Joy Wendling has spent over twenty years in ministry with children, youth, and families, bringing practical experience, passion, and a playful approach to nurturing faith. Holding a Master’s in Youth, Family, and Culture from Fuller Theological Seminary and an early childhood Christian education background, Joy founded Created to Play, a ministry to share the potential of play in spiritual formation. Currently a PhD student in Educational Studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, she writes, speaks, and coaches churches and parents, equipping and encouraging them with hope and help shaped by her academic pursuits and the everyday adventures of raising five daughters with her husband on an island in the Pacific Northwest.