About Us
Stage 5 Ministry
In Matthew Chapter 13, Jesus tells the parable of the farmer who scattered his seeds. What happens to these seeds represents a different spiritual stage. Stage 1 is when some of the seeds fell on the path and birds ate the seeds. This represents a person who hears God’s word but the evil one snatches away what was sown in his heart. Stage 2 is when the seeds fell on rocky ground without much soil and the sun scorches the plants. This is the person who receives God with joy, but the joy only lasts for a short time due to troubles and persecutions. Stage 3 is the seed that fell among the thorns. This is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the seed, making it unfruitful. Stage 4 is the seed that fell on good soil. This is the man who hears the Word of God and understands it. This person produces a crop that yields 100, 60, or 30 times what was sown.
It is obvious that Stage 4 is where most Christians want to be. One question is why did some people in Stage 4 yield 100 times what was sown while others yield only 30 times? Throughout the Bible, there seems to be a possible level of relationship with God that goes beyond our seed falling on fertile soil. People like David, Peter, John, and Paul seemed to have a deep intimacy with God. These people desired God’s will in their life more than they desired their own will in their life. We were created to live intimately with God. Stage 5 is living life the way God created us to live. Many people struggle with strongholds like fear, self-hatred, bitterness, unbelief, jealousy, idolatry, and anxiety that keeps us from living a fulfilled life in Christ. A person cannot enter Stage 5 until they have gone through prayerful repentance and surrendered those strongholds to God. The purpose of Stage 5 Ministry is to help walk a person through this process. It does not matter what stage you are currently in; you only need to have a desire to be more intimate with God and to move towards Stage 5.
My Story
Even though I was saved when I was 4, I struggled with severe anxiety, insecurity, fits of anger, and depression for most of my life. I felt like I had to control my environment and perform well to be accepted by others and be happy with myself. Failure and success or how valued I felt by others drove how I felt about myself. I knew my Bible, prayed, taught Sunday School and Youth Group, participated in Bible studies and small groups, and went to Bible school. I knew what Jesus did on the cross for me. I “tried” hard to live the Christian life. I really loved God and knew He loved me. I knew I was supposed to have the fruit of the Spirit, but I didn’t, and I had no idea what was wrong.
About 14 years ago I started asking God why I was so emotionally up and down and why I couldn’t be happy even though I had so much in my life that was good. I didn’t understand why my faith didn’t look like the examples I saw in the Bible, even though I was actively wanting to live my life for Christ. Once I started asking God these questions, He answered by putting me through the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to experience emotionally and spiritually in my life. This challenging time lasted approximately 3-4 months and began the journey of discovering the difference between living my life knowing Christ and living my life with surrender moment by moment to the Holy Spirit. He also began to show me what spiritual warfare is all about.
It took about 7 years of my own personal journey, working through my wounds, attitudes, habits, misunderstandings, and strongholds with God, before He started healing me to the point that I could no longer not talk about it. My depression was gone after 40 years. I didn’t struggle or cycle in negative thoughts, anger or anxiety. The biblical truths I learned to apply practically to my daily life with Him began to solidify into themes and tools that I could share. I began telling people around me about what He had done in me, and God started bringing people into my life in a natural way who were open to walking this journey with me. I started doing individual mentoring and spiritual coaching informally and was asked to do some speaking for groups and adult Sunday School classes.
In 2019, with the full support of my husband, I quit my career as a speech therapist and began my second master’s degree through Liberty University. In May of 2021 I received my master’s in human services counseling with an emphasis in crisis prevention and trauma. I’m excited to see what the Lord does now as I step into a ministry that He has initiated and orchestrated in a way I never could have even if I had tried. This ministry is built on biblical truth, surrender and repentance, and learning to pray in ways that allow for transformation of the core of who we are through the power of the Holy Spirit.