I Still Believe: A Battle Between the Heart and Mind

By Sonda Jones

As we all know, life can be a very difficult road to travel. There are many twists and turns, many ups and downs. When tragedy hits, we find ourselves making important decisions. As Christians, we know in our hearts the right thing to do, but the battle in our mind sometimes takes over. God allows us to make our own decisions. He gives us free w

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stonewall Press
• Release date: Dec 14, 2018
• ISBN: 9781644600283

Sonda Jones

In the early 1970's, constantly playing outside in the Oklahoma sunshine is where you would have found Sonda. Throughout her youth, that was exactly where she was happiest. With nothing but adventure on her mind, her strawberry blonde hair glistened in the sun and her freckles brightened during those summer days. Life was fun and Sonda embraced the moments. Sonda (Hunt) Jones grew up "believing." Believing in the unity of family, country, and God was just what she knew. Sonda graduated high school from a private Christian school. Soon after graduation, she began working for a jewelry store where she worked hard to become a registered jeweler and currently holds the position as assistant manager. Sonda married her best friend, John, in the summer of 1981. Years later, they welcomed two little girls into their family and settled into living their lives. Marriage and raising their family would have its challenges, but Sonda continued to believe in the foundations of her youth. Years later, after her girls grew into lovely young adults, Sonda would experience and face firsthand one of the most crucial times of her life. The fog of events to come would shake her very foundation. It would challenge her dreams, her future, and her faith in believing. Today, Sonda is assistant manager for B.C. Clark Jewelers. She is a grandmother, a worship leader in her church, and an author. Through her book, she shares her walk, her decisions, and her experiences throughout this personal, compelling story.

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I Still Believe

Copyright © 2018 by Sonda Jones. All rights reserved.

First published by Tate Publishing, LLC - 06/14/2016

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author except as provided by USA copyright law.

Scripture quotations marked (

esv

) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (

kjv

) are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version, Cambridge, 1769. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (

msg

) are taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Scripture quotations marked (

ncv

) are taken from the New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (

niv

) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Scripture quotations marked (

nkjv

) are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of Stonewall Press.

Published in the United States of America

ISBN: 978-1-64460-029-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-64460-028-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018961897

Published by Stonewall Press

4800 Hampden Lane, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20814 USA

1.888.334.0980 | www.stonewallpress.com

Acknowledgments

I

would like to

dedicate this book to my beautiful daughters, who have lived life with me through many hard times and also through many victories. Together we have learned to trust God in a way we never thought possible. Girls, I am so proud of you for never giving up. I pray you will always seek God in every aspect of your lives.

Next I want to dedicate this to my amazing parents, who have been by my side. Mom, I am so thankful for the many prayers you have offered for me. You have always been there for me. You have taught me to always believe. Dad, I will always remember what you said after the most tragic thing in my life had occurred. You said, This is what faith is all about. Wow, what a blessing you both are to me!

I also want to dedicate this book to my wonderful pastors, who are also my uncle and aunt. Ray and Jean, thank you for believing in me. Thank you for never giving up on John and me. You both are such a blessing, not only to me but also to all the people you minister to each and every day. Don’t ever quit doing what you do. God is so good!

Introduction

I

often wonder, "How

in the world can I ever write a book? I would never have thought about doing that until I went to a convention and had the pleasure of sitting next to a beautiful female minister. As we were eating lunch, we shared stories about our lives. On the last day of the convention, she asked me, When are you going to write a book?" That totally shocked me. Is my story truly one that people would read? As I continued to process all this in my mind, I did a whole lot of praying and talking to God. I told him if he would give me the words, I would write them down. This book is really not about me or my story, but it is about Christ living in me and giving me the strength to continue to live this life here on this earth. So as I start this journey, I pray you will be touched by the Holy Spirit, and He will give you the strength to live.

1

I

was born on

October 2, 1962, to my wonderful parents, Raymond and Gaylene Hunt. I am the youngest of three girls. I was very blessed to be raised in a Christian home. We went to church every time the doors were open. Although we had our family squabbles, like any other, I was always surrounded by a prayerful mother and a loving father. My parents held high standards and prioritized morals. There were times I felt they were too strict so much so that I missed out on a lot of things, but now that I am older, I am so glad and proud of the way I was raised. I had Jesus in my heart at a very young age; I have never known life without Him.

It was fun growing up with two sisters. Since I was the baby, everyone thought I was spoiled. Of course, I disagree. They did love me and took care of me. I was strong-willed and very protective of them. I would put up a fight to protect my family, and because of that, nobody ever got away with teasing or hurting them.

I was a very active and athletic child. I loved to