Maine Mom Challenges Court Order Forbidding Her to Take Daughter to Church

The Maine Supreme Court heard arguments last week in a case challenging a lower-court order barring a mother from taking her daughter to church because the girl’s father, who never married her mother, claims it is causing her “psychological harm.”

Unholy Father Eleven months ago, Matthew Bradeen secured an order from the Portland District Court giving him the exclusive power to decide which religious activities his 12-year-old daughter, Ava, may participate in.

Bradeen’s relationship with Ava’s mother, Emily Bickford, ended before Ava was born. Bickford has primary custody of Ava; Bradeen has visitation rights.

Bickford and her daughter have been attending Calvary Chapel, an evangelical Christian church in Portland, for more than three years. After Ava told her dad last year that she was planning to be baptized, he went to court to stop it.

According to Liberty Counsel chairman Mat Staver, who is representing Bickford, Bradeen took his case to a judge who is “a former ACLU president” and obtained expert testimony from Dr. Janja Lalich, “a Marxist former sociology professor from California.”

Bradeen claimed that, after she began attending Calvary Chapel, Ava “started having severe panic attacks and exhibited alarming psychological signs — like leaving notes around the house that said ‘the rapture is coming,’” wrote Maine’s NBC affiliate WCSH.

I found this YT video of the mother with Calvary Chapel Greater Portland.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWEyLbjweW8

Transcript below (pasted in total, as-is):

Okay. Hey, good evening, brothers and sisters. We’re glad you guys are with us on this Sunday night. And uh we want to
2:08
make the most of our time. So, we’re going to get right into our our testimony. The first time in nearly four
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and a half years since we’ve begun these testimonies. You guys, most of you are aware that we’ve been doing um husband
2:19
and wife couple and it’s kind of a two for one. Um but this just seemed like an obvious opportunity because of all that
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the Lord is walking both Emily and her daughter Ava through. Many of you are aware that there is certainly a uh a
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spiritual trial in the form of a legitimate trial that is happening in her family’s life. Um but there’s so
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much more. There’s a backstory. There’s a testimony of God’s grace and how God reveals himself individually and
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uniquely to to all of us. And uh tonight’s going to be a really great opportunity for Emily to articulate that
2:52
exact story, how God slowly but surely began to reveal his goodness and his
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love uh to her and then to her daughter. And even in the midst of all they’re going through now with this uh fight, a
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legal fight that we are appealing, we um the uh the Liberty Council, a a pro bono
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group of Christian lawyers who fight at a very high level for a profession. they have taken on Emily and Ava’s case
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because of the egregious unconstitutionality that that uh family court here in
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Cumberland County made a an order that gave 100% uh autonomy to a dad to make a
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religious decision which allows uh him to bar his daughter from coming to church. So, they’re right in the midst
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of this fight and yet Emily is trusting the Lord through it. So, we’re going to get there towards the end, but first I want to pray and then we just want to
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hear God’s story, how he’s worked in Emily’s life. So, would you guys join me in prayer? Father, thank you for this
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opportunity. Thank you for Emily. Thank you for your story and her life. Thank you for Ava
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and her precious faith. Lord, we just pray that the spirit of God would lead this conversation this evening. Use it
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in the lives of your people for all those who may be watching online and certainly here in person. We pray in
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Jesus name. Amen. Emily, let’s begin with your your your upbringing. Share a little bit about you, your family, and
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your religious experiences as a kid. Yeah. So, I was raised or I was born in
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‘ 87 and uh born into a family that my mother is Catholic and my dad was
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agnostic. Um and so he became Catholic to be able to get married to her. Um and
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basically um I so I was then being raised in the
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Catholic church and that’s how how my life started really. And I you’re the middle you’re the middle
4:46
child, right? So you have an older sibling and a younger sibling, right? An older brother and a younger sister. There’s a year between each of
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us. So now there’s people in the room who they have a similar background. Of course, in the northeast there’s a lot of Catholicism, but share a little bit of
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that because you testified that God was revealing himself slowly, but there was
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a like a chasm as far as a relationship. So, share a little bit about your Catholic upbringing. Yeah. So, um being raised in the
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Catholic church, we did hear of who Jesus was. We heard that he did die on
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the cross and he he was badly beaten, suffered, died on the cross and that he
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was buried and he rose again. So that’s like pivotal Christian background, right? But I didn’t have this personal
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relationship with him as I do right now. Um being raised in the Catholic church, there’s a priest and so there is a way
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to confess your sin. Um, but as a child I’m like I’m like what do I confess?
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Like I I really wasn’t sure. I didn’t I didn’t really know. So um like I’d have to make up sins when I went to
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confession and because I didn’t know I mean I knew that there was ten commandments and I’m like I’m not murdering anyone. So
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you’re doing okay. I mean so you remember as a kid there were these awkward moments where uh
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religion was a a bit of a a turnoff. Yeah. um public school. Is that where
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you you and your siblings were at? Yes. Share a little bit about that. I mean, you know, we’re still in the early years
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um you know, middle school. Uh share a little bit of that. Yep. I just want to go back a little
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bit. So, when I was like five, there was a lot of arguing in my home. Um, and so
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my my mother and father um like I saw a lot of fighting and um so they ended up
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splitting up and so they ended up getting a divorce by the time I was six or so. And after that I like rarely saw
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my dad. It was like maybe a couple times a year. Um and I just remember like
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mourning the loss of my dad at that point. Like but I f did feel much safer with my mom anyway. So I was fine with
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that. But that morning started like when I was like six or seven. I just really started
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feeling the pain of not having a father. Yeah. There’s a a vacancy there. So your mom is left to provide for you
7:12
and your two siblings. I would assume that meant she was working a lot. Yes. Yes. She was working.
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She was a RN at the hospital. So she would be working like sometimes she’d work two days at a
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time just to like kind of like get her hours done and um we’d have to like live at the
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babysitter’s house. I actually forgot to mention this to you. Um and the babysitters, they were quasi Christian.
7:39
They were they were Christian. They brought us to church on occasion. And I can remember some specific times going
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to like a VBS one day and I and I remember doing like a Jesus
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fish like art craft and they did bring me to like a potluck one night. Um
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yeah. Now you’re you’re in the southern you grew up in uh is it the Buckton area? Hollis area. Standish. Yep. Standish. So you were plugged into
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public school from from the gate from kindergarten. Um share a little bit. I mean, obviously
8:10
you and I are very similar of age. Um, public school then was bad. Public school now is very bad. But share a
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little bit about, you know, you have this background of Catholicism. You have this vacancy in your heart. Your dad is now predominantly gone.
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And now you’re socially involved in in all that is school. Share some of that.
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Okay. So, yeah. Um, when I was about 8 to 10, someone had gifted us um some
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books. They were the the um Left Behind. the Left Behind series, the
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kids books, and I started to read those and I really enjoyed them. I just didn’t know what they were about. Like,
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like there’s that. That’s what started to introduce my like I was intrigued by that. Um and then um and then going into
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the public schools like around sixth grade, I started to really love like pop music and rap music and all of the
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lyrics in those type of songs. like that was that was what was like really giving
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me that foundation that I was lacking it. So I was like it was like the world
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was So you’re saying it was alluring. I mean whether it was romance, drugs, alcohol, I mean whatever pop music was
9:23
th this was alluring to you. Yes. Um back to the Left Behind series. Some of you I don’t know if you’ve read it.
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Um, I remember the first time I went through that series, Tim Lehei, who wrote this uh fiction story about the
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the pending rapture and then all of a sudden he’s awoken to, you know, all the Christians are gone and you go through
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this series. It’s a powerful fiction series. I I remember you testified that right
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around then is when you said, “I’m going to look to the Bible myself.” Yes. Share about that because this wasn’t
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provoked by the Catholic priests, right? It wasn’t provoked by really anyone other than you look back and this Holy
9:57
Spirit was slowly but surely knocking on your heart. Share about that season of opening up the Bible. Yeah, I remember um I just even remember
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I remember the weather like I remember everything about this particular moment where I was like I’m going to read the
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Bible. I’m going to see what like what it says. And so I started in Genesis and I was probably around like 13 or 14 and
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I just started my way through it. And um and I just remember getting to the point
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of Lot and his daughters and it was just so wicked and I was sickened by it. I
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closed the Bible never to open it again until age 29. Wow. Yeah. So she’s referencing there in
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Genesis 19, God rescues, quite literally drags Lot out of that city before he
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judges Sodom and Gomorrah. But then there’s this horrible encounter that happens with uh well I guess the saying is true. You can
10:49
take the daughters out of Lot, but you can’t take the Lot or excuse me, Sodom out of the daughters. And they had this incestuous relationship with their dad.
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So you’re you’re as a kid, you’re reading the Bible, and you didn’t have
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someone in your life to at least disciple you through the fact that, hey, the Bible’s unedited. It’s not condoning
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this, but it was enough for you to say, whoa, that’s like heavy, right? Close the Bible. Yeah. And then you just
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kind of proverbally put it on the shelf for many years of your life. Mhm. What transpires through middle school
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into high school? Right. So, through middle school, I start I mean, I was just hanging out
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with friends, listening to the that music that the not so great lyrics and
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um I started like wanting what the world like knowing that I was going against
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what I should be doing and I was like I really want what the world has to offer. Like I want to I just want to taste what
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the world has. and not knowing that there was like a spiritual realm either.
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Just just knowing that um it’s the it’s like I just wanted to go with do what
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the movies say to do, you know, like go find a boyfriend, like test out the
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world. So that’s what I did. I I started dating in 8th grade and
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um and then it kind of and then I moved into ninth grade, dated another boy and
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that was like a high school sweetheart type of relationship. Yeah. I mean that’s where your you gave
12:17
your heart away. Yeah. Yeah. I Yeah. Did you because the busyiness of a single mom raising you and your
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siblings, were you having a was there a relationship with you and your mom at this time where you were at least sharing, hey mom, I I have a boyfriend
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or any of that? No, I just kept it all quiet. Like um she knew that I was
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seeing someone, but I just kind of like downplayed everything. And so it was it was a lot of hiding
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and a lot of sneaking around cuz I knew she wouldn’t approve. I knew what I was doing was wrong. And like I would sneak
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out at night, you know, like um to get al alone time with him. And cuz when I was at my mom’s, she wouldn’t
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allow us together alone, but we’d be um we’d be brought places cuz we didn’t
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have our license at the time to go like um see a movie, to go on dates and everything. There was no supervision. It
13:05
was just it wasn’t courtship. It was just worldly dating. So this gentleman in high school, you guys
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date the entirety of your four years? Yes. For most of it. So, I mean, quite literally, this is a you’ve given your
13:17
heart away as a 14-year-old. Yeah. Um, you weren’t serving the Lord, so
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it’s safe to assume you guys weren’t honoring the Lord in that relationship. No. Uh, you know, just share a little bit about what, you know, you know,
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mentally, spiritually, emotionally, what that season’s like. Yeah. So when I was about 16, I I gave
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myself to this man and um like I with the hope that we would get
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married and it was just like disappointment after disappointment.
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Like I became like really super jealous about anybody in this man’s life. So I
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was flawed, he was flawed, and I was just hoping that one day we’d get married. Like when I thought about my
14:00
future at age 16, I was like, “Well, maybe I’ll have maybe we’ll get married
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after high school and then we’ll have babies when I’m 22.” And like I had
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these like thoughts in my head um of how life would go and it didn’t.
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Yeah. So, do you when you look back at high school, um Bonnie Eagle is the is the school you went to. Do you um see how
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God was there was there any student or peer or teacher that you can look back and say that was a that was a
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Christian or there was a there were people God was putting in my life. Um you know it’s funny I was just
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talking to the Arsenals. Um they knew my mom and they tried to start a group. I was just
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talking with them right now. Um they tried to start a like a raising Christian kids type of group. Um, and so
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it’s funny that they were in my path and I didn’t even know it. Yep. Um, yeah. So, but not schoolwise. No.
14:57
Yeah. I bet not. I mean, so quite literally you you were embracing the world and you because you’re going to we’re
15:04
going to talk about you going to college at University of Maine, but as far as alcohol, that began in high school, right?
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Yes. Yes. Senior year or whatnot. So, junior year is when I started to
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like dabble in alcohol and like smoking weed, smoking tobacco. Yeah.
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Um, just for fun because it was f like it it was fun. It was like funny to see
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everybody like doing things that they normally wouldn’t and it was just a slippery slope. Um, you know, before you go to college,
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you experienced heartbreak. Share about that. Yeah. So, um, right after graduation,
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the my high school sweetheart and I broke up. Um, and I totally wasn’t expecting it. And that was like the
15:46
second time I was feeling like grief in my life because I was like, “Oh, this isn’t how I was planning on it going.”
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The first being your father. Yes. And then second, now this this vacancy of you gave your heart away. And um and
15:58
then there’s Planet College to go drown all that emotion away. Right. Because you said that um and it was the same.
16:04
You know, I’m from the Bangra area, but University of Maine Orno has the party appeal, especially for cheap, right? It’s instate college tuition. And part
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of your decision- making was I want to go where people are having fun, right? That’s exactly what happened. I was like, I’m I’m choosing this school
16:18
because it’s a party school. Like that was the the reason. But you were serious about your academics. I mean, you went with an
16:24
engineering major. Yeah. So share about college. Yeah. So I went into college. I loved
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like I loved math really and I got the math all out of the way in the first two
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years. But I do want to say I I got on academic probation the first semester because of all the drinking and
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partying. Like we we would drink we like we partied from Wednesday all the way till Sunday night.
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Yeah. And and um so the academic probation they actually put me in a like a
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therapy or something like that. I had it was like man because of your alcohol. Yeah. And they had me fill out a
16:59
questionnaire and be and I was honest on the questionnaire. They So the kids were like you should have lied. Um, and so
17:05
because I was honest with how much I was drinking, they actually put me into another group, like another group that I
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had to like talk about ways to decrease the amount of drinking we were doing. So,
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um, during that season, obviously, your drinking is getting worse. Um, another romance enters into the
17:23
picture during college. Yeah. So, the romance was actually before I left for college. It was a guy
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back at home. And so when I got to college um and was doing all this
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partying and drinking, he would come and visit on the weekends. And that is when
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um so here I am like lo I was lost, you know, and I’m at this point where um
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like I’m just living a sinful life totally filled with flesh. And
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um and so I end up pregnant at that point. And so I’m 18 years old, just
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starting out my college career, and I ended up pregnant, and I’m like, what am
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I gonna do? Like, I was so selfish. So selfish. I’m just saying, okay, um, what
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are my options? The only option is to get rid of this thing and be done with it because nobody can ever know I’m
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taking it to the grave. Like, I knew what I was about to do was pivotal.
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Mhm. And I wasn’t going to tell anybody because there was shame in it. There’s
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there was um it was something that was going to mess up my plans and my plans
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had already met been messed up from all my sin. So it’s like um it just it just
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started this this I was just broken at that point. And um I found someone to
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give me a ride. I went to the clinic and I was laying in the clinic room as they
18:54
were doing an ultrasound to make sure I was pregnant and they’re like, “Yep, you’re 6 weeks along.” And I just like I
19:02
just remember just being like, “Wow, this is really happening right now.” And feeling almost woe is me, like I’m I’m a
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like I’m the one who needs the attention or whatever. But that poor baby like
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didn’t I didn’t I had already made up my mind going in there what I was going to do. So um
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that I end up going back to the dorm, took the medication that they gave me and then um I just waited and within
19:34
like 6 hours the baby came out in the toilet and I flushed it down. Like I saw my baby in the toilet and I flushed it
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down. And you’re you’re a a sophomore in college? Yeah. Uh yes, freshman year. Freshman in college. And of course you
19:47
you know there’s there’s no church in your life. There’s no um there’s no godly people directly in your life. And
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yet even then you could testify that there was such a heaviness. Yeah. Um praise the Lord for God’s grace and
19:59
God’s forgiveness. But you look back on that and you’re thinking, “Wow, what a You’re right. On one hand, what a pivotal moment.” Um I remember you
20:06
testified on the phone when we were talking yesterday. You were saying college was different from that point
20:11
on. It was like if there was any level of um innocence or any level of uh
20:16
carefree type of college mentality, which a lot have there, that was kind of out the window.
20:22
And I remember you were testifying even though you still had an intense class. You had a lot of, you know, left to get
20:27
to your degree. You were just kind of like aimlessly roaming about almost like an outer body experience.
20:33
That’s exactly what happened. I remember like going for trail walks in the woods
20:39
and just being like feeling just so lost like what am I even what’s my what’s the
20:44
point of life right now? Like what am I even doing here? And there was a college
20:50
Catholic church right across from my dorm and I went there like looking for answers and like there was nothing like
20:57
I I didn’t get anything from it. Yep. So get us to graduation date which
21:02
is impressive for a civil engineering degree through all the stuff you went through. Share about uh the end of
21:07
college and then what transitions from there. I don’t want to miss the internship either. So to share about the
21:13
end of college. Yeah. Um so the I do want to just say about the abortion. I
21:20
like knew being raised in the Catholic church. I just knew that murder was a sin. And I was like
21:28
thinking in my head, okay, now I’m condemned to hell because I will never confess this to a priest.
21:33
And so like I’m like, “Okay, I’m I’m going to I’m going to die.” Wow. So I knew there I knew that there was a
21:39
God and I knew that there was a heaven and hell. Like I just knew it. So
21:44
like you said earlier, it’s like you had the fundamentals, but there was also fundamental piece missing of a
21:50
relationship with the perfect son of God who erases our sin. That that that is coming on the horizon, but at this point
21:55
not there. Yeah. What happens? Was it your junior year, senior year, you took you had an internship in Southern Maine,
22:00
right? Yeah. I started an internship in my junior year where I met Ava’s dad.
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And so I started to date him throughout the senior year and then once we once I
22:12
graduated from UMIN, um I ended up moving in with him.
22:18
Big construction company. And this is a this is a a great open door for a young person out of out of uh college. share
22:24
about that relationship and how that uh progresses. Yeah. So, um yeah, my relationship with
22:31
him was just fun. Like I I had made it up in my mind that okay, so men they
22:38
don’t want marriage. Like that’s what was in my head. They just want fun. And so I’ll be that. I’ll be fun.
22:44
And so um I like that’s what I was for him. and um
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and him and I we we did we had like a good good time going to concerts like um
22:58
just just having fun and then um we dated for about three years or no we
23:05
dated for almost four years and um and then I could sense that he was pulling
23:10
away and like it just brings back fear of rejection again like rejection from
23:17
my dad, rejection from that first boyfriend that you know that I like all my dreams were crushed
23:23
and um and that so now I’m like oh great another pivotal time in my life where
23:29
this man who I thought I would marry I’m not I wasn’t sure but um like we hadn’t
23:35
really talked about it but he’s pulling away now too and he’s being drawn to
23:40
someone else and I wasn’t sure if it was just my jealousy talking or if that was
23:45
true but it ended up being true. Yeah. Um when you when you guys came to a head in the relationship, you guys broke up
23:52
and then like days later you found out some big news. Yeah. So um I was transitioning into a
23:59
new job. So I hadn’t I hadn’t left my other job. So the like I was doing a job
24:05
change. Matt and I were breaking up and I found out I was pregnant like two
24:11
weeks after we broke up. Mhm. You had a friend you said you don’t believe was a believer but you had a a lady friend who
24:18
was like a advocate for that human life. Y share what happens. Yeah. So um like my my best friend from
24:27
childhood um we met. We didn’t really see each other much after college but we met. I was just so lost. I was like
24:34
trying to like find my route somewhere. And so we went to the beach and I told
24:39
her what was going on and she said, “Emily, you’re 25 years old. You’ve got a career. You’re in a good place. Why
24:46
don’t you just have the baby?” And I was like, “Yeah, yeah, you’re probably right.” And so I just went with that.
24:53
Like I’m like, “Okay, so she’s got confidence in me, so maybe I should I should be able to be okay with this.”
24:59
Yeah. During the pregnancy there was kind of some mixed uh signals, right?
25:05
because you and Matt had broken up, but then you decide, “Hey, I’m keeping this child.” You of course tell Matt, “You’re
25:11
keeping this child.” Um, what happens leading up to the birth of Ava?
25:16
Yeah. So, um, so he was kind of like coming over for dinner, like I would be
25:22
making him dinner while I was pregnant. Um, just he wanted to be present during the pregnancy. So that I mean some
25:29
people say that when a baby is in in is developing in a belly like they can
25:36
still hear their parents’ voices and everything. So he um he wanted to be a
25:41
part of her like being being around him. And so it kind of just it made me
25:47
believe that well maybe there’s hope. We maybe we can get together and raise this baby together. And um so about 3 weeks
25:57
before I was due um I there was an article in the newspaper and it showed
26:04
him and the girl that I thought that he had cheated on me with and yep it was
26:09
them and my friend my friend who actually told me to keep the baby um she
26:15
is the one who sent it to me that picture and I was devastated and it put me into I it wasn’t pre-term labor it
26:22
just I was three weeks it was like three weeks ahead of that was the catalyst that Ava was born.
26:28
Um, you know, often times you’ve you’ve heard me say that. I think it’s a it’s a a godly thing when you’re
26:34
interceding on behalf of someone. So often we say, “Lord, bring a crisis in their life.” And um, through all of this now, okay,
26:42
you’re going to have a child. You’re going to raise a child by yourself. You have a full-time job. So this means Ava is going to spend time in daycare. I
26:49
don’t want to skip over anything, but we’re approaching a financial crisis. So, you know, the silver lining is a
26:55
crisis came into your life and how the Lord’s going to use that. So, get us through that season and and how the Lord
27:01
reveals himself. Right. So, I had Ava. I did have a little like postpartum depression where
27:08
I like felt lost again. I just felt like I have this newborn who eats and sleeps
27:14
all the time and I’m home by myself and I just didn’t feel like I had like purpose. And then um I go back to work
27:22
and that was like devastating to leave your like newborn three-month-old and
27:27
have to go work full-time and pump at work in a closet and not have your baby.
27:33
That was really challenging. And then when she was three when she was 5 months old, her dad started asking to have her
27:39
overnight. And so I started to have to like give her while I’m nursing give her
27:45
over to her dad overnight. And I was trying to just be um like I just I did
27:51
want him a part of her life. So I w I didn’t want to give her over, but I knew
27:58
that she needed him too. And so um so I started to do that and we even went to
28:04
court when she was about 9 months old because I just needed some financial support. Yeah. Um
28:11
and um when she was nine nine months old, that’s when the the um bills start
28:18
started piling up from everything. So I had purchased a house when Ava was in my
28:24
when I was pregnant with her. Um and I had no clue how to budget at all. Like I
28:31
didn’t know how much I was making per month. And I didn’t know where all my finances were going. I was just spending
28:36
hoping that it that I could cover the cost of everything. And then I started to receive um I like
28:43
I even got a foreclosure notice on my house cuz I made late payments and um
28:50
and so like the bills were just piling up piling up and I didn’t want to open them because I didn’t know I didn’t know
28:56
how I was going to cover it. And so um I started listening to a show. It was
29:03
called the Ramsay Show. Um, and it just talks about people who are in debt and how to get out. And so, um, but it’s a
29:10
faith-based show. They they even share scripture. Um, and,
29:16
um, so anyways, I started to listen and then there was a class being held locally. And so I went with some of my
29:21
friends to a local uh, it’s called Financial Peace University. And um and
29:28
so I started going there and it was held at a church like in Brunswick and it was
29:33
a regular Christian couple who was running the show and I love that adjective. They were just
29:38
regular. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And they were very um Christlike like looking back on it. uh Randy and
29:46
thea y um and they would open with prayer and
29:51
close with prayer and I would be balling the whole time and I just didn’t realize like why I was feeling so it was like
29:58
what it’s what I needed. I mean if you think about our our relationship with
30:03
the Lord like our the whole reason we are here is to know him and make him
30:10
known. And so, um, when we were in prayer, I’m balling because that’s what I need. I needed him. And so, that was
30:17
like the opening of my eyes for a desire for something, a relationship with the
30:23
Lord. Yeah. You testified this gentleman was just, he was a man. He was manly, but he
30:29
was gentle. He was Christlike. And likewise, this lady. So, even doing something quote unquote secular,
30:35
they were very much mission-minded. I mean, they were using this um material
30:41
means of helping people financially, but yet it was a vessel that was drawing you closer
30:46
um to him. And you said there was great fruit in it. I mean, suddenly Dave Ramsey was showing you how to budget to
30:52
the point where then did the the Financial Peace University said, “Hey, Emily, do you want to start teaching some Yes.
30:57
some classes?” Yeah. So, um the amount of peace that you can get when you have order over
31:03
your finances is was like mindblowing. I like knew what was coming in and knew
31:09
what was going out and I was just like, “Wow, that’s like that’s really good. I wanna there’s so many people that don’t
31:15
know how to do that. I wanted to help other people and I just became passionate about that.” And so I’m
31:20
starting to um teach financial peace university in the Catholic church. Um
31:27
they just allowed me to use the space. Yeah. Use the space. Exactly. Um what happens from there now? because
31:33
I I believe during this time spiritually you’re you’re still kind of in journeying
31:39
um and there’s still obviously this vacancy in your heart which can be filled with romance.
31:44
Um another relationship happens when Ava was young. Correct. And the the drinking was still happen.
31:51
Share about that. Yeah. So, I mean, I’m still trying to fill this big void in my heart, and all
31:58
I know is drinking and partying and men. And so, I just continue I I think that
32:05
what’s in my head is that I need I need a guy. Like, I need a guy in my life to
32:11
lead me, to help me, to help provide. Like, that’s that’s what I was thinking.
32:16
And I was like on this search for a guy. And um and so um I ended up with another
32:26
another man. I like lots in between, but I ended up dating seriously in 2016. And
32:33
it to the point where it was almost to marriage. Um we only dated a year. But I was like, this is this is what I want.
32:40
And that is he was big heavy heavy drinker, firefighter. And um and so him
32:48
and I we just drank a lot. Ava was three and um and it ended ended up like I said
32:56
I was super jealous over all my relationships and got to be a point where there was this one occasion where
33:03
I drank a lot and then I started accusing and um and then he kicked me
33:09
out. He said go home cuz I You were about to sell your house, right? I mean you had moved in. You were getting ready to sell the house and then
33:15
this blowup happens, right? This blowup happens. But right be I just want to backtrack a little bit.
33:20
This man that I thought that I we were going to be getting engaged, he he had a Christian friend couple. That’s right.
33:28
And they had invited us to Grace Church in um Gorum. Yep.
33:33
And so I had this desire. I’m like I really want to I need to go to church. Like I had this desire. I even asked
33:40
him, I said, “Would you go to church with me as part of a testing of is this
33:46
going to be the end?” Like it was kind of like me deciding whether or not I was going to stay with this guy. And um he
33:51
said, “I’ll he like puffed up his chest and folded his arms. I’ll only go if it’s a Catholic church.” And I was just
33:58
like that’s I was so like turned away from that whole scene that I was like,
34:03
“Okay, I’m not going to do that.” And anyways, this whole scene happened where I drank, accused him, he kicked me out
34:11
where you said I was selling my house. I was like fully moving in with this man. And so I was on my way home really
34:18
really not capable of driving and I hit a I spun out of control. It was like the
34:24
first frost. Totalled my car and um I immediately like my shoes kicked off of
34:31
my feet because of the um collision impact and then I ran into a swamp and
34:36
I’m hiding in the dark in a swamp in the middle of the night and I I mentioned
34:41
this to you that it’s like in Proverbs where it says the wicked flee when no one chases them. That’s what I was
34:47
doing. Oh man, you’re barefoot. It’s cold. You just crash your car. You go running into the woods.
34:53
Mhm. And you end up in a swamp. Yep. Up to your shins. Y and you’re thinking, “This ain’t right.”
34:58
Yeah. Yeah. I’m like, “What am I doing right now?” What? You called him. Called him.
35:03
The only person you knew to help. Mhm. Yeah. He towed my vehicle and then it was over between us. We were
35:10
done. And um and so yeah, from there I moved back into my house.
35:16
You got to share about the therapist. Yeah. I started seeing a therapist when things weren’t going right with us.
35:21
Also, I had I forgot to mention this too on the phone. I I had a miscarriage with
35:27
this man. Um I became pregnant and um and then the Lord took that baby home
35:33
and that was very disappointing. It it like wrecked me. Um I didn’t have the Lord, but the only thing that mended me
35:41
was listening to Christian music. And so I was listening to thy will be done by
35:49
something Scott. I can’t remember her first name, but um thy will be done. I knew th those words from the Catholic
35:56
church. They teach you the the Lord’s model prayer. And so it was kind of a
36:02
point where I was trying to surrender. I’m like, it’s your will. Like so I would like meditate on that psalm. And
36:09
so when we split, here I am and I Ava’s four now and she’s like she could just
36:15
see me mourning crying and she’d be like, “Let’s turn on Jesus music.” And she’d go over and turn on Kay Love. And
36:22
um and so I was started to see this therapist and she was like, “You know
36:28
what? You need you just need to go bar hopping and get it out of your system.”
36:34
Yeah. And so I ended up going I did what she said for probably six months and I
36:42
just was left feeling deeper in sorrow, deeper in uh my search like trying to
36:49
find something. I didn’t know what it was. It was it was the Lord. It was the only the only one who cared the lover of
36:55
my soul that I was looking for. And um and so I was sitting with the counselor
37:03
and I’m just like, I think what I need is to find a church. And she was like, “Okay, yeah. Yeah. How
37:10
about you try church hopping now?” Thank God you’re paying her. Yeah. To tell you what you want to hear. Um so
37:17
you know, there’s that proverb, Proverbs 7 and 8. There’s these two chapters where King Solomon by the Holy Spirit, he likens these two sources of wisdom.
37:25
He personifies them in two women. And Proverbs 7, he talks about the worldly
37:30
woman. It’s really worldly wisdom. It is personified in a woman. Um, but then in Proverbs chapter 8 is God’s wisdom. And
37:37
it’s very interesting the poetical language he uses. But it it really is that. I mean, the world’s wisdom. What
37:42
is the best thing they have to offer? And and ultimately that, hey, just give yourself to more vice, more sin, just
37:48
let out all your wild oats. And not realizing you’re like the woman at the well. I’ I’ve done that. I’m empty.
37:56
Um, so you you present to her, hey, I did what you told me to do. I’m still miserable.
38:01
I think I should start going to church. Yeah. Start start checking out churches. Yeah. What happens from there?
38:06
Yeah. So, from there, I mean, the Holy Spirit completely guided me. Like,
38:12
I got out my phone on Google Maps and I just typed in church and I would just go
38:18
from one church to the next. I’d try a different church every Sunday. And some of them I did bring Ava to. Um, but I’d
38:26
just be there and I’d be sitting and I’ I’d be like in my head I’d say, “This
38:31
church is dead.” And then I’d be sitting in another like a congregation church
38:37
and I they were talking about salt and light, but the meat wasn’t there. Jesus
38:42
wasn’t there. And so I was like, “They’re so close, but it’s not. This isn’t it.” And in my heart, the desire
38:49
was and the thought came up in my head was I need a church that sings the songs
38:56
that I hear in the radio like that are true. And I was like, but I won’t find that here in Maine. Like that’s what my
39:04
the thought that came into my head. I won’t find it. And finally, the the last
39:09
church that I tried was a church that was just a couple miles down the road. And they were the second I walked in
39:15
through those doors, they were worshiping in spirit and truth. And the pastor gave a um not an altar call, just
39:24
uh it was a seeker friendly church. So at the end of every service, he just said a prayer for salvation if you
39:29
hadn’t committed your life to Christ. And that’s where I was saved. Yeah. And this is 2017
39:36
um at that time. So, and you know, one of the things you testified is when you when when you crossed that line, when the Holy Spirit had uh had his way in
39:44
your life, so to speak, you tapped out at that church service, you said you knew that you knew all the years leading
39:50
up to it, you could look with 2020 and realize, you know, there was the Holy Spirit leading you, but at that point,
39:56
you knew, okay, I am a born again believer. Correct. Yeah. I was like the woman, the forgiven
40:02
woman um that that went to Jesus’s feet and just knew what she’d been forgiven
40:08
of. And I just poured out my soul to him. Like I just said, like I’m yours.
40:15
Like I’ll do whatever whatever you want. And he came to seek
40:21
and to save that which was lost. And I was so lost and he saved me.
40:27
Yeah. And and the cool thing is is AA was along for this ride. So you you shared that part about uh serving in the
40:34
kids ministry and you were like I was going there to serve, but I was learning alongside of the kids, which is the coolest thing, right? So
40:40
the Bible’s being taught. Um you noticed early on, so we’re in 2017, 2018.
40:47
You noticed early on that there was some obstinance from AA’s father.
40:53
Yeah. Share a little bit about that. So um so yeah as Ava learned and I learned about
41:01
truth about you know there is a heaven and a hell there there is only one way.
41:09
Ava was learning quickly just as I was and she would bring that truth home with her to her dad and he began to
41:19
um put his guard up around it and he was offended. Um and so
41:28
Ava said, “I did tell daddy but you know he didn’t like he didn’t really want to
41:33
talk about it.” Yeah. And that was a four-year-old Ava, you know. um share, you know, we so often we get
41:40
to the point in the testimony and we get to that year 2020.
41:45
Um you know, I don’t want to skip over anything, but get us to the year 2020 and then how the Lord began to redirect
41:51
your steps. Yeah. So, um so when I was first saved in 2017, I stopped drinking. I wasn’t
41:58
going to drink. And then um 2020 happened and
42:05
I like there was some people in my life that went to church and they dropped off
42:10
some groceries with some some bottles of wine in it and I was
42:15
like, “Oh, is it I guess Christians can drink.” Like I to it totally threw me
42:21
off. I started drinking again. And um
42:27
and at that 2020 time, I was feeling like I need fellowship and I need truth.
42:34
Like I was feeling starved of the word and starved of fellowship. And so
42:41
I started to um drink more. I was still born again,
42:48
but I was like drinking every day again. Yeah. because the church that you were connected to was they had gone online.
42:55
Correct. Right. Um you had a job change and in that job change you met Nancy. Right. Right.
43:01
Share about that. Yeah. So um um I met Nancy through I
43:07
started um at home care and so like elder elderly care. Um and Nancy was a
43:14
nurse there and she was a believer and even the owner was a believer. You know what? We got to back up because
43:20
how you got to that job, the the job story, you got to share. You got to share that.
43:25
Yeah, I have to share this because I know it affects so many people. Um, so
43:30
as a new believer at this at my construction job that I was at, I was an estimator. I was a new believer. I had
43:38
witnessed to everybody in there. Like I I was like, Jesus, you got to put your faith in Jesus. And all of them had shut
43:45
me down. All of them. And I was just like there I started to feel a pull that
43:50
I needed to leave. And I was like, “Okay, yeah, I’ll leave. I’ll do whatever you want. Um, but you have to
43:56
provide me with a new job, right?” No, he loves faith. You It’s impossible to please him without faith, right? And so
44:04
he was calling me to take a leap of faith, like to step out. He’s calling me out of that job without another one like
44:11
to take the place. And so I ended up um
44:17
like just waiting. I was just waiting. I’m like, “Wait on the Lord, right? Wait on the Lord.” But he had already told me
44:23
my orders. And I was like, “Well, I can’t because I don’t have another job.”
44:28
So he I ended up breaking out in boils like like Job. I’m And I’m say that it
44:35
was very painful. Ava still remembers it. Ava because like I it was all over my face and it was really embarrassing.
44:43
And they wouldn’t they would it would take so long for them to heal. And I
44:49
think that’s it was just the Lord is like telling me you need to go. And so I
44:54
went to my boss and I gave him my twoe notice and I said listen God is calling me out of this and I don’t know where
45:00
he’s he’s bringing me but he’s just telling me to give you my twoe notice. And he was like I don’t believe you.
45:07
Like and I’m like seriously this is happening. Wow. And you testify in case you were
45:13
not totally sure. Then when you actually took that step of faith, the boils went away. Yep. Within So the boils went away. The
45:20
I got a new job almost immediately with this at home care company. And um yeah,
45:27
everything everything aligned perfectly. And it was cuz like when I we didn’t
45:33
talk about this either, when I became a believer, I was like Peter’s mother-in-law when she was healed. like
45:39
she just got up and served. Like that was my heart. I’m like, if I don’t serve, I’m going to die. Like I need to
45:46
serve the Lord. Yeah. It’s worthwhile saying, aren’t you guys grateful God deals with all of us differently that if we say no in our
45:52
heart, God doesn’t just give all of us boils. Um God can do whatever he wants. We have in the book of Acts, we have
45:58
that Ananas and Safh incident. They lie to the Holy Spirit. God strikes him dead. Now, great fear fell on the church. So
46:04
God used it, but he doesn’t do that with everybody. Praise the Lord. But you were certain, okay, this was this was God
46:10
showing me, hey, you need to trust me. So, you step out and you do this somewhat of a foreign job. I mean,
46:16
you’ve gone to college for an engineering degree. You’ve been working in that industry. You now leave and by
46:21
step of faith, you you come into this home care job and you meet a a Christian lady,
46:27
right? So, yeah. So, I 20 it’s 2021 at this point and um and I’m still craving
46:36
the fellowship. I’m like h my heart is just like so sad about the church and
46:42
the my church. I was like so devastated that they were they were you know
46:49
it wasn’t very biblical what they were doing. They were they were going to go against what God says God’s word says
46:55
about they’re decided to close the church and not meet. And I was really
47:01
devastated about that. And I remember just balling to the Lord. I had the word open and I’m like, how do I make this
47:08
pain go away? I just want to I want to be able to see my sisters and brothers. I want to learn. And um so I was feeling
47:15
starved like a starved sheep. And Nancy, she ended up inviting me to Calvary. And
47:23
I denied her the first two times. And then the final time, the third time,
47:28
you got boils. No, but the third time, um, I was at a
47:36
point of I don’t know what to do because Ava’s having trouble with transitioning from house to house.
47:42
She’s crying. She’ll cry all night. She’d come over my house at 4:00, cry until I was like, I don’t know what to
47:50
do. And I was sharing that with Nancy, and she’s like, well, it’s on a Wednesday, right? And I said, yeah. She
47:55
said, why don’t you try bringing her to Calvary? So that was the third time I was like, “Okay, I’ll I’ll go to
48:01
Calvary.” I started coming and I was like, “Oh, I felt like a starve sheep.” It was like I wanted to stay here
48:06
forever and never leave. Like I just wanted to keep fellowshipping and I wanted I just wanted truth. I I just wanted more
48:14
truth. This was the spring of 2021, so we were over at the first location right down the road,
48:19
right? Um I remember it. And Ava’s experience, I mean, you just testified she had a
48:25
hard time Wednesday to Wednesday. Um, from my recollection as the pastor, I just remember watching Ava quickly just
48:30
assimilate and make friends. Yes. Um, share a little bit from a mom’s perspective, one, what God was doing in
48:35
your heart, but also in in Ava’s heart. Yeah. As I was receiving the word and
48:42
just being cleansed, uh, being sanctified. I I really And I saw Ava.
48:49
Ava started to thrive. Like when she came to my house, she was like, “Let’s go to church.” She was so happy to come
48:56
and um yeah quickly made friends and she ended up um like you had offered
49:04
baptisms. She had heard that there was going to be baptisms and she said during 2020 she had given her life to Christ um
49:11
through it was just crazy. We just a little devotional time. Oh, before she
49:16
gave her life to Christ, I felt a like a calling of the Holy Spirit to remove our TV from the upstairs because she wanted
49:23
to quickly turn the TV on every morning. I moved the TV downstairs like the next day she said like she was on um doing
49:32
her devotional because the TV wasn’t there and that’s the day she gave her life to Christ. Like so it’s that’s
49:38
pretty cool. and she hears about the the baptism in the spring of 2021. Y and she says, “Hey, mom, I want to do
49:44
this.” You had already been baptized. Yeah. Right. Share what happens. So, um Ava wanted voiced to me to me
49:52
that she wanted to be baptized, but it was on a weekend that her dad wasn’t she would be with her dad. So, I reached out
49:58
to him. I said, “Um, do you mind if I if I have Ava for Sunday service because
50:04
they’re offering baptisms and she wants to be baptized?” And he said, “No.” And
50:11
there was no there was not much more to that. It was just, “No, you can’t.” And I was like, “Okay.” Well, there happened
50:17
to be a storm during that weekend. And so, we didn’t even have church services. There was no baptism. And so, the it was
50:25
rescheduled for the following weekend, which I would have her. And so we find we find this out on Sunday morning and
50:31
I’m like on my way home after fellowship on Sunday morning and someone from the
50:37
church was his neighbor like so his neighbor was coming here to this church
50:43
and um she had invited him say hey Ava’s going to be baptized. So she had heard
50:49
that Ava wanted to be but um and you hadn’t even made that decision yet. It just was something Ava was talking about.
50:54
Exactly. And um so she reached out to him. He became so angry um and and gave
51:00
a gave me a call and told me not to get her baptized and he wanted me to put her
51:07
on the phone and he talked to her and said not right now. Um and that’s when the legal battle began. It was I was I
51:16
had already had a lawyer because I was I was thinking about seeking him for some income uh to help with Ava, but I had
51:24
decided no, I’m not going to do that. I like I was like, “No, God’s gonna provide for me.” So, I said, “No.” I
51:31
called my lawyer, said, “I’m not going to even pursue this.” Well, it was like the following week he’s like, “Oh, he’s
51:38
suing you for bringing raising Ava in that in the church.” And so I was like,
51:45
“Oh, well that’s not what I thought.” But the Lord the I knew that the Lord
51:51
was in it and I knew that he I’m like I wasn’t that concerned,
51:57
but I didn’t know I didn’t know the extent of how to most of us it sounds so far-fetched.
52:02
You’re thinking, how can someone do this? Especially because you guys had had a um a very reasonable back and
52:08
forth 50/50 for most of her young life. A’s young life at that point. um you know we’re down to the closing
52:14
minutes but share about what’s happened. So you know you and Ava um you guys were
52:20
at everything. I mean literally everything up up until the summer of last year 2024
52:26
which was which was the court date you had asked me um a long time prior. And there was a handful of uh ladies in the
52:33
church that were glad to come alongside and just be an advocate and uh to be a character witness to testify that this
52:39
is not in fact a cult. We’re a Bible teaching church. You’d asked me to to go, me and Pastor
52:44
Ryan were there for that day and a half trial at a family court. So share about last summer and then
52:51
what’s transpired since. So, in that court hearing, um, it was
52:57
really amazing actually how God’s word was elevated in the courtroom because they were asking questions like, “Is
53:03
Matt saved? Is or is he going to hell or to heaven?” And I I was honest. I said,
53:10
“If he rejects the Savior, then he’s going to go to hell.” And they even
53:15
asked you some questions about We’re talking about the rapture, tribulation, sin, hell. It was It was
53:21
awesome. Yeah, it really Yeah, it really was. It was cool. Um, and then after that day and a half
53:29
or after the first day, you had said a prayer in Yeah, it it was a unique thing. So,
53:34
because I was a witness, they wouldn’t let me be in the court at all until I was the last person to to testify. Uh,
53:39
Pastor Ryan, a handful of others from the church were and Wednesday was the full day, Thursday was the half day. So, after Wednesday,
53:46
we had our evening service over at our last location. And I had begun the Bible study with a four or five minute prayer,
53:53
just letting the church family know and they had had known what Emily was going through. And we just prayed for the
53:59
spiritual fight that Emily and Ava were engaged in. And um we didn’t realize, I don’t know
54:06
if we knew at the time, maybe a little bit, that the gentleman, Ava’s father, he had been listening to every service
54:12
we had done, more than more than most people. I mean, he was listening to everything. He had been doing it for a long time. in his heart building a a
54:20
case. And um that prayer would ultimately be
54:26
their cause of reopening uh the court ruling and then trying to
54:31
further cause damage because the really the the mis the misuse they did saying
54:38
you know I was I was praying about a spiritual fight. I was praying about the enemy of our soul. They were trying to
54:43
say I was calling this father the enemy that the fight was phys. It was just total shenanigans. But they brought it
54:49
up and now in the court documents, word for word, my prayer, and all it really testifies how bad my grammar is when I
54:56
speak publicly, by the way. It’s hard to read that. Um, but before they reopened
55:02
the case that Thursday, which was the second half of the trial, including the
55:07
opportunity I got to testify, and it was unique because the the the judge, this is a family court, so there’s one
55:13
singular judge. Um, from what Ryan and the ladies who were there for the day
55:18
and a half said, she never once kind of showed her bias. She would just sit and preside and let the lawyers go back and
55:25
forth after the lawyers were really questioning me. And in my opinion, they did a really terrible job. They were
55:30
further proving how ridiculous this was and that we are a mainstream Bible teaching church and we got to share some like
55:37
constitutionality, you know, section one uh of the first amendment of the constitution. I mean, we’re just like,
55:43
shouldn’t you know this? like we’re protected. Then the judge got involved. She started asking me pointed questions and you
55:49
could just kind of tell like there’s a bias here from the get-go with the judge and that then went into a long process
55:56
of waiting, right? We’re like, “Okay, how is this going to unplay?” Share what happens. Yeah. So, um, in they called us back to
56:02
court in November. And so because of the prayer because of that prayer, because Ava was present for the prayer and
56:10
um because I didn’t remove her from the situation, they were calling me that
56:15
they were telling me that I had given all of my authority over to Pastor Travis. And so because of that they in
56:24
the order that was given in December December 18th 2024 they had said um because I had given my
56:32
authority over to pastor Travis that and there’s nothing that they I don’t know
56:38
how they came to that conclusion um but now my parental rights have been revoked
56:44
all religious upbringing all medical have been have now been revoked and so
56:49
they have been given to Matt who doesn’t have faith in anything. They’ve been giving all religious upbringing to Matt.
56:57
And so now I have to like run any churches that I want through him and
57:04
he’s denied every single one. And um told me on the last one, you’ve now
57:09
given me five churches and unless you can tell me the benefits of her going to
57:15
church, don’t even send me anymore. So I was like, “Okay, that thanks for that.”
57:22
Yeah. Um and guys, I mean, think about this. This is this is the same court system. This
57:28
is the same lawyer, an educated lady that judges of of our um of our laws.
57:34
You can imagine someone to get on a bench like that, how much education they’ve received. Think about what is
57:40
happening. So while the public schools can be letting transgenderism,
57:45
homosexuality, Darwinianism, uh, Marxism, socialism, I mean, all of
57:52
that is is open to be indoctrinated to a young person like Ava. They’re trying to
57:57
say, in fact, they hired a cult identifying specialist, and they paid a top amount of money for this lady from
58:03
California to write a 20page hit piece on Calvary Chapel, how dangerous we are because we talk about heaven and hell,
58:10
angels and demons, sin and righteousness. So, you I mean the the glaring um double standard that is being
58:17
held and the and the court has been smart in the sense that they did not make a court order that Ava can’t go to
58:24
Calvary. They made a court order giving 100% autonomy to the dad knowing where he already stood. So they were trying to
58:30
say they have stated their order is that you are unfit as a parent. You have proven not to make good decisions for
58:36
your daughter. Therefore, we’re going to grant all of the decision-m both medical and religious upbringing to the father.
58:43
Right. And that was finalized in December of this year. Yep. And that started an appeal
58:49
process. Yeah. Um Yeah. Oh, I was going to say something
58:54
else about that, but yeah. Uh, I don’t remember. Um, so then my lawyer, my local lawyer from Freeport is
59:02
now teamed up with Liberty Council who reached out to me saying that they would take my case pro bono. And so I at least
59:10
don’t have to pay them, which is great. They they just accept um um
59:15
donations from around from around the nation. And these guys fight quite literally at the Supreme Court level all the time. Uh, but the Supreme Court of
59:22
the United States can usually take 70 to 80 cases a year. We’re just so hoping that this one would get there because
59:28
think about the ramifications. The suffering that Emily and her daughter Ava are going through right now
59:33
is, and I’ve heard her say this, is so worth it if it sets a precedent to protect children around the nation.
59:39
And right now, that is at uh at large very much at risk. And you know, one of
59:44
the things when you talk to Matt Staver, the president and founder of Liberty Council, and his legal uh cohorts, they
59:51
will testify they did not know how wicked and evil the state of Maine is until the last few years. And how many
59:57
of the cases Liberty Council has had to represent in the state of Maine, Cage Chapel Bangor, Calary Chapel Belfast, of
1:00:05
course, this Calvary Chapel in Portland. um they are realizing that there is a horribly dangerous precedent in
1:00:11
Washington DC, Maryland, New York, California, Colorado, and Maine. And these six states are a testing ground of
1:00:17
what’s coming against our religious freedoms and the persecution. So, you’re right in the midst of this. Uh you know,
1:00:24
some of you may be sitting there saying, “Okay, well, how come we haven’t defied? How come, Emily, you haven’t defied?”
1:00:29
And we believe as do the Christian lawyers on Liberty Council that it seems
1:00:34
to be appropriate to as a show of good faith to the court system. Hey, we
1:00:40
desire to follow the laws of the land. We want to appeal this because we believe it to be unconstitutional, but
1:00:45
you have made a difficult sacrifice and and we believe a a very wise one to say you will abide by this court order
1:00:54
um hoping that it will be vindicated in the higher courts. Yeah. that justice will be served eventually um and it’ll be set right.
1:01:02
But at that at the time I was going through the court hearings and everything. I was thinking to myself,
1:01:08
well, it’d be unconstitutional if it went the other way. So, um if it is if
1:01:13
they do have an order that says that I can’t bring Ava to church, I’m still going to bring her. That’s what I
1:01:18
thought in my head because it’s my right. Right. But um so that’s where the grieving
1:01:25
process happened for me in December when I was like I my lawyers are like you
1:01:32
can’t you can’t bring her you have to you actually have to abide by that and I was like what I I thought this whole
1:01:38
time I had the right to bring my daughter here. I’m like uh I was just
1:01:43
grieved by that. That was the part of me picking up my cross and bearing the weight. Yeah. uh for Christ’s sake which in in
1:01:51
Philippians 1:29 it says you have been granted on behalf of Christ not only to
1:01:57
suffer I mean not only to believe but also to suffer for his sake and so he’s
1:02:03
holding the belief of him and the suffering on the same playing field so
1:02:08
so it’s been you know whether you signed up for this or not you’ve certainly been uh you’ve been an example to many as the
1:02:15
Lord is watching and as the church family is watching how you and AA to handle this. Um certainly it’s
1:02:20
beneficial for all of us here to know how we can be specifically praying for this process. Um I I’ll end with you
1:02:26
giving an opportunity if there’s anything through your journey, through your story, through your current struggle crisis that you’re in. Is there
1:02:33
anything Emily that you’d impart to anyone listening here tonight? Um well, the one verse that I can think
1:02:39
of um is that when Christ begins a work in you, he will finish it until the day
1:02:46
he returns. So, he’s he’s going to be working out everybody’s
1:02:52
um working out our sanctification until the very end. And um I just
1:03:00
um I just wanted to say that no, like on your walk, nobody’s perfect. All he
1:03:05
wants is obedience. And so if you’re if you’re um if you’re hearing from him,
1:03:11
just do what he says. Nobody’s going to be perfect. So, yeah. Yeah. Well said. You guys want to
1:03:17
give Emily a round of applause?
1:03:26
You You guys know we we made flyers available a long time ago. I I do think it’s worthwhile and she certainly did
1:03:31
not ask me to say this, but it is worthwhile noting while Liberty Council has been extremely helpful, uh there are
1:03:38
certainly other legal bills that that are accumulating. Liberty Council has to because of the main bar, they are an
1:03:44
outside of the state organization. they have to team up with a local law uh uh firm which is the gentleman who has been
1:03:49
representing her. So the church you guys have already at a large part come around. You’ve helped with tangible needs. There’s no greater need than
1:03:56
prayer. This is a spiritual fight and we’ll say that again. It’s a spiritual fight and we pray you guys would join in
1:04:02
that fight of prayer. But if the Lord moves upon your heart and you would like to in any way whatsoever to come
1:04:08
alongside Emily during this and come alongside Ava during this, you can see one of the elders or pastors would be
1:04:14
happy to facilitate that. Um, but what she said about Philippians chapter 1 vers 6, Paul says, “We are confident
1:04:20
that he who began a good work in you, he will finish it until the day of the Lord Jesus Christ.” And these testimonies,
1:04:26
Emily is included. What a wonderful reminder that God is so personal. He’s so unique in the way that he comes after
1:04:32
us. The way that he doesn’t force himself, but he is so long-suffering. He puts these people. I think of that
1:04:38
couple that led you through the financial peace university. And I wonder if they know how much God used uh
1:04:45
themselves in your life. And so, we never know how God’s going to do this thing, but it’s a wonderful thing to look behind us and uh in in high 2020,
1:04:53
and God is faithfully working and he will continue to do so. So, let’s pray and then we’ll continue in fellowship
1:04:59
tonight. Father, grateful for this testimony. Thank you, Lord, for what you’re doing in Emily’s life. You are
1:05:05
certainly refining and strengthening her and her faith. Lord, we are witnesses of
1:05:10
it. We lift up to you her and her daughter Ava. And we pray, Lord, that you would be uh magnifying yourself,
1:05:18
revealing yourself in a special and a unique way, especially to Ava. She has
1:05:23
been removed from the fellowship. Lord, she’s in the midst of a pivotal season of life. She’s there in a public school
1:05:31
setting. And Lord, we have heard so many testimonies how you have used way less
1:05:36
than ideal circumstances to reveal yourself to people. Lord, you could put a Christian school teacher, a Christian
1:05:44
student. Lord, you could drop um a holy scripture right in front of her in the
1:05:49
middle of a lesson. You can do however and whatever you want, but we do pray you would continue to reveal your great
1:05:55
love for Ava. Lord, strengthen her, fortify her in this season. Lord, thank you for Liberty Council. Thank you for
1:06:02
David, her lawyer here, who has been just instrumental in defending and studying and putting together so much
1:06:07
paperwork. Lord, we pray and we appeal to the great judge, Lord, the ruler and
1:06:13
the King of Kings. Lord, you are a God of justice, of truth, and we pray, Lord,
1:06:18
that you would vindicate your daughters on behalf of uh what is right, Lord,
1:06:25
that there would be a precedent set. And Lord, I know Emily and Ava are willing to go through this suffering for the
1:06:31
sake of others. And we pray this would be the case. So, Lord, strengthen Emily. Thank you for her testimony. Thank you
1:06:38
for the people you’ve used in her life. Help us to be mindful you want to use us in other people’s lives. So Lord, we’re
1:06:45
grateful tonight as we fellowship now. We pray you’d be glorified through all of it. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.

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