About Us

Embracing Life is a Christian healing ministry that offers a range of programs
and books which are all designed to help believers struggling with life controlling issues. Our material and teaching lead people into freedom and abundant life in Christ, helping them overcome root issues of anxiety, depression, shame, self-hatred, physical issues and more.

The ministry was started by Jonathan Hunter in 1985 and has helped thousands of believers worldwide.

Our Team

Jonathan Hunter

Founder

Jonathan Hunter is the Founder and Director of Embracing Life Ministries which began in 1985 and was formerly an outreach of Desert Stream Ministries where Jonathan served for 20 years. He has authored the 14-week Embracing Life Series Guidebook; the booklets, Breaking Free from the spirit of death and More Life! the guidebook edition for Breaking Free… ; and More Glory!, co-authored with Gwen Gibson.

Most recently, Jonathan has worked with Andrea Hunter and Beth Webb on the newest addition to the More! booklets, More Hope! An Interactive Guide for Women Emerging from the Shadow of Breast Cancer. Jonathan has spoken throughout the U.S. and around the world about the liberating, transforming power of the cross to free humanity from the spirit of death and its effects.

He has appeared in numerous features both in print and broadcast media and has been a guest teacher in universities, seminaries and churches. Jonathan has brought together both his experience as a person living with AIDS and that of others with life-altering conditions in compiling the material for Embracing Life’s various healing programs.

Neil & Debra Driscoll

Associate Directors

Neil and Debra Driscoll are Associate Directors of Embracing Life Ministries and have traveled throughout the nation and the world with Jonathan. They began their relationship with ELM when they attended the Embracing Life Series in 2002 and then joined its leadership team in 2003. Locally, they served for 10 years as Co-Directors of Embracing Life Ministry at Vineyard Anaheim and subsequently at The River, another Vineyard church in Southern California. Neil and Debra have served in the local church for over 30 years as worship leaders and small group facilitators.

Debra has raised 4 grown daughters together with Neil. She battled cancer in 2001 and is a survivor of childhood emotional and sexual abuse. Through her years serving in Embracing Life she has learned how to truly celebrate life and facilitate it for others.

Neil is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) has worked in the public mental health field, specializing in co-presenting issues of mental illness and substance abuse. He also teaches Social Work at the master’s level at a local Christian university in Southern California. In the wake of his wife’s illness, Neil confronted and overcame his own issues with the spirit of death, taking renewed and lasting authority over depression and anxiety.

Ofelia Habelt

Ministry Assistant

Ofelia Habelt is the Ministry Assistant for ELM. She and her husband Todd are the founders and directors of Abundant Life in Marriage (https://www.nowabundantlife.com/blog), a marriage ministry devoted to helping husbands and wives live in the fullness of their true identities as sons and daughters of God, enabling them to embrace the abundant life Jesus died to give them, not only as individuals but also in their marriage (Jn. 10:10). Todd and Ofelia’s mentorship promotes unity in marriage through the revelation of this identity, equipping couples to break free from the controlling and divisive influences of the spirit of death.

They have 3 older children and reside between Los Angeles and Sonoma, Ca.