Most people do not have the opportunity to participate in politics as an elected official. Working in the political arena requires hours away from home, knowledge of public policy, skills in public engagement, and the foundation of support from their community. Deanna Ballard, Senator for North Carolina’s 45th District, is privileged to step into this microcosm of government as both an elected official and as a committed follower of Jesus Christ. Deanna’s testimony reflects God’s abundant provision and sovereignty as each step from Lincoln County, to college, to the White House, to Boone, is marked by God’s fingerprints.

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This is my story. I do not deserve to have such a joyful relationship with Jesus. I should still be in that ocean of darkness, without hope. But Jesus loves me. Even though I was completely broken and filled with hopelessness. Jesus loved me. Jesus came after me. Jesus rescued me. And all I had to do was put my faith in Him.

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Before we dive in, I wanted to thank Ben Cox, my “brother from another mother,” for not letting me off the hook over the years to write an article for the “The Journey.” It has created a space for me to reflect, and as John Bunyan wrote, it is “profitable for Christians to be often calling to mind the very beginnings of grace with their souls” (Bunyan, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners) (Bunyan’s most famous work is Pilgrim’s Progress).

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I‘m alone in my office writing this article on June 9, 2022 as the last thing that needs to happen before we send this edition to the printer. It’s important for you to know the date that I’m writing this article for several reasons.

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Prior to graduating Cum Laude from NC State University with a degree in mechanical engineering, I thought that I would have no problem landing a job. Yet, in spite of the fact that I was diligently searching, nothing seemed to be happening.

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My mom was a devout Catholic who made sure I went to church and Catholic School. Even though her faith meant a lot to her, I only went to church because it was important to her that I go. I was sincere to a point, but I didn’t know what it meant to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. As a result, I lived my life however I wanted.

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In 1992, I was a husband, the father of two young girls and a business owner. As a Christian man, I took my responsibility to be a provider for my family very seriously. I also was very involved in my church.

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Ever since I was a little girl, my relationship with God and my involvement in church has meant a lot to me. As the youngest of 7 children growing up in Nashville Tennessee, I remember walking to the Methodist Church 2 1⁄2 blocks from my house.

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I have a rich, yet very unique spiritual heritage. I was raised in a Mennonite Brethren Church, whose members were predominately African American, like me. The reason there are several Mennonite churches in this mountain region like the one I grew up in here in Boone, all stems back to a school and orphanage that was started by Mennonites in the early 1900’s.

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There is not a heart more broken than that of a parent losing a child in physical death. That’s why this promise from Gad is so valuable in our lives. We, David & Cindy Blust, lost our precious “Prince Richard”, as we call him, to a drug overdose on June 6, 2003

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I am the proud father of four wonderful daughters. The stork brought the first three and a 747 brought the last one. My youngest daughter Emma was as much of a gift of God to us as the other three and I know this because of how we came to adopt her.

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I moved to the United States of America when I was 5 1⁄2 years old. The nation I lived in was Liberia in West Africa. The reason I had to leave is because violent revolutionaries took over our country and I saw many of my friends and relatives killed before my eyes. Since I had relatives in Winston Salem, they sent for me. They knew this was no place for a child to have to live.

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I was raised with a Christian upbringing. My dad was a Baptist pastor and my mom was a praying woman. I went to church regularly and remember being baptized in the Mississippi river as a young girl.

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When I was eight years old I asked my dad what it meant to be a Christian. After he explained it to me, I’ll never forget kneeling beside a heater in my hallway and being led by my Dad in prayer, to receive Jesus as my Savior. That whole time in my life was so very special to me because that same week my mom made a profession of faith as well and together we were baptized.

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I was blessed to be raised in a Godly home with a dad who taught me how to pray for God’s leadership in everything. It didn’t matter if it was big or small, we prayed about it and I always saw God at work. Therefore, I’ve never had a hard time believing that God was going to take care of me or any of my needs.

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When I was 14 my Daddy taught me the meaning of work. He needed me to help him, but he gave me a gift, whether he knew it or not. It was a valuable gift for a blind mind to find out I didn’t have to sit in the corner. I was 14 when I started learning hard work. We were cutting wood with a crosscut saw when a block came off and bumped my shin, and I said a bad word I won’t repeat here. “Son, hold your temper!” he said. “A man without one ain’t worth a plugged nickel, and man that’s got one and don’t control it is worth less.”

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One might assume that growing up in the home of Billy Graham would automatically lead to being a follower of Jesus Christ, but that’s not so. There comes a time in everyone’s life when they have to make a choice whether they are going to accept or reject God’s love and provision.

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The testimonies of Paige Mast Blevins and David Ward are separated by nine years, and yet, there is a central message that both are telling. It’s a message Paige and David have accepted, and it’s a message to our loving, diverse, small-town community. They are truths that speak into our culture, and yet, transcends culture to be relevant to anyone at any time.

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On April 28, 2021, the Watauga County Sheriff’s Department dispatched officers to a home for a welfare check where a thirteen-hour standoff ensued. This resulted in the death of two officers: Sargent Chris Ward and K-9 Deputy Logan Fox as well as the family that was in the home.

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On July 26, 2012, tragedy struck the High Country when Deputy William Mast was shot and killed while answering the call of a domestic dispute. In a matter of minutes, the life of his wife, Paige, was forever altered. Before this horrible night, Paige and William were a normal couple who lived a normal life. They started dating when William was thirteen years old and enjoyed a decade-long relationship, having dated for seven years and married for three. In their third year of marriage, there was also electricity in the air as they eagerly awaited the birth of their first child, Hunter.

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