Meet Mike & Vanetta Stephens

GPI Ministry Staff

It is a joy to have Mike and Vanetta as part of the GPI Ministry Staff. They are Co-founders of SafeHome, a ministry of encouragement for Believers called to home ministry. Learn more about SafeHome on Facebook!

SafeHome on Facebook!

Mike Stephens was reared by wonderful parents who were born-again in their mid-life years. He was powerfully influenced by young-adult "Jesus-people" as a young teenager. He experienced God's love and acceptance through them. He was also deeply touched by God in numerous small group settings over many years.

Beginning in his early teen years, Mike had a desire to grow as a believer in Jesus, and to impact others spiritually. After graduating from college and beginning his career, he tried diligently to cause these things to happen. After several years of trying to grow spiritually, he wore out and slid into major clinical depression.

Depression created a desperation that opened him up to receive Biblical teaching that he had previously considered to be erroneous. Many of these teachings are the same KINGDOM LIFE truths that are found in GPI materials and music. As Jesus states in John 8:32, Mike found that the Truth really sets people free!  He has been free from the prison of depression for over 21 years.

From first exposure to the fabulous news of our identity and inheritance in Christ in the1980's, through today, God has consistently shown him more areas of life in which the KINGDOM LIFE application of God's Word results in an explosion of new joy, power, and effectiveness.

Mike's desire is to be involved in the building of God's kingdom. He believes God is calling him to participate through helping people experience KINGDOM LIFE in every area of their lives.  He hopes to be a resource and encouragement to individuals, groups. gatherings and churches through the ministry of GPI.

Mike & Vanetta are a compassionate team,

that have a desire to help men and women

fulfill their destiny in the Kingdom of God.

Vanetta Stephens grew up in a loving Christian home. She was born-again at the age of 6. Shortly afterward, she knew she wanted to be a teacher. That desire is something God has allowed her to do, though in very different ways than what she originally thought.

She met her husband, Mike, in college while preparing for a degree in Education. Through a series of events, the door to graduating was closed, and Vanetta thought her teaching dream was over. However, God had a different plan.

Once children were born, God began preparing her heart to teach her children at home, something she was not open to, until the Lord completely changed her heart. Much of the change occurred while Mike walked through his healing of depression.

People could not see that Vanetta was laboring under an addiction to a performance syndrome, something that continually led to feeling like a failure in many respects, even though she appeared to be doing quite well on the outside. The same KINGDOM LIFE Truths that Mike was applying to his life, to set him free from depression, were the same Truths that set her free from the need to "perform" for the acceptance of God and others.

Now, many years later her son, Dan, and daughters, Kara & Andrea, are grown. The years of home schooling resulted in honor students, one graduated from Oral Roberts University, and two pursuing their college degrees. Vanetta continues to broaden her "education" by pursuing the Biblical perspective of dream interpreting, hoping to help others know the heart of God through dreams He is giving people.

Through Grace Place Insights and her blog Vanetta's Grace Place, Vanetta is also writing materials that will help people understand how much God truly loves them, in spite of how they perform. From His motivation of love, He has given all of His children incredible BIRTHRIGHTS. Her heart’s desire is to see each one come to understand these BIRTHRIGHTS and to see every child of God experience their KINGDOM LIFE.

In her spare time, Vanetta enjoys spending time with her husband and grown children, taking long walks, experimenting with recipes to make them healthier and continuing to learn new things.

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Broken Bow, OK

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