When Ticora first reached out to me about helping out with a logo for her new ministry purHERty, I was game. As a teen growing up with no godly-direction, my heart dances with joy when a ministry is birthed geared towards young teen girls. It is so needed and God chose the perfect vessel to lead these young ladies.
Whole Spotlight is a section here dedicated to shining the light on women that God has chosen to impact lives, their communities, and the world. This month I am honored to feature Ticora Jones to shine alongside the other amazing women we have featured here on Whole.
W: Can you share with our readers a little bit about your upbringing?
T: I was born and raised in Salisbury, N.C by my mother and father. I have three brothers and one sister. My sister is 13 years older than me so growing up it was just me and my brothers, so I naturally became a tom-boy. I was a HUGE wrestling fan and loved Rowdy Roddy Piper, Andre the Jam, Hacksaw Jim Duggan...lol. My personal favorite was Sean Micheals. We had a lot of fun back then.
W: How were you introduced to Jesus personally?
T: I remember going to church with my family occasionally as a little girl, but attending church as a family stopped sometime while I was in elementary school. I always knew that there was a God, but He seemed like such a stranger. When I was ten years old I was playing on a play ground with my best friend Erika.
We climbed to the top of the metal slide and rested there after playing for what seemed like hours. It was here, at the top of that slide, at the highest place on that playground, that Erika told me about my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. She told me that I needed to be “saved.” Lord knows that I didn’t have a clue about the first thing it took to be “saved,” but I didn’t want her to know that I didn’t know what she was talking about, so I responded in the best way that I knew how.
I lied.
I said, matter of factly, “psssssh, I have plenty of time to get saved…I know all about that.”
Erika’s hazel eyes widened after I said this. She responded, “Oh, no you DON’T have plenty of time! Jesus could come tomorrow.” This conversation, a conversation held between two children, was the MOST important one of my life. No one...up until that point had told me with such boldness that I NEEDED Christ.
Shortly after our conversation, I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart.
W: Can you tell us a little about your new ministry puHERty and the vision behind it?
T: purHERty is a movement that brings the gospel of Jesus Christ to pre-teen and teenage girls through activism, acceptance, education, and the love of God. Our main focus is to show our
beloved girls that they are priceless jewels and that living a life for Christ is the most fulfilling, rewarding, and pure life that they will ever have.
I started purHERty because I decided that I was no longer going to operate in fear, because the Lord didn’t give me a spirit of fear. In the midst of my depression in 2008, God placed on my heart to start a girls program for the brokenhearted...for the lost...for His daughters. Even though I knew I was a child of God, it was hard for me to fathom loving and serving others when I didn’t know how to serve God or love myself. As God pulled me out of the pit of my depression and my relationship with Christ became stronger, I came to a point where I knew that I could do more for other girls who may have faced some of the same struggles that I faced. I knew that it was time to step out on faith and answer the question God had asked me in 2008... will you serve me? In 2013, I finally answered that question he posed to me years ago and purHERty was born for His glory.
W: What would you say are some of the biggest issues teen girls struggle with today and how are these topics tackled during your classes?
T: Gosh! Teen girls are being with so many attacks today. Whether it comes from social media, t.v., pop culture, or friends and family. One of the biggest issues that I believe teenage girls are facing is not knowing who they are in Christ. God is our creator...He is the Potter and we are the clay. Society always wants to put a label on EVERYTHING. If you don’t know who you are in Christ people will begin to define your destiny for you by uttering a few thoughtless words into your life. If we’re not strong enough... the enemy, whether it be the Devil himself, our flesh, or someone else’s hurtful actions, will make a home in our hearts. We’ll lay down with evil and get comfortable with its presence in our lives. We’ll begin to act out of the character that God designed for us. Until we’re ready to serve the enemy his eviction by tapping into the power God has given us notice we’ll get used to Him being there.
In purHERty’s Saturday Academies we teach our beloved girls what God says about them. I tell them that they are the apple of God’s eye (Zechariah 2:8), that He knows the number of hairs on their heads (Luke 12:7), and that God delights Himself in ALL of the details of our lives (Psalm 37:23). By the grace of God, they will know how much they mean to God. I truly try to speak life over their them and encourage them to know God for themselves.
We have had sessions on salvation, knowing your worth, spending time with God, friendship and positive male/female relationships. I ensure that I bring speakers in that love the Lord and are believers that the girls can relate to. We tackle some serious issues, but we have so much fun! They see that Christians come in all shapes, sizes, colors and that they carry a beautiful joy with them.
W: What does Purity mean to you?
T: Purity is not just being pure in one’s body, but also in their minds and in their hearts. It means that we are constantly pursuing the desires that Christ has for us. Purity is attainable, even if someone lied and told you that you were used up or dirty or that no one will ever want you. Those are lies! In Christ, we can be made new and we can be made whole by His grace and His mercy. I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to pursue purity daily.
W: As a woman who works with many young girls, can you share with us the impact on a young girls life when she grows up without a father in the home, and how can this ministry help?
T: We had a session on Positive Male and Female REALationships in June. I know that a couple of my girls have issues with their earthly fathers. During that session we tackled this issue head on. Ultimately, the take away from that lesson was that God is a Father to the fatherless. That where our earthly parents may fall short, God compensates...actually over compensates for.
Placing our hope in man, even our parents, will always lead to disappointment. We must learn to depend on God for our needs. I know that learning these lessons takes time and maturity, but laying their foundation in God’s Word is where the healing can start.
W: How can teens get plugged into purHERty and where can they connect online with you?
T: You may plug in with purHERty my contacting me via email at purHERty@gmail.com or by phone at (980) 643-0213. You can also get connected to purHERty by visiting our blog at: http:// purherty.blogspot.com or our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Purherty. We post regular updates concerning purHERty on our Facebook page. Check us out there!!
God has called you to be a part of something greater than yourself. Cast aside fear, doubt and anxiety, and pursue the dreams God has given you... - Ticora Jones
Carmen Miller spent her life searching for empty substitutes for God. She tried to find her worth, value, and identity in things and men, only to be left empty and broken. Today, she shares her story of brokenness and the love Jesus relentlessly showed her. A wife, a mom, blogger, and founder of Whole Magazine and The Love of Jesus Project. She is passionate about the body of Christ and being set free from the bondage's that hinder our walk with Christ.
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