Not a Checklist, but a Love Story

I wake up each morning to a simple rhythm.
Wash my face. Brush my teeth. Cold water to fully wake up.
Tallow on my skin, almond oil because it smells like comfort.
I get dressed—comfort usually wins—and I make coffee, because that part is non-negotiable.

Then I sit on my couch and open my Bible.

Not because I should.
Not to check a box.
But because I fell in love.

“My first students were my kids. I sat them on the living room floor with their children’s Bibles and opened to Genesis: In the beginning, God created…”

This is the love of my day.
Coffee in hand. Pages open.
I breathe in the Word and let it breathe life into me.
I circle words. I chase threads. I sit in the wonder and the grace of it all.

I write all over my Bible—because that’s fun to me.
I open commentaries. I dig deeper.
I hunger for wisdom, for understanding, for truth that reaches my soul.
It feels like honey—just like the psalmist said: taste and see that the Lord is good.

Then I go about my day.
Homeschooling where it’s needed.
Tidying up life as it comes.

By afternoon, I’m in front of a ring light, teaching what God showed me that morning.
I put on a little makeup because I’m still human.
I notice the gray hairs.
I cringe when I laugh at my own jokes.

But I love God’s Word.
It thrills me. It humbles me. It overwhelms me in the best way.
And somehow, in His kindness, He lets me teach what I love.

“This is the love of my day.
Coffee in hand. Pages open.
I breathe in the Word and let it breathe life into me.
I circle words. I chase threads. I sit in the wonder and the grace of it all.”

I’ve always been a teacher.

My first students were my kids.
I sat them on the living room floor with their children’s Bibles and opened to Genesis:
In the beginning, God created…

I preached—probably more than taught.
Jesus is the light. He always has been.
His glory shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.
And you are called to carry that light.

They were one, four, and seven.
They thought I was a little crazy.
But I wanted their hearts awakened.
Their eyes enlightened.
Their world filled with truth.

So I kept teaching.
Answering their hard questions.
Searching the Scriptures so I would be ready when they tested me.

And now, years later, I see the fruit.

“ I don’t have a seminary degree. I never went to Bible school. I just fell in love with the greatest love story ever told.”

A son who savors theology and Scripture with depth and wisdom.
A daughter who understands the story of the Bible and weaves insight with creativity.
Another who studies the Word with hunger and boldness far beyond her years.

Not because I did it perfectly.
But because love is faithful over time.

At the end of the day—faults, failures, and all—I teach God’s Word.
I don’t have a seminary degree.
I never went to Bible school.

I just fell in love with the greatest love story ever told.

And every day, chapter by chapter, I get to invite other women to fall in love too.
Not to check a box.
But to return to Him—again and again.