Vanessa Collier

Mary of Bethany Vanessa Collier

Mary of Bethany has personal demons. The Bible tells that Jesus cast seven demons from Mary. In this story, they are not demons that are loud, demanding, or obvious. They are the demons that worm their way into hearts and destroy lives, demons that torment the souls of men, even now. They are born out of our trauma and abuse. We call them hate, fear, lust, greed, revenge, selfishness, and shaming self-blame. This story begins with tragedy, grief, deception, unspeakable pain, compromise, and, finally, desperation. Things seem hopeless. Then Mary meets Jesus and everything is forever changed. She is set free from the past and her wounded soul is healed.

Mary's salvation experience ripples out to the people around her. Her relationship with Jesus impacts her family, friends, and even her enemies. The story explores the Christian experience of justification, sanctification, and glorification.

Mary gives us a very personal view of Jesus. In her story, he is a man that sits by the fire with his friends, laughs easily, and has rich relationships with everyone around him. She sees the Christ in the day-to-day life experience. He is touchable, tangible, real, and approachable. Many of the moments Mary records in her story are ordinary, but because of who Jesus is, they are extraordinary.