in that way, but I didn’t expect it. And I wasn’t prepared to talk about it. I knew sometimes people can say the wrong thing and make a situation worse. I didn’t have margin for worse—I was barely keeping together as it was. That day after class, my friends noticed my tears. I decided to trust them with the reality of my situation. And then I learned all over again what anyone who has faced a hardship or trial knows: people aren’t always great at knowing what to do or say in those situations. That’s the primary reason I wrote Alongside: A Practical Guide for Loving Your Neighbor in Their Time of Trial—to give people a road map to navigate their friends’ hard times with grace and love. I wanted to give them the tools to make difficult situations a bit better instead of unintentionally make them worse. In my own life, I lived through a decade of hardship, wherein I faced eleven weeks of bed rest during pregnancy, had four back surgeries in six years, and walked through terminal illness with three close family members and friends in as many years. I learned a thing or two in the trenches of my own hardships. But I learned even more from my bird’s eye view of others’ difficulties, as I witnessed both the beauty and the challenge of loving another well in the face of life’s greatest hardships. The Bible recounts a story in which Jesus was pressed by the Pharisees to sum up all of the Law. They were testing Him, and He responded
Jesus’ simple directive to love our neighbor can be expressed in many ways. But no matter the expression, love is the essential ingredient. with this answer: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ ” (Matthew 22:37–38). Love God and love others—this is the sum total of a Christian’s expression of faith. Yes, most of us know we ought to love our neighbor, but if we are brave enough to admit it, we don’t actually understand how. Loving our neighbor can be daunting, confusing, and scary. It makes us vulnerable. But wholly living out our faith hinges on these two commands. That’s why I believe reaching out to help others in their hardest circumstances is more than just doing the right thing. It’s our God-given responsibility. Jesus’ simple directive to love our neighbor can be expressed in many ways. But no matter the expression, love is the essential ingredient.
Practical Ways to Love When your friend or loved one is facing a crisis, listening is one of the most valuable things you can do to support them. But listening isn’t always easy, and many people don’t do it right. Listen; Don’t Judge. Early on in my crisis, I fell prey to one close friend’s judgment when I confided in her. I’m sure she didn’t think before blurting out her opinions on my current hardship.
But her words cut to my core and made me feel as if I’d done something wrong to deserve my situation. I know it’s wise to be careful how you act, but if someone wants to hurt you, they don’t need permission to do so. I was the victim, and it’s not my fault there are evil people in the world. What I needed was my friend’s quiet concern and support. But her thoughtless words made a stressful, challenging time even harder for me. Listen; Don’t Compare. We’ve all had that friend who says, “I know how you feel,” and then hijacks your story in favor of talking about their similar experience. Only often, it’s not similar. But either way, anything you do to take the focus off the hurting person and what they’re feeling is unhelpful. That day at the gym, when I bared my soul about my recent hardship, one friend said, “I know how you feel. I once had a person…” And then proceeded to make a very unhelpful comparison. I felt so violated that she would compare her situation to mine, because it was truly like apples and bananas. The only thing our situations had in common was they were “fruit.” But they looked and tasted nothing like each other; you know what I mean? Don’t mistake comparison for empathy. It can derail your efforts to listen effectively and it makes the discussion about you, not the person you want to support. When we listen attentively, we validate our friends’ feelings and lessen their burdens. Show Up. The book of Job in the Bible tells the story of how Job lost everything—his family, his livelihood, his wealth, his health. During his profound pain and mourning, his three friends traveled a vast distance to be with him. Job 2:13 says, “Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words.” continued on page 29
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WHAT DO YOU SEE? by Kristi Overton Johnson From the time I was a little girl, I had a vision to be the best water-skier in the world. My father, Parker Overton, an avid water-skier at the time, planted this vision deep within my heart. He and my mother, Becky, nurtured it until it became our reality. It started with him kneeling by my bed and telling me made-up bedtime stories about a little girl and her father having adventures on the water. The excitement would build in my heart each time as my daddy would come to the end of the story and say these words: “And little Kristi became the best water-skier in the whole wide world.” We would both smile, I’d giggle, and then he’d give me a big kiss on the forehead. That was back in the 1970s, but let me tell you, the excitement and expectancy behind this vision stuck. For the next thirty-five years, I disciplined myself to seek after what I could see in my mind’s eye and what I had heard my father whisper to my heart. Even when it seemed I’d never move to the next level, the vision stayed. I could see it even when I was far from obtaining it. Not only could I see myself as a champion, I could also close my eyes and literally see myself on the water, performing great feats. I could feel it! I saw myself skiing to victory so much that my mother found me, sound asleep, standing up in the hotel bed at the US Masters Water Ski Tournament, going through my runs.
Any world-class athlete will tell you that having a vision of success and, most importantly, having the ability to keep your eyes on the vision when obstacles arise is the key to becoming a champion. The same is true in life. Let me ask you something. What do you see when you look at your life? Do you see what your heavenly Father sees? Do you see a hope for your future (Jeremiah 29:11; John 10:10)? Or do you only see hardship and hopelessness? What do you see when you look in the mirror? Do you see a champion? A person unconditionally loved by God? Or do you see someone who is defeated and abandoned in life’s turbulent waters? What do you see when you look at God? Do you see a loving Father who cares about every detail of your life? Or do you see a harsh judge who is angry and ready to bring down the gavel of punishment? How you see your future, your past, your present circumstances, your potential, your worth, and how you see God determines your future. George Washington Carver said, “Where there is no vision, there is no hope.” Likewise, Proverbs 29:18 (KJV) says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” What you see determines what you experience in life. On the flip side, what you don’t see is what you’ll never experience. If you can’t see your
life getting any better, it won’t. If you can’t see yourself as a champion, you won’t become one. If you can’t see yourself as healthy, you’ll probably stay sick. If you can’t imagine yourself having sufficient finances, you’ll most likely stay poor. And if you can’t see yourself loved by God, although you are loved by God, you won’t feel like it. And you won’t experience all His love has to offer. Get the picture? Right now, it may be hard for you to see beyond your past and present circumstances to a hope-filled future. You’ve experienced the “same old, same old” for so long, you seem destined to experience it until the day you die. Please don’t believe that lie! I implore you to catch God’s vision for your life. Get alone with Him—just like I did with my earthly daddy—and dream. Allow His vision for your life to become your own. Then, hold onto that vision no matter what comes against it. Keep hoping even when you can see no reason for hope, and even when the vision seems as good as dead. (See Romans 4:18–21.) Why? Because nothing is impossible for God. V
Kristi’s father, Parker Overton, began planting the vision of being a world champion in Kristi’s heart in 1974. Then he and her mother, Becky, nurtured that vision until it became a reality at the 1999 World Water Ski Championships in Milan, Italy. Photo by Zdenko Bautin.
Kristi took her father’s vision as her own and disciplined herself to become the champion they’d dreamed she could be.
Parker Overton runs to congratulate his daughter after she sets a new national record in 1984. Your heavenly Father is also running to you with arms wide open. Will you receive His love? kojministries.org Issue 2 2017 13
RENEW YOUR MIND by Nate Miller
In His Wakes is about to kick off its 2017 A Day to Remember tour. This will mark the ministry’s fifteenth year of bringing victory, hope, and purpose to at-risk youth across the nation through the avenue of water sports. It will be our family’s eleventh year directing the ministry’s events. Without a doubt, we’ve witnessed God’s provision and hand of protection as we’ve traveled tens of thousands of miles to host hundreds of events. It’s been an amazing journey, but it hasn’t been without challenges. It just always seems there’s one thing after another, trying to stop us in our tracks. This year was no different—we didn’t even get on the road before we were knee deep in mud. I was pulling the motor home out of storage to prepare it for the season when our 40,000 pound “rolling house” sank deep into the soft ground. The wheels spun in the mud as I pressed on the accelerator. Frustrated, I turned my attention to the ministry’s Ski Nautique boat. I pulled the boat cover off and, for the first time ever, there was mildew. We live in dry central Oregon, so this was not expected. Often, people think we live a glamorous, rockstar lifestyle. After all, we roll through the country going from one event to the next in a beautiful motor home, pulling an incredible boat. We even get to spend our days teaching kids to water-ski. I suppose I would think the same thing at first glance. But the truth is, there is little glamour to the job. I actually feel more like a “roadie” as I set up events, drive for long hours, and stay covered in grease, oil, and dirt.
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Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do…but it’s not always easy climbing into the motor home to head down the road for the next event, knowing there will be hard work ahead and possible trials. It’s only through a continual renewing of my mind and a constant reminding of myself that I can only do this through the power of the Holy Spirit that I am able to keep moving forward. My wife and co-roadie, Ivy, has to do the same. According to Romans 12:2, when I renew my mind, God transforms me. He actually makes me into a new person as I change the way I think. I also come to better understand God’s will, which is good, pleasing, and perfect. I don’t know about you, but when I’m covered in mud and growing more frustrated by the minute, I need new thoughts. I need to become a new man. Renewing my mind only happens when I make a conscious choice to fill my mind with God’s proclamations and use His truth to drive away any negative thoughts. There are scriptures for every circumstance we encounter in life. Google “God’s proclamations,” and you’ll see it’s true! It won’t always be easy, but as you find those scriptures, meditate on them, and pray them over your life, you’ll find you’ll have the strength to face all sorts of things. When the motor home is stuck or its sewage pump blows or the boat is covered in mildew, deliberately staying thankful helps me renew my mind. Surrounding myself with other believers who value the Word of God helps too. I have a choice: I can set my mind on the lies of the enemy and become overwhelmed by trying
Nate Miller, director of In His Wakes, helps thousands of youth get off the dock and experience victory through the partnership of hundreds of volunteers and donors.
The In His Wakes teams—Team Miller and Team Durham—are loaded up and headed out for IHW’s fifteenth season of bringing victory, hope, and purpose to at-risk youth through the avenue of water sports. If you are interested in learning more about this unique and powerful outreach, visit inhiswakes.com.
photography by Geri Simpkins
situations, or I can stay focused on the good things of God. The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy, to tempt me to take my focus off my purpose and off God. But God comes to give me life and to help me in my time of need (John 10:10). I choose to stay focused on God. Renewing my mind looks something like this: As I scrub mildew off the boat’s upholstery and dig mud out from under the motor home, I say, “Thank You, Lord, for this amazing boat we get to use to bring heaven to Earth for so many people. Thank You for the Nautique boat company and their generosity to supply us with boats. Thank
You for this motor home that takes us to each event so that we can share Your love—the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank You for the donors who provide the funds to keep us rolling down the highway. Thank You for the volunteers who help us carry out Your vision and for the kids we get to show Your love to on the water and shore.” Then I start to pray scripture. “Lord, You say that You are my help and my strength. You promise that the same power that brought Jesus from the dead lives in me. Therefore, I have all the power I need, including the strength to dig out motor homes and scrub away mildew. You
say I can mount up with wings like an eagle when my mind is set on You! I thank You that I will not be overtaken by this trial. My hope is in You.” When I purposely focus on the Word of God with a thankful heart, I become a new man. I become renewed in my thinking and am given the strength and the power to face whatever comes my way with courage, peace, and joy. Whatever you’re facing or digging yourself out from under, I just want to say, don’t be discouraged. Instead, focus your mind on the love of God and the Word of God. That’s what will keep you moving down life’s highway. V
In His Wakes introduces people to the life-changing power of Jesus Christ through water sports.
Although founded by Kristi Overton Johnson, In His Wakes is independent of KOJM. If you desire to make a donation to IHW, please go online at inhiswakes.com or send donations to: PO Box 120987 • Clermont, FL 34712-0987 • Nate Miller • 352-745-0283
www.inhiswakes.com
Humble Beginnings Do not despise small beginnings, and don’t do anything halfway. You can’t imagine all that God may be planning to build on your actions. Today, I ski on the most advanced skis in the world and behind the world’s most powerful competition ski boats. I wear as many as twelve pieces of equipment for safety and performance enhancement, and any one of those pieces costs more than my father paid for all of the equipment I used while learning to ski. My first ski equipment was makeshift and crude but crafted out of love by my father. Beginnings do not have to be fancy to be meaningful. I have learned not to discount the humble and simple beginnings in life. God can take little and make much. And aren’t we glad! The Bible is filled with such accounts. In Matthew 13:31–32 NIV, Jesus says: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” In Matthew 25:14–30 NIV, Jesus tells a story of three men who were given talents, each according to his ability. The more ability, the more talents the master gave them. Two of the men took the several talents they were given and
by Kenny Vaughan
multiplied them. To these men, their master said, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things” (Matthew 25:23). The third servant took the only talent he had been given and buried it. He had the least to lose, yet he was the most afraid. To him, the master said, “You wicked, lazy servant!” The master took the talent from him, gave it to the one who worked the hardest to multiply his talents, and said, “For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them” (Matthew 25:26, 29). What I have learned and what I believe God is saying with both of these stories is that He wants us to take what we have and do with it the very best we can, trusting in God implicitly. When we learn how to multiply little things with God’s help, then He will teach us to multiply bigger things. That leads back to humble beginnings. The number or degree of gifts or talents we have does not make a difference. Trusting God to help us apply and multiply them is what makes the difference. An unforgettable example is when God told Moses to go before Pharaoh. Moses asked, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11 NIV).
Moses had a cane and a confidence problem. Still, he took what little he had and put it to work for God. You know the rest of the story—the parting of the Red Sea, the Ten Commandments, leading the Israelites out of the wilderness, helping them find the Promised Land. Moses knew he wasn’t capable of completing all these tasks on his own, but he finished big because he followed God’s lead. He didn’t give up, no matter how impossible things seemed. And he trusted God to make the way. Take what you have been given, no matter how simple or insignificant it might seem to you, and use it for the Lord. You’ll be amazed at what He can do. V
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G N I V O M FORWARD
H G U O R TH THE
by Matt Manzari
S S E N K R A D
It’s been two years since Victorious Living carried my story. In case you didn’t get a chance to read the Spring 2015 issue, here’s what happened. I was trimming trees at a local church in Central Florida. I was in a high-reach bucket when suddenly and unexpectedly, power from nearby utility lines arched over to the steel bucket I was standing in. In an instant, 14,000 volts of electricity surged through my right hand and circuited through my chest to my left hand. Back and forth it flowed before exiting my skull in two places, leaving behind an exposed chest cavity and fourth- and fifth-degree burns on my arms. That brief moment in time changed my life and the life of my family forever. Since my story was covered in the magazine, I’ve experienced incredible milestones and difficult challenges, all intertwined with countless blessings. With God’s help, I’ve undergone ten additional surgeries, witnessed the birth of my second son, and had the opportunity to share my story across the country with people from all walks of life. I have been especially overwhelmed by the heartfelt response I’ve received from inmates who’ve read my story in this magazine. For those of you who have written in response, thank you for your love and support. It has meant so much. Recently while in Ace Hardware, I was approached by a guy who I could tell was excited to meet me. Since water sports are popular in Florida, I assumed he recognized me from my 16 kojministries.org Issue 2 2017
professional wakeskate years. I was moved to tears when he told me he’d just finished a five-year stretch in prison and that my story in Victorious Living had helped him get through some incredibly tough times. I invited him to come hear my whole story that weekend at my church, as I was scheduled to speak that weekend. He came, and I’ve seen him at church many times since. I was excited to hear how my story had impacted him. I must admit, when Kristi asked me to share, I wasn’t sure how it would resonate with many of the readers of Victorious Living. A large majority are inmates, and they face daily challenges and struggles I’ll never face. They know more about dark times than most ever will, including me.
Matt once soared through the air on his wakeskate. Now he encourages others to soar in life through his story of faith and perseverance.
I realized, however, that no matter who came across my story, everyone needed the same thing: hope. Whether you’re a parent struggling with a difficult child, an adult caring for an aging parent, an athlete struggling to achieve your dreams, an inmate confined in prison, or someone lying in a hospital bed, looking at what appears to be a bleak future—we all need hope. So I decided to share my story, in hopes that just one life—maybe yours—would be touched. We all have struggles; they just come in different forms. Some are broad and ongoing, some immediate and specific—but at the end of the day, we’re all in the same boat. We all find ourselves in places we don’t want to be. Places that hurt. Places that stretch us beyond what we imagine we can bear. I’d like to share what helped me move forward during my biggest struggle. I never dreamed I’d be electrocuted. I never imagined I’d be lying in a hospital bed barely clinging to life. But there I was, and there was nothing I could do about it. I was where I was. My friend, John Maxwell, puts it this way, “Wherever you are, there you are.” At face value, the principle of this statement seems so obvious. Of course we are where we are. You might be photography by Garret Cortese / alliancewake.com
e in st com ing, u j y e ngo s; th truggle re broad and o he end s e v a t h a We all t forms. Some pecific—but at . We all t s n a e o d eb e an differ mediat all in the sam on’t want to m i e m d e s so ay, we’r ces we retch u of the d selves in pla laces that st P r r. find ou es that hurt. e we can bea n i c g a l a be. P what we im beyond saying, “No duh! I know I’m in prison. I know I’m without a job. I know I’m lying in a hospital bed. I know I’m homeless. I know I’m without a spouse.” Whatever it is—there you are. But have you accepted where you are? Have you come to grips with the fact that you are where you are? These words are so simple to say, but they aren’t easy to live out. It’s not always easy to accept your situation and face its challenges, but doing so will change your life. This is practical step number one for moving forward.
Accept Where You Are Where I am, there I am became my foundation when I was told I was dying and needed to say goodbye to my wife and family. At that moment, I had to come to grips with the fact that I was in the hospital, severely burned, and clinging to my life. I had to accept it. I couldn’t hold on to the past, dwell on “what ifs” or “if onlys,” or worry about my future. I had to focus on where I was right then and there. On that hospital bed in indescribable pain, I had two options: I could either be an angry, miserable, defeated person who gives up on life; or I could choose to hope against all odds.
Matt experienced many dark days as he underwent multiple surgeries and horrific skin-graft procedures. He emerged from the darkness because of his faith and a determination to face what was difficult. With God’s help and a determined spirit, Matt Manzari is living a full life once again. Here he is with his wife, Bobbye Jean, and their sons, Justice and Trigg.
I could choose to embrace where I was, to stay strong, and do what I needed to do to move forward from that place. Weighing those options, I realized being bitter and angry wouldn’t stop the surgeries. It wouldn’t stop the pain that resulted from the daily scrubbing of raw, open muscle, tissue, and bone. It wouldn’t accomplish anything other than my own defeat. It would tempt me to accept the lies that I was a burden, that I’d never get better, that I’d never see my child born, never walk again, never hold my wife’s hand again, or never go outside. It would cause me to accept that I was destined to suffer and die in that hospital bed. I couldn’t do that. So I chose to hope. I chose to spend every day of however many days I had left, pouring myself back into my loved ones and those trying to help me medically. I chose to fight with everything I had. If the doctors were right and I died, then at least I would be remembered for fighting till the very last minute. And most importantly, they would know I’d held strong to my faith until the end. Isn’t that what we are called to do? And isn’t that the heart of the gospel? A gospel that is also simple but not easy.
Growing up, I heard the gospel of Jesus Christ so much that I almost brushed it off. It was such an easy concept—God sent His Son to die for my sin; if I trust in Jesus, I inherit eternal life (John 3:16). But even for Jesus, walking out His surrendered life and facing a brutal death at the hands of the very ones He loved was not easy. It cost God and Jesus everything. Likewise, walking out the Christian life here on earth will not be easy either. We all encounter trials and tribulations, but we can still experience kingdom living. We can have peace, joy, purpose, contentment, love, acceptance, and power, wherever we are! But victory begins with accepting “where I am, there I am” and then determining to bring glory to Christ in that place. The God of the universe humbly came to earth, took on flesh, and died a criminal’s death on a cross so that I could have eternal life and an abundant life here on earth. What more can I ask of Him? How can I not spend my life here on continued on page 34
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A Passion that Drives
Emily is all smiles as she soars through the air at Schroon Lake in New York. Emily visits Word of Life Island every summer to share her passions of wakeboarding and Jesus Christ with youth attending Word of Life camp. It’s just one of the ways Emily uses the platforms she has to share her faith.
by Emily Copeland Durham I’ve been in professional wakeboarding for over sixteen years. What a ride it’s been! I’ve been blessed to travel the world and, with some hard work, I’ve accumulated World, US Masters, US Pro Tour, and X-Game titles. But the highlight of my career hasn’t been the trophies; it’s been the relationships I’ve developed with those in the water sports industry, especially with fellow competitors. In the world of wakeboarding, it’s no secret that I’m a Christian. My greatest joy is to share God’s love with all I meet and to help my peers grow in their love and knowledge of Jesus Christ. I want to make His love known and light a fire in others to know Him too. Emily preparing to compete in her third appearance on American Ninja Warrior, to be aired on NBC during the summer of 2017.
You may wonder why I am so passionate about sharing my faith, why I’m eager to help others know God as I am learning to know Him. It’s because He is so good. His goodness is overwhelming. He gives what no trophy, paycheck, or earthly title can give. He fills His children to overflowing. He’s filled me. Every day, in good times and bad, I experience peace, hope, joy, love, contentment, and purpose. I want others to have these things for themselves. People don’t have to strive in this world to find their place. They already have a place—it’s in Christ. They don’t have to fight to be recognized and applauded—they are already known by the Creator of this universe, and He is pleased. I’ve been a Christian since I was a young child, but it wasn’t until I was sixteen years old that I decided to take a public stand for my faith. This commitment started with an interview in Waterski Magazine, where I told the water sports world that I was a believer in Jesus. At that moment, I realized there was no turning back. Making such a public statement meant that I had to be 100 percent committed. No longer could I just go to church and sit on a pew; I had to be a living example of what it means to be a Christian. I wanted to be a voice for God. That decision changed my life.
First, it led me to guard the way I live. Even as a teen, I knew professing to be a Christian would put me under a microscope. The world would be watching how I reacted to situations and people. Therefore, I had a responsibility to honor God with my choices. It’s kind of like when you say you’re a vegetarian. Everyone watches to see if you eat meat! I held this responsibility in high regard. I wanted to live in a way that drew people to God, not pushed them away. A life with Jesus is exciting, fulfilling, and purpose-filled. I wanted to show that. I certainly never wanted to lead anyone astray because of a negative word or deed. I also learned to guard the way I live, because I love God. He gave His best for me, and I want to give my best for Him. I want to honor Him through my actions and live a life that pleases Him. I never want to grieve Him by the way I live. It hasn’t always been easy to stand strong in my faith, and I surely haven’t been perfect. Even as a Christian, I struggle with internal emotions. For years, I wrestled with people pleasing. I wanted to please everyone—my parents, my brother who was my coach, sponsors, and fans. I lived with a perpetual feeling that I needed to do something for somebody…anybody. I still struggle! I have to constantly keep my motives in check and ask
OARDER CLOTHED IN A BATHING KEB WA A ST JU NOT I’M S. WA I HIM, GOD’S WORD SHOWED ME WHO E KING, WORTH EVERYTHING TO TH OF TER GH DAU A D, GO OF SUIT. NO. I AM A CHILD EVEN THE LIFE OF HIS SON. 18 kojministries.org Issue 2 2017
photography courtesy of Word Of Life Island
myself why I am doing what I am doing. I’ve realized that I can’t please people and follow God. Galatians 1:10 says, “If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.” I’ve also struggled with my self-image. Growing up in a bathing suit and seeing myself on television and magazines led to an unhealthy desire to look a certain way. I wanted to be accepted and admired. This led to an eating disorder in my teen years. Being a Christian doesn’t mean you don’t struggle. But you don’t have to be consumed and destroyed by these things either. I found freedom from low self-esteem and people pleasing when I found my identity in Christ. That’s why I am so passionate about leading others to Christ. I know what it is like to be enslaved to wrong thinking, and I know what it is like to be free. Freedom came through studying and applying God’s Word. I maintain that freedom by daily seeking God through His Word. When I got serious about studying the Bible, God taught me so much. The more I saw His goodness, the more my view toward others and myself began to change. He renewed my mind. God’s Word showed me who I was. I’m not just a wakeboarder clothed in a bathing suit. No. I am a child of God, a daughter of the King, worth everything to Him, even the life of His Son. I am loved, not for anything I’ve done, but simply because I am His child. I am clothed in His righteousness and made in His image. And if you believe in Jesus as your Savior, you are too! We can’t get any more special than that. That’s why I’m so passionate. I want people to know who they are and whose they are. I want people to see the value of knowing God and living for Him. It’s worth any sacrifice they may make. God rewards those who earnestly seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). I love the correlation between athleticism and my walk with God. I’ve been an athlete since I was tiny. By the time I was five, my older brother Bart would invite his friends over and challenge them to a pull-up contest against his baby sister. He made a lot of money off me! I’ve pushed my athletic abilities over the years. I was never satisfied. Even at thirty-three years old, with X-Games and World wakeboard titles to my name, I’m still not satisfied with my level of performance. That’s why I became a competitor on the national television show, American Ninja Warrior, featured on NBC. I wanted a new challenge. Call me crazy, but I love being disciplined…waking up early and training. photography by Gina Gutekunst
I love pushing past physical and emotional barriers because that’s when I experience breakthrough. It’s when I experience things I never dreamed possible. Spiritual progress is achieved the same way. When I discipline myself to read God’s Word and seek His presence daily, even when I don’t feel like it, I go to new levels spiritually. Every day brings a new revelation about the love and character of God. God teaches me things I never dreamed and uses my life in ways I never imagined. That is more exciting than flying across the water on a wakeboard or maneuvering myself like a monkey through an obstacle course. God’s Word never returns void. It will accomplish remarkable things in your life. It is life to those who believe.
“PHY FOR SICAL TR BEN GODLIN AINING EFITS E IN T SS IS M IS GOOD, HIS L U B IFE A CH BET UT TR TER, AIN ND I 1 TI MOT N THE PROM ING HY 4 IS :8 LIFE TO ING COM E.” I wish I could impart all that I’ve learned about the love and character of God. I wish I could give you my passion. It would change your life. But I can’t. There is no substitute for disciplining yourself spiritually. You must get into God’s Word. No one can do it for you. You have to taste God for yourself. But know this: as you commit to seeking Him and learning of Him, you’ll find your hunger and passion growing. You’ll find your life changing. And you’ll understand my passion to make Him known. V
Emily leads worship at Wake Church, held at the Nautique Wake Open with fellow professional wakeboarders, Shaun Murray and Kirby Liesmann.
OESN’T TIAN D GLE. IS R H C A UG BEING N’T STR O BE O D U O Y HAVE T BY MEAN ’T N O D YED OU BUT Y D AND DESTRO . E HER CONSUM E THINGS EIT THES
Emily and husband, Kevin, with their children, Hope and Noah. Ironically, it was Emily’s interview in Waterski Magazine when she was sixteen years old that brought Emily and Kevin together. As soon as Kevin saw Emily in that magazine and read about her faith, he knew she would someday be his wife. A year and a half later in college, a mutual friend introduced them and, eight months later, they were married.
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Don’t Feel Like It? Do It Anyway by David Benzel
“Discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.” ~Jim Rohn
As Tarah Benzel Mikacich took her father’s advice and disciplined herself on and off the water, she not only achieved her waterskiing goals, but she also become one of the top professional wakeboarders in the world. 20 kojministries.org Issue 2 2017
By the time my daughter Tarah was twelve, it was common to see her writing down specific waterskiing goals on colored paper with an artistic flair. Some goals were short-term performance targets, while others looked much further out at specific outcomes like making the United States Water Ski Team. She was competitive and determined to win a national title. The family awoke one particular Saturday morning to find the weather windy, overcast, and nasty. The lake was rough, but not too rough to ski; the air was unseasonably cool, but not too cold to ski. I knew it wouldn’t be pleasant, but we had been planning on a good day of practice. I announced that I would go down to the lake and get the boat ready. Tarah immediately responded, “Dad, I don’t feel like skiing today.” “I understand. I’ll go get the boat ready,” I replied. She looked surprised and said again, “It’s nasty out there. I really don’t feel like practicing.” To which I again replied, “I know. You’re right. I’ll go get the boat ready.” By then she was frustrated and wondering if I had heard a thing she’d said. “Dad! Don’t you get it? I don’t feel like it!” Finally, it was time to make the point. “Tarah, it’s perfectly fine that you don’t feel like skiing, but what does that have to do with anything?” I went on, knowing there was some risk involved. “You’ve stated your goals and plotted your course for reaching them. There will be many days when you don’t feel like doing the work, but you have to do it anyway. Feeling like it is not a prerequisite. It’s theoretically possible to not feel like it all the way to a national title, if you’re willing to do the work!” Doing the hard thing is often accompanied with not feeling like it. However, true champions are people who do the hard things despite their feelings at the moment. If you wait until you feel like doing something, chances are it will never get done. Digging down deep within yourself to do the thing that must be done is the essence of self-discipline. The alternative
might look easier, but it usually includes a heavier price in the long run. Author Jim Rohn wrote, “We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.” If you’re serious about moving yourself to the next level in any area of your life—your business, relationship with God, athletic career, physical health, whatever— you must be willing to do the work. You must be willing to do the hard thing, even when you don’t feel like it. There will always be a natural tug-of-war within as you face the things you’d rather avoid. Part of you will want to run away or find something easier to do. But the part of you that says, “I don’t feel like it, but I must do it” is the part worth listening to. Long-term gains are best described not by what you get, but by what you become through the process. It’s time to become the champion you were designed to be. Remember, it is more likely that you can act your way into a feeling than it is that you’ll feel your way into an action. Don’t wait to feel like doing what you know you need to do today. Simply do it! And as you do it, remember you aren’t alone. Philippians 2:13 tells us, “God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” God will help you do the hard things, but you have to be willing to face them. What is it that you’ve always desired but never accomplished because it seemed too hard? Find it, and do it. Then take note of the strong champion you are becoming as a result of your self-discipline and effort. Tarah decided to ski on that blustery day. We kept it short and fun but also productive. At the end of the practice set, she said, “That really turned out to be worthwhile. I’m glad I skied, Dad!” More importantly, several months later on a similar day, Tarah came to me on her own and asked, “Dad, will you come drive the boat? I really want to get some extra practice in today.” How could I say no? V
photography by Joey Meddock
Lessons from a
SIDEBAR
Lovebug
by Greg Brock Jr. I live in solitary confinement in a 6x9 cell. Outside my little window is a massive spider web that a giant spider rules throughout the night. But during the day, the spider remains hidden and watches all of the insects collect on the web. One day I was reading about love in Romans 13:8–10, and also another scripture about faith. I would read and then get out of bed and look out the window to let the verses soak into my soul. Then I’d get back in bed and read again. This process continued. Once when I got out of the bed and looked out the window, wouldn’t you know it, a lovebug was trapped in the spider’s web. Now, I hadn’t seen a lovebug for a while. I figured it was too cold to be lovebug season. It’s still cold right now in Hardee County. I looked over at my Bible and thought, “Could it be a coincidence that I’m reading about love and now I find this lovebug?” Right away, I started willing the lovebug to get away. I mean, I understand the food chain and all, but I wanted this lovebug to live. The lovebug fought. Oh man, did he ever fight, and the more he fought, the more entangled he became. I was willing him so hard with my mind to keep fighting (because it reminded me of my situation with this twenty-year prison bid) that I began talking to him. “Fight! Fight! Don’t give up!” I said. If I’d had a roommate or if the guard would’ve walked by, they’d have thought I’d gone crazy. With each struggle, the lovebug became more entangled until, finally, it looked as if he had given up. I tried to will him some more, but he wouldn’t move. So I got angry and told him, “Well, if you aren’t gonna fight for yourself, then I’m not gonna fight with you! I’m laying back down!” And that’s what I did. That’s when I went to reading about faith. I studied some more and decided to get back up and check on the lovebug. He was still motionless. I went to talking to him again. I told him that he had to believe, no matter how entangled he was. I told him God could help him, but he had to believe. Then I told him that I believed that God could get him out of that web before nightfall. “You believe, and I’ll believe—let’s see what happens,” I said.
Trapped? Find Freedom Like the Lovebug. I promise you, just as sure as my name is Greg, right that second he started fighting again. This lovebug came to life! He was doing humanlike moves with his legs, trying to get free from the web around him. It was amazing. I sat there and mentally fought with this minute insect for a good hour and a half, but sadly he made absolutely no progress. He tired himself out and fell limp again. I got back in bed and kept reading about faith. When I was done reading, I silently and subconsciously went to thinking and praying about the lovebug situation. And then it started drizzling. Well, not really drizzling—only a couple of raindrops fell. Something in the back of my brain said, “Get up and look out the window.” And the moment I did, a raindrop hit the lovebug and knocked him from the web! Can’t nobody in this world tell me that faith doesn’t work! God is great, and He is faithful to care for all of His creatures. I’m so glad to be one of His children. V
“Not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.… So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” Matthew 10:29, 31
Ever feel like you are trapped in a web, unable to get free? Here’s how to find freedom from whatever entangles you.
• Never stop believing in the promises of God
• Watch your words
• Never stop fighting the good fight of faith
• Know God’s Truth; it will set you free
• Do what you can, and let God do what you can’t
• Remember that God cares
Romans 4:18–20 1 Timothy 6:12 Isaiah 41:10
Proverbs 18:21 John 8:32
Matthew 10:29
Do you know someone who has given up on life, weary of the struggle? Here’s what you can do to spur them on to victory.
• Hold them up
• Help in tangible ways
• Breathe life into their situation with your words
• Pray
Proverbs 18:24 Exodus 17:12–13 Colossians 3:16 Philippians 2:11
1 John 3:17 James 2:14–17 James 5:16 Romans 12:12
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A Broken Foot, A Mended Heart by Jennifer Leachman LaPoint
The day I went to prison, my old, broken foot just might have helped heal some broken hearts. I never would have imagined myself going to prison, but my dear, crazy friend Kristi kept asking me to join her. She assured me that visiting inmates would change my life and the lives of others. I had signed up a few times to go with her, but life always seemed to get in the way. Finally, I told myself I should live up to my commitment and go at least once. I’m so glad I did! I almost missed God knocking on my door, inviting me to be a part of what He was doing behind prison walls. We arrived early that morning to go through security. I was wondering what in the world I had gotten myself into. It took four hours for prison officials to complete their search of our team and equipment, but finally we were allowed through the prison gates. Who knew it was so hard to get into prison? We drove onto the big, empty prison yard, and the ministry team of Inmate Encounter, the host of the event and a partner with KOJ Ministries, began to set up. The sound system, stage, high wire equipment, motorcycles, and Kristi’s ski boat were displayed in an organized fashion. Then the guards let the prisoners through the gate. A sea of men, all dressed
in light blue, flooded the space. I should have been terrified…but I wasn’t. I was calm and full of peace. I found myself reaching out naturally to shake hands, welcoming the men to our outreach. I was overcome by the realization that, although many of these men were drug dealers, thieves, and murderers, they were still all fellow humans who desperately needed hope and the power to change. They were God’s children; He loved them and offered them the same forgiveness He’d given me. Romans 3:23 says we have all sinned and fallen short of the honor and glory of God. That made me their equal in this matter. As I looked into their faces, I thought, “I have a gift I could give them that would change their lives forever. Am I willing to step out of my comfort zone and give it to them?” The answer was yes. Immediately God’s Word came to me, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). There is no other commandment greater than this. Hour after hour, I poured out all the unconditional love God had put in my heart for these men. I went to the prison that day thinking I would be a silent observer. I wasn’t sure what I had to give. I wasn’t a seasoned speaker or performer, nor was I experienced in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Sharing openly about my faith was really outside my comfort zone. But then John Lance, our leader for the day, spoke these words over the microphone in his southern twang, “Hey, Stretch, come on up here and tell us your story.” (He calls me Stretch because I’m six feet tall.) I was shocked and terrified. What could I possibly say that could help these men? But with several hundred people looking at me, all wanting a hope of a better future, I knew I had to say something. I took
A horrific waterskiing accident shattered the bones of Jennifer’s ankle (bottom) and almost caused her leg to be amputated. Through her faith and a determined spirit, however, Jennifer was able to face her fears and courageously make her way through the slalom course once again (middle). Her perseverance prior to and after her accident led to Jennifer being inducted into the USA Water Ski Hall of Fame in April 2016 (top).
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photography by Robert Wiley
a minute and looked down to gather my thoughts. It was then that I saw my left foot, and suddenly God gave me the words to speak. So what does my left foot have to do with anything? Let me explain. I grew up in West Virginia and learned to water-ski on the Ohio River at the age of five. By the time I was twenty, I was skiing professionally on the Coors Light Water Ski Tour and appearing regularly on ESPN. I’ve had a great career that included three world records, over thirty professional victories, sixty podium finishes, and I’ve been inducted into the USA Water Ski Hall of Fame. I also played college basketball at Georgia Tech. I was pretty much born to be an athlete. In 1998, I was having my best season ever, leading the World Cup series with one event to go. Prior to the tour finals, I was competing at another event in New York when my ski broke in half. I crashed so violently that my left foot was nearly broken off. I shattered the tibia and fibula. Soft tissue was the only thing keeping my leg attached to my body. In an instant, my life completely changed. I left the lake in an ambulance, delirious with pain. Thank goodness, my four-year-old daughter was playing on the playground and missed my crash and its aftermath. I was in a hospital for three weeks while the doctors tried to figure out what to do with the mess that had been my lower leg and ankle. Knowing I was determined to ski again, my doctor consulted with the world’s best trauma surgeons. It seemed hopeless. Six months later, the doctors removed my cast. I was shocked. My leg looked like it belonged on an alien! There was no way I was going to be able to walk on that leg again, let alone ski. I was sent back for another surgery where they discovered I was missing one and a half inches of the largest bone in my body. It had been pulverized in the crash. This time, the doctors replaced the missing bone with a bone graft from my hip… and warned me that if my leg didn’t improve, they would have to amputate. What?!
Jennifer celebrating her induction into the USA Water Ski Hall of Fame with her family. From left to right, daughter Taylor, husband Kris, Jennifer, and daughter, Huguette.
It’s Time
by Jennifer Leachman LaPoint I was not willing to believe this news. I had known God as my personal Lord and Savior since I was in third grade. I knew He had the power to help me, and according to Matthew 8:3, He was willing to help me, too. Nothing was impossible for Him. With childlike faith, I trusted Him to move my mountain. It was touch and go for another four months. The doctors said I was getting clinically better, but the X-rays showed no evidence of improvement. After two surgeries and eleven more months of rest, I finally turned the corner. This time when they unveiled my foot, it actually looked like a human foot again. I was improving physically, but I still had many wounds of the heart and mind that needed attention. I found myself growing depressed. Being a driven athlete, it was difficult not being able to do things for myself. The realization that life as I had known it was gone and my identity as a professional athlete was no more was at times too much to accept. I had lost my ability to do the things I loved—ski, play basketball, volleyball, hike, dance, and run. I couldn’t even walk without severe pain. My life felt like it was in complete shambles. Bills piled up as my livelihood as a
For years, I carried bitterness and anger toward the man who had designed the ski that failed me, as well as his company. God, through His Word, repeatedly convicted me of my anger and unwillingness to forgive. But I refused to listen for a long time. Ephesians 4:26–27 warns us not to sin by letting our anger control us. It also says, “Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.” My anger festered for many years. I would tell myself that I had forgiven this person, but I had only forgiven him in my head, not in my heart. One day at a ski tournament, this person was volunteering as the dock starter. He was responsible for putting my handle on the ski rope and handing it to the boat crew. It was a bit uncomfortable as we stood there together on the dock. It was then that I heard these words, “It’s time.” I looked up to the heavens and started to cry. “You must be kidding!” I said out loud to God. “You want me to do this right here, right now?” I was dressed in my ski gear, about to compete! Sobbing, I walked over and put my hand on the shoulder of this man and told him I forgave him. In that moment, in that act of obedience, I was finally free of every negative thought I had toward him and I was free to finish my own recovery story. Are you free? It’s time to forgive. It’s time to let go of the anger in your heart and obey God. Ask Him to show you who or what you need to forgive. It may not be another person. It may be a company or even a government. It may be God, or even yourself. Whoever or whatever it is, it’s time. Your total healing and restoration won’t happen until you do. V
continued on page 29 kojministries.org Issue 2 2017 23
From the by Texas Stready
Heart
of Texas
Texas once spent her time chasing the highs of the world. Now she spends it sharing the never-ending love of Jesus Christ with others.
Hi, I’m Texas. For real—that’s my name. As far back as I can remember, my parents have been in ministry. I’m a preacher’s kid. I grew up hearing about God, His love, and how He’d sent His Son, Jesus, to save me—to ransom me from my sin. I even asked Jesus into my heart at five years old. But much to my surprise, life wasn’t perfect after that. The details of my life make it easy to see that salvation and submission are two separate events. For some they take place at the same time, but for me, it took forty years to give up my way and lay down my life at the feet of Jesus Christ. Grace. It’s the only reason I’m here—for sure. My memoir, Deep in the Heart of Texas, is a grisly and graphic picture of the years I spent thinking I knew best. It begins in childhood and explains how my mind interpreted the events I lived through. None of them were more horrible than those of the average child, but the beliefs I formed drew me into a dark place of deception that I couldn’t see my way through. In all my years of insane rebellion, I don’t remember ever doubting God’s love for me, but I’m sure He wouldn’t say the same. My first toke of weed captured me with a sense of pleasure I’d never experienced, and it left me hungry for more. Within weeks, I was selling so I could smoke for free. I wasn’t very impressed with my first tester of cocaine, but within a month I quit school and left home on a trip to discover
“real life.” Cocaine ended up my drug of choice. My adventure started in a big city ’hood. Beautiful cars, expensive jewelry, and all the drugs a body could handle. But the glam of rebellion is not trustworthy. A year later, I found myself in a small-town projects, at the top of the cocaine food chain. So what if it wasn’t the level I’d been introduced to, at least I was still at the top. Our enemy sure is good at distorting reality in his attempts to destroy us. Attention and acceptance. That’s where I found value—not that different from other young adults. However, the added disillusionment of drugs and the degradation of sexual activity created a swirling cloud of trickery I couldn’t escape. Sin wraps its tentacles around you and doesn’t let go. I’m not bold enough to say I’ve tried every drug, but I wasn’t offered one I didn’t give a good go. Swallow, snort, smoke, shoot—why not? All attempts to be self-governed. Wherever the new fix promised to take me, I was ready to go. Like it always does, sin got ugly. Further and further down I went. I’ve got horror stories of waking up in disgusting spots with strangers and of not being able to fall asleep beside a man who’d taken more than I was willing to give. There are tales of going without sleep so long that trees appeared to walk and furniture started to talk—no joke. Or how about the pathetic and useless struggle of rechecking every baggy and stash spot until I found a crumb or two. Trying to get high off that left me more frustrated than when I had none. There was never enough. It’d get the best of me at times, and I’d end up crying myself to sleep. Not a pretty picture, but real nonetheless. Let’s not forget the depth of shame and separation. I never felt like I fit in with the rest of the world, but I was loved and embraced by my
family…until they became overly exhausted and bitterly embarrassed. And who can blame them? Not me. If I could’ve avoided me, I would have. Thin and pasty, tired and depressed—next came jail. Again. Then I was gonna be different. Again. “That’s it, I’m done with drugs forever. Don’t want to live like this anymore.” Sometimes I’d make it for months with white knuckles, but sooner or later I’d find myself scraping the bottom of the barrel. Or should I say pipe? And then it happened. I changed. What changed? My view, that’s what. I became willing to look at the truth no matter how nasty it felt. Somehow, through all the lows, my mind still told me I was on top. On top of what? On top of the bottom, because I was nowhere near the top. The problem wasn’t the truth. Everybody could see it but me. The problem was what I believed to be true. Our minds are in complete control of us. They can be used to slay us or save us. That’s why I believe the most important question we can ever ask ourselves is, whose truth am I believing? Just because it’s truth to me, doesn’t make it the truth. We are weak-minded humans who are way too influenced by our emotions. Let me break it down: God didn’t promise life wouldn’t get hard. He didn’t promise perfection. What He promised is to remain with me no matter what. And He has. And He does. Now, I’m never alone. I always have the help I need. It’s amazing. This doesn’t mean circumstances don’t feel overwhelming at times. What it does mean is that I can hold tight to Jesus and continue to believe God is good, regardless of emotional upheaval. This, my friends, is the practice that has saved my life. Literally. continued on page 25
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photography by Pam Jessiman
HEART OF TEXAS | from page 24_____________________
Are you experiencing victorious living? Is your life filled with
purpose, love, joy, and peace? Do you have
hope for your future?
Forgiveness for your past? Strength for your tomorrow? Right now you might be thinking, “Are you kidding me? Joy, peace, purpose? Worth, strength, forgiveness? I’ll never have those things! Look at where I am! Look at what I’ve been through. Look at what I’ve done. Look at what has been done to me.” Friend, right now, no matter what your past or present, all of these things can be yours. You can have peace that passes all understanding, joy in the midst of hardship, love and acceptance despite your failures, forgiveness, and a fresh start. Your life can have purpose. It doesn’t matter if you are sitting in a mansion or in a jail cell or somewhere in between,
a victorious life can be yours TodaY!
How? Through a relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. If you do not currently have a relationship with God, begin one right now. Romans 10:8–10 nkjv explains how: “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” As you accept what Christ has done for you and put your faith in Him alone for salvation, you are then free to have a relationship with God and experience His peace, power, presence, and love. You don’t have to do anything to earn God’s love and forgiveness. It’s yours for the asking! After you’ve received this free gift of salvation, guess what? You are then able to step into the life of victory Christ died to give you—an abundant life of peace, joy, worth, love, and purpose. As you grow in your relationship with Him through studying and applying the Word of God and by trusting Him, these things are released in your daily life.
Will you pray with me right now and receive all that God intends for you?
Dear Lord, I confess that I am a sinner in need of salvation. I thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to save me from my sins. Thank You that He laid down His life for me so that I could have a new life in Him. I receive, by faith, this forgiveness of sin. I now give my life, my past, and my future to You. Guide my steps and speak to my heart, Lord. Amen
God is faithful to forgive me of all unrighteousness, but He won’t choose righteousness for me. That’s my job. And all this—“It’s too hard; I can’t; I’m powerless”—thinking does is enable me to continue on a negative path. Truth is, I can do or be whoever the heck I want. You can too. Any voice that says something different is a lie. Everything that comes against me is sent to wreak havoc, but it only possesses the strength I give it. I’m well rehearsed in the art of making excuses. I fed that monster until he got so strong he kicked my rump. Took a sure-nuf beat-down. But when God said to me, “You don’t have to feel like this ever again,” I made a choice to trust Him. Not just for eternity, but for today. I recognized that He’d been there all along and that every other false promise I’d believed was producing the exact opposite. The enemy said, “Selling drugs will give you authority and respect.” Until someone has a better product at a better price. “Being high will make you free.” Until the cell doors pop for 4 a.m. chow call. “Sleeping with men gives you significance.” Until somebody cuter, younger, or just different comes along. “You can get away with…” “No one will notice…” and on and on. Lies, lies, and more lies. Today, I fight back. It’s become automatic, familiar, and comfortable. On occasion, the old lies scream at the top of their lungs, but with that same determination that had me walking six miles at 6 a.m. to find more dope, I yell back. So long and so strong with such conviction that they have no choice but to shut the heck up. And when they do, I celebrate. It’s the best rush ever. The more lies I squash, the more truth comes to light. The closer I get, the easier the steps feel. The more I enjoy my freedom, the freer I become. You couldn’t drag me back there if you tried. No matter how difficult this life gets, it can’t compare to that garbage I used to live in. Now I’m hopeful, excited, and filled with contentment. Best of all, I wake up with a killer buzz that keeps me pulsing throughout the day. Sweet! I can think of a few choice words to describe what that old life’s about, but this is a Christian magazine, and that’s not who I am anymore. I’m fully dedicated to what God says is true. That’s what works. In my heart, I’ve purposed to remain aware of the fact that the all-powerful God of the universe is insanely in love with me. All of me. All the time. We all have flaws. Some are easier to identify than others. Yet God loves us and is ready to free us from whatever enslaves us—flaws and all. This process requires our submission, but that’s no problem once we realize rebellion is overrated. God has a phenomenal plan for each of us. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of settling for my way. I’m going for God’s plan. V kojministries.org Issue 2 2017 25
MINISTRY NEWS
UNCHANGEABLE. UNSHAKEABLE. UNSTOPPABLE. THAT’S WHO OUR GOD IS! by Linda Cubbedge, Prison Correspondence Director
Director Linda Cubbedge (below) and faithful members of our Victorious Living correspondence team reply daily to inmates who are searching for hope and freedom in Christ Jesus.
Visit our new website at kojministries.org and discover how KOJM is helping people experience victory in every season of life through it’s teaching ministry, Victorious Living magazine, and Victorious Living Prison Outreach.
Become a part of our Victorious Living family today! We are a community of believers who strengthen and encourage one another daily. As a member of our family, you are also a part of saving and restoring the lives of incarcerated men and women across the nation.
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Unchangeable. Unshakeable. Unstoppable. That’s who our God is! These words were given to an inmate by one of our Victorious Living Prison Correspondence Outreach team members. Every day, our ministry receives letters from inmates across the United States. Our correspondence team has the privilege of reading each letter and responding with handwritten cards filled with God-inspired messages. We are now ministering to inmates in twenty-two states. Our heart’s desire is for every inmate to know the unchangeable, unshakeable, unstoppable power and love of God. It’s why we respond to and write thousands of letters. Not too long ago, I read this letter from an inmate: “Recently I came across your magazine. Story after story filled my heart with hope that God still loves me and has not abandoned me. Thank you so much!” I could fill a book with the incredible messages our ministry receives and sends out daily. Each one inspires and challenges me. Every piece represents a living soul. God loves these inmates and desires to help them. So many inmates live without hope. When they write to us, they are in reality reaching out to God and asking Him, “Do You care, God? Are you there, God?” We have the privilege of reminding inmates daily that God does care and yes, He is there. He loves them and has not abandoned them. God’s Word tells us this so clearly. Yet so many people—believers and nonbelievers alike—are confused about God’s faithful love. Every one of us needs to be reminded that God is alive and He is working in the lives of people today. He is ready and able to rescue anyone from his or her path of hopelessness. God uses Victorious Living to speak this hope into precious lives, to point them to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He also uses our daily correspondence and monthly devotional tools to encourage people to discover the truth. We often get letters from inmates wanting to discuss controversial or denominational
issues. Our ministry refrains from debating them, as we know Satan seeks to divide God’s people through them. We simply encourage each person to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to their heart through His Word. I love the response of our team member to one of these letters: I appreciate your letter. The one thing I learned quickly as a young person studying the Bible is that there are different points of view and interpretations of scripture between Christian denominations, and each can point to scripture to back up their beliefs. The one thing we must agree on is that there is only way to God and that is through His Son, Jesus, who died for our sins (John 14:6). We at Victorious Living keep the eyes of our ministry on presenting the gospel message and seeing souls saved for eternity. God is at work in the lives of inmates, and we have many letters from inmates searching for salvation and freedom. We know that Jesus Christ alone can bring the answers you’re looking for. I have always sought for God to show me Truth in the scriptures. Some issues, I just leave to the Lord to handle. There will be no denominations in Heaven…only believers in Jesus Christ. Amen! I so appreciate the wisdom and strong desire of our writing team to point every person to Jesus Christ. We major in the main thing: Jesus Christ. It’s all about Him. We know that as we continue to point all men to Him, He will draw all men to Himself (John 12:32). Will you join us in helping incarcerated men and women find hope and truth in Jesus Christ? Will you help us distribute this magazine so people everywhere can discover Victorious Living? We invite you to be a part of the incredible work God is doing today! V
From Our Readers
Every day, our Victorious Living Correspondence Team receives letters from inmates who love the Lord and who desire to encourage us in our faith journey. These letters lift our spirits, strengthen our faith, and spur us on to continue the work the Lord has put before us. We hope these letters will encourage your heart as well.
The Process Are you an inmate in need of encouragement? Our Victorious Living Correspondence Outreach Team is here for you. Here’s what you can expect:
Send a letter to us at: Victorious Living Correspondence Outreach PO Box 328 Starke, FL 32091
You’ll receive: ✚ Welcome letter from founder, Kristi Overton Johnson ✚ Timely, handwritten responses from our Correspondence Team
Dear Victorious Living Prison Outreach,
Dear KOJ Ministries,
By the time you get this letter, I will be home. I will be able to demonstrate the love of Christ through my life, and I am excited to be able to. What I learned while being incarcerated will greatly impact lives as God’s Spirit leads me. I want to thank you for your guidance and inspiration, and more importantly, the love you have for Jesus and the love you’ve shared with me and others behind bars. There’s so much turmoil, grief, and inconsistency that goes on behind bars that it’s easy to fall apart and conform to the environment that surrounds you. Your letters, monthly devotionals, and magazine bring light and comfort to inmates; I know they did for me. Reading what others have gone through and yet managed to remain strong in their faith strengthens my faith. It also makes the Bible more impactful in my life. God has brought me through a lot of troubling times. I can’t thank Him enough for the life He has given me. I don’t blame God for any bad things that have happened in my life, not even prison. I hear so many people say God put them in prison. That’s a lie. I put myself in prison, but God showed up and gave me life, hope, strength, peace, and joy. I don’t look at my prison sentence as five and a half years lost; I look at it as five and a half years gained. I lost some friends, but God gave me brothers and sisters. I lost some relationships, but God gave me a never-ending relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus. I got out of the military only to be placed in God’s army. He strengthened my relationship with my family when I had almost destroyed it. He loves me so much that it is mind blowing.
I just picked up your publication Victorious Living from our chapel. I’ve been at Bunker Hill prison for a year now and have been searching for things to keep me motivated in the Lord. I took the magazine back to my cell. Every article inspired me and lifted my spirit. Prison life is very different from anything I’ve experienced. Every day is different and filled with chaos. You never know what will happen. It’s easy to get bummed and long for home or someone who cares. Your magazine has been such a blessing, I pray the Lord will help you keep up the good work. Scott F. Bunker Hill Prison, Indiana Dear Victorious Living Prison Outreach,
God bless you, KOJ Ministries! I was just released from prison in December. Thank you for your letters and for Victorious Living magazine. It was a pure blessing! When I didn’t know where to turn or who to talk to, there were your encouraging letters. No longer was I afraid or alone. They made my days and nights more victorious! Thank you. Alexis G.
“So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Steven M.
✚ Monthly devotionals from Kristi Overton Johnson ✚ Personal subscription to Victorious Living magazine ✚ Prayer support from our Victorious Living Correspondence Team PLEASE NOTE: Due to the volume of inmate correspondence, we are unable to assign specific writers to individual inmates. Nor can we guarantee continued correspondence with one writer. What we can guarantee, however, is an opportunity for you to correspond with a team of writers who love the Lord and who are committed to encouraging you in your life journey. We are also unable to handle legal cases, contact people on your behalf, or disperse items such as money or stamps. Thank you for understanding. IF YOU HAVE BEEN TRANSFERRED TO A NEW FACILITY, PLEASE NOTIFY US IMMEDIATELY.
Carry It Out Inform your church about our prison ministry. Our outreach helps the church carry out Jesus’ mandate to visit prisoners by: ✚ training the church to effectively minister to inmates through correspondence; ✚ providing a proven, safe outreach tool and method to reach lost souls; ✚ giving adults of all ages the opportunity to bring healing to the brokenhearted, even from their own homes; and
✚ encouraging a connection between the church and a local inmate for future mentorship upon release. This connection brings help and restoration to an inmate, thereby reducing the rate of recidivism. kojministries.org Issue 2 2017 27
Self-Discipline Matters to God by Kristi Dews Dale
Every school day, she is up before sunrise. She wakes me up with a huge hug and says, “Mom, I want to get to school early.” Then my oldest daughter makes breakfast for herself and her sister while I make the lunches. She applies this same discipline to her schoolwork, where she always does her best. Most importantly, she pours over the Bible verses she is learning at church. My husband and I are so proud of her diligence and hope this type of discipline and love for learning lasts her whole life. I, however, am less disciplined. Just ask my high school cross country and track coach—he had a special name for people like me: “the back pack.” I was always bringing up the rear. Thankfully, my coach was an encourager; he patiently cheered me on, even though he knew I was not giving it my best. Fortunately, I have matured in many ways since then. No, I haven’t become a marathon runner, but I can clearly see the value of being disciplined in my life, both physically and spiritually. I’ve also come to understand how being disciplined is an act that has value and is pleasing to God. It’s a way we can honor Him. One excellent demonstration of spiritual self-discipline and the blessings it brings can be seen in the life of Daniel. Even as a youth, Daniel was disciplined in his faith. He held fast to his beliefs and trusted God, even when it could have cost him his life. In Daniel 1, we see this young man asking for permission to refrain from eating the food and wine given to him by King Darius, perhaps to avoid violating his Jewish beliefs. This request could have caused Daniel to be severely punished. But God protected him and caused him to look healthier and be better nourished than the young men who had eaten the king’s food. God also blessed Daniel with unusual understanding and wisdom, and He gave him a special ability to interpret dreams. This brought Daniel great favor and promotion in the kingdom.
In Daniel 6, we see Daniel remaining steadfast in his prayer life, even though a decree had been issued that forbade him from praying to anyone except King Darius (Daniel 6:7). Violating this law would result in Daniel being thrown immediately into a den full of lions. But even with this decree in place, Daniel was faithful to God and continued to pray. Daniel 6:10 says, “But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.” As promised, Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den and a stone put over the mouth of its entrance. Daniel stayed there all night. Early the next morning, King Darius returned and discovered that God had sent His angels to shut the mouths of the lions and had kept Daniel safe (6:22). King Darius was amazed and ultimately acknowledged that God was the one true God (6:26–27). The story of Daniel reminds us of some very important truths about discipline: • Our discipline shows we trust God and desire Him above all. • Our discipline is rewarded by God. • Our discipline strengthens our relationship with God. • Our discipline, according to Hebrews 5:14, gives us the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong, just like Daniel could. • Our discipline leads others to God. People notice when we respond faithfully to God; our actions draw them to the Lord. If we desire to have a closer relationship with God, to experience His blessings, and to live a life that glorifies Him, we must become disciplined. We must remain strong in our faith, no matter what comes against us. It won’t take long for us to see the value that being disciplined brings to life as a whole. V
If we desire to have a closer relationship with God, to experience His blessings, and to live a life that glorifies Him, we must become disciplined. We must remain strong in our faith, no matter what comes against us.
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A BROKEN FOOT, A MENDED HEART | from page 23____________________________________________
sponsored professional athlete disappeared. I pushed myself to continue to work, struggling on crutches to operate my water-ski school, coach skiers, raise my four-year-old daughter, and organize a professional women’s ski tour. I had many dark hours over the next year. I hadn’t shared this, but there were times when thoughts entered my mind, trying to convince me to commit suicide. Thankfully, the power and love of God helped me press on. He reminded me of His words, found in Philippians 4:13: “I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Through God’s power living in me, I had the strength to endure all things. With God, I could overcome this trial and rise again. We all have weak moments. Satan tries to convince us that we have no hope. He’d love for us to run back toward darkness instead of moving forward into the light of God. His goal is to kill, steal, and destroy our lives (John 10:10). But as children of God, we must hold fast to our faith and continue moving forward. We can trust God, even in our pain. With a lot of hard work and many tears, I finally began to walk again. But it wasn’t until 2000 that I dared to strap on a water ski. I was so afraid of getting hurt again. One day, a friend who worked at my ski school said, “Let’s go ski, Jenn.” Hesitantly I suited up and slid into the water. After a few moments, I found the courage to tell the boat driver to go…but as soon as I felt the power of the boat and heard the sound of the engine, I let go of the rope. I was so gripped with fear that I couldn’t even try to get up on a ski! Can you imagine a pro skier being too afraid to hold on to the ski rope and rise out of the water? A few weeks later, I tried again. I got up this time, but was absolutely terrified to move. So I just rode behind the boat. A few weeks later, my friend pushed me once more. This time I crossed the wakes. Those little one-foot boat wakes looked and felt like mountains! Every time I crossed them, I experienced great pain as my ankle flexed. Terror filled me at the thought of what could happen. “I’m never going to be able to do this. It’s over!” I thought. Just as I was about to throw in the towel, I had a crazy thought. I told the driver to pull me through the slalom course. I was determined to overcome my fear once and for all. A slalom course is a series of six strategically placed buoys that the waterskier
maneuvers around, and I had been running the course my whole life. I thought that maybe I could will my way through it by focusing on a target on the other side of the wakes. If I could look past what I feared, maybe I could do it. But this would require me to put my ski on edge and cut through the wakes at double the speed I had been traveling. I’d be skiing at about 65 mph! Why would I even consider such a thing? There was a reason behind my madness—I knew that cutting fast on the ski’s edge like an expert would help my ski slice through the wakes more easily. Perhaps it would lessen the pain. In retrospect, this was a crazy and dangerous idea. As we approached the course, I suddenly remembered the story of Jesus’ disciples in Matthew 14:22–31. The disciples were caught in a great storm, overwhelmed by fear as their small boat was tossed violently by the waves. Jesus, seeing their predicament, came alongside them and said, “Take courage. I am here.” I felt as if He was saying those words to me. “Take courage, Jenn. I am here with you. You don’t have to be afraid.” With that assurance, I turned toward the course and sped across the wakes like they didn’t exist. Amazingly, I rounded all six buoys. I realized that I had been skiing like a beginner, fearfully trying to protect myself from the unknown—and my fear was hindering my ability to move forward. When I put my fear aside and committed to face the unknown with God, I was victorious. Today, I am competing again. I am a walking, skiing miracle. My performance and form aren’t what they used to be, but I have been blessed to win another pro event. I also hold the world record for my age group, and in 2012, I won the Senior Worlds. You know, my life could have been a tragedy. If I had given in to those dark thoughts or succumbed to my fear, I would have never known the victory of running the course again. I am so thankful that God gave me the courage to move forward. He has restored my life, and in the process, He has given me a story of victory that I now share to encourage people and give them hope. I hope that’s what my story has done for you. God is willing and able to help you through every fall. When your dreams are shattered, your body broken, and your mind overcome by fear, take courage. You are not alone. God is with you. V
COMING ALONGSIDE | from page 12__________________
For seven days, they sat with Job and participated with him in his pain. When your neighbor is in a dire crisis, your presence can be enough. The one who shows up stands out! You don’t have to fix anything. Just sit with them and show them your support. The people in my life I count on and think the most highly of are the ones who I know will show up for me, in good times or bad. Choose Wise Words. There will be times when we need to use words to express our care and concern for people facing loss or hardship. But the truth is, nothing we say can take away the pain of the moment. Often our desire to say something results in our saying things that are true but not helpful. For example, if a mother has just lost an infant child, she doesn’t want to hear her child is “in a better place,” even if that’s true. She wants her baby to be with her, in this place, in this moment. Unwittingly, we’ve just made her feel worse because we’ve trivialized her loss and been insensitive to her new reality. So many people have been wounded by words that at first seem helpful. Phrases like “God must have been finished with them,” “There’s another angel in heaven,” “God chooses special people to have special children,” or “God has a purpose for this.” Whatever truth there may be in these remarks, they aren’t very comforting. When you don’t know what to say, focus on affirming their feelings, acknowledging their situation, and expressing your empathy. A simple, “I’m here for you” is far more powerful than words that fall short in times of distress. Coming alongside people in the hard places of life is more than a notion; it’s a biblical directive. Jesus meant for us to be part of the physical, human illustration of God’s power. We are meant to help, heal, minister to, and love others for His sake. In the midst of brokenness, there’s no better time to love than the present. V Editor’s Note: For more practical ways to walk with friends or family through the rough patches of life, pick up a copy of Sarah Beckman’s book, Alongside: A Practical Guide for Loving Your Neighbor in Their Time of Trial, from your favorite bookseller or www.alongsidebook.com.
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Something for Nothing by Roy A. Borges
Life behind prison walls provides many opportunities for me to trust God and extend His love and grace to others on a daily basis. Such was the case when someone stole my batteryoperated razor and a bag of coffee from my cell while I was at breakfast. It didn’t take much detective work to identify the thief. Usually when things like this happen, I turn them over to God. He is always faithful to turn these situations around for my good. But this time, a part of me wanted to give that thief what he deserved. I wanted him to know he wasn’t getting something for nothing. He was going to pay for stealing from me. I confronted the man and told him I wanted my razor back, but he denied taking it. I looked at him hard. I knew he was lying, and I was angry. And he knew it, too. In the midst of our stare down, I came to my senses. And I did the smartest thing I knew to do—I turned and walked away. I realized I had a choice. I could do things my way, or I could do them God’s way. God’s way is a way of grace, love, and mercy. Grace. Love. Mercy. Talk about getting something for nothing! God’s grace, His love, and His mercy didn’t cost me a thing. But they
cost God everything. They cost Him the very life of His Son. None of us deserve God’s grace, love, or mercy. I sure don’t. I deserve just the opposite. I deserve death. But God gave them to me just the same. That’s His way. He gives us His something for our nothing. There is nothing we can do to earn it. It is a free gift. We just have to receive it (Ephesians 2:8). Later that day, I went back to the thief and told him, “I forgive you.” “I didn’t take your coffee,” he said. I hadn’t told him any coffee was stolen. His denial was actually an admission of his wrongdoing. I just smiled and said, “I forgive you.” With those three words, I gave to him what God had given me—something for nothing. It felt so good. Peace beyond my understanding entered my spirit, and every bit of anger left. Of course, I still wanted my razor and coffee back, but I knew God would replace everything I had lost. After all, everything I have belongs to Him. I had to trust that He was at work…He always is. There’s always something more valuable at stake than what I see. I knew God was using my coffee and that razor for a greater purpose.
The following Sunday, I was at the chapel when I noticed this man. He was listening to the message and then, when the invitation to know Christ was given, he came forward and accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Git—that’s the man’s name—told me later in the dorm that my actions had come as a total surprise to him. When I said those three words, “I forgive you,” he’d immediately felt shame and regret for what he had done. He then told me that something had drawn him to the chapel that Sunday morning like a magnet. When the message was shared, he knew God was knocking on the door of his heart, asking Git to let Him in. “My life has been such a mess,” he said. “I need Jesus to take over my life, forgive me of my sin, and change me.” A tear ran down his cheek, streaming over the tattooed teardrop permanently displayed on his face. I gave him a brotherly hug, and to my amazement, actually found myself thanking God for letting him steal my razor and coffee. Something for nothing—it’s God’s way, and it’s the best way. V
Victorious Living is a tool people can use to share their stories of faith. Inmate Roy A. Borges, pictured here with his mother, is a regular contributor. His stories not only inspire others behind bars, but in the free world as well. Thank you, Roy, and other members of our Victorious Living prison family, for your support, prayers, and stories.
Share Your Story! DO YOU HAVE A STORY OF VICTORY? SHARE IT WITH OUR READERS! Your story has the power to transform lives and bring much needed hope. Here are the guidelines: • Submissions are not guaranteed to be included in the magazine. • Submission is acknowledgment of your granting KOJM and Victorious Living publication rights to produce your submission in this magazine and other ministry publications. • Photos submitted must have photographer’s and each photographed subject’s consent of use. Photographer’s name must be included. Hard copies of photographs will not be returned. • Victorious Living does not pay for submissions. 30 kojministries.org Issue 2 2017
• Submissions must not exceed 800 words and are subject to editing. • Submit your story online at kojministries.org. • Due to Internet restrictions, inmate submissions should be mailed to: Victorious Living Outreach, PO Box 328, Starke, FL 32091. • Victorious Living is a free quarterly publication distributed to KOJ Ministries partners, at various distribution locations, and within the prison system.
A Recipe for Life by Tina Brown
Take a quick look at the recipe listed below. 1 egg ?? ½ Banana ½ teaspoon vanilla extract ?? ½ teaspoon cinnamon ¼ cup cottage cheese 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk
Just looking at the recipe, can you guess what it’s for? Did you notice that some of the ingredients are missing? What do you think might happen if you put all these ingredients together without any instructions or without the missing ingredients? Chances are, the recipe will turn out to be a disaster. As it stands now, this recipe is incomplete. No matter what ratio you mix these ingredients, they will never produce what the original recipe intended. The same concept applies to our lives. Unless we include Jesus in our personal recipe of life, our lives will be incomplete, no matter how hard we try to find fulfillment. Sure, we can shuffle through life, trying different ingredients to complete us. We can work hard, seek relationships, travel the world, achieve great success, or obtain a costly education. We can even partake in the pleasures of the world. But no matter how much
we experience or obtain, nothing will give us the fullness that we experience when we add Jesus to our lives. He alone is the missing ingredient that we need. He alone fills every void. Nothing else will ever truly, fully satisfy. I like to think of Jesus as the secret ingredient that helps us live a victorious life. And the best part is, Jesus is no secret! He is not hidden. He is freely available to anyone who believes in Him and desires a relationship with Him. You don’t have to be an executive chef, famous athlete, political leader, or a highly educated person to gain the missing ingredient. You don’t have to have lived a perfect, mistake-free life—there’s no such thing. Why? Because Jesus is available to everyone! To me, the Bible is the best “life recipe” book. We don’t have to fumble around, trying different ingredients to make our lives better. No! We have Jesus and His Word, and they have the power to make every life complete. Second Peter 1:3–11 gives us a great life recipe. In fact, according to verses 10 and 11, if we follow these instructions, we will never stumble and we will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Now that’s a great promise. So what are the ingredients that keep us standing victoriously in life? The first ingredient is our faith in Jesus Christ. Faith in Him provides
forgiveness of sin and breaks the power of sin over our lives. It also brings us into a relationship with God and makes us His children. There is so much I could say, but for the sake of time, let’s get to the other ingredients. They’re found in verses 5 through 7. To our faith, we add goodness. To goodness, we add knowledge. To knowledge, we add selfcontrol. To self-control, we add perseverance. To perseverance, we add godliness. To godliness, we add mutual affection. And finally, to mutual affection, we add love. Verse 8 tells us if we follow the recipe, we will live productive and useful lives for Christ, happy in our knowledge of Him. And don’t forget those promises at the end of the passage! But this is just one of thousands of great recipes found in the Word of God. Take the time today to discover others. Speaking of tasty things, would you like to know the missing ingredients of the recipe above? They are ½ cup of oats and 1 teaspoon of baking powder. Blended together in a mixer, these ingredients form a healthy pancake batter. Remember, anyone can give you the ingredients to make a recipe complete, but only Jesus Christ can give you the ingredient you need to make your life complete, and only His Word can give you the right recipes for life. There are no substitutions. V
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life.... He has given us his very great and precious promises.... Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.... If you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:3, 5–11 NIV
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Do ! o o D e h t Have you ever done something or perhaps failed to do something that required you to humble yourself and make things right? Well, that’s exactly what happened to me recently. I was nearing the end of my morning walk with my energetic Labrador retriever, when something happened that I would regret for hours. Mater, my dog, relieved himself by going number two on a neighbor’s lawn. No big deal; it happens all the time. All I had to do was stop, pull out a plastic bag from my fanny pack (yes, I wear a fanny pack when I walk, much to my kids’ dismay), and pick up Mater’s deposit. But I didn’t. Nope. For some reason—one I would discover later—I just left it there and continued walking home. A few steps into my walk, however, I heard a little voice in my head saying, “Kristi, you need to go back and pick that up.” But I just kept walking, all the while justifying why my leaving poop behind was actually a good thing. “It’ll decompose and fertilize their lawn,” I reasoned. But with each step, the voice grew louder. No justification I came up with could silence the voice of conviction in my head. So, when I got home, I put Mater inside, jumped in my car, and went back, plastic bag in hand, to the scene of the crime. I looked around the neighbor’s yard for several minutes, turning over leaves until I finally found it. With bag in hand, I scooped up the offending refuse, jumped back in the car, and drove home. Mission accomplished! Or, so I thought. At this point of the story, you’re probably thinking, “This girl is nuts!” You might be right. But here’s the thing. More than anything, I want to be a person who lives above reproach. I want a heart like God’s that is motivated by love and operates on the highest
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by Kristi Overton Johnson
level of integrity in every area of my life. Because of that, I constantly ask God to search my heart, test my motives, and point out anything in my life that offends Him, just as King David did in Psalm 139:23–24. I don’t want ungodly thoughts, motives, or actions in my life. “Don’t let me get away with anything,” I pray. And He doesn’t. Not even dog poop! “I’m sorry, God,” I said, certain the lesson was over. “Go tell them you’re sorry,” the still, small voice whispered. What!?!? Surely, I didn’t hear that right. No way would God want me to knock on someone’s door and apologize for not picking up my dog’s poop. “It’s just poop, for goodness’ sake. I took the time to go back and pick it up. How many other people would do that?” I thought, full of pride. Just then, like in a playhouse, a curtain opened to the stage of my heart, revealing the reason I hadn’t bothered to stop and scoop the poop. It wasn’t that I was too lazy or in too much of a hurry to pick up it up…not at all! The real reason was that I had a stinky heart filled with unloving thoughts and judgments toward these neighbors. That miserable heart had led me to leave the poop there on purpose! Let me tell you something—this reason stunk more than the poop I held in my lap as I drove home. Yes, it was true, all of it. I had, indeed, left Mater’s waste in their yard on purpose. And God pointed out that it wasn’t the first time, nor was it the first yard! Even with this knowledge, however, there was no way I was going to go back again and knock on their door. They would think I was crazy! Instead, I went to my house, quickly changed clothes, and drove my son to school. And for the
next seven hours, I wrestled internally with the thought of returning to that neighbor’s house and apologizing, not only for ignoring my neighborly duty of picking up the doodie, but also for harboring judgments toward them. (Someone, remind me why I ask the Lord to reveal the ugly things in my heart.) The wrestling match left me exhausted and, if I’m completely honest, angry. Why couldn’t God just let me slide on this one? Why did He have to be so nitpicky? How humiliating this was going to be! I called a friend to vent. “Kristi, God is refining you,” she laughed. “I’ve been there, too. Sis, you’re just going to have to do what you know you have to do. You have to go to that house and ask for forgiveness.” I knew she was right. If I truly wanted to move to the next level in my spiritual life and become more like Christ, if I wanted more of Him and less of me, then I had to be obedient—even if it caused me to look foolish or be uncomfortable. When I drove into our neighborhood that afternoon, I made a beeline for my neighbor’s driveway. I felt like my heart was beating outside of my chest as I waited for him to answer the door. “Maybe he won’t be home, and I’ll be off the hook,” I thought. No such luck. The door opened, and my neighbor, someone I’d never met before, looked at me with a look that said, “What do you want?” I could tell he didn’t feel well and by ringing the doorbell, I had pulled him out of his comfy bed. I proceeded to explain my morning…how I had left the poop in his yard, then been convicted to go back and pick it up. As I proceeded to tell him about driving in the car with Mater’s poop in my lap, the man bent over and began to laugh. The more I tried to finish my story, the more he laughed—that is until his pneumonia kicked in, and he began to cough violently. “Please…stop,” he begged as tears formed in his eyes. “It hurts to laugh.” I hurried to finish my story, not leaving out one detail for fear I’d have to go back and tell the whole truth. Finally, I apologized for leaving
THE GIFT OF HALEY | from page 9_____________________________________________________________________
the poop behind and for judging him in the past. He graciously accepted my apology, told me I was forgiven, and closed the door. The poop ordeal was finally over. Now, I know this whole story may seem silly to some. But for me, it was a serious matter; it was a test of obedience. God had revealed something in my heart that offended Him. He had revealed judgment toward my neighbor. Now it was up to me. I could repent and ask for forgiveness and move forward with God, or I could refuse to obey and get stuck. I don’t ever want to be stuck… especially in dog poop. Maybe you are asking God for more too—more of Him, more wisdom, more knowledge, more blessings, more impact, more responsibility. But how can we expect God to give us more if we can’t be trusted with what we have now? How can we expect more if we refuse to obey what God is telling us to do now? If we won’t be faithful where we are, we surely won’t be faithful at the next level. I mean, think about it. If I can’t be trusted with loving my neighbor and having enough integrity to pick up dog poop, how can I expect to be entrusted with a worldwide ministry? Is there something God has asked you to go back and make right? Has He revealed something offensive in your heart? Take it from me. Stop wrestling with God and just do what He’s told you to do. If He has told you to remove something from your life, remove it. If He’s told you to let go of something or someone, let go. If He’s told you to forgive, forgive. If He has told you to ask for forgiveness, then ask for forgiveness. Whatever it is, just do it and do it in its entirety! Delayed or partial obedience is disobedience. No more justification or reasoning. It’s time to move forward, and obedience is the only way. Will you pray with me? We can use Psalm 139:23–24 as a guide. Search me, God, and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends You and give me the strength to obey so You can lead me along the path of everlasting life. V
Don’t be afraid of what you don’t understand. Ask questions so you know what’s going on. Learn to love people who are different—you’ll be amazed at what you can learn about living from someone in this situation. coincidences—a call from a stranger, a visit or an encouraging word from a friend, a message from a sermon, a verse—they just seemed to come at our greatest moments of despair. God always knew what we needed to keep going. And God used Haley to encourage others to be more thankful and to stop whining about insignificant things. He also led us to help others in their SMA journeys. As we allowed God into our situation, we were blessed. KOJ: What did God teach you through Haley? Jeff: Haley dealt with discomfort and illness every day. Sometimes just breathing was a struggle. But she never whined, complained, or even acted frustrated. When she went into respiratory distress, we had minutes to turn it around or she’d die. As we’d work on her, she would look at us with complete trust. There was no panic in her eyes. Haley taught me what trusting God looks like. It’s resting in His arms when your world is falling apart. Val: Haley taught me to love life despite adversity. People would look at her and say, “I wouldn’t want to live like that.” But Haley wanted to live! She loved life and fought for it every day. Haley has shaped how we all live. Kelsie is just completing her Masters degree to become a speech pathologist. She is motivated by her experiences with Haley. Her favorite quote is, “If you can, you must.” We all feel an urgency and responsibility to do what we can to help others. KOJ: What’s your favorite memory with Haley? Val: I’ll never forget the day I took Haley to school for her birthday. She was in the second grade. The kids were so excited to see her. A line of little girls helped me push
Haley along the path. Some would hold her head. Then they’d stop, switch positions, and we’d continue on. I thanked the girls for being so kind and helpful. Then one little girl looked at me, smiled, and said, “Oh, Mrs. Mitchell, we love Haley. She is just so… so…perfect! These little girls didn’t see Haley as a disabled child. They saw her with God’s eyes. Jeff: I always loved watching her reaction to people. Haley was physically disabled—she couldn’t move or talk—but she was very bright. When people saw her, they almost all assumed she was mentally incapable of comprehending what was going on. They often talked to her in loud, slow voices and treated her like a baby. Haley was so patient, but occasionally, she would have enough. She’d look at us with this certain look, and then roll her eyes back. Sometimes she’d close them and completely check out. It was too funny. KOJ: I so appreciate your talking with us today and sharing your story with our readers. Is there anything else you’d like to tell them? Val: I just want to encourage others to look at disabled people with compassion. I wish adults had the same compassion and empathy for others that those secondgraders had. Don’t be afraid of what you don’t understand. Ask questions so you know what’s going on. Learn to love people who are different—you’ll be amazed at what you can learn about living from someone in this situation. Jeff: I want people to know that it’s possible to thrive in the face of adversity. Our marriage is stronger and our lives are richer because of our family’s fight with SMA. With God and a heart that’s determined to live well and love well, all things are possible. V
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MOVING FORWARD THROUGH THE DARKNESS | from page 17__________________
earth giving Him glory in every situation? I never processed the true power and depth the gospel has to help me on this earth until I faced my own mortality. Any chains of pride or entitlement I had were broken in that moment. There’s no time or need for self-pity. What are fifty years in a burned, broken body when I have an eternity of wholeness to look forward to? Once I realized how tiny the blip of my life actually is on an eternal radar, I determined to live life to the fullest and to give God glory through it all. I fought for my life and clung to my faith, and as I did, I saw God do amazing things. He turned my obstacles into opportunities. He took my misery and gave me a ministry that is touching thousands of lives. And He can do the same for you. Because of how God helped me, I have dedicated my life to helping others overcome their challenges, their “burns,” so to speak. That’s why I launched my speaking company, Beyond the Burn. We all have burns. They just come in different forms and arise from various circumstances. My burns are visible, displayed for the world to see. Other burns are hidden. Yet the answer to all our burns is the same: healing comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Then, in His strength, we take ownership of our situation, refusing to cast blame. That’s the next practical step.
Take Ownership I heard a message recently about the man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years (John 5:1–15). Seeing the crippled man, Jesus asked him, “Do you want to get well?” Something tells me this was another loaded, “simple but not easy” question! This man didn’t respond with a quick yes or no answer. Instead, he told Jesus why he couldn’t get well. He listed excuses about why his
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condition wasn’t his fault. Truthfully, many of us would respond the same way. It’s so much easier to cast blame than to take ownership. But Jesus wasn’t asking the man how he got where he was; He was asking if the man wanted to get well. If he did, Jesus said, he had to take action. He would need to take up his mat and walk. He would have to cast aside the things he was holding on to (in this case, blame) and start taking steps to his healing. In the hospital, I answered Jesus’s question early on. “Yes! I want to get well!” I took ownership of my situation. I could have easily blamed so many people for my condition. But it wouldn’t have brought healing. To get out of that bed, I had to cooperate with God in the healing process, no matter how hard that would be. I knew there would be long, hard days where I would have to push myself through great physical pain. There would be daily setbacks and often very little evidence of progress. But I had no choice. If I wanted to get well, I’d have to face it all. I’d have to do my part. That’s another step.
Matt has many opportunities to share his story and help people move past their own trials through his speaking business, Beyond the Burn.
way. He will help you do what you can’t do on your own. And in your weakest moments, you’ll find His strength is more than enough. My fight continues daily. It will for many years to come. It seems I’m in a constant cycle. I take one step forward only to get knocked two steps back. I see progress, only to be told I need another surgery. But between the trials, there are incredible moments. Like today, when I took my son on a bike ride. And the other night, I had dinner with friends. Tomorrow, my family and I are going to a conference where I will share my story with hundreds of people. In moments like these, I see the light. I see the good that is provided in my situation and the truth that God is involved in every detail of my life. I see how He works every situation out for good, and I’m reminded of His great love for me. I see God’s blessing of faithfulness. These are the truths that I cling to when darkness sets in. And that is practical step number three.
Do Your Part
Never Forget in the Darkness What You Have Learned in the Light
We all have a part to play in our recovery process. Refusing to allow bitterness and blame is a huge part of our healing. It doesn’t matter who is at fault or how we got to where we are. The only question that matters is this: “Do you want to get well?” You can remain bitter or get better. If you want to get well, you must face what is hard—physically, emotionally, and spiritually—all the while standing strong in your faith, serving others, and letting God be glorified through your life. I know…easy but hard. Probably sounds impossible, but it isn’t. Remember: you aren’t in this fight alone. God is with you every step of the
Think back to when you were a child. The lights are on in your room, and everything is okay. But then it’s time for bed, and the lights are turned out. A few minutes into the darkness, you are sure you hear a monster in your closet. Your heart pounds as you fumble for the light switch. But as soon as the light comes on, you discover the truth—you’re okay. And there are no monsters. Friend, you’re okay. God has you in the palm of His hand, and He is faithful to protect you in the light and in the dark. He is the same today, yesterday, and forever. He never fails. You can hold fast to this truth, no matter how dark or painful life becomes. V
photography courtesy of John Maxwell team photographer Christian Del Rosario
OUR CONTRIBUTORS SARAH BECKMAN
EMILY COPELAND DURHAM
CHRIS PATTON
Sarah speaks to audiences across the country as part of Salt and Clay Ministries, which she founded in 2007. Insights for Christian Living can be found at her blog: www.sarahbeckman.org. Her book, Alongside: A Practical Guide for Loving Your Neighbor in their Time of Trial, was released in February 2017. Sarah and her husband of twentythree years live in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and have three teenage children.
Whether through the platform of professional wakeboarding or on NBC’s American Ninja Warrior, Emily Copeland Durham uses her athleticism to lead others to Jesus. Emily lives in Central Florida with her husband, Kevin, and their two children. They minister together through the ministries This Is My Story and In His Wakes. Visit thisismystory.com and inhiswakes.com for more information.
DAVID BENZEL
KRISTI OVERTON JOHNSON
Chris is President/CEO of his family’s business at the Mike Patton Auto Family. His blog, Christian Faith at Work (www.christianfaithatwork.com), is directed to business owners and leaders who wish to integrate their Christian faith into their businesses. Using practical resources and reallife examples from his many years of experience, Chris teaches readers how to run a business from an eternal perspective. He and his wife live in LaGrange, Georgia, with their three children.
David Benzel is the founder of Growing Leaders for Life. He is an author, corporate coach, trainer, and speaker. David brings a business owner’s experience, an athlete’s discipline, and a coach’s inspiration, to teach relationship skills for succeeding in business and in life. He is the author of From Chump to Champ: How Individuals Go From Good to Great. To book David for your next event, contact him at david@growingleadersforlife.com
A former world champion water-skier, Kristi is the founder of In His Wakes and KOJ Ministries. She encourages and equips people for victory through her writings and speaking engagements. Kristi is the publisher of Victorious Living and a multipublished author. She resides in Central Florida with her husband, Tim, and their three children.
WENDY PETZOLD
JENNIFER LEACHMAN LAPOINT
TEXAS A. STREADY
Roy writes about his life experiences from a prison cell in Florida. His stories have appeared in many Christian publications. Roy has won AMY Foundation awards in 1998, 2002, 2003, and 2007.
Originally from West Virginia, Jennifer is a threetime World Slalom Ski Recordholder, Pro Ski Tour Champion, Senior World Champion, and US Hall of Fame inductee. Jenn still enjoys competing today and training with her husband Kris, also a Hall of Fame inductee. Kris and Jenn sell real estate in Orlando.
GREG BROCK JR.
MATT MANZARI
Greg Brock is an inmate in the Florida Corrections system. His life has been impacted through the Victorious Living Prison Outreach.
This professional wakeskater was a trend setter in his sport. A graduate of Southern University, Matt faced two horrific life-or-death accidents that forever changed the lives of many. He now shares his journey with the world in hopes that the challenges he’s endured can inspire many. To learn more about Matt or to invite him to speak at your event, go to www.beyondtheburn.life
Texas is a precious treasure to the King of Kings. She’s not too good at biting her tongue, but when she loves, it’s with all her heart. The mother of three beautiful children and two ideal grandsons, Texas is 100 percent convinced that she has no idea what she’s doing. This realization allows her to relinquish control of her life to the Holy Spirit and do her best to obey His every instruction. An author, speaker, counselor, and friend, Stready is the founder and CEO of A Radical Difference, a nonprofit ministry whose purpose is to help people identify The Truth and submit themselves to Him. Visit her website, www.aradicaldifference. com, to learn more about her ministry, obtain ongoing devotions, and order her book, From the Heart of Texas.
ROY A. BORGES
TINA BROWN
Tina Brown is a recent East Carolina University graduate and a licensed and certified recreational therapist. She plans and provides activities for a retirement community that stimulate physical, cognitive, spiritual, and emotional functioning. Tina is passionate about helping others thrive and enjoys sharing the love of Jesus with every new friend that she meets. LINDA CUBBEDGE
Linda is the Victorious Living Prison Correspondence Director. She is passionate about the Lord and leading others to Him. Linda has four children, nine grandchildren, and two great-grandsons. KRISTI DEWS DALE
Kristi is a wife and the mother of three amazing daughters. She holds a master’s degree in public health and is an adjunct business instructor at a local college in North Carolina. Kristi is passionate about encouraging others with Christ’s love.
NATE MILLER
Nate is the president/director of In His Wakes. Through his passion for water sports and his love for Jesus Christ, Nate helps at-risk youth discover hope, purpose, and victory. He lives in Bend, Oregon, with his wife, Ivy. If you are interested in learning more about In His Wakes, contact Nate at nate@inhiswakes.com. JEFF AND VALERIE MITCHELL
The Mitchells live in eastern North Carolina. Jeff is a financial advisor, and Val is a speech pathologist. They are both active in their church and help raise awareness for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), the disease that took their daughter Haley’s life. For more information about SMA and ways you can help, visit www.curesma.org.
Wendy earned her BS in education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She married her best friend, Andrew, in June 1992. She enjoys leading prayer and Bible study groups, reading, scrapbooking, and spending time with her husband and two children.
KENNY VAUGHAN
Kenny founded Shields of Faith, a Beaumont, Texas-based company. A few years ago, he authored the book, Shields of Strength, to share his testimony and the story behind the company. He, his wife, Tammie, and their children live in Texas. ERIN WARREN
Erin is a women’s ministry leader, wife, and mom. She loves Jesus and really good coffee. INMATES
A special thank you to our incarcerated friends, Scott F., Alexis G., Steven M., and Thomas T., who contributed to this issue.
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