Drugs, Prison & Second Chances

Michael Carroll talks about how from a young age he was carrying around a lot of guilt and shame in life. The trauma that he and his sister went through as children caused Michael to become a very angry young man. He started smoking weed as a teenager and was looking for different ways to numb the pain in his life. At age 16 he became very rebellious, moved away from home and started selling drugs with his friends. Michael eventually got sent to prison which became a turning point in his life, in prison he surrendered his life completely to the Lord and started reading a Bible and getting to know God. Today Michael is serving in ministry and is passionate about sharing a message of hope and deliverance to other people who come from different broken situations.

Overcoming the storms of life

Toronto native, Cheryl Nembhard is an award winning Filmmaker, Playwright and Director who continues to make her mark in the Arts & Entertainment Industry. On Saturday I had the privilege to listen to Cheryl Nembhard speak at the Women's Conference at my church. Cheryl has an amazing story about overcoming pain and hurt in her life and finding freedom and healing through God. Cheryl Nembhard had a very difficult childhood. She was sexually molested by a family friend from the age of 5-12 and as a teenager she had become a very angry and bitter young woman because of all the pain she had gone through. Cheryl joined a criminal gang as a teenger which became a place for her to express her anger.

One day Cheryl was brutally raped by a group of young men and this experience left her completely broken. Cheryl later ended up living on the streets for periods of time and was rescued by the love of God through a street evangelist. The street evangelist would talk to Cheryl as she was living on the street and although Cheryl found him annoying he always reminded her of one thing: " You can run but you can't hide, from God's love for you."

Cheryl eventually decided to visit a church and when she became a Christ-follower she was able to heal from all the pain and hurt she had been carrying around for years. Today Cheryl is very successful in the Entertainment Industry, she is married and has three children. Cheryl is now using her story and her painful past to bring help, hope and healing to other people through her films and musicals and through speaking about God's love at different events.

Cheryl Nembhard talked about how we can overcome the storms in our life at the Women's Conference and I will share some of her tips in this post. Here's two of my favorite quotes by Cheryl:
"Hurt and pain unchecked will manifest into anger and bitterness."

"Do not mistake the presence of a storm in life for the absence of God in your life. He is with you and he will guide you through it."

Cheryl Nembhard talked about how each one of us will face many different types of storms during a lifetime. A life without hardships is a fairytale, it doesn't exist in this world. Storms will come but our God promises that He will be with us in the storm. The book of Isaiah talks about how much we mean to God and how much he loves us.

“Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you.

I’ve called your name. You’re mine.

When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you.

When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down.

When you’re between a rock and a hard place,

    it won’t be a dead end—

Because I am God, your personal God,

    The Holy of Israel, your Savior.

I paid a huge price for you:

    all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!

That’s how much you mean to me!

    That’s how much I love you!

I’d sell off the whole world to get you back,

    trade the creation just for you."

Isaiah 43:2-4 (The Message)

Cheryl Nembhard also talked about how important it is that we check our posture in the midst of a storm. The "Why me"-posture will never lead to flourishing or to freedom in our lives. Instead we can ask God: "What would you have me learn through this storm?" Storms make great teachers. There is a lesson in every storm. Storms teach us about God, about ourselves and about other people. You will learn more about God than you ever did before during a storm. Storms can tell you what needs to be removed from your life and what areas you need to work on. Storms will show you who your friends are, you will notice who is for you and who disappears when your life gets difficult.

Storms will teach you valuable lessons about life but they will also make you a teacher to others. Once God has brought you through something very difficult you can use your story to help and encourage other people. You can now become "a lighthouse" to others.

You're Gonna Be Ok

I know it's all you've got to just be strong
And it's a fight just to keep it together
I know you think that you are too far gone
But hope is never lost
Hope is never lost

Hold on, don't let go
Hold on, don't let go
Put one foot in front of the other
Just take one step closer
Just follow the light in the darkness
You'll get through this
You're gonna be ok

Love in Action

On this beautiful sunny Thursday morning I started my day with a huge cup of coffee and by reading three chapters in the book of Romans. I wanted to share one of my favorite passages in chapter 12 called "Love in Action".

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." 
Romans 12: 9-18 (NIV)

These are beautiful words to live by, and every time I read this passage I become aware of how none of these things come naturally for me. I naturally want to hate those who persecute me, I don't want to bless them. When someone does something evil to me I naturally want to repay them with evil. "Live in harmony with each other", isn't that what we all say we want? We say we want peace on Earth but I don't think we rally mean what we say, because we don't want to honor other people above ourselves and give up "the right" to repay evil with evil. I think we all want peace on Earth, but do we ever think about what that really means?

I think most of us want others to do what is right, while we ourselves get to pick and choose and mix it up by doing a few things right and a few things wrong. I don't know about you but if I'm totally honest I do not want peace on Earth most days of my life. I like the idea of "peace on Earth", but I don't like what that will require out of me. A couple of weeks ago somebody hurt me deeply, do you think I wanted to forgive this person? The answer would be NO! What I wanted to do was kick this person in the stomach, and if I was 4-years-old that's probably what I would have done, but I knew the right thing to do was to forgive and move on. I've worked with kids for many years and we all know what happens when one child hits the other, the child will hit back. What happens next is that the fight continues until an adult gets involved. The question is: Do we ever really grow out of this behavior? We might stop hitting each other with our fists but we continue to act the same way with our words.

As a new Christian I had this idea that Jesus obviously had many wise things to say but that there was no need for me to follow everything that The Bible teaches. I liked the idea of picking out the parts that I liked and leaving the rest, like a nice buffet. I think most new Christians will start out like this, but what I realized over time was that the only way my life was going to flourish was if I applied the whole teaching to my life. Picking to follow only the parts of The Bible that I personally preferred ended up not producing much change in my life. I hear many pastors say: "Knowing The Bible won't change your life, the change comes when you apply it to your life." 

It would be awesome if we could continue to repay evil with evil and then get peace on Earth as a result of that, think about how much easier it would be to live like that! The truth is that peace requires us to give up what produces the opposite of peace, here's a few of those things: trying to get your own way all the time, cutthroat competition, all consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants, a brutal temper, an impotence to love or be loved, the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival etc. I love how the book of Galatians describes what happens when we choose to live life according to God's way instead:

"But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely."
Galatians 5:22-23 (The Message)

As I read Galatians 5:22-23 all I can think is "I want to live like that!" We don't have to teach our children to hit each other, they will do it naturally. I don't have to teach myself to be selfish, to hate or envy, these things come naturally, but I can choose another way to live. I want to choose the life of the Spirit.

"Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original."
Galatians 5:25-26 (The Message)

Four women I follow on Instagram

Who we follow on social media will influence us in one way or another. I like to follow some celebrities on social media because it's fun to see what they are doing, but my favorite group of people to follow are people who can inspire hope, perseverance, faith and compassion in me. Julia Veach, Christine Caine, Sarah Jakes Roberts and Jennie Lusko are four women whose instagram accounts always leave me feeling inspired and hopeful about life after each visit.


Julia Veach (@juliaveach)

Julia Veach lives in Los Angeles, CA with her husband Chad Veach and their three children, together they run Zoe Church in LA. Julia has a daughter who has a rare medical condition.


Christine Caine (@christinecaine)

Christine Caine is married to Nick Caine and they have two daughters. Christine and Nick are the founders of The A21 Campaign that fight human trafficking and works to free women from sex slavery in many different countries around the world.


Sarah Jakes Robets (@sarahjakesroberts)

Sarah Jakes Roberts is married to Toure and has three children, two girls and one boy. Sarah is a pastor and an author. I love the wisdom Sarah shares on her instagram page, here's one quote: "Closure is not a moment between two people. It's demanding yourself to stop reliving your history & let go of the "what ifs."


Jennie Lusko (@jennielusko)

Jennie Lusko is married to Levi Lusko and they have four daughters, Alivia, Daisy, Clover and Lenya, who is in heaven. Jennie and Levi run Fresh Life Curch in Montana. Jennie also writes a blog at: mrslusko.com

Lost and Found: Finding Hope in the Detours of Life

Sarah Jakes had big dreams and hopes for her future but after a series of bad choices she found herself in a place in life where nobody wants to be. When Sarah's marriage ended after a lot of hurt and rejection she could have let her pain dictate her future, but instead she chose to use her story to help others find healing and redemption in life. Sarah Jakes shares her story in a very honest and vulnerable way in her book "Lost and Found: Finding Hope in the Detours of Life". Sarah's story offers hope and encouragement and reminds us that no matter how lost we feel in life we can be found again.

Through All Of It

I love that Colton Dixon decided to include people's life stories in the music video to his song "Through All Of It". It's amazing what we can make it through in life as long as we don't loose hope and stay close to God. Life won't be easy, but if we don't give up we will make it out on the other side of each storm stronger than ever.

How do you get through really hard stuff in life, like someone trying to murder you, cancer, eating disorder, or a death in the family? The people included in this video share their very personal stories.

Monday Night is Date Night

My husband and I had our weekly Date Night on Monday evening. We had a very enjoyable dinner at Moxie's. I had their Mango Chicken and it was amazing! Taking time for Date Nights is quite easy for us during this stage in life since we don't have any kids yet. We never imagined that we would be celebrating four years of marriage and still not have any children, but life doesn't always go the way we expected. I used to be very frustrated when things didn't go according to my perfect five year plan but I'm becoming better and better at trusting life and letting go of trying to control everything.

There's and upside and downside to every stage in life and every challenge in life can teach us something, although personal growth can often be both annoying and painful. The great benefit of this stage in life is that my husband and I have a lot of time for each other and can have a Date Night on a Monday which would probably not happen if we had little kids at home. On the other hand, the constant struggle is staying positive while we wait for that stork (who is supposed to bring our baby) to find our address.

Patience, faith and hope goes a long way. I believe that 2016 is the year when things will start to turn around for us, and who knows, a year from now we might be at home with our child/children helping them with their homework.

The Storm Inside

We all face storms in life. These storms many times devastate us and leave us torn apart and beyond recognition. Heartbreak. Fear. Regret. Insecurity. Shame. When these emotions well up inside you, it's difficult to believe you will make it through. We have an enemy who says you will not survive this one.

But God offers us a way through the storm. In The Storm Inside, we'll look at the stories of eight women of the Bible who traveled the path from shame to love, from disappointment to hope, from insecurity to courage, from despair to faith, and more. We'll get to know them as real people and see how God came through for each of them. We'll see the crucial choices they made, and we'll lay hold of the grace that forgives what is past, gives strength for the present moment, and offers hope for the future.

Join Sheila in this eight-session video-based Bible study of eight women of the Bible, whose stories still speak today, encouraging you that God is faithful enough to get you through the worst storms in life.

Sessions include:
1. From Shame to Love
2. From Disappointment to Hope
3. From Fear to Joy
4. From Heartbreak to Strength
5. From Regret to Rest
6. From Insecurity to Confidence
7. From Insignificance to Courage
8. From Despair to Faith


You can buy "The Storm Inside" by Sheila Walsh as a book, audiobook or DVD Study at www.chapters.indigo.ca

Shift Your Perspective

Christine Caine shares a bit about her story in this video. Christine grew up in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Sydney, Australia and as an adult she found out the shocking news that she had been adopted at birth. She had been left unnamed and unwanted in the hospital as an infant and her adoptive parents had chosen not to tell her that she was adopted. Christine was also sexually abused for twelve years of her life. Christine's painful childhood left her filled with hurt, anger, shame and hopelessness. She became a Christian in her early twenties which would change her life radically, her life went from being hopeless to a life filled with hope, purpose and destiny.


As we look at the world around us today it's easy to feel hopeless and become afraid of the future. Christine Caine talks about how we can either focus on our current circumstances or we can choose to shift our perspective and zoom in on the things that are right in our lives and in our world. If we choose to be grateful for the things that are right in our marriages for example, rather than to focus on what is not yet the way we would like it to be, it will change how we feel about our lives. When we stir up the gift of faith we have within us and get our eyes set on Jesus we can find hope in the midst of hopelessness.

Overcoming hopelessness

Nick Vujicic knows all about feeling hopeless and having no dreams of a better future. Nick was only 10 years old when he decided to commit suicide, but he changed his mind. Nick gives a powerful TED talk about how the encouragement and love from his parents plus his faith has kept him alive and thriving despite being born with no arms and legs.


Nick has found his purpose and is using his whole life to inspire and encourage millions of people around the world who are feeling hopeless. We all have a choice to make, we can stay angry and grieve what we don't have or we can be grateful for what we do have and use our situation to help someone else.

Julia's Story

Julia Jakus had a very chaotic childhood that was filled with pain and abuse. Julia felt very lonely growing up and became depressed as child. She later developed an eating disorder, became addicted to drugs and had suicidal thoughts. She was in and out of psychiatric hospitals and treatment programs for many years.

Julia lacked hope in life and was afraid of what was going to happen to her. One day Julia decided that she was no longer going to try to do life her own way because it wasn't working, she became aware of her need for God. Today Julia has found hope, freedom and a new life. She knows that her purpose in life is to tell her story and help others, to tell them that no matter how broken they feel they can have hope restored and a new life.

Under pressure

What should we do when we are under pressure in life? What should we do when things don´t go as we planned in life? It´s easy to become fearful and loose hope when the pressure of life hits us. Life is full of different kinds of pressure; relationships, career, finances or when things don´t go as we planned. This week I´m still in Scandinavia so I decided to listen to a Swedish sermon online. Pastor Josef Barkenbom gives us a few tips on what to do when we are under pressure in life.

1) Don´t be surprised when the pressures come in life.

The more you live life right the more people will come against you. In fact, if nobody is against you or you are experiencing no pressure at all in life you might not be doing very much with your life. Take the pressure against you as a sign that you are doing something right because following your passion or fighting for what is right never comes easy. When you are working towards something that is good and right there will always be people trying to hold you back.

2) Stay comitted to the right things in life and learn to be flexible with the right things in life.

Although it´s sometimes really difficult to accept changes in life it will become harder if we hang on to soemthing that we can´t control, something that we know deep inside that has to change. Many things in life change and if we can learn to be a little more flexible when things don´t go as we planned we will also find the strength we need to go on.

God on the other hand, will never change, and if we continue to hold on to his promises we can find new strength from him. When we remeber all the good things God has already done for us in life we will be able to trust that he will take care of us also this time.

3) Lift your eyes

When life is hard it´s very easy to fix our eyes on the now and forget the joy that God has promised us in the future. If we lift our eyes from our circumstances and focus more on the big picture and on God we can find the strength to get through a difficult season in life. Jesus himself was able to endure all the pain of the cross because his eyes were fixed on the future joy that would come, he knew that although the pain was very difficult is was temporary. Learning to forgive others that has come against us is also an important part of being able to move on towards a brighter future.

Restoring a broken identity

These are the stories about four young women who went through really difficult things in life that left them broken and without hope. They all ended up with broken dreams and identities but God restored their identities and brought healing into their lives. Today these four women live to help others who are hurting.

My Story

I love hearing stories about people's faith journeys. It gives me so much hope when I hear about how God has picked people up from dark places in their lives and brought them back into the light. Everything is possible with God, he can change things that we cannot change on our own, knowing that gives me peace and hope for the future.


Remi's story is about what it can be like when your life falls apart in an instant and the struggles that comes from trying to make a life for yourself when you are missing a father figure. It's also a story about hope and about how God never leaves us alone, He is always there to guide us through life if we only choose to listen to his voice.