THE ONE FRIEND

“Every girl needs someone to giggle about boys with,” Kay said to me, leaning close, her warm brown eyes searching my face. “I’m fine,” I said. I folded my arms across my chest and tried to ignore the flush of my cheeks. My mom’s friend was giving me advice, and I wasn’t sure it was

The Great Big World

I slumped on the worn brown couch in the therapist’s office. She sat across from me. Blonde hair, blue eyes, calm demeanor. I crossed my arms and said, “I don’t belong here. Therapy is for people with marriage problems.” “Ok,” she said. “It’s not for my kind of stuff,” I insisted. This woman was not

LET HER OUT OF THE HOUSE

“They have cradled you in custom, they have primed you with their preaching,They have soaked you in convention through and through;They have put you in a showcase; you’re a credit to their teaching —But can’t you hear the Wild? — it’s calling you.” – Robert Service Around 1999, my brother David built a bike cart.

SKIRTS: A STATUS SYMBOL

I only wore skirts or dresses until 2005. I suppose it’s not all that unusual of a statement, considering women from varied religions and cultures wear long dresses or skirts instead of whatever style is trending in fashion. Indeed, fashion trends currently support a dress or a skirt as a cute option for modern women.

My Convert.

The first time I met Amy, I liked her but didn’t tell her so. My family found her when we went door to door in a Las Vegas neighborhood, inviting people to church. Las Vegas was an interesting interlude to my childhood. We moved there in 1995 to start another Independent Baptist Church, taking a

How I Became the Baptist Nun

I had simply decided to stay home that day. We were newcomers in Germany again in 1997, missionaries from our Baptist Church in Indiana. We were there to start a Gospel-preaching, Independent, Fundamental Baptist Church for the German-speaking people. My parents and brother had gone to the old military base to clean up around the

A Note to the Reader

I enjoyed my childhood. If you look at pictures of me then, I’m smiling all the time. My eyes are bright. My pigtails are tight. My dresses are frilly, just how I liked them. This tale isn’t going to be based solely on my childhood. Or even have a clear timeline at all. I’ll share

Coming in 2022

I grew up in church. I was a missionary kid. I was a good girl. I did all the ‘right’ things. But underneath that smile in the picture, were doubts, questions, wonderings. I have written some about it. But this blog will be more. And of course, I’ll share the story of how I became