How do you begin a section that is “About Me”? I will try to eloquently share with you who I am, where I have come from and where I am going.
Since the beginning of time, since before I was in my mother’s womb the LORD planned greatness for my life.
I am a daughter of the Most High God and King of heaven and earth.
My full name is Bethany Anne Holland. Currently I am 24 years old and have been traveling the world for the last 2 years of my life. I was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona with some of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen.
I was raised in a Southern Baptist Church and truly believe that I have always known God and been known by him. I remember praying to God and asking him into my life at 3 years old. God’s existence and reality was never a question to me growing up, it was a given. I was a pretty good kid for most of my life and somewhere along the way began to believe that my goodness and my ability to follow rules made me closer to God and made him like me more. What I didn’t realize was that obedience isn’t actually what God wanted from me…all he ever wanted was my heart, my love.
So like many people in the church today, I got bored. When I was in high school, I decided that I was tired of always doing the right thing and being the ‘good girl’ in school. Plus, if God was going to forgive me and my ticket to heaven was fixed then why couldn’t I have a little bit of fun while I was young? So long story made short…I rebelled. I rebelled against all I had been taught and known, against my parents, and against God. And it wasn’t that fun.
But like I said that the beginning, God had a destiny and plan for me that was set before the foundations of the world. He is so much bigger than my rebellion and my ignorance. And I thank him everyday that his love was humble enough and big enough to rescue me out of my own drama…and to pursue me and find me when I didn’t deserve it.
So college is a whole different story….and I don’t think I will go into too much detail, for the sake of your attention span.
I moved to Flagstaff, Arizona and studied Business Management at Northern Arizona University. I fell in love with the city, the community and the culture. Not to mention, it is stunningly beautiful!!
It was here that I met someone who I had read about my whole life and had acted like I knew but had never actually talked to or spent much time with. He is beautiful and sweet. He is such a gentleman. He is courageous and full of love. He is full of grace and truth. He leads me into all truth. He is like the wind. He is like the rain. He is like fire. He is like oil. He is the third person of the Trinity. The very Spirit of God.
All of you who are worried about my theology, don’t worry. Yes, I had him with me ever since I came to Jesus as a child…but I never really acknowledged him. And it wasn’t until college that I began to recognize him and his voice. And it changed my life FOREVER.
So after three years of falling in love with my maker and walking in freedom, the Lord called me to the World Race. I graduated college in May of 2009 and left on the race in October 2009. I traveled to Central America, Southeast Asia, West Africa, and Eastern Europe. And I was WRECKED! If you don’t believe me, you can read a blog I wrote as we were ending our race and about to come home…SCREWED for life.
L Squad…my first family
I don’t think I can even list all of the ways the Lord transformed me throughout that year. I came out a completely different person and God has not stopped calling me higher. I’ve never known community and love like I experienced with the Race. It healed me, cleansed me, and gave me hope.
So I came home to Tucson on September 4th, 2010 and it wasn’t long before the Lord revealed to me what was next. So I signed up to lead a World Race squad in January 2011. There were a lot of times that I wasn’t sure if it was what the Lord wanted and there were times when I did NOT feel qualified. But I did it. And I cannot imagine my life if I had not chosen to squad lead. It is one of the best decisions I have ever made and it has changed me and challenged me in ways I did not think were possible. It was a holy privilege to lead such incredible men and women of God and watch them go after the heart of God so passionately. I have been truly blessed.
V Squad…my family got so much bigger!
And where I am going, only the Lord knows. I know it’s big and I know it’s the absolute highest and best possible place for me. Because HE is faithful and he leads me.
I know my father’s voice and I believe him at his word.
I know he is taking care of me and leading me in the way I should go.
But I do know that I want to see a generation of people who are radical worshippers and so lovesick that nothing can compromise the presence of God. I want to see the Bride ready to receive her KING and I want to see the church truly loving ALL people as Jesus loves and stop sitting in complacent judgement waiting for self-righteousness to save them. I want to see the Spirit of God fall on all people and the goodness of God revealed to all nations. I want to see revival and restoration for the broken and the hurting all over the world. I want to see HIS GLORY cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. I want to see the orphaned heart destroyed and the father’s perfect love cover all his people. I want to see the dead raised. I want to see the sick healed. I want to see the brokenhearted comforted. I want to see His will be done and His Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.
