Bethany C.

I know some pretty amazing women. These women are driven, filled with faith, and I feel there is so much we can learn from each one and her personal journey. These church ladies break all molds and reflect God beautifully in so many different ways.

It’s my pleasure to introduce you to a tea-lover extraordinaire who works in youth ministry. After you read her interview, I am sure you too will be asking yourself, can she be my friend? On Modern Witnesses, she shares about seeing God in the small things and seeing Him through our storms and darkness.

Bethany C.

Inspiring biblical passage of the moment: “No, in all things we are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37-39)

Spiritual growth focus at the moment: Seeing God in the everyday. God is always good, and I am working on spotting Him in the normal things, and the small things, as well as in the big answers to prayer. He is there in the small things; it’s just a matter of changing your lenses to see it.

“He is there in the small things…”

Profession: I am currently a part-time youth minister for a small charity in East Yorkshire.

A one sentence bio of yourself: I drink too much tea!

When did you first encounter God? This is a tricky one. I’ve been a churchgoer all my life, but I guess the first time something really happened was September 2015. I’d had a really bad couple years, with multiple big things going pear-shaped in life and not really coping with them well, I reached a low point.

With not much hope left to offer myself (and after trying multiple different ways of coping on my own), I finally got on my knees and screamed at God for the first time in two years or so about the entire thing. It was the first time I’d really leant on Him and admitted I couldn’t do it, and I asked Him to change everything about me because I wasn’t sure I liked me anymore.

While things didn’t change immediately, and I felt no overwhelming emotions, I look back on that with an entirely different perspective now, knowing that my prayers were answered and my tears were not in vain. It was a slow process, but that was the first step, so it’s an encounter, right?

“…knowing that my prayers were answered and my tears were not in vain.”

What has helped you grow spiritually in this season? Storms. I’ve just been through a huge time of darkness and thunder, and it has been a real test of remaining with God in the midst of the chaos and learning to lean on and trust Him to pull me through. Not even the winds and waves could separate us from Him because it is within the darkness that the light shines the brightest! (John 1:5)

Just read/currently reading: One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, and Home by Jo Swinney.

“Not even the winds and waves could separate us from Him because it is within the darkness that the light shines the brightest!”

Top three essentials: Favorite mug full of tea, poetry book, and worship music.

How did God speak to you recently? A MASSIVE answer to prayer!

Hobby: I have too many hobbies! I play the trombone and the guitar (not at the same time), write poetry, take photographs, and sew every now and again.

Top three practical tips for staying spiritually strong:

Pray. Pray, pray, pray – wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, whoever you’re with – it works wonders.
Find a place with incredible worship and get stuck right in.
Don’t put too much pressure on yourself! It’s easy to feel like you’re failing at faith when you have a super busy day and somehow haven’t properly had time to sit down and think about a passage or lose yourself in prayer (coming from someone who finds herself in this situation too many times!). You are not failing, God is with you wherever you are, all it takes is a few simple moments to breathe, and you’re doing fine.

“You are not failing, God is with you wherever you are…”

Favorite person in scripture? Simon Peter, purely for his transformation from being speak-before-he-thinks Simon into Peter the Rock. Brilliant example of how God can transform someone’s life!

What do you want people to learn about God when they look at you? Three words: God is love.

Favorite season: Autumn, always. Long shadows, warm colors, knitwear, steamy drinks, misty walks, crunchy leaves, conkers, that sort of thing. My wardrobe is at its finest in Autumn; I own an awful lot of jumpers!

Favorite holiday: Christmas because it means I get to see all of my family.

A special tradition you and your family engage in or keep: The only one that comes to mind is when the fair comes to town, we all go together, walk around and get tea, etc., and, without fail, we always finish our visit with a ride on the carousel and a bag of warm doughnuts.

“…we always finish our visit with a ride on the carousel and a bag of warm doughnuts.”

Question you will ask when you get to heaven? Why the natural disasters? I’m not sure I understand those entirely.

Thing you want to raise awareness about: Homelessness! There are far too many people on the streets and it breaks my heart. Is there nothing we can do?

What do you usually do before 9 a.m.? Wake up, wash my face, pray, get dressed, remind myself that “this is the day the LORD has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”.

“[T]his is the day the LORD has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

What is on your nightstand? A coaster (for all of the tea mugs), my alarm clock, a couple of poetry books, lemon lavender scented candles, and a family photograph.

For More Bethany C.:
Tumblr: defiant-in-your-name.tumblr.com

Resource Bethany is sharing:

She reads her devotionals here. (shereadstruth.com)

Until next time, keep witnessing!

XOXO