This is an introductory post offering you more insight into who I am and where I am coming from. I'm a 21-year-old woman and a college student (halfway through my junior year!). I have spent my entire life in Northwest Arkansas. I grew up in a conservative, Southern Baptist home. Though I grew up almost exclusively in my American culture, I come from German, Ashkenazi-Jewish, English, French, Romanian, and Cherokee ancestors (among others!). I have strong desire to travel and explore more of God's beautiful world; as of yet I have traveled to Missouri, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New York City, and Côte d'Ivoire.
I have been a Christian for nearly 9 years, and I am incredibly passionate about growing closer to the Lord and helping others draw nearer to Him as well! While my degree is in elementary education, I am also minoring in biblical and theological studies and have been called to serve the Lord through ministry and mission work. My first mission trip was a three-week stint in Côte d'Ivoire. I focused on evangelizing and discipling college students while also serving alongside and encouraging Ivorian Christians. I don't know what the Lord has in store for me next, but I am committed and excited to go wherever He may lead.
Within my personal walk with the Lord, I connect with Him through intellect and tradition according to Gary Thomas's Sacred Pathways. I enjoy and highly value exegetical work in studying Scripture, as well as appreciating the liturgy and rhythms of life the people of our faith have practiced for a millennium. Through the elders who have discipled me at my university and in my church, I have learned the value, practice, and history of spiritual disciplines like lectio divina and of centering my life around the liturgical calendar instead of my school's or my work's. I have developed a Rule of Life of my own (which I will introduce in a post soon!) and seek to make sure everything I am and everything I do traces back to my relationship with God and glorifying Him.
When it comes to discipling and teaching others, my personal walk with God (of course) shines through. I approach the Throne through very intellectualized avenues, so I'm going to walk with others the same way. However, I also want to meet people where they are and try to understand their perspectives. I like to dive into relevant life issues, hear people's stories, and learn from the people I teach just as much as they learn from me.
While children are very near and dear to my heart, my ministerial passion is primarily for young women. So many Bible studies and devotions for women are fluffy and full of positive, self-centered messages. There is a time and place for those; sometimes we just need to hear that God loves us, created us beautifully, and is a Good Friend to us. He is our Wonderful Counselor. However, women deserve real theology. We deserve to grow into a deeper knowledge of who God is, how to listen to and draw nearer to Him, and what it is to live a life of deep, fulfilling obedience to Him alone.
Finally, I am a disability advocate and activist, as I have quite a few diagnoses of my own. I have a passion for disability and mental health awareness and acceptance. The intersection of faith and disability is a prime example of why theology matters so much; it affects how we view and treat others. For example, if I see my Autism as a gift of God and an expression of being made in His image, I will see myself and other Autistics differently than I would if I believe Autism is part of the Fall and an expression of some kind of deficit in my imago Dei. Likewise, if I believe my arthritis is caused by some sin I or someone in my life committed, or a lack of faith, I will see myself and other disabled people as failures before God (below the "average" sinner, whatever that means) because we are somehow unwilling to receive God's grace or be entirely committed to Him. However, as I understand that my disability and those of others have nothing to do with obedience or faith and instead are products of genetics, environment, trauma, and/or the Fall, I do not shame disabled people (including myself) nor see them as responsible for their bodies' weakness or brokenness. I look forward to many more posts dismantling such flawed theology and explanations of my different diagnoses to spread awareness and knowledge to foster inclusion and acceptance.
Until then, thanks for walking with me on this journey. I hope we can learn from each other and seek God together.
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