How I began
“Mommy, what’s grace?” That question from my child was a turning point for me. Though I had been an avid Bible student for years, I had never considered how to explain theology to a 4-year-old. The challenge of answering that question sparked my focus on what I call “toddler theology” — translating abstract theological concepts into practical, everyday terms or serious bible study applied to real life.
My goals are to explain Scripture without using Christian jargon or theological vocabulary and to excite others to discover the joy of Bible study.
I am a wife, a mother of two grown children and grandmother. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University (it makes my mother happy when I publicize that), I completed a 3-year post-graduate program in Biblical Exegesis with my husband, David. We spent 5 years on staff at McKenzie Study Center in Oregon (back when it was a Study Center; before they started Gutenberg College.)
Since moving to Virginia in 1990, I developed my passion for teaching. In addition to being the Women’s Ministry Director for my local church for over 15 years, I have taught a weekly women’s bible study since 1994. It is not unusual for me to teach 26 Wednesdays per year.
What I do now: Teaching & Podcasting
Like Ezra I have set my heart to “study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach His statutes” (Ezra 7:10). Wednesday in the Word (this website) supports my teaching ministry. The name comes from the Bible study I taught from 1994-2014.
I offer my bible studies, podcasts and resources free of charge under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License.
I do not accept advertising on this site. I do not ask for donations. But it does encourage me to hear from you about how you used these studies and/or what you learned.
If you enjoy this podcast, please subscribe, rate and review it on itunes and tell a friend. You are my only advertising.
Speaking
I am delighted to take speaking engagements as my calendar allows. Please note that I am a Bible teacher, not an “inspirational/motivational/devotional” speaker. My goal is “serious bible study applied to real life.” My passion is to teach verse-by-verse, book-by-book through a passage. You might want to listen some sample podcasts to see if my style will fit your group.
- Retreats/conferences: I love retreat speaking! However, I am generally unable to accept requests that fall at the end of month due to my work schedule.
- Midweek requests: The bible study I lead meets Wednesday mornings September-November and January-April, so requests that meet Wednesdays or require mid-week travel generally won’t work.
If you’d like to invite me to speak to your group, please copy and paste the questions below into your email with your answers. I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. And no, I have no minimum speaking fee.
Example Retreat & Special Event Messages