04/30/2026
Girlfriend… many times what we’ve been taught is all we think we know.
And anything outside of that…
we question.
We reject.
We label.
But let me tell you something personal.
There was a time when God was truly dealing with me.
Every Sunday, standing on that praise team…
His presence would come over me so strong
I couldn’t stop praising Him.
I couldn’t stop crying.
It wasn’t performance.
It was encounter.
The members would cover me with a sheet…
and the service would go on.
Confused, I went to my Pastor and asked,
“What is happening to me?”
And she said…
“You’re out of order.”
I didn’t understand.
The next Sunday—it happened again.
Even stronger.
This time, I began calling people to the altar…
laying hands on them.
I didn’t plan it.
I didn’t rehearse it.
I was being moved.
But again, I was told—
“That is NOT God.”
And something in me wrestled with that.
Because I thought…
If God can use you… why can’t He use me too?
So I did what many don’t talk about—
I walked away from church.
And yes… church hurt is real.
But what I didn’t walk away from…
was God.
I started seeking Him for myself.
And it became a journey…
✨ Trust
✨ Isolation
✨ Revelation
✨ Obedience
✨ Surrender
✨ Exposure
✨ Release
And every part of it shaped me
into the woman I am today.
A woman of God
called to greater.
Now I find myself in a different place…
From sitting in confusion,
seeking answers from a pastor—
to creating spaces (The Ascension Circle)
where women can experience God for themselves.
And I’ve asked Him…
“Why me?”
After all these years…
why me?
And He reminded me:
“If they don’t cry out… the rocks will.”
And I said—
Yes… they will.
And so will I.
✨ Give yourself permission
to experience God beyond what you were taught.
— Christina Hopson-Allen- Evolve Withing