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I moved to Los Angeles at 21 because I wanted to write for Saturday Night Live. Armed with a journalism degree and a wardrobe that reflected my homeschooled upbringing, I loaded up my car and headed west.

Almost 10 years later, I can safely say I’ll never write for Saturday Night Live. I now live in the Dallas area, but I still work in stand up comedy—writing and, more recently, speaking. I give private music lessons during the school year, which allows for some stability and flexibility with the up-and-down schedule of comedy.

Daily Routine

I’m not a morning person. In fact, if this essay had been for a breakfast discussion, rather than dinner at The Gospel Coalition women’s conference, you probably wouldn’t have received a submission from me.

First thing after waking up, I check my main email, my secondary email, Facebook, Twitter, and then I usually repeat the process just in case anyone sent me anything in the time it took me to check the other accounts.

Next I make coffee. Coffee is a must. I’m much more sanctified once I’ve had coffee.

After I’ve showered, had breakfast, and done some reading, my workday starts (usually around noon). I check my to-do list and return phone calls, send emails, and complete any contracts or administrative tasks related to stand up and writing.

In the afternoons, I teach private voice and piano lessons. In the evenings, I either hit a local comedy club to work on material or hunker down to write. I contribute to Sisterhood Magazine (formerly Brio from Focus on the Family) and am working on my second book for teen girls.

Power of Humor

I’m a comedy nerd. I love the power of humor. It breaks down walls, puts people at ease, and delivers truth in a disarming way. I love laughing and making others laugh.

Stand up has brought me into situations I never could’ve imagined. About a year ago, I did stand up comedy in a prison. Information got mixed up, and I somehow ended up performing in front of male inmates in the area where they lived; naked convicts were showering on either end of the room. I was like, “Lord, I don’t know when you’re returning, but now is a really great time for me!”

My set includes several jokes about homeschooling. One of the inmates sought me out after my set because he thought I could answer some of his questions. As soon as he heard I was homeschooled, he said, he knew God sent me into that prison to help him. It took going through one of the most uncomfortable experiences in my life to minister to and share the gospel with someone I never would’ve encountered otherwise.

Challenges of Stand Up

Stand up is a lot of fun, but it can take a toll on your spirit, especially when doing clubs, bars, and open mics. It’s often a rowdy crowd, a place some may say is no place for a single Christian female. I’m careful—not just for my safety, but for what I hear. It’s a world that comes with a fair degree of darkness. I work clean, but listening to hours of jokes about porn, abortion, and other profane things can get depressing.

I’ve learned to pace myself with these types of shows. If I feel the darkness setting, I’ll step back. I sometimes beat myself up for not being spiritually strong enough to handle this environment constantly.

Many of my gigs lately have been family and women’s events. My favorite crowds are youth and college audiences.

On Sunday evenings, I lead a small group for middle school girls through my church. It’s my favorite day of the week, and I’m picky about shows I’ll take on Sundays because I don’t want to miss. I love seeing how God can work in a life, even a young one. Our culture greatly underestimates youth. Fortunately, our great God does not.

Stand up is a lot of being alone. You write alone, work alone and often travel alone. I’m okay with that. People rarely guess it, but I’m introverted. I can be alone for days. Because of what I do and how I’m wired, I make a deliberate effort to be around people, especially my church family. Those who “do life” with me know this, and help make sure I don’t drop off the face of the planet.

It’s a crazy life, but I wouldn’t trade it.

Is there enough evidence for us to believe the Gospels?

In an age of faith deconstruction and skepticism about the Bible’s authority, it’s common to hear claims that the Gospels are unreliable propaganda. And if the Gospels are shown to be historically unreliable, the whole foundation of Christianity begins to crumble.
But the Gospels are historically reliable. And the evidence for this is vast.
To learn about the evidence for the historical reliability of the four Gospels, click below to access a FREE eBook of Can We Trust the Gospels? written by New Testament scholar Peter J. Williams.

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