Faces of Grace

Rebecca Adams
An abusive childhood, crippling fear, emotional scars, depression,
the loss of our son, and a marriage that once careened headlong towards divorce to name a few,
but God has redeemed them all.

Quanny Ard
Losing my mother was one of the hardest things, I’ve had to walk through.
But MY faith has grown as a result.
It is no longer my mama’s faith, but my own.

Sara Bailey 
I wrapped my identity in what was printed on my business card,
but the Lord proved His faithfulness in the midst
of the rolling waves of the loss of my career.
He has shown me He is trustworthy!

Katelyn Bartlett
I managed to keep my “perfect” little life together for a couple of years.
Then halfway through college my boyfriend and I broke up. 
All of my plans suddenly slipped through my fingers like sand.
I feared the unknown. 

Bailey, Brianna 
I understood that salvation was unmerited, that there was nothing I could do to earn my redemption.
But would I ever be good enough for Him to be proud of me?
If I worked harder, accomplished more, simply was better,
would He love me more?

Kelsey Breedlove 
I had no idea how to cope with the large-scale
neglect and fear that I dealt with on a regular basis.
So I turned to self-medicating through pornography and masturbation,
spiraling into a constant state of shame and guilt.
I was desperate for change.

Brie Brown
I never would have said out loud that I didn't struggle with pride,
but I always struggled with the parts of Scripture that said things like,
“He who is forgiven little, loves little.”
I guess I felt like I didn’t sin much, at least not “big” sins,
so maybe I couldn’t love Jesus as much as other people who had struggled more.

Rachel Bulger
Satan tricked me everyday into thinking that I 
would never break the same cycle of sin.
I felt as if God was looking down at me,
scolding me, and pointing His finger.

Donna Cartwright 
As I got older I began to feel I did more things wrong than I did right. It was like I was spinning out of control.
There were too many wrongs, and not enough rights!  
I felt so ashamed and like there was nothing that could erase my sins to regain God’s love.

Rebecca Chartier
God is teaching me to live simply and humbly,
possibly some of the hardest lessons to learn. 
He uses traffic, an aging parent, and the ladies who I lead in Bible study
to make me realize that I’m not in control.
(I have a lot to learn in this area.)

Anna Enoch
Growing up, I was immeasurably blessed with early exposure to the Gospel by my parents.
They showed me what all this Jesus stuff looked like as you lived your life.
It seemed like the most natural thing in the world when I accepted Christ as my Savior at an early age.

Kelly Eyer 
We were a military family struggling with custody issues,
marriage struggles, and parenting battles, but God showed up every time.
He still shows up because He has prepared us for this journey;
He is my strength and fortress.

Sarah Feldmann 
My sister’s death made me emotionally vulnerable,
allowing me to empathize with others better.
My health issues also allowed me to grow closer to God.
I’ve suffered, but if I had not walked closely with God in those times,
I would not be the person I am now.

Ginny Gaynor
I knew that what I was doing was not pleasing to God.
I was on a bad track as I turned my back on Him.
As much as my life may have appeared like a “fun young 20’s life,”
I felt very empty inside.

Georgia Herod 
I was “illegitimate.”
I had been abandoned and rejected.
Left by the very man who had given me life.
I always felt I was a burden to my mother. Shame overshadowed every part of my life.

Candace Jeffries 
My parents' divorce sent me on a downward spiral.
Where was God? Did He care?
How could He let this happen to me and my family?
I decided to look for love in ALL the wrong places.
I was mad at God.

Diane Kulkarni
My inner pain was so deep.
“I’m in terrible trouble!” I sobbed to the counselor.
As she explained Christ to me, everything became clear,
suddenly it was like I had returned from the dead.

Stephanie McEldowney
Though I struggle daily with the affects of sexual abuse,
I don’t consider myself a victim,
but rather an overcomer because Christ is my victory.

Traci Miller
I was a failure. I should be punished.
I struggled through middle school and high school with cutting,
depression, and deep self-hatred. 
I had gone to church and felt a surface-sort of love from God.
I wanted to do all the good things, but it never was enough.

Kendra Kuntz
“Why, God? Why me? Why am I so alone? Why am I so lost? Why am I hurting so incredibly much?”
I started my car thinking,
“Surely God can’t use me alive, so maybe someone will come to know Him through my funeral.”

Merry Ohler
My problem was this: doing one right thing doesn’t take back all the wrongs,
erase all the hurts or heal all the broken pieces inside of you.
Only Jesus can do that.

Parker Overby 
Slowly, God just became routine.
The beautiful mystery of Christ faded.
My judgment became blurred, and I became infatuated with a boy.
Instead of pursuing Christ, I looked to the boy and his opinions of me.

Randi Overby 
My early life was typical on the outside, but behind the scenes was a tumultuous mess.
My parents were divorced and I grew up in two homes that were complete opposites.
One was stable, but rigid and distant; the other was untamed fun, but not the kind of environment you’d want a kid to see.  
And in between, without the knowledge of either, there was sexual abuse that marked my life for years.
And at the height of it all, my father went to prison.

Michelle Promise
I asked God in faith for so much, but I got silence from the Lord.
I was so angry at Him, feeling like He’d left me alone, hanging out in the breeze.
I had served people so faithfully, why was no one serving me?! God owed me!

DeAnna Popilek
As amazing as our children were, our marriage hardships had only intensified.
If you had asked my husband, his plan was to stay married until the kids turned 18….then he was out. 
We were both miserable and fought constantly. 

Melodye Reeves 
Knowing Him personally through His Son demanded more
than participation in the religious rituals. 
I had to understand that the full weight of my sin was placed on Jesus. 

Addie Robbins
 Family fallouts, my husband’s deployment (a month after we got married),
and moving far outside my comfort zone to the literal desert as a newlywed. 
Life hasn’t gone quite how my husband and I had planned,
but God has never abandoned me!

Paula Romang 
Matthew’s needs were intense. Exhausted and isolated as a result of the 
living with a special needs child forced my reliance upon prayer.
I discovered that when Jesus was all I had,
I found that He was all I needed.

Carlie Ross
When you learn to trust God through every circumstance
He takes you on an unimaginable adventure!
In the moment, trusting Him is so hard, but when you look back,
I promise it’s worth it and you won’t regret it.

Tawnya Smith
My parents divorced when I was just 10 years old,
leaving me with a deep ache to be loved and accepted.
I was tied up with my need to control everything. 

Kendall Steinmetz
The aching in my heart to be enough and feel loved
is always poking at my side.
I’ve turned to guys, worldly accomplishments, beauty, and tangible materials,
but no way would I turn to God.

Kat Swartzfeger
My husband walked out of our marriage, my first granddaughter
died tragically, and stage III cancer ravaged my body
amidst a myriad of other pitfalls.
Yet, I have seen God use my brokenness for His glory.

Mary Kathryn Tiller 
I have lived a life filled with love, joy and peace.
Certainly there have been disappointments and loss.
I have struggled and cried.
Mine is not a story of dramatic turning points.
But it's a story of God who patiently walks, slowly reveals, and relentlessly pursues!

Leslie Umstattd 
When I was four years old, my parents divorced. 
I didn't know how to vocalize my pain, so I just withered inside.
I dealt with problems by stuffing my feelings,
internalizing everything, and withdrawing. 

Crystal Williams
I was insecure, weak, and entangled in sexually immorality.
Having sex before marriage will do that to you.
I had tied myself to this guy in ways I wasn’t supposed to.
Meanwhile, the entire time, I lived a double life.

Karen Wrigley 
I attended church every week from birth through age 18.
I was involved in choir, Sunday school, and even became the president of our youth group.
I did everything, BUT believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Amber Brace
At fifteen, my mom gave birth to me and my grandmother raised me.
Most of my younger years were spent without my dad and limited contact with my mom.
For the rest of my childhood, my parents were in and out of my life at different times.

Sarah Young
On the outside – at church and school – I played the good girl part so well. 
Seriously, I was the ideal Christian girl.
Except I WASN’T.
The Sarah no one knew was insecure, battling body image issues galore. 

Lauren King
My whole life I have always wondered
“Am I good enough? Am I worth it?”.
I’ve always felt like I never quite measured up,
even though I grew up in a Christian home. 

Brit Nakia
Though I felt His presence in my everyday life,
I truly did not know Him.
Four years ago, I was praying to really have His presence and direction in my life.
He called me and my family out of the darkness,
and my life has never been the same.

Kelly Broadway
In the midst of life’s difficulties, God has surprised me with His care.
It’s like a daisy.
I know from the depths of my heart, on the days that I stumble,
when I pick the petals off that daisy, it’s always,
“He loves me, He loves me, He loves me, He loves me . . . .”

Amy Ragsdale
I desire to one day find my soul mate.
It is a true desire of my heart,
but I am trusting God to bring that around in His time.
I am learning that to hear God’s voice,
we must know His Word.

Audra Darville
When I started college, I was excited to start pursuing the plans that God had for my life.
I started doing ministry, but at the same time,
I connected with some nonbelievers who quickly became friends.
I slowly began drifting away from God and flirting with ungodly things.

Christine Wood
For many years, my primary ministry was
raising my three beautiful children,
but now that my children have grown,
I have stepped into vocational ministry.
It is hard, but I love it!

Nancy Richards
Through my daughter’s life and death, I learned endurance.
I learned passion to carry on.
I learned that in the midst of our struggles,
I could still experience the embracing and uplifting glory of God.  

Stacy Daniel
After being in a place where I couldn't perform,
but only exist,
I began to understand that He loves me because He created me
and I am His.
I am His daughter and He loves me for the reason alone.

Janna Comfort
Instantly, the burden I had been carrying was gone and I felt His peace! 
I had no reason to be the Eeyore I once was,
and I eagerly began serving in
my church in any way that I could.

Briana Almengor
I phoned my step-dad, whom I had always called by his first name,
to let him hear, “Dad,” for the first time from my lips.
It was a tangible step in embracing
God’s sovereign choices for my life.

Natalie Smith
When God gave us a special needs child,
He was not being mean or unfair.
He did not desert us.
He gave us front row tickets to witness His power spring from brokenness.

Joyce Lomangaya 

For years, I was a little kid angry at God.
“Why?” I asked Him, relentlessly.
In my childish understanding, I thought my family didn’t deserve
to encounter hardship, because we always went to church.

Sarah Ishaku

My spiritual journey was all about me. 
I prayed a sinner’s prayer, to avoid hell.
I checked the boxes for Scripture memorization and baptism.
I strived to avoid God’s wrath by abstaining from sin. 
I was fighting a failing battle, based on a broken premise.

Paula Short
I’m so thankful for the trials I’ve faced and the
crashes I’ve taken because without them,
I wouldn’t be where I am today with my God.
Isn’t it something, how blessings are disguised?

Michelle McCracken-Brown
In my searching, I felt like God was calling me,
and I remember saying to God, 
“I hear You calling and I’m trying,
but I’m pretty frustrated right now.”

Bethany McIlrath
My confession of faith used to be a way of
compensating for insecurity and lack of identity.
Now I confess with all my heart, mind, and soul:
Jesus is Lord.