photo by Sackett Photography
Hi, I’m Gretchen.
I am a lot of things. A Christian, a wife, a mom, a reader and writer, a teacher, a friend, and a pop culture fiend. The first of these things that stuck was Jesus. I professed faith at like age four, and then fast forward through those Full House years to the fashionably unpleasant emo/goth phase where I decapitated my Barbies and listened to a lot of The Cure. As one does (hopefully), I grew out of that and into a bra and attention from boys. Equally tumultuous if you ask my mom. However, somewhere before high school graduation, I seriously fell for Jesus in a way that was both totally sincere and completely ugly.
I really, truly loved Him, but I was not really and truly loving to other people like He asked me to be. Lots of knowledge and lots of judgement lead to lots of hurt for others and me. In college, after much striving in my own strength to have perfect grades, do perfect ministry, and have the perfect relationships, I was diagnosed with Body Dysmorphic Disorder and depression. After a literal come-to-Jesus meeting, I confessed my pride and made it my life’s mission to just do what Jesus says: Love Him and love others however I can. Full stop.
So here we are. I cannot do many things well. I cannot fly a plane. I am not independently wealthy. I probably won’t cure any diseases. But I love words, and when I don’t have the words to say, I love a Savior who always does. And as much as I love the words that He gives me, I really love the readers He calls to them. The real human people. Like me who used to suck but don’t suck as much anymore, who question religion but love relationship, who seek truth and give love freely. So welcome, readers! I know we’ll be fast friends.