I am a fifty-year-old empty nester who has been married for fourteen years. The first few years of marriage were a rocky start, and though we eventually found our groove, we still stumble our way through this thing called marriage. I couldn’t have children of my own, but I was gifted a now twenty-three-year-old stepson, who is currently building a life of his own with his lovely wife and fur-child. I am thankful for the opportunity to be “CC” to my nieces and nephews, which has brought me tremendous joy. 

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My life has been far from easy—some as a result of my choices, some the inevitable suffering from life in a broken world, and some wounds experienced at the hands of others. I never wanted to be a Christian. I regarded the church, the Scriptures, Jesus, and believers with either apathy or contempt, depending on the day. I tried for years to fill the gaps in my soul with drugs and alcohol, both of which nearly killed me. I longed to know love and belonging and gave my body to men who offered me nothing but a vain hope. I encountered Jesus when I wasn’t looking for him; he was the last thing I wanted. But when he finally got my attention, he began mending all of the broken pieces of my life. And he has continued to do that ever since. Now the Scriptures are my dearest friend—revealing and healing my fractured heart and speaking the perfect balance of grace and truth into my life.

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Perhaps one of my favorite things is mentoring women and seeing the first glimmers of hope, freedom, and peace on a woman’s face when her sin or suffering is met with kindness, curiosity, compassion, and the love of Christ reflected back to her through the face of one of his embodied image-bearers. 

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I’ve written what Julia Cameron called “morning pages”  ever since I got sober over twenty-five years ago, which I will write more about on this platform in the future. At the right time, the right word can peel back the veil of my heart and mind and bring clarity to what was previously dim and muddled. But, ultimately, for me, writing is a form of worship.

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I love writing—playing with and crafting words in ways that capture your imagination and help you encounter Jesus. Abraham Heschel once said that “Words create worlds.” And I want to be a missionary of words—helping to reveal a world in which all parts of your story not only matter but are a vital part of God's creative work in you and through you. While I love to speak and teach about Jesus, it is humbling, exposing, and hard. Still, I can’t imagine not communicating about the power of Christ to bring about substantial hope, healing, and freedom on this side of eternity.

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I write because I love it. But I also write because I want it to be a source of hope for others—helping them encounter Jesus in the same life-transforming way I have. Henri Nouwen wrote, “When our wounds cease to be a source of shame and become a source of healing, we have become wounded healers.” May my wounds—the self-inflicted ones and those that come from the hands of others—lead me to become a wounded healer. One who can walk alongside others in the darkest and hardest parts of life with compassion, kindness, and most of all, hope. My prayer is that you would find that here.

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Some random, fun facts: 

• I love traveling and exploring new places, but I am head over heels for Europe.

• I think dad jokes are hilarious. But to my husband’s dismay, I do not understand or appreciate the humor of Calvin and Hobbes.

• Coffee and books are my love language. I may be slightly addicted to both.

• I'm an introvert, but I love people. It just means that, at some point, I need alone time to recharge.

• I love music, but I can't carry a tune in a bucket! Some of my favorite musicians are The Lone Bellow, Drew and Ellie Holcombe, NEEDTOBREATHE, and Andrew Peterson. 

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