Stephanie Kay

Thank you just doesn’t seem suffice.

Your bravery, courage and sacrifice deserves to be honored…not just today, but everyday.

You are loved.
You are seen.
You are appreciated…so much.

It was a difficult week for our Haitian family. The violence in Haiti hit very close to home.

Jean Carl Louis was such a kind man. He was full of wisdom and always made getting water, to our children, a priority. When Haiti is in a drought , our cistern system has no rain to store for our orphanage water needs. So, we have to have water brought in on a truck. Anytime we were in this position, Jean would rush to make sure our children had water quickly. He was generous, kind and encouraging. He worked very hard. He loved our children and loved helping.

Sadly…Jean was brutally murdered by Haitian gang members, last week. 😢 This is a huge loss. One that is difficult to fully grasp and accept.

He leaves behind a wife, 2 children (8 and 5 years old) and our orphanage, who will always love and appreciate the kindness he showed, the sacrifice he made and the genuine soul he was.

We would like to bless his wife and children, as they navigate such a horrific loss and attempt to survive, in a hugely poverty stricken nation, with their husband/father and only source of income now gone. The road they face ahead is a very difficult one.

If you would like to help us bless them, please send a tax deductible donation to one of the following:

Paypal:
Cashapp: $slaybaughministries
Venmo:

After a few IV treatments and several medications, Roodline is feeling so much better.

THANK YOU…

…To everyone that gave, financially, to ensure Roodline was able to fight her infection.

…To everyone that covered her, in prayer, and spoke healing over her.

She is finally back to her beautiful, sweet self. She even put a dress on to feel healthy AND pretty. 🥰

Please look at the before picture, and then watch the after video.

THIS is what your giving does. It saves the lives of children who otherwise would have no chance.

Thank you, to my village, for loving these children as much as I do. ♥️

PRAYERS NEEDED…

I’m asking for prayer for my Haitian daughter Roodline. She is very sick and losing weight quickly. She’s extremely weak and struggling to hold down food or water.

There are not vaccines for children, in Haiti. So sickness can be very scary as they face the danger of diseases we haven’t seen, here in America, in centuries.

I currently have her being seen at the doctor’s office. Please pray for healing and comfort.

If you feel led to give towards her care, please be obedient to that pull.

Cashapp: $slaybaughministries
Paypal: slaybaughministries
Venmo:

I fight demons on a daily basis. Trauma that I have gone through has made the daily mental and emotional struggle very real. Physical diagnoses have made daily basic tasks a challenge. I wake up everyday and CHOOSE to not give the physical or mental battles any ground in my life. And can we be honest? I get tired. I get weary. I feel defeated, at times. I WONT give up, but that doesn’t mean that my determination negates the struggle.

But…He gave me a gift that combats all of that. He knew I would need it. And He gave it freely.

There is something in me that takes over, when I worship. I can be facing impossible situations but when I worship, they suddenly feel possible. I can walk on stage, or simply lay prostrate on my bedroom floor, feeling weighed down and overwhelmed. Yet when I open my mouth and worship, the weight leaves. I’ve learned over the years that my gift was not given just to bless others. It was given as a source of
victory, for me. It’s my weapon…my fight…my shelter.

When I’m in His presence, I’m simply untouchable…because the God in me is greater than ANY enemy.

No matter what you’re facing, I challenge you to worship. I challenge you to lift your voice and simply get into His presence. That is your safe place. That is your refuge. That is your victory.

Today, we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior.

But many of us are dead inside. Many of us have felt defeated for so long. Many of us feel like that tomb will never open, and we will never feel alive again. And the sadness, brokenness and death we feel is causing the decay to leak into every area of our life.

That’s where I was a few years ago. It was Easter morning and, as a minister, I was expected to celebrate. But I struggled to. I was numb. My praise was quiet and I felt too far gone to even imagine a resurrection in my life. I had been gone for too long. I had messed up too much. I had accepted my tomb. In fact, I became comfortable in it…because I didn’t have the strength to get up and leave that tomb even if He had resurrected me. I had accepted death.

But, while I laid in my tomb of defeat, I was reminded that in order to be resurrected, I had to make the decision to get up. When God resurrected Jesus, He didn’t carry Jesus out of the tomb. Jesus got up and walked out. Jesus accepted his victory. He stepped into it. What if Jesus just laid there, alive, but never left the tomb of defeat?

Today, I want you to know that the rock is already rolled away. He has already conquered the hardest part. You have to choose step out of your tomb.

RISE UP! Today is not just about His resurrection…it’s about yours, too!

Your resurrection is TODAY, because of His resurrection years ago. I claim that tomorrow, when the enemy comes looking for you, in your tomb, YOU WON’T BE THERE!

I was preaching at a church a few weeks ago, and this moment blessed me and simultaneously convicted me.

This was not during an altar call. There was no offering being received. There was no prompting, from leadership, of any kind.

This man came walking up the aisle, singing loudly and waving his praise flag.

Then, he simply emptied everything out of his pockets, threw it as if money meant nothing, put his flag down and laid face first on the floor of the altar. He wept before God. He cried out to God. Without reserve, he just lost himself in God’s presence.

I miss this in the church. I miss altar calls. I miss dancing down aisles. I miss hearing everyone sing loudly, even if off key. I miss the undignified worship and praise that use to shake the building it echoed in. I miss the anointing oil stained carpet from the constant laying of hands and anointing heads. I miss the baptismal tub being open every Sunday…just in case.

Things like Asbury should be happening much more frequently. They should be happening everytime we get into His presence. But, we have forgotten what it is to simply come before God, willing to lay ourselves down and make it all about Him.

It seems that nowadays, church is about Jesus plus something else. Jesus, plus music. Jesus, plus light shows. Jesus, plus ego. Jesus, plus upcoming events. It’s almost as if Jesus has to compete with all this other nonsense.

We’ve turned church into a place where we gather to hear good music, be inspired by a word (sometimes, not even a biblical word), watch a big screen and flashing lights, and listen to comedic announcements that eventually lead to asking for money.

And until we get back to making church about Jesus, and Jesus alone…we will simply be a lot of people, meeting in a building but never fully experiencing an upper room atmosphere.

Open the altars back up.
Turn the mics down.
Shut off the fog machine.
Turn off the lights.
Blacken the screens.
Get yourself in a posture like this man.

Simply come and call on the name of Jesus and stop relying on man made things to worship the God who made man.

I found myself lying in bed, awake at 3am, this morning. I often do. Those are the moments I hear from God the most. I’m still trying to understand why He can’t speak, to me, at noon…when I’m eating a sandwich or something. Noooooo. He’s gotta wake me up, in the middle of the night. 😂

I travel a lot over the next few months, as I’m scheduled to preach/sing at several different churches. I’ve begun to pray for each trip, because I believe God desires to give me specific words for each church I minister to. I don’t just pull from a file of sermons. I pray over that specific congregation, and ask God what He has for those people and how I can be used to share it with them. Is it time consuming…yes. But, ministry requires much more than just throwing out some theology.

For years, when doing ministry, I would try to gain immense amounts of knowledge (which is a good thing). Then I would ask God what I can do to be successful (again, a good thing). BUT, something He recently spoke so clearly to me was that knowing theology is good, but theology doesn’t change my anointing. Being a pastor or having a position in the church doesn’t change my anointing. My anointing is not measured by what I DO or what I KNOW. It’s measured by what God does THROUGH me. It’s about who He is WITHIN me.

In all my studying of His word and writing sermons and songs…one thing I am convinced of…if this…even if I know all the scriptures, all the context and have every ounce of biblical knowledge, that is all irrelevant if it’s not coming from Him, THROUGH me.

I don’t want “theology” to come through me. I want God to.

That’s all. Happy Tuesday. Love y’all. 😌

I’m a 39 year old woman. I have spent my life being told, “do what makes YOU happy”, “cut them off if they don’t benefit YOU”, “don’t let them think they got the best of YOU”, “life is about doing YOU”, “be true to what YOU want”, “kick them to the curb”, “karma is on YOUR side”...the list goes on and on. The world is spewing these lies that being selfish is our purpose; that strength lies in our ability to self preserve.

But, as Christians, that is far from what we are called to. Jesus did not come to this earth and live His life as an existence purposed by self preservation. Everything He did, He did so with others in mind. He didn’t cut people off when they offended Him. He didn’t walk around just waiting for the haters to give Him a reason to bail. I’m convinced some of us literally search for people who don’t like us, so we can continue to carry that chip on our shoulder, as an excuse not to love.

What this world views as strength, is weakness in the kingdom. We aren’t call to self preserve. We are called to soul preserve, but every thing else is about love and giving back what God has so graciously given us.

So, no, don’t “do you, Boo”. Do The Word. Do kindness. Do love. Do Jesus.

Family testimony….
That’s my boy, pinning someone else’s boy. 😁
Many people don’t realize what he’s been through and how hard he’s worked to be in that position.
We began seeing symptoms of what they believed was autism, when he was 2. Fast forward several years and it was discovered that he was suffering from severe OCD, not autism. It affected every area of his life, in ways that most can’t begin to understand. It’s MUCH more than needing things clean. So. Much. More.
There were times where he struggled to even leave the house. There were anxiety attacks, nights of crying and just feeling hopeless in the attempts to manage his mind. It’s a battle that he constantly fights, with such grace and maturity. It requires daily perseverance and determination.
He made the decision long ago that, while listening to doctors and taking the necessary medication (until healing comes 😉), he would fight with prayer and the word of God. And that’s exactly what he does. Every single day, He is in The Word. I wake up in the morning to him worshipping in the shower or listening to audio sermons. I catch him often buried in his Bible just seeking God’s presence.
Fast forward to now…he’s a senior with a 4.7 GPA, an excellent wrestler, the president of the national honors society and an international missionary.
I wish I could go back to that first doctor, who thought his symptoms would affect his ability to be all that he is today. He has far surpassed what was believed to be possible. I’m the loud mom, in the stands, and at times I’ve caught people looking at my like I’m nuts. But they just don’t truly understand the battle I’ve watched him face and what an accomplishment it is for him to continue to step on that mat.
Austen Slaybaugh I am so proud of you. I see your faithfulness to God and your perseverance through things that would cause most people to crumble. The enemy has attempted to stop you on the battlefield of your mind. But you have been a warrior, in that battle, and God has proved Himself to you time and time again. I love you and I’m always in your corner cheering you on (sometimes too loudly 🤷‍♀️😬🫣).

DAVIDSON UPDATE:

The doctor found that Davidson has several parasites in his stomach and severe anemia. Unfortunately, this is common in places like Haiti and, without medical care, can cause serious medical issues. Many children don’t get the medical care they need and become very sick and die. 😔

But, because you give to this vision, Davidson now has all the medication needed in order to get better.

Below is a current picture of him. He’s still very sick. He is one of the most joyful kids in the orphanage. He is always smiling, dancing and spreading laughter…so this pic is far from the goofy Davidson we are used to. But, he will be back to himself soon!

He will be taking medicines for 6 months in order to kill the parasites. Please continue to pray for quick relief and that he would start to gain weight.

It is also very possible other children I’m the orphanage will have these parasites, now. So please pray for all of the children as we keep a close eye on them for symptoms.

We love and appreciate you all. Thank you for literally helping us save lives.

We need your prayers for one of our children in Haiti.

Davidson is very sick and we aren’t sure what’s going on. He is losing, weight without explanation, and is dealing with stomach pain. We were hopeful it was a stomach bug or the flu, but he is not improving and it’s been too long to be a virus.

Please pray for him tonight and pray that we get answers from the doctors.

If you feel led to help donate (tax deductible) for the cost of the doctor and any medicines/tests, please visit www.theloveimpact.org and click on the donate tab. Or you can give through PayPal, Venmo or Cashapp (SlaybaughMinistries).

One of the most tragic things that I’ve come across, in my years of ministry, is the belief that you have to fix yourself BEFORE you come to God.
I’ve listened to many people tell me they can’t go to church, because their life isn’t right. They would be “struck down” if they walked in the doors! They can’t accept Jesus because they are too much of a mess. They have to get themselves together first. That’s what they believe.
Unfortunately, that belief system gives the enemy so much control. It causes people to stay in a hopeless cycle, because they know they need help but the only one that can help them is Jesus. Yet, they won’t come to Jesus until they are “better”. So, the enemy keeps them in this cycle of avoidance and brokenness.
But, here’s the thing. Before the cross, no one could truly sit in the presence of God. The power was so great that they would die. There was a “veil” that stopped us from entering the Holy of Holies. So, He sent His son to die. Why? Because He wanted us to be able to sit with Him. And the minute Jesus died for us, that veil was torn. I personally like to imagine it being violently ripped in half by God himself. 😌
God didn’t have to send His son. He could’ve just kept the veil up (As an introvert…I would’ve…if I was God 😂). But instead, He made a way for us, in all of our mess, to reach Him AND hang out with Him. Literally.
He was like…”yo…this veil has got to go. I want them WITH me. The addicts, the adulterers, the drunks, the liars, the thieves, the self righteous, the murderers, the sexually immoral…I want ALL of them with me.”
He never said you have to be fixed before you hang with Him. As a matter of fact, He said come hang with me…and I will fix you.
So, today, stop letting your mistakes or struggles keep you from sitting with Him. I promise He wants you, just as you are.

As I stood on my deck and watched the sunrise, over my mountain, I was reminded that His mercies are new EVERY morning.

I can’t imagine giving people, that hurt me, a new chance EVERY SINGLE DAY. Yet, no matter how much we fail, that’s exactly what He does for us.

I’m grateful. Morning, by morning, new mercies I see.

I had someone ask me, a few weeks ago, why I don’t pursue larger platforms, stages or titles. They struggled to understand why, with my gifting and anointing, I go to smaller churches and do events that aren’t “big enough” for me (their words…not mine).

Let me share why I don’t turn down ministry opportunity based on platform size or financial gain…

This weekend…

While I am always willing to be on stage, as God leads, the most valuable part of my ministry is in the altar. And after all the singing and preaching, I spent more time in the altar, than I did on stage, these last 2 days.

I want to share just one of the stories from this weekend.

A young woman came to the altar after my concert on Saturday. She came that night with a su***de plan in tact. She was done fighting and saw no reason to keep living. She showed up at the concert not expecting much and not even really sure why she came. After I finished singing, I had an altar call (I do at every concert…I always will). There were several people in the altar, but she snuck in (probably hopeful I wouldn’t notice). She walked up to the altar, and stood quietly in the crowd, with her head down. I immediately was drawn to her. The Lord simply, but very clearly spoke to me “su***de”.

I walked up to her and said “the Lord wants you to know that He sees your pain and He knows the tears you’ve cried. But, your time is not up. There is still great purpose for you. Don’t make this permanent decision based on this temporary pain.”

She collapse in my arms and began to sob before God. I prayed with her. I spoke life into her. She left the altar determined to fight and not take her life.

That’s what this is about. It’s not about the stage. It’s not about the accolades. It’s not about a performance or entertainment. It’s not about a “big enough” platform.

It’s about people. It’s about souls. It’s about taking the time to speak life into those who are broken.

I will NEVER make this about anything BUT that.

I don’t care if my ”stage” is a block of cement, down a dirty, back alley. If ONE soul, who needs Jesus, is there…then that stage is PLENTY big enough.

I’m not in pursuit of stages. I’m in pursuit of souls.

This new cancel culture is toxic, and far outside the realm of who God called us to be.
We are out here cancelling people, bands, churches, pastors, actors…based on their mistakes or mess ups. What’s even more disheartening is that those mistakes are often only known to us by some form of gossip. So, we are out here getting the information through a sinful act, then cancelling people for their sinful act. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️
We have to stop playing God in the name of “moral standing”, as if we have the authority to decide who is cancelled. Because if that’s what we are doing, every single one of us need cancelled ASAP. We ALL fall short. It may not be seen in the spotlight, but the spotlight doesn’t make the sin any greater.
As far as I’m concerned, cancel culture is cancelled by the cross.

Last night I spent 4 hours, with a team of incredibly gifted singers and musicians, in preparation for this November event.

This rehearsal gave me a small glimpse of what God is going to do. He has something incredible planned. I can feel it in my bones.

I hope you can join me and be part of this move of God.

Bonus!!! Proceeds go towards my children in Haiti. ♥️

I’m so excited for this night.

After a 2 year hiatus from doing concerts, I‘m back…with new music, more testimonies and a fresh anointing.

Hope you all can come out a worship with me.

We live in a culture, today, that encourages us to grind hard and work from sun up to sun down. If you’re not working yourself into the ground, then you aren’t working hard enough. If you aren’t working yourself into a state of mental, emotional and physical exhaustion, then you won’t ever achieve your dreams. We have glamorized the very thing His word has warned us against.
I fell into that trap. In my early 30’s, I was convinced I had to always be on the go. I had to push to be what everybody needed and then some. I had to constantly be working or pressing towards the next goal. I didn’t rest. I didn’t take breaks. Even on vacations, I was pressing into the vision.
And then, I had a clinically diagnosed nervous breakdown. I had literally worked myself into an absolute place of mere exhaustion. I was emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physically wiped out. I had nothing left. Which then put me in a vulnerable state that led to mistakes and decisions driven by my need to escape a life that had become nothing but working and pouring into others. I had literally lost sight of the purpose because I was so lost in the grind.
It’s not glamorous, or admirable, to work yourself so hard that you lose your ability to guard yourself. You are not a machine. You are not built to grind everyday, all day.
Jesus himself took times of rest. He himself was intentional about balance. He didn’t live His life in a hurry or in a place of rush. Can you imagine if He had glamorized the grind like we do? How many healings would have been skipped over? How many souls would have remained lost? How many times would the savior of the world not have been able to save, because He was more focused on the grind than the purpose?
Work hard. That’s important. But don’t live in a state of grind. You weren’t called to that…nor were you built for it.

HUGE TESTIMONY! Please read to the end. And then, if you feel led…Do a little praise dance with me…cause this ain’t NOTHIN but God!

Our orphanage in Haiti received a call from the mayor (this does not happen). During this call he complimented us and congratulated us for what a great job we are doing with the kids (this also does not happen). They then proceeded to tell us that they would like to come have a party for the kids to celebrate how far they have come. (That also does not happen). All of this is HUGE. Why? Because they have consistently seemed focused on finding reasons to shut us down. Yet, their entire attitudes have changed. That is God. Only God.

BUT WAIT….THERE’S MORE!!!!!!!! (Ya know that whole “exceedingly abundantly above all we could ask or imagine” thing?!?)

This morning, our on the ground workers heard a noise outside the gate. When they opened it, THERE WAS $1500 WORTH OF BRAND NEW WINDOWS AND DOORS!!!!! Like…WHAAAAATTT?!?!?!?

Y’all, we’ve been paying $900 a month, out of our own pocket, for the new construction and addition to our building. We still owe $10,000 ($900 on the 1st of every month for the next 11 months). We are trusting God for that and will continue to invest in this vision. We will NEVER ask others to invest into something that we ourselves don’t invest in.

The doors and windows were not even in our budget. We were simply trusting God…because the cost of construction has been overwhelming. So…we prayed…remained obedient…and continued to trust.

And the HAITIAN GOVERNMENT showed up and GAVE us brand new doors and windows to install. It is UNHEARD OF for the government to do anything to help any of their people. In fact, they harm them. So…THIS IS GOD.

It’s moments like this when God reminds me that He is all over this vision.

To those that give…know that you are sewing into good ground. It’s ground that is anointed and favored by God. It’s ground that is bearing fruit, not just in the lives of the kids…but in the men of the Haitian government. Hearts are softening in a place where hearts have been so cold.

To those that feel led to give…please do (ways to give in comments). Please become part of this! It is so clear that God has His hand on our orphanage and I believe wholeheartedly that the favor runs over into the lives of those who stand with us in obedience.

Tonight, I’m in awe.