Hope Upon Hope

May the God of
HOPE
fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so that by the power of the Holy Spirit
you may abound in
HOPE. 
Romans 15:13

Hope.  HOPE.  hope.  Hope. HOPE. hope. H.O.P.E.  If I have stamped that word out once in the last 5 years I’ve stamped it out one thousand times.

Hope is the heartbeat of ReJoyed.  Jesus is my hope and the anchor of my soul but several years ago I felt hopeless.  Things were not going according to my plan and that left me spiraling into a pit of despair.  I prayed and asked God to restore my joy and He answered that prayer by giving me the creative outlet that is now known as ReJoyed.  The very first thing I wanted to do was put the word HOPE on a cross.  I won’t go into the details, but if you’re interested you can read more about it here. 

ReJoyed grew into a little business but the mission of  restoring joy and giving hope remains the same.  For the past few years I have had the joy of working alongside my friend Paula.  We work on ReJoyed projects as well as develop her own brand and creative outlet called “Simply Twist3d”. Sometimes we collaborate on artistic ventures and writing.   Paula and I met in a way that only God could orchestrate.  I am part of a ministry that reaches out to women working in the adult entertainment industry here in the Tampa Bay area called IAmFreedomGirl.  We visit the strip clubs once a month.  One Friday night we left a plaque with a Bible verse on her dressing room station. (There is so much more to that story, because we usually don’t do that.)   She reached out to us the next morning.   We became fast friends  over many cups of coffee.  Over the years we have talked about Jesus, encouraged each other through laughter and tears and created cool stuff as well.   

Paula is a single woman trying to make a life outside of the clubs.  How do you move on from a lifestyle in the adult entertainment industry?  If you have never been there before you may be tempted to say, “just leave”.    If you have been there, or are there now, you may shake your head and say, “I have no idea.”    Almost every time I speak in public about IAmFreedomGirl someone will inevitably come up to me and whispers in my ear, “I’ve been there… keep going.”  While life’s twists and turns take us to places and down roads we never planned on going, people do “get out”.   So how do you leave?  After hearing many life stories,  it is fair to say that it’s complicated.  I do know this, there is HOPE.  The  common denominators among those that leave the industry are a support system and a new source of income.  Those are both extremely important but first there must be HOPE. Holy Spirit inspired HOPE that restores joy.   

 

So, we had a collaborative cross making day at Paula’s house.  We made some really cool crosses, but as we wrapped up the day I left photos of some of the “HOPE” pieces I have made over the years and a blank wooden cross.  Paula said she had an idea and the next day she sent me a picture of this

 

cross.  It nearly took my breath away because it truly captures what ReJoyed is all about.  It reminded me of that time when I desperately needed  hope when things seem hopeless.  I know it was made by hands that need hope. Paula named this cross “Hope upon Hope” because of the layers of HOPE.

       

You can purchase your own “Hope Upon Hope” Cross at  ReJoyed.com The wood for each cross is hand cut by me and then “collaged” by Paula.  Each one will be similar but slightly different and one of a kind. 

Please also take some time to visit   One-Voice.  God put it on Paula’s heart to start sharing thoughts and teaching from the Bible.  I am co-writing on some of the posts.  We  hope it will be a place where we can dig into the word, ask questions and encourage one another.  You can also visit Paula’s Simply Twist3d Boutique Etsy shop  or contact her for custom tshirt, coffee cups or tile printing. 

p.s. I am finishing this blog in the early morning hours of Easter Sunday.  As I wait for the sun to rise on this day I can’t help but think of the despair that must have filled the hearts of Jesus’ friends after his death.  Had the story ended there, this cross would not have one bit of significance our lives today. But, because that morning, when the sun came up and the women discovered an empty tomb, we have Hope upon Hope. Not only for this life, but for all of eternity.  I pray that the God of HOPE fills you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in HOPE!