Meet Cherie

WHO AM I?

Devoted woman of God, wife, and mother...

One of my favorite life Scriptures is Psalm 37:3-6 from The Passion Translation. “Keep trusting in the Lord and doing what is right in His eyes. Fix your heart on the promises of God and you will be secure, feasting on His faithfulness. Make God the utmost delight and pleasure of your life, and He will provide for you what you desire the most. Give God the right to direct your life, and as you trust Him along the way, you’ll find He pulled it off perfectly! He will appear as your righteousness, as sure as the dawning of a new day. He will manifest as your JUSTICE, as sure and strong as the noonday sun.” 

These promises are conditional, my friends. I am witness to God’s faithfulness, so be encouraged!

I am grateful for my faith. Jesus is #1 in my life. Every good and perfect thing in my life comes from Him. My husband and I live in a beautiful home built in 1908 in Northern California. We are still newlyweds, and we're empty nesters! We each have a daughter from our previous marriage, ages 26 and 24. Our girls are a tremendous gift! We each had our daughters at age thirty-one. How cool is that? We vow to choose God first in our marriage. Our hearts are hidden in Christ and declared John 15:5 over our union, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me, and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing."  

I was not always a Christian. Even after I came to know Christ at age twenty-seven, I did not have a clue what a relationship with Jesus was supposed to look like. It was not until fifteen years later, when I was in the desert, like Job, that I finally declared Jesus as my Lord and Savior. He placed the Bible in my hand after I pleaded with Him to show me what a relationship with Him looked like. I have not put it down. My former mentor and pastor told me, "This is life's ultimate adventure!" How very true.

Author, writer, blogger, speaker, and retreat planner...

I was born with a passion to write. I began keeping diaries as a young girl and was introduced to the typewriter in third grade. I just had to have one. My first book idea, Choices, came when I was in high school. Journaling is essential in my daily life and always has been. 

This Justice Writer blog was born from inspiration in 2009. The story of Joseph resonated in my heart, specifically this passage from Genesis 50:20 (AMP), "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present outcome, that many people would be kept alive, as they are this day."  This message is the theme of my blog, to tell of God's justice in an unjust world.

I've written inspirational articles for other blogs and magazines that testify to God's goodness and justice in my life. This season is very exciting as the Lord has opened many doors through which I get to share my message. This includes an upcoming anthology, Inspire Grace, to be published by Inspire Christian Writers.  

My husband insisted I attend the Mount Herman Christian Writer's Conference. It was there I began taking my writing seriously and signed up for Janet Thompson's memoir writing clinic. You can find part of my story in Janet Thompson's newly released book, Everyday Brave: Living Courageously As a Woman of Faith. 

I am now working on my first memoir which is expected to publish through Redemption Press around the beginning of 2020. You can also find me writing devotions and feature articles for TruthDwellers.

Speaking opportunities include women's retreats, luncheons, and workshops. I love spending time with other women, encouraging them in the Lord. My story is one of radical grace, rescue, and redemption. I am passionate about reaching the outcast, the abused, and those who remain trapped in a mistaken identity. "Your story may be the key to unlocking someone else's prison." You are not your past. You are not your story. You are the glory behind the story. 

It is an honor and blessing to co-chair the retreat planning team for the annual PSWC Women's Conference at beautiful Mission Springs Christian Camp and Conference Center. Won't you join us this Fall among the coastal redwoods in the Santa Cruz mountains?

For an interview or to schedule a speaking engagement, send me an email at cheriedenna@gmail.com.

If you’d like to send me a message, I’ll respond in a timely manner. Or if you would like to see what I'm up to now, like or follow me on Facebook.