Who Is Gretchen Cannon?

This is a question that many people have attempted to answer throughout my life, including myself.  Some have used words to describe me such as complex, determined, energetic, fierce, a pioneer and passionate.  While I don’t disagree with most descriptions people use I would narrow it down to something like this...I am a small town farm girl, a bicentennial baby, former local rodeo queen, the oldest child in a broken but blessed home, that never really took “no” as an acceptable answer in life - even though I might have pretended to at times.  I am the girl who is passionately in love with Jesus, has a mind that never sleeps, always bumps into walls, crosses invisible lines and keeps moving forward. Ever since I can remember, I have been coming up with new systems, projects and goals to tackle for myself and others.

When I was young I accepted Jesus as my Savior and I began to live for God.  Living “for God” did not supply me well through the years of being bullied, broken and overlooked.  I then began to live “for myself”. What you should know about me is when I do something I do not do it halfway.  I lived those years out of my own supply believing many lies about myself. This began a hard road of self destruction.  I left my Christian home at the age of 15 and moved in with my bachelor father. After graduation I moved away to college and continued the “me first” lifestyle.  During this time I met Brian, who I later married. When I was 19 years old I entered into a new relationship with Jesus that was different than I had known before.  I began to experience knowing Him intimately and how to live “FROM Him” instead of “FOR Him”. That living is sustainable and where true life and substance is.

Brian and I married in 1998 and I began teaching elementary school in Choctaw, OK. Over the next 13 years we adopted Willie (one of my students who was in a therapeutic foster home), had two biological children Waylon and Wyatt and then adopted our grandson, Enzo.  These years have not been easy in the least and at times we wondered if we would survive, but we have survived and we love our boys beyond belief! In 2006 I left my teaching career and went in full time partnership with Grace Church, which is the church we helped plant the year we were married.  I have had many roles since coming on staff full time and have been so blessed by the people God has brought into my life through this ministry.

Jeremiah 30:2 says “Write in a book for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you.”  I began doing just that and saw the amazing help it was to go back and reflect on the words He has spoken to me.  Therefore, as Holy Spirit began to put on my heart to write this blog, sharing with others revelations and practical ways of walking out Kingdom principles in our everyday life it made my heart sing!  

So what is in my heart?  I want to live a life so confident and secure in who I am as a woman of God that I have a personal culture and environment that empowers others to be confident in what and who Jesus has called them to be.  That I love those well out of His supply that He gives me to love. I desire to reveal His Kingdom to everyone I come in contact with and to disciple others that are equipped to disciple. I want to laugh a lot, explore new things with those in my life, roll with the windows down and mess up my hair, sing loudly, dance unashamedly before my God - with my Jesus and alongside those in my life!  I long to live an adventurous life to the fullest, pour into my boys what the truth is about them, to love people more passionately each day! I want to live being happy to be me even with my flaws, weaknesses and quirks...to be fearless, spontaneous, delightful and unedited!

I pray you are inspired, become empowered, feel connected and know you are supported as we journey through these White Stone Revelations together!  

You can also catch Gretchen’s “Walk it Out” episodes here: Walk it Out