who Am I?

And I am just glad you are here. 

I am a writer, creator, ideator, counselor of sorts, and follower of Jesus. My background is in social work, counseling and ministry, but if I am quite honest, none of those things have ever fully felt like a true expression of my most honest, God created self. In the process of caring for others within a church context for about 10 years, I became relatively disenchanted with the construct of the western church. I found myself constantly fighting the church - not because I didn't believe in it, rather it was because I believed in it so much and I believed in better for the church than the over produced, systemic church we now operate out of. 

Better meaning a church that embodied the spirit of Jesus through words, actions and character. Better meaning a collective of people who were truly doing life together and knew each other. Better meaning that all people in that collective were treated with equal dignity and authority regardless of  race, gender, and identity. Better meaning a community that slowed down to savor the presence of Jesus moment by moment.     

But the greatest idea that I believe is better for the church and for all followers of Jesus is to stop knowing ABOUT God and to start knowing GOD. 

This shift is what catapulted me into designing and creating Conversation Artist, a platform intended to be a space where people can cultivate a deeper relationship with and a richer experience of God. To the core of myself, I believe that is the basic desire of the human soul. I hope to create content that does not demonstrate my relationship with God but is a catalyst for YOU to converse more with God. 

Sometimes I think we don't sprinkle enough wonder into our experience of God. We think growing deeper with God means knowing facts more firmly, but I think growing in spiritual maturity looks a lot like holding space for the mystery and wonderment of God. Let the Maker surprise you, enlighten you, catch you, speak to you - wonder what you will encounter next and sit in anticipation of God. Each volume of    I AM, each blog post, each newsletter, each poem - it is all intended to breath life into your wonder about God. I am finding this is my favorite form of ministry. 

So welcome to Conversation Artist, a space I hold for you to encounter a wonder-filled God. Let's breathe life into our wonder.