VL - Issue 17 - August 2015

REAL PEOPLE | REAL STORIES | REAL HOPE
Quarterly Publication | Issue 3 2015
MURF
the
SURF
Light
AT THE
END OF
THE TUNNEL
Redeeming
Love
A Publication of
Kristi Overton Johnson Ministries
PRISONER OF
HOPE

I WAS IN
PRISON
And You Visited Me.
Matthew 25:36
SEND VICTORIOUS LIVING
TO A PRISON INMATE

*Three pending World Records
The exclusive power plant of Nautique.

FROM THE PUBLISHER
No More Buts about It!
When I look at my family, I can’t help but recognize
the awesome, redeeming love of God. Two of my children
were once Russian orphans. They had no family and no
place to call home. But then God stepped in and changed
their lives—and ours, too—forever. In His grace, God
joined our hearts together from across the world and
made us a family. And He didn’t stop there. He even
reunited our children with their Russian siblings—
something that should have been impossible, given the
private nature of adoptions. Then He went further and
opened doors for me to return to Russia to share His
amazing, redeeming love with others. My daughter and
I spent two life-changing weeks in Russia just last month,
ministering to the hearts of the children and workers in
the orphanage from where we adopted her.
Every time I see my children and think of our lives, all
I can say is, “Wow! Only God could have done such a
thing!”
For a while, the dream of a family looked hopeless to
my children as they waited for their very own mamas and
papas to arrive to take them home. In the natural, their
circumstances looked bleak. Their family heritage was
filled with poverty, addiction, and homelessness. Indeed,
the odds were against them.
The dream my husband and I had of enlarging
our family through adoption also at times seemed
unattainable, as we waited to receive God’s promise of
more children. Political rivalries between Russia and the
United States, ever-changing adoption laws, and various
medical trials had put what seemed to be an impenetrable
wall between us and our children.
But God showed up, and He made a way! When all the
odds were against us, God opened doors and caused His
plan—greater than anything we could have imagined—
to come to fruition.
I love the phrase but God. All through the Bible, we
read of people who faced impossible situations, but then
their stories finish with
statements like “But God
raised him from the dead.”
“But God saved him.”
“But God fought the
battle and gave them
victory.” “But God
remembered Noah.”
“But God opened her
womb.”
That word but in
the Bible brings such
promise and power.
Every time we read
a statement like
that, it vividly shows
how God can do anything. Yet so often we don’t use the
word in this powerful, life-changing way. Instead, we use
it negatively—we say things like, “But God, how can this
possibly happen?” “But God, I don’t have the ability or
resources or time to do what You’re asking me to do. I
just can’t.” “But God, I’m the wrong gender…I’m too
young…too old…I’m the wrong color.” “But God, I’ve
sinned so greatly, I can’t be used. No one will listen to
me.” “But God, they hurt me so badly.” “But God, I’m
so tired.”
We follow our but Gods with excuses backed by doubt,
fear, and pride. It’s time to turn our butts around (sorry,
I just couldn’t resist) and praise God for who He is—
all-powerful, faithful, kind, loving, generous, and forgiving.
An ever-present help in time of need.
What if, in the middle of our next crisis, we agree with
God and say, “But God will provide a way. He is able!”
“But God’s love and His Word will not fail me. He is
faithful.” “But God will work all things out for good. He is
love.” “But God will grant me strength. He is powerful.”
“But God will redeem me. He is a restorer.” “But God will
have the final say. He is above all.”
One thing is for sure: our circumstances would begin
to change. When our hearts become aligned with the
promises of God, no weapon forged against us can
prosper. He says so Himself.
No matter how formidable the obstacles we face, God
can make a way. Never doubt it! And not only is He able,
but He is willing. Many think, “Well, I know God can heal.
He could change my situation if He wanted to…if it’s His
will.” But they don’t really believe He will do anything on
their behalf.
My family is a testimony of God’s ability to change
situations. So are the lives of the other contributors in
this issue of Victorious Living. You are about to read how
God redeemed a hardened criminal, restored a man with
addictions, healed a brokenhearted husband, gave a
family to a Chinese orphan, strengthened women going
through debilitating medical trials, and helped abused
children find true life in adulthood. When life seemed over,
when all hope seemed lost, God intervened.
God wants you to know that you can have hope. No
matter what your doctor has said, no matter your financial
situation, no matter your current circumstances or
projected future—no matter…no matter…no matter—
there is hope. No situation is too hard for God. No one,
not even you, is so far gone that He will not go to battle
for you. God wants you to know He loves you. He desires
more than anything to show Himself faithful and mighty
in your life. So no more ifs, ands, or buts about it—just
ask and believe.
God bless,
Publisher/Editor
Kristi Overton Johnson
Editor
Rachel F. Overton
Contributors
Chris B.
Roy A. Borges
Becky Coursen
Linda Cubbedge
Kristi Dale
Bonnie Hagemann
James Islam
Kristi Overton Johnson
Bobby Joiner
Jacob Miller
Nate Miller
Jack R. Murphy
Wendy Petzold
Tracy Stewart
Joan Tyson
Creative Director/Graphic Design
Whispering Dog Design, Inc.
Amy Zackowski
amy@whisperingdog.com
Partnership Support
victoriousliving@kojministries.org
Cover Photography
Joey Meddock Photography
Photography
AP Press
Amy Barry
Albert Coya
Sara Davis Photography
Joey Meddock
Portrait Innovations
Victorious Living
PO Box 120951
Clermont, FL 34712-0951
352.478.2098 • fax 888.837.9153
Victorious Living Prison Outreach
All Inmate Correspondence
PO Box 968
Keystone Heights, FL 32656
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are
taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright
©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation.
Scripture marked niv is taken from the Holy Bible, New
International Version ® , niv ® Copyright ©1973, 1978,
1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ® Scripture marked nkjv is taken
from the New King James Version ® . Copyright ©1982 by
Thomas Nelson. Scripture marked esv is taken from the
English Standard Version, Copyright ©2001 by Crossway
Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Scripture marked msg is taken from The Message, Copyright
©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H.
Peterson. All scripture versions are used by permission. All
rights reserved worldwide.
www.kojministries.org 4

Table of Contents
Issue 3 2015
4 No More Buts about It! Kristi Overton Johnson
6 It Doesn’t Take Much Kristi Overton Johnson
7 Ugly Houses and Beautiful Flowers Becky Coursen
8 God Uses What He Chooses Linda Cubbedge
9 On Assignment Bonnie Hagemann
Are you experiencing victorious living?
Is your life filled with
purpose, love,
joy, and peace?
Do you have hope for your future?
Forgiveness for your past?
Strength for your tomorrow?
Right now you might be thinking, “Are you kidding me? Joy, peace,
purpose? Worth, strength, forgiveness? I’ll never have those things! Look
at where I am! Look at what I’ve been through. Look at what I’ve done.
Look at what has been done to me.”
Friend, right now, no matter what your past
or present, all of these things can be
yours. You can have peace that passes all understanding, joy in the
midst of hardship, love and acceptance despite your failures, forgiveness,
and a fresh start. Your life can have purpose.
It doesn’t matter if you are sitting in a mansion or in a jail cell or
somewhere in between, a victorious life can be
yours TodaY!
How? Through a relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.
If you do not currently have a relationship with God, begin one right
now. Romans 10:8–10 nkjv explains how: “The word is near you, in your
mouth and in your heart…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord
Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead,
you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and
with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
As you accept what Christ has done for you and put your
faith in Him alone for salvation, you are then
free to have a relationship with God and experience His peace, power,
presence, and love. You don’t have to do anything to earn God’s love and
forgiveness. It’s yours for the asking!
After you’ve received this free gift of salvation, guess what? You are
then able to step into the life of victory Christ died to give you—an
abundant life of peace, joy, worth, love, and purpose. As you grow in your
relationship with Him through studying and applying the Word of God
and by trusting Him, these things are released in your daily life.
Will you pray with me right now and
receive all that God intends for you?
Dear Lord,
I confess that I am a sinner in need of salvation. I thank You for
sending Your Son, Jesus, to save me from my sins. Thank You that
He laid down His life for me so that I could have a new life in Him. I
receive, by faith, this forgiveness of sin. I now give my life, my past,
and my future to You. Guide my steps and speak to my heart, Lord.
Amen
10 Redeeming Love Kristi Dale
11 Be Not Afraid Roy A. Borges
12 An Italian Fall Jacob Miller
14 Prisoner of Hope Joan Tyson
15 A Persistent God Chris B.
16 Murf the Surf:
Light at the End of the Tunnel Kristi Overton Johnson
18 The Gospel According to Murf Jack R. Murphy
19 I’ve Got Your Back Kristi Overton Johnson
20 Lessons from Chris Kristi Overton Johnson
22 Free from Fred Tracy Stewart
23 Happy Feet James Islam
24 Time on My Hands Wendy Petzold
25 The Humble Seat Bobby Joiner
26 Ministry News
29 Me Mode Nate Miller
30 From Our Readers
Share Your Story!
Do you have a story of victory? Share it with our readers!
Your story has the power to transform lives and bring much
needed hope. Here are the guidelines:
• Submissions are not guaranteed to be included in the magazine.
• Submission is acknowledgment of your granting KOJM and
Victorious Living publication rights to produce your submission in this
magazine and other ministry publications.
• Photos submitted must have photographer’s and each photographed
subjects’ consent of use.
• Photographer’s name must be included. Hard copies of
photographs will not be returned.
• Victorious Living does not pay for submissions.
• Submissions should be a maximum of 800 words and are
subject to editing.
• Mail submissions to: Victorious Living, PO Box 120951, Clermont, FL
34712-0951; or submit online at kojministries.org.
• Victorious Living is a free quarterly publication distributed to KOJ
Ministries partners, at various distribution locations, and within the
prison system.
Victorious Living
MISSION
The purpose of Victorious Living is to declare freedom for the captive through true
testimonials of God’s grace, love, and power in the lives of everyday people. A captive
is anyone enslaved to their circumstances, relationships, thought patterns, habits, or
emotions. A captive can be incarcerated or living in a free society. They can be of any
age, gender, race, and socio-economic background.
www.kojministries.org 5

REFRESH YOUR SOUL
It Doesn’t Take Much by
Kristi Overton Johnson
Since 2003, I have been privileged to share my
love of water sports and the hope I have in Jesus
Christ together with people from all walks of life.
The In His Wakes outreach ministry and their A Day
to Remember program provides me with a favorite
way to do this. There are people at every IHW event
who, for some reason or another, refuse to join in the
water-sports activities. This saddens me because I
know they are missing out on what could very well be
the most incredible day of their life—a day of victory
and breakthrough.
Recently, I encountered a few such people
standing on the sidelines, unwilling to take to the
water. Through them, God reminded me of a very
powerful truth: it doesn’t take much to change a
person’s experience in life.
My first such encounter this year was with a
teenage girl at a military base event in Florida. I
couldn’t help but notice that she had isolated herself
from the rest of the group and was hanging back by
the trees. I’d already seen her in several conversations
with the leaders who’d brought her to the event. I
walked over to her and immediately sensed she was
not having a good day. There were tears in her eyes.
“Is there anything I can do to help make your day
a little better?” I asked.
She shook her head no and then whispered, “It’s
stupid.”
“What’s stupid?” I asked her.
“My bathing suit didn’t pass inspection. If I want
to go in the water, I have to go in my clothes. I don’t
want to swim in my clothes!”
“Well,” I said, “that’s an easy fix. It just so happens
that I have a bathing suit in my car that doesn’t fit
me. Last time I wore it, my husband asked me if I was
wearing my daughter’s suit! That comment ruined me
from ever wearing that suit in public again. I don’t
even know why I brought it to this event…it must
have been just for you!”
She was hesitant at first, but with a little
reassuring, she accepted my offer. Within moments,
this teen was on the water, having the time of her
life. The thank-you letter I received a week after that
event proves how incredibly powerful a small act of
kindness can be.
There was another girl hanging back as well, this
time due to fear. I’d had some success moving her
out of her comfort zone, but it wasn’t until her leader,
a sergeant, said she’d go out on the water with her
that this girl rose up from her chair and got behind
the boat on a tube.
The sergeant climbed aboard the tube completely
decked out in her military garb. It was awesome! Girls
lined up on the bank to ride with her. They had such a
great time together.
At another event in North Carolina, a shower cap
came to the rescue. One young lady had invested
hours in fixing her hair, and she was unwilling to get it
wet. It just so happened that I had an unused shower
cap packed in my suitcase. I walked over to the lake
house and retrieved it for her. The funny thing is that I
don’t even wear shower caps, yet I had felt the need
to pack it and travel through five states with it for
over a month!
When I knelt down and gave the girl the shower
cap, she looked confused and asked, “You really went
all the way over there just to get me a shower cap?”
And then, in all seriousness, she added, “You’re an
angel.”
Soon this girl was out on the water with the rest
of the group, having the time of her life, swimming,
riding in the boat, and bouncing on top of the water
on a tube and kneeboard! When the girl returned to
her group-home parents, a leader overheard her say,
“And she went all the way to her house and got me
a shower cap so my hair wouldn’t get messed up!”
Now, I am by no means an angel. For goodness
sakes, all I did was give the girl a shower cap that
I’d picked up from a hotel somewhere! It took five
minutes of my time and gave me some exercise in
the process. Yet her statement shows the incredible
impact a small act of generosity can have on a
person’s life.
It doesn’t take a whole lot to change the course
of someone’s day. For the first girl, all it took was for
me to give up my too-small-for-my-forty-five-year-oldbutt
bathing suit. For the second girl, it was a sergeant
who was willing to climb on a tube, still in uniform,
and have some fun. And for the third girl, it took a
complimentary shower cap. As a result, all three girls
left with smiles on their faces and joy in their hearts.
They also left knowing the Lord and His love.
All around us, there are people whose whole day
could change if we would do just two things: take
notice, and be willing to give a little of ourselves.
This is the secret to touching lives. First, we must
take notice. We must be willing to look outside of
ourselves and notice others. Too often we are so
focused on ourselves that we don’t even see that
others are in need. Second, we must be willing to act.
Many times, we stop at noticing. We see someone
needs something, but we don’t act. It’s the action that
shows Christ’s love. Our actions lead others to Him.
Our actions prove our faith. (See James 2:14–26.)
Here’s the thing. We all have something to
give, no matter who or where we are. These three
incidents prove that it doesn’t take much to bless
someone. What is little to us isn’t little to someone
else. Sometimes it’s not even a thing that someone
needs; rather, it’s a smile, a hug, a prayer, or a word
of encouragement. People just need to know they’re
noticed. Sometimes it’s sharing your passions and
talents with someone else…like water-skiing. I
would never have imagined how water-skiing could
change people’s lives for eternity!
Together, let’s determine to look around and be
willing to act on what we see. Let’s be willing to give
a little of ourselves. As we do, amazing things will
happen, and not only will others be blessed, but we
are sure to find blessings for ourselves as we become
God’s angels in disguise. V
Kristi Overton Johnson, former
world champion water-skier, is the
founder of In His Wakes Ministry, KOJ
Ministries, and publisher of Victorious
Living magazine. She resides in
Florida with her husband, Tim, and
their three children.
6 www.kojministries.org

Ugly Houses and
Beautiful Flowers by
Becky Coursen
There’s a small town I drive through quite often.
I love this town. It only takes about thirty seconds
to pass through if the stoplight is green. A classic
village look provides its charm—a white, steepled
church on the corner, a small grocer opposite, an
active fire department complete with chili cook-off
benefit banners, and a tidy, red-roofed ice cream
shop. Houses line the road and are generally low- to
middle-class dwellings. Their various wood sidings
act as spring and summer backdrops for clusters of
petunias, pansies, and marigolds.
One house in particular is notable for its
decayed and neglected state. Yet that house is also
conspicuous for sporting the most beautiful flower
displays around. The hollyhocks, lilies, dahlias, and
other summer flowers had caught my eye before,
but one day my daughter noticed. As we drove
through town, she broke a companionable silence.
“Have you ever noticed that beautiful flowers
love ugly, old, falling-down houses?” she asked.
And God planted those words in my heart for a
later use.
It was a warm, summer day when we noticed the
flowers, but the recent winter was still cold and icy
in my memory. I had needed and grown to love my
church, but that winter, it had suffered a blow from
which I was sure it would not recover.
Rebellion and pride had somehow found a crack
in the concrete; they’d wriggled in, taken root,
grown bolder, and split a foundation block. Half the
church had crumbled away. The wounded, trembling
remainder reacted numbly and mechanically in
an attempt to put it all together again, but I felt
sadly confident that it was the beginning of decay,
neglect, and eventual death. I mourned as anyone
would who had lost a loved one; yet I’ve learned
that true and righteous mourning in the life of a
Christian always passes away.
And then, one morning, I experienced a healing
shot of hope and joy as God recalled my daughter’s
words to me. A splinter of light burst through the
darkness, and I knew what He was trying to say.
I got it!
Yes, this is painful. It’s sad. No, you’ll never
quite comprehend it; there’s no call for you to
comprehend it. No, you’ll never figure out what
Becky Coursen is an artist and a highschool
English teacher in Northeast
Ohio. She hears God best when she
is outside working in her flower beds
with her dog, Buddy, and her brand
new beehives.
actually happened or who was right and who was
wrong.
You don’t need to. What was old has passed
away so that the new can come.
Rest in Me. Know that I am the master
of creation and re-creation, restoration and
redemption. I take pleasure in creating and
restoring. A bed of ruin and decay is the most
fertile field for a masterpiece. Wait and you will
see my dazzling flower display over your ugly,
old, falling-down house.
And I began to see that the Word of God is
resplendent with examples revealing His creative,
restorative nature. He does not recreate and restore
perfect beautiful things. He chooses withered hands,
useless legs, sin-ridden lives, hopeless outlooks,
sightless eyes. He picks up mud and makes an eye!
He takes ugliness and creates beauty. He takes a
tear and turns it to joy. He smashes darkness with
His light. He takes the rotten boards of an ugly,
old house and brings forth a bouquet of dahlias,
hollyhocks, and lilies!
Flowers are representative for me now of what I
believe will spiritually grow out from the rotten bits
and pieces of that icy winter. God doesn’t leave His
people desolate for long.
While I wait to see flowers—whether material or
spiritual—there is much work to do. I am called to
patiently plod along in my labors, and this can be
difficult. Sometimes I wonder if maybe I didn’t hear
God correctly. Maybe my own wishful thinking let
me imagine that I’d even heard from Him. Yet when
I deeply examine my heart, I cannot deny that the
message was pure. So I keep doing what little I can
to root out evil, intrusive weeds, plump up the good
plants that still exist, drop a little fertilizer into the
ground, and even plant a few seedlings here and
there. I keep close to God, my Father, and I wait.
I’ve learned something here. A handful of rotting
mulch and dirt scooped up in my hands isn’t quite
a handful of dead dirt anymore. It’s the stuff where
new things happen, where flowers grow. God can
bring restoration from the most devastated places…
in the most devastated lives. In His hands, your ugly,
old, falling-down life can become the backdrop for
a wonderful masterpiece.
The one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am
making everything new!” And then he said to me,
“Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy
and true” (Revelation 21:5). V
www.kojministries.org 7

God Uses What He Chooses by
Linda Cubbedge
Just a few months before our youngest son
graduated from high school, he announced that he
wanted to go to college so he could continue playing
football. He had been a kicker and punter since the
eighth grade and was really good at his position. He’d
received several invitations from various colleges,
encouraging him to be part of their football programs.
They weren’t offering him big scholarship money, but
they were presenting an opportunity for him to be a
part of the football team. So we began the process of
figuring out which one he would attend.
One morning, I was praying about one college in
particular, asking God to clearly show us whether this
was the school my son should attend. God answered
my prayer that day in a very unusual way. I was sitting
in my bedroom, looking out of my window, when
suddenly, a bright red cardinal flew by and perched
on my bird feeder. The birds that usually visited my
bird feeder were sparrows, bluebirds, and blackbirds.
But that day, as I prayed, a beautiful red cardinal
appeared.
It’s hard to explain, but in the beauty of that
experience, I was flooded with peace. I just knew
in my spirit that God was hearing my prayers and
directing my family’s footsteps. He had used this little
cardinal as His messenger to bring assurance in my
time of need.
My husband and I drove our son to college several
states away from our Florida home in July 2010. We
helped him move into his dorm and prepare for this
new season of his young life, and then we began our
drive home. We left the college, merged onto a very
busy interstate, and within minutes—wouldn’t you
know it—a bright red cardinal flew across that busy
interstate, right in front of our SUV. I was absolutely
overwhelmed that God, the Creator of the heavens
and the earth, would take the
time to reassure us that
our son was right where
God wanted him by
prompting that
beautiful cardinal
to fly past at that
exact moment.
Since that
morning, God has
continued to use
the appearance of
cardinals at unusual
times and places
to remind our family
of His faithful promise to
lead us and guide us in our
journey of life. While having
conversations with the
Lord about situations that seem overwhelming—
whether in my home, driving my car, or waiting in a
fast-food lane—beautiful red cardinals make their
appearance. Every time, I am flooded with confident
hope as I am reminded that God has a plan. I simply
need to seek Him and trust Him to sort out whatever
challenge I am facing.
So? What’s the big deal? It’s just a bird. Why would
this great big God who has angels to command and
stars to hang care enough to encourage one of His
children with a bird? Because the Lord our God cares
about every detail of our lives, and He loves to remind
us through visible ways that He is always—always—
guiding us as we look to Him. In my case, God used
a bird.
Do you realize there are over 10,000 species of birds
alone? And God, on the fifth day of creation, formed
the birds, as well as the other animals? Genesis 2:19
says, “The Lord God formed from the ground all the
wild animals and all the birds of the sky.”
Now, I am not a birdwatcher, nor am I interested
in the study of birds, but I decided to Google some
facts about birds while writing this article. I find
myself blown away by the colors and designs of
these created things called birds! Just listen to this.
God created a sponge-like pad between the head of
a woodpecker and its bill to absorb the shock when
the bird strikes a tree. And He created small barbs
along the feathers of each bird—as many as one
million barbs per feather—to act like zippers to lock
the feathers together. This not only waterproofs the
bird, but it also enables it to catch air under its wings
so it can fly!
This makes me stop to ask the obvious question.
What kind of God would take the time to intricately
form these fascinating winged creatures? An
amazingly creative God, that’s who! One who doesn’t
miss a thing; One who delights in beauty. From the
beginning of time, birds have brought incredible
enjoyment to mankind and served specific purposes.
There are many biblical examples of God using
birds to guide and provide for His children. Noah sent
a dove out of the ark to notify him when the flood
waters had receded (Genesis 8:8–12). Ravens fed
Elijah bread and meat every morning and evening
when he was hiding at the Kerith brook, just as God
commanded them (1 Kings 17:2–6). John the Baptist
saw the Spirit of God descend like a dove and settle
on Jesus after His water baptism (Matthew 3:16).
And Jesus reminded His disciples of the watchful eye
of God through the story of the sparrow. Not even a
sparrow can fall to the ground without our heavenly
Father knowing it (Matthew 10:29).
Some of the most heartrending words from
the mouth of Jesus are found in Matthew 23:37:
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the
prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often
I have wanted to gather your children together as a
hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you
wouldn’t let me.”
God has consistently used these tiny messengers
to express His provision in many ways. Now, please
don’t misunderstand what I am saying here. I am not
suggesting that we seek a sign or a bird for answers.
We are to seek Jesus Christ alone in every area of
our lives. We are to read His Word and build our lives
upon it as it is the anchor of our souls. God’s Word is
the very thing that grows our faith and enlarges our
comprehension of what an amazing and wonderful
creator, savior, deliverer, and faithful God He truly
is. But as we seek Him, we cannot forget the truth
that God uses what He chooses to encourage us and
remind us of His promises.
Let me close with one last cardinal story. A couple of
years ago, our son was on a job in a small subdivision
in the same state where he attended college. He
texted me a photo of a mailbox with a male and
female cardinal painted on it. The address on the
mailbox had the numbers 633. After I had looked at
the picture on my phone, I walked through my living
room and glanced at a plaque I had seen many times
before. This time, however, the verse on the plaque
seemingly jumped off the wall. It read: “But seek first
the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all
these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33
nkjv). My eyes looked at the plaque with such purpose
this time, and then I realized the number on the
mailbox in the picture was 633. It was another God
moment; another reminder to simply seek Him and
everything I need will be given to me. How thankful
I am that God uses what He chooses to continually
remind me of His presence and love.
Thank You, Lord, for Your promises and for Your
creativity. Thank You for choosing unique ways to
communicate hope to Your people. Open our eyes,
Lord, to see You at work in our lives. Amen.
“He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter
you with his wings. His faithful promises are your
armor and protection” (Psalm 91:4). V
Linda Cubbedge is the director of
KOJM’s Prison Correspondence
Outreach. She is passionate about
the Lord and leading others to
Him. Linda has four children, nine
grandchildren, and one greatgrandson.
8 www.kojministries.org

On Assignment by
Bonnie Hagemann
Several years ago, a friend
introduced our family to a visiting
African minister, and we all
attended a church meeting together.
At the meeting, we sat on bleachers in
what used to be a hockey rink. The service was
very active; people were moving around freely rather
than sitting stoically in their seats. As the musicians
played, the man from Africa sat down beside me and
read this scripture to me:
“Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and
will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will
give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that
I swore to Abraham your father” (Genesis 26:3 esv).
After reading, he emphatically tapped his finger on
top of the scripture and said, “Stay in your business.”
I listened and nodded, but I was thinking, “How
could this man possibly know that my business is
struggling, and I want to get out?” I searched my
mind for conversations that would have given him
this information, but there were none. Nor had I
shared this information with others. Only the Holy
Spirit could have given him this word.
About a week later, our friends brought this same
man to our home for dinner. Now, I’m not really
much of a cook, but I was quite proud of the meal
I had made that day—complete with chicken and
potatoes, carrots and corn. We even had hot rolls,
gravy, dessert, and coffee. But when they arrived for
dinner, I learned the man from Africa was fasting.
I was disappointed that he wasn’t going to eat
my rare and delicious dinner, but I was happy that
he was fasting. Surely that would make him closer to
God and better able to hear whatever God wanted
him to say. Surely, this man of God would pray over
our family and speak a word of encouragement
straight from the Lord.
We sat down to dinner and ate and visited. I have
to admit, I felt mildly guilty eating in front of our new
friend. The entire evening, he had only hot tea with
a dash of milk and an apple. When we all stood to
leave, he asked to pray a blessing over our home, and
then it came—a beautiful picture of what God would
do through our family. It was such a gift from God.
When this man returned to the United States the
following year, he stayed with us for two days. Again
he was fasting. He was raising awareness for the
work his church was doing in Africa, important work
that needed funds. I asked the Lord how I could assist
him. I would soon find out.
I drove him to the airport
as he was leaving for
Africa. I wasn’t planning
to coach him, but as an
executive coach who
counsels people all the
time, sometimes words
of instruction just start
flowing out of my mouth.
I coached him on leadership and
other things that came up as promptings in my
heart. All the way to the airport, the coaching came
bubbling up, fast and direct. He received every word
and asked questions to deepen his understanding.
It was definitely a God
moment, and we both
knew it.
This past May, our
friend returned to the
United States and stayed
with us for two weeks.
As before, he was raising
awareness and funds for
his work in Africa. The
very first morning that he
stayed in our home, God
impressed on my heart to let him know that God
had sent him on this trip to give to others, not just
to gather. He was to listen with big ears to the Lord,
and then be God’s trumpet and share what God was
leading him to say.
He received this message completely and told
me later that it was a great relief to him. He had
felt so much pressure to raise funds. He felt he could
now relax and be used by God, instead of focusing
on returning home with a set amount of money or
pledges. There was more important work at hand—
God’s work.
He stayed those two weeks, resting, going to
churches and prayer meetings, and visiting with
pastors around the city. He also took some time to
ask me about some of the leadership issues we had
discussed on his previous trip. Again, the coaching
came. Out of my heart bubbled direction, guidance,
locations of resources, and other information that
he needed for his leadership role as senior pastor
back in Africa. I provided him with a document that
I use to help executives plan and set goals for their
own leadership. We went through it line by line.
He worked hard to do his part in our impromptu
coaching session.
On the last morning of his stay, I went for a run
and asked God about the man from Africa. Was there
any more God wanted me to do? I had no more
promptings in my heart, so I finished my run with
peace and joy, feeling that I had accomplished all He
intended at this time. Just prior to returning home,
I saw a mental picture of a gold medal. God often
speaks to me in images. I immediately understood
that I was on a special assignment from God, to use
my skills to help one of God’s champions.
I think of it like the military. The US Army has its
special forces—highly trained men and women who
are ready to respond to a special assignment on a
moment’s notice. As believers, every one of us is a
member of God’s special forces, and He has specific
assignments in various areas for each of us. No one
is exempt.
AS BELIEVERS, EVERY ONE OF US IS A
MEMBER OF GOD’S SPECIAL FORCES,
AND HE HAS SPECIFIC ASSIGNMENTS.
NO ONE IS EXEMPT.
These assignments may be in business, hospitality,
sports, the arts, media, service, or one of many other
areas. Our assignments usually come in areas where
we excel; they are in line with our natural abilities.
As members of God’s special forces, we must
be prepared, trained up, alert to opportunities, and
willing to respond. Philippians 2:13 says, “God is
working in you, giving you the desire and the power
to do what pleases Him.” What an amazing privilege
we have to partner with God and be used by Him
to encourage and equip others in God’s kingdom
work. Just as the Lord used my friend to help guide
me in some major decisions, He used me to develop
leadership skills within my friend.
God uses each of us in special ways to help one
another. Are you ready? He has an assignment for
you, too. V
Bonnie Hagemann is a member
of the board of directors for KOJ
Ministries. Bonnie is also the
CEO of Executive Development
Associates, an internationally
known boutique consulting firm.
To date, Bonnie is the author of
thirty-two published works.
www.kojministries.org 9

Redeeming
Loveby Kristi Dale
I was alone for a moment with my baby,
a stranger in a large Chinese city. A
thick haze of pollution clouded
the tall buildings that, in
turn, blocked my view
of the sky. I sat on
the curb, watching
people shuffle
past. Most of the
women stopped
to smile and speak
to my baby. The
sights and sounds
around me confirmed
that I was farther away
from home than I had ever
been, yet I felt peaceful.
Anyone who knows me knows I am afraid of pretty
much everything. So for me to feel peace in China—
thousands of miles away from home—meant that
God was there with us. It did not matter how scared I
was or how many obstacles there were; my husband
and I were going to get our daughter home.
I can trace my desire to adopt back to high school,
when I learned about China’s one-child policy and
the resulting thousands of abandoned children. I
knew then that someday, somehow, I would help.
I just didn’t know how. My husband also felt a tug
on his heart regarding orphans while he was still in
school. It amazes me that God was preparing our
hearts, even when our immature minds were full of
the frivolity of youth.
I will rescue
the lame; I will
gather the exiles.
I will give them
praise and honor
in every land
where they
have
suffered
shame.
Many years and two biological
children later, my husband and I revisited
our feelings and thoughts on adoption and felt as if
God were saying, “Now is the time!”
We’d determined that this adoption would be led
by God, and He showed us that a Chinese daughter
with special needs was right for our family. The
adoption process is a long and often tedious “paper
pregnancy.” I procrastinated on paperwork and felt
disconnected with the process in its early stages.
During the beginning steps, we were not yet matched
with a specific child, so it was difficult to see the finish
line. But God was there, tugging us along and helping
us make all the deadlines.
The first page of my adoption journal reads, “To
our precious child we haven’t met or seen, yet have
an overflowing love for.” I wondered as I wrote those
words who this little one was and how long it would
be before I saw her face. The adoption agency told us
that, even after all of our paperwork was approved, it
could take eight months or more to find our daughter.
God had different plans.
The phone rang at 11:00 that night. I was asleep.
I was not expecting a call this soon—we’d only been
waiting two months. My husband rushed into the
bedroom with the phone. Liz, our adoption manager
in Seattle, was on the other end of the call. “We think
we’ve found your daughter, and she is beautiful. We
are e-mailing her file to you right now.”
I was excited but also apprehensive. Would I be
able to handle and adapt to her special needs?
Would she love me? Would she get along with my
two biological daughters, ages eight and five? How in
the world was I going to fly on a plane for twenty-four
hours? Was I ready for a toddler in the house again?
A hundred questions and concerns circled round my
head. But God took my concerns and refocused my
heart. After a time a prayer, God gave me these verses
in Zephaniah 3:19–20 niv.
“I will rescue the lame; I will gather the exiles. I
will give them praise and honor in every land where
they have suffered shame. At that time I will gather
you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give
you honor and praise among all the peoples of the
earth when I restore your fortunes before your very
eyes, says the Lord.”
You see, our daughter had been abandoned in a
shopping mall at one week old. Now God was asking
me to forget all of my concerns and selfishness and
focus on our daughter. She had been exiled, and she
needed a home. God was going to use our family
to restore and redeem her. But God’s redemptive
hand was at work in my life as well. He was giving
me the strength and power to accomplish a task for
His kingdom. I did not know how many sleepless,
anxiety-filled nights there would be as I laid all of my
concerns at Jesus’s feet. Nor did I know how much
sweeter my relationship with God would become as I
trusted Him more deeply.
Sometimes figuring out God’s will can be tricky,
and we’re not sure which way to turn. Other times
though, somehow you rest in God’s will, knowing
the peace you feel means that you are right where
God wants you. That’s where my husband and I were
the day we boarded the plane for China. God had
prepared our hearts for our daughter, and we knew
we had to gather her and bring her home.
Photo credit: Sara Davis Photography
10 www.kojministries.org

REDEEMING LOVE | from page 10_____________________________________________________
We met our daughter on January 20, 2014. She was scared but brave. She didn’t even cry. After a good
night’s rest and a big breakfast, she began to warm up to us. She started smiling and became more animated.
By day two, I knew that God was allowing her to open up to us.
China was a challenge for me. I do not embrace new experiences. The trip highlighted many of my
weaknesses—air travel, crowded stores (you can’t imagine the craziness of a Chinese Walmart), lack of
sleep, public toilets with a lack of proper sanitation such as you’d never find in America, being deplete of
patience, and being “hangry” (that would be a combination of hungry and angry). But China had given us
many new adoptive friends, and we began to bond with our sweet daughter.
We arrived home with our baby girl amidst a record-breaking ice storm, but our hearts melted as we
hugged all three of our girls at the same time.
The first few months together were both challenging and amazing. God smoothed out the details in
ways I could never have imagined. I watched with excitement as our new daughter learned to walk and
to communicate. I watched as her sisters lovingly embraced her and tenderly helped with feedings and
bedtimes. And I praised God for seamlessly making us into a family.
Our daughter will have her third birthday soon, and we will celebrate her being a part of our family for a
year and a half. So much laughter and so many snuggles—but the biggest blessing is how God’s redeeming
grace has become a very real part of her life. With her new grasp of the English language, she is always ready
to pray over our meal. When she has a bad dream, she asks God for courage and comfort. This gift of Jesus
that we were able to present to our daughter is more important than any material thing we could buy her.
And watching her little heart respond to that gift each day is an indescribable joy.
I would challenge you not to miss out on the power of God’s redeeming love. His mercies are new every
morning, and yesterday’s confessed sins and worries are a distant memory, hung on the cross. One redeemed
life can lead to another.
Are you allowing God’s redemptive power to penetrate your life? V
Kristi Dews Dale is a wife and the mother of three amazing daughters. She holds a
master’s degree in public health and is an adjunct business instructor at a local college
in North Carolina. Kristi is passionate about encouraging others with Christ’s love.
Be Not Afraid by
Prison can be a fearful place where evil surrounds
you on all sides. When I first arrived, I was afraid
because I saw so much violence. Every day, vulgar
language erupted into fights, stabbings, and killings.
My biggest fear, however, came from inside me. I was
afraid I would never get out. The thought that I would
die in prison haunted me. I often had nightmares and
woke screaming for help.
On August 6, 2006, that fear almost became
reality. My roommate and a gang member I didn’t
know attacked and tried to kill me. As I lay bleeding,
waiting for the ambulance to come, I cried out to the
Lord, “Don’t let it end like this.” A helicopter took me
to Tampa Bay General Hospital, where a group of
surgeons operated on my right eye. They saved the eye,
but the damage was so severe, I lost my vision in it.
A strange thing happened as I woke up on the
stretcher outside the recovery room. I didn’t know
where I was, and for a minute, I thought I was back
at the prison. Then a man with a beard and glasses
appeared. He knew my name, but I didn’t know who
he was. “Be not afraid, Roy,” he said. “The Lord plans
Roy A. Borges
to use you.” Then he was gone.
I called him back, and he appeared again. “What
do you mean?” I asked.
He just smiled and disappeared. Was he an angel?
It’s possible. From that day forward, I haven’t been
afraid, nor have I had anymore nightmares.
Those three words—be not afraid—are common
in the Bible. Jesus used them many times. We are
not called to live in fear. We are called to live in the
freedom that faith brings.
One thing I have learned and will never forget is
that the love of God frees me from the prison of fear.
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love casts out
fear” (1 John 4:18 niv).
The presence of God, who is love, casts out all
fear! That’s why the psalmist could say, “You will not
fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by
day” (Psalm 91:5 niv). He knew that God was with
him, so there was no need to be afraid.
We can choose to look at life from either our
point of view or from God’s. When we trade our fear
for faith in God, we’re looking through God’s eyes.
Roy Borges writes about his life
experiences from a prison cell in
Florida. His stories have appeared
in many Christian publications. Roy
has won AMY Foundation awards
in 1998, 2002, 2003, and 2007.
That’s the best view there is. He guarantees that He
will work all things together for good (Romans 8:28).
There’s nothing to worry about.
God will carry us through all the dangers and fears
of life, whether in prison or in the free world. He will
work out every situation for good. Personally, I no
longer fear not getting out of prison, because I love
God and I know He loves me. I trust His love for me.
When the time is right, He will open the doors, and
I will be free. In the meantime, I will continue to live
in the freedom of His peace, trusting God to continue
to use me right where I am. Nothing can be more
rewarding than knowing God is using you.
Are you experiencing fear? Let God’s love into
your heart and watch fear vanish. There’s no room for
them both. Remember Psalm 118:6 niv: “The Lord is
with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals
do to me?” V
www.kojministries.org 11

y Jacob Miller
Terracina, Italy, there is a cliff
that rises straight up against
the western shore of the
Mediterranean Sea. Smooth
gray sandstone forms the base,
becoming sharp and jagged toward the top. Directly
below sits the Ristorante da Mario L’Ostricaro. Its
stucco walls are white and chipped like chunks of
stale bread. The patio area is speckled with red, blue,
and yellow umbrellas that provide shade to dozens of
faded plastic chairs.
Two parked cars wait in front of the restaurant,
but no one is eating. There is no activity on the
water, either. No waves today. Boats lie parked along
the road on rustic silver trailers; old wooden boats,
upside down on lengthy blue tarps, wait patiently for
summer. Faint signs of busyness remain in this place,
from maybe not too long ago. But it’s November, and
the town of Terracina sits dormant, nestled deep in a
late autumn chill, as apathetic toward the passing of
time as it has been for a thousand years.
My friend Honza and I are talking as we enter
the restaurant. At the sound of our English-speaking
voices, the owner scurries around the corner, happy to
be saved from boredom. His face turns downward as
he notices our current state of ruggedness. Personally,
I think Honza looks a tad worse than I, given the fact
that he’s unshaven and wearing the same clothes he
was a week ago. Our faces tell of heavy stress mixed
with an earnest sense of weariness.
The owner ushers us farther into the restaurant.
We sit in wooden church pews at tables accented by
red paper tablecloths. The menu is absent of English.
Honza sighs and goes to find the restroom. I order
water for 1.5 euros. On the bar, a massive television
is playing a Serie A soccer game at max volume. The
cook sees me watching and turns the television away
toward the kitchen, a hint that if I want to see more
of the five-year-old recorded game, then I had best
order more than just water.
I pick number 18 off the menu. I look at the clock.
It’s 7:00 p.m. My hands are dry and cracking. There
are scrapes, dried with blood. My legs are shaking,
and I’m ready to go home.
Home. It comes to my mind like a hazy mist. For
two weeks, I’ve avoided thinking about it. But I know
I must. I push it away one last time and remember.
***
I’d practically emptied my bank account for this
adventure. It would be my last; I knew that. And I
would tell no one about it. No Facebook or Twitter
posts would mention my world-traveling experience
this time. This adventure was personal, and it had
taken me to the threshold that lies between risk and
suicide.
Few, if any, acknowledge this threshold in their
minds. The line between risk and suicide is often
blurred. The adventurer approaches it with care
and the conscious weighing of risk versus reward.
But for the heartbroken, the reward is never
satisfying—it never heals the hurt, and it can’t be
dutifully earned. I know this all too well. So we
push risk beyond its own definition, and it blurs
into a subconscious attempt at death.
To pay for this trip, I’d cashed my financialaid
check and dumped my plastic-bottle piggy
bank into one of those green, gobble-upyour-coins
machines. I had saved countless
coins from the time I was a valet driver
in Chicago. My wife, a waitress, had also
added to the coinage with the nickels and
dimes of low-tipping patrons. That coin
bank had been a sentimental part of our
marriage. We’d called it our Hawaii Fund
and had enjoyed watching it grow.
But I had taken the piggy bank to the grocery store
coin monster. I’d dumped it in, watching years of
collected coins fall through the tiny holes. I imagined
that I did this with a fiery passion and justified anger,
but the close onlooker would have seen me hesitate.
Wishing circumstances were different. Wishing I
wasn’t going to Italy. Wishing…for the moment…
for an unexpected end.
12 www.kojministries.org

AN ITALIAN FALL | from page 12_______________________________________________________
Then, four weeks before the trip, I had asked
Honza to meet me in Rome. Without hesitation, he’d
agreed. I have no doubt, he is my best friend. I know
this because he stopped everything for me. He knew
I needed a friend in this time, and the weight of that
responsibility never fazed him. On a month’s notice,
he’d put work and school on hold to go backpacking
with a hurting friend.
And this morning, I’d grabbed coffee for us from a
café in town, then pulled out a map and tried to orient
myself with the surrounding area. “See that cliff over
there?” I’d pointed beyond the roofs of the city.
“Yeah?”
“I’m going to climb that.”
“Whyyy?” Honza likes to use that extended and
somewhat dumfounded voice when trying to convey
his disapproval. It’s filled with just enough doubt to
make one’s idea seem suddenly stupid.
“Because…” I gave him a sly wink and hoped
my eyes twinkled with excitement and not the dread
I felt inside. “I want to.” Convincing myself to do
something dangerous is not usually a hard task, but
this idea was beyond absurd, even for me. “I want to
see what’s up there,” I reasoned.
“No,” he argued. “I don’t think it’s good idea.
How can you climb it? You don’t have any gear.”
Trying to sound convincing, I responded, “Eh, it
shouldn’t be too hard. There’re plenty of holds and
places to grab. I’ll check it out first; don’t worry.”
Honza knows when there’s no point in arguing
with me. I’m stubborn when it comes to adventures
and the spontaneous. In January of 2010, there was
a massive blizzard where we lived. I’d proceeded to
build a jump off the roof and shoveled snow into a
massive pile at the bottom for a nice plush landing.
Honza had tried to convince me it was a bad idea, but
I handed him a camera, told him to stand over there
to record the whole thing, and proceeded to climb to
the top. I clicked into my ski bindings and launched
myself off.
THE THOUGHT OF
NOT BEING LOVED IS A
SCARY THING.
FOR ME, IT’S SCARIER
THAN DEATH ITSELF.
But that was measured risk. I knew what I was
doing; I’d been snow skiing my whole life. Sure, I love
the thrill of a risky jump, but I know the parameters,
and there they did not equate to a high probability of
death. This cliff, though, was different.
So we drove our midget car to the base of the cliff
and parked in front of a little restaurant. The rock face
towered above us, and I felt small. That was good.
It was what I wanted to feel. It was what I needed
to feel. I put on my good climbing shoes, strapped
a water bottle to my waist, and
walked to the base.
A few months earlier, I’d flown
to Hawaii. I had two tickets.
I’d bought them six months
earlier for my wife, for our
fifth anniversary. I’d foregone
using the piggy bank
though, simply because
I loved looking at how
many coins we had saved
and dreaming of how
much it would add up
to one day. But I went
to Hawaii alone. I
never even printed
the other ticket.
Jake Miller lives in Oregon and is a part of the traveling team with In His Wakes Ministry.
He is pursuing a masters of fine arts degree in creative writing. This fall, Jake will attend
Bethel School of Ministry. Jake loves traveling the world and is always in search of the next
great adventure. Follow Jake at wakeboardjake.wordpress.com.
The first thing I did when I got there was call
SkyDive Hawaii. I booked a flight to 40,000 feet so
I could jump out of a plane. There’d only been two
skydiving companies to choose from. I’d selected the
one with the lower rating—it had been responsible
for a couple of deaths the year before.
Unfortunately, my parachute worked. I’d landed
safely and breathed in the depression that was my
constant companion. Since then, I’d taken off to seek
out other risky options. Cliff diving offered free-fall
moments that got my blood rushing. The ocean
waves held me under when I crashed surfing. I felt
alive in those moments. Moments where the chance
of death would greet me with a handshake…but
then continue walking by, never inviting me along.
I don’t believe in suicide. I believe in natural
causes—a parachute not opening properly or a
wave slapping my head against the reef or a foothold
accidentally breaking away, causing me to tumble
down a cliff. Accidental. That was the key.
It cannot be considered suicide if death was never
the intention, can it? People take chances in extreme
sports everyday.
I would do nothing out of the ordinary; in fact I’d
promised myself I would try to stay alive, try to remain
safe. I wouldn’t purposely forget to pull my parachute
or let a wave hold me down. But if something
happened that was out of my control…well…then
it must have been meant to be. I could say God called
my life to its end.
And now I was at this cliff in Italy. My hands were
bleeding. Rock-sharp edges cut into my soft white
skin, leaving little streaks of red on gray rocks as I
ascended high above the ground. I hadn’t rockclimbed
in six months. I used to climb all the time
with my wife. It was one of our favorite hobbies,
because no other sport required so much faith
and dependence in your partner as rock-climbing.
Climbing partners literally have each other’s lives in
their hands; they’re forced to trust one another since
the same rope connects them.
But this wasn’t rock-climbing. I had no gear. No
ropes. This wasn’t risk. This was suicide.
I had tried to stay safe in the midst of taking risks,
hoping that it would cause me to care about living.
I’d thought coming face to face with the risk of death
would make me appreciate life again…but the fact
remained that, every day, I still had to come home.
The adrenaline would dissipate, the loneliness would
return, and a newly familiar state of misery would pull
me to sleep in a pool of tears.
Six months had passed. Six months since my wife
chose another path. Many people thought, probably
like you do now, that there must have been a reason.
That perhaps something I had done had caused her to
leave. Friends, family, and people I didn’t even know
whispered about us. Pastors asked to meet with me
and then spent hours telling me to forgive her.
continued on page 30
www.kojministries.org 13

PRISONER OF
HOPE
by Joan Tyson
“Well, it’s a mixed bag,” my doctor explained. “Your CT scan is amazing. Your
organs look great, and your blood stats are wonderful. But…your bone scan
does not look good.”
These are not the words you want to hear from your oncologist. I looked
from him to my dear friend Valerie (I always take a praying friend with me to
my appointments) as he continued. “The medicine you have been on for the
last three years is no longer working, but I have a new medicine that was FDA
approved just three months ago, that I want you to try.”
As I took this in, God reminded me of an amazing fact: The medicine that
I had been on for those three years had only been expected to work for three
months. So I replied, “Do you mean that God loves me so much He kept me on
a medicine that was supposed to work for three months, for three years, just so
another medicine could be invented for me?”
My oncologist smiled. We all smiled.
“I need to pray right now,” I said. Everyone bowed their heads. “No, I need
to hold your hands and pray,” I insisted. We all joined hands, and I prayed aloud,
giving thanks to our Daddy God.
In Zechariah 9:12 nkjv, the Lord says, “Return to the stronghold, you prisoners
of hope. Even today I declare that I will restore double to you.” We who believe
in Jesus are, indeed, prisoners of hope. Hope holds us captive! We have hope no
matter what we face in life.
In 2005, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I call cancer the “little c,”
because Christ is the “big C.” It wasn’t easy, but God brought me through that
“little c.” I could feel the power of prayer lifting me up and carrying me on. My
friends in the body of Christ and I continually trusted that God is faithful and His
Word is true.
I decided I would not let “little c” become my focus; instead I would focus on
lifting up the “big C” so others could know the hope that I had. I was determined
to pray with every doctor and nurse who touched me. God opened the door to
pray with them, and I saw Him work in wonderful ways in the medical field. The
place I did not want to go became the place where God used me greatly.
After eight chemo treatments and thirty-five back-to-back radiation treatments
with no side effects, I hoped that He had healed me. Then came November 2011,
and I awakened one morning barely able to walk. Thinking it was my sciatic
nerve, I waited until January to see my doctor. She ordered an MRI and the news
was not good. So back to the oncologist I went, where I learned that the breast
cancer had spread to my back. I had eleven more radiation treatments, and after
that, the radiologist declared that my back was secure and normal. My friend and
I stood with the doctor and gave thanks to the God of hope. The doctor called
it a blessing.
Now, I’m going through another life trial. Isaiah 43 says that we all must go
through trials. I cannot choose the trial, but I can choose how I will go through
it. I choose hope. I am its prisoner forever because I know that hope has a name,
and His name is Jesus. I choose joy because joy has a name, and His name is
Jesus! I choose love because love has a name, and His name is Jesus. I choose
to be light in the dark places of life because I know that my God will never leave
me or forsake me. I choose boldness to pray with doctors and nurses and patients
so that others can know the hope that I have. With Jesus as my hope, I am in a
permanent win-win situation.
Richard Lovelace wrote, “Stone walls do not a prison make.” Every one of us
has a choice today—we can be prisoners of defeat, despair, and dread, or we
can choose to be the prisoners of hope that He has called us to be.
Will you choose hope? Will you choose Jesus? He has called us to be the light
of the world (Matthew 5:14). We are the only ones who can shine the light to
those lives in whatever part of the world He has placed us. Here is my prayer:
Lord, help us to shine brightly this day, no matter where we are or what the
day holds. Help us to shine so the world will see the hope within us and know
that You, Jesus, are our only hope and theirs! May we, with joy, be Your prisoners
of hope, knowing that You alone can set us free and give us life—a life that
begins the moment we receive You as our Lord and Savior. May we truly believe!
May we truly receive Your life and hope. It can only be found in You, this day and
every day! We love You, Lord Jesus, and we pray this in Your precious, glorious
name. Amen. V
Joan Tyson lives in Virginia, and is an active member of her church.
Joan loves to sing and worship, and she shares the Word of God
on the beach.
14 www.kojministries.org

A PERSISTENT GOD by
Chris B.
This is my life story. I don’t know why, but I feel
an urgency to write it down and send it to your
publication. This is a first for me. I must warn whoever
reads this—you may want to take a Tylenol, as my life
story is certain to bring on a headache!
In the beginning, life was good. Things changed,
however, at the age of eight, when my stepdad
came into the picture. Although there are many
fitting names that I would have liked to call my
stepdad at one time or another, I’ll just stick to his
given name, Roy.
Roy wasn’t a very nice person. He was physically
abusive at times and verbally abusive all the time. This
may sound crazy, but the physical abuse wasn’t as bad
as the verbal. I was a tough kid and could heal from
the physical pain; the verbal abuse damaged me for a
long time. I couldn’t get away from the hateful things
Roy had spoken into my life.
I can still remember our first time playing football
together. He laughed at my feeble attempts at
throwing, catching, and kicking a football. “You
should go put on a dress and go play with dolls,
you little sissy! You catch like a sissy, kick like a sissy,
and you throw like one, too!” And that was that. He
walked off laughing as I sat there and cried.
No matter what it was, I was never good enough,
strong enough, smart enough, or fast enough.
According to Roy, I was a complete failure; a waste of
time and space. He told my mom she should have had
an abortion instead of having me.
I tried to prove him wrong many times, but I always
failed. Even when I gave something my all, I still
messed up. I soon gave up trying and just accepted
Roy’s words as truth. He must be right; I must be a
failure.
Roy often looked for ways to get me out of his hair,
even when it meant sending me to church. One day
when I was ten years old, an old bus operated by a
couple in their eighties came into our neighborhood
to pick up kids to take them to Sunday School. Seeing
a great opportunity to get rid of me for a few hours,
Roy put me on the bus.
When we arrived at Sunday School, we were
escorted to our classrooms according to age. My
teacher looked a lot like Roy Clark from the television
show Hee Haw. At the time, I really liked that show
and began to loosen up a bit. The Roy Clark lookalike
showed us a big bag of coins. He told us that
each Sunday, he would read from the Bible, and then
the following Sunday, he would ask questions about
what we had read. He explained that each question
we answered correctly was worth a certain amount
of money.
This got my attention, because my family wasn’t
too well off. I listened closely to what the teacher read.
I even asked for a Bible so I could study at home. The
first Sunday I made $16! The teacher was amazed.
Each week, I studied and answered questions. I
brought home so much money, my stepfather accused
me of stealing from the church. Finally, the teacher
began to pay me $10 just to keep my hand down so
other kids could have a chance to answer.
Even though things were bad at home, I could
always look forward to my Sunday School class. They
were the best hours of my whole week. Of course, I
really liked making money, but I also enjoyed all the
Bible stories. The Roy Clark look-alike really made the
whole experience enjoyable.
But as the saying goes, all good things must come
to an end. When I turned eleven, I was put into a
class for older kids. And just like that, bye-bye money
and bye-bye cool Sunday School teacher. I was very
disappointed.
I did make a friend in this new class, however. Since
I didn’t have many friends at the time, this was a nice
addition. The only problem was, this kid was totally
anti-Christ. He hated even the mention of Jesus’s
name. He was there only because he had to be.
I found myself stuck in the middle. On the one
hand, I liked hearing about Jesus and all the other
people in the Bible. On the other, I really liked this kid.
It was nice having a friend. I would start out listening
to the preacher, but then I’d get caught up with this
kid, making fun and playing around. He told me these
people were just there to brainwash me. I was torn.
A couple of weeks after meeting this guy, a woman
preacher came to our church. She was a real hellfireand-brimstone
preacher, if you know what I mean.
HE IS HOLY; HE IS
LOVE. HE IS JUST AND
MERCIFUL AND FULL
OF GRACE. BUT TO ME,
MORE THAN ANYTHING,
HE IS PERSISTENT.
She yelled and cried and told us we shouldn’t smoke
or do other things to defile our bodies. She seemed so
serious and genuine about what she was saying, but
my anti-Christ buddy was laughing the whole time.
I laughed right along with him, even though I was
halfheartedly believing what she said.
After the service, my friend and I went to the bus to
be taken home. Wouldn’t you know it, there was the
woman who had just been preaching to us about not
defiling our bodies—and what was she doing? She
had lit up a cigarette in the church parking lot and was
hanging all over some man who wasn’t her husband.
My buddy began jumping up and down in the bus,
yelling, “See! I told you it was all a bunch of crap!
Look, she ain’t even married, and she’s practically
jumping that guy’s bones in the church parking lot.
And she’s smoking!”
In my young, eleven-year-old mind, I was thinking
the same thing. How could I have been so dumb to
almost have fallen for this load of crap? And just like
that, my Jesus days were over. I refused to go back to
church after that incident.
Life went on. I made a few new friends, compliments
of my anti-Christ buddy, but they were all just like
me…miserable! They, too, had messed-up families in
one way or another. Pretty soon, they introduced me
to cigarettes, weed, and alcohol. To pay for my new
habits, I started stealing.
By the age of sixteen, I’d quit school and moved
in with one of my so-called best friends. It was in his
home that I was introduced to heavy drugs of all kinds.
More than once, I almost died from an overdose. You
would think these near-death experiences would
wake me up, but they didn’t.
For years I continued this cycle. One day my boss,
who’d noticed I was having trouble staying awake on
the forklift, introduced me to crystal meth. One hit,
and I was addicted. I simply couldn’t function without
it, even though I could clearly see the physical toll the
stuff was taking on my body. I looked like death, and I
felt like death. In less than six months, I went from 180
continued on page 20
www.kojministries.org 15

MURF
the
SURF
Light AT THE END OF
THE TUNNEL
Murf the Surf. At seventy-eight years young, this
man lives with more passion and purpose than
anyone I’ve ever met. When Murf walks into a room,
people take notice, from the least to the greatest.
His charismatic personality naturally charges the
atmosphere, drawing in and holding captive those in
his path.
I was immediately drawn to Murf the Surf when
I met him a year ago. We share a common love for
water sports that has resulted for both of us in Hall of
Fame titles (his in surfing; mine in water skiing). We
also share a love for Christ and a heart for prisoners.
But it wasn’t Murf’s exciting storytelling ability, his
incredible life journey, his fame and success, the
Hollywood movies produced in his honor, or his
handsome charm that drew me in. It was his heart.
Murf the Surf is the real deal. A true champion.
He’s a man of integrity and humility. A selfless man
whose compassion for others leads him to action.
He’s a man who travels the world, sacrificing his time
and resources in order to tell others about the Man
who changed his life.
I entered prison ministry in 2013, sharing how God
was moving in the hearts of inmates and how they
were responding to the gospel. People would ask
skeptically, “Do you really think those inmates have
given their lives to Christ? Do you actually believe
their response is more than just a grasp at something
to get them through their incarceration? You really
think they can change and that they will continue in
Christ once they’re released?”
by Kristi Overton Johnson
I can reply with confidence that, yes, I do think
people can change. I don’t know if every inmate will
continue in the faith, just as I don’t know if every
person who responds to the gospel in a church will
hold fast to it. But I do know that some, like Murf, will.
Murf the Surf is living proof of the redemptive
power of Jesus Christ. He is a walking testimony
of how God can take the most hardened, selfish,
prideful criminal and transform his life until there
is absolutely no trace of the old man anywhere to
be found.
When I stand before a group of inmates, sharing
the hope within me, I picture Murf. I envision him as
he once was—a desperate man in a gray jumpsuit,
sitting in the last row of inmates, filled to the brim
with hopelessness and pride, and totally skeptical of
the message I am sharing. I think to myself, “There’s
a Murf out there. There’s a man or a woman who’s
getting ready to grab hold of this message for the first
time and be radically changed by the love and grace
of God. There’s someone who’s ready to embark
on an adventure with God and be used by Him to
change the world!” And then, with the help of the
Holy Spirit, I bring it. Murf’s life motivates me to keep
going into prisons, to keep telling, and to keep loving.
Jack Roland Murphy wasn’t always a man of
character. He was a character, all right, but not a man
of character. There’s a difference, and he’ll be the
first to tell you that. Recently, Murf and I ministered
together at the Citrus County Detention Center
(CCDC) in Lecanto, Florida. With incredible power
and passion, he brought God’s message of hope
to hundreds of inmates. He has been bringing this
same message for thirty years in over 2500 prisons
worldwide.
Why would a man go back to a place that nearly
killed him? Why would someone who had been
released run back to the prison gates and ask to be
let back in? To Jack Murphy, it’s simple. There are
hundreds of thousands of men and women drowning
in a sea of hopelessness, being beaten down by
shame and despair, anger, bitterness, and fear. Those
people, Murf will tell you, need to know there is a
better way. They need to know there is hope, and that
hope’s name is Jesus.
Murf’s message of hope to the inmates of CCDC
began something like this: “You know those sayings,
‘once a con, always a con,’ and the infamous ‘you
can’t teach an old dog new tricks’? Well, let me
tell you something—those sayings are nonsense.
One hundred percent lies. I was a con once; one of
the best.”
Murf related bits and pieces of his life of crime
to his audience as they sat in tattered jumpsuits of
various colors. “In 1964, my partner and I pulled off
what was dubbed the ‘jewel robbery of the century.’
We stole the JP Morgan jewel collection, which
included the Star of India, the largest star sapphire
in the world, and twenty-seven other precious gems,
straight from the American Museum of Natural
History in New York City. We scaled the 125-foot high
wall overlooking west Central Park, slid down a thin
rope into the gem room, and took everything they
had! The crime caught the attention of newspapers
around the world. Even Hollywood captured the
scene back in a 1975 movie called Murf the Surf. And
another movie is in the works.
“I served three years
in the infamous New York
City Tombs and Rikers
Island prison for that little
rendezvous. And I left that
place a changed man. A
hard man. In the years
following my release, I
slipped deeper into a life of
crime, racking felony charges
across the United States,
including a couple of murder
charges. In the end, I was
sentenced to serve two life
sentences plus twenty years.
I spent twenty-one years in
maximum security prisons,
the worst of the worst.
I know what it’s like to be
sitting where you are.”
With a release date of
2244, it certainly seemed
WHAT
WAS I
HOLDING
ON TO?
THIS
WASN’T
LIFE.
THIS WAS
MADNESS.
16 www.kojministries.org

Photo Credit: AP Press
In this Jan. 28, 1968 file photo, Jack “Murf the Surf” is escorted to the Miami Beach Police Station
by detectives in Miami Beach, Fla., after he was arrested with three other men for armed robbery.
that, statistically speaking, Murf’s life as a free man
was over. That old dog wouldn’t be learning new
tricks anytime soon; not in this lifetime. But one day,
while sitting in a place similar to where we sat that
day, something happened in Murf’s heart. It was
changed…changed by a Man named Jesus. And it
is this Man that Murf passionately and unashamedly
declares to anyone who will listen.
“For years, I had heard about God’s love,” Murf
says. “But I didn’t want any part of it. I was my own
man—a tough guy, and I didn’t need anybody. I was
a mover and a shaker, both outside of prison and
inside. I was Murf the Surf. A man who had enjoyed
respect and success in every world I had ever entered.
I wasn’t about to give that up.
“One day, a visiting friend said to me, ‘Murf,
you need to get into the programs—especially the
chapel—because if nothing changes…well…
nothing changes, and, pal, you need some serious
changes in your life and situation.’
“‘No way, man. I’m just not ready to give it all up,’
I responded.
“‘Give up what?’ my friend asked.
“‘My life, the action, the world I rock in.’
“We stood there, looking down the long, crowded,
gray hallway of the Florida State Prison. Yesterday’s
men. Forgotten men, hardened criminals of every
sort, prison guards, tension, danger, and a door at
the end of the hall leading to death row. This was
my world.
“My friend looked up and down the hall and at
the crowd and calmly said, ‘I get it, Murphy. Why
would you ever want to give all this
up?’ Shaking his head, he walked away.
“I realized he wasn’t wrong. What
was I holding on to? This wasn’t life. This
was madness. Maybe I should check out
the chapel and see what this Jesus thing
was about. It probably wouldn’t work for
me, but what did I have to lose?
“I started my journey with God with
this simple prayer, ‘Help me, God. If You
are real, then please help me. I need serious
help.’ I believe with all my heart that at
that moment, God heard my prayer. You
know, if someone is drowning in a lake, they
wouldn’t need to form elaborate words to
get someone to respond to their cry. They
would just yell out, ‘Help! Help!’ And people
would come running. Why would God be any
different?
“When God hears one of His children
crying for help, He comes. Jonah cried out from
the belly of the whale, and God answered him.
When I cried out, ‘God, help me,’ He answered
my prayer, too.
“One by one, He began sending people
into my life to teach me more about Him. But
you know what? I sent them away. Funny how
we call out to God for help, and then when He
answers our prayers, we don’t recognize His
hand in our lives. That was me. I pushed people
away and kept going as I’d always done.
continued on page 18
Dead man walking
Late at night, I’d pace back and forth in my cell
with the loud demon of lost hope, like a hurricane,
screaming in the hollowness inside of me. Was there
anything that could fill this emptiness?
On the outside of prison, I had chased everywhere
looking for real happiness, for meaning and purpose,
for whatever it was that made life tick. I’d searched
in school, athletics, and music as a young man. I had
looked for satisfaction in business, travel, family…but
the void remained.
Slipping into the shadows, I found I could drown
the emptiness with drugs, booze, parties, and thrills;
but everything was just temporary.
Next, it was the excitement and adventure of crime.
But that also became another frustrating chase—
the frustration of never being able to put my finger
on exactly what it was that was missing. And now
in prison, still searching, still trying to pull my life
together, what I realized was terrifying.
No matter how hard we strived to survive; no
matter how tough or cool we tried to act; whenever
I would look into the eyes of the men around me or
when I looked into the mirror into my own eyes, no
one was home! The lights were out! We were all just
dead men. There was nothing good coming out of our
eyes; they were empty. Despair, depression, sadness,
hate, bitterness, fear, and loneliness stared back from
the faces all around.
“Hey, man,” I silently screamed, “I don’t want to be
one of those zombies!”
I began running more miles on the yard, playing
more basketball and handball, reading more books.
In spite of all my plans and best efforts, I was just
another one of those walking dead men, another
mean old junkyard dog, swaggering through my daily
struggle.
***
Editor’s Note: And then Murf met Christ, and that
void was filled. This is an excerpt from Murf’s 1989
autobiography, Jewels for the Journey. You can learn more
about Jack and Kitten Murphy Ministries by visiting www.
sonshineadventures.org.
If you’d like to have your own void filled and find true
life, call out to Jesus. He will answer you and meet you
right where you are. If you’d like to see an example of a
prayer of salvation, go to page 5.
www.kojministries.org 17

MURF THE SURF | from page 17________________________________________________________
“But God didn’t give up. A while later, I was sitting
in the back of the crowd at a special event being held
for inmates. I heard a superstar athlete talk about
God. He shared how his life had been turned over to
a new manager, someone who had his back and who
was giving him victory. As a sport’s buff, a business
man of sorts, and an accomplished musician, I knew
what it meant to have a manager. I also knew how
important it was to have a manager who was on your
side and who wouldn’t fail you.
“What the speaker said next pierced my hard
heart: ‘If the best your life’s manager has been able
to offer you so far is a prison jumpsuit, then you need
a new manager.’
“As I looked at my life, I realized with sudden
clarity the truth: I needed a new manager. In the past
I’d had friends, teachers, coaches, agents, attorneys,
and others who helped manage my life. There’d
been success, money, women, drugs, parties, travel,
toys, and lots of action—but every plan or dream
had fallen short. That day, in that end-of-the-line
situation, I was ready for a new life. I asked Jesus to
come into my heart, to forgive me of the mistakes
I’d made and the pain I had caused, and to be the
manager of my life. It was a total surrender. No longer
did I want to be in control; I had only made a mess
of things. God could take my life and use it however
He saw fit.”
And use it, God has. As Murf allowed God access
to his heart and mind, God went to work. There was
such a radical change in Murf’s life that people in
high places began to take notice. There was no
denying that this once riot leader had become a
peacemaker, a humble servant who was radically
influencing the lives of other inmates. Murf’s life
was so marked with change that his life sentences
and even his parole were removed. This man
who’d had a release date of 2244 walked out of
prison in 1986— 259 years ahead of schedule!
When a reporter asked him what he was going
to do with his life, Murf replied, “I’m going to do
God’s business.”
The Gospel
According
to Murf
by Jack R. Murphy
A brother in the joint once asked me, “What
are you—some kind of religious dude?”
“Nope, not a chance, pal.” I replied. “I
used to represent trouble, but I changed
management a while back. Today, I represent
an ex-convict who was labeled an outlaw.
Religious people called Him a radical
revolutionary, and they put up the money to
have Him busted. One of His homeboys ratted
Him out. Just like they arrested all of us, they
busted this innocent young Man. He was taken
to jail, where they beat Him beyond recognition.
They found Him guilty of stuff He never did, and
then they executed Him on death row in front of
His mother and hundreds of people. Three days
later, some women went to the cemetery to pay
Him respect, but His tomb was empty! Not even
death could hold down this Man I represent.
The whole world measures time from before
and after His life! So you see, my brother, I’m
no religious dude. I’m just the one who’s come
here to hook you up with the only Man who can
plead your case and set you free.”
Photo Albert Coya, Miami Herald Staff
IT’S A
TERRIBLE
CYCLE,
BUT IT
CAN BE
BROKEN.
AND IT
STARTS
WITH A
CHOICE.
18 www.kojministries.org

Left: Murf hits the waves for the first time in Miami
after serving two years in Rikers Island Prison in
New York for his infamous jewel heist. Murf is in
the Surfing Hall of Fame for his surfing skills and
pioneering of the sport on the east coast.
Right: Tim and Kristi Johnson with Murf after the
Victorious Living photo shoot. Center right: Murf
ministering at Gadsen Prison. Far right: Jack Murphy
poses for photographer, Joey Meddock.
FROM THE
LOSERS’
CIRCLE
TO THE
WINNERS’
TROPHY
ROOM
OF LIFE
IS JUST A
MATTER
OF
CHOICES.
It was a promise he has
been faithful to keep. Murf
will tell you, he hates jails and
prisons. He hates everything
about them. But he goes
back, time and time again, all
over the world. Why? He has
nothing to gain. There’s no
money or fame. But Murf’s
not concerned about what
he can gain; it’s about what
he can give. And, boy, does
he have something to give—
the very thing people of all
walks of life need. Hope.
“I’m not doing anything
new. It’s just my turn to join
the awesome army of the
cross who visit Jesus when
they visit the least of those,
His brothers and sisters in prison. I want people to
find life. They need to know there is hope for a better
life. People can change, even a con. By God’s grace, I
changed. Victory in life comes from a person deciding
to make one right choice after another. It’s not always
easy, but with God’s help, it can be done.
“These men and women need to know that they
don’t have to be a statistic. Studies show that 70
percent of inmates will return to prison within three
years of their release. Studies also show that 70
percent of inmates’ kids will be incarcerated in their
lifetime. It’s a terrible cycle, but it can be broken. And
it starts with a choice.
“Like rungs in a ladder or steps on a stairway,
choices can carry you down into the darkness of
defeat and failure, or they can lift you upward into
the light of victory, joy, success, respect, love, and
adventure. My life is undeniable evidence that even
when the lights go out at the end of the tunnel;
when everything shuts down and living or dying
doesn’t make any difference; when all that keeps you
staggering and swaggering from day to day is hate,
pride, and all of the dope and booze you can get your
hands on, that there at the end of the line, at the
bottom of the pit, it isn’t too late!
“All it takes is one choice at a time to change the
course and quality of your life. Anyone can be a winner
or a loser; champion or chump. From the losers’ circle
to the winners’
trophy room of life
is just a matter of
choices. The choice
is yours.”
I’m so thankful for Murf’s choice. It has made not
only a difference in hundreds of thousands of lives
around the world, but in my life as well. His life is a
constant reminder that if a heart is willing, God can
use it. No matter whose life it is.
What will your choice be? V
I’ve Got Your Back.
Love, God
Relax My child, I’ve got it! I’ve got you! I know your heart’s desires and
passions. I hear your cries and know your fear and pain. Take refuge in Me. Hide
yourself in Me, and you’ll find protection from every storm that rages. In Me, you
will find hope, provision, protection, worth, peace, and joy.
There is nothing too hard for Me. Whatever your concern, I’ve got it! There’s
nothing too big or too small for Me to handle. I want to handle it, so give it to Me.
Take refuge in My arms. Intertwine yourself with Me and with My Word, and
you’ll be strong. No weapon forged against you will prosper. No scheme of man
will overtake you.
You are not alone in your journey; I am with you. I hold you up with My
righteous right hand, and I will not let you go.
Exchange your burdens for My peace. Give Me your every care, for I care for
you. Trust Me; you don’t have to be afraid or worry. You don’t have to manipulate
people or circumstances. Just lean on Me. I’ll be your strength. I’ll be your power.
I’ll give you wisdom and peace and the stamina to endure. I’ll work all things out
for your good. Trust Me.
Whatever you need, I already
have it prepared. It’s on the way.
I’ll lead you to it and it to you.
Don’t look at the obstacle that
lies before you. Look only at
Me. I have already overcome
this world and its obstacles.
Greater am I in you than he
who is in this world.
I’m not absent. I’m not
idle. I’m not angry. I’m always
at work. You can’t always see
Me, but you can always trust that
I have your back. I am making
a way where there seems to be
no way. V
www.kojministries.org 19

A PERSISTENT GOD | from page 15____________________________________________________
pounds to less than 130. I looked like a skeleton on my
5-foot-10-inch frame.
Luckily, my boss and I got fired for stealing at
work. I say luckily, because that’s what saved me. I
became so sick that I was actually bedridden. I ended
up moving back in with my parents, who helped me
regain my health.
Slowly I began to feel better, although I still had
lingering effects from my previous drug use. My nerves
were shot, my lungs were permanently damaged, and
my teeth were a mess.
With a bit of renewed health, I landed a lawnservice
job. Fortunately, my new boss didn’t seem
concerned about my drug history. I had hit the
jackpot, I thought. Then one day I walked up to find
him smoking something in a can. It turned out to be
crack cocaine. You would think that after all I had been
through, I would have had better sense than to even
get near the stuff. But I didn’t. Like my stepdad had
said, I was as dumb as they come.
I became hooked in no time, sucking the stuff down
like a Hoover vacuum cleaner! I singlehandedly helped
my boss run his business into the ground. Between
the two of us, we had an over $2,000 a week habit.
Thank God, I was single and had no children. That
stuff will make you sell your kids for just a little hit!
It took a near-death experience that scared the living
daylights out of me before I quit cold turkey and tried
to straighten out my life.
Around my twenty-fifth birthday, I moved in with my
girlfriend. We lived together in her parents’ house for
six years. Many times, they urged her to get rid of my
sorry butt, yet she always stood up for me. She must
have loved me dearly to go through all she did on my
account. We had two children together, but in the end,
she took her parents’ advice and kicked me out.
There she went, with my two sons, right out of my
life. I can’t say I blame her.
Being with her and her family was one of the few
times that I have felt loved. And I truly loved her and
my kids. I still do; I just didn’t know how to receive
their love or show it, and I ran those relationships right
into the dirt.
I returned to my parents’ home. While there, I
did anything I could to not be sober. I just wanted
to escape, to forget about my pain and my life. My
constant drunken state prevented me from getting a
permanent job. So I stole and worked odd jobs around
the neighborhood for people that I now assume felt
sorry for me. This went on until I was thirty-one, when
I made a mistake that I couldn’t escape.
I’d met a girl who was a mutual friend of my
previous girlfriend. She and I often got high together.
One night, tired of always paying for our drug habit, I
told her it was time for her to return the favor, if you
know what I mean. After all, I thought she liked me.
In no uncertain terms, she made it perfectly clear that
“that” was not happening, to which she added a few
rude comments. Before I knew it, I snapped and forced
her to have sex with me. She went to the police, and I
ended up in prison. And it was there that I eventually
found life. I am currently serving the remainder of my
fifteen-year sentence.
As I look back over my life, I can see clearly God’s
faithful attempts to intervene and get my attention so
that He could draw me to Himself. As a child, there
was the elderly couple who picked me up for Sunday
School and the Roy Clark look-alike who poured
Christ’s love and the Word into my life. During the
years when I was destroying myself with drugs and
alcohol, God had sent other people to tell me about
Him. Even my girlfriend’s parents had tried to help me
and prayed for me to see the light.
But what did I do? Well, I’d told them all where they
could take their beliefs and their Jesus,
and stick ’em. I just wouldn’t
receive what they were
saying. If Jesus loved
me, then why was
my life such a
Lessons from Chris
by Kristi Overton Johnson
When our writing team received inmate Chris B.’s letter, they were so blessed.
Our prison correspondence director, Linda, called me right away. “Kristi, you have
to read this letter we just received. It’s a long one, but boy, is it something!” She
made a copy of his letter and sent it to me. (You can read Chris’s story beginning
on page 15.)
I was immediately put at ease by Chris’s sense of humor and openness.
Eighteen pages later, I sat with a big smile on my face and could only say one
thing—wow! Chris’s story not only touched my heart, but it reminded me of
some very important truths we must not forget as we represent Jesus to those
around us.
• BE PERSISTENT. All around us are people who need to know the love
of God. If we don’t tell them, who will? The persistent witness of people
(for instance, inmate Scott), is what ultimately led Chris to Christ. Being
persistent doesn’t mean we get in someone’s face or beat them over the
head with a Bible. Rather, it means we consistently and humbly love people
to God with our words and actions. Let Chris’s story be a reminder to never
give up on people, no matter where they tell you to stick your Jesus. Your
persistent love will reap a harvest.
• BE CREATIVE. I love the creativity of Chris’s Sunday School teacher. The
Roy Clark look-alike used games as motivation to get young children to dive
into the Word of God. And it worked. His creative mind made the class fun
and exciting, and as a result, his young students read the Bible. Right about
now, someone is probably saying, “Paying a kid money to read the Bible?
Now, that is just terrible! They should read it on their own.” I don’t think
the source of the motivation really matters. What matters is that the Word
of God was planted in Chris’s heart and mind. And you know what? The
Word of God will never come back void.
• BE PURE. When we hold ourselves out as believers, we must remember
that we represent Christ at all times. How we speak and act projects either
a positive or negative image about Christianity into people’s minds. Believe
me—people are always watching! My heart broke when I read how the
woman preacher’s double standard caused Chris to reject Christianity. He
refused to set foot in a church again due to her hypocrisy. Heaven forbid,
our words or actions become a stumbling block to others knowing Christ.
• BE WILLING. Sometimes the little things in life make the biggest difference.
For Chris, an old church bus driven by an elderly couple and a willing
Sunday School teacher who provided a safe haven of love, encouragement,
and hope are what made the difference. As Chris said, those were the best
hours of his week. That couple, well into their eighties, could have easily
used their retirement card and refused to serve in this capacity. But they
20 www.kojministries.org

A PERSISTENT GOD | from page 20____________________________________________________
mess? If He loved me, why had He allowed me to have
a stepdad who treated me so badly? Over and over
again, I pushed God and His people away. Yet they
continued to tell me that they loved me and that Jesus
loved me. They were persistent.
Even when I got to prison, people kept telling me
that I needed Jesus in my life! One day, about a year
after my incarceration, an inmate came up to me on
the recreation yard and said, “Jesus told me to tell
you that He loves you. Even after all you
have done and been through, He loves
you.” He smiled and walked away.
His name was Scott.
Scott began to regularly
remind me of God’s love,
to give me Bible tracts,
and to quote scripture
to me. It seemed like
he was everywhere!
He even got moved
to my dorm. And
then, he was
transferred to
another camp the
same day I was
transferred there.
It was too much to
be coincidence. Scott
was certain God had
put him in my life to
help me. I was beginning
to think he was right.
At first, I just threw those
tracts away and ignored his words, but eventually, I
started to listen. By this time, I had been in prison for
almost two years. I was completely sober and able to
think without the interference of a drug-induced haze.
With this new clarity of mind, I began to look back on
my life. I felt terrible for all that I had done and for the
hurt that I had caused so many.
Scott got me a Bible. I began to read it, halfheartedly
at first, but more seriously as time went on. Soon it
seemed like all the tracts and scriptures were jumping
off the page and speaking straight to my heart. One
tract finally hit home. It had a sinner’s prayer on the
back. The next thing I knew, I was asking God for
forgiveness and asking Him to come into my heart.
That was in 2008.
Since then, I have read the Bible cover to cover
five times, allowing its words to penetrate my heart.
There are a lot of things I still don’t understand in the
Bible, but I’m learning. I’m also still trying to overcome
certain struggles, like cussing. But one thing is for
sure—I’m not cussing nearly as much as I used to! It’s
a process, but I’m becoming a little more like Christ
each day.
In the past few years, I’ve seen God work many
miracles. Perhaps most amazing is that my stepdad
and I got things straight prior to his death four years
ago. Shortly before he died, he told me in a letter that
he was sorry for the way he had treated me. With
God’s help, I forgave him. Another miracle is that my
mom and I are super close now. She got saved shortly
after I did. She is now remarried to a very cool guy
who actually likes me, even with my past. My girlfriend
got married a couple of years ago to a man who is
loving and taking care of my two sons. I am thankful.
I have been locked up now for eight years and
some change, and I’m approaching my forty-first
birthday. I have been sober the whole time, and I have
no intention of ever getting high again. Turns out, I’m
now one of those pesky people who will tell you that
you need Jesus in your life. Never in a million years
would I have thought that would happen!
I’ve learned much over the years. But the main
thing that I have learned is that God is persistent. I
agree—He is holy; He is love. He is just and merciful
and full of grace. But to me, more than anything, He
is persistent.
God never gives up on us, His children, and He
doesn’t quit pursuing us. When everyone else has
thrown in the towel, God hasn’t even begun to break
a sweat! He is in our lives until the end.
I am so thankful that God didn’t give up on me. He
was always right by my side. I just didn’t pay Him or
the ones He sent me any mind. I wish I had, as I know
my life would have been quite different. Nonetheless,
I trust that God will take my past and pain and work
it all out for good. He can still use my life for His glory.
I encourage anyone reading this story to stop
running from God and instead, run to Him. In Him,
you’ll find everything you need and everything you’ve
been searching for. In Him, you’ll find life.
Your brother in Christ,
Chris V
Chris is an inmate in a Florida prison.
Thank you, Chris, for graciously sharing your life story.
didn’t. The Sunday School teacher could have come up with an excuse or
two to stay cozily in his bed each Sunday morning. But he didn’t. They were
all willing to serve, and their willingness helped lay a foundation of faith
that Chris was later able to build upon.
Chris’s story also reminded me of some important ways we can encourage
ourselves and others as believers.
• LOOK TO GOD, NOT MAN. We can’t let Christians who aren’t walking
the walk keep us from knowing the One who created us and truly loves and
cares for us. Christians aren’t perfect. We make mistakes. We mustn’t let
someone else’s weak moment or hypocrisy cause us to reject the love and
hope of God.
• RECEIVE GOD’S LOVE. Everything we’ve ever searched or hoped for
is found in one place; one person—Jesus Christ. Hope, acceptance, love,
worth, peace, joy, healing, sound mind, rest, wisdom, eternal life…it’s all in
Him. It’s time to quit running and to lay down our anger and disappointments
and questions. As Chris said, life could be so much different if we’d listen
and receive God’s gift of forgiveness and love.
• SURROUND YOURSELF WITH GODLY PEOPLE. Because of poor
friend choices and his desire to be accepted, Chris’s life quickly went down
a path of destruction. We become like those we hang around. Do not be
misled: “Bad company corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33).
• LISTEN ONLY TO TRUTH. Satan’s purposes in this world are to steal, kill,
and destroy. To carry out his plan, he often uses people. In Chris’s case, he
used an unstable stepdad to speak destructive words over Chris’s life. These
negative words became the foundation upon which Chris built his life. In
his mind, he was always a failure and worthless. Knowing God’s truth is the
only way to overcome the enemy’s lies.
• NEVER THINK IT’S TOO LATE. With a fifteen-year prison sentence,
Chris could have easily lost all hope. With his past choices, he could have
also thought he was too far gone for a relationship with God. But he didn’t.
In the depths of a prison, Chris found life. You’re never too far gone to come
to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. His arms are wide open. His heart
is full of love and forgiveness. Take Chris’s advice and stop running. Stop
fighting. Stop doubting. And receive the love of God. As long as you’re alive,
it’s not too late! V
Kristi Overton Johnson, former world champion water-skier,
is the founder of In His Wakes Ministry, KOJ Ministries, and
publisher of Victorious Living magazine. She resides in
Florida with her husband, Tim, and their three children.
www.kojministries.org 21

FREE
From
Fred by Tracy Stewart
I was five years old when my mother brought Fred
into our home. He made a great first impression. He
was courteous to us and to our mother. He accepted
her ready-made family. (Four kids that were not his,
and he was still interested? Wow!) He had a job
and was an ex-marine. He was young, handsome,
healthy, and in great shape from the military.
Well…I can see why she’d be attracted to him. He
played the game and won her over. Before we knew
it, they were married.
Fred played nice when my mother was around,
but as soon as she was at work, he showed his true
colors. He drank, played his albums really loud, and
used his military training to command us. He expected
us to respond in kind, right down to white-glove
inspections. We tried hard, but we seldom met his
expectations. His punishments never matched the
crime. They were harsh and drawn out, full of pain and
humiliation…and they brought him great pleasure.
I grew to hate Fred. I fantasized about ways to
remove him from our lives. At times, I visualized
myself killing him. It was not a fun pastime; it was
just my way of coping and doing something about
my situation. I knew I’d never do the horrible things
I imagined, but I sure wished someone else would. I
begged God to free us.
In my eyes, I was innocent—a victim who had
the right to hate someone so cruel and violent. So, I
hated. I grew up hating his face, his smell, his voice. I
hated everything about Fred.
And then I was introduced to Jesus—Jesus, who
loved me even though I wasn’t perfect. Jesus, who
loved me even though I hated Fred. Even though I still
struggled with so many fears and anger and other
baggage leftover from that childhood. And I asked
Jesus to come into my heart.
I thought my days of being held captive mentally
and emotionally by my abusive stepfather would be
over the day I became a Christian. Boy, was I wrong.
Even after I married my loving husband, after I learned
and experienced the love of my heavenly Father and
became heavily involved in our church, I still felt
unsettled. I constantly wrestled with fear and guilt.
As I became a mom, my fears increased. I was
terrified that I would mimic my childhood experiences;
that I would hurt my child. I knew statistically that
most people turn out like those who raised them. I did
not want to be that person. I did not want to be Fred.
I was stuck in a nightmare.
I knew the Bible instructed me to forgive my
enemies…even Fred. As a believer, I had taken
deliberate steps to willfully forgive Fred. I’d spoken
the words, and I’d meant them, but my emotions did
not follow suit. My husband suggested I seek counsel,
but I resisted. I was embarrassed. Where would I
begin? What would I say? The counselor would be a
total stranger, so I’d have to start from scratch. I was
exhausted before I even began!
I decided I should continue dealing with the issue
on my own. After all, I’d done nothing abusive toward
my child yet. But that fear just wouldn’t go away. I
needed freedom. I wanted to be free from Fred, once
and for all. It had always been my dream but never
my reality. I finally agreed to see a counselor. I felt
a stirring deep within, an inexplicable sense that
something was about to break. I feared I wouldn’t be
able to control it.
I met with a counselor from our church and briefly
recounted my childhood and my experiences with
Fred. I admitted I was afraid I’d become like him. The
counselor asked a few prompting questions, did a lot
of listening…and then we were done. I had some
processing to do.
That evening Dan and I attended a leaders’
meeting at the church. It was a time of reflection
and prayer. The pastor spoke scripture over us to
help create individual thought processes and prayer.
I began to cry so hard I was unable to speak, not
even to my husband. He became my voice and guide,
walking me forward and explaining to the pastor that
I was seeking help with forgiveness.
The pastor began to pray: “Lord, I don’t know what
this sweet girl could have ever done that would cause
her to be so distraught and need such forgiveness,
but please forgive her.” He continued passionately for
quite a while.
My husband stood by listening. I could sense his
anxiety as he waited for a chance to clarify that it was
not I who needed forgiveness, but that I was seeking
God’s help to forgive someone else—Fred.
I stopped my husband before he could correct the
pastor. He was right—I had not walked to the front
of the church to seek forgiveness for myself. But then
I heard God say to me, “Who gave you the right to
hate?” I’d never heard anything so unmistakably clear
and precise. His words pierced my heart and changed
me instantly, as I realized that God’s forgiveness was
exactly what I needed.
All my life, I’d felt entitled to hate Fred. He was
a monster of a man who made life miserable for
my family and me. I didn’t choose to have a wicked
stepfather. I didn’t ask for beatings and abuse of
all kinds. I was an innocent child, and so were my
siblings. No one could argue that point.
Life had not been fair. There had been no way
out and no one to save me. I was little and helpless.
Surely I’d had every right to hate. But now God was
telling me I was wrong? That I had no right to feel
toward Fred the way that I did?
I thought about God’s question. Who had given
me the right to hate? Hadn’t Fred’s actions toward
me earned me the right to detest him? Evidently not.
I had never considered that hating him was wrong,
much less sinful. I had never imagined that I needed
to ask for forgiveness.
But that’s what He was saying. And I realized I
could do one of two things: I could repent to God
for hating Fred, or I could ignore God’s question.
Two very different outcomes—newfound freedom or
continued bondage to fear and anxiety—awaited my
decision.
That night, I agreed with God. I confessed that I
had no right to hate Fred, and I asked God to forgive
me. Instantly, I found freedom! As I got my own heart
right with God, I was delivered once and for all from
my painful past with Fred. He no longer had a hold
on me. A profound and miraculous sense of relief
replaced the heaviness I knew so well.
I’d been a believer for many years, but I had
remained in bondage, held captive by my own ability
to hate so deeply. I’d given my life to God and truly
loved Him. I’d even done my part by taking the physical
and mental steps to confess and willfully forgive my
stepfather, even though he had not asked for it. Yet I
was not fully delivered from my past until that sweet
moment when I gave God access to my own heart
so that He could reveal areas in my life that needed
attention. I was finally free! How thankful I am that I
stepped out of my comfort zone and reached out for
help, for it was there that I found God’s wisdom and
ultimate healing.
Twenty-four years have passed since that meeting,
and I am still being changed daily through God’s
Word and His people. It is a constant purification
process. Many times, just as fire purifies silver or gold,
the fires of life have caused dross to float and become
exposed in me. I’ve learned that when I remain
humble before God, He can scrape away that dross,
and I can be a little more pure than the day before.
If there’s been a Fred in your life, I encourage you
to give God full access to your heart so that He can
expose and remove any dross that may be hindering
you and holding you captive. It’s the only way to find
true freedom so that you can be all who God created
you to be. Refuse to let your Fred have a hold on you
any longer! It’s time to truly live. Humble yourself, and
God will lift you up. V
Tracy Stewart is a mother of
two, grandmother, and wife to
her best friend, Dan. She enjoys
renovating homes and furniture
and works part time as a dog
trainer.
22 www.kojministries.org

HAPPY
FEET
by James Islam
Life was wonderful. We had plenty of income.
Our family was healthy and happy. Our mission
seemed clear and bright. We decided to take a rare
vacation to visit our relatives in Michigan and see
some favorite places from my childhood. We had a
wonderful trip, filled with laughter and peace and
fellowship. Nothing seemed out of place at all.
Not long after we got back home, I noticed that
our son Devin’s eye looked different, like maybe he’d
bumped or bruised it. He was two-and-a-half years
old, so I would not have been surprised to hear that
he had fallen or run into something. After raising
seven kids, this didn’t really raise an alarm, but his
eye just didn’t look right. We decided to watch it for
the weekend to see if it improved. It began to look
more and more strange.
We took him to our family physician’s office.
Our regular doctor was not there, so one of his
partners came in to see us. Extending his hand, he
said, “Hello, I’m doctor—” His jaw dropped, and
he stopped talking as his gaze focused on Devin’s
eye. My wife and I looked at each other, wondering
what his response could mean. The doctor referred us
immediately to a specialist.
We went straight to the specialist’s office and were
met with the same reaction. A blur of hospital visits
followed, revealing a mass behind our son’s eye that
had grown large enough to push the eye out and to
the side slightly. When you hear the word cancer, and
it’s attached to your baby—boy, it rocks everything
you ever thought you knew. We began learning a
new language immediately. Our first vocabulary list
included rhabdomyosarcoma.
We set up an appointment at a treatment center.
They told us many things, most of which got lost in the
moment. I do remember praying in a whole new way.
As we drove to the Blume Clinic for our consultation,
I remember telling my wife not to worry. “We could
be run over by a bus before we even start treatment.
God obviously has some doctors and nurses for us to
meet,” I told her.
We pulled into that parking lot for the first time
and saw more little bald heads coming and going
than I had imagined existed in the whole state.
Who knew we lived in a community so full of
kids who had cancer?
We met the most amazing staff—from office
to child-life specialists, nurses, and doctors. God
was clearly directing our path. We agreed to a
treatment plan and made arrangements to
begin the next leg of our journey.
I was a home builder, and just as we
discovered Devin’s tumor, the housing industry
experienced an historic crash. The economy
entered a general stagnation period. We found
ourselves devastated financially and stretched well
beyond our capacity emotionally. I fell asleep
on my knees praying through the night for
weeks on end, asking God to save us
from the storms. But He didn’t make
them go away. In fact, every day it
seemed the storms grew stronger.
Yet God blessed us incredibly.
Friends and family stepped up to help
financially. The neighbors we’d adopted
as our children’s North Carolina grandparents helped
with childcare. It seemed they never cooked for
themselves without making an extra pan of dinner for
our family, too. Our oldest daughter was like a mother
to the younger kids. What a blessing to see her take
charge, stepping up and serving the way she did.
Devin went through his prescribed courses of
chemotherapy with such grace. Even as he endured
those terrible doses and incredible nausea, he still
made us smile. God was with him.
He had radiation treatments every weekday
morning for five weeks. Because of the location of
the tumor, they designed a special mask for him to
wear. He had to be sedated every time because of the
risk of collateral damage if he moved even a small
amount during treatment.
Now, if you’ve ever been to the radiation treatment
area of the hospital, you know that it is not a nonstop
party place, especially at 6:00 a.m. But Devin and
Donna brought that place to life. Donna rarely went
to a doctor’s office without taking along some homebaked
bread or cake. And Devin did the “Happy Feet”
dance from the hit movie that was popular at the
time.
God blessed us through the medical training
and personal care our doctors provided, and He
blessed them through the hope of a child’s innocent,
unpretentious zest for life. Donna’s always said that
in adversity your faith grows legs…well, by God’s
grace, ours was growing legs and dancing. God was
molding and shaping and conforming us into the
image of His Son.
We went for a scheduled follow-up visit after
Devin’s treatments were finished. We were delighted
to hear there was no remaining evidence of disease,
but Devin’s eye was fried from the radiation. We had
expected a time of irritation, but his eye got worse
and worse. We treated the eye regularly with drops
and ointments as prescribed, but still it got worse.
And the pain grew. He took morphine just to endure
a dimmed light. We had to draw heavy curtains and
eat in the dark. We used to have contests to see who
could guess what supper was.
We covered Devin with heavy blankets to take him
out anywhere. He wore sunglasses at night, ran and
played with the other kids with his eyes closed, and
endured multiple treatments and evaluations to try to
restore vision to the damaged eye. Yet he continued
to be full of joy.
continued on page 30
James Islam has been married to his wife Donna for twenty-seven years, and together they
have seven children. He is the operations manager of Florida Food Service in Gainesville,
Florida. He is also the president of the Joshua19Foundation. You may recognize the Islam
family name from our first issue this year, where we related the faith story of Joshua Islam,
the young soldier who died in training at Camp Pendleton in California in 2014.
www.kojministries.org 23

Time on My Hands by
Wendy Petzold
I was a normal
teenager making
plans for life after
high school when
suddenly, two days
before my seventeenth
birthday, I found my life
circumstances completely
altered. Three acquaintances
and I had planned to tour
the campus at University of
Green Bay. We started out early
that morning in slightly snowy
conditions. That didn’t worry
us—we were, after all, Wisconsin
girls. It wasn’t long, however,
before we found ourselves in whiteout
conditions. We couldn’t see but a few feet in front
of us.
I remember telling the driver of the car to slow
down, but it was too late. She rear-ended a snowplow
on the highway going 75 miles an hour. In an instant,
everything came to a halt, and then there was dead
silence.
I was the only one still conscious in the car, and
I knew immediately something was seriously wrong
with me. I couldn’t feel my legs. They were numb, and
I couldn’t move them. I remember wanting my daddy.
That moment changed my life forever. I was
paralyzed from the waist down. I would never walk
again. With the Lord’s help, however, and with the
help of many friends, I emerged victoriously from that
accident. Against predictions, I live a very active and
blessed life. I married my best friend from high school,
Andrew. We have two amazing children, and this year
we will celebrate twenty-three years of marriage.
Like many women, my days revolve around being
a wife and mother and the countless things that go
along with those roles. Dishes that need to be done,
endless piles of laundry, grocery shopping, schedules
to coordinate, chauffeuring duties—the list goes
on. Throw in a prayer group, Bible study, volunteer
activities, and my involvement with two nonprofits,
and I’d say my days are pretty full.
I’m pretty much like any other mom, except I rely
on my wheelchair to move about. Despite my injuries
from that accident, I’ve been amazingly blessed with
great health and no major issues relating to my
disability.
Until Super Bowl Sunday, 2011. The Packers were
playing the Pittsburgh Steelers, and I just didn’t feel
like myself. I had a fever and couldn’t enjoy the game.
The malaise hung around, and by Thursday, I
had a 104-degree fever. I decided I’d better get to
the emergency room. I packed my overnight bag,
somehow knowing that I wouldn’t be coming home
anytime soon. Within fifteen minutes of checking
into the hospital, a doctor was performing surgery,
and I had begun a faith journey like none I had ever
experienced before.
A severe infection had made its way into my ischial
tuberosity bone. Complete bed rest was required so
that my body could heal. For months I remained in the
hospital, fighting this stubborn infection.
At first, my thoughts were consumed with “I don’t
have time for this. I have things to do, children to care
for, and volunteer commitments to fulfill! How can I lie
around and wait for this to heal?”
The infection was definitely not part of my plan
for my life. But you know what? It didn’t take God
by surprise at all. While I don’t believe He sent this
infection into my life, He nonetheless used it to bring
glory to Himself by working in my heart and through
my situation. Ultimately, God caused everything to
work together for my good, just like Romans 8:28 said
He would. One thing is for sure: bed rest will give you
something very precious—time.
Day after day, I sent my kids to school with a friend
and then lay on my back for seven hours, waiting for
them to come home. Waiting was the most difficult
thing I had ever done. Rather than grow discouraged,
I decided to use this gift of time to study God’s Word
and pray. As a result, I grew closer to Him and began
to hear from Him more.
God speaks to His children in many ways. He
chose music to speak to me
during this trying time. At times,
song lyrics pierced my heart, like
God was speaking directly to me.
Lincoln Brewster’s “Everlasting
God” became my theme song.
Whenever I felt alone, I played this
song, and it drew me closer to my
heavenly Father. It had a funny way
of popping up on the radio, too, just
when I needed it most. It would lift my
spirits as it reminded me that God was
right there with me and that He hadn’t
left me, even while I was lying flat on
my back.
The song promises that “strength will rise as we
wait upon the Lord.” That is precisely what I had to do
while I waited for my infection to dissipate. I couldn’t
change my circumstances; I couldn’t heal myself; I
couldn’t free myself from the bondage of that hospital
bed. I could only wait for God to move in my situation,
for Him to do a mighty work in my body.
And my strength did rise. Though everything
seemed to be going against me—I was bedridden,
missing out on life, not able to do the things I loved
the most—God’s never-ending strength kept me
going. He helped me face each day, each challenge,
one step at a time. He was just as faithful as He had
been when I was first paralyzed.
Every day brought a new adventure with God. I
couldn’t wait to see how He would bless and use me.
Some days, a special scripture would jump right off the
page and into my heart. Other days, a new nurse or
nurse’s assistant would cross my path, and that would
lead to a blessed encounter. God reminded me daily
that He was at work, even while I lay on my back.
Isaiah 40:28–31 says:
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the
earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can
measure the depths of his understanding. He gives
power to the weak and strength to the powerless.
Even youths will become weak and tired, and young
men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in
the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high
on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow
weary. They will walk and not faint.
More times than I can count, I received a note or
a card quoting these verses during my recovery. They
were constant reminders that God, in His perfect timing,
would help me soar again. The eagle quickly became
24 www.kojministries.org

TIME ON MY HANDS | from page 24__________________________________________________
Wendy poses with Lincoln
Brewster after his concert.
my symbol of
hope, reminding
me that God
would give
me the power
and strength to
overcome my
situation as I
trusted Him.
On Mother’s
Day of 2011, I
looked out over
Lake Michigan and
said to God, “Lord,
I haven’t seen eagles
soaring in a while.
That would be a
wonderful gift on this
Mother’s Day.”
I waited, but no eagles flew by. The following
Wednesday, however, I saw not one but two eagles
soaring outside my window. Back and forth they
flew, putting on the most magnificent show I have
ever seen.
As I took in the sight, God spoke to my heart. “I
could have brought the eagles on Sunday, Wendy,
but I chose to bring them today. I am in control, and
I haven’t forgotten you. It is My timing, not yours.
Trust Me.”
True to His Word, God helped me soar again. In
His perfect time, He healed my infection and gave me
back my strength.
Looking back, I am thankful that I could experience
God through this very difficult situation. Because
of my trial, I know Him in a very personal way. He
showed me that I am on His mind even during the
darkest times. His love carried me through.
God is with you, too. He is with you in your most
celebrated moment, and He is with you during your
most trying circumstance. He will not fail you in either
place. Trust Him. He will bring you through experience,
every trial, in His perfect timing, and He’ll give you the
strength to endure.
If you’re in a waiting period with time on your
hands, I encourage you to spend that time drawing
close to the Lord. Seek Him like never before, and
you will find Him. Before you know it, you will find
yourself soaring on wings like an eagle, high above
your storm. V
Wendy Petzold earned her BS in
education from the University of
Wisconsin–Milwaukee. She married
her best friend, Andrew, in June
1992. She enjoys leading prayer
and Bible study groups, reading,
scrapbooking, and spending time
with her husband and two children.
The Humble Seat by
Bobby Joiner
With some serious reading of the Bible, you will
discover a mystery—the real way up is down! This
is the complete opposite of what many of us have
learned.
The ways of the world tell us that if we will press,
stress, and step on and over whoever and whatever it
takes to get to the top, then we will win. The way to
the top, according to the world, is to beat whoever is
in front of us. And to beat them good!
But listen to what the Bible says:
“You [Lord,] will save the humble people; but Your
eyes are on the haughty, that You may bring them
down” (2 Samuel 22:28).
“If My people who are called by My name will
humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and
turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from
heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land”
(2 Chronicles 7:14).
“All of you be submissive to one another, and
be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud,
but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble
yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He
may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon
Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:5–7).
As we often discover, Father God tells us in His
Word something different than we hear from those
who seem to be ruling and winning in this world. He
tells us that if we humble ourselves, He will raise
us up.
I’ve learned that when God is in charge, whatever
position He raises us up to will always be better than
where we’d hoped to be.
Humbling ourselves doesn’t mean we stop striving
to excel. We still practice and work hard and give our
best to everything we do. What it does mean is that
we choose to place Christ first and our own desires
second. It means we allow Him to take us wherever
He wants to in any particular situation.
In my position as tour pastor for New Song and
Winter Jam for the past ten years, one of the hardest
working but most humble musical groups I’ve had
the pleasure of traveling with all across this country
is TobyMac and the Diverse City Band. Year in and
year out, they remain on top. Toby and his entire
group invade the tour with love, joy, and just plain
old humble fun!
I remember Eddie Carswell (the founder of New
Song and Winter Jam) telling me of a time he and
Toby were discussing how they should handle a
sticky business situation that had arisen. Toby just sat
there and listened while Eddie presented his side of
the story. Then he asked Toby what he thought they
should do.
Toby looked at Eddie and then, in dead seriousness,
said something like, “Eddie, I’ve found that when
there is a legitimate disagreement, the first person to
take the humble seat usually wins God’s blessings.”
Folks, that’s a great secret for all of us to
remember and rely upon next time we’re involved in
a situation where both parties think they are right. I
use this advice all the time in my marriage. My wife
and I are constantly racing each other to the humble
seat. We look like kids playing musical chairs, fighting
for that one seat. Like Toby, we know that the humble
seat is where we will find God’s blessings.
Next time you feel the urge to beat someone,
go for it. Beat them good! Just make sure you are
beating them to the humble seat, and then stay there.
Don’t move, no matter how strong the urge. And then
watch what Father God will do in your life. V
Dr. Bobby Joiner has been involved
in local and international teen
and prison ministries, singing
and teaching God’s Word. Since
2007, he has enjoyed being the
tour pastor for the contemporary
Christian group, NewSong, and
for the world’s largest music tour,
Winter Jam.
www.kojministries.org 25

MINISTRY NEWS
Our prison outreach is growing daily!
Currently, 425 inmates are being discipled and
encouraged by KOJM through our monthly
devotionals, Victorious Living magazine, and
personal correspondence.
475
Four new writers joined our Correspondence Team
in June, bringing the total to nineteen. Writers are
from Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. If you are
interested in participating in this ever-growing, lifechanging
outreach, contact Linda@kojministries.org.
UPDATE FROM KOJ MINISTRIES FOUNDER,
KRISTI OVERTON JOHNSON
19
100,000
ESTIMATED
PRISONERS
BEING
ENCOURAGED
BY VL
At Kristi Overton
Johnson Ministries,
(KOJM), we are
constantly amazed at
how God is opening
doors to reach more
lives for His kingdom.
Here are some
highlights:
50
An average of fifty new inmates are added each
month to our correspondence list.
We have begun a weekly time of intercessory
prayer and fasting for prisoners and their families.
Prisoners join us in this special time as they
pray and fast within the facilities where they are
housed. Thank you to inmate Calvin M., who
initiated this ministry.
Kristi partnered with Murf the Surf to encourage inmates at Citrus County
Detention Center in Lecanto, FL.
Victorious Living
magazine is now
distributed to service
men and women in the
Florida National Guard.
Welcome Rachel!
KOJM welcomes Rachel Overton to the Victorious
Living publication team. Rachel joined us as a
freelance editor in May and has brought VL to a
new level of professionalism and integrity.
HIT IT
Kristi Overton Johnson
HIT IT
HIT IT!
is a true, exciting, detailed
story of the rise, fall, and
resurrection of a real sports
champion…
Kristi Overton Johnson.
Get ready to be challenged,
encouraged, and motivated!
KRISTI OVERTON JOHNSON
Your Victory May Just Be
One “Hit it” Away!
Purchase your copy at kojministries.org for $14.00 plus shipping
and handling or visit kojministries.com
26 www.kojministries.org

56,OOO
MAGAZINES
PRINTED SO
FAR IN 2015
50
KOJM and its
partners support
the daily needs of
fifty orphans in India each
month. Thank you!
Orphans are visited
In July 2015, Kristi and her daughter Ivy returned to the Russian orphanage where
Ivy was adopted to minister to orphans, orphanage workers, and community
residents. They were able to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and bless hundreds of
women with jewelry donated by our ministry friends. Thank you to all involved.
A full story about their trip to Russia will be published in the November issue of VL.
Russian ladies are blessed with tangible
jewelry and the priceless treasure of the
Word of God
Exciting new opportunities
Kristi released her new autobiography, Hit It, in
May. She has since attended several book-signing
events and has spoken at various venues.
BE A PART
God is opening doors daily for
KOJM. With your help, we can
continue to expand our territory
and bring hope and victory to
people throughout the world.
Visit kojministries.org for more
information.
Thank you for
your support and
your prayers.
PO Box 120951
Clermont, FL 34712-0951
352-478-2098
www.kojministries.org
THE HEART OF KOJM:
Kristi Overton Johnson Ministries seeks to love
people to the Life-Giver, Jesus Christ, through
its various publications, teaching and singing
ministry, as well as prison and orphan outreaches.
KOJM equips minds and encourages hearts with
the Living Water of God’s Word.
Scan the QR code to Like Kristi Overton Johnson
Ministries Facebook page and receive inspirational
devotions.
You Can Help By:
• Praying for Our Ministry
• Becoming a Correspondence
Team Member
• Sharing VL with others
• Inviting Kristi to your church or
organization to share what God
is doing at KOJM
• Financially supporting our
publication and outreaches
www.kojministries.org 27

MINISTRY NEWS
UPDATE FROM IN HIS WAKES
DIRECTOR, NATE MILLER
34
Baptisms
2RVs
53
Events
Hosted
1,122
Kids
Attended
23,000 Miles
Traveled
500
Volunteers
41
Cities
Visited
30%
Salvation
Percent
Although founded by Kristi
Overton Johnson, In His Wakes
is independent of KOJM. If you
desire to make a donation to
IHW, please go online at
inhiswakes.com or send donations
to the address below.
PO Box 120987 • Clermont, FL
34712-0987
Nate Miller • 352-745-0283
www.inhiswakes.com
MISSION:
In His Wakes introduces people to
the life-changing power of Jesus
Christ through water sports.
YOU CAN HELP BY:
• Purchasing Bibles, dog tags,
medals, and other resources
to be used in our “A Day to
Remember” program.
• Becoming a monthly supporter.
We need 100 people to commit to
$50 a month.
• Sponsoring a child to attend an
event. (Cost is $100 per child.)
28 www.kojministries.org

Me Mode by
Nate Miller
Much of what the Lord has been showing me this year emphasizes
the power of the Holy Spirit. Through studies of the scriptures,
various speakers, and personal experiences, I am coming to a greater
understanding of His power that is given to us and how often I fail to
tap into that endless, unfailing power source.
How important is the power of the Holy Spirit to us? Acts 1:8 says,
“but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.
And you will be my witnesses…in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in
Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
These were Jesus’s last words of instruction to
His disciples before ascending into heaven. This
leads me to believe they were words of great
importance. Jesus was about to send them into
the most remote parts of the earth to share the
gospel. It was a reminder that what they were
called to do would only be possible if the Holy
Spirit was working through them.
My family has been called to take the gospel to
many places through the water-sports ministries
of In His Wakes. Some of those places are quite
remote…or maybe they just seem remote
because we’re navigating down overgrown,
narrow, mud-covered, gravel roads in a 65-
foot motor home weighing 40,000 pounds and
pulling a boat loaded down with equipment. Either way, there’ve
been many times we weren’t sure we would make it to the place the
Lord was calling us to go.
It’s during these challenging times that I often forget whose power
I’m supposed to be relying on so that I can arrive at my destination.
More often than not, I go into “Me Mode.” At the point of needing
God’s power the most, I switch to the weakest power source
possible…mine.
You would think as many times as I’ve seen God show up on my
behalf that I would have learned which power source to best rely on,
but I haven’t.
“but you will
receive power
when the Holy
Spirit comes upon
you. And you will
be my witnesses…
in Jerusalem,
throughout Judea, in
Samaria, and to the
ends of the earth.”
Thankfully, there is no limit to God’s patience and love. Each time
when I mess up and then finally remember to switch from Me Mode
back to God Mode, God has made a way for us to move forward.
When I look to Him for help instead of trying to fix the situation in my
own strength, God faithfully floods my mind with ideas and provides
the resources and people necessary to free us from the miry clay!
As I was writing this article, I was once again faced with a motor
home situation that tested my power source choice. Driving from New
Jersey to North Carolina, the motor home’s engine began to hesitate
and refused to go over 50 mph. Our tour schedule is
jam-packed, so delays like this can prevent us from
reaching an event on time. After waiting four hours at
a Freightliner shop and being told that it would take
two days for the part we needed to arrive, we were
faced with a decision: wait two days and miss an event
in North Carolina or attempt to drive the remaining
200 miles to Greenville.
We began to pray.
As we prayed, a total peace to start driving came
over me. My family felt the same. My daughter Kayla
suggested we start singing praises and thanking the
Lord in advance for how He was going to provide. So,
down the on-ramp we went, chugging along, singing
praise songs. We were a sight.
After 150 miles, the engine reset its limit to 45 mph. Then, it
dropped to 35 mph. The last five miles of our trip, we couldn’t go over
25 mph. We literally coasted into the gate of the property where we
were hosting the event. We made it…barely. But you know what?
Barely was enough. We got to our destination right on time to do
what God had called us to do. While in North Carolina, we saw God
do amazing things in the lives of at-risk youth as we remembered to
minister in His strength.
Take it from me: When faced with trials, resist the urge to fly into
Me Mode. No matter how urgent or overwhelming the situation,
seek the Lord first. Operate in His strength and under His guidance.
As you do, everything else you need will be provided right on time. V
Nate Miller is the director of In His Wakes. He and his wife, Ivy, live in
Oregon and minister together through this outreach. If you are interested
in learning more about how In His Wakes introduces people to the lifechanging
power of Jesus Christ through water sports, contact Nate at
nate@inhiswakes.com. In His Wakes is a separate nonprofit organization
from KOJ Ministries.
www.kojministries.org 29

FROM OUR READERS
Dear Victorious Living Correspondence Team,
I wanted you to know what an impact your ministry’s correspondence outreach is having on the
lives of inmates. Unlike many inmates, I am blessed to have people who write to me and encourage
me on a consistent basis. They visit me, too. Many inmates are not so fortunate. Recently, I witnessed
a fellow inmate receive a letter from your writing team. I could hear him yelling across the yard in
excitement as he waved the card high in the air, saying, “They wrote to me, Bill. They wrote to me!”
Since my friend cannot read well, he gave me the card so that I could read it to him. I’m sure we
made a beautiful sight—a black man and a white man walking through the prison yard with their
arms around each other, rejoicing in the spirit of the Lord as I read. I just couldn’t get over how happy
one little card could make someone. I got emotional watching him receive with joy the words that
had been written by your team. They were just what he needed. Please tell the ladies who write to
inmates, thank you. They have no idea the difference they are making. They are truly God’s ladies!
Dear Kristi,
Sincerely,
Bill D.
Your ministry has inspired me while I’ve been in prison. Just knowing that I have a family in Jesus
Christ has helped me persevere. Receiving letters from the writing team has especially encouraged
my heart. When I get out next year, I would like to help KOJ Ministries in anyway possible. I’d like to
help juveniles go further in life.
It is by God’s grace that I am alive, as my pre-Christian ways should have left me for dead. I have
survived being shot five times, being hit by a truck at 55 mph and dragged down the street for half
a mile, being high on drugs, and being homeless. My survival is a miracle of Christ. My salvation
is another miracle. While in prison, I came to know the Lord. In Him, my life has been healed and
restored as God has removed my sin. Sin brought me death, disease, and destruction; Christ has
brought peace and joy and purpose to my life. Thank you for helping others
find salvation in Christ through your ministry.
God bless,
Dwight A.
HAPPY FEET | from page 23______________________________
Finally, our eye specialist told us that Devin would never
see out of his eye again. After seven years of pain, prayers,
and searching, we decided God had some more doctors and
nurses and glass-eye makers for us to meet.
Devin was so happy to have his eye removed. He was
giddy as he played outside without his sunglasses in the
bright light with no pain for the first time in over seven years.
Today he is ten years old and playing on his first football
team. He is reading Tim Tebow’s book and says he wants to
be different, just like Tim.
Devin doesn’t grumble about the eye he doesn’t have. He
trusts Jesus, who promises to bring healing in due season. He
is training to be everything God created him to be, and he
isn’t worrying about how God will accomplish His will. We are
trusting God to do what He said He will do—to work all things
“together for the good of those who love God and are called
according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:28). By God’s grace,
our faith has legs, and our feet are dancing. V
ITALIAN FALLS | from page 13_______________________________
I had! I did! What about that did they not understand?
She didn’t want to be with me anymore. I had begged
her to come back; I told her that I’d forgiven her; but she
had found a way to rock-climb alone. She no longer wanted
me to help see her safely to the top.
Since that fateful day, I’d spent thousands of dollars
trying to feel valued. I bought Swiss clothes, British hats,
Italian shoes, and flirted with French girls. Emptiness. None
of those things added even a penny to the Hawaii Fund.
None of those things were my dearly beloved wife.
So here I was. I estimated that I was about three
hundred feet up the wall now. I had a good fifty feet more
to climb, but my arms and legs were getting tired. I wanted
to go down. My hands stung and shook uncontrollably. But
there was no turning back. There was no rope connecting
me to a partner.
Emotion gripped my chest as I realized my solitude. I was
alone on a cliff face in the middle of some obscure town in
Italy. My eyes stung.
Was it from pain? Sweat? No. It was because I wanted
to let go. I wanted this all to be over.
“God!” I screamed. “You were supposed to keep us
together! I trusted You!”
A small voice replied, “I can’t keep her from doing what
she wants, Jake. I gave her free will, just like I gave you.”
“But wasn’t it Your will for us to stay married?”
“Of course. It made me happy to see you two married.
But she has freedom of choice, same as everyone else. It
could never be called love if I didn’t give her the freedom to
choose. Without the freedom to love and stay faithful, what
beauty is there in the commitment of marriage?”
“But it’s not beautiful anymore!”
“I know, and it breaks My heart that people choose to
do wrong and hurt others. But I still love her. Just like I
love you.”
“But what do I do now? God, I feel so alone.”
“I want you to love, Jake. Do your best just to love others
like I love you. Look at your friend Honza. He’s standing
down there watching you with the unconditional love of a
true friend. Loving other people like that will bring healing
to your heart.”
Honza was there. How selfish could I be? He cared
about me. He’d unselfishly given up his time and money
to be my friend, to console me because he saw the pain
and scars etched on my heart. Free will had allowed him a
choice, and he had chosen to love. I needed to choose to
love so that I could once again live.
The thought of not being loved is a scary thing. For me,
it’s scarier than death itself. But that’s not what I should
be afraid of. It would be far more terrifying to lose my own
capacity to love—or worse, my choice to love.
I reached the top of the wall and there discovered an
ancient Roman temple. Golden rays broke free of the clouds
as the sun came level with the horizon, gently balancing
itself on the edge of the sea. The sea breathed a heavy sigh
and whispered in my ear with the ocean breeze. Choose to
love. Love like a friend.
It was time to go home. V
30 www.kojministries.org

Thank you to the following organizations who faithfully support Victorious Living with annual gifts in excess of $ 500.
When asked why they give, they respond, “Because we care!”
They care about people, and they desire to help many discover true victory.
WHY
I CARE
Faith is stored in our hearts, in our mouths, and in our
hands as we obediently give The Word of Life to a lost
and dying generation.
At Discount Inboard Marine, LLC, we support Victorious
Living because we know that it is here that The Word
of Life and Love is being given! And hearts are being
made new.
This magazine is making endless ripples of impact; we
are blessed to be a part of what God is doing! Nothing
compares to the promises of God!
May you be blessed as you read the words of testimony
which prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is at
work in lives and hearts and mouths everywhere, every
day, for His Glory!
Thank you KOJ Ministries for the light you shine and the
wake you make!
It is our pride and joy to assist you in adding power to
lives, through the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ.
~Karen Dougherty
Discount Inboard Marine, LLC
There is room for your name on this list!
Thank you, as well, to the individuals and
foundations who have supported this outreach.
American Solutions for Business
cstallings@americanbus.com
Captain’s Party Rentals
captainspartyrentals.com
Clean Cut Lawns
danielmelton.cleancut@yahoo.com
Community Church of Keystone Heights
communitychurchofkeystoneheights.org
CWB Wakeboards
ridecwb.com
Davis Gas
davisgas.com
Discount Inboard Marine
skidim.com
First Baptist of Starke
fbcstarke.org
Keystone Plumbing
keystoneplumbinginc@yahoo.com
Loving Hands Pet Sitting
lovinghandspets.com
Nautique Boat Company
nautique.com
Saturday Night Wonders
ephesians-4-prayer-fellowship.com
The Clipping Corner
Melrose, FL
The Trophy Shop
thetrophyshop.com
www.kojministries.org 31

GIVE
FREEDOM
Victorious Living
PO Box 120951
Clermont, FL 34712-0951
Non Profit Org
US Postage
PAID
Permit No. 610
Jacksonville, FL
GET
FREEDOM
People everywhere desperately need to know
about God’s power, love, and grace. With your help and
God’s Truth, Victorious Living can set captives free!
r I’d like to support Victorious Living and share
freedom with others ($20 Suggested Donation).
With your donation, you will receive Victorious
Living for one year, and we will also send an inmate
on our Prison Correspondence list a personal copy
for one year. (Unless you provide a specific inmate’s
contact information as a recipient.)
r Send an additional gift subscription of Victorious
Living to the recipient listed below ($20
Suggested Donation).
r I’d like to sponsor ____ prison facilities to receive
a case of each Victorious Living issue
for one year ($400 per prison).
Become A Part of the
Victorious Living Family Today!
• Go online at
kojministries.org
• Call 352-478-2098 to place order
• Return this order form in the envelope
provided in this magazine
YES! I Want To Be A Part!
__________________________________________________
Name #1
__________________________________________________
Address #1
__________________________________________________
City | State | Zip #1
__________________________________________________
Email #1
______________________________________________________________________________________
Telephone #1
__________________________________________________
Name #2
__________________________________________________
Address #2
__________________________________________________
City | State | Zip #2
__________________________________________________
Email #2 Telephone #2
A card will be sent to recipients on your behalf to inform them of your gift!
If you would like to send more than one gift, please list names on a separate piece of paper.
r Check attached (make payable to Victorious Living)
r Debit (include voided check)
r Mastercard r VISA
r Please automatically renew my partnership!
Donation Amount _______________________________________________
Cardholder Name (please print) ____________________________________
Card Number __________________________________________________
Expiration Date ________________________________________________
Credit Card Billing Address (required)________________________________
Signature_____________________________________________________
If you have any questions, please call 352-478-2098.
Mail completed forms to:
Victorious Living • PO BOX 120951 • Clermont, FL 34712-0951
or fax to 1-888-837-9153