Karen Shock’s love for writing began when she received her first diary as a young girl.

The lock and key on it made it easy for her to tell the diary some honest, dramatic truths about herself. Even though Karen is now a fifty-three-year-old grandma, she still loves to put pen to paper and write out her deepest longings, wildest dreams, and biggest fears. The only difference now is there is no longer a lock and key on her thoughts.

It’s just more like an open book. There are years of journals stacked in boxes, and in the last ten years, she began to type out her feelings on social media. There was no way for her to know how these writings would impact the people who read them. As time went on, she began to understand that putting the truth out there for people might be scary, but the vulnerability was worth the risk. Letting the readers know they are not alone in their anxiety, depression, and big questions about God.

The journey through a fear-based faith, systematic theology, purity culture, Christian celebrity culture, and just an all-encompassing traumatic experience has led her into the depths of reformed evangelicalism and right back out of it … into a brighter, lighter freedom in Jesus.

She has found her voice again by telling her story of going from a fear-based religion to being loved and accepted by a God who loves more than we could ever comprehend.

Karen is currently a writer for Patheos. Her first book, Too Much and Not Enough, is available now on Amazon.