Issue 1| 2023
Your Life Has Purpose
Your Life Has Purpose
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
REAL PEOPLE | REAL STORIES | REAL HOPE<br />
KEYS TO TRANSFORMATION<br />
DAR VUELTA<br />
PARA VER<br />
EN ESPAÑOL<br />
SEE YOURSELF AS A<br />
CHAMPION<br />
Y O U R<br />
L I F E<br />
H A S<br />
PURPOSE<br />
A magazine<br />
on a mission:<br />
see page 2<br />
<strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong>
Discover more of our FREE<br />
life-changing resources on:<br />
• EDOVO platform<br />
• PANDO App<br />
• VLMag.org<br />
• YouTube<br />
• Facebook<br />
VL magazines, podcasts,<br />
and broadcasts available!<br />
VICTORIOUS LIVING<br />
DELIVERS HOPE TO<br />
THE INCARCERATED.<br />
Real life testimonies of the transforming<br />
power of Jesus Christ through our bilingual<br />
magazine, available in jails and<br />
prisons in print and digital formats.<br />
Christian discipleship to inmates through<br />
personal correspondence and digital<br />
resources.<br />
Connection to national organizations that<br />
provide helpful resources for current and<br />
former inmates and their families.<br />
Prison outreach tools to help local<br />
churches carry out God’s command to<br />
remember the prisoner.<br />
Search<br />
VICTORIOUS LIVING<br />
ARE YOU AN INMATE<br />
WHO NEEDS<br />
ENCOURAGEMENT?<br />
Write to us and join<br />
our Victorious Living<br />
Family today!<br />
VL Correspondence<br />
PO Box 2751<br />
Greenville, NC 27836<br />
Or email us from your<br />
prison tablet:<br />
hope@vlmag.org<br />
Available on Securus, ViaPath,<br />
and ICS Corrections tablets<br />
PHOTO BY EDOVO
ISSUE 1, JANUARY <strong>2023</strong><br />
“God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was<br />
his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 1:9 NLT<br />
Publisher & Executive Director<br />
Kristi Overton Johnson<br />
Accounting Manager<br />
Carla Owens<br />
Cover Photography<br />
Arizona Portraits Photography LLC<br />
Editor<br />
Rachel Overton<br />
Spanish Editorial Team<br />
Karissa Anderson, Proofreader<br />
Monica Colangelo, Translator<br />
Creative Designer<br />
Lauren Jones<br />
Creative Content Team<br />
Kristi Overton Johnson<br />
Christina Kimbrel<br />
Production Manager<br />
Christina Kimbrel<br />
Digital Content Manager<br />
Sheridan Correa<br />
Roman Randall<br />
Director of Prison Correspondence<br />
Simone Bryant<br />
Lauren Everett<br />
Director of Partner Care & Development<br />
Pat Avery<br />
Hispanic Outreach Director<br />
Denise San Miguel<br />
Story Contributors<br />
Sheridan Correa<br />
Danny R. Cox<br />
Linda Cubbedge-Smith<br />
Kory Gordon<br />
Ronnie Hopkins<br />
Gerald B. Hurst<br />
Kristi Overton Johnson<br />
Christina Kimbrel<br />
Andre Lightsey-Copeland<br />
Juliana McFadden<br />
Latoya Williams<br />
Photography<br />
Arizona Portraits Photography LLC<br />
Mike Barber Ministries<br />
EDOVO<br />
The Hurst Family<br />
Ty Johnson<br />
Joey Meddock Photography<br />
Ross Outerbridge<br />
Gunnar Rathbun<br />
Geri Simpkins Photography<br />
Holly Stratford<br />
Sweetbee Photography<br />
Noah Vieke<br />
Lyssa Yates<br />
Artwork<br />
Alberto H.<br />
Jared Emerson<br />
Victorious Living magazine is a publication of Kristi Overton Johnson Ministries, a 501c3<br />
organization. Copyright © <strong>2023</strong>, Kristi Overton Johnson Ministries, all rights<br />
reserved. For permission to reprint or copy any material contained herein, please<br />
contact us at admin@vlmag.org.<br />
DISCLAIMER: The articles featured in Victorious Living are designed to inspire and encourage<br />
our readers by sharing powerful testimonies from people who, we believe, have been transformed<br />
by God’s grace, love, and power. The articles are focused on each individual’s testimony.<br />
Although we conduct some independent research, we rely heavily on the information provided<br />
to us by those we interview. Our articles are not intended to be an endorsement of the views,<br />
opinions, choices, or activities of the persons whose stories we feature. The statements, views,<br />
and opinions of those persons whose stories we feature are purely their own, and we do not<br />
control and are not responsible for any such statements, views, or opinions.<br />
HOW TO REACH VICTORIOUS LIVING<br />
General, Subscription, and Partnership Inquiries<br />
• Victorious Living<br />
PO Box 2801, Greenville, NC 27836<br />
• 352-478-2098<br />
• admin@vlmag.org<br />
All Prison Inmate Correspondence<br />
• Victorious Living Correspondence Outreach<br />
PO Box 2751, Greenville, NC 27836<br />
• hope@vlmag.org<br />
Scripture Permissions<br />
Scripture marked NIV is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®, copyright<br />
©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. | Scripture marked NLT is taken from the Holy Bible, New<br />
Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. | All Scripture is<br />
used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.<br />
La escritura marcada NVI es tomada de La Santa Biblia, Nueva Versión Internacional®<br />
NVI®, copyright © 1999, 2015 por Biblica, Inc.® | La escritura marcada NTV es tomada<br />
de La Santa Biblia, Nueva Traducción Viviente, © Tyndale House Foundation, 2010.<br />
| Toda la escritura usado con permiso. Reservados todos los derechos en todo el<br />
mundo.<br />
VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM<br />
<strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong><br />
3
THE VICTORIOUS LIVING STORY<br />
One visit with an incarcerated friend in 2013 opened the eyes<br />
of Victorious Living founder, Kristi Overton Johnson, to the<br />
hopelessness of life behind bars. It also birthed in her a desire to<br />
deliver hope to the souls of incarcerated men and women.<br />
Soon after, God opened doors for Victorious Living magazine to<br />
be distributed in the prison system. He then led Kristi and the VL<br />
team onto prison yards to share His message of hope in person and,<br />
more recently, digitally through prison tablets.<br />
Before that prison encounter, Kristi had<br />
spent 35 years water-skiing competitively<br />
worldwide, never considering those<br />
who had lost their freedom. But God<br />
had a plan for this world champion<br />
water-skier to go behind bars to<br />
encourage hearts with God’s love<br />
and His message of redemption<br />
and to equip people to get up and<br />
experience victorious living for<br />
themselves.<br />
Since 2013, Victorious Living<br />
magazine has impacted the lives of<br />
over one million incarcerated souls...<br />
and the story is still being written.<br />
BE A PART OF THE<br />
VL STORY<br />
Victorious Living is a great<br />
way to carry out God’s<br />
command to remember the<br />
prisoner (Matthew 25:34–40;<br />
Hebrews 13:3). Here’s how<br />
you can help us deliver hope<br />
to the incarcerated.<br />
SHARE<br />
Share VL with your local church,<br />
chaplain, jail, or prison. VL is a<br />
great mission to support and a<br />
good tool to use too!<br />
SUPPORT<br />
VL is partner supported. Your taxdeductible<br />
gift sends copies of<br />
VLMag into jails and prisons, where<br />
it saves lives. And when you give,<br />
we’ll send you a copy too.<br />
SPONSOR<br />
Sponsor jails and prisons to receive<br />
quarterly cases of VL. It costs us<br />
$500 to supply 1 case of VL to 1<br />
facility, each quarter, for 1 year.<br />
SOCIAL MEDIA<br />
Visit our website and social media<br />
platforms. Like. Follow. Share.<br />
@victoriouslivingmag<br />
PHOTO BY MIKE BARBER MINISTRIES PHOTO BY JOEY MEDDOCK PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
VISIT VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM OR CALL 352-478-2098
ISSUE 1, JANUARY <strong>2023</strong><br />
CONTENTS<br />
8<br />
9<br />
19<br />
STEPPING FORWARD<br />
God, Be with Me<br />
BY GERALD B. HURST WITH KRISTI<br />
OVERTON JOHNSON<br />
Flourish in His Care<br />
BY LINDA CUBBEDGE-SMITH<br />
Benched by God? Use Your<br />
Time Wisely<br />
BY CHRISTINA KIMBREL<br />
14<br />
28<br />
TRANSFORMED<br />
LIVES<br />
Commitment and<br />
Consistency: Keys to<br />
Transformation<br />
BY SHERIDAN CORREA<br />
When the decisions you’ve made have<br />
destroyed the life and relationships you<br />
once treasured and love and trust are<br />
gone, is there hope for recovery?<br />
See Yourself as a Champion<br />
10<br />
16<br />
FEATURES<br />
From Guns to Grace<br />
THE STORY OF ANDRE<br />
LIGHTSEY-COPELAND<br />
Found guilty of murder at age 28, Andre<br />
experienced the life-changing goodness of<br />
God when he finally surrendered his will and<br />
his way to the perfect plan God already had<br />
in place.<br />
Graced for Success<br />
THE STORY OF LATOYA WILLIAMS<br />
31<br />
32<br />
Your Pain Has Purpose<br />
BY KORY GORDON<br />
You Don’t Have to Go Back<br />
BY DANNY R. COX<br />
BY KRISTI OVERTON JOHNSON<br />
Do you see yourself as champion or a<br />
loser? If you’re a child of God, He sees<br />
you as a champion, no matter what<br />
your circumstances or past actions.<br />
Come on, He created you. You are<br />
champion material!<br />
“Have it your way” might be a good slogan<br />
for a burger joint, but when Latoya applied<br />
it to her life, she found it only brought hardship<br />
and pain.<br />
COVER STORY<br />
20<br />
You Have Purpose<br />
THE STORY OF JULIANA MCFADDEN<br />
PHOTO BY ARIZONA PORTRAITS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC<br />
ON THE COVER<br />
After experiencing<br />
the grace of God<br />
for herself, Juliana<br />
McFadden was able<br />
to extend grace to<br />
her brother, Charlie,<br />
and her husband,<br />
David.<br />
God’s divine grace<br />
restored their<br />
relationships and<br />
brought them into<br />
His purposes for<br />
their lives.<br />
24<br />
“Can Charlie stay at your place for a few days?<br />
The cops are looking for him.” That Christmas<br />
morning phone call changed Juliana’s<br />
previously normal life. From that day on, she<br />
struggled with the shame of being the sister of<br />
a murderer and a growing resentment toward<br />
God. But God had purpose in her pain, and<br />
today she uses her experience to help others<br />
see Christ in their circumstances as well.<br />
More of Jesus, Less of Me<br />
THE STORY OF RONNIE HOPKINS<br />
Years of anger and self-pity kept Ronnie from<br />
recognizing anything good in his life—and<br />
led him straight into prison. With no other<br />
choice, he finally stopped long enough to<br />
hear God’s voice, quietly saying, “Trust Me,<br />
Ronnie.”<br />
IN EVERY ISSUE<br />
6<br />
Publisher’s Note<br />
More Than a Magazine<br />
33<br />
Want to Know Jesus?<br />
I’m Saved...Now What?<br />
34<br />
Ministry News/Resources<br />
VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM<br />
<strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong><br />
5
PUBLISHER’S NOTE<br />
More Than a Magazine<br />
If you’d like to partner with<br />
our magazine to deliver God’s<br />
hope and to impact the lives of<br />
incarcerated men and women,<br />
visit victoriouslivingmagazine<br />
.com. Your gift enables us to<br />
send this magazine into prisons<br />
around the nation. Each<br />
magazine impacts many lives<br />
for years to come.<br />
God never ceases to amaze me. It’s<br />
mind-boggling how He works behind<br />
the scenes to bring to fruition<br />
the plans He has uniquely purposed<br />
for us. Day after day, God patiently pursues<br />
us and lovingly draws us onto His path,<br />
even though we fight hard against Him.<br />
You’re about to read stories of people<br />
who resisted God’s love and plan. Some<br />
refused Him out of anger, blaming Him for<br />
the pain that existed in their lives. Others<br />
rebelled against Him, wanting to do things<br />
their way, not His.<br />
Years of living apart from God took<br />
the subjects of our feature stories down<br />
dark paths that brought much pain. But<br />
God’s love pursued them, and everything<br />
changed when they turned to Him.<br />
There was a time when I didn’t trust His<br />
love for me either. My young mind thought,<br />
“If God sent His own Son to die—a Son who<br />
was perfect—then what will He do to me?”<br />
I couldn’t live up to His perfect standard<br />
on my best day (Romans 3:23).<br />
I didn’t understand the sacrifice He’d<br />
made for me. Nor did I comprehend His<br />
grace or desire to be part of my life. God<br />
wanted my heart, not perfection or performance.<br />
He wanted to give me a better,<br />
purpose-filled life.<br />
I grew up in the church and heard the<br />
Gospel of Jesus Christ—how God had sent<br />
His Son to die for my sin so that I could go<br />
to heaven (John 3:16). I believed it wholeheartedly,<br />
and at the age of eight, I accepted<br />
Jesus as my Savior and was baptized. But<br />
I did that out of fear of being sent to hell,<br />
not because I understood God’s love for<br />
me and not really because I loved Him.<br />
For years, I imagined God sitting on His<br />
throne of judgment, watching my every<br />
move and analyzing my every thought. I<br />
saw Him sitting on the edge of His seat,<br />
gavel in hand, ready to bring forth punishment.<br />
Being warned that “God’s watching<br />
you” and listening to regular sermons on<br />
God’s wrath and my need to be good helped<br />
shape my unhealthy view of God.<br />
When you’re afraid of someone, you<br />
either try desperately to please them or<br />
you keep your distance. I did both. Every<br />
week, I went to church in my Sunday best.<br />
I prayed at bedtime and before meals, and<br />
I worked hard in school and sports. Oh,<br />
and of course, I tried to be kind to people.<br />
Yet, because I was determined to maintain<br />
control of my life, I kept my distance<br />
from God. If I surrendered my life to Him,<br />
where would He take me? What would He<br />
ask me to do or give up? I was too afraid to<br />
find out, so I kept my faith in a nice, neat,<br />
safe religious box. I wanted Jesus to be my<br />
Savior, but not my Lord.<br />
In my midtwenties, I faced bigger trials<br />
than I could handle. Suddenly, my safe,<br />
boxed-up religion wasn’t cutting it. Nothing<br />
the world offered was helping either.<br />
Finally, I cried out to God, and through<br />
His Word, His Holy Spirit, my circumstances,<br />
and other people, He revealed His true<br />
nature and love for me. I quit stiff-arming<br />
God and let Him draw me close (James<br />
4:8). Understanding the depths of His<br />
love gave me the courage to trust His plan<br />
(Ephesians 3:18–19). And like everyone<br />
else in this issue, my life has never been<br />
the same.<br />
God changed me; He made all things<br />
new. Once I tasted and saw how good He<br />
truly was, I couldn’t keep it to myself. Now,<br />
I help others understand the goodness of<br />
God, and this magazine is part of how I<br />
do that.<br />
It’s been more than 27 years since I<br />
surrendered my life to the lordship of<br />
Jesus Christ. I am so glad I did. Just look—<br />
God’s plan has enabled us, you and me, to<br />
cross paths! And I believe He wants to reveal<br />
something about Himself to you today.<br />
If there is anything our ministry can<br />
do for you, please don’t hesitate to call.<br />
Victorious Living is more than a magazine.<br />
It’s a family.<br />
Kristi Overton Johnson<br />
Publisher & Executive Director<br />
PHOTO BY TY JOHNSON<br />
6 <strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong> VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM
Through the stories of Victorious Living,<br />
men and women behind bars<br />
meet the God of another chance.<br />
Testimony of Victorious Living<br />
Impact: Alberto H.<br />
Biblical characters are imperfect, regular<br />
people just like me and everyone featured in<br />
this magazine. Their lives reveal how God deals<br />
with our human weaknesses and leads us to our<br />
potential. That’s why I love reading Victorious<br />
Living. Every testimony here is a contemporary<br />
example of what I’ve read in the Bible.<br />
Of all the stories shared in VLMag, Melisha<br />
Johnson’s (<strong>Issue</strong> 02/2022) touched me the most<br />
deeply. Her devotion to Jesus enabled her to go<br />
through many trials, each of which God used to<br />
strengthen her character, refine her, and lead<br />
her to a new path that He had prepared for her<br />
long ago. He’s doing the same in me.<br />
Melisha taught me the importance of<br />
consistency. I won’t give up or give in as the<br />
Lord molds me into who He wants me to be.<br />
Thank you, Melisha, for being vulnerable and<br />
sharing your story with those of us still behind<br />
bars. I’m sending you this portrait (displayed on<br />
the right) as a token of my appreciation.<br />
I wanted to capture the spiritual fruit—peace,<br />
passion, love, and kindness—I see in your face.<br />
I used dense, intense colors to express your<br />
passion and determination; pastel and bright<br />
but subtle hues to denote the light the Holy<br />
Spirit has poured into you.<br />
May the Lord continue using you, Melisha,<br />
and everyone featured in VLMag, as examples<br />
of His transformative glory. Let your light shine<br />
before men and bring glory to our Father.<br />
ARTWORK BY ALBERTO H.<br />
SPONSOR A PRISON IN YOUR STATE AND IMPACT LIVES TODAY.<br />
VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM<br />
Visit victoriouslivingmagazine.com.<br />
<strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong><br />
7
STEPPING FORWARD<br />
God,<br />
Be with Me<br />
BY GERALD B. HURST<br />
WITH KRISTI OVERTON JOHNSON<br />
I’VE SEEN GOD MOVE IN MIRACULOUS<br />
ways in my many years. Like when I was<br />
Above: This photo of the wreckage of his plane<br />
is a constant reminder to Gerald of God’s grace.<br />
flying combat in Vietnam in the late 1960s.<br />
The air force assigned me to the F-105<br />
Thunderchief aircraft and sent me to the<br />
Right: Major Gerald Hurst in 1970 with his plane<br />
at the Takhli RTAFB prior to the crash. Major<br />
Hurst retired in 1982 as a full colonel.<br />
Royal Thai Air Force Base in Thailand. After<br />
three days of orientation, I flew my first<br />
combat mission.<br />
I was more than anxious as I headed to-<br />
another prayer, and pulled hard. Wham!<br />
ward my assigned target, but I took the time<br />
The ejection seat fired, and my head<br />
to pray. “God, please be with me.” Praying<br />
slapped down hard on my knee. My chin<br />
to my heavenly Father brought peace and<br />
strap went into my voice box; I couldn’t<br />
comfort. I would repeat that short prayer<br />
breathe. Disoriented, I fell from the air-<br />
on all 91 of my subsequent missions.<br />
craft. When I finally got my bearings, I<br />
On my 38th mission, my aircraft suf-<br />
realized my chute hadn’t automatically<br />
fered enemy fire and lost all oil pressure.<br />
deployed. I quickly grabbed the D-ring and<br />
Ejection was imminent, and that didn’t ex-<br />
manually opened the chute. I breathed a<br />
cite me. At that time, ejections were only<br />
80 percent successful. So I prayed.<br />
Generally, with no oil, a jet engine will<br />
continue to run no more than a minute.<br />
I’ve even heard the time be as short as 15<br />
seconds. Miraculously, my engine ran for<br />
over six minutes, allowing me to get away<br />
from enemy territory.<br />
I told the electronic warfare officer in the<br />
back of our F-105G to prepare for ejection<br />
sigh of relief and then focused on where I<br />
was going to land.<br />
The chute was drifting toward obstacles,<br />
I tried to steer clear, but I went down hard<br />
and broke my ankle. Twelve minutes later,<br />
a rescue chopper was right above me.<br />
I’d never been happier! The other officer<br />
survived as well. After rehab, I, like many<br />
others who served, went back to fly 53<br />
more missions. I took more gunfire, and<br />
Those moments are disappointing, and<br />
they can shake our faith if we aren’t careful.<br />
I’ve said my share of “unanswered”<br />
prayers too. But I don’t give up on God<br />
or doubt His ability to hear and answer<br />
prayer. Instead, I trust His love for me and<br />
keep asking, seeking, and knocking on the<br />
heart of God (Matthew 7:7).<br />
It helps when I think back on the times<br />
I’ve witnessed God at work. Those mo-<br />
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE HURST FAMILY<br />
and headed for the closest airbase.<br />
you can believe, the words, “God, please be<br />
ments serve as powerful reminders of<br />
As I started my descent, the aircraft<br />
with me,” were always forth coming. I had<br />
God’s power and grace and give me hope<br />
accelerated to over 450 knots (518 mph).<br />
no better protection than the Lord’s help.<br />
that if He did it then, He can do it now.<br />
I retarded the throttle and expended the<br />
I believe God hears all our prayers. He<br />
Whatever you are facing today, I encour-<br />
speed brakes—and the engine seized.<br />
knows our hearts. He hears us when all<br />
age you to pray about it (Philippians 4:6–8).<br />
My wingman came over the intercom.<br />
we can say is “help,” and He welcomes our<br />
When you give your situation to God, He<br />
“You’re on fire! You need to get out.”<br />
longer prayers too, when we pour out our<br />
will give you His peace and enable you to<br />
I pulled up the nose to slow the airplane<br />
hearts to Him.<br />
face the difficult thing before you.<br />
and ordered the officer with me to eject.<br />
Two orders and some not-so-religious<br />
words from me later, he finally obeyed.<br />
Smoke filled the cockpit. It was my turn<br />
to eject. I grabbed the ejection lever, said<br />
Of course, God doesn’t always answer<br />
our prayers the way we think He should.<br />
Sometimes, for reasons we’ll never know,<br />
He chooses not to perform a life-saving<br />
miracle on this side of heaven.<br />
GERALD B. HURST served in the US Air Force for<br />
26 years and has also served as a representative in<br />
the NC Legislature. Colonel Hurst has been married<br />
to his sweetheart, Amelia, for 65 years and still<br />
enjoys flying. He has flown over 5,300 hours.<br />
8 <strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong> VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM
STEPPING FORWARD<br />
Flourish in His Care<br />
BY LINDA<br />
CUBBEDGE-SMITH<br />
LINDA<br />
CUBBEDGE-SMITH<br />
was Victorious<br />
Living’s Prison<br />
Correspondence<br />
Outreach Director<br />
from 2014 until June of<br />
2021. She is currently<br />
working on a book<br />
about the goodness<br />
of God and remains<br />
passionate about<br />
leading others to Him.<br />
I LOVE SPRINGTIME! Sprucing up my yard and<br />
home with colorful flowers and beautiful plants is a<br />
favorite pastime that makes me smile.<br />
A couple years ago, I added some pygmy palm trees<br />
to our home’s landscape. They are known to do well<br />
with proper care and a little pruning. I planted two<br />
in the yard and two in large planters. I was excited to<br />
watch them grow.<br />
I thought I did a good job looking after them, but<br />
I soon noticed distinct differences between the ones<br />
in the yard and the ones in the planters. The trees I<br />
regularly pruned were noticeably taller and healthier<br />
than the ones that had not had as much attention. They<br />
were also producing tender new palm branches from<br />
the top center of the trees, each one reaching toward<br />
the sun. I marveled at how they knew to stretch toward<br />
their source of life. The two palms that received less<br />
attention were not exactly living their best lives.<br />
My gardening lesson reminded me of Psalm 92:12–<br />
13: “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they<br />
will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house<br />
of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God”<br />
(NIV).<br />
The repetition of the word “flourish” in this passage<br />
piqued my interest, and I searched for its meaning.<br />
Merriam-Webster defines it as “a period of thriving”<br />
and “to grow luxuriantly.” The Hebrew definition,<br />
the original language of the Old Testament, refers to<br />
a “breaking forth” and “blooming.” In the New Testament,<br />
the word appears once and means “to put<br />
forth anew.”<br />
God’s loving intention for His people is that we grow<br />
in maturity and fruitfulness as we shed our old nature<br />
and bloom anew.<br />
I can’t speak for my palm trees, but in my human<br />
experience, growing is hard work. Flourishing doesn’t<br />
just magically happen for plants or for people. It<br />
requires a pruning process that can be downright<br />
painful and sometimes make you question the Lord’s<br />
goodness.<br />
But I’ve learned that in those times, we must take<br />
our cue from the palm trees and keep stretching for the<br />
“Son.” Jesus’s light will sustain us and cause our faith<br />
and love for others to flourish (2 Thessalonians 1:3).<br />
God’s pruning process comes in different forms.<br />
Sometimes it requires the removal of selfishness, pride,<br />
stubbornness, bitterness, hate, and jealousy. As we<br />
submit our emotions to God and renew our hearts and<br />
minds with His Word, we experience God’s perfect will<br />
for our lives (Romans 12:2). His Holy Spirit will help<br />
us grow in love, grace, and humility. He will develop a<br />
desire in us to walk in obedience to His Word.<br />
At times, pruning requires the removal of people<br />
and things. Hebrews 12:1 says we are to cut away anything<br />
that hinders our steps. Sometimes even beautiful<br />
things must be cut away to make room for God’s better.<br />
Those are the hardest things to release.<br />
You can trust the pruning process to the hands of<br />
the Master Gardener. Pruning is evidence of His love<br />
for you. God knows which branches to cut off so you<br />
can be fruitful and experience an abundant life (John<br />
15:1–8). Whatever He removes will make space for<br />
something more beautiful than you can imagine.<br />
Let His promises sustain you as you bloom into the<br />
person He intends you to be. God will help you grow,<br />
produce fruit, and remain full of life even into old age<br />
(Psalm 92:13–15).<br />
Now that is some much-needed hope, isn’t it? May it<br />
nourish your soul as you flourish in your relationship<br />
with Jesus.<br />
VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM<br />
<strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong><br />
9
F R O M<br />
GUNS<br />
T O<br />
THE STORY OF<br />
ANDRE LIGHTSEY-COPELAND<br />
GRACE<br />
MMy childhood is shrouded in mystery. I’m 41 years old,<br />
and I still don’t have answers, but this much I know: God<br />
wasn’t confused. He wasn’t absent. He’s always had a<br />
plan and purpose for my life (Jeremiah 29:11). I just had<br />
to come to the end of myself before I could receive them.<br />
No one has ever explained why my biological mom<br />
didn’t raise me or why I lived with another family. I’ve<br />
always had more questions than answers. My mom battled<br />
something great; whatever it was, she ended her<br />
life when I was ten. Everyone worked hard to protect<br />
me—from what horrible truth, I’ll never know.<br />
After my mom passed, the family I lived with adopted<br />
me. They let me choose my last name. I decided to<br />
use both surnames and joined them with a hyphen:<br />
Lightsey-Copeland.<br />
Even though Mom wasn’t around much, she always<br />
made sure I knew she loved me. No matter what had<br />
happened, she would always be a part of me, so I wanted<br />
to honor her. But I also wanted to honor Mrs. Copeland,<br />
the woman who ensured I never wanted or needed any-<br />
thing. She was my mother now, and I even got three big<br />
brothers out of the deal!<br />
In the Copeland home, I experienced love and positive<br />
male role models. But I took them for granted and became<br />
vulnerable to the world’s influences. My thoughts<br />
were quickly shaped by the lies of an enemy I was not even<br />
aware of, much less equipped to fight. Satan was prowling<br />
around like a roaring lion, and he was about to try to devour<br />
me (1 Peter 5:8).<br />
I remember playing outside our apartment one day, when<br />
this guy walked by with sagging pants, a cocked baseball<br />
cap, and a gun in his pocket. I admired the confidence in<br />
his stride and thought, “Wow! He’s cool.”<br />
I didn’t know who he was, but I wanted to be like him. I<br />
stopped playing with Legos and digging holes in the dirt<br />
and headed into high school with a new style and attitude.<br />
PHOTO BY ARIZONA PORTRAITS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC<br />
10 <strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong> VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM
My new look quickly attracted the wrong kind of attention.<br />
The colors I wore insulted gang members in my<br />
neighborhood, and I had to deal with them daily, even<br />
though I wasn’t in a gang. I was in their territory, and<br />
that’s all that mattered.<br />
I couldn’t even walk to the bus stop without having to<br />
defend myself, but I didn’t back down, no matter how<br />
many fights I had to endure. I stood my ground and<br />
did what I wanted, and eventually, the bullying and the<br />
fighting stopped.<br />
My rebellion grew rapidly, as did my ego. I started<br />
messing with drugs, using first and then selling. Once<br />
I tasted that fast money, I couldn’t walk away. It made<br />
me feel powerful, accepted, and like I was somebody.<br />
I kept my grades up so my mom wouldn’t think things<br />
were off with me. Plus, I didn’t want to disappoint her.<br />
I followed the house rules, did my homework, and excelled<br />
in sports. After I graduated from high school, I<br />
went to college. But that didn’t last long.<br />
I lived a double life, walking a tightrope between two<br />
opposing identities. My street ego grew and grew, and<br />
I felt invincible. Giving in to the lure of the fast life, I<br />
dropped out of college and hit the streets full time.<br />
And then, one day a drive-by shooting happened in<br />
front of my mom’s house. No one was hurt, but it was<br />
quite the reality check. Those bullets had my name on<br />
them. I was ashamed as I realized the danger I’d brought<br />
to my family, not to mention the heartbreak.<br />
But there was more disappointment ahead, and there<br />
was nothing I could do to prepare my family for it. I didn’t<br />
even see it coming until it was too late.<br />
Something told me not to leave the house that day, but<br />
with full-blown arrogance, I ignored the warning and<br />
headed out, looking for trouble. I found it in a strip-club<br />
parking lot. Before the night was over, a man was dead,<br />
and his blood was on my hands.<br />
I fled the scene and hid in a shed in the backyard of<br />
an abandoned house. Adrenaline pumped through my<br />
racing heart as I heard police sirens and a helicopter<br />
in the distance. I was twenty-eight years old and on the<br />
run for murder.<br />
I’d never prayed before or even thought about God, but<br />
as reality sank in, I somehow knew He was my only hope.<br />
“God, please help me.”<br />
I didn’t expect an answer. At that moment, I felt as<br />
far away from God as a person could get. Why would He<br />
even listen to my prayer? I had just murdered a man!<br />
But He heard it, and He didn’t waste any time responding.<br />
“Are you ready to surrender your life to Me, Andre?”<br />
It was a gentle but direct question, and I knew without<br />
a doubt that it was Him. I wasn’t one to hear voices.<br />
What caught my attention was the use of my name. To<br />
think that God would know me by name! Suddenly, His<br />
presence was tangible, and I realized I wasn’t alone.<br />
Frightened, I continued to run from the authorities and<br />
evaded capture for two weeks. But as I ran, that encounter<br />
never left my thoughts.<br />
What could God possibly want with me? The thought was<br />
confusing. As far as I knew, my life was over.<br />
When the cops finally caught up with me, I was relieved.<br />
They booked me into Pima County Jail and charged me with<br />
first-degree murder. The weight of what I’d done hit me with<br />
such force that I could barely breathe. I became numb and<br />
was unable to process what was happening.<br />
Mom came to see me, utterly shocked by the charges<br />
against me. She had no idea the<br />
depths of my rebellion. “Son, I<br />
know you didn’t do this terrible<br />
thing,” she said. “Tell me what<br />
happened so we can straighten<br />
this all out.”<br />
There was no fixing the situation.<br />
I had to tell her the truth. I<br />
was totally to blame for what had<br />
happened.<br />
Alone in my cell, God’s question<br />
kept coming to mind, “Are<br />
you ready to surrender your life<br />
to Me, Andre?”<br />
Fear. Shame. Guilt. Grief. Anger.<br />
Confusion. Waves of emotion<br />
washed over me. What did I have<br />
to give God?<br />
“I don’t have anything to give<br />
you, God.” I finally told Him. “I’m<br />
a mess, and I’m probably in prison<br />
for the rest of my life.”<br />
I knew nothing about the Bible,<br />
but when I picked one up, the<br />
Lord wasted no time speaking to<br />
I K N E W<br />
NOTHING<br />
A B O U T T H E<br />
BIBLE, BUT<br />
WHEN I PICKED<br />
ONE UP, T H E<br />
LORD WASTED<br />
N O T I M E<br />
SPEAKING TO<br />
MY HEART.<br />
my heart. He showed me Romans 5:8: “But God demonstrates<br />
his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners,<br />
Christ died for us” (NIV).<br />
I couldn’t wrap my head around what I was reading. Jesus<br />
died for me even though He knew I was a sinner? Why? I<br />
had never paid attention to Him. Why would He care about<br />
me? But that’s what it said.<br />
Wow.<br />
I kept reading the Bible and learned so much. Jesus was a<br />
perfect man and also God. He died a horrible death so that I<br />
could have my sins forgiven. That blew my mind. I became<br />
hungry to learn all I could about Jesus, the resurrected<br />
Savior. I was fascinated by His teachings and the people He<br />
VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM<br />
<strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong><br />
11
ROM G<br />
chose to be His disciples. What a motley crew! Then I<br />
learned about King David and how God used him even<br />
though he was an adulterer and a murderer (2 Samuel<br />
11–12; Psalm 51).<br />
As soon as I could, I got baptized and committed my<br />
life to follow Jesus no matter what, even if I had to spend<br />
the rest of my life in prison.<br />
My case dragged through the court system for two<br />
and a half years. As I awaited my sentence, I leaned into<br />
God’s Word for courage and comfort. I discovered who I<br />
was in God’s eyes. Satan had been feeding me lies about<br />
my identity since my youth.<br />
I attended church with my Spanish-speaking cellie,<br />
who was also a Christian. I didn’t understand much<br />
because the service was in Spanish, but it didn’t matter.<br />
God’s presence was there as those men sought the Lord. I<br />
soaked it in like a plant that hadn’t been watered in years.<br />
God showed me that He had pursued me since I was<br />
a kid. He revealed people He had used to sow seeds in<br />
my heart about Jesus. God knew that, eventually, I would<br />
turn to Him, and just like the father of the prodigal son,<br />
He waited patiently for me (Luke 15:11–32).<br />
I remembered a picture my mom had hanging in her<br />
house. As a child, I wondered who all those people were<br />
sitting around a big table sharing a meal. Now I know<br />
it was a painting of the Last Supper with Jesus and His<br />
disciples (Matthew 26:26–29). Thinking of that picture<br />
now comforts my heart. I think maybe Mom knew Jesus too.<br />
Waiting for trial was exhausting. I had no plea bargain, so<br />
when my court date arrived, I expected to get the maximum<br />
sentence. I thought I was dreaming when the jury found me<br />
guilty of a lesser charge, second-degree murder.<br />
The judge’s voice was kind but firm on sentencing day.<br />
“Sir, I believe that you are a decent man who lost your way<br />
when you started hanging out with the wrong people.” She<br />
then handed me a 12-year sentence. It was nothing short<br />
of a miracle.<br />
God’s hand touched my life that day in a way I will never<br />
forget, and I came to understand grace and mercy in a way<br />
many don’t. I was receiving a gift that I could never earn or<br />
deserve, and I knew it.<br />
Within a week, I walked through the gates of Arizona State<br />
Prison to begin serving my time. I connected immediately<br />
with other men of faith. Wanting to be a true disciple of<br />
Jesus Christ, I surrounded myself with those whose lives<br />
were testimonies of His transforming power. God worked<br />
through them to help me change.<br />
Before long, I felt God calling me deeper. My salvation, a<br />
reduced prison sentence, and this new life weren’t for me to<br />
keep to myself. God wanted to use me for His purpose and<br />
glory (Ephesians 2:8–10). He wanted me to tell others about<br />
His grace and to help them avoid the mistakes I’d made.<br />
Helping others was something I’d never considered before<br />
giving my life to Christ. To better prepare, I took advantage<br />
Left: Mama<br />
Copeland has<br />
always provided<br />
for Andre and<br />
been a source of<br />
encouragement<br />
and comfort.<br />
Right: Andre<br />
(in sweater)<br />
experienced the<br />
blessing of family<br />
in the Copeland<br />
home. Shown<br />
here with his<br />
nephew.<br />
12 <strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong> VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM
PHOTO BY ARIZONA PORTRAITS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC<br />
UNS<br />
THE BLOOD JESUS<br />
SHED FOR YOU<br />
ON THE CROSS O F<br />
CALVARY CAN WASH<br />
AWAY THE BLOOD<br />
ON YOUR HANDS.<br />
of the education available behind bars and obtained<br />
an associate’s degree in alcohol and substance abuse<br />
disorders. I also worked as a peer support facilitator,<br />
helping to prepare men for their release.<br />
It was a privilege to pray for them and introduce them<br />
to Jesus, the true Friend who would be there every step<br />
of the way (John 15:13–14). So many people want to leave<br />
prison, enter the world, and live right, but it isn’t easy<br />
to do. With Jesus, these men could succeed.<br />
Still wanting to deepen my roots in Christ, I signed up<br />
for a discipleship training program offered by Alongside<br />
Ministries in Phoenix. A mentor journeyed with me while<br />
I was still in prison. He became my friend and prayer<br />
warrior and met me at the gate the day of my release.<br />
He even took me out for a delicious breakfast before<br />
dropping me off at the ministry’s residential program<br />
that I still call home.<br />
It felt great to be out from behind those bars, but Jesus<br />
had already set me free long before I walked out of<br />
prison. He freed me from the wages of my sin and gave<br />
me eternal life the day I believed in Him (Romans 6:23).<br />
And not only was I free, but I was rich beyond measure.<br />
I didn’t have any worldly possessions, but I had<br />
eternal life, joy, peace, worth, and purpose.<br />
Today, I work with and encourage men coming out of<br />
prison who are learning to walk with the Lord. It’s only<br />
been a few years since I was where they are now. Only<br />
God could have rewritten my story.<br />
VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM<br />
Genesis 50:20 says that God can take what the enemy<br />
meant for our harm and use it for good. Romans 8:28 promises<br />
that God works all situations for good for those who<br />
love Him and are called to His purposes. God has kept these<br />
promises and more. His undeserved kindness will remain<br />
beyond my comprehension.<br />
I’ll never forget that I took a life and brought pain to undeserving<br />
people. I wish I could go back and make it right,<br />
but I can’t. All I can do is live my life in thankfulness, serving<br />
others and sharing the hope of Jesus. I want to honor God<br />
so He can bring purpose out of the pain I caused.<br />
God offers this same chance to you. I hope you’ll accept it.<br />
If you’re like I was, you’re wondering what God could<br />
possibly want with your life. And why would He bother?<br />
Let me tell you: God doesn’t look at what you’ve done. He<br />
looks at who He knows you can become.<br />
He is calling you by name, inviting you to come, right<br />
now, just as you are. God loves you no matter what you’ve<br />
done. The blood He shed for you on the cross of Calvary<br />
can wash away the blood on your hands.<br />
Brothers and sisters, the forgiveness of sin is a gift of<br />
true freedom that no one can ever take away from you, no<br />
matter where you find yourself (John 8:36).<br />
ANDRE LIGHTSEY-COPELAND, having experienced God’s<br />
faithfulness and grace for himself, seeks to share that message of<br />
hope and victory with everyone he encounters. He enjoys the fellowship<br />
of his Alongside Ministries community and uses his testimony to<br />
encourage his family and students at St. Mary’s Skill Center in Phoenix.<br />
<strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong><br />
O GRACE<br />
13
TRANSFORMED LIVES<br />
BY SHERIDAN CORREA<br />
Commitment<br />
+ Consistency<br />
KEYS TO TRANSFORMATION<br />
IN JULY 2012, I RECEIVED AN EMAIL<br />
saying my soon-to-be ex-husband had<br />
been awarded full temporary custody of<br />
our two sons. Two days later, my children<br />
and I were separated. My heart broke into<br />
a million pieces.<br />
My sadness turned to rage, and I took on<br />
the victim role. Roots of bitterness grew<br />
deep, and I hurt many people (Hebrews<br />
12:15). Intense shame and depression set<br />
in, and I slid into a hopeless pit. I lost all<br />
sense of who I was and my life’s purpose.<br />
I had no one to blame but myself. Seven<br />
years of poor decisions caused by drug<br />
and alcohol addiction had led me into dark<br />
places where I had neglected my children.<br />
The court ordered that I would have supervised<br />
visitation, pay full child support, and<br />
attend family drug court for a year.<br />
I set out to avenge my motherhood, but I<br />
was quickly overwhelmed because I didn’t<br />
know the Lord and I was fighting my battle<br />
alone. Four months into the court program,<br />
I failed a random drug test. The court took<br />
disciplinary action, but I didn’t have the<br />
courage or strength to follow through with<br />
the requirements.<br />
My shame and selfishness kept me from<br />
taking responsibility and fighting for my<br />
life. I gave up and gave myself over entirely<br />
to my addiction and a life of lawlessness. I<br />
became homeless, revolving in and out of<br />
psychiatric hospitals and jail for years. My<br />
children were distant memories.<br />
If you read my story in <strong>Issue</strong> 03/2022,<br />
you know that the light of Jesus Christ<br />
overcame the darkness of my life (John<br />
1:4–5) while I was in jail awaiting a prison<br />
sentence. Right there, Christ made<br />
me new—He gave me a new heart, a clear<br />
mind, new desires, and a new will to live<br />
and love again. His presence and Word<br />
gave me strength, courage, and hope for<br />
future reunification with my children. My<br />
heart clung to the promise that with God,<br />
all things were possible (Matthew 19:26).<br />
Then He stepped in and made a way for<br />
me to go to the Phoenix Rescue Mission, a<br />
Christ-centered facility providing solutions<br />
for people trapped in cycles of homelessness,<br />
addiction, and poverty. There, I committed<br />
my whole self—heart, mind, body,<br />
will, emotions—as a living sacrifice to God<br />
and renewed it daily (Romans 12:1). I laid<br />
my relationship with my children and their<br />
father on God’s altar. Only God could bring<br />
the healing we needed.<br />
The first few months I was at the Mission,<br />
I wasn’t allowed to have contact with the<br />
outside world except through writing to<br />
approved people. Each week, I wrote my<br />
two sons. I didn’t know if they were getting<br />
my letters, but I continued to pursue them<br />
in faith.<br />
Three months into the program, I received<br />
permission to call them twice weekly.<br />
God planted the words commitment and<br />
consistency in my mind. Commitment and<br />
consistency were new ideas for me, but I’ve<br />
since learned they are critical components<br />
for life transformation.<br />
A couple months later, my boys were<br />
approved to visit me. I loved those weekend<br />
visits! We would talk, laugh, and play<br />
games. I was grateful their dad allowed<br />
these interactions.<br />
Eventually, I got a car and gained even<br />
more freedom. I felt hopeful and eager. I<br />
was ready to be their mom again and to<br />
have unsupervised visits. But their father<br />
said, “Not yet.”<br />
This delay hurt, and I felt rejected. I’d<br />
worked hard and made significant progress.<br />
But my addiction, actions, and brokenness<br />
had betrayed the trust of many, especially<br />
my sons’ father. It would take time to unravel<br />
and reshape the mess I’d made. I had<br />
to trust God’s timing and His ability to heal<br />
and change hearts. If I rushed the process,<br />
I might cause more delays.<br />
“Commitment and consistency, Sheridan.”<br />
The Lord kept urging me to stay the<br />
course, to not react to my hurt feelings, and<br />
14 <strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong> VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM
TRANSFORMED LIVES<br />
PHOTO BY LYSSA YATES<br />
to keep my eyes fixed on Him. His plans<br />
were good (Jeremiah 29:11); I just had to<br />
trust them.<br />
And then I learned my ex and his family,<br />
including my boys, were moving to Georgia.<br />
My heart broke as my reunification<br />
plan fell apart. “No, God!” I cried. “Why<br />
would You save me and change me, only to<br />
let my boys move away from me?”<br />
I wrestled with my emotions for a hot<br />
minute but returned to the truth—God had<br />
a plan, and I could trust it. I saw that I had<br />
two choices. I could either succumb to the<br />
crippling heaviness of this news and the<br />
uncertainty of my reconciliation process,<br />
or I could “lean not on my own understanding”<br />
(Proverbs 3:5–6) and “be still<br />
and know that He is God” (Psalm 46:10).<br />
Leaning on my minimal and faulty understanding<br />
had consistently led me to<br />
destruction. I had to remain committed<br />
and consistent in my relationship with<br />
God, no matter what my emotions were<br />
telling me. God knew the end of my reconciliation<br />
from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10).<br />
His plan would prevail. “Many are the plans<br />
in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose<br />
that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21 NIV).<br />
I was amazed at the peace in my heart.<br />
Before giving my life to Jesus, a circumstance<br />
like this would have taken me out.<br />
I would have played the victim card, used<br />
drugs, fought for my rights, and been depressed<br />
and filled with despair.<br />
Instead, because of God’s presence, power,<br />
and promises in my life, I was able to<br />
receive this news without sliding into that<br />
hopeless pit. He had transformed my heart<br />
and mind and made me a new creation (2<br />
Corinthians 5:17). This new creation was<br />
no longer doing old things. Praise God!<br />
My sons often asked me when I would<br />
move near them. I wasn’t able to answer<br />
them definitively, and that hurt. I still had<br />
to complete the program at the Mission<br />
and finish three years of probation before<br />
I could go anywhere.<br />
“Whenever God allows it,” I’d reply. I<br />
had to surrender to the unknown and trust<br />
that God was working behind the scenes to<br />
bring about His plan. And you know what?<br />
That’s all God asked me to do.<br />
All things are possible for God,<br />
even the restoration of once<br />
broken families. Sheridan<br />
is pictured here with her<br />
husband and two sons.<br />
While I waited, I strove to remain faithful<br />
to the Lord. I started working in ministry,<br />
completed my probation, restored my civil<br />
rights, and returned to school.<br />
God impressed on my heart to pay the<br />
child support I owed, including seven years<br />
of arrearages. I had no idea how to do this—<br />
the bottom line didn’t add up. I was already<br />
working two jobs and didn’t have enough<br />
money to meet my personal needs. But God<br />
soon blessed me with a promotion. “Commitment<br />
and consistency” kept ringing<br />
in my ears.<br />
I flew back and forth from Arizona to<br />
Georgia to visit my children for the following<br />
year. Before too long, their father<br />
agreed to unsupervised parenting time.<br />
I burst into tears of joy at the news, and a<br />
year later, I moved to Georgia.<br />
Today, my husband and I are coparenting<br />
with my ex-husband and his wife. Only<br />
God could restore such brokenness and<br />
bring forth such beauty (Joel 2:25). Only He<br />
could transform my messed-up self into a<br />
mother who is now part of the solution and<br />
not the problem. And only He could have<br />
softened my ex-husband’s heart to bring<br />
us into this arrangement.<br />
You know, God can do the same for you.<br />
You have to realize, however, that transformation<br />
and restoration take time. It’s<br />
a process that starts with surrendering<br />
your heart, mind, life, and desires to God.<br />
It requires unwavering commitment and<br />
consistency to God and doing whatever is<br />
necessary to move toward your goal, no<br />
matter how difficult or long it takes.<br />
Along the way, God will give you His<br />
strength, peace, and contentment for the<br />
journey. Trust Him.<br />
SHERIDAN CORREA is a biblical counselor who<br />
is trained in trauma-informed care. She’s a wife,<br />
mother of two teenage boys, singer, and avid runner<br />
who has been radically changed by Jesus. She<br />
joined the Victorious Living family in 2022 as digital<br />
content manager.<br />
VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM<br />
<strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong><br />
15
Graced for Success<br />
THE STORY OF LATOYA WILLIAMS<br />
In the early 2000s, I began a long journey of<br />
redirection. It started with one step, then a series of<br />
steps until finally, I arrived in a spacious place where<br />
today, I am passionately living out my God-given<br />
purpose and helping others do the same (Psalm 18:19).<br />
God’s love and grace rescued me from the powers of<br />
darkness that had held me captive since my youth<br />
(Colossians 1:13).<br />
Did I deserve His kindness? No. I had<br />
rebelled early in life and trampled His<br />
gifts, especially the gift of loving parents.<br />
After eighth grade, I ran away from home<br />
and dropped out of school. I wanted to do<br />
things my way.<br />
My parents tried desperately to get me<br />
back on track, but I ignored them. My<br />
only focus was making money. I imagined<br />
it would give me the freedom to do<br />
whatever I wanted. So I found a place to<br />
live with a relative and got a job at the local<br />
Burger King.<br />
Every morning I rode my bike to a place<br />
that tells its customers to “have it your<br />
way.” Well, having it my way might have<br />
been desirable for a hamburger, but not<br />
in life. I needed God’s way, but it would take<br />
years of hardship for me to figure that out.<br />
Selfish desires, irrational decisions, and<br />
a lack of direction carried me into dark<br />
places where I experienced much physical,<br />
emotional, and mental pain. It still hurts<br />
to revisit that time of my life.<br />
By 17, I was pregnant with my first child.<br />
I had an on-and-off relationship with the<br />
baby’s father and gave birth to two more<br />
children with him in the next couple of<br />
years. As often happens to baby mamas,<br />
the father gave no support.<br />
I did my best under the circumstances,<br />
but the weight of raising and providing<br />
for three children was a lot to carry.<br />
Not to mention I was far too emotionally<br />
im mature to care for them properly.<br />
How thankful I am for immediate family<br />
members and community programs that<br />
provided support.<br />
One day, a case worker knocked on my<br />
door and told me about a program that assisted<br />
parents with young children. This<br />
program would allow me to attend a local<br />
community college and obtain my GED<br />
PHOTO BY GERI SIMPKINS PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
16 <strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong> VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM
while my children participated in a Head<br />
Start program.<br />
The thought of getting my GED kindled<br />
new hope in me. For years, my educational<br />
status had prevented me from obtaining<br />
jobs outside of food service. I was only 19,<br />
but my future had already seemed set in<br />
stone. Suddenly, I could see a way to take a<br />
step toward something positive in my life.<br />
Maybe there was a future for me after all.<br />
I entered the program excitedly and set<br />
what I thought was a reasonable goal to<br />
pass one test a month. Obtaining my GED<br />
took longer than expected, though, as I<br />
had trouble staying focused. I would get<br />
inspired, then fall away.<br />
Math slowed me down. It took three attempts<br />
for me to pass that exam. I didn’t<br />
know it then, but depression was contributing<br />
to my inability to stay consistent. At<br />
the time, all I knew to do was push my feelings<br />
down and keep trying.<br />
My teachers noticed my determination<br />
and asked me to be a guest speaker at the<br />
basic skills recognition ceremony. I was<br />
surprised when my speech and a picture<br />
of me in my cap and gown were published<br />
in the local newspaper. It was my birthday,<br />
and I couldn’t have received a better gift.<br />
The newspaper article and picture<br />
proved that good things are possible to<br />
those who work hard and believe. I showed<br />
it to my children with pride and encouraged<br />
them those good things were possible<br />
for them, too.<br />
From that day forward, I set more goals<br />
and entered the local community college<br />
to pursue my college education. Filled with<br />
newfound confidence, I refused to count<br />
myself out or be content with just getting<br />
by and relying on others. I wanted more out<br />
of life and was determined to defeat every<br />
challenge that came my way. My children<br />
were looking up to me, so giving up wasn’t<br />
an option.<br />
I began pursuing a degree in human services<br />
technology. I wanted to help people,<br />
especially women like me who struggled to<br />
make ends meet. It felt good to take daily<br />
steps to better myself. But in 2005, I lost<br />
focus when the father of my children came<br />
back around. I got pregnant again and had<br />
to put my education goals on hold for nearly<br />
a decade to care for my four children.<br />
Looking back, I see that continuing a<br />
relationship with a man who didn’t stay<br />
and didn’t care enough to provide for his<br />
family was unwise. But I couldn’t see past<br />
the moment. Insecurities and an unhealed<br />
heart led me to make many choices that<br />
resulted in hard consequences.<br />
Don’t get me wrong. I love my children<br />
and would make every sacrifice again for<br />
them. But being a single mom and living<br />
in poverty was hard—for my kids and me.<br />
I often felt discouraged by my circumstances<br />
and would isolate myself as I<br />
fought depression and suicidal thoughts.<br />
I’VE FOUND THAT<br />
SERVING OTHERS<br />
HELPS ME AVOID<br />
BECOMING CONSUMED<br />
WITH MY OWN<br />
STRUGGLES.<br />
Only by God’s grace were my kids and I able<br />
to survive that long, dark season.<br />
The church was the only place I experienced<br />
a sense of relief. I started attending<br />
with the kids around the same time I<br />
got my GED. We’d walk down the street to<br />
church each Sunday, and there, I’d find the<br />
strength to make it through another week.<br />
Being in the presence of God, His Word,<br />
powerful worship music, and fellowshipping<br />
with other believers lifted a heavy<br />
weight off my shoulders. I knew no matter<br />
what, I needed to cling to my faith. And I<br />
did. But I didn’t yet understand the importance<br />
of living in Christ daily.<br />
God used my children to draw me closer<br />
to Him. My children have always been my<br />
motivation to live a better life. I wanted<br />
them to be proud of their mother and see<br />
that they could achieve their goals if they<br />
focused and worked hard.<br />
But God showed me that it was even<br />
more important to teach them to live a life<br />
of faith daily. Worldly success is worthless<br />
if they don’t know Jesus Christ as their Lord<br />
and Savior (Philippians 3:8).<br />
I began to seek God daily through prayer<br />
and studying the Bible. I was determined<br />
to give Him more than church attendance.<br />
Soon, God’s Holy Spirit convicted me of my<br />
life choices. He showed me that my going<br />
to church and then hitting the clubs and<br />
hanging out was sending mixed messages<br />
to my kids.<br />
Having one foot in the world was also<br />
causing me to be unstable. James 1:8 says<br />
that a person who divides their loyalty<br />
between God and the world is unstable in<br />
all they do.<br />
Setting a bad example for my children<br />
was the last thing I wanted to do. I wanted<br />
to live a life of faith that honored God<br />
and exhibited character worth imitating—<br />
and God gave me the power to accomplish<br />
it (Philippians 2:13).<br />
I returned to school again, and in 2014,<br />
I finally graduated with my college degree.<br />
My older self told my younger self,<br />
“Girl, you did it!” I thanked God for this<br />
joyous day. Later that year, I got married—<br />
something I never thought I’d experience.<br />
But the honeymoon didn’t last long as my<br />
kids and I tried to adjust to our new family<br />
unit. We all struggled, and soon, my children<br />
rebelled.<br />
I kept pushing down my emotions and<br />
pressing through situations as I’d always<br />
done. It seemed to be paying off when<br />
in 2016, I started a job at East Carolina<br />
University in an administrative role. I<br />
could hardly contain myself when I sat<br />
down at my very own desk in a private<br />
office. I rejoiced in the Lord and thanked<br />
Him for bringing me so far in life. He had<br />
helped me overcome so many obstacles<br />
(Philippians 4:13).<br />
But things fell apart in the fall of 2018.<br />
My husband and I separated, and my son,<br />
arrested for double homicide, was facing<br />
the death penalty. (Instead of death, he is<br />
now serving a 38-year sentence in prison.)<br />
His arrest took a toll on my mental state.<br />
Life had thrown me many curves in the<br />
past, but I’d always managed to bob and<br />
weave and keep moving. This time, I was<br />
drowning in sorrow.<br />
VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM<br />
<strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong><br />
17
Satan had a heyday with me while I was<br />
down. He reminded me daily how I had<br />
missed the mark as a mother and wife. He<br />
told me God’s plan would never come to<br />
fruition for my kids or me and that I had<br />
experienced all the good I ever would. It<br />
didn’t take long before I was engulfed again<br />
in a hopeless pit of despair and self-pity.<br />
All I could see was an endless dark tunnel<br />
with no light, closing in on me. I lost sight<br />
of all the progress I’d made.<br />
A good thing happened during this dark<br />
season though. For years, I had refused to<br />
talk to anyone about my mental health or<br />
seek medical help. I’d used God as an excuse,<br />
telling myself that He alone was my<br />
Healer; I didn’t need anyone else.<br />
Don’t get me wrong—God is the Great<br />
Physician, and He can heal anyone of anything.<br />
But I wasn’t actually receptive to His<br />
help because I didn’t want to confront the<br />
painful issues of my past. Finally, I realized<br />
that unless I faced my past with God, I had<br />
no hope of breaking free from the darkness<br />
that held me captive.<br />
It wasn’t easy, but I started sharing my<br />
pain, first with God and then with other<br />
trustworthy people. I took the cap off the<br />
place in my heart where I stored my emotions<br />
and painful traumas and let them<br />
rise to the surface. One by one, I gave them<br />
over to God.<br />
First Peter 5:7 (NIV) invites us to “Cast<br />
all your anxiety on him because he cares<br />
for you.” As I realized the depth of God’s<br />
love for me, I trusted Him more with my<br />
pain. As the old traumas, disappointments,<br />
emotions, and my sinful behavior came to<br />
light, I would write them down, pray, and<br />
then release them to God. It helped me to<br />
remember that God’s love was unconditional<br />
and that no matter what I shared, He<br />
would not reject or judge me (John 3:17).<br />
With time, the light of His love overcame<br />
the darkness that had tormented<br />
me (Psalm 18:28; Matthew 4:16). The Lord<br />
also gave me strength and peace to seek<br />
professional help. I am grateful for those<br />
He put in my path to help me. God never<br />
gave up on me, even when I wanted to give<br />
up on myself.<br />
Today, praise God, my mental and emotional<br />
health is more stable. In 2020, God<br />
graced me to launch a nonprofit called<br />
Striving with Vision. I now have the privilege<br />
of helping women discover their worth<br />
in Christ and encouraging them to strive<br />
toward a better future. My past victories<br />
with God have equipped me for this journey.<br />
In the process, I’ve found that serving<br />
others helps me avoid becoming consumed<br />
with my own struggles, especially my son’s<br />
incarceration.<br />
There’s a saying, “Nothing worth having<br />
is easy.” I know this is true. My life has<br />
been one fight of faith after another. But<br />
the “good fight of faith” is what we must<br />
all face if we want to be victorious over our<br />
circumstances (1 Timothy 6:12).<br />
Satan and this world are not just going to<br />
roll over and let you experience the goodness<br />
of God’s plan. You must be willing to<br />
face the fight! God will strengthen you for<br />
the journey and grace you for success.<br />
It may not seem like it now, but there is<br />
hope for your tunnel’s end. Keep casting<br />
your cares over to God. Remind yourself<br />
daily of the victories you’ve already experienced<br />
and cling to your faith that more<br />
will come. And then rise, aim, and move<br />
forward with purpose (1 Corinthians 9:26).<br />
In Christ, you are a conqueror over every<br />
situation (Romans 8:37). No circumstance<br />
or person has the power to stop what God<br />
has purposed for your life (Isaiah 54:17;<br />
Jeremiah 29:11). Well, no one except you.<br />
Your unbelief in God, refusal to believe in<br />
yourself, and unwillingness to keep going<br />
will stop you in your tracks every time.<br />
Right now, maybe you’re fighting that<br />
good fight of faith. You’re taking steps with<br />
God toward a better future. I’m so glad.<br />
Keep going; you’re going to make it. You<br />
can be victorious.<br />
But maybe, like I often did, you’ve gotten<br />
sidetracked, knocked down, or delayed.<br />
Friend, it’s time to get back up. It’s not too<br />
late. God’s love is big. Nothing you’ve done<br />
or experienced has disqualified you from<br />
the good things He has for you.<br />
Get your eyes off your circumstances,<br />
your failures, and those deceitful emotions.<br />
Instead, give them to God. He will help you.<br />
Then rise and take the next step He has<br />
for you.<br />
Don’t know which step to take next? Ask<br />
Him. He’ll show you the way (Proverbs<br />
3:5–6; James 1:5). And when He does, move<br />
in faith and purpose with tightly secured<br />
boxing gloves.<br />
You’ve got this because God’s got you!<br />
Above left: Latoya and her children approximately 15 years ago. Above right: Latoya<br />
and her mother, Sarah Grady, at Latoya’s ordination ceremony.<br />
LATOYA WILLIAMS is the founder of Striving<br />
with Vision, an empowerment support group, and<br />
an ordained minister. To find out more about her<br />
nonprofit or to invite Latoya to speak at your event,<br />
visit strivingwithvision.com.<br />
18 <strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong> VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM
STEPPING FORWARD<br />
BENCHED BY GOD?<br />
USE YOUR TIME WISELY<br />
BY CHRISTINA KIMBREL<br />
I HAVE NEVER CARED ABOUT SPORTS<br />
of any kind. Then I got married.<br />
For the last two years, I have been in<br />
boot camp, learning to be the wife of an<br />
avid sports lover. Any game involving a ball<br />
makes my otherwise attentive husband<br />
oblivious to the world around him.<br />
To keep harmony in my home and avoid<br />
being a nagging wife, I sometimes sit with<br />
him through the games, absorbing more<br />
information than I will ever need or use. I<br />
have learned about teams, players, touchdowns,<br />
field goals, offense and defense,<br />
and good versus poor sportsmanship.<br />
Players who spend time on the bench<br />
consistently catch my attention. Whether<br />
they’re there because of injury, poor performance,<br />
or not following the game plan<br />
or their coach’s lead, being benched is a<br />
big deal. It can be a temporary setback,<br />
or it can define their career.<br />
The player’s attitude and ability to receive<br />
correction and instruction is what<br />
makes the difference. Those who decide<br />
to use the experience to gain wisdom and<br />
guidance are likely to emerge as better<br />
players and possibly even better people.<br />
The same principles apply to our life and<br />
our walk with Jesus. My ultimate bench<br />
experience happened the third time I went<br />
to prison. The first two times I got locked<br />
up, I didn’t know the Lord, and I wasn’t interested<br />
in trying to do better in life.<br />
I didn’t see myself as the problem. I<br />
blamed other people and my circumstances<br />
for where I had wound up. The chaos<br />
and dysfunction of my life had become<br />
comfortable, so it didn’t even occur to me<br />
that I should try to change.<br />
But after 25 years of repeating the same<br />
cycle, I was barely alive and exhausted<br />
from doing things my way. In His grace<br />
and mercy, God put me on the bench, and<br />
I finally realized my need for Him. There,<br />
I surrendered my life to Jesus and decided<br />
to let Him be the head coach of my life.<br />
I spent the rest of my prison time immersed in my Bible.<br />
It’s God’s playbook for a meaningful life (Hebrews 4:12). If you<br />
want lasting transformation, God’s Word is where you’ll find it.<br />
Once released, I surrounded myself with like-minded people<br />
who were invested in my success. Five years later, they still<br />
take the time to walk with me, share their wisdom, and cover<br />
me in prayer as I learn to live for Christ. When I mess up or<br />
when my thinking is skewed or I misbehave, they don’t just<br />
tell me what they think I want to hear. They tell me the truth<br />
about myself and lovingly redirect me to God’s Word.<br />
No matter how you get to the bench, trust that God knows<br />
what’s best for you. He may require you to sit it out with Him<br />
several times throughout your life. Our heavenly Father deals<br />
with us individually according to what we need (Hebrews 12:7).<br />
If He puts you on the bench, sit there and learn!<br />
Is yours a physical bench or an invisible one? Are you in a<br />
season of correction? Maybe God wants you to be still for a<br />
while and get your priorities straight. Pay attention! Look for<br />
the lessons and the wisdom around you. More importantly,<br />
listen for God.<br />
Spend your time on the bench wisely. Ask the Lord to show<br />
you in His Word how to change, how to break old habits and<br />
behaviors, and how to become more like Him. God disciplines<br />
you because He loves you (Proverbs 3:12). He wants you to<br />
become everything He created you to be—for your good and<br />
His glory (Ephesians 1:4–6).<br />
No matter<br />
how you get<br />
to the bench,<br />
believe that<br />
God knows<br />
what is best<br />
for you.<br />
CHRISTINA KIMBREL<br />
serves as Victorious Living’s<br />
production manager. Once<br />
incarcerated, she now<br />
ministers hope to those<br />
held captive by their past<br />
and current circumstances<br />
while sharing the message of<br />
healing she found in Jesus.<br />
VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM<br />
<strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong><br />
19
YO U<br />
H AV E<br />
PURPOSE<br />
THE STORY OF JULIANA MCFADDEN<br />
It was Christmas morning 1982, and my phone would<br />
not stop ringing. I snuggled up in my warm bed, willing<br />
the phone to hush. But it kept on until finally I gave in,<br />
grabbed the receiver, and muttered an irritated, “Hello?”<br />
It was my mother, and she got straight to the point.<br />
“Can Charlie stay at your place for a few days? The cops<br />
are looking for him. They want to talk to him about some<br />
murders that happened last night.”<br />
I was horrified and tried to clear my head. “Murders!<br />
What? Oh, Mom, I can’t.”<br />
“Juliana, he didn’t hurt anyone.” She took a drag off<br />
her cigarette, but not even the nicotine could hide the<br />
shaking of her voice. I agreed to come over and meet<br />
with Charlie but committed to nothing more.<br />
This was not my brother’s first brush with the cops.<br />
He had already been to prison twice. My gut was telling<br />
me which way to lean.<br />
But we did what most families would do—we protected<br />
our own. Charlie came to stay with me while my parents<br />
arranged to send him away. We didn’t talk about what<br />
had happened; we couldn’t. The dark cloud hanging over<br />
us was too thick. Nothing would ever be the same again.<br />
Dad and I took Charlie to the airport, and he boarded a<br />
plane for Dallas. I took a train to the city.<br />
I rode the entire day aimlessly. I didn’t know what to<br />
do or where to go. I desperately needed to talk to someone.<br />
I thought about going to the church we’d attended<br />
growing up, but those people had not been part of our<br />
lives since Charlie’s first time down. Besides, all they’d<br />
do was tell me to pray. Forget that!<br />
But then I remembered Father Baseheart. He had given<br />
me my first holy communion at St. Gregory’s Church.<br />
I bussed my way to the old neighborhood, walked to the<br />
parish, and knocked on the door.<br />
Father Baseheart reached out and welcomed me. He led me to an<br />
office, and I sat down. “Now, how may I help you?” he asked gently.<br />
Tears flowed as I passed him a tattered newspaper containing<br />
the story of the murders. “My brother did this, and I don’t know<br />
what to do.”<br />
Father Baseheart read the article. “We need to pray,” he said.<br />
I left the parish soon after, walked to the nearest bus stop, and<br />
rode home. “Pray?!” I yelled internally as the bus bumped along.<br />
“Did You not see what happened, God? Why didn’t You stop it?<br />
Where were You? Nowhere to be found, that’s where! And now, I’m<br />
supposed to pray to You? I don’t think so.”<br />
I was so angry. My family had been falling apart for years, and I<br />
had asked God to step in more than once. He didn’t seem to care<br />
enough to intervene. And now this? I couldn’t wrap my head around<br />
the pain and horror of the murders and the hopeless reality of my<br />
life. And so, for the next 16 years, I cut off communication with God.<br />
It didn’t matter that I hadn’t hurt anyone. My brother had, and he<br />
was family. We were the same. I deliberately set out to escape my<br />
reality. I was embarrassed and ashamed of my life, my family, and<br />
of what my brother had done. I had no one to talk to.<br />
I tried to blend into society. I didn’t want to be identified as the<br />
sister of a murderer, yet I felt such remorse for Charlie’s victims.<br />
PHOTO BY ARIZONA PORTRAITS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC<br />
20 <strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong> VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM
It was too much to bear, and I stepped into the fast lane. Men.<br />
Cash. Coke. Jack. I spun quickly out of control.<br />
When Charlie was given a triple death sentence, I vowed I<br />
would never speak to him again. I was done with Charlie and<br />
Chicago, and I decided to move.<br />
I set off to live with my older brother in Dallas. There I met his<br />
best friend, David. He was another bad boy—but boy, was he cute.<br />
Daily life with David was one big party—until I found out I was<br />
pregnant. My maternal instincts kicked in, and I stopped doing<br />
drugs. I returned to Chicago. David followed me there, and we got<br />
married. Three months later, our daughter Jennifer was born.<br />
We remained in Chicago for the next 13 years. During that<br />
time, I didn’t think once about God. I was doing just fine without<br />
Despite the wreckage of my<br />
life, I could feel His presence.<br />
He was still here.<br />
Him. We had another little girl, Kelly, and set out to give our girls<br />
an incredible life.<br />
When our oldest daughter was starting middle school, we decided<br />
to move to Phoenix. I was excited about this new adventure<br />
and proud of the family David and I had built.<br />
But one day, as I mentally patted myself on the back for the<br />
incredible life we had given our girls, God spoke loud and clear.<br />
“But you have not given them the most important thing they need—Me!”<br />
Once close, Juliana and her brother, Charlie (above left),<br />
didn’t speak for 20 years due to hurt and unforgiveness.<br />
The gift of forgiveness not only restored Juliana’s relation ship with<br />
Charlie, but with her husband, David (above right), as well.<br />
You could have heard a pin drop inside my head. I<br />
hadn’t spoken to God in decades, but I recognized His<br />
voice. Conviction gripped my heart. “You’re right,” I<br />
replied. It’s all I could say.<br />
Reluctantly, I promised God I would take the girls<br />
to church. But I made it very clear that I wasn’t going.<br />
Drop off and pick up, that’s all He was getting from me.<br />
Of course, God knew better.<br />
One night as I was preparing to pick the girls up from<br />
Wednesday night church, the telephone rang. It was the<br />
police. David had been in a head-on collision. He was<br />
okay, but they were holding him in custody. The victim,<br />
they said, had been hospitalized with injuries.<br />
Custody? Victim? I was bewildered. The officer continued,<br />
“Ma’am, it appears Mr. McFadden may have been<br />
under the influence at the time of the crash. We need<br />
you to pick him up at the station.”<br />
Turns out, David had fallen asleep at the wheel while<br />
under the influence of opiates and hit a Mercedes headon.<br />
On May 16, 2000, just a year and a half after moving<br />
to our new home in Phoenix, David was charged with<br />
aggravated assault and given a two-and-a-half-year<br />
prison sentence.<br />
Once again, a man I loved and trusted had turned my<br />
world upside down. First Charlie, and now my husband.<br />
Really, God? Still, I pressed on and tried to do the right<br />
thing. I kept my end of the bargain and kept taking the<br />
girls to church. But inside, I was devastated.<br />
Week after week, I dropped them off, went home, and<br />
then back again. But I was a single mom<br />
now, and I was tired. So I began staying at<br />
the church with the girls. I thought it was<br />
a matter of convenience, but God knew it<br />
was a matter of connection.<br />
One night, my friend Joanne invited me<br />
to go with her to hear someone named<br />
Anne Graham Lotz. I had no idea Mrs.<br />
Lotz was the daughter of the great evangelist<br />
Billy Graham until Joanne told me.<br />
I agreed to go.<br />
Perhaps, I thought, if I went to the service,<br />
God would tell me whether I should<br />
stay with my husband or if He would give<br />
me the green light to walk away from my<br />
marriage. I was hurt, betrayed, exhausted,<br />
and emotionally done.<br />
Funny thing, Anne Graham Lotz didn’t<br />
say one word about whether I should stay with David, but<br />
I still came away from the event with an answer. Can you<br />
believe God used a statement on a bookmark inserted<br />
in the event program to convey His message? On it were<br />
the words: “I have decided to .”<br />
VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM<br />
<strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong><br />
21
At the close of the event, we were each instructed to<br />
write down what God was leading us to do based on the<br />
evening’s experience. My eyes fell to the blank line, and<br />
I thought about my life. It was a mess.<br />
For years I had sought comfort, hope, and peace but<br />
had always come up empty. I dropped my head to my<br />
hands and cried. I needed Jesus. And I knew it because<br />
I had once personally known Him.<br />
I’d accepted Him long ago as my Savior. When I was<br />
little, Jesus had been my friend, and I’d loved Him. Then<br />
life happened, and I got angry and walked away from<br />
Him. But God had never walked away from me. Despite<br />
the wreckage of my life, I could feel His presence. He<br />
was still here.<br />
I laid down my anger and prayed a true prayer of surrender.<br />
This was different. No longer was I acting like a<br />
spoiled little girl with arms folded defiantly across her<br />
chest. My arms and heart were open. I was ready to go<br />
wherever God would lead me. I had no hope without Him.<br />
That night, in the blank spaces of the bookmark, I<br />
wrote, “I have decided to surrender my life to God—<br />
my will for His will. I commit myself to serve Christ.”<br />
This bookmark is still in my Bible today. Like in Joshua<br />
4:21–24, it serves as a stone of remembrance of my<br />
commitment to the Lord.<br />
Through spending time with the Lord, I knew I was<br />
to remain with David. I did, and God renewed my love<br />
for my husband and our marriage. He also led me to<br />
serve Him in a place I’d never dreamed—prison. It all<br />
happened because of my attending Al-Anon meetings.<br />
Al-Anon provides support to people who have been<br />
affected by another person’s alcoholism. I started attending<br />
meetings after David was incarcerated. One night,<br />
about a year in, there was a request for volunteers to<br />
host Al-Anon meetings at Perryville Prison for women<br />
in Goodyear, Arizona. God poked my heart and would<br />
not relent about this new thing I could do to serve Him.<br />
“But, God,” I protested. “There is no way I’m going to<br />
visit anyone in prison, especially people I don’t know!”<br />
God shocked me with His reply. “But you love people<br />
who are in prison.”<br />
“Actually,” I said, “I do not.” I hadn’t talked to Charlie<br />
in nearly 20 years, and I still wasn’t happy speaking<br />
with my incarcerated husband.<br />
“Try it,” He said. “If you don’t like it, you can quit.”<br />
I spent the next five years hosting Al-Anon meetings<br />
at Perryville. I loved the ladies and being able to serve<br />
God in this way. In Al-Anon, you share your experience,<br />
strength, and hope. I wasn’t shy in telling the ladies that<br />
I’d found all these things in God alone—the great I Am<br />
(Exodus 3:14).<br />
And then, it occurred to me, “How can I love these<br />
Above: The<br />
bookmark<br />
that serves as<br />
Juliana’s stone of<br />
rememberance.<br />
Right: After<br />
seeing the need<br />
for formerly<br />
incarcerated<br />
people to receive<br />
reentry support,<br />
Juliana founded<br />
SISTER Ministries.<br />
ladies and not even speak to my brother?” I felt a deep sense of<br />
guilt. God was preparing my heart for what was to come.<br />
Not long after that, my younger sister called. “Juliana,” she<br />
said, “Charlie tried to commit suicide. He’s been transferred<br />
to Statesville.” Charlie’s death sentences had been commuted,<br />
but he would spend the rest of his life in prison. I had not seen<br />
him in 20 years, and I knew I had to change that. I could not live<br />
with myself if he took his life and I had not reconciled with him.<br />
I had just finished reading The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick<br />
Warren (Zondervan, 2002). I was particularly inspired by these<br />
words, “God wants you to have a Christlike ministry on earth.<br />
That means other people are going to find healing in your<br />
wounds. Your greatest life messages and your most effective<br />
ministry will come out of your deepest hurts” (275).<br />
22 <strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong> VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM
PHOTO BY ARIZONA PORTRAITS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC<br />
Charlie needed to know that God had a purpose for his life. I<br />
immediately mailed the book to him, asked him to read it, and<br />
told him I would visit him in January. I booked a flight to Chicago<br />
and contacted the warden at Statesville with a request to allow me<br />
extra time with Charlie since I was traveling such a long distance.<br />
God granted me much favor. I was allowed to visit two days in<br />
a row, two hours per visit. My heart leaped when I saw him. All I<br />
could think was that he was the most beautiful thing I had ever<br />
seen. I couldn’t help but think that that is how Jesus sees us, no<br />
matter what we’ve done. We are beautiful and precious in His<br />
eyes, and His heart is full of love for us. (See John 3:16.)<br />
Charlie and I hugged each other tightly. Neither of us wanted<br />
to let go. Afterward, we stared at each other with tear-filled eyes.<br />
We had so much to catch up on. I asked Charlie to forgive me for<br />
abandoning him for so long. I told him I loved him and begged<br />
him never to hurt himself again. He accepted my apology and<br />
jokingly apologized for beating me up when we were kids. We<br />
both had a good laugh.<br />
On our second day’s visit, I asked Charlie if he had read the book<br />
I had sent. He was halfway through it. I encouraged him to keep<br />
reading. “Juliana, you don’t understand,” Charlie interjected, “I<br />
don’t have a purpose. I’m in prison. There is nothing here for me.”<br />
“God gives everyone a purpose, no matter where they are or<br />
what they’ve done,” I told him. “God has a purpose for your life<br />
even in here.” He looked confused.<br />
“You are an OG, Charlie, and God wants to use you. Imagine if<br />
some OG on your first time down had befriended you and taught<br />
you about Jesus. Think about how different things would be.<br />
Instead of wanting to fit in with a gang, you would have been a<br />
disciple for Christ. But you can do that for someone else now. You<br />
might be sentenced to prison for life, but that doesn’t prevent<br />
God from using you. Don’t cheat yourself, Charlie. Keep reading<br />
the book. God has a plan, and you’re about to discover it!”<br />
Not long after, Charlie rededicated his life to Christ. He remembered<br />
the God of his youth just as I had done. And in March<br />
2006, he was baptized. It’s been more than 16 years since that<br />
visit. Charlie has persistently pursued a relationship with Jesus,<br />
just like Jesus pursued him—with his life.<br />
Charlie’s thirst for learning about Jesus has been unquenchable,<br />
and his heart is on fire. Though incarcerated, he has completed<br />
multiple Bible courses, three college degrees, and earned<br />
a doctorate in theology.<br />
Through the power of Jesus in him, Charlie has turned his<br />
deepest hurt into his Christlike ministry on earth. Once low and<br />
despised, he submitted to Jesus, and as promised in 1 Corinthians<br />
1:26–28, God has used what the world would call weak and<br />
foolish to teach righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.<br />
Just days after my initial visit with Charlie, God brought a new<br />
friendship into my life. Cheryl lived in Tucson and hosted a weekly<br />
Bible study called SISTER (Spiritually in Step to Encourage Restoration)<br />
Connection, for women recently released from prison.<br />
I was intrigued for many reasons by this unique ministry.<br />
First, I knew that if Charlie had had a Christian friend<br />
come alongside him the first time he was released from<br />
prison, he might have surrendered his life to Jesus<br />
sooner and experienced a different life outcome. And<br />
his victims would still be alive. Second, I realized that,<br />
while many programs existed behind prison walls, few<br />
existed that were willing to help formerly incarcerated<br />
people upon their release and in subsequent years.<br />
Interested to learn more, I visited Cheryl and observed<br />
her ministry in action.<br />
Not long after, God opened doors for me to mirror<br />
Cheryl’s SISTER Connection in Phoenix. My friend<br />
graciously mentored me for nearly five years. In April<br />
God gives everyone a purpose,<br />
no matter where they are or<br />
what they’ve done.<br />
2012, I incorporated SISTER Ministries, Inc. as a 501(c)3<br />
nonprofit outreach to formerly incarcerated women.<br />
In addition to its weekly Bible study and support meetings,<br />
SISTER Ministries maintains a pen-pal ministry<br />
for currently incarcerated women and a gatekeeper<br />
program to assist with transportation upon release. In<br />
November 2022, SISTER Ministries celebrated 16 years<br />
of serving formerly incarcerated women.<br />
I recently asked Charlie, “What did you feel when I<br />
told you that God has a purpose for your life?” He told<br />
me he was shocked. But then, I was surprised God had a<br />
purpose for my life, too. No, I hadn’t murdered anyone,<br />
but I had rebelled against God and rejected His love.<br />
There’s no difference.<br />
How thankful we are that God is rich in mercy, and He<br />
pursued us. His goodness brought us to surrender (Romans<br />
2:4). God loves to shock us with exceedingly more<br />
than we could ever hope or ask (Ephesians 3:14–20).<br />
Does God really have a purpose for your life? Yes,<br />
He does.<br />
God has a purpose, no matter what you’ve done or<br />
where you are. Don’t think that you’ve messed up God’s<br />
plans for a minute. You’re not that big. Surrender your<br />
life to Him—His will, His way. Jesus Christ is a restorer<br />
of hope. He gives purpose to anyone who will lay down<br />
their lives to Him.<br />
Friend, what He did for me and for my brother Charlie,<br />
He can do for you, too.<br />
JULIANA MCFADDEN lives out her life mission daily by<br />
ministering to formerly incarcerated women. To learn more about<br />
how she serves, go to sisterministries.org.<br />
VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM<br />
<strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong><br />
23
THE STORY OF<br />
RONNIE HOPKINS<br />
for it! Have some fun! You<br />
deserve this. Everybody has<br />
it better than you. Your mom’s<br />
sick. Your dad’s a drug addict.<br />
God cheated you. Life cheated<br />
you. Everybody cheated you.”<br />
Anger and self-pity fueled me<br />
for decades. It never mattered<br />
that I knew that what I was doing<br />
was wrong. My inner voice<br />
always urged me to move forward.<br />
I was a victim, and the<br />
world owed me.<br />
As far back as I can remember,<br />
I’ve felt sorry for myself. It<br />
started in elementary school<br />
when I began comparing my<br />
home life to what I imagined<br />
my peers experienced. I could<br />
never pinpoint exactly what<br />
they had that I didn’t, but I<br />
knew it was better. I lost sight<br />
of any good thing in my life and<br />
focused only on the negative.<br />
I loved my family and knew<br />
they loved me, but our home<br />
was dysfunctional and chaotic.<br />
Dad was a full-blown crack<br />
cocaine addict and alcoholic.<br />
His addiction brought much<br />
grief into our home, especially<br />
for my older brother, whom<br />
Dad abused. My brother was<br />
PHOTO BY SWEETBEE PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
24 <strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong> VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM
my father’s stepson; perhaps<br />
that’s why he targeted him so<br />
fiercely. Whatever the reason,<br />
it made me uncomfortable because<br />
Dad treated me like the<br />
golden child.<br />
Dad’s addiction led him in<br />
and out of jail and eventually<br />
to prison. It also caused us to<br />
move a lot. By the time I was 15,<br />
we had moved ten times.<br />
My mother was loving, but<br />
she had her own struggles,<br />
primarily due to her battle with<br />
diabetes. I don’t remember a<br />
time when she wasn’t in intense<br />
pain or homebound. She<br />
ultimately became blind and<br />
addicted to prescription pain<br />
pills. Her addiction and physical<br />
misery made it difficult for<br />
her to be emotionally present<br />
for my brother and me, but she<br />
did the best she could.<br />
Extended family provided<br />
much-needed support. My<br />
grandmother, aunt, and uncle<br />
loved our family well. We often<br />
attended church together.<br />
I heard many stories about<br />
Jesus when I was a kid. Early<br />
on, I believed that God had<br />
sent His Son to die for me. I<br />
even prayed to receive His gift<br />
of eternal salvation. But as often<br />
happens, my Christian faith<br />
stopped at my head and never<br />
settled in my heart.<br />
I had no relationship with<br />
God outside of the church, nor<br />
was I interested in developing<br />
one. To me, God was to blame<br />
for the chaos in my home, especially<br />
Mom’s sickness. She<br />
passed when I was 15, and that<br />
was just proof that God didn’t<br />
care about us.<br />
Dad was in prison then, and<br />
my brother had moved from<br />
West Virginia to Ohio. I felt so<br />
alone, lost, and overwhelmed<br />
by the uncertainty of my future.<br />
Where was God, and why was<br />
He allowing me to endure such<br />
hardships?<br />
Anger pumped through my<br />
veins as I recounted how He<br />
had cheated me.<br />
My Aunt Kathy and Uncle<br />
Herb, a kind Christian couple,<br />
welcomed me into their home.<br />
They loved, accepted, and supported<br />
me daily, and they modeled<br />
God’s sacrificial love and<br />
faithfulness. Through them,<br />
I learned the benefits of hard<br />
work and integrity and experienced<br />
a stable home life for<br />
the first time.<br />
But the anger, resentment,<br />
and self-pity inside kept me<br />
from accepting their love or<br />
God’s gift of a new life. I spent<br />
the best years of my life at my<br />
aunt and uncle’s home, yet I<br />
wasn’t satisfied. By focusing<br />
only on the things I didn’t have,<br />
I forfeited the very things I had<br />
longed for in a family.<br />
During my two years in<br />
their home, I partied, smoked,<br />
cussed, and messed around<br />
with girls. I occasionally dabbled<br />
in weed. Tired of their<br />
watchful eye, I devised a plan<br />
for my brother to obtain legal<br />
guardianship of me. Because I<br />
was 17, I could make that foolish<br />
choice without my aunt and<br />
uncle’s permission. They knew<br />
it would not end well for me as<br />
my brother was involved with<br />
drugs too.<br />
The court granted my request,<br />
and I moved to Ohio.<br />
My brother enrolled me in<br />
high school, but after only six<br />
months, I dropped out and dove<br />
headfirst into a life of destruction.<br />
I traded weed for methamphetamines,<br />
and for the next 13<br />
years, I served a harsh master.<br />
I did whatever I had to do to<br />
satisfy my addiction, including<br />
manufacturing and selling the<br />
drug myself. My choices caught<br />
up with me when I was 30, and<br />
My Christian faith<br />
stopped at my head and never<br />
settled in my heart.<br />
I was arrested. It was the first<br />
time I’d ever been in serious<br />
trouble, and there I was, facing<br />
prison time.<br />
While in solitary confinement<br />
in jail, I came across a<br />
Bible. I opened it a few times,<br />
but my heart of stone couldn’t<br />
receive anything it had to offer.<br />
I still blamed God for my miserable<br />
life.<br />
The day before my sentencing<br />
hearing, my lawyer visited<br />
and told me he was getting<br />
me a great deal. His promises<br />
brought me a sense of hope.<br />
That night I decided I’d better<br />
make one more deal. “God,” I<br />
said, “if You’ll come through for<br />
me tomorrow, I’ll follow You. Do<br />
this for me, and I’ll trust You. I’ll<br />
even read the Bible.”<br />
But God wasn’t playing my<br />
Let’s Make a Deal game.<br />
The lawyer didn’t show<br />
up for court. Instead, some<br />
wet-behind-the-ears, state-<br />
appointed attorney represented<br />
me. This new guy knew<br />
nothing about my case, and<br />
the judge sentenced me to a<br />
mandatory three years in prison<br />
with no possibility of early<br />
release. I sat in disbelief as life<br />
as I knew it came to an end.<br />
The officer took me back<br />
to solitary confinement. The<br />
clanging of the chains connected<br />
to my hands and feet was the<br />
only sound in the corridor. As<br />
I shuffled, I searched for some<br />
emotion but felt numb.<br />
Back in my cell, I punched<br />
the wall to feel something. Anything.<br />
Nothing. I turned on the<br />
small 5-station radio in my cell.<br />
I couldn’t stand the silence.<br />
“Drunk on a Plane” by Dierks<br />
Bentley echoed through the<br />
cell. I quickly changed the station.<br />
I wasn’t in the mood. Suddenly,<br />
“How He Loves” by David<br />
Crowder Band rang through the<br />
emptiness. It’s a song about<br />
the unconditional love of God,<br />
and the words brought me to<br />
my knees.<br />
It was a surreal moment.<br />
Years of anger and resentment<br />
toward God drained from my<br />
heart in tears. I was so tired of<br />
fighting for my rightful place<br />
A rebellious spirit led to Ronnie’s<br />
arrest. Pictured above is his<br />
mug shot from 2014.<br />
VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM<br />
<strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong><br />
25
in this world. It had only led<br />
to one painful, lonely, rockbottom<br />
place after another.<br />
In that humble posture, I<br />
heard God’s voice. “Trust Me<br />
anyway.”<br />
I reached toward the small<br />
window at the top of my cell<br />
and surrendered to the love of<br />
Jesus. “Okay, God. I will trust<br />
You anyway!”<br />
Immediately, His presence<br />
engulfed me and the space<br />
around me. Peace replaced<br />
years of frustration and fear.<br />
Love replaced hatred and<br />
bitterness. Suddenly, unexpectedly,<br />
I no longer felt like a<br />
victim. It was an instantaneous<br />
transformation of the heart.<br />
Back in general population,<br />
the guys immediately knew<br />
something was different.<br />
“What in the world happened<br />
to you?” they asked. Just a few<br />
days before, I’d been dealing<br />
Ronnie began his<br />
education behind<br />
bars and received<br />
his degree from<br />
Ashland University.<br />
Pictured here with<br />
his Aunt Kathy and<br />
Uncle Herb.<br />
Ronnie and his<br />
wife, Kaitlyn, on<br />
their wedding day<br />
in 2020, with Uncle<br />
Herb and Aunt<br />
Kathy. They have<br />
always provided<br />
support for Ronnie,<br />
even at his lowest.<br />
and stealing. Now, I wasn’t even<br />
cussing.<br />
The moment I died to myself<br />
and my perception of life,<br />
God raised me.<br />
“Jesus happened.”<br />
From then on, I read the Bible<br />
daily and sought God’s will. I<br />
was about to spend three years<br />
in prison and—I must admit—I<br />
was afraid. But knowing God<br />
would be walking through those<br />
prison doors with me brought<br />
comfort, courage, and confidence<br />
(Deuteronomy 31:8).<br />
I wanted to honor the second<br />
chance God was giving me and<br />
do my part to better myself. If I<br />
wasn’t willing to invest in myself,<br />
I certainly couldn’t expect<br />
anyone else to care.<br />
I sensed God telling me, “If<br />
you’ll commit yourself and do<br />
the work, I will help you get to<br />
where you need to be.” Now that<br />
was a good deal!<br />
My first commitment was<br />
to obtain my GED. Since math<br />
had always been a difficult<br />
subject for me, I asked another<br />
inmate to tutor me. Every<br />
day after lunch, this former<br />
doctor helped me. It wasn’t<br />
easy preparing for the GED, as<br />
the test had recently become<br />
more complex. I studied for<br />
hours daily. It’s like they say:<br />
Nothing worth having is easy.<br />
I scored so high on the test<br />
that I was asked to tutor other<br />
inmates for the GED. I couldn’t<br />
believe it. For the first time, I<br />
was a leader. That alone was a<br />
testament to what God can do.<br />
Not only had He saved my<br />
soul, but He helped me understand<br />
things I had struggled<br />
with before. He was changing<br />
me, making me a better man. I<br />
found the confidence to pursue<br />
a college degree from Ashland<br />
University. They offered an<br />
associate’s program to incarcerated<br />
people that other universities<br />
would accept.<br />
I studied hard and was<br />
amazed when I made the dean’s<br />
list. I’d never cared to apply myself<br />
in school, so I’d had no idea<br />
what I could do academically.<br />
Once released from prison, I<br />
completed my education and<br />
received my associate’s degree<br />
from Ashland.<br />
God’s Spirit continually reminded<br />
me, “You’re worth the<br />
work, Ronnie.”<br />
I had never felt worthy of<br />
anything good. Nor had I believed<br />
I could ever be anything<br />
other than a drug addict. But<br />
God thought differently about<br />
me. He didn’t see an addict or<br />
a boy raised in poverty who’d<br />
lost his mom and dad. He saw<br />
a son whom He loved.<br />
Believing I was worthy<br />
helped me continue down this<br />
new path. It wasn’t always easy.<br />
There were many times, especially<br />
after I was released from<br />
prison, that I was tempted to<br />
quit college and return to where<br />
I’d been. But God kept spurring<br />
me on. “You’re worth the work,<br />
Ronnie! Keep pressing forward<br />
with Me.”<br />
After I graduated from Ashland<br />
in 2018, I became a youth<br />
26 <strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong> VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM
Above: Ronnie had John 3:30 tattooed on his forearm<br />
to remind him of John the Baptist’s message that<br />
Jesus must increase and we must decrease.<br />
3:30 tattooed on my arm. It<br />
than you ever imagined possi-<br />
helps me remember the im-<br />
ble. I know. I’ve been there. But<br />
portant words of John the<br />
I’ve learned that with Christ,<br />
Baptist about Jesus. “He [Jesus]<br />
rock bottom is a great place to<br />
must become greater; I must<br />
lay a foundation for your new<br />
become less” (NIV).<br />
life (Matthew 7:24–27).<br />
PHOTO BY SWEETBEE PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
pastor at a local church. I wanted<br />
to help kids discover their<br />
worth in God.<br />
For so long, I had wanted<br />
nothing to do with Him, and<br />
now, I was bringing the Gospel<br />
of Jesus Christ to others!<br />
People used to cross the street<br />
to avoid me. Now parents and<br />
tion after promotion as I stayed<br />
faithful. It’s just like Luke 16:10<br />
promises: “Whoever can be<br />
trusted with very little can also<br />
be trusted with much” (NIV).<br />
Today, I am over the training<br />
and development of more than<br />
300 employees.<br />
This incredible new life<br />
John knew the secret to life:<br />
more of Jesus, less of self. It’s<br />
the only way to experience the<br />
abundant life Jesus promises<br />
in John 10:10.<br />
How about you? Will you<br />
choose to trust God anyway?<br />
Will you lay down your anger<br />
and disappointments, uncurl<br />
God’s got good plans in store<br />
for you (Jeremiah 29:11). How<br />
can you experience them? Remember<br />
John 3:30. More of<br />
Him and less of you.<br />
Trust God today. When you<br />
do, He won’t waste any time restoring<br />
and rebuilding your life.<br />
I won’t promise His plans will<br />
youth were coming to me for<br />
started with a simple: “Okay,<br />
your fists, and open your heart<br />
be easy. But no matter what you<br />
advice. It was incredible.<br />
God, I’ll trust You anyway.”<br />
to the One who loves you—even<br />
face, God’s goodness will meet<br />
Only God could transform<br />
The moment I died to myself<br />
if life hasn’t happened like you<br />
you there. And His grace will<br />
this dirty, lying, and conniving<br />
and my perception of life, God<br />
thought it should? And will you<br />
help you move forward to great<br />
manipulator into a man other<br />
raised me. He gave me new<br />
believe that you are worth a bet-<br />
heights.<br />
people trusted.<br />
eyes and a new heart (Ezekiel<br />
ter life?<br />
Don’t focus on that thing you<br />
New doors began opening for<br />
36:26) and set my feet on a new<br />
Right now, your experiences<br />
never had. You’ll miss the better<br />
me, and I left my youth pastor<br />
path (Proverbs 3:5–6). And as<br />
might have brought you lower<br />
thing God has for you today.<br />
position to travel nationwide,<br />
I humble myself before Him<br />
sharing my story. I also took<br />
a job at Christian Healthcare<br />
Ministries. God brought promo-<br />
daily, God continues to lift me<br />
(James 4:10).<br />
Not too long ago, I had John<br />
RONNIE HOPKINS is the training and development coordinator for Christian<br />
Healthcare Ministries. He is also a spokesperson and advocate for educational<br />
opportunities in prison.<br />
VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM<br />
<strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong><br />
27
TRANSFORMED LIVES<br />
VL Publisher,<br />
Kristi Overton<br />
Johnson, after<br />
capturing the<br />
1999 women’s<br />
World Slalom<br />
Title in Milan,<br />
Italy.<br />
BY KRISTI OVERTON JOHNSON<br />
RECENTLY, WORLD-CLASS ATHLETE<br />
Vennesa Vieke asked me what I thought it<br />
takes to be a champion. For the next year,<br />
she and I spent time together talking about<br />
how I had achieved my success. It was fun,<br />
going back and sharing my 35-year athletic<br />
journey with my new friend. (See her story<br />
in <strong>Issue</strong> 03/2021.)<br />
What I’ve learned is that if you want to be<br />
a champion in anything—sports, relationships,<br />
careers, ministries, you name it—the<br />
principles are the same. If you want victory<br />
in your physical, mental, and emotional<br />
health, you must apply these principles.<br />
But here’s the kicker: mentally agreeing<br />
with them won’t get you anywhere. You’ll<br />
have to do the hard work, make sacrifices,<br />
and persevere daily.<br />
If you want to be a champion for the<br />
kingdom of God, you have to use the same<br />
principles.<br />
Let’s talk about that phrase, a champion<br />
for the kingdom of God. I chose those words<br />
deliberately because I’ve realized there<br />
are many champions of God who are not<br />
actively being champions for God’s kingdom.<br />
There is a profound difference.<br />
As believers, we are all champions in<br />
God’s eyes. And our champion status<br />
isn’t based on what we do. It’s based on<br />
the simple fact that we are God’s children.<br />
There are no chumps in God’s family, only<br />
champions.<br />
Right now, maybe you’re thinking, “No<br />
way am I a champion. I’ve never succeeded<br />
at anything. You have no idea what I’ve<br />
done or what has happened to me. God<br />
couldn’t possibly see a champion in me.”<br />
The Bible says otherwise.<br />
If you’ve put your faith and trust in Jesus<br />
for salvation, then you are His champion.<br />
The blood of Jesus has made you one.<br />
Romans 3:25 says, “For God presented<br />
Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are<br />
made right with God when they believe<br />
that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his<br />
blood” (NLT).<br />
While we were still sinners—not after<br />
we got it all together and had a champion’s<br />
success record—God sent His Son, Jesus,<br />
to die for us. Jesus’s blood makes us right<br />
in God’s sight (Romans 5:8–9). Because of<br />
Jesus, God can’t even see our failures. It’s<br />
the work of the cross that makes us His<br />
champions, not what we do.<br />
There is nothing we can do to become<br />
PHOTO BY ROSS OUTERBRIDGE<br />
28 <strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong> VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM
TRANSFORMED LIVES<br />
more of a champion to God. He loves us just<br />
as we are for one simple reason: we’re His<br />
kids. There are no conditions to our heavenly<br />
Father’s love. You can’t earn it, and you<br />
can’t lose it. It just is, and it’s everlasting.<br />
There aren’t different degrees of God’s<br />
love either. His love doesn’t change. He<br />
can’t love you any more than He does right<br />
now. And He doesn’t love one person more<br />
than He does someone else. This is great<br />
and amazing news.<br />
So if we’re already champions, isn’t that<br />
all there is? No. Even though God loves us<br />
and even though He sees a champion when<br />
He looks at us, that doesn’t mean every<br />
believer will live the life of a champion. Not<br />
every believer will determine to be a champion<br />
for God and His kingdom.<br />
I didn’t for a long time.<br />
I was all about championing my kingdom.<br />
I was focused on using my gifts and<br />
talents for my glory, not His. I didn’t realize<br />
there was more to being a Christian than<br />
asking Jesus to forgive me of my sins and<br />
give me eternal life (John 3:16).<br />
I knew I was supposed to go to church,<br />
pray, and read my Bible, but I didn’t understand<br />
that God wanted to partner with<br />
me in life and use me for His kingdom<br />
purposes. I had no idea someone could<br />
be a champion for God’s kingdom, and I<br />
certainly didn’t know how to be one.<br />
Let’s look at the life of Moses to understand<br />
this better. God created Moses to<br />
lead the Israelites out of Egypt and into<br />
the Promised Land. God knew Moses was<br />
the right person for the job—even after<br />
he’d killed a man and had to hide out in<br />
the wilderness shepherding his father-inlaw’s<br />
sheep. (Check out Exodus 1–2.) Does<br />
that sound like someone who’s a champion?<br />
A wanted man, a murderer, living in<br />
obscurity?<br />
Thankfully, when God chooses people<br />
to champion His causes, He doesn’t look<br />
at their outward appearance, their past,<br />
or where they live. He looks at the inner<br />
qualities He put in us.<br />
God created Moses to lead. He allowed<br />
Moses to have unique and even painful<br />
experiences to prepare him for the task.<br />
He wanted to journey with Moses to help<br />
him develop those leadership qualities.<br />
In Exodus 3–4, we see God inviting His<br />
champion to go on this adventure with<br />
Him. A voice from a burning bush? You can<br />
believe God had Moses’s attention as He<br />
began to reveal what He wanted him to do.<br />
God was like, “Moses, I’ve chosen you<br />
to champion the cause of My people. I’m<br />
going to use you to save them from the<br />
Egyptians. I want you to lead them, protect<br />
them, and teach them how to live and<br />
love Me.”<br />
But Moses couldn’t imagine himself<br />
leading anyone. Maybe before, but now?<br />
No way. So he began to object.<br />
“Me?” he said. “Appear before Pharaoh?<br />
But, God—! Who am I to lead the people of<br />
Israel out of Egypt? What if they don’t believe<br />
me? What if they won’t listen to me?”<br />
It’s the work of<br />
the cross that<br />
makes us His<br />
champions, not<br />
our works.<br />
Even after God promised to be with Moses,<br />
even after He gave him instructions<br />
and the words to speak and supernatural<br />
powers, Moses still refused to accept God’s<br />
call. He only saw his limitations: “I–I can’t<br />
be Your mouthpiece, God. I st–stutter.”<br />
Do you ever feel like Moses? Do you<br />
have trouble seeing yourself as someone<br />
God can use? When you think of the word<br />
“champion,” do you have difficulty seeing<br />
yourself in that category? Or do you see<br />
yourself as the least of the least, when God<br />
is saying you are a mighty warrior?<br />
Well, I have some good news. God uses<br />
the least of the least to champion His causes!<br />
Consider 1 Corinthians 1:27–28: “God<br />
chose things the world considers foolish<br />
in order to shame those who think they are<br />
wise. And he chose things that are powerless<br />
to shame those who are powerful. God<br />
chose things despised by the world, things<br />
counted as nothing at all, and used them to<br />
bring to nothing what the world considers<br />
important” (NLT).<br />
Have you ever been called a fool? Worthless?<br />
A big fat zero? Have you ever felt despised<br />
or rejected? Well, you are who God<br />
wants to use.<br />
Your past doesn’t matter; neither do your<br />
limitations. All that matters is that you are<br />
willing to be used by God. Friend, God is in<br />
you, and Christ in you is the hope of glory<br />
(Colossians 1:27).<br />
You can face anything and do anything<br />
God has called you to do (Philippians 4:13)<br />
because God’s Spirit lives in you. The very<br />
power of God, the heart of God, the mind of<br />
Christ is in you (1 Corinthians 2). His Spirit<br />
empowers you to do what He asks you to<br />
do. It’s not by your might or power; it’s by<br />
His (Zechariah 4:6). You are a champion<br />
because God, the greatest Champion of all,<br />
lives inside you!<br />
It’s time to start walking with your head<br />
held high. I love Leviticus 26:13, where<br />
God says to His children: “I am the Lord<br />
your God, who brought you out of the land<br />
of Egypt so you would no longer be their<br />
slaves. I broke the yoke of slavery from your<br />
neck so you can walk with your heads held<br />
high.”<br />
We aren’t to walk in shame or be overcome<br />
with guilt. We aren’t to walk burdened<br />
down by the weight of sin or the words of<br />
others. God sent His Son, Jesus, to die for<br />
us. And in doing so, He freed us from the<br />
penalty and power of sin. He broke the yoke<br />
of bondage.<br />
Now, I am not suggesting that we get all<br />
puffed up with pride and become overconfident<br />
in our abilities. No. Our confidence<br />
is in God and His love for us. God declared<br />
our worth when He created us, and He has<br />
promised to be with us every day since.<br />
Have you ever thought about the moment<br />
you were created? According to Psalm 139,<br />
God was at work in your mother’s womb,<br />
fashioning and forming you with His very<br />
hands. Maybe you think, “God didn’t plan<br />
VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM<br />
<strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong><br />
29
TRANSFORMED LIVES<br />
me. I was an accident. I was unwanted, a<br />
product of violence.”<br />
There is no life outside of God. He is the<br />
Creator, Giver, and Sustainer of life. (See<br />
Job 33:4; Acts 17:28; Colossians 1:17; and<br />
1 Corinthians 8:6.) Negative circumstances<br />
around your conception or birth do not<br />
negate the fact that God created you, He<br />
loves you, and that He has a good plan for<br />
your life that He wants you to fulfill.<br />
You, no matter who you are, are God’s<br />
masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10). He created<br />
you on purpose and for a purpose. Your<br />
earthly parents might have cursed the day<br />
you were born, but God didn’t. He wanted<br />
you to be born because He values your life.<br />
Not only that—He took great delight in<br />
forming all the delicate parts of your body<br />
(Psalm 139:13). God knit you together. You<br />
are wonderfully fashioned, and when He<br />
looks at you, He smiles. He has precious<br />
thoughts toward you that outnumber the<br />
grains of sand (Psalm 139:17–18).<br />
You’re His prized possession, worth even<br />
the life of His only Son.<br />
It’s hard sometimes to remember that.<br />
The world likes to remind us of our shortcomings,<br />
as does Satan, the enemy of our<br />
soul. But God thinks differently, and it is<br />
time we align our thoughts with His. We<br />
can’t live the life God intends us to live<br />
without doing so.<br />
Let’s do an exercise. Write down the<br />
negative words your parents, spouse, children,<br />
so-called friends, or coworkers have<br />
spoken over you. Write down the negative<br />
thoughts you’ve had about yourself too.<br />
How many are there? Ten? A hundred?<br />
Maybe a thousand?<br />
With a pen, place a dot of ink on your<br />
paper to represent each countable thought.<br />
When you’re done, compare those dots<br />
against all the grains of sand in the world.<br />
The sand represents God’s thoughts toward<br />
you—His good, precious, innumerable<br />
thoughts. Remember Psalm 139? No<br />
matter how many negative statements you<br />
came up with, there’s no comparison!<br />
Friend, God thinks you are the bomb,<br />
and it’s time you realize it. You can’t be the<br />
champion He has created you to be if you<br />
don’t believe you are champion material.<br />
God does not create junk! He doesn’t<br />
make mistakes. He created you—you!—on<br />
purpose and with a purpose. Why should<br />
it matter what other people think or say?<br />
Let’s continue our exercise. Dive into<br />
God’s Word and discover His thoughts toward<br />
you. Write His words next to the negative<br />
ones you listed. For example, if you<br />
wrote, “You are a failure,” write next to it, “I<br />
am not a failure. I am the righteousness of<br />
God.” If you wrote, “You will never amount<br />
to anything. You are just like your father.”<br />
Write down this truth, “My Father is God<br />
Almighty, and I was made in His image. He<br />
has great plans for me and will help me accomplish<br />
them. I can do all things through<br />
Christ who gives me strength!” Exchange<br />
each lie for the truth of God.<br />
Search the Bible daily and renew your<br />
mind with God’s thoughts toward you. If<br />
you want to know God’s will for your life,<br />
you have to renew your mind. Change the<br />
way you think about everything, including<br />
yourself. As you do, God will transform you<br />
into a new person—the champion He created<br />
you to be (Romans 12:2).<br />
Capturing negative thoughts, rebuking<br />
condemning words (2 Corinthians 10:5),<br />
guarding your mouth (Psalm 141:3)—it’s<br />
a full-time job. But it’s worth the effort.<br />
Far Left: Vennesa is all<br />
smiles after winning the<br />
2022 Moomba Masters in<br />
Melbourne, Australia.<br />
Below: Vennesa and Kristi<br />
formed a close friendship<br />
as Vennesa pursued her<br />
championship title.<br />
KRISTI OVERTON JOHNSON encourages and equips people for victory through her<br />
writings, speaking engagements, and prison ministry. To learn more, go to kojministries.org.<br />
PHOTOS BY HOLLY STRATFORD AND NOAH VIEKE<br />
30 <strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong> VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM
STEPPING FORWARD<br />
Your Pain Has Purpose<br />
BY KORY GORDON<br />
I’VE SPENT MANY YEARS LYING ON<br />
bunks in jails and prisons, staring hopelessly<br />
at the ceiling. At the time, I’d bought<br />
into the lie that I had gone too far and it<br />
was too late for me.<br />
Fear, regret, and defeat convinced me<br />
that I had wasted the best years of my life.<br />
Those thoughts overshadowed any positivity<br />
about my future. The emotional pain<br />
was so intense, I could feel it physically.<br />
I tried to escape the weight of these<br />
emotions with drugs, pornography, and<br />
gambling, but those things only took me<br />
deeper into darkness. I would have died of<br />
an overdose if Christ hadn’t responded to<br />
my cries, but He did. He jumped into my pit<br />
and pulled me out (Job 33:28, Jonah 2:6).<br />
Not once did He chastise or condemn me.<br />
Instead, He wrapped His arms around me<br />
and set my feet on solid ground. He traded<br />
my prison blues for His robe of righteousness<br />
and resurrected my life into one with<br />
meaning. Because of Jesus, my life is now a<br />
testimony of powerful restoration that leads<br />
others to freedom. (See Psalm 40:1–3.)<br />
As a redeemed son of God, I now walk<br />
confidently through gates that once held<br />
me prisoner. I am a seasoned veteran with<br />
many battle wounds, but I am also an overcomer<br />
through Jesus Christ. He alone has<br />
given me the keys to freedom, and I am<br />
committed to sharing them with my incarcerated<br />
brothers and sisters.<br />
It never ceases to amaze me how my<br />
painful past helps me get eye level with<br />
others. They have hope when they hear<br />
what God has done and is doing in my life.<br />
They realize if He could set me free, He can<br />
set anyone free!<br />
With Jesus, nothing in my life is wasted—<br />
not even my biggest mistakes. Every experience<br />
has become an opportunity to learn<br />
and a powerful testimony of the goodness<br />
of God.<br />
Did you know that the Apostle Paul wrote<br />
two-thirds of the New Testament from a<br />
prison cell? Paul rejoiced in his suffering<br />
and wanted everyone to understand that<br />
his time in chains had a divine purpose.<br />
He said, “Now I want you to know, brothers<br />
and sisters, that what has happened to me<br />
has actually served to advance the gospel”<br />
(Philippians 1:12 NIV).<br />
I can relate to Paul here because my<br />
incarceration has also served to advance<br />
the Gospel. Of course, my incarceration<br />
was due to my disobedience to God, not<br />
my loyalty to Him. But God’s mercy is for<br />
people on both spectrums—the sinner and<br />
the saint. He brings beauty from ashes for<br />
His glory, no matter how our ashes were<br />
formed (Isaiah 61:3).<br />
It’s time to look at your past through<br />
God’s lens of purpose. Give Him those ashes.<br />
Don’t buy into the lie that your life is a<br />
waste; God never wastes anything.<br />
Every broken road you have traveled<br />
has uniquely equipped you to help others.<br />
Through your life story, you may reach<br />
people for Christ that others cannot. And<br />
every time you find the courage to share<br />
the goodness of God, your testimony defeats<br />
the enemy’s hold on someone else<br />
(Revelation 12:11).<br />
Purpose, though, begins with surrendering<br />
your broken life to Christ and then courageously<br />
journeying through it with Him.<br />
Despite all the pain you’ve been through, an<br />
overwhelming victory can be yours through<br />
Christ, who loves you (Romans 8:37).<br />
Your testimony holds the key to someone<br />
else’s freedom. Please don’t keep it to<br />
yourself.<br />
KORY GORDON spent 11 years in incarceration,<br />
where he gave his life to Christ. He is now an<br />
evangelist, sharing the Good News that set him<br />
free. In 2021, he founded Damascus Road, a<br />
nonprofit residential discipleship program battling<br />
addiction, recidivism, and homelessness. Email<br />
damascusroad2021@gmail.com for more info.<br />
VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM<br />
<strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong><br />
31
STEPPING FORWARD<br />
YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO BACK<br />
BY DANNY R. COX<br />
I HAD JUST A FEW MONTHS LEFT ON MY ten-year<br />
prison sentence when a friend said to me, “I don’t know<br />
how you’ve been able to do these ten years, Danny.”<br />
Without thinking, I said, “One day at a time, John.”<br />
If you think about it, we’re all doing time somewhere.<br />
The question is, what are we doing, every day, with the<br />
time we’ve been given?<br />
There are two things we all do, no matter who we are.<br />
One, we live till we die, and two, every day we’re alive,<br />
we make decisions. Good decisions generally lead to<br />
good results, and bad decisions usually lead to bad ones.<br />
I’ll admit, I have made more than my share of bad<br />
decisions—but that doesn’t mean I have to continue<br />
making them. No way! It took serving time in 12 federal<br />
prisons and 5 county jails in 8 states for me to come to<br />
my senses, but I’ve now made it my aim to make the<br />
best decisions I can.<br />
I’m in my 70s, and I have been out of prison for 20<br />
years now, clean and green. I guess you could say I’ve<br />
“learned a thing or two, about a thing or two.”<br />
Society has decided that incarceration is a form of<br />
punishment that will deter an individual from making<br />
If you think<br />
about it,<br />
we’re all<br />
doing time<br />
somewhere.<br />
The question<br />
is, what are<br />
we doing<br />
with each<br />
day, every<br />
day?<br />
the same bad decisions a second time. But does it?<br />
Recently, I asked the men at a Bible study I<br />
teach at a halfway house to raise their hands if<br />
they had done more than one bit. More than half<br />
of them raised their hands. One man had been<br />
down 11 times. But then he said, “This is the last<br />
time, because I’ve found Jesus.”<br />
Hold that thought!<br />
What is it about Jesus that can prevent someone<br />
from going back to prison? Shouldn’t the<br />
shame, guilt, and financial hardship we’ve placed<br />
on our families be enough? Or living miles away<br />
from everything we love? How about living in<br />
fear and constantly looking over our shoulders?<br />
For so many, none of those things prevent them<br />
from going back to their old ways and ultimately<br />
returning to prison. But Jesus can change things.<br />
Galatians 3:22 says, “we are all prisoners of sin,<br />
so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by<br />
believing in Jesus Christ” (NLT).<br />
I got right with God during my first two weeks<br />
in jail by accepting Jesus into my life. In that moment,<br />
I knew that I was corrected. Sure, I still had<br />
to serve the rest of my time and work through some wrong thinking, but<br />
from that day until now, Jesus has been doing time with me. He’s helped<br />
me overcome every obstacle I’ve met. He’s given me His strength, wisdom,<br />
peace, and power to face each day.<br />
Is Jesus doing time with you, or are you still trying to do everything your<br />
way? Whatever trial you’re facing, are you doing it with Him or on your own?<br />
I’ve tried doing life my way. It didn’t work. But when I began doing things<br />
God’s way, everything changed. He is the reason I am an ex-con, an ex-drug<br />
dealer, an ex-drug addict, and an ex-alcoholic.<br />
I saw a poster once that said, “Never be a prisoner of your past. It was<br />
just a lesson, not a life sentence.” With Jesus, you can be free from your<br />
past, once and for all. His truth and Spirit can set you free (John 8:32; 2<br />
Corinthians 3:17).<br />
Stop trying to do things your way. Let Jesus change your heart and mind<br />
so He can change your ways and future. You don’t have to go back to your<br />
dead-end ways; you don’t have to be a statistic.<br />
Life is about decisions, and the most important decision you can ever<br />
make is to ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. Go ahead, make it today.<br />
When you do, Jesus will come into your life and serve your time with you.<br />
PHOTO BY GUNNAR RATHBUN<br />
DANNY R. COX was called by God to be an evangelist while serving time in prison.<br />
He is now a credentialed evangelist and correctional chaplain and serves on the board<br />
of KOJ Ministries. Danny shares his story in churches and prisons worldwide. His book,<br />
High on a Lie, may be purchased on Amazon in English and Spanish. He is the founder of<br />
Prison2Preacher Ministries.<br />
32 <strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong> VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM
WANT TO KNOW JESUS?<br />
“Come to me, all you who are<br />
weary and burdened, and I will<br />
give you rest.” —Matthew 11:28 NIV<br />
Jared Emerson, Artist, jaredemerson.com<br />
Do you need rest? Peace? Freedom? Forgiveness? Restoration?<br />
Call out to Jesus, accept Him as your Savior, and be made whole.<br />
Pray: “Jesus, I invite You into my life. I confess that I am a sinner in<br />
need of a Savior. Thank You for saving me from my sins and making<br />
me whole. Thank You for laying down Your life for me so that I can<br />
have a new life in You. I receive, by faith, this forgiveness of sin. Take<br />
my life—my past and my future. Guide my steps and speak to my<br />
heart, Lord. Use me, God. Amen.”<br />
Let us know of your decision so we can help you grow in your faith.<br />
Write to: VL Correspondence, PO Box 2751, Greenville, NC 27836.<br />
PERHAPS AFTER READING the stories in this magazine, you’ve surrendered your life to<br />
Jesus. Congratulations—it’s the most important decision you will ever make! But you might<br />
be wondering, now what? Here are five ways to ensure spiritual growth. Remember, the<br />
Christian life is a journey that brings lifelong transformation.<br />
1. PRAY. Talk to God about everything and listen for His response. You don’t need<br />
fancy words, just a sincere heart.<br />
2. STUDY THE BIBLE. God’s Word contains all the instructions we need for life. Get<br />
into a Bible study and discover new revelations daily. Free resources are on page 34.<br />
3. GET BAPTIZED. Although baptism is not a requirement of salvation, the Bible<br />
clearly tells us that we are to be water baptized after salvation. Baptism symbolizes<br />
our dying to sin and being raised to a new life in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:4). Prison<br />
restrictions may make immersion by water difficult, so get creative and let the Holy<br />
Spirit reveal how you can take this step of obedience until immersion is possible.<br />
4. FIND CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY. Join a local congregation of Christ-followers. If<br />
incarceration makes attending church difficult, fellowship with other believers the<br />
best you can. They will help you stand strong and keep you accountable.<br />
5. TELL SOMEONE. Share your decision to follow Christ and tell them what He has<br />
done for you. And then, tell us! We’d love to hear from you.<br />
WHAT NOW?<br />
I’ve Accepted God’s Salvation.<br />
Now What?<br />
VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM<br />
<strong>Issue</strong> 01 / <strong>2023</strong><br />
33
MINISTRY NEWS/RESOURCES<br />
Victorious Living Prison<br />
Outreach Update<br />
through your prison tablet at hope@vlmag.org. PLEASE<br />
NOTE: We cannot receive COD emails or phone calls nor<br />
accept stories for publication or legal documents.<br />
Because of the Lord, generous financial partners,<br />
and new digital opportunities, Victorious Living’s<br />
ministries continue to expand across America.<br />
• Did you know that VLMag is available on both sides of prison<br />
walls? It is a gift to our ministry partners and can be delivered to<br />
anyone in free society. Call 352-478-2098 or visit vlmag.org and<br />
click the “give now” tab. A gift of any amount is appreciated.<br />
• We offer inmates discipleship materials on tablet systems.<br />
Search “Victorious Living” on the prison tablet to discover VL<br />
broadcasts and podcasts.<br />
• Family members of our incarcerated family and our ministry<br />
partners can also enjoy our resources through pandoapp.tv<br />
and VL’s online platforms like vlmag.org, Facebook,<br />
Instagram, and YouTube. Our care team is available to pray<br />
with family members of our inmate family by telephone.<br />
• We encourage believers everywhere to use our materials in their<br />
ministry. VLMag makes an incredible witnessing tool and can<br />
be ordered in bulk copies in free society.<br />
• We offer fellowship to inmates through personal correspon dence.<br />
Write to us at PO Box 2751, Greenville, NC 27836, or email us<br />
• High transitional rates of inmates and new DOC restrictions<br />
prevent us from mailing individual subscriptions of VLMag to<br />
inmates. However, bulk copies are provided free of charge,<br />
with or without staples, at the request of chaplains and<br />
program directors. Contact us at 352-478-2098 for these free<br />
resources. Ask about our <strong>2023</strong>–2024 VL Prison Tour too.<br />
RESOURCES<br />
Below are opportunities for free Christian-based<br />
resources for both English- and Spanish-speaking<br />
inmates and chaplains. When you contact the<br />
addresses below, tell our partners VL referred you.<br />
VICTORIOUS LIVING<br />
Personal correspondence available in English and Spanish.<br />
Bulk copies of VLMag are available for jail and prison libraries<br />
at chaplain’s request.<br />
PO Box 2751<br />
Email: hope@vlmag.org<br />
Greenville, NC 27836<br />
2ND OPPORTUNITY<br />
Reentry and employmentreadiness<br />
programming;<br />
job and housing referrals<br />
for inmates in<br />
jails and prisons<br />
upon request.<br />
PO Box 3411<br />
Peachtree City, GA 30269<br />
CLI PRISON ALLIANCE<br />
Personal discipleship<br />
studies by mail for inmates<br />
in jails and prisons;<br />
free Christian books and<br />
Bibles for libraries at<br />
request of chaplain or<br />
authorized personnel.<br />
PO Box 97095<br />
Raleigh, NC 27624<br />
RESCUED NOT ARRESTED<br />
Free NIV Bibles, Bible study<br />
correspondence course, and<br />
NIV Life Application Study Bible<br />
upon completion of study for<br />
inmates in jails and prisons.<br />
Call: 602-647-8325<br />
PO Box 90606<br />
Phoenix, AZ 85066<br />
GLOBAL LEADERSHIP<br />
SUMMIT<br />
Bring world-class<br />
leadership training<br />
and tools to your facility<br />
through the GL Summit<br />
and GL Network. Write to<br />
GlobalLeadership.org.<br />
PO Box 3188<br />
Barrington, IL 60011<br />
34<br />
WWW.VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM<br />
VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM