Welcome! I’m Kristen Hatton.
When our kids were young we had two clubs: The Silly Club and The Serious Club. For a long time who belonged to which club as the subject of much debate. Originally, I was the president and sole member of the Serious Club. However, to the pleasant surprise of my husband and kids, I became more “fun” over the years and eventually, not only joined the Silly Club, but gave my youngest a run for his money as president of it!
I share this because as strange as this may sound, I believe the reason I am more laid back than I used to be stems from a growing awareness of God’s grace. Grace freed me from the bondage of perfectionism and performance. Realizing His perfect performance for me means I don’t have to perform perfectly, measure up to a certain standard or consume myself with what other people think of me. And this has led to greater contentment and joy!
This Grace that is changing me is what I write about in hopes others would also know the freedom that comes in living under the smile of God instead of fearing His and others’ constant judgement. The truth is we are in more desperate need of a Savior than we even know, but at the same time more deeply loved than we could ever imagine!
My hope is Grace would allow us to take off the masks and stop pretending. That we could share our brokenness, admit our need and come alongside one another by building our messy lives around the gospel of Christ.
In our family, this reality is something we’ve worked hard to live out. We never wanted our kids to not be able to talk to us. But in order for them to feel free to admit sin, share their struggles and include us in their worlds they needed to 1) see us go first and, 2) experience from us the same compassion and grace extended to us by God.
The enormity of our brokenness and struggles can be overwhelming and also often isolating because we fear noone else has our same problems. From my front row seat as a parent and pastor’s wife, writer and speaker, I was inspired to go back for a master’s in counseling. I am now a LPC-Associate (still working on my hours for full licensure) and particularly love working with teens, parents and families.
My husband and I are now empty-nesters, recently relocated from the Oklahoma to Dallas, Texas, where he serves as the Pastor to Families at our church, Park Cities Presbyterian. I have written three books for teenagers with a new one coming for parents!
I’d love to hear from you at any time. You can connect with me through the Contact page. Also, you should know I have some affiliate links on my site, which costs you nothing but allows me a tiny sliver of income for indirectly marketing a book or other product.
May you find refreshment here as we grow together in grace.
