My Approach
My goal is to teach God's word. Scripture is how we know and understand God. It is to be written on our hearts, infiltrating every aspect of our lives. Yet we live in a complicated world. There is so much out there to sift through. There are so many things that are deceitful. We can even use the same words as another person and yet mean totally different and contradictory things! How are we to live in times like these? Where right is wrong and wrong is right? When lies and truth are no longer distinguishable? When social norms are flagrantly disrespecting God?
We stand on his word. Firmly, and lovingly. But to do this, we must know God's word. Not the way the world interprets it, or misuses it. We need to understand what it truly says. That's what I aim to get at.
As an analyst and teacher, I like to get to the point and show God's word in a logical manner. After all, God loves logic! He created it! We often have a hard time wading through all the teachings, sayings, and such that permeate our minds. I want to make reading and understanding God's word, as well as how it applies to our lives in this time, easy yet deep.
I hope you will join me on this quest and engage with me!
My Personal Life
I strive to live out my faith in any capacity that I can. It is very important to me to live a scripture based life, being a healthy part of the body of Christ. I am currently working toward an apologetics degree, I participate in foreign missions through my church, and volunteer in my community, and with the army, as much as I can. I homeschool my daughter, write, and try to fit hobbies into my busy life!
I hold a Bachelor of Science in Political Science w/concentration in Law & Public Policy from the University of Louisville and a Masters of Strategic Intelligence in Terrorism from American Military University. I have worked with the Department of Homeland Security, the Kentucky State Police Intelligence Branch and Sussman Corporate Security. I left government work on the state and federal levels to work from home and homeschool my daughter.
I have recently been told I have at least two autoimmune diseases. One of those is rare. They have narrowed it down to 5 possibilities. As I struggle to come to terms with my limitations, I have come to understand how to truly lean in on God for everything. My life is constantly changing, it always has. Now, it is changing in ways that I don't want. I am slower, there are days where I have significant mobility issues, and the future is very uncertain. I have no control, and for someone who is severely type A and a control freak, it is quite unsettling. I know that God turns all things to the good for those who believe in him. And I believe in him. So I am open to writing about this part of my life, but am not sure if God will call me to do that. If you want to keep up with this part of my life, make sure to subscribe to the RSS feed for "personal," as that is where I will write about it, if I do.
Why I Became a Writer and Author
I started this venture when I left government work due my husband's job with the Army. It happened when the Chibok girls in Nigeria were kidnapped by Boko Haram, the Holy Spirit grabbed me. I had been keeping up with Boko Haram because my education and work experience was in terrorism and organized crime. Watching the coverage, I saw how the media was leaving out important details: they were kidnapped because they were Christian. A righteous indignation burned within me that despite overwhelming evidence, the media still couldn't even admit that the faith of these girls is what made them targets. At the same time, I was realizing that Christians in westernized countries were almost completely unaware of what was happening to their brothers/sisters in Christ.
So, I started writing articles for Yahoo! about persecuted Christians. This evolved into a book on Nigeria and the persecution against Christians there. From there, I felt led to start writing Bible studies and prayer/devotional books. Of course, newsletters, eMagazines, and a blog was all part of this! It was very important to me to focus on being the body of Christ. We talk about this so much, but we don't always know how to actually do it. How do we, as Christians living far away from each other, work together to be the body of Christ? How do we handle controversy or disagreement or abuse? This is such a short space for a really long story, but God's hand was guiding me the whole way. He spurred me into action in Arizona when the girls in Nigeria were kidnapped, then God just led me from one thing to another until he finally got me where he wanted me, helping the Body of Christ be the Body of Christ!
I started teaching Bible studies and Sunday School classes when we moved to Virginia. Teaching Sunday School was a pivotal moment in my spiritual walk. Here I was, the youngest person in the class, yet they chose me to teach. They encouraged me. They recognized something in me that I had not fully realized. Their thirst for the word, with their desire to learn from me, gave me the confidence to grow into the teacher that God was pushing me to be. He was changing me and showing me, one step at a time, where he wanted me to go.
My Bible study class during this time was part of this pivotal moment as well. Through their questions, they pushed me to dig deeper. They were so open about their lives, their doubts, their struggles... they were all so different. These ladies showed me what it was like to yearn for God's word. Through their lives and their questions, I saw how God's word affected people of different backgrounds. Some pursued God and his word at the cost of relationships. Others would endure massive heartache. Some were hurt so deeply by other Christians and were trying to cling to their faith. Others had been deceived into bad theology and wanted to just know what was true. I always knew the Christian walk was messy. These ladies showed me that messy is ok as long as we hold on to our faith.
In Virginia, God opened my eyes to his people. The church is under a full frontal attack. We are running the race, but so many things cause us to turn, fall down, trip up, and get off course. God wants us to run, and finish, the race of faith. We can overcome obstacles, push through struggles, apply God's word, help others, show love to the world, and so much more! It will get messy. Our running shoes will get covered in mud and gunk. But that is what God has called us to do. We can face this world and finish our race with our faith in tact!
