About

My mom was saved at the end of the Jesus movement,  I was 3 years old. I remember going to bible studies with lots of dark brown paneling and orange shag carpet... So I grew up in and out of many churches. We moved around a lot, not for any terrible reason, we just did... Maryland, Florida, Virginia, Louisiana were the states that I grew up in - all hot humid and sticky. 

I went to Christian schools and knew a lot about Jesus - I was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues when I was 13 at a church camp - When I was 5 I prayed for a mouse with a broken leg and it got healed. I was healed of earaches and headaches and colds and whatever I needed.  I could hear the voice of God in my head and I talked to him alot. 

I was an only child with a father who drank at night and had an unpredictable temper. My mom was the believer and who I put my faith in. I spent my early years tiptoe-ing around my dad and hanging out with my mom. I read a lot of Janette Oak books and looked forward to meeting my soulmate and falling in love and having my own home with kids and a garden. 

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I was really lonely - I had this image of the fairy tale in my head and knew that if I just had the right friends or the right boyfriend I would be happy and the emptiness would go away. 

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When I moved to Louisiana in the 9th grade I went to public high school. My friends werent bad but they werent good either and I just followed along with the crowd - no idea who I was and why I was on this earth. I followed along to college and the voice of God in my head grew quieter and quieter. Some things happened and my self esteem plummeted. I went to class and things just got darker and darker for me - everything seemed meaningless and empty - parties and people just felt dirty and lonely even in a crowd of people. I was tired of it. 

I remember a moment, walking out of a dinner with friends, just after I turned 19, when I realized that I didnt want this any more -

From that moment, I decided to start reading my bible, start attending church and decided never to drink another drop of alcohol. I had tried the world's way and it sure didnt work so I thought I'd give God a try again. It was kind of like going on a diet... 

Things were a little better - still worthless - still lonely  but at least I had the comfort of knowing I wasnt disapointing God with every mistake I made and his voice was getting a little louder. 

I decided to sign up for a leadership group ( I felt like an imposter)  at the non-denominational church I was attending and began enjoying learning about Jesus again.  

So fast forward a month and I went on a road trip from Louisiana to Albuquerque, NM to pick up a friend from high school who had joined the Air Force. His sister was my friend and we decided to take a road trip and drive him home because he could only afford one flight to visit after Christmas. On the way there, I was driving and it was the middle of the night. My friend was asleep and my cassette player didnt work - we were somewhere in West Texas where the radio didnt even work.... what kind of place doesnt even have radio ?!?... so I started talking to God.. I had been reading the bible... I started in Genesis and I was all the way up to Exodus.. and I was having a hard time with how the Isrealites were treating the Almighty God... 

My dialogue sounded something like...."God, are you dumb? I mean, you gave Israel chance after chance after chance and they just threw it in your face. They wanted food you gave manna they wanted water, out it came from the rock and still they worshiped a golden calf... you knew what would happen ... why did you even put up with them?!"  and clear as anything I heard, "I did it because I loved them, just like I love you, and give you chance after chance after chance." My eyes filled with tears and I pulled over somewhere around Kerrville, TX and stayed there weeping, repenting and declaring that I wanted Jesus to be the Lord of my life. Everything I had was his, every decision I made was his, every desire I had was his.... I gave my entire life up since He said he wanted it... It was His. I felt warm honey flow over me and cover me as I sat and cried and I felt peace and joy that I had really never known before. I felt clean and priceless and filled with anticipation of this life with Jesus. 

The rest of the trip was filled with joy and singing and we went to stay with my friend's pastor at the little vineyard church in Albuquerque. The next morning we woke up and went and did aerobics at the gym with my friend and we went back to his dorm on base to let him clean up before we headed back to the house. 

I was sitting there on the floor of the dorm hallway and out came this specimen of a man walking out of  the shower in a towel yelling, "Shires, what are you doing bringing girls up here?!" I looked at him and God said instantly, "Thats him." This was the man I was going to marry. 

I was scared to death - I messed everything up - I was going to mess this up too, I was sure, so I didnt look at him or talk to him even though he turned out to be the friend I came to visit's best friend so we were going to go out and eat pizza. 

Gary (the specimen) thought I was a snob and thought I was conceited  because of my quietness so he didnt like me at first but he agreed to take us to visit Santa Fe the next day - We had a lot of fun, went ice skating, went to the mall and stayed up all night talking. 

My friend, his sister and I left the next morning and drove home to Louisiana. 

Gary and I called and wrote letters and got married a little less than 5 months later. 

Ive learned a lot in the past 30 years of marriage but the most important thing is to keep Jesus in the center of every decision and in the middle of every moment of every day. I continue to make mistakes and learn from them, continue to take control of things and continue to release them to Jesus...

We have 8 kids (7 boys and one girl) ranging in age from 4 years old to 29. My daughter is married to an amazing guy named Payton. We lost our very first baby to hypoplastic left heart syndrome. 

20 years ago I started selling Real Estate and now my mom and I own Sagebrush Real Estate. 

Gary and I started farming and ranching  North of Clovis  7 years ago and we raise grass fed beef cattle in a cow/calf operation where we try to employ regenerative farming practices that better the soil and our environment.  My mom and I have a gardenWe try to be the best stewards we can of all that God has blessed us with.

This past year I joined the Global Awakening College of Ministry (learn more here: https://globalcollegeministry.com/) and have been taking classes towards a  Practitioner Certification there. I've learned so much and Jesus is calling me deeper still. 

I look forward to where this journey takes all of us. 

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