Daren Mehl Testimony
Daren Mehl shares his testimony of being transformed by Jesus. Having lived as a “Gay Christian”, yet being convicted by the Holy Spirit but no way out, God provided the help in the form of a Christian Brother who helped Daren gain faith in his heterosexual potential as God created him. Even after marrying a woman he met through a guy he used to date, Daren was addicted to porn and for years tried to pray the gay away but couldn’t stop acting out with porn. At the end of his rope, Daren discovered he was operating in self righteousness rather than in the righteousness and grace of God through Jesus Christ. After a radical experience of repentance and then guidance to truth by the Holy Spirit, Daren experienced freedom from sinful desires toward the same sex. Today Daren has been married 16 years and has two children. His message of the power of Jesus to transform a person’s heart and mind will encourage you that change is possible from any sinful addiction or false identity.
A little about Kelly
Hi my name is Kelly. I joined Agape First the summer of 2021. What drew me to Agape First, besides the lovely people, was my heart to help people navigate trauma (and my own) as well as their passion and commitment to see lives transformed by the love and power of Jesus.
Some of the things I have been involved in over the years is 15+ years of mentoring discipleship and pastoral ministry. I get super excited when people find out who they are in God and learn to live like they are loved.
Being a single mom for 10 years, I know how difficult and painful it can be so mentoring young, single mom’s is something I’m always doing.
Partnering with God to create community, family and the rich, nourishing relationships we all crave is my passion.
My husband, Josh is a nurse. We have 4 year old and a 24 year old son and a daughter in heaven.
My favorite things are a good cup of tea and a book, a long walk with a friend, painting, a nice long laugh and chatting with Jesus in my garden.
Johnny Max: My Testimony
I grew up in a nominal Christian home, where if I was good I would go to heaven; if I was bad…hell. My great grandpa was a revival circuit rider with the shouting Methodists, so there was a godly heritage that had marked me; but I struggled with the connection because I didn’t really know Jesus. Amongst a lot of abandonment (because of my parents drug abuse) & abuse that surrounded me, Jesus began His call on my heart.
In the second grade, I went to bible camp, where a pastor shared Jesus’ plan of salvation with us. It didn’t make sense because of my paradigm of God; but Jesus would soon change that. Hanging in my room was a picture of Jesus knocking on the door. Every night I would go to sleep, my heart felt Jesus walk out of the picture & stand next to my bed–He would say He was knocking on the door of my heart. I always had my excuse why I wasn’t ready…I didn’t feel I was worth it. I continued to run for 6 more years…Jesus kept faithfully pursuing my heart. I ran to new age philosophy to fill the emptiness of my wounded heart, until a friend invited me to his church. The presence I felt there was so familiar–He had been waiting at the altar of that church for 6 years! Never once did He let His arms down, He never turned His face from me. I surrendered my heart completely to Him & immediately fell in love with Jesus.
My heart has found any & everything that I could ever dream of! I am completely satisfied with Jesus & have found so much healing. My heart has been set free to sing right to Him–He always loves to hear my voice. I am fully convinced of His love & the reason for my joy is the strength of His heart of joy!
Vision for Agape First Ministries!
Jesus moved in signs, wonders and miracles. He bound up broken hearts and He released truth that set the captives free. As Jesus ministered throughout the land, the Father made His name famous. The Kingdom of God was manifesting on the earth.
We at Agape First Ministries believe God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. We believe Jesus still heals the sick, binds up broken hearts and speaks truth intended to free us from bondage and shape our world view.
The kingdom of God is AVAILABLE to us all and we desire it’s manifestations on the earth just as they are in heaven. This is the foundation of our VISION at Agape First Ministries.
AGAPE FIRST MINISTRIES’ VISION STATEMENT:
We desire to make the name of Jesus famous by discipling the nations regarding His transforming power, so that the saints will persevere in love for God.
Introducing Gracie Poole
What’s goin on everyone? My name is Gracie Poole and my entire life I have wanted to know Jesus, love Jesus and live to tell everyone about Jesus. Just a little about me and how I got to being on staff at Agape First Ministries.
There are just no words to describe how Jesus transformed my life with His love. Once I got on my detour away from Jesus, I never actually felt loved. I felt tolerated. When someone was done tolerating me they left. I was too much of a burden. I had caused too much damage. I had gone too far. They didn’t love me anymore. They needed to cut me off. I was never enough. I was never worth it. Their life was better without me in it. But none of that is love.
I talk a lot about a moment when my friend hugged me and it changed my life. I share that moment a lot because that is the point in time I heard God’s heartbeat- He just used my friend. It was the loudest way to tell me He loved me and He didn’t have to say a word. That moment thrust me off my detour and onto a journey of healing and preparation for what was coming next. Somewhere on that journey the scales fell from my eyes and my heart was softened. All of my bitterness and pain was replaced with joy and peace.
It was the incredible love of my Jesus that totally transformed my life. The more and more that I spent time sitting in His presence listening to Him the less like Grace I became. I’m not 100% sure when it happened but somewhere I became a totally different person and that’s why I go by Gracie. If I’m going to live the life that God has called me to and not the life everyone told me to live, then I’m going to go by a new name.
His love changed me and I will never be the same. There isn’t a part of me that wasn’t transformed and made new. God doesn’t do anything half way. I look different. I see things different. I hear things different. The music I listen to is different. My talk is different. My desires are different. What I watch is different. Even my struggles . . . they are different. The old really has gone and somewhere along the way while I was sitting in His presence, His love completely transformed me, created in me a clean heart, and the new has come!
I can say without a doubt that Jesus transforms because His love transformed my life and I will never be the same.
My name is Gracie Poole, and I was the 100th Sheep but Jesus left the 99 to rescue me. Now I live my life to make the name of Jesus famous by proclaiming Jesus transforms, because His love changed me.