Amy’s Story: The Beginning of Beauty for Ashes

“…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.”

Isaiah 61:3

The Beginning

My name is Amy, Founder of The 61 Exchange, and this is my story of beauty for ashes.

My story began in a small town in South Georgia, where I grew up in a Christian home with my two younger sisters. I wasn’t wild in high school. I danced, stayed busy with theater, and was deeply involved in church. I had a solid relationship with Jesus, but it was during college that things took a turn.

I started dating a man who would soon become my husband. I could never have expected the darkness that would follow. Just a few months into our marriage, I started to notice abuse. At first it was small instances, then, one day, it escalated. He pointed a gun at me and said, “Don’t worry, I won’t shoot you—you’d be a waste of a good bullet.”

In that moment, my self-worth was shattered. I started to believe I wasn’t worth anything, that I wasn’t loved. Everything I knew to be true about Jesus felt like it had disappeared. I turned to alcohol and the party scene to numb the pain. On the outside, we were “the fun couple,” throwing big parties and appearing to have it all together, while behind closed doors I was falling apart.

“On the outside, we were “the fun couple,” throwing big parties and appearing to have it all together, while behind closed doors I was falling apart.”

One day, I couldn’t take the pain anymore. I left him. In the middle of the what felt like darkest point in my story yet, I needed someone, anyone to show up and remind me that it was going to be okay. And that God was working. Instead, someone in the church told me, “God’s not ever going to want to use you again now that you’re divorced.” Those words cut deep. I believed the lie that I was disqualified from God’s calling—and I drank even more to silence the ache. This lie was the bow on every lie I believed in that season.

The Double Life and a Call Back to Faith

In an effort to try to piece my life back together, I moved to Tallahassee. Even in my wandering, there was still a pull toward Jesus. I got involved in a youth group, even though I was living a double life—serving at church while still partying at home.

One day, the youth pastor called me out. He said, “Amy, how can you be having this kind of impact at church and then go home and throw parties?”

At first, I was defensive. “You don’t know me. You don’t know my story.” But deep down, I knew he was right. I was living a life that didn’t align with the faith I claimed to believe.

That was the moment I rededicated my life to Jesus. I quit drinking, surrendered fully, and threw myself into ministry. I began working at a rehab center for alcohol and drug addiction—and for the first time in a long time, I felt the fire of the Holy Spirit alive in me again.

From there, God began to open doors I could have never imagined. I started organizing events and working with worship leaders and bands like Chris Tomlin and the Passion Band, helping others encounter Jesus through worship and story.

In 2019, I had the opportunity to help produce my first movie—and I fell in love with the film industry. But before that season began, something else happened: I met Paul.

Continue Amy’s story here.