A Letter from Tessa (The Beginnings)

Today on the blog we are excited to share a letter that was originally written for our first print volume. In it, Tessa writes about the beginnings of Becoming Journal—from the very first thought over 5 years ago to now joyfully working alongside friends. We hope you enjoy reading about this journey the Lord has taken us on.

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Hello there, dear reader. I’m Tessa, and I want to welcome you to the beginning of Becoming Journal. This magazine has been a dream of mine, one that has slowly changed over time as I took small, faith-filled steps, not knowing where they would lead. Now, like reaching a crashing waterfall at the end of a long but beautiful hike, we arrive at this print magazine—something I hope you find wrapped in joy, beauty, and rest. As I reflect, I am eager to share this good story with you, for in this journey I have found abundant evidence of the Lord’s faithfulness, kindness, and gentle leading. Speckled throughout this first volume, Steadfast, you too will find such evidence.

The Good Story

In 2019, the Lord gave me a vision for creating a print magazine. Inspired, I penned my first ideas in a forest green spiral notebook that very afternoon: the name—Becoming Journal; the first theme—Steadfast; and the first story, featuring the beautiful memory of my grandmother and me baking together (page 10), were all established that day. That green notebook soon filled as I envisioned the collection of stories combined with photographs and art, all intended to bring women together in a shared love of the Lord and His wondrous creation. I believed these ideas were from the Lord; they served as the crackling embers that kept a dwindling fire alive during times when I couldn’t see how or when this magazine would come to be.

In 2021, after becoming a mother, there were months between surges of writing. The project continued to evolve, much like our young family, with lists and stories scribbled in notebooks strewn about our home. This process was not tidy and organized; it was messy. It wasn’t accomplished in a day; it took years. During the process, I recorded in my journal:

And maybe some things are meant to unfold, slowly, like the steeping of your favorite tea. Better off from the time it sat. Your patience: palpable, tested, inviting you to slow. And what you received is a fullness only time can give. So let it. Let it steep the sweetness between now and then.

There were many times in the last five years when doubt crept in and threatened the creation of Becoming Journal. I questioned the purpose and wondered why I should design a magazine. Surely, my days and my heart were full with raising my children and taking care of our home. Would it be selfish or even foolish to add to this? Was it frivolous to work on a magazine, which highlights the importance of noticing beauty and the joy found in a slower pace of life, when the work itself added a layer of complexity?

The Lord met me in my questions, revealing these four truths and setting me free to walk in obedience and joy as I pursued this dream: 

1. I was made to create beauty with Him and for Him.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

Through reading the Word, it became evident that the Lord uses ordinary people to spread the Gospel. Within this work, there are specific tasks that the Lord has prepared for us and prepared us for. This past year was a turning point when the doubt subsided because I realized this was not a project I was checking off as an exciting life accomplishment. Rather, as one of God’s daughters—His handiwork—I saw this magazine as one of those good works He has always had in mind for me. I was eager to walk forward in obedient faith, joining in His good work.

2. He is familiar with all my ways, fashioning within me specific gifts for specific roles.

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Psalm 139:1–3

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:13–14

Since entering motherhood, the Lord has taken me on a journey, helping me understand a new meaning for creativity. I am noticing that my role as a mother and my artistic nature are interwoven. The moments I share with my children, and those I experience as an artist are not separate, but happening at the same time. The curiosity in my children’s big eyes invites me to look with wonder; cooking by candlelight on a bleak winter night invites my waiting heart to be grateful; spring air washing through open windows invites my thawing body to begin again; a small and colorful garden harvest, ready to wash in my sink, invites me to hope; and the infinite versions of the sky I witness daily invite me to know more of my Father. I now know the fullness of this life is to be a creative and holy expression unto Him, because He created me to notice and pursue His beauty. This is the new meaning of creativity I had begun to see: it is not what I will create but who I am becoming as I create.

3. He reminded me, Tessa, of my name’s meaning: “to gather and to harvest”—awakening my eyes as a mother and an artist to my eternal purpose. 

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9:37–38

I was made to invite others to know the Creator. This happens in the mundane moments with my children: in the morning while cracking eggs, in the afternoon while watching clouds float by, and in the evening while tucking them in for bed. I see these daily moments as opportunities to share God’s love and care for them.

And for you, dear reader, my desire is to bring the Gospel hope and beauty of Christ through the pages of this magazine. It is with joy that I am beginning to see this as part of my identity, walking in a heavenly calling of gathering stories that tell of His goodness and faithfulness, and gathering women to their Creator. 

4. I was made to do this work in community.

Sweet friendships refresh the soul and awaken our hearts with joy, for good friends are like the anointing oil that yields the fragrant incense of God’s presence. Proverbs 27:9, TPT

Within the last two years, there have been a handful of significant moments where the Lord made it clear to me that I would not labor alone on Becoming Journal. He provided opportunities to share about the magazine, intersecting the places I was lacking with the gifts and passions that friends and family held. This has refreshed my soul and spurred me on to finish well. What began as a personal project has turned into a community of dear friends whose willing hearts and unique talents have made Becoming Journal all that it is today. There were years this dream was kept in stillness and silence. Now, I have found joy from inviting women to dream and create with me, and page by page, those scribbled, unfinished thoughts began to take shape as others contributed to the Journal. This is something I couldn’t have imagined or forged on my own.

The Hope of a Print Magazine

My heart has always returned to the simplicity and slowness print design can offer to both the writer and the reader. In college, many of my design projects consisted of brochures, catalogs, and small magazines. I recall, at my senior art show, sharing with the small group gathered around that I had discovered a passion for print design. I knew not what would come in the years that followed, but I held onto that reflection.

Each time I hold the real weight of a print magazine, my fingertips are eager to flip the pages, surrounded by the work of other makers. There is a long-awaited joy in browsing at my own pace, falling into stories and gathering inspiration to bring into my own life. I hope Becoming Journal in print can provide a space for you to do the same.

This is Becoming Journal 

Becoming Journal is a print magazine inspiring creative, wonder-filled living. Created by women who love the Lord and all He has made, each page witnesses to these words: “…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8). Our desire is to feature beautiful things that prompt us once again to lift our gaze to Beauty Himself—the Maker of everything good. 

Inside the pages of Becoming Journal, you will find a collection of stories that tie to the season at hand, and there will always be a central theme explored. Each volume may include savored recipes (don’t miss how to refresh your classic sourdough loaf on page 26); both deep and light-hearted musings for the season; features on local artisans and their work (Jade Hubers of Holland Flower Farm is highlighted on page 19); and articles looking closely at God’s Word as it relates to the theme (find a cozy spot and enjoy a powerful devotional on the Hebrew word for steadfast, hesed, on page 41).

Our hope is that in the quiet moments feathered throughout your summer days, you can flip to a story and sit with the beauty offered, or find rejuvenation in the poetic writings scattered throughout (pages 18, 53, and 68). Each like a breath to take in, ponder, and let flow into the rhythm of your day and heart. You can also find refreshment from the heat by following our homemade lemonade recipe with a summer flair (page 49). May these pages become familiar as they lay open and dusted with flour on your counter, reminding you to settle into the becoming of your own story. And, if your heart begins to feel hurried this summer, be reminded of the simple joys this season can offer—the ones that are not far from where you are. We wrote a few of them down for you (pages 16, 36, and 64).

Throughout the process of crafting this magazine, there’s a depth and a sweetness we’ve been given—a becoming. And now, we give it to you through the pages of Becoming Journal. We pray you are inspired to pursue, with wonder and creativity, the Father’s heart for you and all you are becoming—one who is beloved, invited, and delighted in. 

Welcome to Becoming Journal, Volume 1: Steadfast.
We’re so glad you’re here.

Always becoming,
Tessa