Ministry Leadership Team Testimonies
Miranda Embry
Founder, Director of Vision & Formation Architect | Soul Sanctification Minister
I am a wife, mother, writer, entrepreneur, redeemed sinner, and wholly dependent follower of Jesus. The foundation of Formed Through Fire Ministry is rooted in my personal testimony — a life marked by addiction, trauma, rebellion, and the relentless mercy of God.
I was saved by grace at fifteen, yet for many years I ran from the very God who called me. I knew at sixteen that I was called to ministry, but I believed the lie that I was unworthy — unworthy of His love, His forgiveness, and certainly unworthy to speak His truth. That lie led me into seasons of drug addiction, alcoholism, sexual trauma, homelessness, criminal behavior, church hurt, divorce, and repeated loss.
I have survived molestation, rape, assault, rejection, abandonment, and life-threatening violence. I have lived in sin and in shame. I have lost everything more than once.
But God.
When I finally cried out for help, He met me in the wreckage — not with condemnation, but with mercy. He restored what I thought was beyond repair. He healed what I believed would always be broken. He did not discard me; He refined me.
Formed Through Fire was born from that refining.
As Founder and Ministry Vision & Spiritual Formation Director, I steward the theological direction, discipleship framework, and spiritual formation strategy of this ministry. My calling is not to perform or impress, but to disciple — to raise women who know the Word, walk in the Spirit, and refuse to remain in the ashes.
I am not a polished scholar, nor did I follow a traditional path into ministry. But God does not always call the qualified — He qualifies the called. And I now stand firmly in the truth that what the enemy meant for destruction, God has redeemed for His glory.
If He healed me, He can heal you.
Love in Christ,
Miranda Embry
Jamie Carey
Director of Doctrine & Leadership Alignment | Salvation Care Minister
I was born into a family of Baptist preachers and raised surrounded by the message of Jesus from the beginning. I accepted Christ as my Savior at a young age and rededicated my life at twelve, but like many believers, I eventually drifted — searching for identity in places that could never sustain me.
When I was eighteen, my world fractured. My parents’ very public divorce ended our family’s evangelistic ministry, and I watched the foundation I had built my identity upon crumble. In the aftermath, I lost not only direction, but a clear understanding of who I was apart from performance and position.
In my early twenties, unexplained health issues emerged, followed by depression and weight gain that deepened my struggle with identity and worth. I married out of fear and insecurity rather than wisdom, and soon found myself in a painful and abusive marriage marked by addiction, imprisonment, and grief.
Our son, Remi, was born sleeping. His life, though brief, forever changed mine. In the depths of unimaginable loss, I was also diagnosed with a rare lung disease, LAM — a progressive condition that placed the possibility of a double lung transplant in my future.
Yet even there, God did not abandon me.
When I fully surrendered my life to Him, He delivered me — not only from a destructive marriage, but from the lies that had shaped my self-worth. Through His Word, He rebuilt my identity, restored my confidence, and strengthened my faith. I lost over 120 pounds, but more importantly, I lost the belief that I was unworthy of God’s best.
I stand firmly on the authority and sufficiency of Scripture as the unchanging Word of God. I believe salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. I believe in one God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — and that the Christian life is lived in daily surrender, empowered by the Spirit and rooted in biblical truth.
As Ministry Leadership & Spiritual Alignment Director, I steward doctrinal alignment, leadership oversight, and the relational health of Formed Through Fire. My heart is to help women find their identity in Christ, remain anchored in truth, and walk forward in obedience — no matter what fire they have endured.
This journey has been marked by loss, healing, discipline, and grace. And I now serve from a place of strength, not survival.
— Jamie Carey
Jennifer Kizer
Faith Foundations Minister
I grew up in a single parent household. I am one of five kids raised by a single mother and never had a strong father-figure presence in my life. I didn’t know much about my birth father, didn’t know what he looked like, or his personality, family background, nothing. I only knew bits and pieces from what my mother told me. Growing up, I felt like half of my identity was missing, like several pieces of my puzzle were unaccounted for. I always struggled with feelings of abandonment, or that I was unworthy or undeserving of love. I had developed a pre-conceived notion of if people could choose to come into your life, they can also just as quickly exit your life the same way. I didn’t trust that people would stick around for me, just for me. I felt like I had to strive for attention from people or achievements to feel worthy or come up with interesting stories about myself to feel relevant. I couldn’t let my guard down and be my most authentic self for fear of rejection. While my mother is a Christian in beliefs, growing up, faith was never a high priority in the household. We had started attending church but wouldn’t stay rooted in one long, and then eventually stopped going altogether. It wasn’t until later on in life, around my late teens-early twenties, while on a path of self-discovery and trying to figure out who I am, that I started learning about Jesus and reading the bible. I learned that I was looking for my identity in people, while my true identity comes from God. As I continued in my faith journey, I learned that not only was I loved, highly-valued, cherished and deeply wanted by God, I really came to know Him as my Heavenly Father. In our communication, he refers to me as His Daughter. I know who I belong to and that I never have to strive for His affection. He freely gives what I had always tried so hard to get from the people in my life. Throughout my life, I’ve struggled with fully trusting in relationships, but also know that it is God who brings people into your life and also removes them from your life. Some people are there for a moment, some for a season and some for the long haul, and that God has a plan for each one of them according to His purpose for my life. I now understand that, if I have God in my life and remain in close relationship with Him, I will never be alone. My heart is for women to learn their true identity in Christ and come to know who God says they are, learn God’s heart and discover the purpose He has for their lives.