Blog from Jacqui Risi

I am Jacqui Risi, 35 years young and have been a disciple for 20 years. I am happily married for 15 years to an incredible man, Craig Risi.  Craig has been a disciple for 22 years.  We have two Jack Russels and we are lovers of life; being a light wherever we are, running ultra-marathons, hiking, spending time with loved ones, travelling, writing and enjoying being adventurous. I love being quiet with my Lord, being in nature, journaling, handwritten notes, dancing and encouraging others.

I was reached out to in high school by a lady studying the bible. I grew up in the teen ministry and was told to wait a year after studying the Bible at the age of 14 as they felt I was too young to get baptized. While I was studying the Bible, my gran wanted to disown me for leaving the Catholic church. It was a very troublesome time but saw how the prayers of the righteous (those walking the journey with me) made an impact. My dad who was a very strict individual had a soft heart as he told my gran that if she disowned me, she could disown him too. This BLEW me away that my earthly dad would love me so greatly.

I finally got baptized on Wednesday the 13th of March, 2002, in Johannesburg and what a treasure it still is. 

I became a devoted daughter of God by his grace and mercy. God gave me an eternal family that would never perish and loved God just as much as I did. 

I initially grew up wanting to be a nun and my family used to call me sister Blanche. I am so thankful I can live a life devoted to God in this generation. I learned from a really young age about loving God. I even remember the feeling of connection to love on my first birthday. So crazy, I know.

I have been in the Johannesburg church for seven years, Durban for six years and now in Cape Town for 10 years. My husband and I got married in Durban in 2007. I was an administrator for the Durban Church of Christ (which was a dream to work with Duncan Comrie) and my husband and I led the Singles, I helped the campus ministry and we enjoyed serving the church. We then went to Cape Town and helped lead a bible talk and serve where it was needed.

The Cape Town Church is a very giving church. What impacts me in the church are the disciples that go through hardship who are rich in mercy and grace. I think at the moment the church is about 200 members. We constantly have people moving in and out. 

I love and adore God deeply and I pray to live my life using my talents for Him. I used to do bookkeeping but learned very quickly the importance of taking care of my well-being and keeping myself fueled to give to Him in other ways. I changed at the age of 24 to a lifestyle that allows time for bible studies with those we reach out to.  I am a sport and deep tissue massage therapist (10 years), life coach(currently) and Lifeline counsellor (one year). I am currently praying for God to make clear where He needs me and learning to live yielding to His will.

The birth of the idea for my book, Love & Faith, began on my first trip to Berlin, I met a young single lady while at a museum and we got into a conversation about love and marriage. We didn’t plan to meet again but we connected the next day for a coffee date and to do some sightseeing and talked for several hours about love and life. Later that year, I had a significant chat with a disciple and she mentioned if only we lived from Faith and the desire to write my book was born – Love & Faith. 

Our strength lies in our connection with God from which everything grows best. For this chapter of my life, God put incredible angels in my life to cheer me on and encourage me to write this book. 

It is written for the reader to self-discover the journey of their life alongside understanding how they experienced love. This gives them insight as to who and why they love the way they do.  It is written for disciples because if we cannot love ourselves, how will we be able to love another and live from a place of faith without God’s kind of love stabilizing us? The book became the Art of Love because it honors the vastness of our human experiences and opens us to see how God is faithful and why we can trust Him. It was written to remind us of the basics and to encourage us to get spiritually fired up for God wherever we are. 

I have had disciples who are suffering from depression, share how helpful it has been and even non-Christians have bought it for their friends who are Christian. Anyone wishing to draw closer to God will enjoy this book. It helps one look at themselves holistically including their spiritual life. This is that book, created to inspire, to live from faith. Come join in on the incredible adventure to dig deeper into God’s word using your personal life experience.

Below are the links to the Podcast and it is available on Amazon.

Podbean Podcast - The Art of Love by Jacqui Risi

Amazon / Kindle - The Art of Love by Jacqui Risi

BIO

Jacqui Risi is a daring enthusiast, intrigued about the endless opportunities and experiences that life has to offer. She has faced many moments in her life that have taught her many valuable lessons to taste and see that we can trust and hold on to God's faithfulness. This is most special to her heart, and hopes ot open the minds of many who are seeking God. Jacqui is an ultra-marathon runner, loves being out in nature, time with herself and those she loves, is a lover of handwritten notes, enjoys music, dancing and a student of the human spirit. She is married to her best friend and Saint for 14 years and has two beautiful Jack Russell's that also teach her a lot about love. 

This book is written for those feeling:

Are you tired spiritually?

Worn out?

Hurt by the ways of life?

Desiring to be on fire for God but don't know how?

Let us together walk a journey into the depths of your soul.

Untapping the art of love witin your own life experiences.

And freeing your spirit to be restored to what it was created for!!!

This is that book, created to inspire you, to live from faith. Come join in on the incredible adventure to dig deeper into God's word using your personal life experience.