Transforming Political Challenges into Purpose - (Conflict is not always bad)

 My Personal Statement for Duke Divinity Masters Program - Due Date November 1st!

I grew up in a small Baptist church in rural North Georgia, where Sundays were a blend of potluck casseroles and occasional Sunday School lectures on how my goals of pursuing a career instead of mothering seemed “selfish.” Similar to how my opinion on mothering changed, my spirituality also evolved over the years. I learned early how sometimes our struggles in life become the milestones that shape our journey. One of my earliest spiritual memories is of sitting in the church fellowship hall, watching a video series based on Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life. At the time, I was an adolescent struggling with depression and disordered eating. Twenty years ago, the stigma of mental health issues was much more pronounced, and I interpreted my issues as moral failings: evidence that I was not praying hard enough, believing deeply enough, or living righteously enough. In that context, Warren’s message—that suffering could itself be a seed of divine purpose—changed everything for me. It reframed my pain not as a punishment but as a path.

In 2012, I became a licensed psychologist in the state of Maryland and four years later moved home to Georgia. Though I rarely speak directly about religion in the therapy room, I have always considered my work to be a spiritual calling. The Gospel, as I understand it, is a message of love that compels us to help all people and to challenge systems of oppression that prevent human flourishing. Whether I am doing trauma therapy or advocating for social justice, I experience my work as a form of ministry—a way of participating in God’s work of restoration in the world.

My former pastor, Reverend Elaine Wilder, a Duke University graduate, modeled for me what compassionate, intellectually grounded ministry can look like. Observing her as my first female minister, I sometimes imagined expanding my vocation beyond psychology to include formal ministry as well—but then I recalled how often my mom threatened to speak with the preacher about me as a child. I assumed Elaine must have been much better behaved and better suited to lead a congregation. As a minister and friend, she helped me grow in my Faith by introducing me to writings of Jen Hatmaker, Barbara Brown Taylor, Anne Lamott, and Nadia Bolz-Weber, women whose courage, authenticity, and social consciousness exemplify the kind of leadership I aspire to embody: faithful, honest, and deeply committed to justice.

An ecumenical learning environment such as Duke Divinity’s is particularly appealing to me because I value the diversity of thought that emerges when people of different traditions come together. My faith has been shaped by both the depth of Baptist scriptural study and the Methodist commitment to living out the Gospel through acts of reconciliation and service. I feel my faith is strengthened—not threatened—when I am invited to wrestle with perspectives different from my own. Theologically diverse communities remind me that God’s truth cannot be contained within any single denomination or ideology. I am drawn to the idea of Christians from varied backgrounds working collaboratively to meet the complex needs of today’s world, fostering healthier systems and environments in which faith can thrive and transform lives.

As a psychologist, I bring to theological study a distinct lens through which to examine the human condition. My training has taught me to recognize how systems can either nurture or wound the soul. One of my greatest strengths, both as a therapist and as a potential divinity student, is my capacity for listening. My professional life has been a continual exercise in empathy—learning to hold space for stories that are painful, complicated, and oftentimes contradictory. I believe this ability will serve me well in an academic community composed of students from diverse denominational, cultural, and theological backgrounds. Rather than viewing disagreement as division, I see it as an opportunity for mutual growth and deeper understanding. My goal is to help cultivate spaces marked by grace and curiosity—spaces where dialogue can lead to transformation rather than polarization.

My upbringing in the Baptist tradition gave me a firm foundation in Scripture and a reverence for the transformative power of faith. Yet my journey has also led me toward the Methodist expression of Christianity, particularly through my involvement at Old Otterbein United Methodist Church in Baltimore, Maryland. There, I witnessed a congregation living out the reconciling ministry of Christ in tangible ways—embracing diversity, engaging in urban outreach, and practicing inclusion not as a slogan but as a sacrament. That experience affirmed my sense that the Church’s vitality lies not in doctrinal purity but in its capacity to embody Christ’s reconciling love in a fractured world.

During my graduate studies, I worked as a research assistant, transcribing and reflecting on interviews with social justice advocates. That work challenged my assumptions and broadened my understanding of what it means to love my neighbor in a world marked by inequality. It also deepened my conviction that theology and psychology must converse with one another. The wounds of injustice are not only social and political; they are spiritual and psychological as well. Healing, therefore, must be holistic—attending to body, mind, and soul. I believe the Church is uniquely positioned to lead this kind of integrated healing work, and I hope my training at Duke will equip me to help it do so.

I am particularly drawn to the Methodist House of Studies and the Center for Reconciliation (CFR) because of their shared commitment to spiritual formation and social transformation. The CFR’s emphasis on relational reconciliation resonates deeply with both my professional practice and my personal calling. As a clinician, I have seen firsthand how division, shame, and isolation can destroy lives; as a Christian, I believe the Gospel calls us to counter those forces with grace, connection, and hope. My desire is to serve as a bridge-builder—between faith and science, church and community, tradition and innovation. I want to help others encounter a Church that heals rather than harms, that welcomes questions rather than fears them, and that embodies Christ’s radical hospitality in a polarized age.

I also recognize that the modern Church faces profound challenges. Many believers who love Christ are struggling to reconcile their faith with the growing influence of Christian nationalism and other exclusionary movements. The Church has erred before—supporting segregation, silencing women, marginalizing LGBTQ+ people—and history reminds us that repentance and reform are integral to authentic discipleship. While I believe conservative traditions continue to meet the spiritual needs of many Christians, I am especially concerned about the lack of reconciling ministries in the rural South, where political and religious polarization often reinforce one another. My own background enables me to understand both the deep faith of rural communities and the ways in which cultural dynamics can hinder the Church’s healing mission. I feel called to help bridge that divide—to create spaces where faith and compassion can coexist without compromise.

In this sense, my pursuit of theological education is both personal and vocational. Personally, I seek to deepen my understanding of God and to integrate that understanding with the psychological framework that has guided my professional life. Vocationally, I seek to serve the Church in its ongoing work of reconciliation—to help it become a more inclusive, emotionally intelligent, and spiritually grounded presence in the world. I believe that Duke Divinity School, with its combination of intellectual rigor, spiritual formation, and commitment to justice, offers the ideal environment in which to pursue that calling.

At the heart of my journey is the conviction that healing and holiness are inseparable. When I first heard that my suffering could serve a purpose, I began to see my life not as a series of failures but as a story of grace unfolding. That same conviction now fuels my desire to serve others: to help individuals and communities discover that their pain, too, can be redeemed for a larger purpose. Whether through pastoral care, community leadership, or continued work at the intersection of psychology and theology, I hope to contribute to a Church that is not afraid to confront its wounds—and in doing so, becomes a vessel of God’s healing love for the world.

My hope is that my time in divinity school will refine not only my intellect but my capacity for compassion, humility, and courage. I want to be a co-laborer with my classmates and professors in the pursuit of faithful, healing ministry—one that honors both the depth of Christian tradition and the urgent call for renewal in our time. I believe that by bringing together the insights of psychology, the wisdom of theology, and the transformative power of reconciliation, we can help the Church fulfill its purpose: to bear witness to a God whose love restores all things.