When Faith and Fear Collide: A Year of Trusting God

As 2025 comes to a close, I’ve found myself doing a lot of reflecting. So much has happened. So much has changed.

Just one year ago, at the end of 2024, I was standing at a crossroads—fearfully contemplating something that felt both deeply right and incredibly risky: openly incorporating my faith into EatPlantBased.

Since the website’s beginning in 2014, it has always been about recipes, nutrition, cooking, and healthy living. Even when I taught Food for Life classes in medical facilities, faith was rarely mentioned. And yet, for years, I carried a growing ache in my heart—the desire to speak freely about the most important part of my life–my relationship with Jesus.

I even considered starting a second blog, but I knew I didn’t have the time or energy to manage two completely separate worlds. What I didn’t know then was that God wasn’t asking me to divide my life—He was inviting me to integrate it.

Still, fear lingered. Would people leave if I shared the real me? Would subscribers unsubscribe? Would followers drift away? Since my website is also my livelihood, this wasn’t just a creative decision—it was a real risk. And honestly, I had no idea how faith and food could truly flow together.

As I sit here typing this now, I’m still overwhelmed by what God has done in just one year.

The website is growing. Even during a time when many websites are struggling with algorithm changes and AI scraping content. Our subscriber list is growing by leaps and bounds. I’ve been able to share devotions in these newsletters and create a new ​Faith & Food section​ on the website, featuring both my writing and the voices of Christian guest authors. And in the past few weeks, my newly created plant-based, faith-based, full-color cookbook—filled with recipes and devotions—has received an offer from a publisher. The first book of its kind.

I still don’t fully understand how all of this happened in only one year.

Some might say it’s the result of hard work. And while I’ve certainly worked hard, decades of experience have taught me this truth: I can plan, build, and create all I want—but unless the Holy Spirit breathes on it, it will never truly come to life.

The life lesson I’m carrying into the new year is this: obedience often feels risky before it feels rewarding. But when we surrender what we’re holding tightly and trust God with it, He has a way of doing far more than we could ever ask or imagine.

My prayer—and my purpose—moving forward is simple. To use the gifts He has given me to encourage others (and myself) to grow more and more like Jesus and to help make Heaven crowded.

Thank you for being here. Thank you for walking this journey with me, even if you don’t share my faith. I can’t wait to see what is in store for 2026.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine…” (Ephesians 3:20)

December 28, 2025 Morning Brew

Join Me for Morning Brew: Devotions + Deliciousness

These devotional reflections come straight from the Morning Brew section of my newsletter—little sips of encouragement paired with practical, everyday faith. If you’ve enjoyed this story, I’d love to send more like it your way, along with fresh plant-based recipes and helpful resources delivered right to your inbox. Consider subscribing so we can continue walking this journey together, one nourishing bite and one uplifting word at a time. Subscribe now!

For more faith-based articles, please visit my Faith & Food page. Christian guest authors are helping me rapidly grow this category. Feel free to share your thoughts or favorite devotionals in the comments—I’d love to hear how these posts bless your day.