Scripture Motto

"Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." Matthew 5:16

Meet Merrie

A "Livin' Out Loud 4 Jesus" Lifestyle

I am forever grateful to my big sister and brother for introducing me to roller-skating when I was only four-years-old. Our mom made them take me, of course, so, I was a nuisance and embarrassment to them. Nevertheless, skating became my passion.

It opened up a world of freedom, independence and self-expression. Gliding around the rink gave me a place to soar and spread my wings. Whether skating with friends or all alone, I was free to be me.

However, somewhere along life’s way I became uncertain about how to be free to be me. I began hiding the real me, hiding my lamp under a basket where only a dim glow could shine. (Matthew 5:15)

Audacious and Sassy
As I look back at the beginning of my life in a small Nebraska town with my parents’ love and security, the youngest of their three children, I reveled in being the center of attention.

“Audacious and sassy” or outspoken, overconfident, and generally rebellious best describes my inherent personality. (My siblings would call my behavior as “being a spoiled little brat.”) Attending Sunday school religiously, I accepted Jesus as my Savior with baptism at the age of nine. All seemed good. But then …

I Became a Teenager
When my overconfident self moved toward the more rebellious side, an inner conflict followed. Society’s anti-establishment teachings of the sixties and seventies contradicted my understanding of Christianity. I boldly debated for women’s rights and free love, while preaching to my friends to live the righteous Christian life.

I desperately tried straddling both sides, but found it much more difficult than balancing on my roller skates.

High school friends and classmates admired my daring ability to stand up against authorities. Many even came to me for guidance and counsel, but I really did not have “all of life’s answers” or know where to find them.

Before my life spun completely out of control, my patient God intervened, gently turning me back to Him.

First, He brought a wonderful young man of integrity into my life. Even though our relationship could be rocky and confusing at times, we married a year and a half later. Together we learned to follow God’s moral compass, and surrendered our wills to Him.

From Rebel to Servant
God then moved us away from our childhood homes, introducing Christian friends who taught us how to know Jesus as Lord. As I studied the Bible, I discovered “all of life’s answers are in His Book.”

As God’s Word guided my everyday living, conviction of my teenage rebellion and the poor influence I had been upon my friends haunted me. How could I ever go back and correct the wrongs of my past? God used the conviction; He turned it into a passion to minister to youth.

Over the next 30 years, various opportunities presented themselves to me as a means to teach young people that “All of life’s answers are in His Book.” When God called me to write, I saw it as another avenue for me to tell those seeking God's truth.

Living Loud
Living with my audacious, sassy personality His way hasn’t come easily, but it is so wonderful to feel like I am free to be me again. Now I again skate through life, gliding as on eagle’s wings, freely soaring, and no longer hiding.

Look Out …this girl is letting the Light of God shine without restraint

“Livin’ Out Loud for Jesus.” (Matthew 5:16)