About Ali
I know, like it or not, we live in world of sound bites. So here are 10 things you absolutely need to know about me:
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I have been married to Noah for 7 years
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We have three children, two daughters and a son, who are the joys of our lives
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We currently live and serve an International Church in SE Asia
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I grew up in the beautiful Big Sky state of Montana, USA (which means I love to downhill ski!)
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I have three sisters, one of them my twin
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My mom died of cancer when I was 32
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I have run two marathons and several half marathons
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My favorite color is turquoise, but I love all colors that pop
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I became a committed follower of Jesus when I was 23
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I have lived in 5 different countries -- and hope to live in more!
If you are interested, read on...
More Snippets of My Journey
Hello. My name is Ali and I am married to a lovely man and pastor named Noah. We have three children, two girls and a boy, and we are currently serving an international church in SE Asia.
As long as I can remember I have always had faith in God. I never wrestled with whether He existed, but the question for me over the years of going to church was this: What difference does it make if any at all? If I say I am a Christian, what does that mean for how I ought to live? Up until that point in my early twenties, if I am honest, my life and lifestyle did not reflect that of a Christian.
This question continued to plague me, so much so that I decided to go on a quest. A quest that involved asking questions, studying, reading reflecting, praying, pondering and even exploring other religions and world views to see what they had to say about human existence and the meaning of life.
This search when on for a few years, until one day I was sitting alone in my new apartment in a new city about to start a new job as a fresh college graduate. I'll never forget it because it was my 23rd Birthday and I was waiting to have a Skype call with my family. Suddenly, I felt a warm sensation as if there was a presence in the room with me. And a voice, not so much audible but from within me said, "Come." I had an instant awareness in my spirit that this voice was from God and Jesus himself was calling me to himself.
The words of Matthew 11:28-30 were being lived out in my very own living room:
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Right then and there I got on my knees and wept. I repented of my sin and committed (or rather re-committed) my life to Jesus. That night he went from being my Savior to the Lord over my entire life and I haven't looked back since. That was August of 2006.
After that unexpected encounter, my life and outlook changed forever. A deep sense of peace and new sense of purpose flooded my being. I began to read the Bible for the first time (at age 23) and light bulbs finally started to go on. I understood that God is the God of the universe, but He the stunning Truth of the gospel is that He desired nothing other than a personal relationship with me. Little ol' me. He showed up unannounced in my room, tapped me on the shoulder, and said, "Hey, I am what you are searching for. Follow me."
Wow. With the gift of the Holy Spirit now residing within me, I was on a new journey en route to a new eternal destination. As Eugene Peterson calls it, I began the "long obedience in the same direction." Fourteen years later and I am still on that road heading in the same direction. There have been many stops along the way, many ups, downs twists and turns. Some of them include:
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Leaving a career in broadcast journalism to pursue vocational ministry
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Working as a campus minister and Bible teacher
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Meeting and marrying my husband, who is now serving as a pastor
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Completing a year-long intensive Christian Apologetics program in England
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Going to seminary for a master's degree in Applied Theology
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Four international moves, including to where we currently live and serve in SE Asia
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Being trained to serve as a healing prayer minister at my church
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Having three precious children
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Experiencing the loss of a child through miscarriage
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Losing my beloved mom to cancer
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Losing our entire international community of dear friends all at once as they moved back to their home countries during the global pandemic
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Undergoing training to become a certified professional grief and life coach
Those are just some snippets of my own journey of faith thus far & it is in seeking to find, experience and understand God in the midst of these lived experiences and seasons that I continue find my own sense of calling in ministry: to help others make sense of where God is at work in their circumstance or season--however light or dark, clear or confusing--& what that means for their next step leaning on the strength and power of the Holy Spirit.
Everything I write and in every session I have the honor of coaching someone, comes from this place in me where God dwells. The "living water" of the Holy Spirit that flows from within (John 7:38). As Henri Nouwen put it, "....."
May this space be one where you experience the tender touch of God's heart for you bringing whatever you need to keep going, be it healing, hope or a little more wholeness to your soul even and especially in the midst of our broken world.
Thank you again for taking the time to stop by. May our journey's continue to intersect as we keep running (or walking) side by side in the same direction.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith." (Hebrews 12:1-2)