As an actress, Gwendolyn Briley-Strand was used to playing strong female roles—women of faith and perseverance. But playing a resilient character is far easier than being one in real life. Two rounds of cancer, including exhausting chemotherapy and radiation treatments, reinforced Gwen’s belief that she needed to turn to the healing words of the Bible for her strength.

Nicklis Stevens lost his sister, Lygon, in an avalanche while they were hiking a mountain peak. He then went through the valley of pain asking the difficult question of “Why?” God answered him in beautiful and unexpected ways.

A serious car crash and one month in a coma changed the course of Russ Shadron’s life. This wake-up call took him from a life of selfishness and partying to a life of gratefulness and understanding.

“When we’re challenged; when we’re in a difficult situation, what do we do? We turn to God.”

It’s not always easy to know what God wants us to do. Sometimes we have to wait. And through prayer and wise counsel we find confirmation and open doors . . . just as Steven did. His Maasai people wanted him to become their leader, but he was very reluctant. He prayed and waited. After confirming the Lord’s calling for him, he now boldly leads because “if…

A rough childhood which included repeated abuse at the hands of religious leaders made Vic Mitchell a very confused and angry person. When he went into the service after high school and they asked him what he wanted to be, he replied, “I want to become the meanest man possible.” He hung out with the wrong crowd and took pleasure in beating people up. But one Sunday…

“I needed to cry. No, I needed to weep. Deep, abandoned sobs. What on earth have I done to deserve all this pain?”

Angel believed the lies the world told her. She felt worthless and ugly. Her life became a swirling mess of men, booze, and drugs until one day she cried out to God, “Kill me or save me. But don’t let me live like this anymore.”

Becky’s life was a mess. Once she found what she’d been looking for, she knew she had to share it. “I wanted a deep, meaningful, rich life for the Lord;” and she found it in loving others well.