Where would I be without the love of God? It would be hard to tell you about who I am without telling you about who He is. As a follower of the Way of Jesus, I hold the truths of His character deep in my heart and mind and try my best to live them out in my life.

My story is simple, a testament to generations of faithful obedience to God. I was raised in the church and, by the grace of God, accepted Christ at a young age. Through years of tepid faith, the Lord stayed close, preparing me for the future with Him he had already laid out. When I reached tentatively for adulthood at 18, I realized I couldn’t imagine doing it outside of His presence. Though I had no idea what that even meant, He granted me a community of friends (now family) with whom I could run toward a life more like His.

He was a friend and father when I was lonely, a teacher and mentor when I lacked knowledge, and a shepherd and defender when I was anxious. He patiently waits on me when I ignore Him and delights when I speak to Him. I’ve learned that He speaks back in ways I could never imagine! At every turn of my life, I’ve found that He is the only evergreen choice.

As such, I believe:

God

The Lord is everlasting God, Creator of the ends of the Earth. Father to the fatherless and King of kings. Jesus is His Son, fully divine and fully human, who came to Earth to model perfect unity with the Father that we might all live in such relationship. He died to serve as the ultimate, decisive sacrifice, atoning for all human sin, forever. He was resurrected three days later, conquering death itself. The Holy Spirit is the living and active spiritual presence of God through which His divine will is done upon the Earth.

These three live in perfect triunity as distinct expressions of the singular God. Before time, and long after it, Yahweh reigns over everything with ultimate sovereignty.

Scripture

The Holy Bible is the divinely-inspired, always-applicable word of God and our most tangible interface to His will and character. It is both historically accurate and deeply artistic, a creative and True work woven by the Holy Spirit over the entire history of humanity.

Creation

The universe was made by God to glorify Him. Every atom and grain of sand, every rock and mountain, every cell and every creature, were designed carefully and lovingly by Him. Humans are created by God, in His image, for Him. We were given agency that no other creature on Earth has: the freedom to determine our actions.

Sin

The first humans abused this freedom, choosing pride, and we have all followed suit.

Soul, body, and mind are vulnerable to all manner of influence from the influences we consume, our fallen nature, and evil itself, therefore must constantly and diligently be formed toward Christ (the image in which we were created) through surrender to Him.