HI! i’m Jenn Murray

Lover of Jesus. Survivor. Divorcee. And Hardcore Creative Addict.

My God-given calling is to help my sisters in faith step into the empowered women God created them to be.

Through biblical truth, practical solutions, creative inspiration, and personal testimony, I guide Christian women in breaking free from the lies and misinformation that hold them back. Together, we embrace God’s love, learn to love ourselves for who we are, and claim our true identity, authority, and freedom in Jesus Christ.

You are loved. You are seen. And you are meant for more.

the enemy starts early

Scripture tells us that the enemy comes to “steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10). He carries out this mission through cultural beliefs, relationships, abuse, mindsets, lies—and countless other methods.

Often, he begins his destruction during childhood, when you’re most vulnerable, aiming to cause long-term damage.

This was certainly true for me.

As a young child, I was naturally joyful and loved to encourage others. I remember a babysitter who made handmade Cabbage Patch dolls. Before they went to their new owners, I’d hug each one so they’d be filled with love.

I wasn’t afraid to be a little rebellious either. Once, this same babysitter took me to her church, where she played the piano for the congregation. When she finished, I stood up, clapped loudly, and celebrated—breaking all religious protocol in the process.

When I wasn’t laughing or spreading joy, I was pouring myself into creativity. I drew, wrote parodies and attempted novels, invented board games, choreographed dances to Paula Abdul, and even taught myself to sing (to the detriment of my mother’s cassette tapes).

Sadly, the enemy (and human sin) had already begun to dim, discourage, and destroy who I was—who God had created me to be. The main culprit was my father, who was highly abusive.

My family wasn’t Christian, but God made several attempts to bring me into relationship with Him during my teenage years. Unfortunately, the region I lived in was more religious than biblical, and I didn’t understand enough to overcome my natural resistance to Him.

As a result, my entire childhood became about surviving, not thriving. The joyful, creative girl who desired to love others was not only told she was less than everyone else—she became starved for love.

A Marriage that made matters worse

I entered adulthood feeling lost and ill-equipped. Over the years, I had lost sight of who God had created me to be—though at the time, I didn’t yet know Him. I also hadn’t been taught how to dream, set standards, or pursue life with purpose. And, above all, I was starving for affection.

In my early 20s, facing a career that seemed to be falling apart, I made the decision to marry for financial security (in other words, for all the wrong reasons). As a result, I spent the next 9.5 years married to a man who, as it turned out, was highly manipulative and emotionally abusive—just like my father had been.

Two years into my marriage, after God reentered my life in a profoundly supernatural way, I surrendered my life to Christ. While my ex-husband remained an unbeliever throughout our marriage, that didn’t stop Jesus from beginning His work to transform me into a new woman.

Even in the midst of that difficult and lonely season, Jesus started healing past hurts, breaking the chains of self-dependency, and restoring my sense of worth.

He also helped me move forward despite the obstacles created by my ex-husband. For example, I returned to college and earned a B.S. in Graphics Technology—reconnecting with my creative roots for the first time in years.

Through it all, Jesus helped me weather my ex-husband’s manipulation, abuse, and chaos, teaching me how to stand up for myself while also showing Christ-like love.

Then, when my marriage ended in 2011, Jesus became my sole Provider as I literally started over from scratch.* It was an unexpected and challenging transition, but Jesus was there for me every step of the way.

In the years that followed, as I rebuilt my life, Jesus continued to refine and transform me. He increased my confidence, healed me from past wounds, worked on my identity and empowerment in Him, and brought me into a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him.

*I started over with a degree but no job, a few thousand dollars, my former dog, Happy (may he rest in peace), and whatever possessions could fit into my Honda CR-V.

Leaving the church

After my ex-husband and I separated in 2011, I moved back home to Pennsylvania. After attending several churches, a friend and I both realized we were uncomfortable with the lack of solid biblical teaching and the diminishing focus on Jesus. When we had first given our lives to Christ, God had purposefully equipped us with sound biblical teaching, so we were very sensitive to the stark contrast we saw.

As a result, we stopped attending church.

The more time passed, the more my friend and I realized that, despite our strong biblical foundation, the Church had programmed us in ways that weren’t Christ-like, biblical, or healthy.

On one hand, purging these influences allowed me to see things more clearly through a legitimate, biblical lens. On the other hand, I wasn’t intentionally filling my heart, mind, and ears with solid teaching—leaving me vulnerable.

Around this time, I also entered a season where I realized the 9-to-5 lifestyle wasn’t for me. Entrepreneurship, however, felt like my true calling. But the deeper I immersed myself in the secular online entrepreneurial community, the more I absorbed new age concepts that were prevalent there.

As a result, not only did I move further away from God, leaving myself wide open to the enemy, but I also spent thousands of dollars I didn’t have in an attempt to make my business succeed.

Looking back, I’m stunned at how off-track I got. I made decisions that the true Jenn never would have made.

In January 2020, I attended a conference in California. While there, God spoke to me in a way I hadn’t experienced in years.

As I sat in a room full of female entrepreneurs, wondering why I couldn’t get traction for my event planning business (despite all my best efforts), God said, “Your business is My mission.”

When I returned home, God began to give me clear direction and lead me back into reliance on Him—and Him alone. Despite my precarious financial situation, I had decided to move to Ohio, but lacked the necessary financial proof to secure a new lease. Just in the nick of time, God opened up a contract job that came completely out of left field.

God also told me to stop working on my business and focus solely on Him. After I moved to Ohio in April of 2020—yes, just as COVID was hitting the U.S.!—He led me into a deep wilderness season that would restore my relationship with Him more profoundly than ever before.

Then, shortly after blessing me with a well-paying full-time job (bringing the wilderness season to an end), God began giving me specific instructions on how to pivot and rebuild my business, Relate Escape, to be His mission.

The Creative Child Returns

As God brought me through my wilderness season, He began unleashing my creativity in a way I hadn’t experienced since childhood. As I started pivoting Relate Escape, my creative side seamlessly integrated into the process.

My deep love for color, music, writing, and art had taken a backseat for most of my adult life, buried under toxic relationships, chaotic events, and my survival mode. But in His goodness, God brought it all back—reviving it to encourage others and to bring me joy.

After all, that’s how God crafted me. He specifically designed me to be a highly creative person—and to use that creativity to encourage, inspire, and motivate others.

It’s just one way that God has redeemed me throughout the years.

He’s helped the girl with an abusive and manipulative father understand what His love truly looks like.

He’s purged the lies the enemy and society have told—and continue to tell—me about who I need to be, and where I should find my worth.

He’s given me confidence and empowerment because I know my identity and the authority I operate within—no matter what anyone else believes.

And wherever you are, whatever you’re going through, God wants to do the same for you!

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