Jennifer DeFrates

Jennifer DeFrates studied English at Northern Illinois University. She went on to teach high school English and social studies for 17 years. She moved out of Illinois and all over the South following her soldier husband! As a transplanted Yankee, Jennifer gradually acclimated to the slower pace and sweet tea of the South, but never lost her love for Chicago pizza.

She began writing for fun as a child, but began to write more seriously on her blog Heaven not Harvard (https://www.heavennotharvard.com) as she started to see parenting through the perspective God has when he looks at us. When her two year old defiantly walked into a swing despite her parental warnings, the lightbulb went on. "This is how our defiant independence must look to God." And she began to write about her relationship with God through the lens of parenting.

Through the years she has touched on many aspects of parenting, homeschooling, and overall Christian living, as both a woman and wife. Writing about marriage became a serious passion for her as she saw God transform her marriage through a pair of dirty underwear and the importance of humble service to unlock a bitter heart.

Learning to walk increasingly closer with the Lord is her passion, but coffee is her fuel. She enjoys mentoring other wives and mothers in their walk with Christ, as well as military wives. Writing is the easiest way to reach as many women as possible with the saving knowledge of the grace of Jesus Christ.

Her writing has been featured on Hello Christian, Military One Click, and the Awe-Filled Veteran's Wife.