Lecture Notes
Available In PDF Form
Here you’ll find a variety of notes from my conferences and lectures.
Resources for Writing
Write to Expand Your Influence
DTS Women’s Leadership Conference Notes, 2014 (not much has changed)
Writing is like laying bricks—like masonry. It’s not magic. One is not born with “the gift.” It takes hard work. Most of writing is rewriting. Download the PDF →
Magazine Editing 101
I first delivered the “Magazine Editing 101” lecture at the Evangelical Press Association (EPA) national meeting in a workshop for new editors, most of whom had been thrown into their jobs without much formal experience. Later, I expanded it to meet the needs of a group of non-editor writers in the south of France. No matter where writers live, this workshop covers what they need to get started. Download the PDF →
From the Editor’s Desk
I spent a couple of decades wearing the magazine editor’s hat. So in “From the Editor’s Desk” I give an insider’s look at how to break into publishing, drawing on examples of what has and has not worked when would-be writers have approached me to publish their work. Download the PDF →
Using Fiction Techniques in Non-Fiction
Narrative non-fiction has nearly replaced the old “newspaper” way of telling stories in a pyramid style. In “Using Fiction Techniques in Non-Fiction,” first delivered as an EPA workshop, I explore how “story” works—from narrative and setting to characterization and plot—and provide examples of how to use story-writing techniques to write better non-fiction. Download the PDF →
Increase Your ‘Net Worth: Communicating in a Virtual World
English is the most-used language in the world for people with Internet access; it’s the language of science, commerce, diplomacy, and travel. With that in mind, in “Increase Your ’Net Worth,” a message delivered at the DTS 2009 women’s leadership conference (and still relevant!), I provide ways to expand ministry influence by capitalizing on access to the Internet. Audio of this talk available here. Download the PDF →
Magazine Writing 101
Resources on Gender, Faith & Marriage
Women in Ministry: Marriage
“Submit”—what a loaded word. Yet Jesus did it. And in fact all Christians are to live in submission to the Lord—so submission is a universal human quality. What does it mean to submit as a wife? And perhaps more importantly, what does it not mean? Download the PDF →
DTS: Trendwatch/Minister to the Overworked Smart Girl
At DTS’s Women’s 2006 Leadership Conference, I talked about how to minister to the crazy-busy woman. Not much has changed since then…. Suggestions include modeling quietness, helping her find rhythms of Sabbath, teaching her to pray psalms of lament, and encouraging low-tech communication with God. Download the PDF →
Seven Ways to Keep Your Marriage Strong While You’re in Seminary
I spent 24 years of my life either as the spouse of a seminary student or as a grad or doctoral student myself. Yes, you’re right—I probably need to get a life. But I tell you that to tell you this: my husband and I still like each other … a lot. And you can emerge from seminary with a decent marriage, too. Download the PDF →
Ephesians 5
A key passage on marriage in the New Testament is Ephesians 5. Based on this pericope, most marriage conferences teach husbands to lead and wives to submit. But “head” is a noun, not a verb, and its counterpart is “body,” not “follow.” The complement to “submit” is not lead, but “agape love.” Once we understand the apostle Paul’s terms, a picture of unity and oneness—not a power picture—emerges. Download the PDF →
Women in Leadership: A Summary
What does the Bible teach about women in leadership? These notes include some oft-overlooked observations. Download the PDF →
Marital Intimacy SOAP Notes
It’s been a hard day—the last surgical case was especially long. And now you’re finally home. Clinging to a glass of lemonade, you collapse into your recliner, spiraling down into a persistent vegetative state in front of the TV, hypnotized by CNN. Download the PDF →
Resources on Bioethics & Infertility
Bioethics Lecture Notes, DTS Anthropology Class
The Bible takes a high view of life, which has ramifications for humans from fertilization to the grave. In this lecture delivered annually in DTS Anthropology classes, I look at the “beginning of life” portion, addressing such issues as contraception, abortion, and stem cell research. Download the PDF →
Infertility Seminar Notes
Before the death of my coauthor and co-presenter, Dr. William Cutrer, we conducted infertility conferences for churches and support organizations across the U.S., in Mexico, and in Eastern Europe. Our doctor/patient, male/female approach was designed to provide information and support for patients, counselors, ministry workers, and friends of those experiencing infertility. Download the PDF →
Conference Notes
Expand Your Ministry Through Writing
For DTS - DC. Download the PDF →
Commune with God
Lose the legalistic list-checking over having a daily “quiet time” of Bible reading and instead grow in communing with God—including through prayers of lament. A talk for a women’s retreat, February 2024. Download the PDF →
Small Town, Big Impact
Some of the world’s most influential women came from small towns like Sychar and Nazareth. Here are notes from lectures on four OT and three NT women from small towns I did for RHMA (Rural Home Missionary Association) in Spring 2017.
Download the RHMA Part 1 PDF →
Download the RHMA Part 2 PDF →
You Have a Story (also How to Gripe in the Spirit)
My testimony: In this talk I gave at Woman’s World (Manhattan, Kansas, 2015), I tell about how I said, “I’ll Never” seven times, and how I’ve had to eat my words. Also included is a primer on the psalms of lament. Download the PDF →
You Belong
Christianity is more than merely “Jesus and me.” When we become his, we also join his family. And we know his family has plenty of dysfunction, because it includes us. In this talk delivered at Woman’s World (Manhattan, Kansas, 2015), I speak about our relationship with God’s people, from one-on-one fellowship to the church across the world. Download the PDF →
Woman: Who She Is/What's She's Made For
My topic related to identity: Who woman is and what she was made for—or her calling. I've done versions of it several times in 2023. You can download the PDF of the retreat notes, along with a short Bible study.
Purity Culture Lecture
Notes on Artemis of Ephesians lecture for Northern Seminary 2024
Women’s Retreat: The Greatest Story Ever Told (includes Esther lecture notes)
Though the retreat title may change a bit from venue to venue, the content is much the same. In “The Greatest Story Ever Told” I explore how our lives on earth are only weavings in a partially completed tapestry. Of course the story doesn’t make total sense—it’s unfinished. In addition to my own story with its tangled knots, I include the “threads” of Rachel and Leah, Esther, the woman Jesus healed of a menstrual issue, and psalms of lament. Download the PDF →
DTS: Trendwatch/Minister to the Overworked Smart Girl
At DTS’s Women’s 2006 Leadership Conference, I talked about how to minister to the crazy-busy woman. Not much has changed since then…. Suggestions include modeling quietness, helping her find rhythms of Sabbath, teaching her to pray psalms of lament, and encouraging low-tech communication with God. Download the PDF →
Rest and the Christian
Workaholism is often both socially acceptable and applauded. In this message I gave at Woman’s World (Manhattan, Kansas, 2015), I talk about my deliverance from workaholism, along with why and how a person committed to following Christ needs rhythms of rest. Download the PDF →