Local Author Pens Book: Broken Being a Victor, Not a Victim

January 25, 2022
By: Bill Conger

“I never want to be known as a victim, but a victor in my circumstances.” Those are the inspiring words of local author Holly Moore, who recently released her first book, Broken Being A Victor Not A Victim. The autobiography tells of the tumultuous times she and her husband, Smithville Church of God minister Chris Moore have experienced and overcome.

“My husband, Chris Moore was the inspiration and push in getting our story written,” Holly Moore tells WJLE. “He has always asked me to write a book on our testimony, but I felt that telling the story would cause me to relive the pain, and I just wanted to bury the past. Soon after journaling my ideas I found it very therapeutic to express my feelings about our life.”

Moore candidly tells of her long struggle with infertility. While she considered herself a person with a patient heart, when the months of waiting to become pregnant stretched into years, she decided to “fail God on purpose.”

“I told him He couldn’t answer my prayer,” Moore recalls. “Even after the miscarriage, I told God you don’t know what it’s like to lose a child, and I heard him speak to me and say, “I lost my son.” At that moment I knew God could understand my pain. Jesus died for all of us. God felt the pain and looked away because it was too much to bear. We think there’s no way God can relate to all of our problems we face, but even if it’s not the same situation, it’s relatable. You can even find stories in the Bible of where others felt struggles. From Sarah, Hannah and other women in the Bible struggling to conceive or the life of Job where everything around you has been stripped away. I feel like I can relate to others now. Even if we didn’t experience the same tragedy, it’s amazing how God will use the same emotions and words that minister to the broken.”

Moore felt all alone in her journey to conceive. Still, she remained hopeful every day for an answer.

“I would pray and beg,” she said. “The easiest time that helped was when I really dedicated my life by taking time to pray and read his word. I pushed my desire away even as if it’s not answered. I needed to flow in happiness. ‘Delight thyself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.’ Delight means to be happy. I learned how to be happy even when my answer was not there.”

Eventually, through the help of in vitro fertilization, Moore became pregnant with twins and later conceived a third. Her family had moved to Richmond, Kentucky where Chris was the new youth pastor and life was going great. Then, tragedy struck on December 6, 2008. They were traveling on the interstate when they hit a patch of black ice and skidded into a patrol car.

“After the accident we were fine. Chris made the choice to get out of the car and check on the vehicles that were also pulled over to the side after the same event as ours. Another vehicle came in sideways and smacked our vehicle and then our vehicle hit Chris crushing him between 2 vehicles. I noticed he wasn’t around me, and I begin to scream and smack the windshield in hopes that he was around. I was able to escape out of the vehicle, and when I got to him he started saying his goodbyes. He thought he was dying due to seeing sparkles. He told me that he loved me and to tell the kids that he loved them. Immediately, I begin to counteract his thoughts into positive ones. I saw that there was something wrong, but I knew he was communicating well enough that it had to be okay.”

Over the next grueling years of recovery and rehabilitation faith and hope sustained the couple.

“I wasn’t running away from our circumstance. I’ve always depended on my faith and prayer to get me through. God has always been there for me. My relationship with God is all I’ve ever known. I know the difference to have God and to not have God in my life. There’s so much more with God when you place him in your heart and daily life. Did I feel let down that something terrible happened to us? Absolutely! My inner self was confused as to why this had happened. God was all I had to press forward. So I pressed onward with good and bad days.”

Through these events and other challenging times, Moore says it took her a long time to feel like she wasn’t drowning in her own sorrows. But in faith she became a victor, not a victim.

“Sometimes we live life like we have forever to live and that death is not around the corner. Then, we have tragedy strike, and it’s a wake-up call that as humans we are not in control as much as may think we are. The death of loved ones can shake you up when it’s unexpected. It’s like getting phone calls when someone passes away suddenly and it throws you into complete shock. Asking yourself why is all you can ask out loud as you struggle with the confusion and pain. We are never promised tomorrow. Enjoy your families and friends. Be the good and live like Christ. Live like it’s your last day. Let Jesus shine through your daily life because one day people will remember your dash. Your dash is the mark between your birthdate and death date. What are people going to remember you for? Don’t take life for granted.”

Broken Being A Victor Not A Victim is available on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Broken-Being-victor-not-victim/dp/B09MYL7NRJ

January 25, 2022
By: Dwayne Page

The Tennessee Department of Health has plans to build a new 12,000 square foot health department center in Smithville in partnership with DeKalb County using American Rescue Plan Act Funding.

County Mayor Tim Stribling made the announcement during Monday night’s monthly county commission meeting. The location for the new facility has not yet been determined but could be built on county owned property adjacent to the site of the current health department building on Allen’s Ferry Road. The project is estimated to cost $3,915,400 but most of it would be funded from the state’s allocation of American Recovery Plan Act funding. The county would have to come up with a local match of $398,000 but Mayor Stribling said the good news is that the county would be allowed to use a portion of its American Rescue Plan Act funds to meet the match.

“This is exciting news. I got a visit last week from our Regional Health Director Angel Troxell and our County Health Director Michael Railing and they had a letter from Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey informing me that DeKalb County will be getting a new health department in the next few years. It is tentatively to be about a 12,000 square foot building. The total cost is $3,915,400 which includes surveys, environmental impact statements, engineering fees, land preparation, land clearing and site prep, utilities, etc. Normally that would require a 25% match from the county. If that were the case, the state would be putting in $2,936,500 and the county’s share out of our general fund would be $978,900 in local taxpayer dollars. However, because of the $130 million in American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) funds the state has received we are eligible to use up to 10% of our local ARP funds or $398,000 without having to spend local tax dollars and the state would then be funding $3,517,400,” said County Mayor Stribling.

The letter to County Mayor Stribling from Commissioner Piercey is as follows:

“The State’s Financial Stimulus Accountability Group (FSAG) recently approved almost $130 million in American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) funding to enhance the statewide public health infrastructure through capital investments in local health departments”.

“As you know, many local health departments are in need of updates, renovations, and potentially replacement. Through an internal assessment, the department has highlighted projects that are believed to be of the highest priority to enhancing services in your communities.”

“The department will establish reimbursable capital investment grants with each county government to deliver funds to support construction and renovation projects at county-owned health department facilities. These capital investment grants will require a local financial match for the proposed projects”.

“Local matching funds may come from the county’s direct allocation of ARPA Funds. The department encourages this practice as this would lessen the burden on local general fund obligations and align with the intent of the FSAG-approved capital investment proram. Each capital investment grant will require a 25% match of the project’s total cost not to exceed 10% of the county’s ARPA direct allocation”.

“The department will take the next few weeks to establish infrastructure to administer this program, create guidance documents for the program, and finalize the estimated costs of projects. Once these tasks are close to completion the department will issue further guidance”.

“Your local health department and regional health directors will serve as your primary points of contact for these projects. They will follow up with further information over the next several weeks”.

“As always, I appreciate your partnership in delivering crucial services to the people if Tennessee” wrote Commissioner Piercey.

The county commission has not yet voted to commit local matching funding for the project and no date has yet been set by the state or county to move forward.

January 25, 2022
By: Dwayne Page

DeKalb County Fire Chief Donny Green and Assistant Chief Anthony Boyd have been reappointed to serve for another year.

The County Commission Monday night confirmed the County Mayor’s appointment of both Chief Green and Assistant Chief Boyd. Members of the county fire department recently met and voted unanimously to make this recommendation to County Mayor Tim Stribling. The Fire Chief and Assistant Chief are appointed each year.

The County Commission also adopted a resolution to establish an updated Occupational Safety and Health Program Plan which sets out rules and regulations and provides for a Safety Director to implement the program which includes training of employees in the workplace within all county departments. The commission named Kristie Johnson, an employee of DeKalb EMS, to take on the role of Safety Director, a part-time position. The county already has funds budgeted to pay Johnson for the extra work at $100 per week.

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