Anna Jensen's Blog

My parents came from deep within the North Carolina Appalachian Mountains, and I was born on the eastern edge of them on a small farm. Appalachian culture has a tradition of storytelling, and my mother was the storyteller in our family. My dad told jokes and debated on issues, but Mother told folk tales, recited poetry she remembered by heart, and even made up her own stories on occasion.

 I started first grade when I was five, and I discovered more stories than I could ever read in books and ...

I am married to a pastor. So, here’s my three-point outline!

It never ceases to amaze me as I look back on my life (now beginning the 7th decade), of how God prepared me for the future when I was just a child.

He placed me in a godly home where Jesus was adored (my mother led me to Christ at age 8), music abounded (both parents were music teachers), and literature and history were appreciated (Dad was an avid reader and history buff).

Growing up, my brother, a neighborhood fr...

I always had a creative mind and loved making up stories. This often got me into a ton of trouble, like when I convinced my best friend of about seven years old that there were fairies at the bottom of my garden and if she came at midnight, I'd introduce her to them. It wasn't quite midnight, but she stole out of her home in the pitch dark, got her little bicycyle and came to meet my fairies. Both sets of parents scoured the neighbourhood in their cars looking for a lost little girl in the dead ...

Over a decade ago, maybe even two, I sat in church in a Saturday evening service as Pastor Ray Bentley gave a different type of alter call on this particular night. I don’t remember what year it was, only that he invited folks forward to receive prayer over God’s calling on their lives. He said we each had a special calling. One so special, one that walked us through that good plan God has for our lives, one that would bring honor and glory to the Lord as we lived out His purpose in our lives. G...

I am a writer. 

It was something I was certain of from a very young age. I remember as a little girl, sitting with my dolls and barbies, spilling stories from my lips as I dressed and prepared them for a game that was never played. My mother used to say my imagination was endless; my stories tall and my adventures wide. 

They knew. 

When I was in highschool I kept a treasure trove of all the essays and poems I had written, kindly photocopied by my teachers along the way. I spent hours pori...

Thank you, Anna, for including me on your lovely blog. What an honor it is.

Why title this Allowing God to lead the story? Because that is how my life had always been. As I grow older and wiser, I realize that God doesn't need me to be aware of it, but He leads my story. There is a song by Francesca Battistelli, Write my story. It resonates deeply with me, as I look at my life. God has always been leading me – whether I follow or not is another story.

I was not born into a Christian family. My...

It took a long while for me to find the job I love to do, as a content creator and assistant editor for a global non-profit organisation whose motto is to “inform, inspire, and connect.” I work from home and can write good news that encourages people in their faith. But I got to my dream job in a roundabout way.

As a journalist by trade, I started off writing about sports for a newspaper. If you’re a fan or participant, then you’ll understand the emotional highs and lows you go through supporti...