Stories through the Wilderness
The Power of Baptism
Baptism has always been more than a ritual to me—it’s a promise of freedom. When I was thirteen, standing in the small sanctuary of our family church, I didn’t yet understand what it meant to die to self. I thought faith was about being good, following rules, and staying strong. Years later, I’ve learned it’s about surrender—letting go of control, fear, and pride so that God can make something new from what’s been broken.
Dying to self isn’t losing who we are; it’s finding freedom in who we were always meant to be.
Meeting Jesus in a Teenage Girl’s Diary
Sometimes God meets us in the simplest moments — a quiet summer afternoon, a well-worn book, a whisper beneath the trees. For me, it was through the pages of Diary of a Teenage Girl that faith became personal. That story led me to pray my first honest prayer and begin a lifelong relationship with Jesus. What started as a child’s search for peace became the seed of salvation that still shapes my life today — proof that God can use even the smallest stories to call us home.
The Invisible Burden of Growing Up in Two Worlds
Growing up between two worlds — one built on faith and structure, the other marked by addiction and chaos — left me carrying invisible burdens I couldn’t name. I learned to read every room, please everyone, and survive by adapting. What I once thought was rebellion was really a child trying to feel safe. Years later, God revealed how those survival patterns could be transformed into empathy, compassion, and purpose. Healing hasn’t meant erasing the past — it’s meant letting Him redeem it, one tender layer at a time.
The Red-Headed Stepchild
Growing up between two homes — one built on faith and structure, the other on chaos and survival — I learned early what it meant to live in the tension of love and brokenness. Yet even in those divided spaces, God was quietly planting seeds of faith that would one day take root. The Red-Headed Stepchild is the first chapter of my Faith Story Series — a story of belonging, redemption, and the God who never stopped pursuing me, even when I felt lost between two worlds.
Hineni — Here I Am
We all face seasons that feel like wilderness—lonely, uncertain, and full of questions. Yet even there, God is near. Hineni means “Here I am,” a simple, wholehearted response of faith and surrender. This post shares how God met me in my own wilderness—through addiction, grief, and redemption—and how His light continues to guide each step. If you’ve ever felt lost, this is a reminder that your story isn’t over. The wilderness may shape you, but it will not define you.
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We aren’t meant to journey through the wilderness alone—your voice matters here.