My story on becoming a biblE TEACHEr. 

I’ve always been an inquisitive person. To the extent that I sometimes (ok, frequently) drive people crazy. I love learning – and discovering the ‘why’ to every ‘what.’ This set the foundation of my bible teaching story. 

As I mentioned earlier, I grew up in the great state of South Dakota. (Yes, people live there.) I take a bit of pride in my Midwestern German heritage, which is a bit ironic since I couldn’t wait to move away when I was younger. Now, older and (arguably) wiser, I find myself often longing for the slower pace, the sound of the wheat blowing in the wind and visions of sunsets that last forever, painting the sky in lavender and titian hues (to wax poetic).

My favorite past times as a child were reading books, writing stories and plotting my takeover of the world. I was highly introverted but also strong-willed and quite determined.

And did I mention ever so inquisitive?

I grew up in the Lutheran church, faithfully attending Sunday School, service and, when the time came, confirmation class. And despite what some might consider a more formal or rigid practice, Jesus was always profoundly real to me. I can’t remember a time not believing in Him. The truth is I never had a radical conversion experience. He was always, simply as real to me as the world around me. Of course, my understanding was fairly limited. As a child, I whispered my matins and vespers, silently and somewhat fearfully adding on my own prayers, trusting He heard me. (And hoping He wouldn’t strike me down for daring to pray outside the prayer book.) 

I desperately wanted to know God. I wanted to understand Him. Whatever inquisitiveness I possessed in the natural realm spilled into the supernatural like an overflowing river bank. And I didn’t just ask the easy questions. Oh, no. This inquiring mind wanted to know. 

To give a brief example…I vividly recall asking my pastor about the origin of the word “Easter.” After all, I didn’t see it in scripture and Jesus never talked about it. He gave me a perplexed look and said he would get back to me.

I was eight. (And he never did give me an answer. But you can find it here.)

In high school, my world started falling apart. The details don’t matter – what does matter is that the circumstances resulted in an intense and sincere encounter with the Lord that forever changed my relationship with Him. While I had always believed in the Lord, I now knew Him. Like a friend. A Father. And I told Him I’d do whatever He asked and follow wherever He led.

Of course, I hardly knew what that would mean at the time. 

I went to university, which is where I earnestly began to lead and teach Bible studies. Disappointed – and somewhat repelled – by campus ministry politics, I started organizing inter-denominational prayer and worship nights. Along with a friend, I started a Bible study group. I didn’t realize it then, but this was a driving passion of mine. The more I learned, the more I wanted to share. I simply couldn’t get enough. 

After graduating, I moved to Nashville, TN, and landed an internship in the Christian Music Industry. At the same time, I engaged with my local church. I served in several areas of ministry but one weekend, by the sheer Providence of God, I found myself in a Missions Leader Training. Shortly thereafter, I started working in the missions department. This was a dream come true! I got to witness first-hand what the Lord was doing in the earth.

Then, one day, out of the blue, my missions pastor walked into my office and simply stated, “You’re leading the Israel Study tour in April.” After which he quickly turned and walked out. 

The whole conversation lasted maybe thirty seconds. But it was thirty seconds that changed my whole life and define my bible teaching story.

I led that trip. And before we even left the airport in Tel Aviv I knew I would be back. My whole world shifted. Everything I loved converged in one place: faith, scripture, history, culture, language. My inquiry needle moved off the charts. I wasn’t sure precisely how but I knew I was stepping into a part of my future.  

I got back to the States. Prayed. Sold my house. Sold most of my stuff. And moved back to Israel for six months. During that time, I served. Learned. Grew. Wrestled. And changed even more.

After I returned to U.S., I continued leading Israel study tours. I also hesitantly leapt back into full time ministry (that’s another story), leading a Children’s Ministry and other special projects. All the while, I continued working in missions, traveling the world and teaching the Bible. I also started working on my MDiv in Biblical Studies & Islamic Studies.

In 2015, nearly seven years later, I felt the call to leave ministry and pursue (in the most unusual sense of the word) Israel. So, I resigned. And landed in the wilderness of God’s will. 

Inquiring minds are wonderful. But they don’t do well with the unknown. It was an intense yet formative season in my faith journey. It had its rewards, however. One of those was HaGesher, the business I founded to facilitate study tours to Israel. Part of the vision of HaGesher is connecting believers with the land of Israel. I want them to engage the Word, encounter the people and experience the Land. 

The other part of the vision is to be a resource – and bring Israel HERE. The number one question I receive from people when they return from a study tour is, “Michelle, how do I keep studying like this? My life has been changed and I want something deeper. But I don’t know where to begin.” Out of this, I started making resource recommendations. Then, in a giant leap outside of my comfort zone, I started creating Matzah Minute videos: brief devotional teachings focused on Hebrew and Greek word studies. I was rather stunned at the response. 

My inquisitiveness was proving helpful. More importantly, I discovered I wasn’t the only inquiring mind.

After a grueling seven-year journey, I finally finished my MDiv in 2022. (Full-time working during the day. Part-time seminary student at night.) I also work for a wonderful non-profit organization, Israel Firstfruits. To say this was a divine encounter would be the understatement of the century. We work with Jewish and Arab believers in Israel, specifically in the areas of business development, entrepreneurship and marketplace professionalism. Not only are these folks brilliant in business, they are all exceptional teachers as well. I continue learning and growing with the best! But they also encourage me to share my gift and it’s been an incredible experience to work with such a team.

Of course, I’m still introverted. Still strong-willed and determined. But my approach in this more mature season of life is less about taking over the world and more about sharing the God’s Word with it. I retain all my youthful inquisitiveness with the fervent intention of discovering and sharing God’s story as his bible teacher.

And that’s my story.