At my husband’s funeral, we played “Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)”. My mom had to physically hold me up, but I raised my hands in worship. I didn’t know how it was going to be okay, how this could possibly be in God’s plan for me. I didn’t know how I was supposed to keep being a nurse, when I couldn’t see an ambulance without having a panic attack. I didn’t know how any of it was supposed to work together for good. All (and I mean all) I knew in those… Read More
Growing up in a Christian home, I was familiar with the faith. I had many encounters with the Lord as I earnestly desired to be close to Him, but something changed soon after. As I stepped into my teenage years, I became more accustomed to sinning without feeling bad about it, and steadily started to desire everything the world had to offer. There were several moments when I realized that God was still keeping me close, protecting me from going deeper into sin, regardless of where I was. When I turned 18, I had a sobering wake-up call as I ended up… Read More
It's easy to get comfortable doing things we shouldn't. Well, I got comfortable going in and out of jail. I didn't sell drugs to make money. I sold to support my drug habit. Cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines, you name it. There just wasn't enough out there for me. For over 30 years, my lifestyle was my way or no way. Eventually, though, a parole officer almost caught me drinking at a halfway house. I was on high-control, so that would mean an automatic return to prison for me. Normally, I never got scared to go back into prison. Just a few days before that,… Read More
I found myself in the pit of life. I partook in all the vices imaginable and didn’t know how to turn my life around. I had always been resistant to God. I tried to take myself to places where God would never be pushed on me. But even in a bar where I could drink and forget about my life, someone came right up to me and began sharing testimony of God’s love. This was the first of many instances that God touched my heart in the most unexpected situations and places. Prison is when I truly began my authentic connection with… Read More
In New Mexico, one will find vast blue skies, beautiful mesas, and true evidence of God’s majestic plan of creation. However, while there are many stories of hardship and poverty here, there are also stories of overcoming and endurance through Jesus Christ. Richelle Shorty is a Native American woman from the Navajo tribe of New Mexico. Many people she grew up with had negative views and misconceptions of Christianity, but deep down, she knew these thoughts were not true. As a little girl, she accepted Jesus Christ into her heart on the playground with her friends, but little did she know… Read More
My childhood was rough, and from the time I was 17, I started a destructive path of smoking, doing drugs, and drinking alcohol. This pattern continued for many years. Honestly, I feel as though I have always been self-destructive. No amount of self-medicating could control my feelings or my mental health issues. I refused to seek medical help because I didn’t believe it would work. Many times, I hit what I assumed was rock-bottom, only to go through it again and again. One day, I had a complete mental breakdown at work. They sent me to an out-patient rehab that lasted… Read More
