about me

Hi there! I’m Leah. It’s nice to (virtually) meet you! Thanks for your interest in my work & experience!

As a ThM student (and Master of Divinity graduate) at Calvin Theological Seminary, I spend most of my days in class, studying, and spending time with my friends. When I’m not in class, I also serve Calvin Seminary as their Communications Coordinator, where my work focuses on internal and external communications, writing, podcast interviews, and much more!

Outside of Calvin, I spend my time reading, writing (check it out below!), and spending time with my family. I married my college sweetheart in 2021, and he is my greatest adventure. We spend our time watching sports (most often football or basketball), discovering new restaurants around Grand Rapids, and planning our next adventure. A dream day for me involves a good book, iced coffee, and Lake Michigan, followed by ice cream or sushi.

Through my theological study, writing, and eventual career, my goal is to share the beauty of God’s Word, the goodness of the Gospel, and the implications of doctrine in the lives of those who have been made new in Jesus Christ. My goal is clarity that leads to conviction, growth, and deeper relationship with Christ.

publications

My published articles are linked below. Check back often, as I update this page regularly with my new publications.

  • When Life Doesn’t Go as Planned, WHEN, 2025

  • When You’re Getting Started with Spiritual Disciplines, WHEN, 2025

  • Why Study the Epistle to the Hebrews?, Kerux, 2025

  • When Prayer Feels Performative, WHEN, 2025

  • When Hospitality is Daunting, WHEN, 2025

  • Walking With the Grieving, Kerux, 2025

  • When You’re Navigating Theological Differences, WHEN, 2025

  • Emmanuel: Everywhere, Always, Forever, Kerux, 2024

  • Navigating Thanksgiving When You Don’t Feel Thankful, Kerux, 2024

  • When You Desire to Pursue Spiritual Health, WHEN, 2024

  • When You’re Seeking Emotional Health, WHEN, 2024

  • 4 Ways to Prepare for a New School Year, Core Christianity, 2024

  • Gifts in Service of the Body, Core Christianity, 2024

  • When You’re Discerning God’s Voice, WHEN, 2024

  • Why You Should Celebrate National Birth Mother’s Day, Core Christianity, 2024

  • When You’re Searching for Godly Friends, WHEN, 2024

  • What Easter Means to Me, Core Christianity, 2024

  • When God Meets You in a Hospital Room, WHEN, 2024

  • Why You Should Embrace Good Limits, Core Christianity, 2024

  • 4 Things You Should Know about the Church Calendar, Core Christianity, 2024

  • When You Desire to Cultivate Faithfulness, WHEN, 2024

  • What New Year’s Resolutions Get Right (and What They Get Wrong), Core Christianity, 2024

  • When You Desire to Set God-Honoring Goals, WHEN, 2024

  • When You Feel Hopeless During Advent, WHEN, 2023

  • How Thanksgiving Reminds Us of Our Spiritual Adoption, Radical, 2023

  • The Significance of Thanksgiving, Wholehearted, 2023

  • What Does the Bible Say About Sanctification?, Radical, 2023

  • When Caring for Orphans and Vulnerable Children is Overwhelming, WHEN, 2023

  • When You Love Someone With a Chronic Illness, WHEN, 2023

  • 6 Ways to Help Your Sibling Cope with Chronic Illness, FamilyLife, 2023

  • When Spiritual Disciplines Seem Pointless, WHEN, 2023

  • When You Feel Stuck in Spiritual Disciplines, WHEN, 2023

  • When Discontentment Overwhelms You, WHEN, 2023

  • How Devotional Habits Help Us Live Missionally, Radical, 2023

  • Why We Care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children, Radical, 2022

  • How Can I Know My Decisions Glorify God? (Review: ‘Demystifying Decision-Making’ by Aimee Joseph), The Gospel Coalition, 2022

  • My Adoptive Family Helped Me Understand My Identity, The Gospel Coalition, 2021 (named Editor’s Choice Best of 2021)

  • Consider Attending a Christian University, The Gospel Coalition, March 2021

In addition to publishing with these outlets, I serve on the Editorial Board for Tears of Eden, a nonprofit working with spiritual and religious abuse survivors. A significant part of my work at Tears of Eden is reviewing resources that may be helpful to survivors & those who support them. You can read those reviews here:

  • Rift: Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy by Cait West (review here)

  • Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar Dillard (review here)

  • What’s a Girl Worth? by Rachael DenHollander (review here)

  • At the Heart of Gold Documentary (review here)

  • When Religion Hurts You by Laura Anderson (review here)

  • Calling Out Abuse in the Evangelical Church: A Review of “For Our Daughters” (review here)

  • What Does it Mean to be Broken and Beloved? (article here)

  • It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover (review here)

  • The Cheating Wife by Shelly Snow Pordea (review here)

  • Bully Pulpit by Michael Kruger (review here)

  • Wiving by Caitlin Myer (review here)

  • Lovingly Abused by Heather Grace Heath (review here)

  • Loving Someone Who Has Sexual Trauma by Megan Negendank (review here)

  • The Unsolved Murder of Elizabeth Mackintosh: A Review of the True Believer Podcast (review here)

travel

I love exploring new places, and enjoy sharing those places with others! Check out my travel guides by clicking on the links below!

User's avatar

Subscribe to Leah Jolly

a journal about life, faith and family

People

MDiv & ThM student at Calvin Seminary | writing at the intersection of theology, life & faith