Tarnished Crowns a Memoir details your personal struggles and your transformative journey towards God. Why was this an important book for you to write?

What God did and showed me in my life was not just for my growth but also for sharing with others. 

God’s ways are not our ways, and many get lost in their faith journey when God changes the road map. I want to help others understand how to better cooperate with the process of salvation. If we learn to look inside ourselves and ask God, “What do you want to teach me?” We will often realize how he uses situations/challenges to build character and faith. Sometimes we get so fixated on the problem we can’t see past it to the higher ways of God. 

That’s why I wrote this memoir to show what growth and Transformation look like in real-time. It’s not always pretty as we face our fears, doubts, and insecurities, but we have an advocate in those times we can turn to, and he will strengthen our trust and faith in him. 

I hope it helps others learn how to stay the course, see beyond the moment, and become more connected to God when facing life’s challenges.

I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?

To understand some of the difficulties I faced in trusting God as a born-again believer, I felt I had to let readers know about my life amid the glamour and self-indulgence of my past life. I experienced what the world had to offer and how it seduced me into the “desert of spiritual poverty.” Without a purpose beyond “wealth, success, power, and self-gratification,” there is a void inside. 

It was difficult recounting those days where I was lost, abused, and confused. I had no idea how to overcome the damage I had done to myself. I didn’t think God could help because “my issues were emotional, not spiritual” – until I met Jesus.

What is one piece of advice someone gave you that changed your life?

The most significant life-changing moment was wrestling with becoming the director of a crisis house in Hollywood. It meant leaving my security and comfort to move into a house serving at-risk youth, prostitutes, and other hurting humanity. I went to my pastor for advice, and he lovingly looked at me and said, “Pick up your cross and follow Jesus.” Not what I wanted to hear, BUT that started my journey to follow Jesus, and it has been the most incredible adventure of my life. 

What do you hope is one-thing readers take away from your story?

I hope it will help them question God’s purpose for their lives. I want them to hunger for a more intimate relationship with him. 

The church is the starting place, but the adventure with Jesus begins with following him wherever he leads. “Come follow me,” Jesus said. I hope the reader will realize that God is not afraid of our emotions – he understands what we are going through. As we risk being honest with God, we find he is reasonable, merciful, and full of compassion. That’s where we discover our purpose and the freedom to be authentic—in the context of his unconditional love for us. The more honest and open with God, the deeper our love for him becomes. 

I hope readers will be encouraged by my story and risk asking God to show them where their adventure begins.

Author Links: Website | Amazon