When I first moved to Nashville in 2018, I was a “wee baby freshman” in college at Trevecca Nazarene University. During my first weekend in Nash, my suitemate invited me to accompany her at a free outdoor concert! Eager to make new friends, I went. It was a fun time, but what I wasn’t prepared to encounter were countless unhoused neighbors sitting on the sides of the streets. Everywhere I looked, I spotted a neighbor in need, and yet, HERDS OF PEOPLE were passing neighbors by

Psalm 19:14, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord , my rock and my redeemer.” I love words! We use them to name children, communicate our deepest joys and heaviest sorrows, solve the daily New York Times puzzles, dominate in “Poetry for Neanderthals” (one of my favorite games), describe experiences, and compose beautiful lyrics. Words help us understand, bridge cultural barriers, navigate unfamiliar roads, retell storie

For a long time, I’ve responded to this question with what I want to do in life. I’ve spent about 21 of 25 years of my life with a broad sense of purpose and wanting to do so many things! Like become a ballerina, firefighter, author, teacher, baker…I’ve wanted to be these things because of what those people get to do. In more recent years, I graduated college with a degree in Worship Arts and Organizational Communication, did 3 years of volunteer service through AmeriCorps, a