I help teenagers, parents, and mentors live into their
calling and navigate the teen years with joy and purpose.
Are you a parent of young children who is dreading the teen years?
Are you a parent of a teenager who needs help navigating these crazy, stressful teen years?
Are you someone who works with teenagers who desires to have the greatest impact possible as you point them to Jesus?
Are you a teen who wants to follow Jesus but you need help knowing what that means and how to do it?
The teen years are packed with important decisions, a variety of temptations, and an abundance of voices trying fervently to lead students astray. In the midst of our rapidly declining moral culture, teens and young adults are discarding their parents’ faith and values in record numbers. Teenagers are looking for something (or Someone) to anchor them in the storm, and Christian parents are desperate to help their kids grow solid roots before they enter adulthood.
I’m here to help!
Meet Kelly
After working with teens for over thirty years and raising 4 teenagers with my husband, Jeff, I am passionate about helping teens flesh out what it means to follow Jesus and encouraging parents and mentors to make the most of the teen years. I write and speak about biblical faith, spiritual growth, and navigating the challenges that inevitably occur while trying to grow up/parent in a faith-hostile culture. I also love to guide and encourage people who work with teens to live into their calling with clarity, purpose, and joy. I’m glad you’re here!
Resources for Parents & Teens
Kelly loves talking to teens and parents about Jesus and how they can grow in their faith and strengthen their relationships. Check out the Resources section for helpful articles geared towards parents, teens, and young adults.
Workshops & Speaking
Do you need a speaker for your next event? Kelly has over 30 years experience as a Bible teacher and public speaker. She speaks to teens, parents, women, and student ministry leaders. Contact her for your next event or to host a “Cultivating a Circle of Influence” workshop.
Circle of Influence Book
Circle of Influence: Cultivating the Power of Mentorship in Your Teen’s Life helps parents purposefully surround their teens with adult mentors who will shape their teen’s faith and guide their decisions so they don’t have to navigate these crucial years alone.
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Circle of Influence: Cultivating the power of mentorship in your teen’s life
As our children approach the teen years, there is a natural separation that occurs in their attempt to become more independent. Unfortunately, the teen years are also packed with important decisions, temptations, and an abundance of voices trying fervently to lead them astray. In the midst of our rapidly declining moral culture, teens and young adults are discarding their parents’ faith and values in record numbers.
What if parents could more easily encourage their teen’s independence without fearing how it will affect their future? How do we help our teens get the support they need?
Circle of Influence: Cultivating the Power of Mentorship in Your Teen’s Life helps parents purposefully surround their teens with adult mentors who will shape their teen’s faith and guide their decisions so they don’t have to navigate these crucial years alone.
Recent Blog Posts:
Reflections of a College Visit
Nearly eighteen years ago, our first baby was born. A little girl. Today, we walked from building to building, up and down stairs, all around a campus that, in a few months, will be her new home. How in the world did we get here? I remember feeling her...
My February Book Stack
Here it is, a little late… these are the books in my stack this month. What about you? What did you read last month worth recommending? What is currently on your nightstand?
The Lies We Believe: How Comparison Robs Us of Community
“Don’t compare what you know about yourself to what you don’t know about me.”
These words were spoken over 20 years ago by a prominent speaker at a National Youth Workers Convention I attended. His comments were intended to humanize himself, a reminder to the rest of us that his life was not any easier, nor was his ministry any more effective, than ours was. This is a lie we tend to believe- one that often robs us of the community we were created for.
He mentioned the temptation for us to think he was somehow better than us simply because he was standing on a big stage, when in reality, his students bemoaned his “boring talks” and “stupid programs” just like ours did. Sure, he had wisdom to share, but he wanted to make sure we understood it was gained in the trenches, not by some royal edict or heavenly proclamation.
He was “wise” because he had learned from his mistakes. He was “seasoned” because he had travelled long, difficult roads and persevered. He was not speaking to us because he was somehow “holier” than us; he was simply more experienced.
And experience is not something you gain on the sidelines.
I have kept his statement tucked away since that day. Occasionally, I pull it out to remind myself that “perfect” people (or jobs or children or marriages) are rarely what they seem on the outside, and if I take the time to investigate, I might find that their story isn’t all that different than mine.
Fast forward to this weekend…