My story begins in a place where few would have expected it to lead.
When I look back over my life, I see the faithful hand of God guiding every chapter. What often appeared to be ordinary circumstances were, in reality, divine appointments arranged by a sovereign and gracious God. This is the story that has shaped my teaching, counseling, writing, and ministry.
I was born to Carolyn and Jim Clevenger and spent my childhood in the Little Rock area. My parents were hardworking people who loved our family and sacrificed much to provide for us. Yet faith was not part of our home. There was no Bible on the coffee table, no family prayers, and no conversations about Jesus. Looking back, there was little in my surroundings that would have suggested the path God had prepared for me.
Yet God’s grace is never limited by our circumstances.
In the summer of 1970, God used a neighborhood friendship to redirect the course of my life. Through a friend’s family, I began attending a Southern Baptist church, where I first heard the gospel clearly during Vacation Bible School. At nearly ten years old, the Lord opened my heart to the truth of Christ and saved me. Faithful teachers and a caring church family invested in my young faith, planting seeds that would bear fruit for decades to come.
Not long afterward, I was baptized, and over time my mother and brothers began attending church as well. Looking back, I can clearly see God’s drawing grace at work. Long before I sought Him, He was pursuing me.
During my freshman year at Little Rock Central High School, I met the young man who would become my husband. We could not have imagined the life God had planned for us, but through the years He has faithfully sustained us, blessed us with a family we cherish, and used both joys and trials to deepen our faith.
From an early age, I loved words and storytelling. Over the years, I enjoyed opportunities to write for magazines and news publications, but I did not fully understand how God would one day use that interest. At the same time, He was growing within me a love for His Word and a desire to serve His church.
What began in children’s ministry gradually expanded into teaching, discipling, mentoring, and encouraging women. Through years of ministry in the local church and leadership within Bible Study Fellowship, my understanding of Scripture deepened, along with my desire to help others know and apply biblical truth.
Some of God’s most important lessons came through the challenges of everyday life. Seasons of suffering, uncertainty, disappointment, and difficult decisions repeatedly drove me back to Scripture. The truths I taught others became the truths I desperately needed for myself. God’s Word became more than something I studied; it became my refuge, counselor, and source of hope.
Later in life, and by God’s grace, I obtained theological training for biblical counseling and Christian ministry. Sitting in a theology classroom surrounded by students decades younger than myself reminded me that spiritual growth does not end at a certain age. The Lord continues to teach, shape, and sanctify His people throughout every season of life. That season of formal study deepened my understanding of Scripture, strengthened my confidence in the sufficiency of God’s Word, and equipped me to teach, counsel, write, and disciple women.
Looking back, I can see how God was weaving together every part of my story. My love for words, years of ministry, personal trials, theological studies, counseling training, and opportunities to serve were never separate stories. They were threads in a single tapestry designed by a sovereign God who wastes nothing. He uses every season, every joy, every sorrow, and every challenge for His glory and our good.
Today, my husband and I are grateful to call the Arkansas River Valley home. Here I continue to teach God’s Word, provide biblical counseling, write, and encourage women in their walk with Christ. In many ways, this season of life feels like the convergence of everything God has been doing throughout the decades.
If my story demonstrates anything, I hope it demonstrates this: no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace. No background is too unlikely, no circumstance too difficult, and no season wasted in His hands. The God who pursued a little girl from a home where faith was absent is still drawing people to Himself today.
From beginning to end, my story is not ultimately about me. It is a testimony to the grace, sovereignty, and faithfulness of God. And by His grace, the story is not finished yet.