Author: Olivia Castleberg

From Mistrust to Trust

I grew up in a loving home with two parents who always taught me about the love of God. I have 6 siblings, 5 of which are adopted. So, I always had playmates and companions. The first half of my life set a firm foundation for my faith as my family placed God in the…
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Believing that Christ is Enough

Growing up I placed a lot of my identity in sports, doing well in school, friendships, and acceptance from others. I grew up in a Christian home and I accepted Christ at a young age, however, I did not understand that I could have a personal relationship with God until middle school. I went on…
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An Identity Worth Recognizing

For most of my life, I’ve felt very small. Not in the sense that I am physically. But over time, I’ve allowed my heart to believe that who I am isn’t worthy of unconditional love. Growing up as the second oldest of five children, I struggled to find acceptance and was willing to sacrifice my…
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Captured by Grace

When I was growing up, my family went to church every Sunday, we prayed before big family meals at the typical holiday gatherings, and we talked about God, but that’s pretty much where my faith ended. When I was in 6th grade, I asked the Lord to come into my life and prayed, apologizing for…
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Beauty in the Brokenness

I was the division one athlete going into my first year of college. I had a 4.0 GPA and I was head over heels in love. My testimony is about how I was stripped of these identities and found beauty in a time of brokenness. Like I said, I played D1 soccer on a scholarship.…
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Never Alone

I grew up as an only child living in an average home in Fort Atkinson, WI. For the first 12 years of my life, my mom was a stay-at-home mom while my dad was an Active-Duty National Guard. As an Active-Duty National Guard my dad wasn’t around a lot, especially during elementary school because of…
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Imperfection Leads to Grace and Love

I was baptized and grew up in an Evangelical Lutheran Church. However, I never truly understood what the word Evangelical entailed. Never did I doubt the truth behind the lyrics of “Jesus Loves Me” or question whether God heard my nightly prayer. I was involved in church choir and my dad taught Sunday school. I…
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Accepting Imperfection

When I was 6, I decided to accept Christ as my savior. I didn’t totally understand the forgiveness that decision offered me, but I was interested in learning more about Jesus at a young age. Despite putting my trust in Jesus, by the time I was 12, I developed full-blown anxiety and depression. Nobody knew…
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Giving My All

My journey to Christ has been marked by learning to give my ALL to him and to daily surrender to his lordship. All of my life I grew up in a Bible-believing Christian home. I went to youth group, attended church every Sunday and was known as a “good, innocent kid” in high school because…
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Wowed by His Sovereignty

I clearly remember the day I accepted Jesus into my heart. So much time has passed since that day and there are so many things that could be shared about the way He has brought me to where I am now. But after reflecting on the story Jesus and I share, there is one specific…
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