“…Slowly, beautifully, He brought forth new life… until one day I realized I was standing up in the light of the sun. And I was brand new.”

When I was a young girl, I trusted in Jesus to save me from my sins. I had a simple faith, one that started as just a mustard seed, and I had no idea then how deep the saving and healing of Jesus would go. I realize that still, I do not know the depths of the wells of salvation; I’m convinced that these depths are rather unplumbable.

Back in my early twenties I found myself newly married, freshly out of nursing school and working 12-hour night shifts. I was also struggling deeply with bouts of depression and anxiety. My teen years were marked by (mostly) confidence and anticipation about where life would take me and I had no framework for dealing with the struggles I was then facing. I was haunted, unceasingly, by shame that I just couldn’t talk about or put into words, and hopelessness was a constant companion.

The Rachel I had known up until that point felt completely lost and I navigated those days with much fear and uncertainty. I often felt overwhelmed and completely alone. There I was, down in a deep pit with no idea how to climb out.

But Jesus.

Over the following decade, I watched seemingly in spite of myself as Jesus Himself became my way out. He never left me. He did not let my faith die. He brought me people who showed me what grace looked like, what it felt like. He never stopped caring for me. Slowly, beautifully, He brought forth new life, inch by inch, until one day I realized I was standing up again in the light of the sun. And I was brand new. I was more alive and more whole than I’d been before the undoing, and somewhere along the way a passion was grown in me to encourage my brothers and sisters to experience the same.

I write because it is the way the Lord has made me to process and to understand Him and this world better. I write because He has called me to glorify Him and this one way I know to do that. I write because I know I cannot be alone in experiencing the wild ride of bending, breaking, the learning and re-learning, the cycles of dying and re-birth that come with transforming into fully-whole and alive people that Christ died for us to become.

As we walk through this Christian life together, we will experience a series of mountaintops and valleys, sometimes finding rugged and dark terrain, and at other times stumbling upon views that are so shockingly beautiful it takes our breath away. At all times, life with Christ is a full life of adventure and purpose, as we’re intentionally led and cared for by our Loving Shepherd, Jesus.

Dear friend, what have you lived? What is God stirring within you? Do you know the lifeline that is His Word? That is living and active, even when we do not feel it?

If you are currently navigating a valley or feel stuck in a pit of fear, guilt, or shame, I hope that this will be a safe place for you to show up and feel known. I hope that you will sense the embrace of grace tightly around you as others have so embraced me.

Join me. Pull up a chair. There is room for you at the banqueting table. Let’s rejoice together at the way He brings vibrant life out of the most unlikely places. 

A bit more about me:

My husband Kip has been the greatest gift of grace. My life with him and our two boys crown every day with joy.

He is a pastor and our local church is an honor and a privilege to serve and to love.

When I’m not reading or writing, I can be found working as a nurse, baking, or playing with my boys. I also enjoy listening to music or podcasts, napping on Sundays, thrifting, and going out for Bubble Tea.

Let’s Keep in Touch!

I would love to meet you! Please fill out the form below to contact me. I would be honored to hear from you!