I am a thirty-something woman who has embarked on an outrageously adventurous life.

While your mind may be conjuring up images of white-water rafting, mountain climbing and global gallivanting, the adventure I’m on is a mission of changing lives–mine and others! Of course, like any good adventure, this one is complete with scenic–and not-so-scenic–detours as well as an assortment of side trips and excursions along the way all with stories of their own; here you will find many such stories and reflections.  I am most passionate about people and their relationships–and am especially passionate about working with broken, troubled, and forgotten youth in the foster and corrections systems.

A few of my other passions include: dancing, cooking, learning new things, music, photography, biking, swimming, and rodeos…I’m currently learning how to not loathe running! I also love to travel, taste new things, and to meet new people. I have a stubbornly resilient hope within me that motivates the work that I do and the life I live.

I’ve started this site as a blog but like most things in my life, I have a great vision for this space. Just like in life, a front porch is usually a threshold to something more fantastic and something more inviting, so too is this space a threshold. I hope you’ll join me in the journey as the dream unfolds.

How it all began…August 9, 2008

Prompted by the suggestions of various friends and family–that I should start publishing my material in a blog–I devoted much of this week to researching the art of blogging. My initial skepticism about pursuing something like this is motivated by two main factors: 1) do I have the time, content, and commitment to really make this happen? and 2) how do I set myself apart from becoming “just another blog?” These were valuable questions to consider, as well one really important one:

“Do I really have something to say that would matter to the general masses?” Well, yes, I do! I have come to realize that it is my very willingness to share what I think and what I have experienced that makes connections among others possible—it is my courage to express those things that invites others to join the conversation with a “yeah, me too!” or a “wow, I never thought of it like that before!”

Okay, so if I’m going to make this leap of faith into the public blogging world—where do I even start?

Information I read suggests that authors of blogs should find a niche for their writing—a niche in which they are an expert, an area about which they are passionate and a topic on which they could write regularly and consistently over the long term. The difficulty I find when I consider this is that I realize I am a pretty passionate person and am passionate about a lot of different things. I tried to evaluate whether or not the things I am passionate about have any sort of common denominator—what is it that ties everything together?

I realize that almost everything I adore in life has something to do with people, relationships and how to live a bold, passionate and authentic life. And so, much of what you will find here has to do with how we see ourselves, how we relate interpersonally, how we relate to the world, how we relate to God, and how we go about pursuing the life we’ve been given. My goal here is to not only foster discussion, challenge thoughts, and offer my insights, but also to listen carefully to what you have to say.

When I tried to think about the kind of space that would capture what I want to accomplish, I got an image of a front porch. It’s a place where one can sit and watch the world, greeting its passer’s by; it’s a place where one can invite others in for a rest, for conversation, for a refreshing word of hope or encouragement; it’s a place to sit in silence when there are no words to be said; it’s a place where lively discussions are had, where dreams are dreamed and where memories are remembered; it’s a place with a fresh glass of lemonade and warm cookies; it’s a place where, when the moon is just right and the music is playing, you can just let go and dance; it’s a place from which you can go when life needs to be lived and a place to return after a long sojourn.

My name is Mav Jennings. Welcome to This Front Porch.