The sound of a basketball swishing through the hoop is like music to a shooter’s ear. For a comedian, it’s the sound of laughter. It’s the ultimate feedback, the confirmation that the audience “gets you” and enjoys what you’re doing. Growing up in a middle-class home, I craved acceptance and recognition, though I often felt lost in a large family and school. Bullied and overlooked, I struggled with feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt. But there was one thing that always helped: laughter. It could lift my spirits, no matter how bad I felt. In high school, I began using humor to connect… Read More
Unique Ministries
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Wales Goebel is an example of how God can use someone to do great things, no matter how old you are. At the age of 39, Wales left a successful residential construction business, feeling God’s calling to begin a Christian ministry for students in high school and college. He worked tirelessly preaching The Word to these kids, and over the next few years, he saw several thousand students give their lives to Jesus. During these years, he discovered that some students would share very personal problems with him. Young girls would confide they had an unwanted pregnancy, and were looking for a… Read More
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I could’ve gone to Nashville. I could’ve made it “big” by the world’s standards. But nothing is quite as fulfilling as playing for God. My personal convictions and His guidance led me to a place where I find solace in “Jammin’ for Jesus”. I come from a family of God-fearing men and women who show their love for Him through worship and praise. Some were even traveling Gospel singers, so I was more than humbled to follow along in their steps, knowing that’s what God wanted for me. Somewhere along the way though, I became distant from my personal calling. I chased what… Read More
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I couldn’t keep living life the way that I was. I knew that there had to be another way, but it was so hard to see with addiction staring me down, day in and day out. As a child, I never would’ve thought my future held a crippling meth addiction. I also couldn’t have guessed that Jesus would be the one to save me, either. I found out in my teen years just how hard it is to stay strong with a hurting heart. My heartache did not subside for many years. My grandmother's passing led me down a darker road than I… Read More
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In 2001, at the age of 23, I became a widow. My first husband, Todd, had a massive aneurysm at 27 years old. At this time, I knew the Lord, but I didn’t know Him in the hard places. Through worship, I learned who God wanted to be to me. I was grieving, but not grieving well. I didn’t know any other widows who were my age, young without children. The ones I did know were in their eighties and felt I just couldn’t relate to them. A couple years passed, and I began dating a family friend, Blair. He was a fighter… Read More
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Have you ever had a “lightbulb” moment? For me, these moments literally have a golden glow about them in my memories. These are the moments I know are from God. These moments are where He lights the path and leads the way. The Olive Press, my business born out of a “lightbulb” moment, has its own kind of glow. This is the kind of glow you can feel as soon as you walk in the door, and it’s because of the people. This kind of glow is the kind that only comes from Jesus changing your life. And in His grace,… Read More