About

Hey, y'all!  I'm Lauren Juenger (or, you can call me Lo).  I'm a Christian, a wife to a fantastic hubbs, a homeschooling mom to 3 amazing kiddos, a homemaker, & a lover of anything to do with nature & creativity.  In my "free time," I enjoy photography, reading, & writing.  I also love dabbling in homesteading & gardening.  

Why did I start Abide & Arise Women's Collective (AAAWoCo)?

This is something I dreamed of starting for quite some time.   For a few different reasons.  A huge one is because of social media.  I'm not anti-Insta or anything.  I think these apps can be wonderul tools for marketing, brand building, & connection.  However, like any tool, it depends on the one weilding it how it will be used.  I started noticing I was using social media for things I didn't originally intend: seeking recognition, validation, & a cure-all for boredom.  I also realized that I would sign-off these apps & catch myself in a comparison-induced envy.  Or I would feel a great deal more stressed due to the weight of hateful political posts or tragic news articles.  

So often, I'd reach for my phone.  And for what? To scroll endlessly, consuming randomness.  Never getting full.  Simultaneously being drained.   It was rare for me to exit social media feeling uplifted.  Instead, I was always left wanting.  Wanting something more meaningful, intimate, kind, & authentic.  

I thought of starting a blog (which I've done in the past), but it didn't feel right this time around.  After much thought & many prayers, I knew I wanted to create a place where other women could share their stories, too, not just me.  I dreamt of something that we as women could share together.  Nothing to be jealous over, but a place where we could all celebrate one another.  Where we wouldn't try to be anyone else, but who we really are--behind closed doors & in front them.  A consistency of realness.  I dreamed of a place where the need for connection supercedes the desire to be seen.  Because, really, in accomplishing the first, the latter will naturally follow.

May this group be something worth reaching for.  If we go onto our phones for something (to pass the time, to learn, to connect), may it be something beautiful, encouraging, & never fake.   That's one of my prayers for this group.

Another reason I knew I had to start this was because of a reoccurring statement I kept hearing when we had moved back to Jacksonville, FL in '22.  "If you can't find it, start it."

As homeschoolers, a big part of our lives is searching for the right people with whom we can do life.  And, man--has God shown up for us (in every way, honestly).  He's blessed us with so many incredible people.  While I'm overwhelmed with gratitude, one of my deepest desires is to find a way to bring all these lovely humans together into one group.  I dream of doing life alongside a few families who share similar values.  With people who crave growth & honesty & adventure & laughter & humility.

It hit me one day.  After talking to many other women, I came to the realization--I'm not the only one who wants this.  Maybe, I need to create something, not just for my family, but for everyone else who craves a deeper, more purposeful life with true friends.  I sought it for years & now, I believe it's time to start what we've been searching for.  A gathering place.

The story behind the name:

Why did I choose "Abide & Arise"?  Believe me, I chose many other things before landing on this one.  Some were suuuper corny.  But, something about this one--it stuck.

I wanted to create a group for women who value similar things, but something broad enough to include everyone.  So.  This is a place for the homemakers, the hikers, the hustlers, & the poets.  This is a place for the introverts, extroverts, and the "in-between-overts".  The Type A, The Type B, & The Type C (both A & B).  The readers, the writers, the creators.  The cross-fitters, the gardeners, the musicians, the mountain-climbers.  This is for the women who have no idea which category they fall into.  This is for the ones who are just trying to make it to tomorrow.

Whoever you are, there is space for you here. 

Whoever we are, I believe we have two things in common (at the very least).  We need a home & we need a purpose.  We need a place to abide & a way to arise.

From what I have seen & heard, many of us are trying to make our homes "cleaner", our meals healthier, & our bodies stronger.   The "Abide" stands for the desire to slow down, to make our homes a place of refreshment, & to work on our relationships.  This, for me, comes down to improving the abode.  And ultimately, John 15.

The "Arise" is to address the callings of life.  Our purpose, our drive, our adventures.  

This word kept popping out at me as I read through the Bible.  There were SO many times this word surfaced.  

I instantly fell in love with the sound of this word.  Like something incredible is about to follow.  It's a command often given by the Lord.  It's straightforward--a no nonsense word.  Sometimes, it was David begging this of the Lord.  I can't ever imagine saying this to God, but over and over again David implored the Lord to arise.  He had such a beautiful relationship with the Lord.  He spent so much time waiting, hoping, enduring.  And God always came through--as God always does.

But, His greatest rising came long after David.  It was three days after His death & burial, from dying for our sins to be forgiven.  Almighty God came to Earth as a wee babe, went through childhood & adolescence & everything a human goes through, just so He could die at the proper time.  

He payed our way, He died the death we should have died--the penalty for sin.  And He did it out of the greatest love that has ever existed.  He did it to reconnect us back to Himself, after we distanced ourselves beyond an impossible divide by doing things our own broken ways.  He beat death itself & our perception of possibility when He rose again after being dead in a tomb for almost half a week post-crucifixion.  His rising is what everything rests on.  Because He has risen, so can I.  Not just eternally, but right now.  

Right now, I can rise up & do what I'm called to do.  That resurrection is constantly alive in me.  I can rise above whatever difficulty life brings me, because He lives in me.  

I've been learning that there's a time to rest, a time to abide, & a time to invest in relationships; & there's a time to arise--to get up.  To stand & to do something worth living for.  There's a time for action.  

I think these two words can sum up not just our faith walk, but also our lives.  The song & dance of abiding & arising.  A beautiful intertwining of powerful rhythms.  

May this be a place where you can find exactly what you need to successfully abide, arise or both.  I hope you find the solidarity, community, & the encouragement you need to take the next step for today--for a life that we can live simply, beautifully, & abundantly.

Much love, Sis. 

Let's enjoy the adventure together,

-Lo