WELCOME!!!
Hey, y’all!
I am Jerri L. Kelley, and this is my living room on
the web. Come on in, get comfortable. Can I get you some cold water or sweet
tea? I’m so glad you came by to visit!
A bit about me, so you feel more at home…
I’m a Texas Gal—born and raised here, lived here all my life—but have
no drawl. I am a mom of two amazing teenagers. I’ve been a writer since before I
could write. God bless my Momma. The woman would sit there and listen to me “read”
stories I had written for hours as she looked at scribbled line after scribbled
line of nothing.
Ever since I was little, I wanted to be a pastor. The life
road went wonky, and I thought I had lost that, but in December 2014, the Lord
God in His incredible ability to restore anything, gave me a pastoral license
through Fellowship of Ministries and Churches with Christ for the Nations. I am presently not on staff anywhere, but the Lord has given me a wonderful group of people to love, encourage, support, and pray for through email, texts, Facebook, my blog, and coffee shops.
I’m
also a teacher and speaker.
On the quirkier side, I am a certified medical responder and volunteer with the sheriff’s department
through the Citizen’s Sheriff’s Academy Alumni Association. I am also a
certified NRA Refuse to be a Victim instructor, Range Safety Officer, and NRA Pistol Instructor.
One of my favorite things is working with survivors of
domestic abuse. I teach classes on restoration of identity, personal protection—both
practical and psychological, and rebuilding life after trauma and loss. I work
with women to develop exit strategies from the situation, and I equip them psychologically
to take necessary action to physically stop an aggressor. I have
also taught women to use firearms as preparation for concealed license.
My passion in life can be summed up in one word: Undaunted.
Undaunted means
undismayed; not discouraged
not forced to abandon purpose or effort
undiminished in courage or valor
not giving way to fear
I want to live that way, and I want to equip others to live
that way. My fiction writing’s tag is Women Undaunted—Women facing hard lives,
hard pain, and hard question with fierce passion.
But it isn’t just women. Men need to live this way as well.
Every class I teach is as much for men as it is for women, and although my
books have women leads, the truth is just as solid for men.
My general philosophy on life is simple: I want to live in
such a way that if anyone asked me who I would be if I could be anyone, I’d
pick me.
I know. Some have told me that sounds pretty self-centered,
but think about it a minute. Why would I live in such a way that I wished I was
somebody else? That isn’t living. That is wishing life away. We only get one
trip through. I want to live it to the maximum because when I stand before my
King, I want to hear, “You have invested well and look at the return.” I don’t
want to hear, “You could have done so much more if you had just been more
courageous, less fearful, and more trusting in me.” That would be crushing to
me. So, I want to live undaunted.
The greatest thing I have to offer? The Lord God who is my
Father, Jesus Christ who is my Lord and Savior, and the Holy Spirit who is my
constant guide and compass. If you don’t know them, let me introduce you. If you
do know them, let’s get to know them better together.
The thing I really want you to know? You are deeply loved.
You have a purpose. You are not too far gone. God’s love can reach you. The
blood of Jesus can cover you, and the Holy Spirit desires to lead you. There is
hope. If you can’t find it, take my hand, I’ll help. Maybe that is why you
ended up here.
I really am so glad you are here for whatever reason that
is. I pray you find peace and hope. I pray more than anything that you find God
because I can promise He is looking for you.
May God bless you for His glory and your good,
Jerri