Wherever you go, I will go

 

Day 1333 was just like any other Saturday, starting with eskimo kisses from Murphy at 6am, needing to be let out. After my morning time of Jesus and coffee, I started in on the daily chores in hopes of catching up the blog and making a social media post about the prior week’s Resurrected jail chapel. A couple hours later, Nathan comes in from Mens Fellowship Breakfast and solemnly tells me I need to check my phone. Ronnie had been trying to reach me. 

Instantly, my heart sank, but as to why I did not know. Racing to the back of the house to get my phone I grab it and see both Ronnie and Lt Dave’s wife, aka Momma J, have called. I don’t remember who I called first but the news was the same. My sweet Mentor, fellow servant in the kingdom, friend, accountability partner, my first Naomi, the woman who counted and walked alongside every 

one thousand and thirty - three days, 

Lisa Davis had graduated to Heaven. 

                   Lisa and Duane at an ROL event she was recognized at for her Work in the Recovery Community 

Waves of grief washed over me. Still are. 

I mean, I, of all people know how brief this life is as death has been abundant for most of mine, but how could this be? I was just with her maybe 20 hours prior. She was on her way to vacay. No way is this happening. Hallelujah! She’s healed and with Jesus! No more cane! 🏃‍♀️I wonder what her mansion is like and oh the jewels on that crown! 👑👸Oh no, Duane and the kids 💔💔💔Clifford and the boys🏀💔Louie 🦮💔the ladies in Jackson and Jefferson county jail. 😭💔 the Ministries she served in ✝️💔 

You know, just all the things. 💔😭💔

What does life even look like without Lisa in it?

Lisa worshiping at a Praise at the Park event where I spoke on “Send Judah(Praise) First.

 Jennifer Hopkins, myself, Lisa Davis listening to Pastor George testimony.

 

She was a daily part of my life since early in my recovery as she joined in services at The Alley Church where I had just started attending at the time.  At 60 days redeemed and recovered, she began counting with me and attending the CR meetings with me.  She even showed up at my home church on a Sunday, leaving her family and her church to attend Olivia’s baptism and celebrate my 120th day living as a new creation in Christ. 

If I had a local speaking engagement, I knew Lisa would be in the crowd. Lisa always showed up. No matter the physical limitations, no matter the weather. No matter what she might have going on, she made it work and Lisa always showed up.  That’s not only a testament to who she was but also the amazing family support she had behind her, thank you Davis family for sharing her with us.  The Kingdom impact is abundant and there’s a tribe of soldiers she has trained and equipped with the Gospel that is determined to carry on the work she started for His Glory alone. 

In the winter of 2020, my friend Nic and I, signed up for Bible College through a satellite program hosted at BCC and Lisa signed up with us to ensure we’d keep going and although I was never told whom it was, I have suspicion she was the anonymous donor who paid both Nic’s and my way. That’s who Lisa was. For everything we know she did (as this women lived, breathed, slept, and ate Kingdom) there’s that much more she did anonymously. 

Such necessary accountability she provided throughout those 1333 days; not just taking that class with me and working the steps with me, but in keeping me accountable to the word. In late summer, I signed up to volunteer and serve with Team Expansion not really knowing the level of Sonship that was expected out of one of their volunteers.  I may have been meth free for over a year but I still had a lot of character defects and wasn’t a disciple of integrity by any means. Part of the acceptance process required reference checks and the requirements well, let’s just say it called for a meeting with Momma Lisa.  At that point in time, I was still smoking cigarettes and still having sexual relations with my boyfriend.  We prayed for favor and honestly answered the form together. I was soon accepted and required to complete a discipleship program called Zúme.  As most of you know this program changed the course of my life and I am eternally grateful to my dear mentor for not only holding me to Kingdom standards but for granting me grace and unconditional Agape love anyways. By September I was celibate, January free from co-dependency and the next January free from cigarettes. 

While others may have scoffed and even thrown stones, Lisa drew a line in the sand, Lisa loved and continued to serve me trusting the Potter would refine me as long as I stayed surrendered. 

 Caught Lisa taking a pic of the same red moss I had discovered we shared a nature nerd chuckle over it

Which is how Lisa taught me to serve and live best. Centered and Surrendered with His will. Putting yourself last. Trusting His timing. Putting your own passionate timeline second to His. 

Lisa sought after the misfit, the marginalized, the damned and Holy Spirit in her drew us in. Like the man of legions we came running when we saw Jesus. 

And she didn’t hold back. After the hug(and man were they golden) you could expect correction from the word. One hand on her cane and the other on your shoulder, “Now, Jess,” she’d often start with soon followed with what the scripture said regarding whatever it was I needed to hear. 

In the spring of 2022, she and I would embark as pilgrim’s on the Road to Emmaus Walk #124.  Lisa at the table of Martha right next to me and my Deborahs. 

What an awesome God wink to take this journey together as my time as a Kingdom Kid and CY leader hadn’t given us much time together otherwise. 

So special to have her here with me during this.

While all of the talks we heard over the weekend were essential/special/Spirit driven one talk stuck out to us both, Jane Noblitt’s talk on Martha.  

Martha always tends to take a bad rap. I mean first she argued with all her Martha head knowledge with Jesus when Lazarus had died and then to people give her a bad rap for not sitting at his feet later when he came to visit. Unlike Mary, Martha was busy serving. 

Like Martha, Lisa and I had often felt the weight of people’s words for always “doing too much,” and here we were blessed with the assurance through the word that God needs Marthas and never expected us to be Mary.  

God needs those who have seen first hand His resurrecting power displayed and will, therefore, diligently serve.  

Afterwards, I’d share with her that I never seen her as just a Martha. To me she was a busy Martha for sure, yet a Martha with a Mary postured heart, a heart that stayed surrendered and submitted at Jesus feet exactly who I strive to be. Of all the moments and hugs we ever shared that one will always stand out. 

Finally in August of 2022, Lisa and I would get to enter the Jackson County Jail together serving with The New Day REC ministry. We were both going to be assistant table leaders. This position puts you in direct contact with the ladies and you’re required to help them through discussions.  A perfect position for my dear wise mentor and a promise we both had waited years to see happen was finally being fulfilled. How glorious! A Covid outbreak caused the weekend to get pushed back and several spots on the team opened up one being tech.  In spite of really really wanting to be at the table and lead the ladies through the journey ahead, Lisa stepped down from the role and moved over to tech, faithfully stewarding a talent that’s often hard to come by in ministry. 

Lisa was always the first to “take one for team Kingdom.”

She exemplary lived out what Jesus meant in Matthew 23:12 when He said, “the greatest among you must be a servant,” and in Mark 9:35 “He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.” 

After REC she encouraged me to go after what God laid on my heart regarding starting a jail chapel. It was her voice that told me to wait and pray and trust that God will give the opportunity to approach the “powers that be.”  So, I listened and He did. 

She of course was my first call and the first to join alongside me. She assisted with tech, she could be counted on to simplify the message, and she was always the first to stand and pray with the ladies. 

In January, the door opened for her to be a women’s jail chaplain down in Jefferson County so she moved to a prayer team member within Resurrected Ministry and stayed connected with me everyday as we continued to disciple the ladies via cidnet(jail email.) 

Last Friday,  we two Martha’s were gifted a rare treat. Both of us busy as she was cleaning up after hosting her grandson for a week and packing for her vacation ahead and me doing some groundwork for the ladies we serve inside the jail set me at Lisa’s kitchen table.  For nearly two hours we were blessed with time to just sit and fellowship. Other than a hike a few years back and our time at Emmaus this was a rare treat as all of our time spent the last 1332 days was spent serving or attending church/recovery meetings/rallies. So special.  We talked and prayed about the ladies we serve and all that is still needed and all that God is doing in their lives.  We talked and prayed about me going back to school and how we knew God had a similar program for her to do. We talked and prayed about our friends baby being born and how much they meant to Lisa and how excited I am to have her join me in ministry. We talked and prayed about the revival in KY and how we could see the flow and the atmosphere changing around us.  We shared stories of and our love for our doods 🐾 as we showered Louie with incessant petting. We prayed for her trip ahead and for the upcoming RECs. 

There wasn’t much we didnt cover as we knew just how precious and scarce time together was.  

I left her with some CR books someone had brought me, her Resurrected Ministry shirt, well wishes for her trip ahead, and one of those golden hugs, this time completely interrupted by Louie, not knowing that would be the only time Id ever set across from her at her table. 

It’s been a hard week to say the least, but I’m grateful for every moment. Every lesson. Every correction. Every time we butted heads. Every time I was broken and she helped me put the pieces in God’s hand when I couldn’t do it myself. Every time fear would try to set in and she’d stir up faith. For Every time natural logic would have me lost and overwhelmed and she’d point me back to the Word, to truth, to Him. 

I’m grateful I was favored enough to walk alongside a doer of the word for 1332 days and Lisa, Naomi, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God( Ruth 1:16)” and I will see you in the morning.

Thank you for giving to the Lord, I am a life that was changed. In your honor I will continue the work for such a time as this. Save me a seat.