what i hope you know
i am loquacious and brevity is not my strong suit. let’s just get that out of the way. i’m a wordsmith who will use 395 words to say what most could articulate in 7. i’ve always been this way. i love to enhance things and make them just a bit different. a bit better. i want to take an outfit and add something unexpected. a therapy session and add just an extra dash of encouragement. a conversation and leave you better than i found you, or cheer more loudly for your success than anyone else.
few things intimidate me. i know my triggers, and they run deep. i know my lane and aren’t so rigid that i’m unwilling to dip a toe into unchartered waters and see if what’s there fuels a challenging excitement for what i could contribute to that space.
i’ve always been highly inquisitive. it’s been misconstrued as being difficult or challenging in the past by people who don’t understand my noggin. i want to know why women have the roles they do in church, how to support racial reconciliation, how divorce and remarriage is the most honoring to the Lord, what Biblical community looks like, why LPC’s are superior to SW’s because after two years they can have friendships with former clients and I’m out here unable to ever get queso with some of the most excellent people i know. but asking those questions is vital. never one to subscribe to groupthink, i’m always wondering why things are the way they are and if something different could make it better.
my heart is always for the underdog. i am so hyper aware of my proclivity to nurture, care for, and empower that if left unchecked i bear burdens and emotional expectations that aren’t mine. i am desperate for shame to spew lies to another person who thinks they’ve blown it too much that redemption isn’t possible. i know the damage of what once being an insider and being quickly tossed outside into the rain does to a person.
what i’ve learned in my experience working in an inpatient psychiatric facility for youth, as a stay-at-home mom, therapist, divorced, remarried, Christian with no hard political affiliation is that grace is wildly more abundant than you could imagine.
if ‘i’ in all i’ve lived through is still a recipient of the outrageous love of Christ, then i promise you are, too. if you never read another thing on this site, it is my responsibility to share the Gospel and a resource to help you as you question, rebuild, or reconstruct whatever faith you may have.
God created us to be with Him.
Our sins separate us from God
Sins cannot be removed by good deeds.
Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again.
Everyone who trusts in Him alone has eternal life.
Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever. (source)
for more questions, i’m happy to chat or you can search gotquestions.org. (*i may not personally agree with everything this website mentions, but, it’s a great starting point as you try to decipher what you believe, and why, as opposed to listening to someone on a stage telling you what they think the Bible says. some get it right, others, very, very wrong. be discerning.)
i’m not a Christian influencer. i’m not out here teaching Scripture at xyz Baptist church, but my faith in Christ drives every solitary decision i make. every reduced session i take, every complimentary consultation, every interaction. not always perfectly because (spoiler alert) i am not the Lord, but when you’ve been saved from yourself like i have been, there’s no way you can keep your mouth shut about it.
i’m unsure why you’re here. maybe to ask who my photographers are (Colt Melrose, Oh! Snap! Photography, Lindsey Wilkins, and Naranja Dulce because out in the wild i’m just with my family making memories, not posing for well lit photos.) maybe you’re looking for a therapist (who may not even be me because Here Comes the Sun is full of incredible counselors who i’d recommend to anyone. perhaps you’ve found me online and aren’t sure what this vibrant gal is about but you’d rather hear from her mouth instead of anyone else’s what she’s about (Jesus, the jayhawks, and jordan’s, generally). perhaps you’ve experienced deep wounds from church hurt and you just want to know it’s ok to reassess and heal. i am in your corner for that. maybe your relationship is on the rocks or you’ve already left and you don’t know what’s next. man, does my heart break for you.
i’m glad you’re here and pray you’ll stick around. not this blog or website, necessarily, but this world. some days are so, so hard, but i’m thankful you gave today another chance. your life is of such beautiful value and i hope you never forget that. (if you’re having thoughts of harm to yourself or others please call the national suicide + crisis lifeline at 988 or the standard US emergency number, 911)
make good choices today, y’all. if we ever get to work together, i’m so excited, and if this is the last time you interact with me, i sincerely hope nothing but the best for you as you work to heal and build a life you love.
-e
