If I don’t know you yet, my name is Jodie and I love Jesus and words (and coffee). I have a passion for weaving God’s Word together with my words to create a place for grace. And my hope is to help you see your problems in light of His promises and your brutal in hope of the Beautiful.  

Coming to Light is my first published work, and (though I have been writing in various forms for many years), I feel every bit of Robert Aris Willmott’s words when he said, “A first book has some of the sweetness of a first love.” If it is the only book I ever write, it is one I will humbly, gratefully, and ~ with a hopeful sparkle in my eyes ~ proudly place at my Daddy’s feet, one Day coming soon.

I call Chelsea, Alabama home (by marriage and by a state’s move), which is one of fastest-growing yet-tranquil cities in Alabama, just outside of beautiful Birmingham. I met my husband Eric in the Fall of 1998, and we were married in the summer of 1999. He was (and still is) a brilliant, handsome salesman and swept me right off my young, tender feet! Fresh out of college, I moved away from my mama and daddy and entered married life and a brand-new big city. I taught first grade for two years before welcoming our twin boys into the world in 2001. From there, my ‘resume’ includes being a full time stay at home mom, homeschool teacher, chef, housekeeper, chauffeur, family cheerleader, writer, “counselor”, and launderer. Our third son, Preston, completed our family in 2007, and of course we have two well-loved girl Labradors, Hershey and Maggie.

One of the callings that my husband and I have had the honor of journeying together in includes being the co-founders of Altar84 and the Know More Orphans initiative, which merged with Lifeline Children’s Services in 2019. And currently, we are preparing for the launch of YouMatter, an online platform with the mission of inspiring others to serve and take action through the realization that YOU were created by God, in the very image of God, with a unique and intentional purpose.

But our greatest joy and calling has been raising our three sons. Garrett and Austin are in their Senior year at Birmingham-Southern College. Garrett will graduate in January 2024 with a major in business finance and management and Austin will finish up in May, with a business marketing degree and a minor in psychology. Preston is currently a high school junior, with an entrepreneurial spirit and an eagerness to be a difference maker to everyone he meets! He will graduate in 2025 and plans to pursue a business path, owning his own company (which is already in the makings).

Parenting has been the most ‘brutiful’ and enduring yes we’ve ever said to the Lord. These three humans ~ and the journey of shepherding their hearts and the way their hearts keep coming back home ~ have taught me again and again about the Father’s undeserved gift of grace and His unconditional, unfailing love.