Welcome friends! I’m so glad you found me here! I don’t know what brought you to this place today. You may be here because our paths have crossed or because we know each other very well. You may be here because a friend suggested you come for a visit. Or your presence here may be a total accident—you just were intrigued by the name and longing to be that bird, freed from its shackles.
Whatever the reason, I really hope you will join me on this journey of freedom. But first, let me start by introducing myself.
I was born Allison Valentine. My birth announcement my father was SURE would one day be my record cover because Allison Valentine sounded like a rock star name to him. Sadly, I was not gifted with his musical talent, so it just remained a pretty picture on my family room shelves. I grew up an agnostic living in a happy family outside of Boston. Life was happy, safe, and in all ways I could count GOOD.
However, my life was forever changed when a move to Connecticut in middle school led me to start attending church for the first time ever. During a confirmation class in 8th grade where I was literally the only one there by choice, I met Jesus—the man who would turn my life upside down.
As sin finally got a name and an explanation, God prepared me to understand and receive the incredible grace that was poured out for me on the cross. Like Paul, my decision to center my life around Jesus Christ was quickly followed by a call to serve Him.
For years, I believed that my call to ministry, while central in my heart, radiating to everything I did, would essentially be a side gig. I saw myself as a tentmaking evangelist, sprinkling Jesus into people as I went along my way. All that changed when, through an undeniable series of events my senior year in college, I finally submitted to the fact that God was calling that side gig to be the central gig.
The next thirteen years were filled with paid Christian ministry and several years of seminary. While the title on my proverbial name plate always included the word “youth,” I never saw my ministry as limited to that sole subset of the population.
I met my husband at seminary. (It’s a really good story that I promise to share with you one day!) The first four years of our marriage were ANYTHING but boring. One year we were both full-time students; the next I was working to pay the bills while he finished his degree; the next we moved to a new state and began timesharing a youth ministry position; the next year we became parents. Life was anything but dull! In the following 5 years, we would buy a house, welcome two more precious children and experience all the spiritual warfare that comes with being in the battle of ministry.
In 2015, after a few very hard years of loss, pain, confusion and struggle, we began the next chapter of God’s call on our life together, as my husband finally got his Yankee wife to agree to move down south. After years of perpetual juggling of family and work, I reluctantly, but faithfully became what they call on the streets a “Stay at Home Mom”—SAHM if you are rocking the yoga pants and have the spit up stains to prove it! This was never anything I desired or imagined for myself. And yet, it was clearly all a part of God’s larger plan.
This move both geographically and vocationally began a time of exploration, reflection, healing and growth that has led me to where I am today.
While I have been many things in my life—a teacher, a nanny, a small business owner, a wife, a mom—what I am at my core, is a pastor. The funny thing is, I became a pseudo-vegetarian when, at age 12, I encountered some sweet little lambs on their way to the slaughterhouse. I think that moment was prophetic of my future—I would be passionate about loving sheep. I love meeting new people and learning what makes them tick. I love hearing people’s stories. I love going deep with people. More than anything, I love the gift of being able to speak God’s love and truth into people’s lives. When I am doing any of these things, I feel most fully alive!
My whole life has been the unfolding story of a girl getting more and more comfortable in her own skin.
There has been so much wrestle to embrace the person God designed me to be. But I tell you, just as your favorite jeans become your favorite jeans through the stretching that comes with breaking them in, so I am coming to a new place of “wow! These jeans are awesome!” in my own life.
My path toward freedom to be confident and joyful in my identity and purpose in this world has not been easy. But man, has it been worth it!
This blog is really about the journey I have taken and the lessons I have learned along the way.
In a sense, these posts are just the journal entries of my life that I am inviting you in on, just in case they have anything to speak to yours as well. So, I hope you will join me. I really think we will have a lot of fun!