Intentional By Grace originally formed as an overflow of my (LA) passion to share my life with others so that together we can take the Gospel to the end of the earth while making it impossible to not think about God. In 2011, I crossed paths with Nikki who had an equally tenacious passion for spreading the Gospel and caring for the souls of women. We quickly became friends, and have spurred one another on in mutual friendship ever since. This woman has become my sister in Christ, one of my very dearest friends, and now, God has finally joined us together in ministry work.
We believe that by inspiring, teaching, and equipping women with not only the Gospel but Gospel application, we can change the world one woman at a time thus impacting families around the world. We believe we can, together as an Intentional By Grace community, truly make a difference.
Meet Leigh Ann
I am first and foremost a child of God. This is the most important part of my life, the main thing. I am the blessed wife to the man of my prayers, Mark. We have been married since July 2008. Apart from our salvation, marriage is our greatest earthly blessing. My hubby is far more than I ever deserved to receive as a husband. I know that it is only by the grace of God that I can count Him as mine. I’ve done nothing to deserve Him. I count it my greatest joy to be called His helpmeet.
photo by Lillian Prince Photography
Third only to my Savior and loving husband, I have the privilege of being a mommy to our sweet little boy, Samuel. We became a family of three in January 2011. Oh what a joy it is to care for this boy day-in and day-out. We pray the Lord will continue to bless us with many more children in the coming years.
Want to read Samuel’s Birth Story?
As a family, we’ve lived in five different houses in two different states all in less than four years. We recently reside in the High Rockies of the great state of Colorado. My husband has always dreamed of living here, and I secretly wanted to trek back to lay under the stars, because here, in this place, it truly feels like all you need to do is raise your hand and touch one. I’m not sure how I feel about snow two thirds of the year, but my motto is, “If it’s going to be cold, it better be snowing.” Well, there’s still snow on the peaks as I stare out my front porch window and it’s now June as I write this. But I have a container garden growing out back, so I’m happy.
I think it’s interesting to note that our little town is the second most un-churched area in all of Colorado. We are excited at the possibilities of sharing the Gospel, and nervous about the lack of spiritual community that comes with that statistic. All the while, we are convinced that this is God’s will for us right now, and with that comes the assurance of His peace.
I’ve always wanted to be a stay-at-home wife and mom. I have a college degree in Business Management, and I’m grateful for it. I use it every day. My life is not on hold until I “get my kids raised.” I work at home in many capacities, and it’s one of the hardest jobs I’ve ever had. But it is true what “they” say, it is the most rewarding job I have ever had. I have found a way to make an income doing what I love (writing) while getting to stay home and serve my family. I am humbled and grateful.
I love coffee (the good kind), chocolate (the good kind), and long walks on the beach. Now, tell me which one of those was an outright lie? I have one foot that’s bigger than the other and my ears poke out funny. I have the loudest hiccups of anyone I know, and Mark doesn’t believe they are real. I’m an introverted extravert. You’ve probably never met one. That would be because we only make up 1% of the entire population. I’m weird. I’m an avid reader, and people make fun of me at the library for the enormous amount of children’s books that I check out for Samuel and me. I really do read them to him, and he really does bring them to me to read. You should read to your children, ya’ know. I love photography, especially the kind that gets really close and catches only the details that a lens and a little light can catch. Those wrinkles that no one wants and those rolls that will no longer be acceptable are details that I savor. I believe God gave us everything to enjoy, and I plan on enjoying in this fallen world that which He gives grace for.
Want to contact me? You can email me at intentionalbygrace {at} gmail {dot} com.
Meet Nikki
My God, my husband, and my children are the three most important things to me. I wrote them in the correct order. I didn’t make a mistake. Being a wife and mother is such a huge challenge to me that I can hardly believe so many people have successfully done this before me! I stay at home and take care of my house and family. One of my biggest loves is curling up in my adirondack chair on my back porch, looking out into the woods with a hot cup of coffee and my Bible. This is where I give the Lord my daily to-do list, receive most of my inspiration for writing, and grow closer to my King.
I have a Bachelors of Science in Accountancy and a heart for words. I like my kitchen to always be spotless, but I drop clothes on my closet floor. I compulsively vacuum my tiled floor, but am simply horrible at remembering to sweep my porch. I despise whining from my children, yet I always expect to get my way. I am a leader and a go-getter once I meet you, but I will take little initiation in meeting you in the first place. I am the youngest of four daughters and have been over-mothered, and guess what? I tend to mother everyone else. I am very good about doing laundry and terrible about getting clean laundry back into drawers. I am, my Sweet Friend, a study in contradictions, but I suppose we all are? If you dare to gander, I took some time a few months back to write out a few things about me (in greater detail – I have heard it is funny).
I have two little girls that are so amazing I can’t muster the words to describe. Shelby is the older one of the two, Karli is the younger. They are only 16 months apart. I love it and it drives me crazy. They bicker like there is no tomorrow and Karli isn’t even two yet. I can only imagine what is to come! I am currently potty training Shelby. I do not appreciate this process and look forward to moving on, thank you very much.
I have recently accepted the fact that one of my spiritual gifts is teaching. I want to share everything I learn with others. I can’t keep it in. My first love of sharing lies in Bible studies. I love showing readers what the Lord has shown me; in the hope that even one small thing may open their heart up to Him and grow them closer to our Savior. If you’ll give me time, I hope you can learn something from me. I know, more than you learning from me, I will learn through the process and that is so exciting to me. Beyond the Bible, I also like to talk about our ministry as mothers, blogging (technical and networking), cooking healthy foods, simplifying my life, money management and understanding accounting, and the joys of parenting. But I use the term “beyond the Bible” loosely because, friend, for me, it all lies within the Bible. I speak while looking through the lens of the Living Word. If you even think what I say does not appear to be reflective of the Word, please contact me?
The man who makes this all possible (my staying home, blogging, my beautiful daughters) and I have been married for (just shy of) 7 years. I am slowly, but surely learning to embrace the fact that he is wild through and through – all man! He doesn’t fit into the box I have created for him in my mind, and I am starting to thank the Lord for that. He loves me and our girls more than I could ever have imagined! You can find out more about how we met here. You will hear snippets about our marriage with some frequency, as I like to share what I am learning (the good, the bad, and the ugly) in our marriage channel.
Grab a cup of coffee, get out your Bible, notebook (or homemaking binder) and start searching around this site!
Contact me at any time at nikki {at} christianmommyblogger {dot} com.
