What I Believe
“Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.”
— Isaiah 40:29
God allows the storms of this life, but He promises to guide us through them. In Psalm 23 David writes, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Another favorite promise in Isaiah 43:2 assures, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you . . .”
Experiencing cancer is a chance to put God in the right place in your life. I love this quote by Charles Spurgeon, “I have learned to kiss the waves that throw me against the rock of ages.” For me, true confidence in not fearing the days ahead comes from my faith in God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our faith — what we believe — makes all the difference.
Even though I place high value on the many tools I have shared on this site, this is the most important page to me because ultimately, God is the Great Physician. He promises to be near all those who seek Him. He is the greatest treatment of all! God is sovereign. That means as ruler of the universe, He has complete authority over everything that happens on this earth, including sickness and disease, health and healing. While our human nature desires control, we must instead have faith and submit our situation to God.
My Faith Journey
In 2015, despite thriving careers and well-adjusted children, a nagging emptiness in my soul led me to a fervent prayer: “Lord, I want to experience You in all Your fullness.” I knew something was missing spiritually.
That cry of my heart marked the beginning of a perilous, unexpected eight-year journey through painful circumstances I never would have chosen—but today, would never exchange.
As a pastor's daughter, I had grown up in a Christian home. I knew the truth, so I began seeking God more intentionally. Yet I was still caught on the hamster wheel of life—busy, distracted, and consumed by the world. Family and career occupied most of my attention, and I didn't realize how little room I was actually making for God. Prayer and Bible reading had become items I checked off my list each day.
Then the trials began, one after another.
Two cancer diagnoses in our family between 2017 and 2019 drove me to seek the Lord again. Coming face-to-face with cancer reminded me that what I desperately needed was a deeper relationship with God. Yet even with that realization, life continued to distract me. God was getting my attention, but I wasn't truly listening.
During COVID in 2020, we became consumed with doing everything possible to heal our bodies. I immersed myself in CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) treatments and research. God was certainly on my daily list, but I was still largely doing life my own way. From the outside, my spiritual life may have looked strong. On the inside, I was going through the motions rather than truly surrendering to Him.
EVERYTHING CHANGED
On May 22, 2023, I fell down on my face before God and began my true journey to spiritual healing. I was at rock bottom. Sometimes God allows our lives to fall apart but He doesn’t leave us there. God connected me with a Godly woman who began mentoring me spiritually. She taught me how to grow up in my faith and what it meant to truly walk with the Lord.
At 57 years old, I fully surrendered my life to the Lord Jesus Christ.
For years, I had tried to control my circumstances. Now I was learning to yield. As I began maturing in my faith, I experienced a peace and joy I had been searching for all along.
James 1:2–4 says:
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
James isn't saying the trials themselves are joyful. Rather, trials can become opportunities for our faith to be tested, strengthened, and matured as we learn to trust God through them.
That is what happened to me - my faith was tested and refined in these past years. I still have days when I become distracted and take my eyes off Him. But each time I fall, He picks me up; each time I take back control, He gently calls me to trust Him. I can say with confidence that I have tasted His goodness and I have been carried by His steadfast love. Every day I spend time in the presence of the Lord — reading the Bible and praying. Looking back, it seems inconceivable that both Joel and I could have cancer in our early 50s, but the truth is that was just another stepping stone God used along the way to get my attention to truly walk with Him.
BECOMING MINISTRIES, INC.
In 2024, I shared my faith journey with a small group of women in my home. I called the Bible study “Becoming.” Two years later, Becoming Ministries, Inc. was founded as a nonprofit organization.
Through six foundational lessons, participants across the country are experiencing what I experienced through mentoring—encountering God and growing deeper in their faith. The impact of Becoming is truly the power of God at work.
Becoming is offered both in person and on Zoom. Visit BecomingMinistries.org to learn more. If you are reading this because you have found yourself tossed about by the storms of life and don’t know where to turn, or if you feel a gaping hole in your heart that you can’t seem to fill, I hope my story inspires you and I hope you will reach out to me.
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”