Kathryn Whitaker

3 baptisms, 5 Protestant churches and 1 confirmation (an hour before my wedding rehearsal!). I've always loved Jesus and I'm grateful that my faith background is so varied and filled with so much love.

Growing up Protestant rooted me deep in Scripture, giving me a solid foundation. I was exposed, and fell in love, with so many Christian communities. But it was that cute Catholic boy with blue eyes that I met on a blind date at Texas A&M that really piqued my interest in the church.

During my first decade of marriage, I gave birth to four babies in six years, but it was the birth of our fifth child and the 44-day NICU stay that flipped my faith on its head. Our preemie stopped breathing at 9-days-old, was resuscitated, underwent emergency surgery (where he had a 2 in 10 chance of surviving) and God gave him back to us. After six more surgeries, 15 pediatric specialists, loads of prayer time, a stint in marriage counseling, many compassionate priests and Dominican Sisters, good friends and a decent amount of Dr Pepper, we came out on the other side - stronger and with a real, authentic relationship with Jesus.

It's been humbling, and a tremendous joy, to share that story at parishes, conferences, podcasts, national radio and in my book, Live Big, Love Bigger: Getting Real with BBQ, Sweet Tea and a Whole Lotta Jesus. At the end of the day, I finally realized that sustaining faith only comes when you decide to be vulnerable with Jesus, in every way, and let him redeem the hardest parts of your life.