When looking for someone to collaborate or journey with, it's important to also know who and what type of person you're working with rather than just what the person can do. I pray that this page will give you a sufficient glimpse into who I am.

There are so many words that I want to share; so many words that I can use to describe me and my journey thus far. As much as I'd like to indulge, perhaps it's best that I keep it as concise as possible while still making sure it's sufficient for you to relate to me and my background.

I grew up in an environment and a culture where I was taught to be seen rather than heard, to never challenge authority, to conform to the things that are 'for my own good'. My path in life was laid out for me: I was taught what to do, what to want, what to enjoy.

And like a good girl, I adhered to the rules and met all the expectations set for me.

It wasn't until I entered mid-life, had a few life-altering experiences, and started parenting my own children that I questioned a lot of these practices that shaped the person I am today.

In that process, I discovered that I had unconsciously suppressed and buried my true self my whole life.

I had no idea what I wanted. What I liked. What my passions were. What my purpose was. What success was to me. I had answers to those questions, but they were answers that were conditioned into me rather than answers that I truly possessed.

It scared me to realize that I didn't really know myself. That I was living a life that someone else wanted for me rather than my own. I decided that I needed to grow my own backbone, stand on my own two feet, and create a life that is of my own design.

That is how I came to start this journey of uncovering me. It started out as a purely selfish endeavor: I wanted to find the real me. Who am I?

I didn't quite know where to look, so I had to start with the one fact that I had always known in my head but not my heart: that I am an adopted child of God.

I couldn't quite relate with the angry God of the Torah, so I thought I'd start with someone who's on the same level as me: Jesus of Nazareth. If I'm God's child and so is Jesus, surely learning more about Him will reveal more about me.

So for the first time in my life, I started truly reading the bible. I've read the bible plenty of times before, but there's reading and then there's READING. This time, I READ.

Jesus the man fascinated me. How can a human be so loving, so kind, so selfless, and yet have life so sorted that He didn't burn out?!

The more I read, the more real and the more captivating He became. The more I got to know Him, the more I wanted to hang out with Him. To follow Him. To become like Him.

And interestingly, the more I got to know Him, the more I got to know myself. Not the false me, but the me who is truly ALIVE.

So here I am, on an exciting, never-ending journey of being and becoming more like Christ and by extension, the truest me I can ever be.

Looking back, my journey and process was a lonely one. While I am certain that there are many others like me, I couldn't find them. I had a lot of difficulty locating people honest and vulnerable enough to share their hearts and their lives.

A lonely journey is a difficult one.

That is why I decided to start this space: to be an authentic and truthful voice in a busy, loud world. To share thoughts and feelings that are present behind the scenes - the ones that are not usually shared because they're too real or awkward for polite society. The hard, raw truths about all the waiting and in-between moments; moments that are usually glossed over. The silent seasons where nothing happens, the ones that are neutral and grey, the seasons that can be more difficult than the deepest valleys.

The blog is a space that I created to document my travels. It's a sanctuary for me to tease apart the tangled thoughts in my head and emotions in my heart that are difficult to articulate to another human being. To be vulnerable and confess things that are true but that some people may not be ready to hear. A space to heal and be free.

I'd love to invite you into this space and on the journey. Lean in, my friend. You are not alone.

In the process of being vulnerable, I have been judged and criticized (often unkindly) in a manner that was not helpful or conducive to my growth. If your experience is similar, I hope that you find comfort here. That you will feel seen and heard through the experiences that I have. Because let's face it, there's nothing new under the sun.

Despite their many differences, our circumstances, experiences, thoughts, and emotions are likely going to have a lot of similarities.

I hope and pray that knowing that someone out there feels the same way you do, thinks the same(ish) thoughts you do, and has experienced (kinda) the same thing you are experiencing; that this will fill you with courage to BE TRUE to Christ and yourself despite your circumstances, knowing that He loves you just as you are.

A few more core things about me:

The top 6 values that are important to me:

Spirituality

Genuineness

Connection

Growth & Learning

Balance

Generosity

My top 4 strengths:

Self-Awareness

Authenticity

Communication

Relationship Building

My mission is to actively participate in God’s efforts to create heaven on earth in 3 key areas:

Discipleship: being and becoming more like Christ each day, knowing that it's a lifelong journey

Relationship: by loving and serving others

Stewardship: by faithfully and wisely stewarding my LIFE (labor, influence, finances, expertise)

My vision is to see all people fully living out their God-given identity and true humanity as modeled by Jesus.

My 2-word purpose statement is Cultivating Connection. I do this through conversation, authenticity, and vulnerability.

I treasure people's stories and I value relationships.

I view my services and all the content I create as an invitation to partner with God in all the exciting things that He's doing in this world. If you think I can be of some help to you, feel free to contact me.

I'd like to end this introduction by praying the same prayer the apostle Paul prayed for the Ephesians years ago:

Ephesians 3:17-21 (note: bold emphasis mine)

¹⁴For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

²⁰Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

May the love and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you and yours.

In Him,

Amy x