Sue's Story

I look back now in wonder as I see so many of the ways God started molding and preparing my future. I had no idea. No clue. Fortunately God had a plan. He knew where I was headed in spite of mistakes, calamities, and just plain stupidity.

As a child I secretly thought that no one liked me even though I wanted to be everyone’s best friend. I was convinced that for some reason I was on the outside and not worthy. This false inner belief reeked havoc with my thinking until years later God transformed my mind.

I hated school and spent most of my time reading novels.  When I finally graduated I had an intense desire to leave and experience everything I could. At the time it was not evident to me but I was seeking for my identity.  I tried so many different lifestyles I think even I got confused.   Eventually I felt the most comfortable joining the Hippy Counter Culture, but even there I was constantly moving and searching for more. 

Then quite unexpectedly while alone and trekking through Utah, I experienced the paramount event of my life.  During some deep introspection I realized that I was definitely not the person I had intended to become.  Since childhood I wanted to be good and loving. Unfortunately I had become fairly self-centered and was responsible for some really regrettable things.  Not knowing quite what to do, I literally threw my arms in the air and announced: “I don’t know who you are Power for Good, but I want to be on your side”.  This simple act was to become the beginning of a whole new journey that led me to the God of the Bible and Creator of the Universe.  Since then my life has been an incredible adventure.

From living on the road in cars and boats to marriage, tents, seven homebirths and homeschooling, I learned to follow and trust Jesus with my life.

And here’s another shocker. God gave me a ministry. Shortly after the birth of my fifth child I was asked to visit a young woman in jail. Now I need to be honest.  I did not want to go and visit.  I was feeling frumpy, overworked and overwhelmed. My attitude was “Really Lord, don’t I have enough on my plate”.  His response was “Excuse me, didn’t you sign up?”  So I relented and went down to visit.  I met a scared and confused young mother who needed a friend and the keys to the Kingdom. Little did I know that it would be the beginning of over thirty years of jail ministry and she would still be a part of my life 30 years later.

I can tell you that life in the Kingdom is not normal.  God has a different path for everyone.  Some of my path involved mothering seven children on a shoestring and faith, living in tents as we built a home, watching God provide in miraculous ways, trusting in Jesus when I became a single mother and trusting God when he led me to open my home for the many girls who needed mentoring and mothering and so much more. I could honestly fill a book about all of the incredible ways God has worked in my life. I could never have imagined all that He would do. God is so amazing.  He took my messed up confused life and transformed me so that I could help others!  And I he is still working on me and giving me new experiences even as a grandma!

As I enter into this next big adventure with the Lord, I am hoping you will join me here at Recovery and Beyond to discover what part you might play in God’s purpose for this blog.  I am hoping that those of you who are already experiencing God’s supernatural transformation can share stories of success and encouragement along with some personal advice on ways to overcome the addictive lifestyle, so that together we can through all of our combined knowledge and experience offer to you who are still struggling a truly real, effective, and amazing solution to the destructive process of addiction.

As it says in His Word;

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”  Ephesians 3:20