Tell us about yourself
I grew up on the northern shores of Lake Superior where I learned to stand in awe of God’s ability to create a world that was breathtakingly beautiful. I also learned to cherish the few short weeks of summer! I graduated from North Central College in Naperville, IL and then attended Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary on the campus of Northwestern University and the shores of Lake Michigan. I love trying to balance my sense of adventure with the desire to live a more peaceful life, so time away from work is likely to include anything from skydiving to watching a movie with my partner, Steve.

What do you do as the Minister of Discipleship?
As Minister of Discipleship, my role is to equip teams to care for the spiritual formation of the community of faith. I work with teams to develop ways for us to grow deeper in our understanding of God and deeper in our service to others. I spend time teaching youth and adults, coordinating mission and community outreach and working to create a system that meets the spiritual needs for everyone from the time they are born until the time they die. Then, there’s all the normal “pastor” stuff – leading worship, performing weddings, funerals and baptisms, visiting in the hospitals, providing pastoral counseling and guidance, and whatever else pops up in a day’s time.

What’s the best part of your job?
I love teaching, especially when I can challenge others to ask the difficult questions and speak the truth they know. It’s exciting for me to see the freedom and enthusiasm that can come from thinking about God and the world in a new way. It’s also a great blessing to be a part of a staff that can really team together to help ministry happen in ways that are bigger than any of us, as individuals, could envision.

What do you think you would be doing right now if God had not called you to be in ministry?
I’d like to think that I would run a creative retreat center where people could come to engage in the creative work of God through the arts. In all reality, I’d probably be working at a coffee shop/bookstore and not be bringing home a paycheck because I would have already spent it on coffee and books!

If you had today off from work, how would you spend it?
I would spend the morning at the dog park playing with our whippet/terrier mix, Tigger, because it is so much fun to watch him run and play with other dogs. In the afternoon, I would work on my latest scrapbooking project, an album on my trip to Israel.

What are you currently reading?
The Elegance of the Hedgehog - asking meaningful questions about life

When Sheep Attack - a book on family systems theory in the church

Growing in the Life of Faith - about faith development and discipleship

The Book of Tea - a book about Japanese culture and how we live our lives

Turning to One Another - a book about the importance of holy conversation

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
Is whistling considered a superpower because I’d like to be able to do that?!

If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
I would redistribute wealth so that everyone had the resources they need to survive. Or maybe I’d just increase compassion and hope the redistribution of resources took place in return.