Tell us a little bit about yourself and what God has called you to do? I’m an author, speaker, wife and mama to my little girl, Amelia. I work at Ramsey Solutions in Nashville, Tenn., and travel the country helping people learn the proper ways to handle money, stay out of debt and save for the future. The first time I spoke in front of a large audience was at a Dave Ramsey Live Event when I was 15 years old. When I was in college my “financial bubble” was popped. I realized the lack of knowledge people had when it came to their money. This gave me a passion to help people understand the importance of handling money wisely from an early age.

My passion is helping people, and I truly feel like I am doing the work that God has called me to do. My biggest encouragement is seeing and speaking to people whose lives have been changed by the messages we teach, and that keeps me working hard at what I do.

Where do you live and have you lived anywhere else? I grew up in Nashville, Tenn. and have spent most of my life there. Although, I did spend the best four years at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Go Vols!

How do you carve out time with God everyday? I try to carve out time with God either in the morning before everyone in my house gets up for the day or in the car. Some of the best times of prayer and worship happen in my car!

What is your best money tip? Quit the comparisons! The road to comparison always ends in debt. Thirty years ago, when my parents were my age, the term “keeping up with the Joneses” was pretty common. Back then, you actually had to see the Joneses, but now we carry them around in our back pockets. Our cell phones and social media apps are little windows into the lives of other people, and these channels make it easier than ever for us to wish we were living someone else’s life.

Comparing yourself to others not only steals your joy, but also your paycheck. When you don’t have comparison spending under control, you end up spending money you may or may not have in order to live a lifestyle you think everyone else is living and you’re missing out on. You have to find contentment with where you are. That doesn’t mean you aren’t striving for more, but it does mean that you aren’t making decisions based on what other people are doing!

What is your family’s favorite go-to dinner? We have a serious love for spaghetti. There’s always frozen meat in the freezer and sauce and noodles on-hand for whenever the craving strikes.

Tell us your best God story (in your own life)? God has orchestrated so much of my story, but when I look back, I’m totally amazed by how my job has formed into what it is. It’s a total God thing, no doubt. Every day, I am blessed to be able to align my passion and the talents that He has given me, and I’m so grateful!

What are your 3 favorite books (other than the Bible of course)? When it comes to any area of life, reading is key! For work life and leadership, I love The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni. Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs is an amazing marriage book. Anything by Meg Meeker is great for parenting advice. For my spiritual life, I love any book by Beth Moore. And just for fun, The Residence by Kate Andersen Brower is a fascinating and historical, behind-the-scenes look inside the White House.

What is your favorite Bible Verse? The verse that has stuck with me the most throughout life is from 1 Timothy 6:6 “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” I love this verse because it reminds me that true happiness and joy comes from being content with all the blessings God has given me.

We are dying to know . . . what is your biggest splurge? J Sometimes, there’s things in life that you just need to spend money on and splurge. My top five favorite things to splurge on are: Good sunglasses (Yes!), purses, bed sheets (a high thread count never hurt anyone), paper towels (I’m serious), and pizza! Splurge on good pizza, it’s a must.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and what God has called you to do? I’m a writer, speaker, and mama of six who is living the life I always thought I never wanted. Over a decade ago, I realized my perfectly planned life sounded great…but I’d somehow forgotten to consult God in any of it. I’d gotten so busy that I’d accidentally planned Him right out of it all. But after I opened my hands, releasing it back to Him and breathing a scared yet confident “Send me”…it all begun to change. I am now over-the-moon grateful that my plans didn’t reach fruition, because His are ever more exciting. As a mom of a big family (2 bio kids + 4 from Ethiopia), I live a life that’s been beautifully interrupted by Him. Much of my day includes caring for our family, but my other baby is my blog. In it, I share even more of my heart while encouraging women the importance of a life with Him at the center. I’m passionate about community and opening our doors, throwing beautifully (yet doable!) parties (while shopping my house), being content in what we have, and celebrating even the little things like learning to tie one’s shoes or saying the abc’s without mistake. I write about it all as often as I can.

Where do you live and have you lived anywhere else? Though I grew up mainly in Seattle, we moved to Guatemala during my junior high years. My time there opened my child-eyes to poverty and that real-life was not actually the little suburban bubble I lived in. During college I took a year off and went to Bible school in England, which helped me really grasp my faith as my own. We’ve moved around a bit through the years, but am happily settled in Denver, Colorado and hope it’s a long time ‘till God transitions us somewhere else. Come visit us!

How do you carve out time with God everyday? If you are holding a Weekly Planner you’ve already read my devotion titled “Firstfruits” on this very topic. For those that haven’t read it, here’s a small piece of it . . . I had no idea how hard consistency would be once children entered the picture. I remember collapsing onto the kitchen floor one afternoon, bursting into tears. As I sat there on the cold tile floor, I realized I needed to cling to Him tighter, or I wasn’t going to survive. As I sobbed there on the floor, my four precious preschool-aged children watching me, God gave me a single word: “firstfruits.” But what was I giving Him? The leftovers. The leftovers of my time, my energy, and my heart. I was in survival mode and He’d somehow gotten left behind in all the craziness and exhaustion that had become my life. I felt the Lord reminding me, urging me to give Him firstfruits of my time: specifically nap-time. Rather than scurrying around the house cleaning up, doing laundry, etc., I was called to FIRST sit and be with Him. Then AFTER do my tasks. And it changed everything. I don’t mean to say that life became sunny all the time, but it was suddenly manageable. My attitude was better, I had a full grasp on things. Jesus loved me back to life. As my time of intimacy increased, my whole being began to blossom.

What is your best organizational tip? Don’t tell anyone, but I’m secretly a hoarder. I have a big closet in our basement that’s chock full of party supplies and house décor. It’s a girl’s dream…and a husband’s nightmare, haha. Clear bins are a must so even when it’s labeled, I can quickly see what’s inside. Which means less time wasted looking for specific items like cute paper napkins or tassels! The same in Tupperware. I’m a big fan of an organized fridge, cleaning it out and scrubbing it down every two weeks. Our family has a love affair with leftovers, but I’ve noticed the ones we remember to eat are in clear containers. We’ve switched over to glass and there’s so much less wasted food!

What is your family’s favorite go-to easy meal? I’m a big fan of crockpot meals because I can throw things in at breakfast time and forget about it until we’re home from sports practice! Taco soup, buffalo chicken sandwiches, and street tacos are at the top of our favorites list.

Tell us your favorite God story (in your own life)? One afternoon, shortly after moving from San Antonio to Denver, I was scrolling through Facebook on my phone during naptime. Stopping on a fellow-adoptive mom’s post about a teenager named Abreham, I knew he was our son. We had recently brought home a baby and older boy (bookending our biological blondies) and were still in the middle of helping our new son through trauma and loss. God’s timing didn’t make sense! And a teenager?! What?! All day I cried and prayed, my heart breaking over this boy…my boy. Later that evening as I stirred dinner on the stove, Ben got home from work. Kissing me on the forehead, he said, “We need to talk.” I responded in a stream of words, gushing from my lips, “Is it about a boy in Ethiopia named Abreham? ‘Cuz I think he’s our son.” With eyes wide as saucers, Ben nodded his head. He had seen Abreham’s story on a different social media outlet that very same day and God spoke to his heart the same way He did mine. Abreham has been home with us for a little over three years now and just celebrated his 17^th birthday. God’s just so fun.

What are your 3 favorite books, other than the Bible of course? I am a huge, huge reader and relish the term Book-Nerd. My list of favorites is longer than my arm, but some immediately coming to mind is Shauna Niequist’s book Bread and Wine (really anything by her) and Jennie Allen’s debut book, Anything. My favorite all-time series is (which technically is three books itself), is Mark of the Lion by Francine Rivers. I’m in the middle of writing my own book, which will be shopped out to publishing houses next month…so stay tuned for that, too!

What is your favorite Bible Verse? Like favorite books, I also have favorite verses that go on and on. But there are two passages I come back to time and time again. These are etched on my very heart (one is also soon-to-be penned on my wrist).

 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah 6:8

 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13

We are dying to know . . . if you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? Ohmygosh I feel like every question you ask me has more than one answer!! Since once again I cannot choose just one, I’ll go ahead and tell you them all: London, England, Rome, Italy or our children’s birth country of Ethiopia, where we have visited so many times, and yet not enough (either in the capitol Addis Ababa, or in one of the small villages nearby).