COURSE 1: EMOTIONALLY HEALTHY SPIRITUALITY

Taught by Stephanie Gilbert and Stephanie Miller. When challenges enter our lives, challenging emotions enter, too. Our emotions are strongly linked together with what we believe and value; therefore, we tend to ignore challenging emotions. This ultimately stifles the growth of our relationship with Him. This course is designed to help you better understand some of these hard emotions and the emotional traps that we can fall into. Once you know more about how to identify and process challenging emotions, you open yourself up to the power of the Holy Spirit and what He wants to do through you.

MAIN TEXT: Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero

Other great reads: Unglued by Lisa Terkeurst, Boundries by Cloud and Townsend, Anxious for Nothing by Max Lucado.

STEPHANIE GILBERT and her family have been part of the Grace Family of Churches for about 15 years. She works as a certified fitness professional leading classes at The Wellness Studio in Grayson and About Mind and Body in

Snellville. It was her struggles with depression and anxiety that ultimately led her to fitness and exercise – the most under-utilized anti-depressant – as a career. Stephanie has become an advocate for mental health and wants to help eliminate the stigma it seems to have within the Church. Through her own struggles, including several hospitalizations and years of therapy, God has been ever-present while demonstrating His unconditional love. He has given Stephanie a passion and a vision to minister to and care for those who are hurting and struggling. This desire led her to partner with Stephanie Miller and Grace New Hope to launch and lead Stephen Ministry. She is married to Kevin and together they have three boys, Neal, Eli, and Andrew.

STEPHANIE MILLER was originally born and raised in Wisconsin, but now calls Grayson home after relocating with her husband and two daughters in 2011. Growing up in a household of domestic violence where everyday life was unstable and volatile, she experienced brokenness on a personal level and watched her mother struggle with anxiety and depression to the point of hospitalization. As a teen and adult, she has subsequently dealt with her own anxiety and depression. She feels that in her brokenness, God’s plan was to raise her up with a heart of service for His people who are emotionally unhealthy.

Inspired by His divine plan for her, Stephanie has pursued this path consistently over the past 11 years. She led local Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS, Inc.) groups and eventually founded the Grace MOPS group at Grace Snellville (now Grace Moms) while serving as the Southeast Area Coordinator training and supporting 120 local teams across four states. In 2017, Stephanie co-founded the

Stephen Ministry program at Grace New Hope and is currently one of three Stephen Leaders. Stephanie has earned degrees in Psychology and Sociology from Carroll University and will be graduating from Liberty University this May with a Master’s in Professional Counseling. She currently serves at Barrow Ministry Village in Winder where she counsels individuals dealing with issues such as anxiety, depression, anger, and trauma.