Welcome to Light in the Darkness Blog...

1 Before time itself was measured, the Voice was speaking.

    The Voice was and is God.
2 This celestial Word remained ever present with the Creator;
3     His speech shaped the entire cosmos.
Immersed in the practice of creating,
    all things that exist were birthed in Him.
4 His breath filled all things
    with a living, breathing light—
5 A light that thrives in the depths of darkness,
    blazes through murky bottoms.
It cannot and will not be quenched.

Obedience is better than Sacrifice...

I believe we have all heard this biblical principle at least once in our lifetimes. I have been learning more specifically what this principle means for me personally. First, I would like to update you from the last post to the present. I last shared my involvement with Trauma Reboot as a participant and how it impacted my personal life toward true forgiveness. We were living in my inlaws building a house. In August 2021 we moved into our new home. I had a continued deep desire to help others especially the body of Christ and by the fall of 2022, the Lord placed on my heart to host a Trauma Reboot class out of my home for my local community. God says don't despise small beginnings...The class was both a surprise and a Godsend as only two of the original four participants were able to finish the class. God used this class to minister to all who participated especially those individuals and to heal some areas of my own family. My daughter and husband both attended by voluntary observation. Meaning they did not go to every class, but, they received much healing through just the few times they participated. Shortly after the completion of the class, the Lord began working out some things privately in my marriage and life that I even just yesterday questioned how might I or my family be affected if these things were made transparent and shared with the world. We all fear being obedient especially when it requires that we ourselves are exposed and vulnerable in order to show faith and build trust. So in time, I believe God will have me deal with these ever-present and hard topics within the body of Christ but today this blog will just be catching you all up to speed on what the Lord has been training and preparing me for going forward.

In August 2022 I had the opportunity for a scholarship to get training as a Mental Health Coach through the AACC (American Association of Christian Counselors) which is a part of the IBCC (International Board of Christian Care). I was super excited because I knew it would not only support the body of Christ but also help me personally better understand my own mental health and better support the struggles of my children and husband. The classes I have completed are Coffee Cup Counseling, "First Responder Training" as a Mental Health Coach, Dare to Care “How to Start and Manage a Mental Health Ministry, and Youth Mental Health Coach. During the first part of my training, I realized that so many in the body of Christ need support for Mental Health. My own experiences included going through trials with my daughter who faced her own mental health battle with suicide once in 2022 and again in 2023. During this time I only had the Lord and a few in my family whom I could seek prayer and support from. There are so many in the church system who simply aren't educated to help support them in a raw and authentic way. Now that I am finishing up my Youth Mental health coach training I realize how much I myself would have benefited from a Mental Health Coach and this type of support. We had professional counseling support for my daughter which continues to support and help her overcome challenges. She is doing so much better, but still, I can't help but wonder just how much of a difference it would have made to have a Christian coaching and supporting me as a parent and praying with me and my family as we navigated this trying time.

I have been unable to host another Trama Reboot class as the Lord has not opened the door again. Several unexpected health emergencies both physical and mental going into 2023 caused me to take several much-needed breaks. My reboot mentor advised me to focus on my family and health and just seek the Lord so that is what I have been and continue doing. I have presently been seeking the Lord because he placed a much bigger call upon my heart which I have been repeatedly reminded of the last few months. 

Obedience is better than Sacrifice has been resounding in my Spirit. The Lord began moving my heart 15 years ago toward supporting the body of Christ. I knew he was calling me towards some sort of ministry but did not fully understand how best to support the body of Christ until just in these past few years. My experience with church often revealed that in order for it to thrive it was expected to operate much like an enterprise or organization. I was never against the good that came of the present system but I always felt somehow it was falling short of its true purpose. I began seeking the Lord to learn more about how the scriptures describe his church, and how it was possible that what it began as had strayed so far from its simple beginnings. In present-day church, we encounter the body of Christ in a very structured order much like joining a special social club. God's heart's desire was that the body's function should be more like a human organism. I worked in the medical profession for 18 years. I have witnessed what can happen in the human body if it is stagnant without freedom or range of motion. The definition of stagnation literally means Not flowing “clogged”. Medical science shows that if a human body is kept stagnant it begins to have negative physical and mental symptoms eventually leading to the drawing up, breaking down, and decay of the body and all of its systems. This process is not only painful physically but also causes mental anguish. This is but a short description of what happens when a body is kept alive on life support instead of living out in purpose. God never intended for the body to simply be sustained or “Kept” He described a vibrant, active, and mobile organism operating far more complex than its current portrayal. In short, my goal and role is to operate through one one-on-one relationship so that God's church can begin living out its purpose. Laboring alongside one another in one-on-one relationships is essential for our growth.

https://newlifemorningstar.zenfolio.com/dream-of-the-body-of-christ