Captivating Creations has been a vision and dream of creator and founder, Courtney Osborn, for several years. Courtney has always known that the Lord gave her a special love for blessing others in her life through scrapbooking and hand-written cards. Courtney explains, “Sometimes there are just no words to express how thankful I am for the people God has placed in my life in His perfect timing—that’s when my mind starts creating and I just can’t stop!”
Courtney laughs as she reflects on her small beginnings, “I always nodded my head in agreement when people told me that I really could sell this stuff—you know, a polite smile and a thank you. I mean, they had to say that…right? Despite such gracious compliments, I never really thought I could (or would!) actually form a business out of this. I always knew the Lord had given me an incredible gifting with this skill, but I suppose I just never thought He would ask me to use it in this way.”
For Courtney, that all changed this past year. Just over a year ago, God really began breaking her heart for women enslaved to the horrors of human sex-trafficking. These women were being treated like property—something to be bought and sold, used and abused. Coming from a broken background, such hopelessness sounded all too familiar for Courtney. That was when she decided she had to do something—but what?
For quite some time the Lord had engrained Isaiah 61:1 upon Courtney’s heart. The verse reads—“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.” Through this text, God began to show Courtney how the formation of a for-profit business could be used to not only proclaim freedom for these captive women, but to provide freedom for these captive women. It was through this vision, that Captivating Creations was born.
Coming from a chaotic past herself, Courtney knew that if it were not for the healing and transforming power of Jesus Christ in her own life, she would not be here today. It is with this vision and understanding that Courtney chose to create Captivating Creations for the purpose of helping underprivileged and enslaved women.
Courtney explains, “I come from a broken home—I lived 18 years of my life enslaved to darkness. Sexual abuse, depression, eating disorders, self-harm, sexual sin, insecurity, perfectionism, suicide attempt—you name it, I probably struggled with it. I never really thought about God—unless it was to blame Him for the way my life had turned out. Until a few people came into my life and loved me when I thought I was completely unlovable. I suppose they just loved me to Jesus—it took several years before I began to understand Christ’s love for me. It took even longer for me to begin to fall in love with Him.
And I still can’t even begin to comprehend such love, but one thing I do know is this: I am no longer held captive and enslaved by the darkness. Today, I am a child of light—Christ has and continues to heal my deepest wounds and addictions. I am so far from perfect and I screw up often—but by the grace of God alone I finally have hope—I finally know my purpose…to know Christ and make Him known. I want every single woman who walks through life hopeless and consumed in a world of darkness to know the hope of Jesus Christ. I want these women to experience life—true life—all that life is intended to be with Christ. I want to proclaim freedom to the captives, for Christ has set me free!
It is with this desire and purpose that all profits from Captivating Creations will be going to support an internship overseas this summer where Courtney will get to spend 3 months ministering to and sharing the gospel with women who have been trafficked in the Red Light District of Athens, Greece.
For more information, feel free to check out Courtney's personal blog at http://www.forgivenessmadeaway.blogspot.com/.
