Why I Started Writing:

In college I began writing what I thought was poetry—meaningful to me but not publish-worthy. When I began speaking at Christian women’s events, I realized that what I spoke could also be articles, blogs and books. I’m a speaker-who-writes more than the other way around, but God may be in the process of changing that.  I started blogging in 2008 and was encouraged to create books that I could provide at speaking events. My mentor suggested I pretend that chapters were simply blogs and that perhaps all strung together could eventually become a book. I love my mentor and I went ahead and wrote a book on mentoring.

Authors Who Have Influenced Me:

I’ve loved many devotional greats through the years: Oswald Chambers, Amy Carmichael and Sarah Young. Also, the real-life stories from Elizabeth Elliot and the whimsy of Bob Goff as well as Winn Collier’s biography of Eugene Peterson delighted and inspired my spiritual journey. Walt Wangerin is a writing genius, fiction and non-fiction alike, and you can’t go wrong with Philip Yancy. My favorite non-fiction recently was Soul Keeping by Ray Ortberg.

Books I Have Written:

Come to My Table: God’s Hospitality and Yours

Hospitality, 101: Lessons from the Ultimate Host, a 12-Week Bible Study

Table Mentoring: A Simple Guide to Coming Alongside

Say Something Special: 252 Conversation Starters, The Ultimate Guide to Stimulating Table Talk

What I'm Working On Now:

I’m currently finishing up a book of short real-life stories on loneliness with the working title: Never Alone: The Power of Invitation and the Grace of Belonging in an Isolated World.