I’m a 32-year-old wife, mom, neighbor and friend. I live in Birmingham, Alabama. I live in the city. I see why people prefer the suburbs, and that is fine for those who feel drawn to the suburbs, but I personally feel more comfortable in the city. I spend my days caring for my family, my home, and those in my community when the opportunity presents itself or slaps me in the face. I like to have a good amount of alone time. I think I need it in order to better care for others, so I spend some time trying to care for myself. Reading, yoga, art, music, wine, and food are all things that give me pleasure. I also value a really good beer—I don’t like typical domestic beer. I prefer something along the lines of Newcastle. I guess I’m a beer snob. I’m in a wine phase these days, though. I’m not much of a wine snob. I rarely meet a glass of wine that I won’t drink.

My ministry philosophy is to love God and love my neighbors. My hope for myself, my husband, my children, and my community is for Christ to be formed in all of us. I’ve been a Christian for 12 years. I’ve been in a PCA church for the last 11 years. (Please don’t hold that against me.) I don’t feel at home in the PCA. I thought our current church which started 6 years ago would be ”the one.” I thought it would change the denomination, change our city, be a real light in the midst of artificial/flourescent lights. I was wrong. In the past year or so I’ve been reminded in a pretty harsh way that there is no perfect church (or perfect pastor or perfect church leadership). It really is heaven that we’re all longing for. I’ve been tempted to run as fast as possible away from this church and the PCA, but the relationships are keeping me here. And the children’s curriculum, Godly Play. If I knew how to do links, I would put a link here sending you to a Godly Play web site.  

Over the last 4 years, I’ve been mentored through the books of Ester De Waal, Henri Nouwen, Kathleen Norris, Wendell Berry, Anne Lamott, Annie Dillard, Jim Houston, Robert Capon and others… A few years ago I didn’t read the Bible for about a year. I started back with the Psalms and Isaiah, and for the last 10 months I’ve been going through the Divine Hours. I love the repetition. Now many times I feel nourished by the Word of God—it is becoming food and drink for me. Sometimes I feel nothing, and I’m OK with that.

I don’t read parenting books. I don’t read marriage books. Maybe I ought to, I don’t know.

I’m kind of over the desire to have everything figured out. I see the value of theology, but I don’t spend much time worrying about theology. When I spend time with someone I’m more interested in his story than his theology. My journey has been one of becoming more aware of my neediness, less sure of the “right” answers, more softness towards others. I am still interested in theology and will discuss it, read about it, etc. I’m just not as uptight about it as I used to be. 

I like following/being aware of the rhythms of the Church year. I like the ideas of working and resting and feasting and fasting. I’m a firm proponent of community. I have community—real community—and I am grateful for that. I was skeptical of the blogosphere up until I decided that it’s OK for people to have a web-based community if they have real-life-flesh-and-blood-messy-can’t-run-from-them-community as well.

If I were into “theology” right now, I would be scooping up books/trying to learn all I can about the Trinity, the church, women in the church, and the poor/mercy and justice. I think it’s repentance for me to not be scooping up those books. I think it would be repentance for others to be more into theology and really struggle through some of the hard stuff and to read a bunch of books.

Things I’m digging right now: Iron & Wine’s newest album, The Sopranos (we just completed Season 3), the weather (highs in the mid-70s, lows in the 40s/50s), my son’s fascination with the moon, my daughter’s fascination with weddings and marriage and watching her make larger connections with all of that, Wendell Berry’s poetry, the fact that I’m yelling at my children less than I used to, waking up early on my own, simplicity (in all areas of my life), and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

I will be more of a commenter/responder here at BHT in the beginning. It might take me a while to actually start a conversation. When I do attempt to start one, it might be a bit more personal than the usual fare. I have a couple of great man-food recipes that I will add to the menu in the near future.

That’s all for now. This is more than I intended. I promise I will try to keep it brief in the future.

Again, I’m glad to be here. Thanks for allowing me to pull up a chair.