Category: Encouragement

The darkness will not overwhelm the Light

The darkness will not overwhelm the Light

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For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. (Isaiah 41: 13)

“The darkness will not overwhelm You, but sometimes it can overwhelm us. Give Sara your strength and perfect peace. Send your angels to surround her and help her escape to the place where you want to plant her feet.” – Pastor Gerry, St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, England.

The first time I was approached by a recruiter on LinkedIn and invited to apply for my current position, I knew this company wasn’t one I could support. I initially turned the recruiter down as I had no desire to proceed. 

And yet here I am. 

I sometimes wonder how any of this happened. How could I have accepted a position in a place that seemed counter to my beliefs? Was I fooled, misguided, led astray, beguiled, or just foolish? 

After being approached by the recruiter again, I wondered if God wanted me there to bring His Light into the darkness. “Maybe I’m supposed to be in this role for a specific reason or purpose,” I told my husband, David. 

And so I applied – and prayed. If this isn’t what I should do, Lord, shut the door. Instead of shutting it, He blew the door right off the hinges. 

From my first interview, I testified about my faith. “I am a Christian,” I told my boss when she asked me to talk about my spiritual journey. “My faith is everything to me. It’s who I am.” I rejoiced at that testimony, knowing that no matter what happened, I had been unashamed to stand for Christ. 

I testified again to my boss before signing the agreement to work for my employer. “There are lines I can’t cross,” I explained. “I cannot offer any praise, honor, or adoration to any deity other than to God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. To do so would be blasphemy to me.” 

“I understand,” came the response. “I completely respect that.” 

And yet she doesn’t. Every day, I’m unhappy – with the job, the lifestyle, and the culture. Every day since I started, this job has been wrong for me – on multiple levels. 

After drawing that first line, my boss introduced me to a former missionary, Mark, who told me how he’d met the billionaire funding this enterprise – along with his wife, the CEO. He said that he liked and admired them. He is also fully funded by them, as well.

“Their wealth burdens them,” Mark explained. “They feel compelled to ‘do good’ with it. If I had to comment on their beliefs, I’d say they are misguided. I could also say that they are not moving in the direction that I prefer. Still, I have no qualms about their sincerity.”

Mark’s description might be the worst depiction of lost souls I’ve ever heard. “Not moving in the direction that I prefer”? Just wow. 

I’ve long suspected that Mark’s heart is not as burdened at the idolatry and spiritualism in all this as I am since he told me he’s known, worked with, and bound his organization to these philanthropists for financial reasons for years. Knowing and working with them is one thing. It’s quite another to attend their annual 2-week retreat and participate in their energy transference sessions, which Mark has done. That’s something I could never do.

Mark’s wife, he admitted, believes the organization is a cult. She is not happy with his involvement. I think he’s compromised his faith due to his shared business involvement with them since they are his corporation’s only financial backer.

What I know is that this company’s culture is entirely pagan. In addition to partnering with so-called Christian mystics who believe in reincarnation and clairvoyant healers who believe in energy transference, placing giant stones on the land and crystals throughout their offices to supposedly “transfer and receive energy,” practicing meditation sessions that involve bringing one’s “Divine Self” into one’s body, and asking “permission” from the woods before entering it, they also house a spiritual “school of consciousness” on a European property that trains future spiritualists to facilitate their practices. 

The executive director of this school notes in her biography that she is the daughter of a “full-trance medium” while wholly acknowledging that one needs “protection” during their practices. In her own words, “Old world teachers and occultists are reborn in this setting.” The more I learn, the more I know I need to get away from all of this.

While researching this school, I discovered a recorded meditation that validated everything I believed about their ungodly mindset. What I saw and heard shocked me with its mockery of God’s divinity. 

In one video, the spiritual “guide” – the school’s founder – leads listeners to “Follow the beam of Light that is anchored in your heart up into the greater source above you. Know that you are in a body of matter, and you are also a source of Light.”

“Here, in the center of the earth, you’ll find the ‘I am,'” explained the guide. “Bring the ‘I am’ up from the earth, through your inner beam of Light, and out into the heavens.”

I couldn’t listen any further – research or no research. What I’d heard was blasphemy against God, the one and only “I am” – as repeatedly referenced throughout scripture. The below references offer only a few examples of this:

  • “I am El-Shaddai — ‘God Almighty.'” (Genesis 17:1)
  • “I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.” (Exodus 3:14)
  • And God said to Moses, “I am Yahweh — ‘the Lord.'” (Exodus 6:2)
  • “Be still and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” (Psalm 46:10)
  • Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. (Isaiah 41:10
  • “I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise with carved idols.” (Isaiah 42:8)
  • I, yes I, am the Lord, and there is no other Savior. (Isaiah 43:11)
  • “From eternity to eternity I am God. No one can snatch anyone out of my hand. No one can undo what I have done.” (Isaiah 43:13)
  • This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer and Creator: “I am the Lord, who made all things.” (Isaiah 44:24)
  • “Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me.” (Isaiah 46:9)
  • “I, yes I, am the one who comforts you. So why are you afraid of mere humans, who wither like the grass and disappear?” (Isaiah 51:12)
  • “For I am the Lord! If I say it, it will happen.” (Ezekiel 12:25)
  • “I am the Lord, and I do not change.” (Malachi 3:6)
  • Jesus answered, “I am. And in the future, you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of God, the Powerful One, and coming on clouds in the sky.” (Mark 14:62)
  • “I am the light of the world. The person who follows me will never live in darkness but will have the light that gives life.” (John 8:12)
  • Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I am!” (John 8:58)
  • Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me will have life even if they die. (John 11:25)
  • Jesus answered, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. The only way to the Father is through me.” (John 14:6)
  • “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” (John 14:11)
  • The Lord God says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega. I am the One who is and was and is coming. I am the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8)

And yet, the people I work with believe they can find the “I am” in themselves, the earth below them, and the heavens. Such a thing can never be. There is only one “I am.” He is the God of all creation. You can’t find God by visualizing yourself bringing Him into your body – which is what these pagan teachings suggest. Only through accepting Jesus Christ as one’s Lord and Savior can anyone experience the true “I am.”

In hindsight, Mark was correct when he said, “You are jumping right into the deep end. You’re like Jonah entering Nineveh.” 

Ironically, Mark’s timing was nearly spot-on, too. Only a few months into my job, I traveled to the U.K. for work while my daily Bible reading led me to travel into the biblical Nineveh. Mark’s words reflected in my mind while I was there. 

I’d dreaded the trip from the first time I learned about it. I knew it would be a mental and spiritual journey, and I was right. I hadn’t been under such work duress since I traveled to France while working as the assistant to a university president eight years ago. 

With only a few hours of sleep on the overnight flight to London, I was expected to remain sunny, bright, and constantly social as we met with our U.K. counterparts for an afternoon ice skating activity that quickly became the living embodiment of my social awkwardness. The drinking began as everyone (but me) gushed over how much they loved the company. It started early, at 3:30 pm, with much imbibing of mulled wine and cocktails over the next several hours. 

London’s ice skating rink at Somerset House – surrounded by the King’s College campus.

This practice continued in earnest at the “winter party” the following evening – a party we had traveled across the ocean to attend. Apart from the cocktails, the steady stream of refilled wine glasses before, during, and after dinner rendered everyone (but me and perhaps one or two others) completely inebriated – as was evidenced by a video later circulated in our company’s group text. 

Fortunately, I strategically extracted myself from this dinner when the laughter and boisterous behavior turned into exuberant dancing. Seeing my boss move to the restroom and another team member to the cloakroom, I grabbed my coat, mouthing “thank you” to our hostess and waving goodbye while walking as fast as I could out of the exit. 

Later that evening, I dared to open the gift bags we’d been presented earlier. Amidst the bottle of champagne and notepad I received, there was a book of the Spiritual Poems of Rumi. With curiosity, I skimmed the book to determine if it was as unfettered as I presumed it would be. 

It was. 

Muhammad Balkhi Rumi was an Afghani mystic who lived between 1207-1244. During his lifetime, he served as an Islamic scholar and teacher, writing 65,000 verses – many of which were quatrains. 

A sample page from The Spiritual Poems of Rumi that was provided to me as a gift from my employer.

Some of these poems are Rumi’s exposition on the meaninglessness of life. Others speak of death and his belief that the afterlife is nothing more than a return to the collective universe, as is evidenced in his poem, Again my soul: 

the day my soul 
begins the journey
to the skies
is the day 
my body is scattered
all over the earth 
but if you write
“rise” in the ground 
with your finger 
I’ll jump out of the earth
and my body 
again will come to life

With these crazy thoughts – seemingly embraced by my company – swirling in my head, I began our next day’s venture.  

Saturday was our last day in the U.K. Our team had planned to partake in a tour of London together via a city Hop On Hop Off bus. Only 3 of the 13 people invited to participate joined me in seeing the city after the prior night’s festivities. 

A double-decker tour bus waits outside St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.

About 45 minutes into the tour, the bus stopped at St. Paul’s Cathedral, and I knew I needed to get off. It was here that I parted with my group to experience this beautiful church. After two days of associating with New Agers, I was more than ready to be in a place where I felt comfortable – God’s house.

St. Paul’s Cathedral exterior, London, England.

Upon entering the cathedral, I discovered I’d have to pay an entrance fee of 25 British Pounds to tour the sanctuary. Since I wanted to pray more than anything, I moved to the free chapel to the left of the main sanctuary. After beseeching my Heavenly Father to show me how to escape my job, a female chaplain entered the space, asking everyone what brought us to their church. 

The free chapel inside London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral, where I prayed during my trip.

When she came to me, I didn’t need to say much for her to sense the pain in my heart. She quickly moved into the pew beside me and invited me to talk. I poured out my heart to her.

Chaplain Gerry and I share a smile after she prayed with me in St. Paul’s Cathedral.

“Spiritual warfare is a powerful thing,” the chaplain began. “We need to continually ask God to give us strength even while we’re praying for His protection and guidance.” 

The chaplain, whose name I learned was Gerry, asked if she could pray for me. To my impassioned affirmation, she did so. 

Exterior front and side of St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, England.

“Guide Sara’s feet,” Gerry beseeched, “and show her where to plant them.” While Gerry petitioned God for my protection, she said something I’d never considered. “The darkness will never overwhelm You, [Lord], but it can overwhelm us.” 

What a beautiful reminder, I thought. I felt such strength, comfort, and relief from those words. My Savior is in control of everything. I am reminded of that fact every day. 

She could only smile when I told Gerry I’d been prayed over by a street preacher the night before and by chaplains at Samaritan’s Purse in Asheville, NC. I also explained how David and I met, which led her to ask, “What does your husband think about all this?” 

Me and the London street preachers that prayed with me during my visit.

“He told me to quit,” I replied. “As did the Samaritan’s Purse chaplain. I trust God, but it’s hard to think of quitting without another job waiting for me. I’ve never done that before.” 

“God will show you what to do,” she ended. 

I left the chapel with extreme gratitude, knowing that my Heavenly Father would continue to guide me.

The afternoon’s challenges continued as my tour bus never returned to pick up many of us who had hopped off to see Buckingham Palace. Darkness soon descended during the hour and a half we stood waiting in the cold. I knew then that I’d never return to the hotel in time for our group’s evening activities. 

After calling my boss and admitting the same, I began walking, seeking shelter from the frigid air. In addition to my distress at the bus never coming and the icy cold that had permeated my bones, I was flustered by the thought that my boss would perceive this as another failure. 

Throughout the journey, I sensed her frustration with me. I wasn’t participating. I didn’t have all the peripheral transportation items on her calendar that she wanted (a fact she texted to me while we were seated directly opposite one another during our first afternoon’s lunch).

And then there’s the fact that I couldn’t fake enthusiasm for a trip I didn’t want to be on while everyone else was excited to be there. In short, I felt angst at not performing well and realized I could never be myself at this job. 

On the last morning of our trip, I woke up with a new commitment to trust God wholeheartedly. I knew I could no longer say, “I trust God, but…”. I know I need to leave this role. It’s time for me to evidence trust with every ounce of my being – including believing that God will sustain me if I leave my job without another one already in place. 

“I do trust you, God,” I prayed that morning, tears streaming down my face. “I’m going to take that trust a step further and give this job to you. I will give my 2-week notice this week.” 

As validation of the rightness of this decision, I discovered that my boss had circulated a plan for our group to meet in January to hold a “team practice day.” Translation? She wants to facilitate an all-day activity with an “alignment meditation” as they do in the U.K. 

I previously determined that I’d never participate in one of these activities. After researching my work’s “Team Practice” page, I learned that the ideals espoused in these sessions are entirely humanistic and blasphemous. One of the alignment practices repeats the search for “The Light That I AM” that I discussed earlier in this post.

Meditative alignment practices detailed on my work’s Team Practice Page.

I’ve already found the “I AM.” He is GOD – my Heavenly Father, the Author and Finisher of everything. The Creator of all humanity is not someone I’m going to locate through the “magnetism of the earth and the current of light from the higher dimensions” that my work’s website details, nor can I breathe Him into myself of my own accord or find that the I AM is really me, myself, and I – as they seem to believe.

Instead, all I have to do is “Be still and know that I am God!” as Psalm 46:10 tells me. I have felt the presence of the Almighty I AM my entire life while my teammates are still searching for Him.

I cannot support cultural practices that are so far from God. I will no longer give any implied consent to their mindset and mission. I can now leave my job, knowing I’ve gone to Nineveh. I testified to thirteen people while I was there. I told anyone who would listen about how God brought David and I together, my surrender to my Heavenly Father, and my peace in knowing where I will go when God calls me home. All but one of these people walked away while I was talking. 

I have done my part. While I didn’t cry out in the streets as Jonah did, I now know I can leave, fulfilling my promise to stand for my faith in every possible way. It’s not up to us to save anyone. Only our Creator can do so. He just told us to obey whatever He tells us to do. 

Now is the time for me to trust that my Heavenly Father will lead me forward and that He will “place my feet where He wants them next,” as Chaplain Gerry said. That means I need to trust with my whole life – even without a safety net. While that thought frightens me beyond belief, it also fills me with peace. 

God is in control. I may never know the reason and purpose of why I was placed in this role – but that doesn’t matter. God does. I’ve done what He asked and lived out my faith in a pagan culture. I will now leave Him to move me as He chooses.

The darkness will never overwhelm the Light – and I pray it will never overwhelm me again. If it does, I will always remember this journey. 

For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. (Isaiah 41:13)

I surrender my fear, understanding, and control to you, Lord Jesus. I know you will help me. I surrender all. 

Show me the next thing

Show me the next thing

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Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word. (Psalm 119: 37)

Throughout my last few blogs, I’ve shared my moral dilemma in working for a company actively promoting things that oppose my faith. New Age thinking is not something I can ever embrace. There is no symmetry between this religious lifestyle and my Christian beliefs. While I could also say the same about much of what standard corporate cultures promote, I’ve never been pushed to participate in activities that go against what I believe– until now. The bottom line is this: I cannot and will not join in anything I perceive as ungodly – in and out of the workplace. My faith is non-negotiable.

I honestly thank God for giving me such a deep sense of discernment. The father of one of my team members is a chaplain with Samaritan’s Purse – an organization that is near and dear to my heart. I initially thought her participation with this organization gave it credibility. What I’ve seen, instead, is that she, too, follows this culture rather than anything Christian she might have been taught to believe.  While I wonder if she’s seen behind the curtain as much as I have, I also witnessed her wholehearted participation and adoration of everything being promoted. That thought saddens me.

Here are a few things I’ve learned about the people my organization is partnering with over the past few weeks:

  • My boss has close ties with and endorses a husband-and-wife team of psychotherapists who perform psychedelic therapy. This treatment uses hallucinogenic or psychedelic drugs, such as LSD, to treat mental disorders.
    • My org organized Holotropic Breathwork (HB) sessions between these therapists, local firefighters, and river guides who were assisting with the recovery of bodies after Hurricane Helene hit the western NC region.
    • According to VeryWellMind.com, HB involves quickening one’s breathing patterns to achieve an “altered state of consciousness (without using drugs).”
    • Some practitioners use HB as a “spiritual practice rather than a therapeutic one,” believing that “this technique moves you forward to higher consciousness.”
  • I recently learned that my executive’s best friend claims to be a clairvoyant and “transformational healer.” In addition to helping her start her own “Center,” my boss is bringing her friend to a “partner dinner” to introduce her to our founder. The practices followed at my executive’s friend’s site are those my boss is working to implement on our property.
    • Per this individual’s website, transformational healing involves shifting energies to “unravel faulty beliefs,” a practice designed to help one “better connect with the Self.”
    • These sessions promise to help one develop a “deeper connection with the Divine.”
    • Suggested readings from this person’s website include the following:
      • Brunke. D. Animal Voices, Animal Guides: Discover Your Deeper Self through Communication with Animals
      • Ammon-Wexler, J. Pineal Gland & Third Eye: Develop Your Higher Self
      • Monroe, R. Journeys Out of the Body
      • Targ, R. The Reality of ESP: A Physicist’s Proof of Psychic Abilities
      • Stone, M. When God Was a Woman
      • Jones & Pennick. History of a Pagan Europe
      • Christ, C. Rebirth of the Goddess: Finding Meaning in Feminist Spirituality
      • Bhava, S. Transgender spirituality: Man into Goddess
      • Leloup, J. The Gospel of Mary Magdalene
      • McColman, C. The Big Book of Christian Mysticism: The Essential Guide to Contemplative Spirituality
Crane placement of the 8-ton quartz crystal.
  • After Thanksgiving, my boss texted photos to our team of the 8-ton quartz crystal placed in the woods in the perceived “energy vortex” of the land.
    • This stone was purchased in South America and took 3 weeks to ship to the U.S. and several days to be delivered to the Center.
    • The placement was guided by an Ecuadorian partner who believed it should be hidden where no one can find it to provide the “best energy and protection” to the site.
    • It took a team of five people to maneuver the giant crane into the woods, lift the crystal, lower it into the crevice, and position it in its new home.
    • The crystal stands nearly 12 feet tall and approximately 8 feet across.
A team of workers guided the 8-ton quartz rock into the land’s “vortex.”
  • A few weeks ago, a local chef we hired to cook for our founder, when she visits Marshall, started to cry after speaking to the executive chef who cooks for our CEO in the U.K.
    • When asked why she was crying, she talked about how hard it has been for her to now live in what she classified as the “Bible-belt” after having lived in Miami for years.
    • I worked with this chef during my two-week interval on campus while she catered several on-site meals. I learned that she “meditates” while cooking to “transfer [her] energy” to the food.
    • The chef also told all of us that she travels with her boyfriend around the state, providing sweat lodges at local New Age fairs. Her partner is the lodge’s “spiritual leader” whose role is to “connect individuals to the natural world and the spiritual realm.” Per momentslog.com, “The lodge represents the womb of Mother Earth, and the stones symbolize the bones of the Earth. The steam represents the breath of the Creator, and the prayers and songs carry the intentions and messages of the participants to the spiritual realm.”
Final placement of the quartz crystal.

As you can well imagine, I oppose all of the above. During my time in this role, I’ve realized that I haven’t been myself since I started this job. I can’t encourage anyone, celebrate their activities, or speak the language of my peers. While I do my job well, the nature of this work and the building of this vision is not one I can ever support. Unlike my team members, who gush over how much love and contentment they feel in their positions, I operate in survival mode.

The only bright time in the past two months was during my two weeks on-site in NC when David drove up so the two of us could serve with Samaritan’s Purse (SP) again. The base camp where we met our fellow believers was none other than the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove, located in Asheville, NC. Driving onto this land that trains countless Christians to stand for their faith felt like coming home.

David and I were excited to assist Samaritan’s Purse after meeting our team at the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove in Asheville, NC.

“These are my people,” I told David after seeing the familiar orange shirts of our fellow SP volunteers.

Our first day of volunteering took us to the home of a disabled woman who was raising her three grandchildren after her daughter died a few years ago. Their modular home had flooded during Hurricane Helene, so they were living in a rented trailer after spending the previous month in a local shelter. Her experience with the minimal shelter food and the dangerous aspects of living in this communal space shocked me. While she was there, she witnessed a policeman nearly shoot a dog that lunged at the officer while he was near her and her grandchildren.

The house across from where we were assisting Samaritan’s Purse in Fletcher, NC, had to be completely destroyed after being moved off its base by floodwaters caused by Hurricane Helene.

She also confessed to feeling afraid as several men dressed as women who were also living in the space started staring at her grandchildren – even following them into the public restrooms. The experience made her grateful to be home and reminded me of all the comforts I often take for granted.

While helping this needy mother and grandmother, we facilitated the total clean-out and gutting of her home to assist in salvaging whatever we could for her.

A familiar debris-pile soon formed outside this modular home, whose interior was completed destroyed by Hurricane Helene flooding.

During our lunch break, one of my fellow SP team members introduced herself to us. Shortly after she did so, I asked her to pray for my peace of mind regarding my job situation. After explaining the predicament I now find myself in, my sister-in-Christ objectively stated that my “presence helps [my employer] feel better about what they’re doing.” After talking, we prayed for my wisdom to know what to do and continued our work.

Flooding caused the floor tiles to buckle and nearly all belongings to be ruined in this Fletcher, NC, home.

Later in the day, SP Rapid Response Team chaplains stopped by to visit the homeowner and site. As they walked by me, one asked how I was doing. That was the only prompting I needed to share all that weighed heavily on my heart. After we prayed, the chaplain told me he didn’t need to advise me on handling this situation.

Despite severe flooding, an angel statue still watches over the back yard of this Fletcher, NC, home.

“I can see how much this is troubling you,” he said. “I believe you already know what to do. I think you should quit and trust all of this to God.” When I explained that I never quit without another job lined up, he said he’d continue praying for me. “You can serve God anywhere,” he said. “You don’t have to put yourself through all this to share His light with others.”

After the chaplain left, I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. We came to minister to others, and instead, I was ministered to! The whole experience left me feeling uplifted and encouraged.

I’ve since prayed with our pastor in VA Beach and continued to surrender and petition God for His help.

I now know that I need to leave my current role. I’m praying hard that my heavenly Father will open the right door for me to go where He wants me to be next. I’ve applied for a position with my former employer and continue sending out resumes nearly daily. I trust my Savior to lead me and know He will – in His time.

This abandoned car’s seats, floor, and interior remain caked with mud when flood waters receded following Hurricane Helene.

Mid-December, I’m scheduled to travel to the U.K. with the rest of my U.S.-based team, where we are to participate in an abridged “team practice” day, followed by a Winter Party hosted by our founder. While I know I should be excited by this prospect, I dread it. I’m now praying that God will give me the right words to say at the right time to testify to my faith, whatever it costs me.

In the meantime, I’ll repeat: my faith is non-negotiable. All the way, my Savior leads me. I know He is with me every step of the way. I am confident that all of this will lead to an even more extensive testimony on my part. I am ready to reflect His light and love where I am and wherever He leads me.

David and I share a smile near the Samaritan’s Purse truck we worked from in Fletcher, NC.

I am never alone, nor are any of us. With God at our side, we can conquer any mountain – or even those who think the mountain’s energy comes from strategically placed rocks. God is in control of all of it. I am ready to do whatever God chooses to be the next thing in my life. 

Show me the next thing, Lord Jesus.

The conscience clause

The conscience clause

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You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. (James 4:4)

In today’s world, we are consistently asked to be tolerant of the beliefs of others. Unfortunately, tolerance seldom extends to those who have strong Christian beliefs. Instead, we are often told that Christianity is bigoted, intolerant, unloving, and discriminatory. Worse yet, Christians are consistently pushed to co-exist with other faiths. Even Pope Francis recently told a group of students that “all religions are a path to God.” I couldn’t disagree more.

Jesus said, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'” (John 14:6) I don’t know about you, but I will always heed Christ’s words before following anyone else’s guidance – even the Pope’s.

Jesus further instructed us to “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate, and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

In my last post, I expressed my thoughts regarding how challenging it is for me to be pushed into New Age practices, including guided meditation, yoga, and spiritual banter, including talk of energy transference and “listening to the land.” If my faith was not so strong, perhaps I could go along with and participate in any of these activities or discussions without it meaning anything to me. It is, therefore, I can’t. Of additional consideration is the all-consuming, participatory expectation of this environment.

Throughout my career, I’ve grown accustomed to corporate offerings residing on a different level than the one in which my faith exists. Social activism, DEI initiatives, CRT training, and all things Pride and LGBTQ+ have become the norm in every environment I’ve ever worked in. These ideals regularly exist as part of the secular culture in today’s world. The one big difference between my former workplaces and where I am now is that no one ever made such activities and thoughts a mandatory part of my work.

This company is different. I’ve come to understand that embracing the spirituality of my new employment is the “mission” – which is not something I can ever do. In fact, my boss just told me to invite every on-site employee to a somatic yoga session she’s hosting while our CEO is in town. She balked when I suggested making some of our maintenance team members optional. “If you make them optional, they won’t come,” she told me. “I want everyone there. You’re the only exception since you won’t be in town.” It couldn’t be any plainer than that.

Fortunately, my Christian ideals will not allow me to fake acceptance of this culture. Instead, it has become oppressive to me. I use the word “fortunate” to describe my position, as there is a comfort in knowing that my faith is mightier than my workplace survival instincts.

I don’t think in terms of gray regarding faith and spirituality – nor does the Word of God. The Ten Commandments are unflinching rules given to humanity by our Creator. They are not suggestions.

Ephesians 6:16 tells us to “take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” I’ve been under significant spiritual attack since accepting this job. The devil has been shooting arrows at me since I first considered this role. While I initially believed God wanted me to walk through this door, I now think it was the devil who opened it. He knows he can’t steal my salvation, but he has tampered with my joy. I’m in a great time of testing to stay patient and focused on my Savior – despite the demonic attacks that are plaguing me.

Tolerance is one of the deadliest arrows in Satan’s arsenal. He uses it to water down the Gospel and confuse those not entrenched in His word. After all, what could sound more aspirational than tolerance? Isn’t it something we should all seek? Won’t tolerance bring more souls to Christ?

I’m afraid not. You see, God’s Word is incontrovertible. It’s also hard, at times, and we don’t always understand it.

But that’s okay. God is God. His power, dominion, and sovereignty are irrefutable. We shouldn’t want Him to be more acceptable to us. Instead, we should continually strive to do all we can to honor and revere His authority over us and all creation.

God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. That thought gives me comfort. I want assurance in knowing that my Heavenly Father controls everything. I’ll say it again: God is in control of everything. That means that since He created us, He also knows what’s best for us and loves us with everlasting love. Nothing could ever be more significant or formidable than that.

I honor, respect, and serve my Creator. He loved me before I was born. How can I not give every portion of my existence back to Him – including how I spend my days working on this earth?

I want my life to be pleasing to my Savior. God hates sin – with a passion. He told us that we should do the same. Here are just a few passages regarding this reality:

  • You must not live according to the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them. (Leviticus 20:23)
  • For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness; with you, evil people are not welcome. (Psalm 5:4)
  • I abhor the assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked. (Psalm 26:5)
  • Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for He guards the lives of His faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. (Psalm 97:10)
  • I will not look with approval on anything that is vile. I hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it. (Psalm 101:3)
  • If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. (1 John 1:6)
  • Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. (Ephesians 5:11)

That last verse has become one of my life verses. I’ve always been careful about who I associate with.1 Corinthians15:33 says, “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.'”  Shouldn’t this standard also apply to those I spend my workday with? Should the work I support be any different than the company I choose to spend my time after work with? I don’t believe so. Not if I can help it.

A week ago Sunday, our director of energetic net offerings shared photos of a place he frequently visits in the mountains called Amadell. The location is about an hour away from our organization’s land. Following his photo-send, the director shared two pages in a book called The Spiritual Reawakening of the Great Smoky Mountains by Page Bryant. In his message, my team member called the location a “place for deep rejuvenation and meditation,” claiming that “the energetic clarity of that place is world-class.”

The Great Smoky Mountains as seen from the trails of Amadell, NC.

He also offered to take our team on a “pilgrimage” to Amadell, remarking that “this sacred site is not to be missed.”

Bryant, Page. The Spiritual Reawakening of the Great Smoky Mountains. Mystic Mountain Center, 1994. P. 93.

Following the photos were two pages taken from this book – one of this director’s new “favorites.” Ironically, these passages provide a more accurate portrayal of how my coworkers think and talk than anything I could ever describe on my own.

Per Bryant, “When I viewed Shining Rock Mountain clairvoyantly, I ‘saw’ that the peak has an indwelling spirit force unlike any I have ever seen. This great Mountain Deva appears to have a sheer, transparent form with great white wings and a pale complexion. Its crystal-like eyes radiate pure light like prisms. I felt a powerful and ancient energy being emitted by this Deva, a sound that is similar to a shrill, high-pitched whistle.

“I also sensed a ‘presence’ at Cold Mountain. It was a Being who appeared wrapped in a silvery cocoon-like aura that glimmers in the light of the sun and moon. I also sensed the mountain sending out an audible vibration that sounded like the howling of wind and I felt very strongly that the wind spirits frequently center themselves around the area. Both Shining Rock Mountain and Cold Mountain are wonderful places for recharging yourself on every level: physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Crystal from Shining Rock (and the area surrounding it) would serve as a wonderful energy-giving sacred object when worn on the person, or when carried in a medicine bag, or held in the hand during ceremony. Physically, it would charge the body when one is experiencing low vitality. However, should you decide to take a small piece, remember to ask permission from the mountain first and leave an appropriate offering in its place.” (p. 94)[1]

Bryant, Page. The Spiritual Reawakening of the Great Smoky Mountains. Mystic Mountain Center, 1994. P. 94.

Before I go further, let me point out all the pagan references in the above passages.

  1. The author speaks of viewing the mountain “clairvoyantly “– meaning he was having an out-of-body experience at the time, or one in which he viewed things beyond his normal sensory perception.
  2. When Bryant refers to Cold Mountain as a “Deva,” he does not mean a prima donna or someone who thinks highly of themself. Per Symbolsage, “Devas are celestial beings that appear in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism. They are described as “complex beings, with varied powers and roles.”
  3. The crystal structure of Shining Rock Mountain is considered a “sacred object” by Bryant, with special powers that can be captured, if allowed by the mountain itself and retained by whoever is fortunate to obtain a piece of it.

All of this sounds eerily similar to my boss’s new belief we should also “ask permission before crossing the threshold” of the woods that fill our company’s land. While this New Age speech is something I’m becoming more accustomed to hearing, it never ceases to amaze me at its absurdity. Who am I asking permission from? The trees? The land? The spirits they believe exist in the space? Whatever they perceive, it’s all God – even if they can’t acknowledge His presence.

Last Wednesday, my boss emailed me and our general manager affirming her desire for our team to visit Amadell as part of the new monthly, all-day “practice” sessions she wants to begin – mirroring what our U.K. team does. I couldn’t even respond.

Today, I am covering all this with prayer – even as I’m actively working to escape from this environment.

In the meantime, if necessary, I will stand firm in my faith and enact a conscience clause over these directives. Like Jack Phillips, the Colorado baker who refused to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex couple years ago, or Kim Davis, the county clerk who denied marriage licenses for the same purpose, or Dr. Eithan Haim, the Texas whistleblower who is being sued for reporting that the Texas Children’s Hospital was still performing gender surgeries on minors despite his state’s new law prohibiting the same, I, too, can’t go against my conscience to do something at work that violates my faith. While my ordeal may not be as dramatic as theirs, my predicament is no less burdensome.

For now, I’m praying for a miracle: a true divine intervention, an act of God. I serve an all-powerful Creator who knows the trouble that fills my soul at every new workplace revelation. Every day, I learn more about the beliefs, ideals, and intentions of our Center. Trust me. It’s not good. There is much more to say, but it must wait until next time.

Proverbs 28:5 reminds us, “Evildoers do not understand what is right, but those who seek the Lord understand it fully.”  What my team members are doing may seem perfectly normal to them. To me, it can never be.

For you, my readers and friends, this may not seem like much of a dilemma, but for me and my conscience, it is. The bottom line is that this work feels as abhorrent to me as if I was working for a palm reader or a pimp. I can no more align myself with that type of environment than I can with this one.   

I will leave you with these verses that summarize my stand. “Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with men who work iniquity and let me not eat of their delicacies! Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it. Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.” (Psalm 141:4-5)

[1] Bryant, Page. The Spiritual Reawakening of the Great Smoky Mountains. Mystic Mountain Center, 1994.

The lost world of new age religion

The lost world of new age religion

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Gather together and come; assemble, you fugitives from the nations. Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood, who pray to gods that cannot save. (Isaiah 45:20) 

Over the past two weeks, I’ve lived, worked, and traveled the mountains of western North Carolina to support twelve visitors, eight staff, seven group dinners, eight lunches, an offsite team event, daily house cleanings, constant dishwashing, vacuuming, shopping, grocery and lunch pick-ups accounting to hundreds of miles on the road (not including an 8-hour round-trip drive to the site from VA Beach) – all detailed in a twelve-page, ever-changing itinerary. In week one, I worked 96 hours. In week two, I put in 58. To say I’m exhausted – mentally, physically, and spiritually – is an understatement.   

More challenging than the hours, though, is the struggle I’ve felt in realizing how deeply embedded my new org is in the lost world of New Age religion. While I was promised that my company is “non-denominational,” and even though they are incorporating themselves as an “educational network,” their spiritual components take center stage in everything they do.   

Over the past six weeks, I’ve learned that they are:  

  • Building a temple  
  • Walking barefoot in the woods to commune with nature and experience “her” energy  
  • Facilitating New Age practices – including sound baths, yoga, and guided meditation sessions  
  • Talking about the communal “Divine” and bringing one’s “divine self” into and out of one’s body  
  • Instituting pagan practices such as “requesting permission to cross the ‘threshold’ before entering the woods.”  
  • Placing giant (6-8 ton) amethyst and obsidian stones around the 100-acre campus to “protect” the land and provide energy to the Center  
  • Seeking to “create a new world” together (a direct quote by the CEO)  

While I do my job well in supporting the administrative components of their events, activities, and meals that welcome and care for guests visiting their land, I cannot embrace their culture. I’m walking a thin line in performing my job even as I strive behind the scenes to return to my former role or find a new one elsewhere.   

In a nutshell, the mission playing out in front of me is blasphemous. It hurts my spirit, and I can’t be a part of or support it. Apart from quitting outright, I now know that my time here is temporary, and I trust my Savior to show me where He wants me to go next. I can’t give up my mind, body, and spirit for this job – which is what I now see they want and need from me. Thank you for praying with me as I strive to move elsewhere.   

In the meantime, I’ve glimpsed more of what’s happening behind the curtain than I ever could have imagined. I now see that this world’s lost and hurting souls will seek anything and everything to find peace, contentment, and love.   

As one who has found the “peace that passes understanding,” it shocks me to see the absurdity of those who believe that their practices can ever provide the same. They can’t.   

Even worse, I know that “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end, it leads to death.” (Proverbs 13:12) What my new employer is promoting is not global love and understanding. It is, in fact, eternal damnation and separation from our Heavenly Father.   

Don’t get me wrong: my boss and everyone who works at my new company have beautiful hearts and loving spirits and are completely sincere in their ideals. After all, you can be a “good person” and still be completely lost.   

Before I accepted this role, I spoke to a former missionary, Mark, to better understand whether I could take such a position as a Christian. Mark told me he’s known the billionaire philanthrope for thirteen years. Mark’s current manufacturing work is now wholly supported by this same generosity. After learning that fact, I considered Mark’s sanction a sign from God that it was okay to move forward. I now wonder if his financial well-being may have prejudiced his endorsement.

While my eyes were open to the ideals of this org, I believed my boss’s assertion that I’d never have to participate in any of their events and could manage her schedule from afar. That all went out the window when she needed me to support their efforts on-site for the past two weeks. What I’ve seen and heard about now leads me to pray daily for everyone I work with.   

Last weekend, my boss joined our CEO/founder and another senior leadership team member to visit Indiana for a guided weekend with the Researchers of Truth (ROT) leadership team. When I first heard this group’s name, I began investigating it. I discovered that this religion is commonly referred to as a form of Christian mysticism – something I’d never heard of before but now believe to be a misnomer. A genuine Christian can never believe in mysticism.   

Per the ROT website, this group seeks to “free ourselves from illusions, to find our Real Self and express it, to remember who and what we are.” This ideology translates into an irreverent reinterpretation of Holy Scripture that blends the mystical, spiritual, and ethereal into a “Methodical Teaching System that will lead you to know more about Yourself, about Reality and about the Universal Intelligence we call ‘God.'”  

https://researchersoftruth.com/about/

This statement alone discounts everything Christianity stands for. Our Heavenly Father is not a “Universal Intelligence” called God. God the Father, Jesus Christ His Son, and the Holy Spirit are our triune God. Any other description is heresy.   

When I first heard the group described as “followers of Daskalos,” I had no idea their founder believed in reincarnation. According to their website, Stylianos Atteshlis – also known as Daskalos, the Greek word for “teacher” – began their religion in 1919, at the age of 7 years of age. As the author of several books, Daskalos wrote about the life of Jesus, even quoting from the Gospels in his works. He also retold some of Christ’s parables in another of his books – further distorting Jesus’ ministry and blurring the lines between mysticism and truth.   

Daskalos believed he descended to earth “as an already spiritually developed person about 3,500 years ago from another world.” In his teachings, this guru, who didn’t like to be referred to as such, detailed three reincarnations during the life of Christ: one as a young boy named “Jason” who he claimed the Apostle John brought to Jesus; a second iteration at the age of 10, studying in a temple to become a rabbi; with a final claim of incarnation in Christ’s lifetime at age 17 – when Atteshlis claims to have encountered Jesus carrying His cross to Golgotha. Altogether, Daskalos detailed 12 separate lives he experienced over centuries.  

Although Atteshlis died in 1995 at age 83, the Researchers of Truth still feature him in the “Meet the Team” section of the ROT website – as if he is an actively participating board member.   

https://researchersoftruth.com/about/

In their founder’s account, Daskalos is described as one with a profound ability to heal “so-called ‘incurable’ diseases, such as deadly cancers.” Their description of him continues by saying, “[Atteshlis’s extraordinary skills empowered by Spirit also enabled the ‘permanently’ lame and disabled to walk freely again. Stylianos not only treated physical illnesses but also those whose hearts carried deep and persistent emotional wounds found relief under his loving care. Those who walked in mental darkness, negativity, and confusion were led out of the shadows and back into the light by him. Of course, Daskalos never claimed he healed anyone and stated, ‘no person ever healed another person. The Holy Spirit does any healing that takes place.'”   

Assuredly, we, as Christians, know that to be true. The fact that this group attaches these supernatural healings to this mortal man further chronicles their cultic beliefs.   

After returning from her Indiana weekend with the ROT team leaders – Daniel and Aki – my boss gushed over her elucidations in a mailing she copied me on, inviting these leaders to visit the Center soon. “I’m delighted that we will be traveling this path of collaboration and co-creation,” she wrote them – ending with, “I’m excited to build on this beautiful energy and momentum!”   

In response, Daniel affirmed that he, too, is “very enthusiastic about the movement of our collaboration.” He further explained that he is “already getting inspirations about presentations at your amazing Center in North Carolina.”   

While their visit dates have not yet been determined, my boss assured Daniel and Aki, “We will most certainly make it happen in divine timing.”   

With God’s timing, I thought, I will no longer be present to be subjected to the same.   

Later that same evening, our CEO posted a group photo taken with the ROT team. Some team members claimed the photo was positively “beaming with light.” Our CEO also shared a picture of the “adorable [ROT] temple, all hand-built by Daniel Joseph.” I saw the same as a foreshadowing of things yet to come on the Center’s land. Again, I hope never to see such a thing.  

As further blasphemy, the ROT descriptions detail Daniel’s first encounter with Daskalos on Cypress. During that first meeting, he learned from Daskalos about the “spiritual pearl of the greatest value – Self Realization.”   

Conversely, God’s Word tells us about Christ’s parable of the pearl of great price. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:45-46)  

Equating self-realization to the undeserved gift of eternal life bestowed on humanity by Jesus Christ is further evidence of the demonic reinterpretation of God’s amazing grace. Such an ideal is horrifying to me.   

In addition to Daniel, Akiko Toshimitsu (Aki) rounds out the current leadership team of the ROT.  Per her bio, Aki describes her “current incarnation” as a “highly advanced spiritual healer…who serves as creator and presenter of meditations.” Her description further entails another blasphemous reference to biblical theology. Aki delights in being “a pure fountain of the Living Water of Truth [as she shares] the beauty of the teachings of Daskalos and the Researchers of Truth with the world.”   

Lest anyone doubt, Christ Jesus is the only “Living Water” anyone can partake of. To proclaim anything else is sacrilegious.   

“Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.” (John 7: 37-39)  

In my presence last week, one of our guests referred to her boss as someone who showed her “the way, truth, and the life.” I immediately recoiled at this statement, knowing full well that the only one who can ever do so is Jesus – my Lord and Savior.  

Scripture tells us in John 14:6 that “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'”   

And so, my sorrow over these lost souls continues. I can only dispute their distortions once I’m prepared to walk out the door. Until that day comes, I will remain as far apart from them as possible. Their lost souls hurt my heart. I cannot and will never partake in their practices.  

If push comes to shove, I will end my journey on that note and walk away.   

I pray that God reopens the door with my former employer – or elsewhere. While I remain where I am, I will continue to shine God’s light in this place of spiritual darkness.  My greatest challenge is staying immune to the oppression these ideals and practices are attempting to impose upon me. 

Thank you for your prayers.   
We all need Jesus

We all need Jesus

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Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. (Psalm 100:3)

We all need Jesus. What a profound statement that is. I’ve spent the past five weeks of my life working with people who purposely choose to deny that fact. I’m not sure I want to spend many more surrounded by such denial.  It hurts me to see such misguided pursuits. It’s one thing to know that there’s such repudiation in the world. It’s another to be in the middle of it without ever being able to speak against it or share what I know to be true – to be able to say out loud, “You all need Jesus.”

I woke at 4:45 am the other morning, knowing something had to give. After a month of work dreams and oppressed days filled with mentally and physically exhaustive actions, I’ve nearly had enough. These are not my people. I cannot support their culture.

I’ve never held a job where I’ve been pressed to join something counter to who I am – until now. I was promised that I was being hired to support my boss administratively and that I didn’t need to ascribe to the New Age ideals this environment espouses. That wasn’t true. In fairness, I don’t think my boss knew how untrue that statement was when she made her promise to me.

As an executive assistant, I can support anyone to the highest level of care that they require – whether that’s reading lines to someone in their underwear in preparation for a recorded interview (yes, I really did this) or washing dinner dishes from a 15-person event at 10:00 pm after a 15-hour work day (I did this a few days ago). I’ve traveled with my executives, packed for them, made their daily pitchers of iced tea, and reminded them of personal commitments as well as business events. I care about their families and fret over their lack of sleep. Despite the exhaustion, their support extends into my life, and I pray over and love them all.

And yet, there are lines I can’t cross. I see them everywhere in my current role, and I think it’s time for a giant step back.

The day after our national elections, my boss organized a “post-election meditation” with a friend and mentor of hers – Susan Salzberg. Susan is a woman who says things like, “We don’t need any sort of religious orientation to lead a life that is ethical, compassionate and kind.”

 While Susan’s statement may be true, what she’s forgotten is that she still needs Jesus. Life is more than being “ethical, compassionate, and kind.” It’s about worship. It’s about serving a Savior who loves us enough to send His Son to die for us. It’s about daily surrendering our lives to the only one who can ever save us. We can never do so ourselves.

Despite my desire to never participate in another guided meditation session at work, I was pressed to do so on November 6th. This time, as the group sat on porch chairs around a 56-inch mobile computer monitor to connect with Susan Salzberg via Zoom, I stood on the porch and looked out at God’s majestic mountains surrounding the campus. This time, I prayed to God with my eyes open – figuratively and literally – giving each of my team members to their Creator while praying over them as this guru guided everyone to “give themselves permission to heal.”

Instead of participating in the group “meditation,” I concentrated on worshiping the Creator of the Blue Ridge Mountains beyond the Marshall, NC campus where I stood.

The session began with my boss expressing that “we are all extremely distressed over the election of a person filled with hatred who will now govern our nation” – an opinion she assumed I shared. I don’t. She then said how our leadership team’s children “are afraid to go to school.” She continued, “We’re all so upset that we cried together earlier.”

While I knew she wasn’t speaking for me, and I can’t begin to understand her mentality, her elucidations were nothing compared to those this would-be guru of New Age cultism shared.

As the session continued, Susan responded by comparing the election to the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. At the time, Susan explained, rumors expounded, including some that proclaimed trees would never bloom again. “They did,” she affirmed, “and people found within themselves the will to go on.”

As the half-hour session continued, I concentrated on my Savior and His created majesty. At the same time, my coworkers were led to focus on their breathing and silently meditate on questions such as “May I be healthy again?” and “May we be happy again?” Per Susan’s guidance, everyone should permit themselves to do so after raising these questions.

Susan then directed everyone to silently repeat the name of someone who made them happy while allowing themselves permission to smile in remembrance of that name. I smiled at this suggestion as I’d already been calling on the only name anyone ever needs to be happy and whole – Jesus. Jesus got me through that session, as He has every other questionable belief I’ve uncovered about this group’s mindset over the past month.

Jesus, I cried. These people are so lost. Be with them. Show Yourself to them. You are always with us. I see you in these mountains and this beautiful sky. They look inward to find their peace when Your peace already surrounds us. They can’t see You, even though You are always here. You created them, the world, and everything in it. Open their eyes, Lord. Open their hearts and help them to see You.

When the session was over, my boss effused over the empty words that she saw as healing – words that spoke to me of loss and desperation. Only God can heal the spirit, I knew. Only Christ can give us peace.

And so, after waking early to capture these thoughts, I wonder how much longer I can maintain my new role. I know I can’t be a part of this culture of madness that is seeking “mindful consciousness” when I have already found peace and security in Christ. I will never ascribe to their ideals. I can’t get excited at guided “sky gazing” – a practice our “Director of Net Offerings” detailed over lunch last week. He explained that the activity is one in which he frequently leads participants. When questioned about the activity, he clarified that – with his guidance – one can “become one with the sky and let it carry you away then gently bring you back to a better state within yourself.” I will never “recognize that both [me] and the sky are parts of the larger universe.” I know that I am not “the universe experiencing itself,” – nor will I think that “[I am] the universe looking into a mirror.”

Conversely, I am a created being, made in the image of God, and yet I can never be God – something I fear these people believe is possible. To me, such notions are blasphemous.

There is only one divine being – the triune God, Yahweh – my Heavenly Father, His Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

When exposed to such thoughts over the past month, I frequently repeat Psalm 100 to myself. This precious song has always been one of my favorites. I memorized it as a child; its words have become my daily touchstone.

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good, and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations. 

We all need Jesus. I would be lost without Him, even as I believe everyone I work with is. I pray for them daily and give them all to His tender care.

I also pray that God will continue to guide me to do what He wants me to do. No matter where I look or how someone tries to guide me to see otherwise, I will always see Jesus.

For God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear

For God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear

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For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)

A friend of mine recently reached out to ask if everything was alright. “I noticed you haven’t posted a blog in almost a month,” he observed. “Is everything okay or are you just busy?”

In response, I explained that between helping my husband, David, in VA Beach, two hurricanes, ending my former job, starting a new one, and my mom and brother coming for a three-week visit, it’s been a bit challenging to find time to write.

More than that, my new job has been completely overwhelming. While I started three blogs in three weeks, working 10–12-hour days while learning a new remote position and having virtually no work/life balance has been a more significant challenge than I ever could have anticipated.

As a start-up with a UK base, provision had yet to be made to provide me with a work laptop or mobile phone, for one thing. The expectation was for me to work from my personal devices – something I’d never anticipated doing in this or any other job.

Additionally, while I’m working remotely, my US home base is located in Marshall, NC – an area decimated by Hurricane Helene. In addition to the loss of life we discussed daily, the 27 feet of flood water that came raging through the town from the French Broad River blew out windows, twisted metal train tracks, and washed away complete sections of major highways. The devastation was unfathomable.

Main Street in Marshall following flooding from the French Broad River after Hurricane Helene raged through the area. (October 1, 2024). Photo credit: Josh Morgan, USA TODAY

The text messages from my teammates came hard and fast around the clock during this interval. Talk about starting a job in a windstorm. This was it! My first month of work was far from “normal,” as a result. Each of us helped with disaster response in our own way. Even in faraway GA, I made countless calls, documented local agencies that could help victims, and met virtually with my team members daily to discuss my company’s work to provide construction equipment, manpower, and resources to those working on the ground.

More than that, I was thrust headlong into the spirituality that permeates my new employer’s mission -without gentle ease of transport. While I was told that the organization’s mission is “non-denominational,” a decidedly New Age culture abounds in much of their talk and activities. It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.

One Zoom call, for example, began with a ten-minute meditation session where all participants – including me – were asked to close our eyes, relax our bodies, and envision our spirits moving down into the earth and then back into our bodies, and up into “a golden ball of light above [ourselves].” The leader continued telling us to envision ourselves as “incredible, divine, phenomenal beings.” We were then told to return that light and energy to our “higher selves and the divine beings that [we] are.”

While I protected myself from these thoughts by praying to God throughout the session, I was stunned to be subjected to this type of activity without my notification or consent. My boss later called me to ask my thoughts regarding the experience.

“You’re my litmus test,” she said. “What did you think of it?”

After uttering a whispered prayer to God for help, I told her I appreciated the importance of deep breathing and relaxation – especially given everything our team had been exposed to during our hurricane response work.

“But what did you really think?” she asked again. “I’d like to know your thoughts.”

At that point, I explained that I had mixed reactions.

“There were things I appreciated – like the deep breathing and relaxation directions,” I replied. “But others – like talk of the divine – that go against my faith. I can’t participate in that. I just prayed through it – in my own way.”

“That’s good,” my boss said. “There are many ways to experience things. That’s all we ask.”

While I was happy to reaffirm my faith and the lines I can’t cross – much as I did before I accepted this position – by the weekend, I was frazzled, frustrated, and flabbergasted by what I would be exposed to regularly. Every day, it seemed, something new shocked me – whether by messages in group chats, emails, or meetings discussing this organization’s nature.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” I told David after a particularly challenging day. “These people don’t think like I do. How can I support it? I really felt like God was leading me here – and I told my boss exactly who I am, as a Christian, before I took this job. Sooner or later, I’m going to be asked to defend my faith, big time. I don’t know how this is going to end.”

“You do what you have to do, love,” David told me. “If you can’t do this, I completely understand. We’ll get by. I support you in whatever decision you make.”

After being emotionally overwhelmed one evening, I began watching YouTube videos of individuals talking about God. In story after story, I heard atheists and others explain how our Creator became real to them and empowered their daily lives.   

As David called me later to read our daily scripture passages together (I read the Old Testament passages, and he reads the New Testament plus a Psalm and several Proverbs), I told him what I’d watched that evening.

“I can do this, love,” I said through tears. “I need to stay plugged into scripture, music, and videos that remind me that I’m not alone in this battle. God is with me. Pastor Mark told me this would be my toughest job – and he was right. I may not yet know why God placed me in this role, but He’ll show me. I’m here for a reason. I have to stay prayed up and armored up. He’ll show me what to do.”

That was a week ago. Today, my boss asked for my input, as a Christian, regarding a potential corporately sponsored conference being considered in December.

“I’d like to have your opinion, Sara,” my boss asked. “We want to have faith leaders from the community come to this event. How do you think they’ll react?”

“I think it depends on who is speaking at the event,” I replied. My boss concurred. “I also think that hosting an event in a little over a month, asking members of the faith community to support you during the month of December, while the focus is on Christmas, may not go over well.”

“That’s also right at the start of Advent season,” I further explained. “Church leaders may not think favorably about you asking them to participate in an event to discuss the science of spirituality while they’re focusing on the birth of Christ.”

After asking me to explain what Advent is, my boss said she agreed with my thoughts and would take them back to upper management in consideration of postponing the proposed conference until after December.

“Today was a good day,” I later told David. “Today, my boss did what she said she would. She asked me to give my opinion as a Christian regarding how believers would react to their initiatives. It felt good to talk about Jesus.”

As David and I read our evening scripture, I was ecstatic at God’s written reminders to always serve my Creator and not be afraid to stand firm in my faith – even in the workplace. In 2 Timothy 1:7-8, for example, we read, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, His prisoner, but share with me the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God.

Hallelujah! I thought. God is always with me. I never have to fear anything the world – or workplace – throws at me.

“What a beautiful scripture,” I told David. “That’s precisely what I needed to hear today. God will always give me the right things to say at the right time. I will never be afraid to say them!”  

In further validation of God’s love and provision, our Psalm reading for the today was my favorite – Psalm 91.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “You are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely, He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly plague. He will cover you with His feathers; under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the calamity that destroys at noon. Though a thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, no harm will come near you. You will only see it with your eyes and witness the punishment of the wicked. Because you have made the LORD your dwelling — my refuge, the Most High — no evil will befall you, no plague will approach your tent. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. They will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and cobra; you will trample the young lion and serpent. “Because he loves Me, I will deliver him; because he knows My name, I will protect him. When he calls out to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him. With long life, I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.”

I can only say Amen and Thank you, Jesus! Forgive my fear and frustration. I know You are always with me. You placed me here for Your divine purpose. While I may not always know what that purpose is, and while my days may be challenging – full of thoughts contrary to Your Word – I know You will guide, strengthen, and empower me. I will always be your servant, and I will always trust in You. Show me Your way, Lord Jesus. Give me Your words when I need them. Let me be Your light wherever You need it to shine. Lead on, King Jesus. Thank you for loving fallible me. I am nothing without You.”

And so, I will continue to shine on, wearing my cross necklace in every meeting I’m involved in, smiling through the worldly concepts that will always fall short of the joy only God can give. I will be the “token” Christian on staff. I will shine God’s light and let Him use me however He sees fit. It’s not up to me to change anyone. I will, however, keep being who He wants me to be, and I will be unflinching in my faith – no matter the cost.
God establishes our steps

God establishes our steps

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In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps. (Proverbs 16:9)

Being chosen is one thing. Being selected after initially rejecting, auditioning three times, and then praying for validation with absolute certainty by God is quite another feeling entirely. Please allow me to explain what I mean.

I closed my laptop for the last time at my former job a few days ago. It still hasn’t fully hit me yet, but my life is about to change dramatically with my new employer. I was recruited for this job through an executive search company. While I will still be an executive assistant, this role is entirely different because of the corporate structure, mission, and my executive’s background. My new company is small, based out of the United Kingdom, and wholly funded by a billionaire hedge fund manager the British government knighted for his philanthropic work.

If that’s not impressive enough, the executive I will support was voted as one of Fortune magazine’s “World’s 50 Greatest Leaders” – alongside Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as well as Bill and Melinda Gates in the same year. In addition to her charitable work, serving as CEO of an organization that worked to end five of the world’s Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) – ultimately administering over 700 million NTD treatments – she led international programs for Operation Smile and disaster response for International Medical Corps. With service in over 70 different countries, board service to groups such as the World Economic Forum’s Global Health Security Advisory Board, and ultimately writing a book whose forward was written by Bill Gates, there can be no question as to the extraordinary work accomplished by the woman who chose me to assist her.

How on earth did I get here? How did this role ever come to find little old me? I can only answer, “It had to be God.”  I make that statement with absolute assurance. It has nothing to do with me.

For starters, I initially turned down the role after being asked to apply. While that may sound shocking, my rationale was solidly founded. First and foremost, I wasn’t sure my faith could support the prospective company I was being asked to work for.

My faith means everything to me. After my initial research into the philanthropic organization, I said, “Thanks, but no thanks,” to the recruiter – citing pay as my rationale. The salary threshold being close to my former position’s, it was simple to decline the role with that excuse.

When the recruiter reached out again – a whole week later – assuring me that the employer could go higher, I talked to David. My initial rejection was due to my faith, but that was before a small voice inside me said there may be a godly reason why you should be there. I couldn’t discount that thought.

Countless times in my past, I have felt strongly that my Heavenly Father put me in a position to be His light in a dark place. How could I so quickly turn a similar situation down? Those thoughts filled my head even before the recruiter reached out again. “I need to apply,” I told David. “God is in control. Let’s see what happens.”

What occurred next blew my mind. After submitting my application and writing sample (required in this role), I interviewed with the third-party recruiter. I was asked to meet with the search committee for a second interview one week later. Still unsure of how I felt about the role, I nevertheless wanted to do my best.

Unfortunately, my tech wouldn’t work on the interview day, and my test Zoom call with David, who was in VA Beach then, was a complete failure. “I can’t hear anything you’re saying on the call,” David said. Try as I might, my speakers wouldn’t connect.

Minutes before the interview, I told David I needed to pray.

“You’re in control, Lord Jesus,” I said. “I’m afraid I will look like an absolute fool, but I’m giving this all to you. Please help this work out if it is Your will. Your words. My lips.”

Upon connecting, the hiring manager confirmed my fears. “I can’t hear you,” Helen (name changed) said. Praying silently and frantically again, I clicked something on my computer, and miraculously, everything was perfect. I can’t even be sure what I did. The action must have emanated from God.

Forty-five minutes into the interview, Helen noted that I’d mentioned having “a strong faith” in response to how I handle stress. I further discussed my mission trip to Nicaragua after Helen talked about witnessing global poverty – something I confirmed having also seen first-hand and been affected by.

“You mentioned your faith several times,” Helen noted. “I’m curious about your spiritual journey. You know this is a non-denominational position. Tell me about your faith and how you’d handle working with others whose own path might be very different than your own.”

“I’m a Christian,” I immediately responded. “My faith governs every aspect of my life. It’s who I am and the biggest part of my character. That being said, I completely respect the fact that everyone has to make their own spiritual journey. I will never judge anyone whose experience is different from my own.”

After the interview ended -15 minutes later than initially intended – I called David and my brother to explain what happened during the call. “I’ve never been asked about my faith in an interview before,” I gushed. “No matter what happens, I feel incredibly blessed that God allowed me to testify to what I believe in. God opened my microphone, yes, but He also gave me the voice to say, ‘I’m a Christian’ in profound way.”

A week later, the hiring manager herself called to connect with me again – this time asking me to fly to meet over Labor Day, requesting an entire day to show me around their Center and spend more time with me in in-person. After working out the specifics, my ticket and overnight accommodations were purchased, and my trip was ready to begin.

Despite the devil doing everything to keep me away – including a delayed flight, a missed connection, a canceled flight, and the inability to get an Uber from the airport after midnight – I slept a few hours. I met Helen and a few of her “guests” a short time later for breakfast.

Conversations over the breakfast table left me questioning anew whether this job was right for me.

The on-site events further solidified the same musings. Over the course of the day, I heard about the “Sound Ceremony” the group celebrated the evening before, witnessed an indigenous guest stand in the mud that was “calling him,” and learned that another guest was an astrologer who frequently gave readings to those whose events she participated in.

“These people are worshiping creation,” I later told David. “I worship the Creator. I don’t know if this could ever be right.”

The 500 acres my new employer owns in North Carolina are a testament to the beauty of God’s creation.

For this reason, I told Helen I needed some time to talk to my husband before I could accept the job offer she graciously extended to me at the end of the day. “We wouldn’t have brought you here if we didn’t think you were the one we wanted in this role,” she told me. “I think you’d be perfect for it.”

I couldn’t yet say the same, and Helen was visibly stunned by my admission. I just wasn’t sure and needed to pray.

Later that evening, after talking to David, I began earnestly petitioning God.

“Lord,” I began, “I don’t know what to do. How can this be right for me? I love Helen’s heart already, and the offer is so generous – but how can I do this?”

It was then that the thought came to me, “Tell Helen how you feel.”

I had been transparent throughout every interaction I’d had to that point – even telling Helen about my past abusive relationships, something that shocked me after my admission. Instead of being horrified at my faux pax, Helen told me she was proud of me and said she knew I would use my past to help others in the future. I had been entirely candid with Helen and knew the same thing was required regarding my faith. I needed to explain my thoughts – no matter what happened.

Hard hats were required as I visited a building under construction during my all-day interview.

On the way home the next day, I reached out to one of the chaplains I’d bonded with during my first Samaritan’s Purse work. After explaining the situation and my proposed response, my friend promised to pray that I would have clear guidance regarding what I should do and say.  

Following my discussion with David upon my return to VA Beach, I asked Helen if I could talk to her the following day to clarify an important matter. We made plans to speak the next morning.

When Helen and I spoke the following day, I explained how an activity we’d shared on-site had affected me. Two days prior, Helen and another guest had laid flowers on and around a statue I didn’t recognize. The act made me pause, step back, and pray.

“Forgive me, Jesus,” I silently petitioned. “I can’t do that. That’s not right.” After learning that the statue was of a Buddhist goddess, I knew my instincts were correct. I needed to explain the same to Helen.

I picked flowers and vegetables from one of the gardens I visited on my site tour.

“In the garden,” I began, “I didn’t know anything about Quan Yin. but I knew in my heart that I couldn’t do what you were doing. Before we go further, I need to explain there are lines I can’t cross. In Christianity, I can’t offer any worship, adoration, or token to anything other than God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit. That’s sacred to me. I can’t cross that line.”

“I fully respect that,” Helen said. “In fact, I’ve been thinking we need a Christian on staff to help us in decision making. We may actually take that statue out as I don’t think we should have any icons of any type if we’re going to be non-denominational. If you’d like to” she continued, “I can connect you with someone who may speak your language better than I can.”

After agreeing, Helen introduced me to Mark, co-founder and CEO of Mana Nutrition, an organization that creates ready-to-use (RTU) foods to help the world’s malnourished to survive, sustain, and thrive. Mark and his wife spent ten years as missionaries in Uganda – one of the countries they now serve with their product. Incredibly, their manufacturing facility resides about 2.5 hours northwest of where I live, and they’re currently building a warehouse near my former place of employment. This additional connection to me was profound, considering that their headquarters is in NC.

Adding to that, I was surprised to learn that Mana is primarily funded by the same billionaire that bankrolls my new company. “In fact,” Mark explained, “I’ve known [your potential employer] for the past 13 years.”  

Additionally, after hearing my story of how David and I met through Samaritan’s Purse (SP), Mark told me that Mana Nutrition is the number one supplier of RTUs to SP. God’s fingerprints are all over this work – whether they even realize it or not.

As we discussed my trepidation about the role, Mark put my fears to rest. “The way I see it, you’ve been given an opportunity to be a Jesus follower in a rare spot,” – an astute observation that immediately made me smile as it put my spirit at ease. “Think about Paul speaking to the residents in Athens who worshiped so many gods that idol-makers were everywhere. “He didn’t have to go there and talk to them, but he did. We can’t sit in a box and expect to make a difference.”

Over the next few hours, Mark and I spoke of our shared faith, willingness to go wherever God leads, and do whatever we’re asked to do. “You will be challenged more than you’ve ever been in this job,” Mark observed, “but I believe you’re being called to do it.”

I was filled with God’s presence as I walked through the woods during my site tour.

An hour later, I signed the job offer letter and spoke to Helen one last time. “I’m sending you the agreement,” I told her. “I’m so excited to accept.”

“That makes me happy,” Helen said. “I heard from my number two candidate today and she wanted to meet with me in-person. I wasn’t sure what you would say so I didn’t want to turn her away – but I really wanted Sara.” I have no doubt Helen felt my joy at hearing that affirmation as I clapped my hands in response and assured her of my enthusiastic acceptance.

After petitioning God for direction and consulting with other believers, I have perfect peace about this new position. As Proverbs 11:14 says, “Where there is no guidance the people fall, but in abundance of counselors there is victory.” How very true that is!

I always pray that God will guide my steps, open the doors that should be opened, and close those I shouldn’t walk through. Throughout this decision-making process, I believe my Heavenly Father not only opened doors but also blasted down any walls that stood in my way, saying, “Go, my child. I am with you.”

God will always guide us down the paths we should follow, just as He did with me during my all-day interview in the mountains near Marshall, NC.

I can’t even imagine what will lie ahead, but I’m excited to see where God takes me next. While I may have thought I was plotting my course a few times in life, I now know that by surrendering to my Creator, yet again, He is establishing my steps down a path I might never have taken on my own.

To be chosen is one thing. To be given the words, peace, and guidance I prayed for by God is quite another thing entirely. Above all, this I know: I am incredibly blessed.
God uses everything for His purpose

God uses everything for His purpose

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“Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:38)

I drove from GA to VA Beach three weeks ago with three kitties in tow to bring our fur baby, Bo, to David. Bo hadn’t been doing well due to his age and kidney disease. In the two weeks prior, Bo had almost stopped eating and was getting weaker every day. I knew I had to get him to David while I could, as Bo has been David’s near-constant companion and travel co-pilot for over 12 years.

Our brave kitty, Bo, is such a fighter.

Since my arrival in VA Beach and our steady administration of thrice weekly subcutaneous fluids, our Heavenly Father heard our prayers for more time with our beloved fur baby. Bo has since made a remarkable turnaround and is now thriving again. Every day is a gift. That’s blessing number one. 

A week after I arrived, David told me he wanted to give away his old refrigerator. He had bought a new stainless steel fridge to match his upgraded kitchen, but his old one was still working perfectly, and we didn’t want to trash it. 

“I’ll post it on ‘Everything’s free in VA Beach’ on Facebook and maybe we can get it to someone who needs it,” I suggested. David and his friend Jason pushed the fridge to the driveway’s edge. I took pictures and posted the notice. 

An hour later, David informed me that he had saved the appliance from someone who stopped by to take it for scrap. “I told the man I was glad someone could use it,” David said, “That’s when he told me he was going to scrap it. I told him that it worked, and we wanted it to go to someone who needed it.”

“I’m so glad,” I said. “Hopefully, someone will respond to my ad soon.” 

A pop-up message on my phone a few hours later advised me that our prayers had been answered. “I need this,” were the simple words I received in response to my ad. I was ecstatic. That was blessing number two – finding someone who would greatly benefit from what God allowed us to give.

David wanted his old refrigerator to go to someone who really needed it.

I replied to the respondent, Tiffany, that the fridge was still available, and we were happy it would go to a good home. Tiffany confirmed that it would, as her refrigerator wasn’t keeping things cold. After professing my joy with this news, I asked if she could pick up the appliance that evening or the next day, Thursday. 

Tiffany responded that she could get it on Friday after renting a U-Haul. I told her I’d need to check with my husband about keeping it another day, as I knew David was ready for it to be gone. 

My next thought was that we have a trailer; we could deliver it to her. I hesitated to ask David as I knew this was a huge request. Instead, I determined to explain the situation to David to see how he’d respond, unprompted. 

When David returned from the store, I shared the good news of our recipient – then informed him that we’d have to keep it until Friday since Tiffany couldn’t get a U-Haul until then. 

David looked at me without flinching and said, “I can take it to her.” 

“Are you sure?” I asked. “Will you be able to put it on your trailer upright? It won’t be too heavy?” 

“Yes. I’m sure,” David replied. “I’ll strap it in. It’ll be fine.” 

“What about your back?” I asked. “I don’t want you to hurt yourself doing this.” 

“Ask her if she can get someone to help,” David replied. “Let’s do it!” 

That’s when I told David I’d been thinking the same thing. I wanted to ensure he felt good about providing this extra service without suggesting it. With his immediate response, I knew it was the right thing to do —David’s validation of my thoughts was blessing number three.

I then contacted Tiffany to let her know that we could bring the fridge to her if she’d provided us with her address. 

“Omg, are you serious?” asked Tiffany. “Yes, I have someone. You both are such a blessing.🙌” 

“I am totally serious,” I replied. “It would be our privilege to help you, Tiffany. 🙏” 

“If you give us your address and a good time to bring it, we’ll get it there,” I continued. “It will be a gift from God through us to you.”

After providing her address, Tiffany shared, “My kids gonna be in school. They gonna be surprised tomorrow.” 

“HOORAY! Christmas in August!” I replied, “I love it!!

“Awesome. Now I don’t have to freeze their milk for cereal anymore,” Tiffany shared. “I’m so happy! 😀” 

After telling Tiffany how pleased her news made me, we coordinated a time to bring the fridge to its new home. I also asked if she had someone who could help if we needed it.

“Yes, that [time] will work,” Tiffany replied. “I have my nephew here. He will get it. You and your husband have blessed my family, and I will be forever grateful for you two. 💙”

“Amen,” I replied. “God blesses us every day, so we are just doing what we can to share those blessings with you and any others that we can. We’ll see you in the morning!!!” 

The next day, and a few texts later, I’d cleaned up David’s old microwave as Tiffany confirmed that she could use it also. In the meantime, David pulled his trailer around and called me outside to help. 

After attempting to push and pull the fridge directly onto the trailer, we knew we needed a different system to load it. David found two long boards in his backyard and screwed them into the wood. 

Just as I attempted to push and David pull the fridge up, a truck drove by, pulled over, and a Good Samaritan jumped out to help. David saw him first and told me to stop. After trotting back to help me push, we had the fridge on the trailer ready to strap down. 

Better than strapping it alone, David fashioned an ingenious board system around the appliance that he screwed down to keep the fridge from moving. With the straps and boards in place, I snapped photos and told Tiffany we were on our way.

With the help of a Good Samaritan and David’s ingenious framing system, we loaded David’s fridge on his trailer for special delivery to a family in need.

Upon arrival in downtown Norfolk, we were met by Tiffany’s nephew, who helped us get the fridge off the trailer and up the steps to their home. After sharing hugs and gratitude, I told Tiffany how God had brought David and me together in FL after Hurricane Ian. 

David helped push his fridge up 3 steps to Tiffany’s porch.

“We both long to share God’s blessings with others. Now, we’re able to do so together. I hope every time you look at this fridge, you remember that God loves you. Tell your children that, too. You are so important! Never forget that.”

“I won’t,” Tiffany confirmed. 

As David and I drove away, I was struck by the fact that however much we give and no matter what we do, we can never outgive God. Our cups are overflowing with God’s mercies every single day. David and I recount our blessings every time we pray. We have each other, first and foremost, which will always be the uttermost tangible gift either of us has ever received from our Heavenly Father. Love is an infinite, unquantifiable godsend for which we will never stop thanking our Creator.

David and I shared hugs and smiles after the successful hand-off of his former fridge to its new owners.

Additionally, we have our health, home, and David’s VA Beach house, which we get closer to completing every day. We also have food in our refrigerator and clothes on our backs, and we are safe. We are blessed with everything we need, and God has allowed us to share what we have with others.

David and his co-pilot Bo were all smiles on their return trip to GA following Bo’s miraculous recovery.

We also, miraculously, have our sweet Bo-man for a little longer, as God has seen fit to restore him to near-perfect health and surprising vigor since I arrived in VA Beach. We are so grateful for every extra day with him – especially the good days we’ve experienced lately.

Even more so, in giving of ourselves and our abundance, we can share God’s blessings with others. While my interaction with Tiffany was brief, I hope and pray that the words shared and the household appliances gifted will serve as tangible evidence of our Heavenly Father’s goodness, grace, and generosity in her life. Although we’ll never know if anything we did impacted her in any way, our Creator does, and that’s all that matters.

God can use anything and everything for His purpose – even a refrigerator – to reach the lives of those who might never have heard His name or seen Him in any other way. We never know what our Creator will need us to give, what He will ask us to say, or who He wants us to tell it to. All we can do is give, speak, and pray that God will use it all for His divine purpose.

Everything we have is His anyway. All we’re doing is giving back as He directs us.

Be Brave – Politics and religion must mix

Be Brave – Politics and religion must mix

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Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter 3:15)

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion is.” I couldn’t agree more. Taking it a step further, I believe our connection to God should impact every aspect of our lives – including formulating our worldview and determining how we vote.

For countless ages, most of us have lived by the adage that tells us, “Politics and religion don’t mix.” Both subjects are incontrovertibly controversial. And both can turn the best of friends into the bitterest of enemies. But does that mean that we should keep the two apart? Perish the thought. While I wouldn’t recommend sitting your climate-change-confirming cousin next to your Southern Baptist brother at the next family BBQ, it’s time for us as Christians to stop being afraid to speak about our values in the political arena. After all, if we remain mute, the opportunity to stand up for our faith may soon be lost forever.

When I started this blog in 2019, I was determined to focus on anything but politics. Restraining my conservative leanings seemed prudent in the establishment of this forum.  I’ve mostly stuck to that mindset over the years – but not anymore. I now believe that sharing my thoughts regarding political matters can help further my calling to encourage – in a whole new way. Don’t we all thrive in unity? Are we not stronger together? Ecclesiastes 4:12 reminds us, “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

Through our combined strength, we can better stand for Christian values in a world ready to dismiss them. Discussing political matters with others – especially while espousing a Biblical perspective – helps us strengthen our values, protect our faith, and fortify our resolve to lead lives worthy of our calling.

My political expression is nothing new: it began long before my blog did. Apart from serving in several state and federal electoral campaigns, I became a community columnist for my local WV newspaper, The Martinsburg Journal, in 2009. What a thrill it was to see my words in print! Even more gratifying was the affirmation I received from readers, who were equally delighted by the evidence that our conservative values were alive and well in a world where the media would have us think otherwise.

A scrapbook clipping of one of my community columns under my former name.

While actively writing for the paper, another opportunity to stand up for my values presented itself. A few months into the Obama administration, a new grassroots organization appeared on the scene and spread like wildfire across our nation.

Like the patriots of 1773 who cast their tea into the Boston Harbor in protest of the British monarch’s excessive taxation on our new republic, a call to organize Tax Day protests caught my attention. When one of my readers suggested I become a Tea Party leader, I heeded the call and sprang into action. Before I could say, “No new taxes,” I was giving speeches in the town square, surrounded by fellow conservatives, holding hand-made signs voicing protest against our government’s recent actions.

My fellow Blue Ridge Patriots and I took our hand-made signs and flag to the nation’s capital in Sept. 2009. (Martinsburg Journal)

Not wanting to lose the momentum or unity, our group organized further – officially becoming the Blue Ridge Patriots. In addition to holding subsequent Tea Parties to raise awareness of our thoughts and values, we hosted a Patriot’s Picnic on July 4, stood vigil outside our local IRS office, and united with nearly 100,000 other Tea Partiers from across the country in our nation’s capital. On September 12, 2009, I joined my fellow Blue Ridge Patriots in carrying a 40-foot garrison flag to U.S. Capitol grounds. There was joy in our harmony and comfort in our camaraderie. I’ve never been prouder to be an American than I was that day.

Second from the right, I am pictured here with my fellow Blue Ridge Patriots as we held our 40-foot garrison flag above the Capitol lawn during our four-hour Tea Party event in Washington, DC.

Between the affirmation I received from my column and the shared thoughts we espoused in Tea Party events, one thing always struck me: the demonstration of bravery instills courage in others. It is easy to remain silent when we fear standing alone. Conversely, the masses find strength when even a few intrepid spokespeople stand up. Now is the time to raise our voices before government-controlled “hate speech” laws become the rule of the land. There is more at stake than values in our culture. The fundamental right to speak from our hearts, parent from our consciences, and worship how we choose are on the table in the upcoming election season and beyond.

We’re at a crossroads in our country. Right now, our nation is more divided than ever before. The media is no longer unbiased. Censorship is rampant. Radicalism is on the rise while Christian values are at an all-time low. But why are so many believers timid about verbalizing their beliefs? Is it not because the devil has made us afraid? Is not fear one of his greatest weapons? Rather than be bold believers like the early apostles, we’re hesitant to stand up, scared to offend, and afraid to look “different.” It’s time we overcame our fear and started using our voices to speak out. I, for one, am determined to do so.

Do we believe God’s Word anymore? If we do, we can’t be afraid to stand up for its truth. Silence is not just complacency; it’s enablement. We, as Christians, can no longer be mute in response to the evils taking over our culture, workplaces, schools – and, yes – even our churches.

Our Blue Ridge Patriots were joined by thousands of others from across the nation as we marched on Washington, DC in September 2009.

As Joshua directed the Israelites to take a stand for God as his nation was about to enter the long-awaited Promised Land, so we should also encourage one another to stand and move forward in the Battle for the Soul of our Nation – whether that be in the classroom, the boardroom, the public square, or in the White House.

“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)

A clipping from the Martinsburg Journal details the flag our Tea Party group carried into Washington DC in Sept. 2009.

The time is now, beloved. Who are you standing for? What is important to you? As the Apostle Paul told us in Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

My faith informs every part of my life. Christianity isn’t just a religion. It’s a relationship that permeates every fiber of my being – including how I talk, what I value, and how I vote. I can’t separate it from my existence. As James 2:26 reminds us, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” We are what we believe.

While no one can be sure who first said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing,” the sentiment remains the same. Christians can no longer remain silent while evil is running so rampant. As the Apostle Paul said in his letter to the Ephesians, “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible – and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: ‘Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’ “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” (Chapter 5: 11-16)

This political cartoon from 2009 exemplifies the hatred that comes when you stand up for what you believe in. When what you’re doing is unpopular, it’s demonized. Perception is often far from reality. Be prepared and stay undaunted.

It’s time to be fearless – right here, right now, in this place, and in this time. Politics and religion must mix if we are to save our nation from the demonic forces taking over everything. We must be lionhearted if we care about our beliefs and “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks [us] to give the reason for the hope that [we] have.” (1 Peter 3:15)

We must never be fearful to stand up for our faith and values. As Joshua 1:9 reminds us, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away

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“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” (Job 1:21)

On March 12, 2023, my God-ordained husband put a ring on my finger, and I became Mrs. David Robert Olson. On July 31, 2024, I reflexively rubbed my fingers across that same ring as I always did, only this time, something was wrong. This time, the precious gem that had sealed my engagement and marriage was gone.

My empty ring casing, as I discovered it on my hand.

The diamond in my engagement ring held great significance to me. Decades before David and I ever met, my sister, Jackie, gifted me with a diamond for no discernible purpose. The gem came to me in its original pendant setting out of the blue – without a chain or explanation. I wrote all about the ring in my blog entitled, God is in this story – Part 1, The Ring.  

My sister was living in Fort Myers, FL, at the time and was currently struggling through her second difficult marriage. I always suspected she wanted it to be stored somewhere safe, as she told me to “just save it.” And so, save it, I did, seldom giving it any thought as it sat in its used, orange felt jewelry box, tucked away inside a box of other keepsake items I still have.

Less than five years later, Jackie moved to Colorado to reestablish her life with a new husband. Tragically, Jackie’s time there was short-lived. A few years into their marriage, my sister and her 14-year-old daughter, Ashley, were killed by Jackie’s husband.

When God first led me to assist Samaritan’s Purse with disaster relief work after Hurricane Ian decimated parts of Florida in 2022, I had a choice of three different locations from which to labor – Englewood, Punta Gorda, or Fort Myers. I chose Fort Myers partly in honor of my sister, but also because I wanted to serve in the area hardest hit by that historic Category 4 hurricane. Above all, I wanted to be God’s hands and feet where I hoped I’d be most needed.

While these shrimp boats were left stranded on dry land in Ft. Myers, FL, after Hurricane Ian, David and I couldn’t help smiling at how God could bring beauty from ashes as he brought the two of us together through the storm.

Regardless of what brought me to Fort Myers, David’s and my mutual surrender to our Savior brought us together. Had either of us rejected God’s calling, we would have missed the biggest blessing of our lives – finding each other. That thought seldom leaves my mind. I enjoy recounting it at every telling of our story.

Psalm 37:4 has become my life verse: “Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” My life is a living testament to the veracity of that promise.

But I digress. As anyone who knows me will attest, I’ve never been someone who wears expensive jewelry. Having a real diamond on my finger – especially given how and why it got there – has always seemed incredulous to me, on many levels. Every time I looked at that ring, it shocked me anew. So many miraculous things have happened since I fully surrendered to God on that fateful journey in October 2022. I often find myself questioning how it all came together.

What led my sister to send me her diamond all those years ago? How did two broken people from different states, separated by hundreds of miles, healed by Christ, find themselves in a disaster zone together, become best friends, discover themselves as soulmates, and eventually marry – five short months later? How did that diamond stay in a keepsake box over two decades only to be expertly crafted into a ring that would seal the vows I said to my greatest love on our wedding day? How did my best friend from Bulgaria still have a hand-made wedding dress, inexplicably hand-delivered to her in the U.S. from her father, waiting in her garage to gift me to wear the day I got married? How did a hand-beaded garment created for someone in another country happen to be ready for me at the precise moment I needed it? How did that dress fit me so expertly over ten years after it was first created for another person I didn’t even know then? How on earth did anything between and surrounding David’s and my meeting ever happen?

Our wedding day, March 12, 2023

There is only one indisputable answer to all those questions: God. Our Creator preordained every part of my life to be precisely how it is today – including my meeting and marrying David. My Heavenly Father loves me. Everything I have, everything that comprises the life I now live, was given to me by God. One of my favorite Bible verses has always been James 1:17, which says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” To that, I can only say, “Amen” and “Hallelujah!”

I know how blessed I have always been. I am nothing without Christ and would have nothing without God’s goodness and grace. I am forever grateful for all the blessings lovingly bestowed upon me by my Heavenly Father.

I also know that nothing touches my life without God allowing it to do so – good or bad. I accept that. Am I sad when things don’t turn out how I want them to? Of course. I am, after all, unquestionably human. I feel joy as deeply as I do pain, sorrow, and disappointment.

As such, I was initially devastated to discover that my precious diamond had been ripped out of its setting and seemingly lost to me forever. This once-forgotten gem meant a lot to me, after all. Still, I am blessed with an exceedingly greater treasure in God and David. When I tearfully shared the news of the loss to my husband, he melted my heart with his beautiful response: “You’ll never lose me, love.” I will forever hold the beauty of that statement close to my heart.

David and I celebrate the creation and receipt of our two wedding rings in January 2023.

And so, after searching for my wayward gem as much as possible, I let it go. While I may always wonder if it will turn up one day as my precious cross necklace did, I will not over-mourn its loss. After all, I still have a lovely wedding band on my finger, indelible memories in my heart, and a devoted husband by my side. With all that, I have more than I ever thought possible – all gifted to me by Heavenly Father.

Knowing that statement to be gospel truth, I can honestly say without reservation, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” (Job 1:21).

No matter what, I will never stop praising my Savior.

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