About

Hello!

I’m Keeley. And I want to help you help your kids grow up to have a faith that lasts through all the hard times.

With my Masters of Divinity, over 14 years teaching, being a priest/pastor’s wife, and mom of 3 littles, I have personally dealt with my own childhood faith being tested and I’ve seen what works to guide your kids into a lasting faith.

I want to help you light your kids’ faith on fire so that it will sustain them through all that life will throw at them. Because let’s face it, life is hard and so is parenting. 

Knowing Christ at a Young Age

I know how important it is for a kid to find faith early, because it sustained me through the toughest of times.

At a young age, I experienced my dad leaving our family and divorcing my mom. I had to learn to take care of myself and be strong. Despite growing up in a Christian home, I was unprepared for what came next. 

When I was in high school, my youth pastor was talking about how powerful God was, that he had the power to snatch life away. I got home from church that day to find out that my dad had been killed by a train, crossing the train tracks to visit his father’s grave… It was horrible and led to me slowly turning away from my faith in this all-powerful God. I felt in my heart, “Point-taken, no thanks!”

Rebelling Against God

I rebelled against God, seeking comfort in alcohol and relationships with men, hoping to find someone to love me. But none of that ever panned out. (Duh!) 

Seven years after my dad’s death, I felt more lonely and missed the comfort I had felt when involved in my faith. I knew I wanted to return to church.

And then 9/11 happened. I was in NYC and witnessed the events from my building. I began to really seek and ask some big questions about life and faith after this. 

What was my purpose after all? What was I doing? And what did God want me to do with my life? My friends who were non-believers also peppered me with a lot of questions, and I frankly didn’t know the answers to even the basics of my faith. 

You see, despite being “in church” growing up and having a sense of its importance, I didn’t know much about my faith because we hadn’t lived it out in the day-to-day growing up. I needed more than just church or Sunday School could provide. And your kids will need that too. They will need you to guide them and help answer their questions.

Raise Your Kids to Know Christ

But where to begin? That’s why I want to share not only my struggles with you, but also my expertise in talking about God to your kids. We need engaged parents who can answer their kids’ tough questions (or at least attempt to answer them!) Kids need us to help make sense of the world, especially from a Christian perspective.

My own and my friends’ questions ultimately led me to seminary to be trained in how to read and interpret the Bible. I graduated with an Masters of Divinity so that I can share and teach the Bible and faith to others.

Seminary, while academically rigorous, was also a time of depression and seeking to find lasting comfort. I wish I could say that all my struggles were over then. 

How Childhood Faith Helps Kids as Adults

But, thankfully, songs I’d learned from my childhood would flood back to my memory to comfort me. They were a lifeline when I felt all alone in my single days. I had to learn how to replace the things I was seeking with the comfort that God alone can give. I didn’t know how to do any of it. And I needed some major help. 

My childhood faith, on one hand did support me, but on the other hand, I wish it had been so much more. I wish I knew more of who God was and what his story is and how it is all working out in this world. 

Fast forward to the end of seminary, and I met my future husband and soon-to-be priest/pastor. We’ve served several churches in pastoral ministry and have had 3 beautiful children along the way.

Struggles don’t leave just because you follow God though. I’m sure you can relate. In one year alone, we had close family move away, a manic episode and bipolar diagnosis, pancreatic cancer in a parent, and our third pregnancy. I mean, all at the same time… 

Raising Our Kids to Know Jesus Together

So I get your struggles. I get your fears. I understand your path. And I know why it’s so important for you to raise your kids to know Christ at an early age so they will know him for a lifetime.

But like you, I’ve asked the same questions. Is what I’m doing is enough? Could I be doing more? Will my kids make faith their own as they grow up? How can I be more consistent? 

You probably are feeling these same things. I know you are because you love your kids and want the absolute best for them. And you know that a relationship with Jesus is essential to their surviving their own struggles in this world. You just wish you knew how to give that to them. Together we can learn how to raise our kids to know Jesus and understand the hard times of life.