LEAD A LIFE WORTHY
OF YOUR CALLING
A magazine for women in southwest Missouri.
Homegrown Journal is on mission to encourage each of us to lead lives worthy of our calling. Every issue features writers who tell their stories with the expectant hope that shared experiences will rally us to persevere in our aspirations, empower us to move beyond the giants in our paths, to be bold in loving our neighbors.
You are invited to stay awhile.
IN THIS ISSUE
-
3 Unexpected Lessons Learned
No matter where you go, no matter what you do, you’ll always be my babies. I’ve spoken those words to every student I’ve had over the last 13 years. The advent of social media has allowed my relationship with my students to continue beyond our time together in the classroom. For that, I am truly […]
-
4 Life-giving Insights to Becoming a Better Leader Anyone Can Implement Today
LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES FROM MATTHEW’S GOSPEL In a few months, I will assume the leadership of the member care team at my mission agency’s mobilization center. While scripture is replete with leadership principles, Matthew’s gospel is my current focus of study. Therefore, I offer four leadership principles from the life of Jesus as told by Matthew.
-
A Vegas Miracle
Several years ago, our son Travis transferred from working with Transportation Security Administration at the Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri to Durango, Colorado. From there, he found a better position with TSA in Las Vegas. Or so he thought. words + photographs SARAH TYLER It wasn’t long until we began receiving help calls from him […]
-
Allison Adler’s Story of Grief
I believe my story of grief is similar to that of many women. In the summer of 2017, I had my first miscarriage. Our oldest daughter was a year and half old, and we were so excited to give her a sibling, to watch another baby grow in my womb, and to add more life […]
-
Amy Tyndall Grieves Through Music
The weeks leading up to Grandma’s death were exhausting and frustrating. I was in new territory, dealing with emergency room visits, rehab, social workers, and most of all, Grandma’s unhappiness with her circumstances. words + photographs AMY TYNDALL Her decline from independence to high-need care happened very quickly, and she never adjusted. Sometimes she lashed […]
-
Andrew McGowan Pops the Big Question re: Leading Yourself
Why is a big question. Much of life defaults into management. We manage the day-to-day of life. We manage our finances. We manage work/life balance. When everything normal collapses, we are forced to manage the crisis that pops up unexpectedly. Each of us is a manager. words + photographs ANDREW MCGOWAN How we manage life […]
-
As we wait
While working toward my master’s degree at Missouri State University, I had the great privilege of being a graduate assistant/writer in the Publications office. It was a dream job with dream co-workers who were extremely talented and willing to share their expertise with me. Even mundane tasks, such as organizing a samples closet, were exciting. […]
-
Baby, Please Come Home For Christmas
After a very long, seven-year journey of infertility and pregnancy loss, my husband, Casey, and I found out we were expecting. I had extra testing and monitoring during my pregnancy given our previous stillbirth, but everything always came back normal. However, at 31 weeks I began having contractions during a baby shower at work. I […]
-
Bastian White
Dogwood RanchOzark, Missouri Volunteers at Dogwood Ranch each have their own journey that brings them to this special place. I just so happened to stumble upon mine. In December 2019, I was preparing to move from California closer to my fiance (now my husband), who was in Tennessee at the time. words + photos BASTIAN […]
-
Ben McVicker
Convoy of Hope Springfield, Missouri Early on in my life, my parents instilled the value of doing something for nothing. They taught me there was something to be earned in your soul from giving your time and not asking anything for it. These lessons have not steered me wrong. I have volunteered in many places […]
-
Big, Bad Days; Brighter Hope
Fear, in its purest form, occurs when my trust in my Father is being overshadowed by lies of this world. When circumstances begin to careen out of control, when uncertainties seem to be the only certainty, satan weaves his greatest of lies. He works to falter my trust in God. I’ve learned time and time […]
-
Brandy Harris’ Tips for Being a Great Leader and Never Struggling with Anything, Ever
I was 32 when I was named the chief executive officer for Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield. I received the call after a 5-month interview process. I was so overwhelmed, proud, validated and ready. After the shock wore off, I shared the news with my husband, Spencer. He held me as I cried in […]
-
Broken Brain, Sovereign God
According to the yearly Alzheimer’s Association publication dubbed “Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures,” more than six million Americans of all ages have Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. While this mattered to me, say, 20 years ago, it wasn’t until it became personal to me because of my mom’s struggles that I fully appreciated the extent […]
-
Brooke Rathbun
In 2016, I was living a different life. Had you asked me then where I saw myself in five years, my plan would look nothing like the one the Lord was laying out for me. At the time, I let anxiety, fear, and anger rule my life. I was a self-proclaimed atheist, after being raised […]
-
Carrie Richardson Steadies the Wayward Leadership Pendulum
Whether you are juggling organizational pressure and projects or managing a team, a classroom or a household, keeping up with it all can be an endless tug of time that leaves little margin for leaders to lead themselves. words + photographs CARRIE RICHARDSON Too much focus on day-to-day management or tasks means distraction from big picture strategic vision or working on long-term […]
You are invited to stay awhile. Be encouraged. Share.
HOMEGROWNJOURNAL
Springfield, Missouri
+ Southwest Missouri + Global Neighbors
Each issue of HOMEGROWN JOURNAL allows us to feel less alone in our journeys by giving voice to local friends and global neighbors who unabashedly say: I have been there. This is part of my story.
May our experiences bring you comfort, implore your courage, light the path for your own action.
© Copyright 2023 Jumajo Writing Company, LLC
Homegrown Journal 