Welcome! I am the Joy Minister
My name is Debbie Long
I have been called by Spirit to
shine the light of God into the darkness
of the broken hearts of his people,
transforming their pain into
Pure Divine Joy.
What Makes Me the Joy Minister?
I unwillingly became a full fledge paying member of the bereavement community on June 19th, 2002, when my son Chris Miles, at the age of 24, was granted his angel-wings and transitioned to be with our Heavenly Father for His greater purpose. Chris was disabled and he passed peacefully in his sleep when his heart just stopped beating.
Becoming The Joy Minister is the gift and blessing that I have received since that tragic day. It is said that every dark cloud has a silver lining and I am living proof that it is so. Do not misunderstand me; I would give all I have received back, in an instant, if I could choose to have Chris here with me. The reality is, that will never manifest in the physical form and acceptance of this has been the beginning of my own personal healing process.
After many, many months of grief, pain, anger, and the very real contemplation of suicide, I made a last ditch effort to heal what I believed was unhealable. I enrolled in the Spiritual Life Coaching and Ministerial Program with Inner Visions Institute for Spiritual Development in Silver Spring Maryland. My own experience with a personal life coach shortly after losing Chris showed me that under any circumstance one can keep moving forward.
Not really knowing why I was there in the first place, I miraculously was graced with healing, opening me up to receive my life purpose and vision. You see, I thought caring for my disabled son was my purpose in life and when that was ripped out from under me, I felt like a lost soul and that my work here was done.
My son has become my spirit guide and enthusiastically guided me to sell my home, give away all my possessions, buy an RV, and travel across Canada and the US speaking with and interviewing others who had lost a child, in the preparation for writing a book.
A book filled with hope, that, even after a parent’s greatest loss, we could find joy and happiness in our lives again! Something, up until that time, I had not experienced myself. My son spoke and I listened. The lessons learned, the gifts given, and the motivation received on this “My Journey of Joy”, was a total transformation for me.
I learned and became willing to accept that I can write, that I can perform, sing, and create songs, that I can speak publicly with passion about my beliefs, and that I can support others through their personal difficulties by sharing my experience, strength and hope. My ministry of joy was born.
It is my belief that one never gets over the loss of a child, but my experience has shown that there is hope that joy and happiness can and will be a part of our lives again because joy is a choice. Never ever did I believe that I would feel anything but pain and sorrow, but in fact, today, joy is my reality. If I can support just one other person who is in the darkness of their pain and bring them to this reality too, then my truly divinely given vision and purpose will have been complete.
My professional qualifications I received from Inner Visions Institute of Spiritual Development and after four years I completed my certification in Spiritual Facilitation qualifying me to perform sacred ceremonies, coach and council.
My greatest qualification is that I have heard and accepted the calling of God on my heart to experience and express the joy in my life and to guide and empower others to do the same.
And I said yes, thank you God.
Debbie Long
