Behind The Bookery

As 2020 drew to a close, I knew it was time to make a job shift. It wasn't really how I'd planned to end the year, but it was apparent to me that change was coming. I began praying about what that might mean, and somewhere during my job search, a "dream job" popped up.

It was an editing role with an organization that creates devotionals. For more than a decade of my career, I had served as an editor of a devotional magazine for teenagers and this role sounded perfect. I applied. I completed editing and writing samples. I took part in a phone interview.

And then silence. For months. I prayed, asking God for the role I thought was perfect. But still, there was nothing but silence from the company. Finally, as 2020 faded into 2021, I laid the job down. I had prayed and hoped and thought this role would be perfect, and God had closed the door.

One afternoon, while walking my dog and praying, I began to realize that editing, writing and creating plans that help people to engage with Scripture didn't have to be my full-time job. If it was something I was passionate about and God fueled that passion, there were plenty of opportunities to live it out outside of a full-time job. In fact, it was absolutely possible that I could reach hundreds of people just by sitting down at my computer and typing.

For years, when someone would ask me, "If you could start any business, what would you start?" I'd immediately reply, "The Bookery, a bookstore slash bakery." On that afternoon walk, I began to realize to realize that the Bookery didn't have to be a place. It could be a website designed to build community and connection in a world where both can be hard to find. Centered on the Bible and the value of reading it, a love of books and reading, and the joy of cooking, The Bookery could become a place where people could find tools to help them grow spiritually, engage with creative content and encourage simple, homemade meals and treats that encourage fellowship and togetherness.

This website is the result of those prayers, now uttered more than a year ago. My hope is that The Bookery will be a place of connection and creativity, of hope, connection and community. I can't wait to walk the journey with you!