A Walk Through the Word
Monthly column by Tessa Hershberger

I want to start off by introducing myself, as well as share a bit of my heart and why I’m here writing for Positively Feminine in the first place. My name is Tessa and I am currently living in Uniontown, Ohio. For the past three years I have been involved with the missions organization Youth With a Mission (YWAM for short). The second school I did with YWAM was called the School of Biblical Studies. It was an intense, nine-month school during which we read and studied each book of the Bible using the inductive method of Bible study.

I graduated from that school in June of 2007 and moved to Chiang Mai, Thailand three months later in September. In Thailand, I staffed a YWAM School of Biblical Studies in which the students studied only the New Testament.

And now, here I am. I’ve been back in Ohio for more than six weeks, and to be quite honest, I am not sure what God is going to do next in my life. Where will I get a job? Should I seek out a college degree? Should I get involved in a certain ministry? It is certainly a time of waiting on God and trying each day to trust Him in His sovereignty and His absolute goodness.

Aside all of that, let me tell you why I am here. First, I have a passion for writing. When God shows me a new truth, something about his character, or simply something beautiful about his creation, my first instinct is to put it into words and share it with others.

Second, God has given me a zealous heart to see a revolution of young women embracing beautiful, God-created femininity, something that society has successfully (and unfortunately) distorted and mocked. My heart’s desire is that we sisters are seeking out radical love relationships with our Father in which we are completely set apart for Him and His glory as He created us to be.

Part of being in such an intimate relationship with God like that is taking the time to know and study His Word. Jesus said to “love the Lord God with all your mind”. As women seeking to live out God’s purpose in our lives, we must take the time to engage our minds by sitting down to study His Word in depth. We don’t do this just to know a bunch of facts and verse references. Yes, studying God’s word will give us knowledge - but even more important than that, studying God’s Word will give a greater revelation of God’s character and nature and will result in a life of practical, daily application in which our lives are living portraits of authentic Christianity and hearts that abide in Jesus.

In my column, I am going to introduce a new book of the Bible each month, starting in the Old Testament with Genesis. I will give a summary of some historical background, major themes/characters, and relevant, practical application. My column is intended to simply be a helpful tool to assist you in your own Bible study. My hope is that as we commit to studying God’s Word more, He will make it come alive and real to us, in a way we have never seen it before!

I am so thankful that God has opened a door for me to be able to share my heart with you here, and I pray that God will use me here to bless, encourage, and challenge you.

You can e-mail me anytime at TessaSean@gmail.com Please write “Positively Feminine” in the subject line.

About the Author:  Tessa Hershberger lives in Mogadore, Ohio where she is waiting for God to tell her what step to take next. She loves to write and is the author of Confessions of a Girl: Truth to Be Told. She also enjoys lots of extra hot coffee, rainy days, people-watching, and conversations about ideas, beliefs, and culture. Tessa has gradually lost all of her hearing due to a genetic neurological disease, and loves to learn and teach sign language with her friends and family. For more of her musings, visit her blog at www.TessaSean.com. Tessa welcomes reader responses to her articles. Email comments/questions to tessasean@gmail.com.