I am a wife, mom and G-Mom (probably my favorite role in life) who in my spare time, serves as an Author, Speaker, Founder and President of “Life Impact Network” a 25 year old Sanctity of Life Ministry located in Tampa, Florida. Life Impact Network has grown to include one of the nations largest crisis pregnancy centers for women, an adoption agency, an abstinence education program and an international post abortion recovery program.
“Living Free” is my personal blog. My goal here is pretty basic really. I love to serve women though ministry–written, spoken or acted out! This is where I get to do some writing!
“Living Free” provides a fun place to share my love for God’s Word, my leadership journey, my passion for women living a life of freedom and restoration. I love every form of communication that reaches women through ministry and creativity.
My greatest desire is to teach and be taught.
I have kept a written personal journal for 26 years filled with prayers, praises, poems and pity parties. “Living Free’ is pretty much the same but hopefully by bringing it out from under my bed, my random ramblings will bless someone else.
If any of those things ring a bell in your daily life I would be honored to have you join me here.
You can easily subscribe from my HOME page to stay connected. In between posts I can occasionally be found flitting around on Twitter or Facebook!
A bit about my Day to Day.
My love affair with Jesus has embraced my life for over 24 years and continues to blow me away every day!
God captured the heart of my dear husband and both of our sons within the first year of my dramatic and personal surrender in 1984. A few years later, he blessed our family with a miracle daughter (a whole story of it’s own) who prayed to receive Christ when she was 7 years old.
Our children are all grown now. Both sons are married and filling our home with grands that I lovingly refer to as my “G’s”.
Our daughter is enjoying the free ride of college with a Daddy on her little finger!
Every single member of the Layton family knows Jesus Christ as Lord and lives for Him. Praise God!! WhooHooo!!
We live a full and blessed life just like the one promised in John 10:10. Our cup overflows with love and gratitude and I do all I can to tell the world!
God is allowing me to travel and speak at a variety of women’s events all across the nation, a fact that leaves me crumbled at His feet in gratitude and adoration… and an occasional nap 
I truly can not imagine a greater honor than to inspire other women and to share His redeeming, restoring love.
My mission in life is to equip and encourage women’s ministry leaders in leadership and team building.
I am passionate about training post abortion recovery leaders how to offer my newly published Bible study “Surrendering the Secret” in their church and community.
I “round up the troupes” at pregnancy resource center fund raising events ( I LOVE to raise money for ministries!).
I speak at retreats, women’s conferences and events and am having a blast with a fun, new woman’s conference called “Imagine Me…Redeemed, Restored, Renewed…Set Free”.
My upcoming speaking events can be found here on “Living Free” as well as on my ministry websites.
Days gone by:
I grew up in Savannah, Georgia, home of dripping moss, hot pink azaleas and awesome seafood.
I was born into a world of women with 3 younger sisters, a Mom and a girl dog named Missy. I had a Dad hidden in the house somewhere but he never held a majority vote in the hormone jungle of our home.
Somewhere back in my early adult years I found my way through the maze of what terrible wrongs had caused me to become what I had become. I gave up spending my time and energy on who seemed to be best to blame and shame for every wrong choice of my youth and finally realized…it was ultimately ME.
Praise God, I have found His freedom and have learned that “All have sinned and fall short of God’s Glory”.
I started an “adult” life at the young age of 16 when I became a wife of my High School sweetheart. He had lots of influence on the choices that I made, the one and only GOOD one was to become a Mom at 18. Unfortunately, he did not want to remain a husband and took off to the opposite ocean coast before our son made a transition from bottle to cup. My little boy and I were left to the rescue of my dear parents who having had only girls were quick to lay claim on me and my son.
Unfortunately, my bad choices went on and on and on until I hit what I thought would be the bottom of a pit when I chose to have an abortion to cover my immoral lifestyle.
Little did I know at the time that the enemy of life was quite capable of taking me even deeper into the dark bottomless pit that I was in.
From age 23 to 30, I gave him party time over my life until one dark night my Saviour, who not only knew His way around that part of the earth but was not afraid to go there, called my name loud an clear.
I recognized His voice from my childhood days of Sunday School, Vacation Bible school and Church on Easter Sunday and Christmas Eve.
His sweet embrace overwhelmed my darkness, my broken life and my heart. I crumbled into His protection that very night and have never looked back down.
My actual Born Again experience happened at a church woman’s retreat on 6/9/84, when a beautiful woman saw my lost self hiding out in the Sunday School wing with my 2 sons, petrified to enter the “BIG CHURCH” and invited me to join her at the event.
After hearing the clear truth of the gospel and for the first time understanding my need to respond to what Christ had done for me, I went running, actually barreling, to the alter.
I surrendered my heart to Christ that day and have been caught up in the power of His love every since.
I had always heard the saying that “God uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise” and I am living proof of that. He dropped me into full time ministry before I barely knew the books of the Bible.
This walk of our salvation is an amazing journey, a kaleidoscope of change and transformation that is beyond description and ever unfolding.
Some other silly stuff:
I love the beach, the mountains and any vacation that ends up at a B&B or a place that has “and Spa” in the title!
I love being with people who are passionate for God and being a part of anything that God is doing..especially something NEW!
I LOVE God’s Word and never, never tire of mining its treasures.
My ministry passion is WOMEN!! Imagine that!!
Since the day that I was led to the foot of the Cross by one woman, I have known that God called me to give my life FULLY to offering redemption and restoration to other women who need the rescue that I needed.
It is my belief that I will enter my Kingdom Inheritance doing that very thing.
I love to have my entire family together, anytime, anyplace.
It is a rare but precious treasure.
I love to watch my sons be Daddy’s and any precious moments that I can be a blessing to my 2 beautiful Daughters in Love.
I love to wake up with G’s in my house.
I love to read, travel, work in my garden and rock in my rocking chair on my font porch with my honey.
I love fresh flowers in small vases all over my house.
I love holiday decorating and entertaining in my home.
My favorite self indulgence is getting pedicures and shopping with my daughter and last but not least…
White Chocolate Mocha at Starbucks.
(Maybe there are a FEW more but I highly doubt anyone but me is reading at this point :0)….
In His Grip!!
