Marcia Gillis

My mother and grandmother were the greatest influences in my life. My mother worked hard as a single mom abandoned and verbally abused in her marriages. She was always faithful to the Lord, never compromised her morals or faith, took us to church, and lived a godly life in front of us. Her example was positive in spite of her difficult circumstances. My grandmother was part Cherokee Indian and was quite a spunky lady, and my grandfather was Swiss-Irish and quieter. Those three were probably the most influential people in my life growing up.

Lead with humility and respect. Be a servant leader.

You need to sense a calling from the Lord to make ministry your vocation, but I think that ministry is something every person of faith should be involved in. Everybody has the opportunity to serve and help. Regardless of one's occupation, there's always opportunity to serve, help, encourage and to be a good example. There are plenty of people in the workplace who don't know how to be a good example because they've had poor examples, but we can all learn to treat people with kindness, be an encouragement, and help someone who perhaps doesn't see their worth. I help people see that they were created in the image of God with unique gifts and abilities. He breathed the breath of life and formed them. Each person is different, and He has purpose for everyone. He wants fellowship with us. It's a big thing to know that you are deeply loved by the creator of the universe, because people's love is inadequate. God is consistent. He always loves, and He knows us more deeply than any person can ever know us, and He still loves us.

I have a great desire to help people be all they can be, so they can have hope, peace and joy in their lives. Everyone has core issues to work through. If we don't work through them, they will hinder us and cripple us in our lives, in our relationships, in our jobs, and in anything we do. The result can be depression. If things aren't dealt with, we can go down a self-destructive path. This can happen to anyone, even someone with tremendous skill and charisma. They can be set into a tailspin by traumas and life choices. We have to work through these things because they will come back to sabotage us, our jobs and our relationships. I had a lot of issues myself that I had to work through. The good thing is that God can make beauty from ashes. He can change us and heal us, and then use us to help others. I'm big on organization, and I always help people know how to schedule their time so that they can have time for those things that are most important, along with earning a living. I want people to be successful, victorious, and hopeful. I've seen literally hundreds of broken and traumatized lives transformed. I've seen people change, find hope and move forward in amazing ways.