I'm letting my life hang all out; as my promise to God! My Intro to the Pages in the Chapters of my life, uncut, and real. Welcome to My Life Blog!
Hi there, I'm Stephani! I honestly started typing this section to describe all of the things that I do... because that's what everyone wants to know right? Lots of us tend to find the necessity to hide behind our accomplishments to define who we are. But what about the person that hasn't gotten the chance to fulfill their desired accomplishments because they had to take care of their families, or what about the one who made bad life chooses, or the one who simply didn't know how to get started with chasing after their dreams so they just forfeited them? So who are those people, who am I?
Ok.. huhmm,...(clears throat). Sorry about the spill you guys... teehee! That's me! LOL! The wonderer in thought, the passionate, trying to make a difference in this twisted world, sort of shy, but sort of outspoken, (sorry again, very outspoken) defender of those dear to me, loving, encouraging, and intuitive me... Stephani. I'm a wife of over 10 years to the coolest guy I've ever met... he's got some serious swag yall ;) and we have 5 of THE best and cutest little kids on the planet, one of which I didn't birth but you wouldn't have known it from the way my love is for him. I'm a wife, a mother, minister, event coordinator, scheduler, housekeeper, chef (kinda), singer, poet, actress, entrepreneur, writer, editor, now blogger (... woot woot), and a few other things ;) and I am truly grateful for everything that I am entrusted with in my life. It gets difficult at times to carry out everything that I have to do, but I always remind myself that it's not what I do that matters the most to me, it's who I am and the person that people see when they see me.
I did not always have this full, happy, purposeful life in God that you'll see in the chapters and pages in this blog. I was raised in a Godly home and in church and I knew God but decided I that wanted something else. I have a messy little past where I went and wiled out for some years and did things that I'm not too proud of, but I'm not ashamed of though, because I know who I am now. I was a little hot tailed, weed head that stayed at the club scene and did whatever popped in my mind, not realizing how unhappy I really was with my life. Long story short, the lifestyle caught up with me and I ended up in the hospital from spazing out on a date rape drug that some guys slipped in my drink trying to set me up for them to have a fun night. I ended up in the hospital for about a week fighting for my right mind. (Full story in My Prodigal Story post) That was not my first experience like this, but it was the worst, and I decided it was time that I gave my life to Christ.
I fully surrendered to God and have been seeing His Word become life right before my eyes and this journey with God has been nothing short of amazing. I promised Him that I will live my life as an open book to Him (hence... Steph’s Open Book, the name of the blog, ok I think you get it, haha) and that I'll never be ashamed to tell my testimony so that other people could be inspired for greatness. This blog is my diary. It is a virtual sneak peak of the mind and the life of me. I want you to see inside the life of Stephani, a fully transformed, Christian Black woman, who is genuinely chasing after Christ every day of her life. I have conquered many things and have yet to conquer more and this blog is My Open Book into my life for God to receive the glory, as I promised him nearly 15 years ago. As I'm transparent, I hope you don't judge me too bad along the way as I open up my life to you. That fear of what people will think about them is what keeps folks struggling in the church because they're afraid of what judgmental people would think if flaws were exposed. How can we help others get free if they're so afraid to express what they need to be free from? Truth is, I truly have let go of blaming others for my failures, and I've stopped trying to make excuses when I miss the mark. And man, I'm so freakin free!!! All I want is God! I hate sin, I hate seeing people bound by it, I hate people dying from overdose, I hate when people have low self esteem, I hate when people don't know who they are in Christ. Steph’s Open Book is me doing something about it, because I love people experiencing freedom in Christ!
Back to my spill from the beginning, I'm the one who held off on chasing after my dreams of singing, performing, and acting because I was blessed with a wonderful family and was given other awesome opportunities. What happened was, with the beautiful new life I was given in Christ, I now have a host of dreams that I'm actively chasing after now. This is the very beginning for me, again. I'm starting over and re-inventing myself. You are part of my story! Everything I post pertaining to me using my gifts will be right here. My social media links, my Youtube videos, anything concerning major things I'm doing will be posted here on Steph's Open Book, my blog on my website. Check out My Video where my husband and I announced that we were going to live as an open book. Please subscribe to, well, everything I got, lol! I hope you stay riding with me for the long haul! Welcome to the pages of my journey to get everything outside of me that God has placed inside me. I hope as you ride with me on my journey with Christ through this blog, that you are encouraged to continue to walk victoriously through yours.
I love you!
Stephane D. Sturgis
Steph’s Open Book