If you are like me, you may be curious about what led me to start this ministry, how the website was designed, and WHY I picked some of the elements of the site.  So this section is to bring you Behind the Scenes to hear part of my spiritual journey and how my mind was working in the design and feel of the site. 

So here we go…Just before I turned 50 years old, I was reflecting on my life up to that point.  What are my passions?  What are my gifts?  What impact have I had on my community from my work experience, my volunteer efforts, my family and friend relationships, etc.?  What does God have in store for me in the future?  Am I listening to his nudges and responding with open hands?  What is my calling?
I was aware that I was over halfway through my life on earth and I was not sure I had yet truly found my calling. I wanted to live into God’s call for me.  I wanted to be an active partner with Him in the purpose He ordained for my life.  So, I began asking the question, what is my calling?  How is God asking me to step out in faith, let Him lead, embrace the uncomfortable, and be a vessel to display and share his love to others.

At the time, the lead paster of my church had recently published a book called A Why to Live for:  Where Your Destiny Meets the Broken Places of the Worldby Dave Rodrigues.  (Found on Amazon here:  https://www.amazon.com/Why-Live-destiny-broken-places/dp/057843797X)  Dave was offering to meet with members of our congregation to complete a Calling Quilt.  This is an exercise in the book that reviews our past experiences, our highs and lows, our family dynamics, our work experiences, our gifts and passions to determine how our story is pointing us to the calling that God has in store for us.  Our purpose…or in Dave’s words A Why to Live For.  I met with Dave, and we completed the quilt.  And he asked me, “Have you ever thought about writing?”  At the time, that is not where I thought I was headed.  Was I capable of writing about my journey?  Would anyone care?  My degree is in accounting not English or Literature or Creative Writing.  Is this the door in which God is leading me?  Dave helped me see that I have…

• A passion to help women who may have lost sight of their value and worth due to past trauma or have not yet discovered their value and worth in the love of Christ. 
• A passion to help women realize YES…we are enough!  With Jesus as our Savior, guide and counselor, we are already enough to be used for His kingdom.
• A passion to help women deepen their relationships and friendships among other women to provide support and encouragement to each other…not comparison and competition. 
• A passion to celebrate the gifts that God has given each of us that unite us as one body in Christ. 
• A passion to hear and share each other’s stories as a message of hope.  We are not alone. We have the ability to be victorious in our journey with the strength and guidance of our Lord within us.

 This opened my eyes to a possibility I had never considered.  Are you in this with me, God?  Is this what you want for me?  Is this my purpose?…because it feels really scary.
Read the next post for more at Behind the Scenes #2:  Affirming the Calling

Hugs & blessings, sweet Circle,
Stacy