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When Beth was a teenager, she lived on the streets. She smoked cigarettes and drank beer and her parents had said that she had to choose: her friends or her family. Beth chose her friends and lived from house to house and eventually in homeless shelters. She barely avoided being raped at one point. About six months of shelter-hopping was all she could take, and she found a shelter that sponsored her until she took the GED. They told her she was brilliant: she was just bored and dissatisfied with the status quo. The shelter supervisors suggested she look into community college.

Beth went to the community college and then on to finish her last two years at the state school: she graduated fifth in her class. Her degree was in philosophy. She graduated with a degree of knowledge and a degree of cynicism. What on earth could she do with a degree in philosophy?

Two goals occupied her thoughts after graduation: reconciliation with her parents and a good job. It took about three years of timid meetings until Beth felt comfortable enough to share her feelings of failure and frustration with her parents during her teen years. But the counseling and talking and crying were worth it. There was hope for reconciliation.

Beth found a job at a think tank where she met Craig, a devout Christian. Craig stared when she walked in; Beth stuck out her tongue at him. She could see he was judging her by her nose ring. Or was it her eyebrow ring? Or maybe it was the toe ring sticking out of her sandal. It could even have been the asymmetrical hair cut that accentuated her bleached blond hair. She could see he didn't approve; he could see she didn't care one bit. But they met again in meetings and couldn't avoid each other. Craig couldn't believe her appearance and her intelligence; she couldn't believe his arrogance and his naivet . They fought in meetings, they fought in the hall, and eventually they went on a date. They dated for eight months before they were married. Beth wore a wheat-colored gauze dress that skimmed her sandals. Craig looked very handsome in his black suit.

Beth became more and more involved in her church, teaching philosophy of religion and history of religion classes. More and more adults sought her out to speak and she found she enjoyed teaching adult forums. She loved the debates; she enjoyed the questions; she was fascinated by the mysteries of unexplainable events. She wished she could have more forums.

Craig liked teaching the smaller children at church; he liked spending time with them. Beth was spending more and more time at church with the adults. One day her pastor approached her: had she ever considered going to seminary? Her pastor said she would accompany Beth on the upcoming Seminary Days event, would she attend?

Craig encouraged her to go and finally Beth agreed. They went together and checked out the seminary. They met with the recruiter, who set Beth up to listen to some introductory classes: she was fascinated. Craig checked out the housing and they joined in the ice cream social that followed. They were ready to consider it.

Beth did go to seminary. Craig was able to write for a large newspaper: Beth concentrated on her studies. She graduated with a Master of Divinity degree and went on for her Ph.D. in Sacred Theology. She teaches at a graduate school on the east coast.

When people meet Beth, they come away with a sense of wonder, a newfound excitement for the Gospel, a new appreciation of what Jesus went through. Beth fills her lectures with tidbits of trivial details that make the events seem more real. She loves sharing her ideas, debating issues, and looking deeper into theories of religion. But mostly she enjoys the looks on people's faces when they begin to understand and see the power the gospel can have in their lives. She is feeding her sheep!