Casey - June 2026

I'm sure you've heard the phrase, "tough love." It's a misnomer of sorts because it insinuates there's a kind of love that's not tough. But I'm convinced after 26 years of ministry that tough love is true love. If it's not accompanied with accountability, truth, and challenge to develop, then it's not really love. Maybe pity, but not love. Jesus loved his disciples, and he called them out on their cowardice, selfishness, weakness of faith, and tendencies toward violence. He loved them... and it was tough. I'm thankful for a team of staff and volunteers who really love people. It makes a big difference in lives like Casey's. 

After the pain of losing a child, Casey's life slowly spun out of control along with a deepening alcohol addiction. Having exhausted family support, she found herself homeless, jobless, weak, and in danger of freezing in January of this year. She looked up "shelters" and found Watered Gardens. She walked to the center that night in the snow and found life-saving warmth, but so much more. Life hasn't been the same since. She's sober, gave her life to Jesus, and is employed and saving her money. She attributes her success to tough love. 

“I really appreciate the tough love here at Watered Gardens. To stay here and be successful, you need that. Those firm boundaries have also helped me learn I can simply refuse what’s harmful. I’ve had a hard time saying no to alcohol and lots of harmful things. So my mantra right now is ‘No is a complete sentence.’ I don’t have to discuss or debate. I’m free to simply say ‘yes’ to the Lord and ‘no’ to anything that’s from the enemy. That’s been a liberating truth.”