Life Story
I grew up in a secure and loving Christ-centered home. I am the oldest of five kids, and growing up was blessed to have parents that loved the Lord and continually point my siblings and I to Christ. I was homeschooled by my mom alongside my four younger siblings from Kindergarten–12th grade. I gave my life to the Lord when I was 5 years old, and soon after I was saved, I began to believe the lie that as a believer the Lord expected and required me to be perfect. I recognized that my salvation was not by works, but I believed the lie that once I was saved it became all about works.
One of my biggest fears as a kid was that God regretted sending His Son to save me, because I thought I was not living up to His expectations of me. I thought I was a failure in God's eyes. This lead me to a place throughout my childhood where I would hide all my mistakes and sin, and was constantly striving for the Lord’s and others’ approval. I was able to white-knuckle my way through middle school and the first two years of high school, by trying to do and say all the right things. But once I got to my junior year of high-school, things began to fall apart in almost every area of my life. During my last two years of high school I realized how out of control I was and that terrified me.
A year after I graduated from high school, God, in His kindness, led me to the Institute program at Citybridge Community Church. I came into the program believing a lot of lies about God and carrying shame over my past mistakes and sin, but God met me there, and through His Word, Spirit, and people, He showed me who He actually is—merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. During this year, the Lord set me free from so many of the lies I had been living under my entire life, and He gave me a new love for Himself and a passion for ministry. And I am beyond excited to get to live out this passion at The Village Church.
Hope for The Village Church
I hope and pray we would be a body of believers, who daily seek to see the Lord more clearly, and reflect His glory and goodness to our lost and hopeless world.