Tylia L. Flores shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Tylia L., it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
“Since I was a teenager, I’ve been publishing books centered on disability representation—owning my story as someone born with cerebral palsy and advocating for visibility. But two years ago, I felt called to step into a new, unexpected path: ministry. For years, I struggled with my relationship with God, wrestling with anger and questions about why He allowed my disability. But in that season of doubt, He met me with grace. A pivotal moment came when I faced a major surgery and couldn’t attend church in person. Minister Justin Sanders knelt in front of the iPad where I was streaming the service and prayed over me. In that moment, I felt an undeniable pull toward ministry—a calling to serve others through the love and strength I’d found in Christ.
*Now, at 30, I’m a youth minister, and my creative work has expanded to include faith-based projects. I’m writing Finding Her Strength for teens, developing a preschool show (*Chelsea and Caleb the Bear), and a teen sitcom (Saved by the Cross). My latest Christian books, like CP: Christ’s Plan—A Love Story Guided by Christ, weave disability and faith, showing how God transforms our struggles into purpose. I also launched Able by Grace Ministries online, a space to uplift others through God’s Word. It’s been an absolute blessing—a journey of surrender, growth, and watching God use what I once saw as limitations to glorify Him. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that His call is never about our ability, but our willingness.”
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
“God has called me to step boldly into spaces where disability and faith intersect—to proclaim that our limitations don’t disqualify us from serving; they become the very platform for His glory. For years, I used my voice to advocate for disability representation through books and radio, but my most unexpected calling came when ministry doors began opening. Becoming an ordained faith leader through Christian Leaders Institute wasn’t just about earning credentials—it was about surrendering to the truth that cerebral palsy, which once made me question God’s plan, was actually part of His preparation.
Now, whether I’m co-hosting Palsy Power with my fiancé Cody, officiating funerals that honor both grief and hope, or mentoring youth who need to hear ‘God sees you exactly as you are,’ I carry this conviction: Disability ministry isn’t niche work—it’s essential to the Church’s wholeness. My training in everything from All Abilities Ministry to Church Revitalization fuels my passion to help congregations recognize that accessibility is discipleship. And when I host Ty’s Country Rewind, even there—between the twang of steel guitars—I’m reminded how God uses every note of our stories to draw people to Him.
The message He’s written through my life is simple: A body that moves differently isn’t a barrier to purpose—it’s a living testament to Christ’s strength. My cerebral palsy didn’t disappear when I answered this call; it became holy ground where others witness what ‘able by grace’ truly means.”
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
“As a child, I believed my cerebral palsy made me a burden—something broken that needed to be fixed or hidden. I saw my disability as an ugly part of society, a limitation that separated me from both people and God. For years, I wrestled with anger toward my body and toward Christ, wondering why He would ‘allow’ me to be this way. The world told me my differences were a tragedy, and for too long, I believed that lie.
But here’s the truth that transformed me: My CP was never a mistake—it was part of a divine design. I no longer see disability through the lens of lack, but through the promise of 2 Corinthians 12:9—‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Where I once begged God to remove my struggles, I now thank Him for how they’ve drawn me closer to His heart. My disability isn’t an obstacle to my faith; it’s the very thing that makes Christ’s strength visible in my life.
Today, I minister from this conviction: Our broken places aren’t signs of God’s absence—they’re where His redemption shines brightest. The child who thought she was unworthy now knows she’s been ‘fearfully and wonderfully made’ (Psalm 139:14)—wheelchair, spastic muscles, and all.”
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
“I stopped burying my pain the day I typed the first words of my debut book at 15—James Time Bomb: Hey, See That Kid Over There?* became my raw, unfiltered outlet for the frustrations of living with cerebral palsy. Writing forced me to stop hiding; it was my rebellion against the silence society expected from disabled voices. But at 23, when depression nearly drowned me, I realized creativity alone couldn’t heal my deepest wounds. I had to rediscover—and redefine—who I was beyond the anger.*
Then in 2023, everything changed. When I surrendered my life to Christ, I finally understood what true liberation felt like. The same hands that once typed rage now type sermons. The voice that shouted against injustice preaches grace. Through Able by Grace Ministries, I get to offer others the radical truth that set me free: Disability doesn’t cut you off from God’s purpose—it can be the very conduit through which His power flows. My writing began as a scream; now it’s a testimony. The pain didn’t disappear—it became sacred ground where others find hope.”
(Want to highlight any specific ministry moments or lessons? Happy to refine!)
and I went through depression to the time I was 27 secretly feeling trapped in my body, losing my passion for writing as I wasn’t getting the recognition I deserved and I questioned everything and then in 2023 in April, I decided to give my life to Christ and that’s where my interest for ministry began, and my journey with Christ begin again
Magazine Interview Response:
“For years—from 23 to 27—I was drowning in silent depression, feeling like a prisoner in my own body. I kept writing, but the passion was gone. The words that once set me free now felt pointless, like shouting into a void. No recognition. No impact. I questioned everything—my purpose, my worth, even whether my voice mattered at all. The fire I had at 15, that bold girl who turned her pain into pages, felt like someone else’s story.
Then, in April 2023, everything shifted. I stopped running and finally surrendered to Christ. Not as a last resort, but as a first choice—the only real choice left. And that’s when my life didn’t just change; it restarted. My love for words came back, but this time, they weren’t just mine—they were His. Ministry wasn’t some abstract calling; it was the natural next step of a heart that had been broken, rebuilt, and handed back to God. My writing, my voice, my disability—none of it was wasted. Every struggle had been preparation.
Now, when I preach or write through Able by Grace Ministries, I do it knowing this truth: The recognition I once craved could never compare to the purpose I’ve been given. The girl who felt invisible? She was never unseen. The writer who thought her words didn’t matter? God was saving them for something greater.”
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
“Yes, the public version of me is the real me—unfiltered, unapologetic, and uncensored. What you see is what you get: the struggles, the faith, the cerebral palsy, the triumphs, and even the messy chapters I’m still learning from. I don’t believe in curated perfection—not in my literature, not in my ministry, and certainly not in my life. Every raw article, every vulnerable sermon, every candid conversation about depression, disability, or divine redemption is me refusing to hide. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that our brokenness connects us more than our facades ever could.
My writing has never been about crafting a ‘brand’—it’s been about survival, then salvation, then surrender. Whether I’m typing through tears or preaching from my wheelchair, I’m giving the same realness I needed when I felt alone in my pain. If someone learns one thing from my journey, I hope it’s this: You don’t have to sanitize your story to be used by God. Grace works best in the unedited versions.”
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
“My hope—my prayer—is that when I’m gone, people remember my legacy not as a name on a bestseller list or a face on a movie poster, but as someone who used her words, her wheelchair, and her unshakable faith to carve out spaces where others could finally breathe. I want to be remembered as the writer who refused to sanitize her story, the minister who preached from her scars, and the Latina girl in a wheelchair who created characters she never got to see growing up—because representation isn’t about trends, it’s about telling someone, ‘You belong here, too.’
Fame was never the goal. When I made the Amazon list a few years ago in the Disability fiction coming-of-age section, people asked me, ‘Oh my God, how do you feel? This is amazing!’ And my response was simple: ‘Before I even made this list, I already felt like a bestseller—not because of sales numbers, but because of all the lives I’ve been privileged to touch through my writing.’ That label opened new opportunities, but it didn’t—and couldn’t—change who I was then or who I am now. Success isn’t measured in rankings; it’s measured in the quiet moments when someone reads my words and feels seen for the first time.
*If I sell 50,000 books or zero, if Hollywood never whispers my name—none of that defines me. What matters is the email from a 14-year-old with CP who says my character made her feel heroic in her own skin. It’s the parent who whispers, ‘Your book helped my child understand they’re not broken.’ That’s the legacy I’m chasing: one life, one heart, one story at a time.*
Because that’s what this was always about—showing up as your whole, messy, unedited self and trusting God to use it. If a single child with a disability picks up my book and thinks, ‘She gets me,’ then every struggle, every rejection letter, every sleepless night wrestling with doubt was worth it. That’s the only fame I want: to be known as the woman who turned her pain into pages and her limitations into altars where others met grace.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tyliaflores.com/ and https://ablebygraceministry.blogspot.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stomping_on_cp_with_tylia/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylia-l-flores-b84889161/
- Twitter: https://x.com/stompingoncp1
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stompingoncp/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@StompingonCPwithTylia and https://www.youtube.com/@AbleByGraceMinistries
Image Credits
Tylia L. Flores
