In my work as an artist, I paint a wide variety of subjects from portraits and landscapes to local landmarks and buildings. But there is something extraordinary that happens when I work on a project that is directly inspired by God’s Word.

My love for worship and songwriting began the moment I was saved by Jesus. That evening, God used the song “O Come to the Altar” by Elevation Worship to change my life…That moment ignited a passion in me to write songs that worship and glorify God.

As a songwriter, it is my prayer that I will be so well-steeped in the Word that Jesus just spills into everything I write, do, or say. I want this to be true for the fun, love songs I write for my husband, like “Blush,” or the songs I write about mental health.

As beings made in the image of our Creator, I think each of us has been given the capacity to be a creator in our own way. I see it as our responsibility as faithful servants to invest our gift of creativity and let its blessings multiply for God’s glory and the good of the world.

Every day I want to be reminded, and to remind others through my art, of the beauty of God’s creation–what God has done, what God is doing, and that it is good. 

Over the past ten years working as a studio potter, I have travelled across the Upper Midwest with my small business, teaching, hosting pottery events, and sharing my testimony through my wheel demonstrations. During this time, the Lord began revealing to me some deep truths about his sovereignty, my relationship with him, and the transformative work he wanted to do in my life.

One of my biggest priorities is supporting students as they go through challenges in their lives. I am not a mental health expert, but I am here to tell my story and share advice coming out of my successes, as well as my failures.

It was a Saturday. I was trying to finish a sermon but couldn’t quite get it done. Feelings of sadness didn’t help. Maybe going for a walk would. It didn’t. Despite the beautiful fall afternoon, the sad feelings only increased. They reached a point of almost overwhelming me with their power. I knew I had to do something.

Grief is often described as “deep sorrow,” “sadness,” or “heaviness of heart.” For me, in this situation, I would define my grief as “deep sorrow over shattered or unmet expectations.”  It’s private and personal, yet at the same time, it needs to be known so it’s not in the dark. This grief needs light.

As the air ambulance landed on the tarmac in Paris, France, I was placed on a gurney and rushed to a major hospital in downtown Paris. The icy February air bit at my cheeks, so different from the balmy warm air of Bokoro, Chad, where I’d been just a few days earlier.