Well, I am not very good with introductions. They make me nervous and when I would have to introduce myself at the beginning of each semester I would always take notes on what I was supposed to say because I would forget. “Say your name, your year, your major, and something interesting about you…” the professor would say as I hurried to find a pencil to write these four things down. This is something I don’t miss about college. I hope I am not the only one who feels this way.

     Anyways, if you don’t know me my name is Kayla Boaz. I grew up in small town, Boyd, Texas and attended Oklahoma Baptist University. I graduated with a degree in Anthropology and yes, I love people. If you haven’t seen my bio posted, I am very passionate about the interaction of Anthropology and Christianity and something I forgot to include, pacifism. I am interested in many other theological topics, but if I listed all of them in my introduction it would be an essay instead of a blog post. I was raised in a Southern Baptist church that helped me grow spiritually, theologically, and in many ways as a human being. Even though I was raised in a Southern Baptist church, I identify as Trans-denominational. (Gabe Gordon posted a post on this recently if you are interested in knowing more). I don’t want to get too much into my relationship with church denominations because this will make for a good post later.
I believe Anthropology and Christianity are a beautiful pairing and I promise I will have more to say on this. I had a professor in college who helped me see Anthropology as the path God had paved for me before I was even born, and this professor would always say, “Make the familiar, strange and the strange, familiar.” If you know me, you know that this sentence changed my life and how I see people. To do good anthropological work you must humble yourself daily and literally learn the ways of a different person, society, and culture. The most important job that an Anthropologist has is to try to see the world through another’s lens. This sounds a lot like empathy and it is, but its empathy on a whole new level. A level that, I believe, God has also called us to.
I hope as I enter this theological journey we will learn, love, and challenge one another with empathy. I can’t wait to share my beliefs and learn from all you wonderful people. I love what Misfits stands for and I am blessed and grateful that I get this wonderful and humbling opportunity.