The Story

Many who know Jesus remember life before him and life after. I truly can't remember a time that I did not know Him. Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, early 60's, to working class strict-but-loving parents, I and my younger brother were introduced to Jesus by our Dad's Mother, Grandma Nina (pronounced 9 - Ah) Bell, who watched us while our parents worked. She read us the Bible, taught us to pray, helped us memorize verses.  Holy Spirit through her, instilled a deep, true and loving relationship in my life with the Lord, Jesus Christ.

At 5, our parents moved us to California. Our parents could never agree on a church, so we did not attend one. UNTIL, 4th grade - enter my best friend, Lisa, who brought me to church.  I could not get enough. I went through Sunday School, Confirmation, eventually Baptism and became a member of the church as a teen. 

In my early 20's I'd met and married the most wonderful Robert and we began, what became our wonderful family. 

Once our children were raised, in my 40's I began learning about prayer and praying with people - I loved seeing Jesus do what only he can and grew even closer to Him! 

In my 50's, my church started a Celebrate Recovery. I was asked to help (felt the Lord wanted me to).  Little did I know it would be one of the most life changing shifts in my understanding of myself and the Lord Jesus Christ. Me helping turned out to be Christ mercifully helping me shed terrible things that were hurting and binding me that I had no awareness of.  I found out I was scared of rejection, a people pleaser and used helping other people to feel good about me. God kindly, gently and lovingly peeled back my outer veneer to show me the horrifying truth of my truly sinful self, but then He did not leave me there alone in shame, but, helped me learn how to walk out life, handing over these things to Him (who died for them) and  how to receive, instead, His abundant freedom and real Life!  That was and is the most wonderful thing that I'm still, thankfully learning and doing. Being able to breathe be real about me and at the same time know that I am deeply loved and to love Jesus even more than I ever thought possible. My whole life, after Jesus.