We are excited to have another addition to the LLB team! Meet Kyla Fetzner. Kyla is joining us to help in design and creating free online tools for Bible study that will be coming to Life Lived Beautifully in the future! Grab a cup of coffee and get to know Kyla!

Meet Kyla.

Introduce yourself like we are having a cup of coffee together. What kind of coffee/tea would you drink? 

It is a pleasure to meet you! If we could meet up for a cup of coffee, I would bring you to my favorite cafe and order a raspberries and cream latte because it tastes like chocolate covered raspberries wrapped in espresso. There is something so special about two sisters in Christ sharing their hearts over warm mugs of coffee and tea so we would cozy up in their big leather chairs beside the fireplace and share our stories and dreams with one another as sunlight streams in through the big windows across the way.

What does a normal day in your life look like?

Working from home means that each day of the week is unique, which my sense of adventure is so grateful for! I try to wake up with the sun around 6 and start the day with my morning routine (prayer, time in the Word, journaling, and a little bit of non-fiction reading). I like to pour a big cup of my dad’s coffee and work on my blog for a bit before the world gets loud. When my workday begins around 9, I first check my email and then review my to-do list for the day. Most days include a little bit of work for either The Influence Network, Life Lived Beautifully, or Ruth Eileen Photography. When time allows – especially in the fall – I like to go for a drive in the afternoons or meet up with a friend for coffee, and then I babysit a few days a week before dinner time. Most weeknights include some kind of programming at church, either student ministry, small group, or serving on the production team. Later in the evening, I fix dinner when I come home and like to spend time with my family or journal a bit more before heading to sleep. 

What is your definition of a “life lived beautifully?

My definition of a life lived beautifully has changed radically over the last month. I once thought that the ‘beautiful’ days were the ones where everything was perfect and suitable to my liking. I have since learned that life is the most beautiful, fruitful, and joyful when every part is surrendered wholly to the Lord. A life lived beautifully is one in which we are not grasping or desperate for anything except Him and when we have our hands held open to Him to be filled with the portion of gifts and opportunities He entrusts to us in each sweet season.

What are some verses your soul clings to?

Romans 8:28, Psalm 51, Psalm 119:11, and James 1:2-4. I’ve also been resting in Ephensians 3 and 4 as well lately. 

When did you start following Jesus?

I started following Jesus when I was eleven years old, but it was not until two years ago when I started to truly walk with the Lord in a dynamic way and grasped the importance of drawing upon Him for strength. It was then that I realized the concept of relationship over religion and first tasted the sweetness of complete surrender.

What are some of your favorite books?

Make It Happen by Lara Casey cracked my heart wide open and helped me to be honest and real about what holds me back and what sets my heart on fire. I also really like the practical wisdom of Disciplines of a Godly Woman by Barbara Hughes, and I think that every young woman should read through Passion and Purity by Elisabeth Elliot. Her testimony is timeless and applicable in any season. 

If you could tell every woman reading this blog one thing God has laid on your heart, what would it be?

Listen as God says, ‘Trust me, my precious daughter,’ because life is abundant and fruitful in Him, and He knows us better than we know ourselves. Life apart from Him is unfulfilling, but when we walk with Him our hearts come alive in ways we could never imagine or dream up on our own. Listen to His voice above your own and leave room for Him to sweep you off your feet. When we try to be in control, we get in the way of the sweetness of His blessings. Don’t let your life be so loud that you cannot hear Him well in your day to day. Instead, quiet your heart and kneel before Him in humility, remembering that He covers us in His grace and that shame does not have a place in His kingdom. Much like Mary kneeling at the feet of Jesus, I believe He honors the moments when we quiet ourselves and look up to Him over busyness and that He longs to meet with us in simple, uninterrupted ways. I have also learned to bring everything to Him right away instead of trying to manage matters on my own. He already knows what is in our hearts and it pleases Him when we bring Him alongside us in all things instead of trying to make sense of things in our own limited capacity. You are fiercely loved, sister, exactly as He created you to be.

Images by Ruth Eileen Photography!