Tell us a little bit about yourself and what God has called you to do? I am a writer, a speaker, a pastor’s wife, a mom to two little boys, and I have my PhD on the topic of women and calling. I write for all sorts of sites like Propel and She Reads Truth, and my passion is to invite women into the deep end of faith. Also, my first book releases this October! It’s called Free of Me: Why Life is Better When It’s Not about You.

Where do you live and have you lived anywhere else? We live in the Raleigh/Durham area, but I am originally from Charlotte, NC. My husband and I spent 4 years living in the Chicago area—which we loved! —but I’m still thawing out from the cold!

How do you carve out time with God everyday? I have young kids, so “quiet time” isn’t really a thing for me right now! There are a lot of days when I have to get creative. Our YMCA has free childcare, so at least a few times a week, I walk the track while praying and reading the Bible on my phone. You gotta do what you gotta do!

What is your favorite Bible Verse? Gosh, that is a hard question. Scripture is living and active, so different verses speak to me at different times. But one of my favorites has always been Psalm 63:3: “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.”

What is your best organizational/planning tip? This isn’t a tip so much as a spiritual practice: honor the Sabbath. Your soul needs rest and margin to flourish. That’s why God commanded it. Sabbath requires planning, but it recalibrates our week around God’s rhythm. It also reminds us who keeps this world spinning—not us!

What is your family’s favorite go-to easy meal? Grilled bone-in chicken thighs, marinated in Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce, with grilled corn on the cob. This is as low maintenance as it gets, and SO delicious!

Tell us your favorite God story (in your own life)? Throughout my life, God has a pattern of plopping me in the right place at the right time, even though it didn’t make sense at first. For example, when I decided to get my masters degree, God led me to a school I had no interest in attending. I only enrolled because He made it clear that was where I was supposed to go, and for years I wasn’t sure why. Eventually, that’s where I met my husband!

Over the years, I have learned to trust God’s work behind the scenes. His leading might not make ANY sense right now, but I know that, one day, it will.

What are your 3 favorite books, other than the Bible of course? The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness by Tim Keller, and Exclusion and Embrace by Miroslav Volf.

We are dying to know . . . what were some of your “big dreams” in the past? Which did you pursue and which did you let go of? For most of my adult life I have wanted to be a writer, and I never let go of that dream. What I did let go of was the timing. I had dreams of publishing my first book in my early twenties and being this young, impressive influencer. However, life delayed those plans. Between getting my PhD and starting a family, I didn’t have the margin to write books. I had to put that dream on hold for a time, but I’m so glad I did. God did some important soul work in me during those years. He made me a better writer through it.

 “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.” PSALM 63:3