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I’ve always had a flair for the dramatics. Those who know me have no trouble seeing this, and this has characterized my entire life. From an early age, I knew I wanted to perform, and ever since I could walk, that is exactly what I’ve been doing. Between school plays, church musicals, and bathroom shower debuts, I’ve always been performing. Most kids grow out of their “I want to be a movie star” phase, but by the time I started thinking about what I was going to focus on in college, I still steeped in the dramatic arts.
I decided to go to Baylor as a Theatre Performance major with the hopes of someday becoming a Christian children’s theatre director. That career goal served as a way to make a reliable paycheck and avoid the instability of an actor’s life while still feeding my love for performing. I remember when I first sat down with my advisor; she casually suggested I get a minor in religion since it was the easiest one to complete based on the hours required. Little did I know that this small decision would begin my trajectory towards full-time ministry.
It only took a couple of months of being a theatre major to know that something wasn’t right. I didn’t know where God wanted me, but I felt He was leading away from the theatre life. I panicked. Singing and acting had been my life, and I didn’t know I was capable of doing anything else. I did some soul searching and reflected on my skills.
I started taking my religion minor more seriously, and by my Sophomore year, I knew I was being called into ministry, I just didn’t know in what capacity. I began volunteering and searching for ways to get more involved in the church as a desperate attempt to discern God’s will. I started helping with Highland’s children’s choir in Waco, and eventually became an intern in the youth group through a ministry class at Baylor.
I grew up in the Baptist church, so seeing women in church leadership was not something I was accustom to. It wasn’t until the ordained female minister who taught my intro to ministry class, Mandy McMichael, helped direct me in my ministerial pursuits that I realized that God could call me to leadership as a woman. I began to research seminaries and discern my call to be a youth pastor. I chose Truett because of how they train women. At Truett, women are not secondhand ministers or pastor’s wives, but equal members of the Body of Christ. Women are not only capable of teaching and preaching, but are called and responsible to do so.
I chose to come to seminary because I truly believe God has called me to be a leader in the church. I firmly believe that God is and has been using women to spread the gospel to the world. Seminary is training me to stand up against oppressors and advocate for justice and equality. If I’m going to lead God’s people, I want to know what I’m talking about. I want to dive deeper into God’s word and learn from mentors and theologians who have contemplated the deep things of faith.
The greatest thing about God calling me into ministry is knowing that there are endless possibilities for how He might use me. Although I plan to be a youth pastor, I see how God, even now, is opening new and different doors and leading me through them. My B.F.A. in Theatre Performance has only made my ministry more unique and engaging for those under my care. I do my best to be “cool with the kids,” and I’ve found that the best way to do that is to confidently be yourself, not worry about what others think, and add a bit of the drama.
God has been so faithful to me. Seminary has proved to be the greatest challenge I’ve faced, yet He displays his goodness in even the smallest details. He continues to teach me and grow me as a disciple, I pray that I can speak up for and empower other women through the Holy Spirit who empowers me. We are redeemed and created in God’s image; let us live like it.
About the Author
Hometown: Abilene, TX
Undergrad: Baylor University
Favorite Verse: "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Cor. 12:8-10
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