Who and Why

Physically:

Born in southwest Nebraska, from junior high through university I was educated in Southern California, where I met and married a sailor from Texas. We had our first child in northwest Texas while preparing to go to South Africa as missionaries, first to Cape Town and then to Johannesburg. When we returned to the States twelve years later, our family had grown to six.

After living and working in the Chicago area, west Tennessee, and the Mississippi Delta, we’re back in southwest Nebraska, completing the circle — of my life, anyway.

Spiritually:

Baptized into Christ at the age of 13, I was part of a church family in which simple, systematic Bible study was emphasized. The church didn’t have a “youth group.” Through high school and college, I was part of adult Bible classes and was expected to study like an adult. I credit those Bible teachers with my love for Bible study today.

When I study certain passages of the Bible – the story of Jephthah comes to mind – I remember discovering those passages in that class.

Though I was only 28 when we moved to Johannesburg, I was asked to teach women who, though older in age, were younger in faith. I was even entrusted with the responsibility of speaking before large groups of women. That inspired in me a love for teaching God’s word, for seeing that light of discovery in the eyes of others.

 As a Bible student:

I see the Bible – Old and New Testaments – as a treasure chest. The deeper you dig into the chest the more precious the jewels. And as you gain experience in this world, you appreciate more and more the value of those jewels you’ve discovered.

Over the years, God’s word has become the filter through which I see the world. As I continue to learn His will and as I mature both physically and spiritually, the more relevant the Word becomes. This blog is a means of expressing that relevance.

–Cheryl Bryan