Introducing Kristen Rimer Terrette, in her words:
I’m a white woman living in the suburbs of Atlanta.
I’ve spent my whole life in the south, and I truly love southern traditions like big Sunday dinners and back porch swinging, sweet tea and everything fried, Chick-fil-A and farmhouse-style anything.
Down here, we boast about having all four seasons show off in vivid color (though summer seems to last at least six months!) and our gigantic love of college football (like really, it’s insane). And I’ll admit, my husband and I entertained the biggest southern cliché of all… Our son’s name is my grandmother’s maiden name. I know…you don’t get more southern, and cliché, than that.
But this culture, the one that has seeped into my everyday life, is also soaked in racial injustice, the sting of oppression, and blindness (through ignorance or a purposeful turning away) to disunity going on right before our eyes. My awakening journey to this problem started years ago. I looked around my children’s ministry, as its director, and at my own personal life, and noticed it wasn’t as diverse as it should be. And since heaven will be filled with “every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9 NIV), my life needed to be this way also. A passion for unity and diversity was birthed then. And as I learned, listened, and repented, my desire to be of use to God as a reconciler grew stronger.
But who am I? My voice is small compared to the loud one of the enemy, who’s plan is “to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10 NIV) by carving out more dissention in God’s people, and causing more anger and pain to the oppressed.
Thankfully, God knows combined voices get loud. Together, we can drown out and drive away the enemy in Jesus’ name. So, I hope to my use my meager influence, one that has benefitted from white privilege and led a life of white fragility, to share my perspective, to help open veiled eyes to past atrocities, systematic racism, prejudices, and complicit behavior.
I want to share my own stories, as well as those in my circle and community, to challenge our culture, especially here in the South, and impact my generation, which will be a source of change for the next generation.
If you’re reading this, it’s likely we want the same thing. A unified church body. The enemy has conquered our land and people far too long. He has lied to us, blinded us, and kept us separated. Through this blog’s platform, let’s share our viewpoints and ongoing journey to reconciliation. Let’s open up conversations that help change hearts, biases, and prejudices.
But this culture, the one that has seeped into my everyday life, is also soaked in racial injustice, the sting of oppression, and blindness (through ignorance or a purposeful turning away) to disunity going on right before our eyes. My awakening journey to this problem started years ago. I looked around my children’s ministry, as its director, and at my own personal life, and noticed it wasn’t as diverse as it should be. And since heaven will be filled with “every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9 NIV), my life needed to be this way also. A passion for unity and diversity was birthed then. And as I learned, listened, and repented, my desire to be of use to God as a reconciler grew stronger.
But who am I? My voice is small compared to the loud one of the enemy, who’s plan is “to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10 NIV) by carving out more dissention in God’s people, and causing more anger and pain to the oppressed.
Thankfully, God knows combined voices get loud. Together, we can drown out and drive away the enemy in Jesus’ name. So, I hope to my use my meager influence, one that has benefitted from white privilege and led a life of white fragility, to share my perspective, to help open veiled eyes to past atrocities, systematic racism, prejudices, and complicit behavior.
I want to share my own stories, as well as those in my circle and community, to challenge our culture, especially here in the South, and impact my generation, which will be a source of change for the next generation.
If you’re reading this, it’s likely we want the same thing. A unified church body. The enemy has conquered our land and people far too long. He has lied to us, blinded us, and kept us separated. Through this blog’s platform, let’s share our viewpoints and ongoing journey to reconciliation. Let’s open up conversations that help change hearts, biases, and prejudices.
I believe if we do the hard work needed to break the enemy’s stronghold over our minds and our society, and as we strive to forgive, lament, and move forward, our children will see this unification happen.
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Author Bio:
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Author Bio:
Kristen's passionate about storytelling and helping people take their next steps in their relationship with Jesus.
She lives forty-five minutes outside of Atlanta, GA. where she served as a Children's Ministry Director for many years. With the support of her husband and two children, she now stays home writing fiction and non-fiction.
She also serves on the women’s leadership team at her local church and writes for Crosswalk and Wholly Loved Ministries. You can check out her articles and novels at www.kristenterrette.com.
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Connect with Kristen:
Website - www.kristenterrette.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/authorkristenterrette/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/KTerrette
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kterrette/
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16252020.Kristen_Terrette
Bookbub - https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kristen-terrette
Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/kterrette2/
~*~
Connect with Kristen:
Website - www.kristenterrette.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/authorkristenterrette/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/KTerrette
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kterrette/
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16252020.Kristen_Terrette
Bookbub - https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kristen-terrette
Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/kterrette2/
