*

Forward

Doodlebug wasn't always Doodlebug to me. Judy was and is the most precious person I know. I still love to sit and watch her do "her thing." She actually is more beautiful today than the night I first saw her. They say dynamite comes in small packages; so does nitroglycerin. Actually, when we had been married a couple of years, we had horses and someone in that setting called her Doodlebug, and it stuck. It "fit."

Along with others, I often wonder how this little bitty thing can do all that she does and do it all so well. There is an inner reservoir from which she draws, and this wonderful apprehension of who God is comes spilling out of her. I watch her genuinely love on her students as God loves them; I watch her share the Word with a passion not often displayed in the class or the pulpit. Judy just shares that passion in or out of the classroom. There is no arrogance there, just a certainty and wealth of study that is profound. And yet, Judy leaves room for others to hold another opinion -- and often will provide them with Scriptures which defend their position.

It is said that Judy suffers from the malady of Myopia. One would be hard-pressed to find anyone else as focused, but that is the rare attribute which drives her. Dr. Doodlebug (as she is sometimes called) searches for God with all her tenacity, strength, and passion. No wonder God presses into her the truths and gems she shares, and He breathes on her this exquisite fragrance (of the knowledge of Him).

Judy is the real deal who doesn't solicit or even go looking for prophetic direction. She is impelled to do whatever her hand finds to do. She does it with all her might! If you take anything away from this little book, it should be the grateful rearview mirror version of a life (to date) spent searching for the rich gems our wonderful God has to share with us all. Doodlebug truly is a term of endearment, isn't it.

Dallas Phillips (Dal), Husband of Doodlebug

Introduction

Early Beginnings

Family Background

Current Family

Early Activities

Becoming a Christian

Gaining Experience as a Christian

Specific Calling

Further Education

First Phases of "Official" Ministry

Obtaining a Ph.D.

Six Prophecies

Bethany College

Sandy's Dreams

More Prophecies

Continued Process of Fulfillment

Judy's Perspectives

Student Comments of Judy's Teaching

"Doodlebug," what an unusual title for a book, you might think. Because I am small of stature, my husband decided to nick-name me "Doodlebug," little bug. But the dictionary definition of the word is not very complimentary: the large-jawed larva of an ant lion, or any similar insect larva. ⁽¹⁾ However, upon looking further, I discovered a meaning that I like better: device used to find minerals. ⁽²⁾ So, I am now applying that meaning to my life: "May I be a device used of God to discover and share the 'precious gems' of His Word." Others might call this the process of "teaching." But the meaning does not stop here. As we grow in the Lord, we become as gold refined in the fire, a precious gem or jewel prepared for His use. ⁽³⁾ "May the Lord enable me to be a gem for His use by equipping others to grow in Him as precious gems themselves." This is my desire, and I believe it is God-given. Therefore, "Doodlebug" seems to be a fitting title for the story of God's amazing guidance in my life.

But, on with the story, "Can anything good come out of San Francisco (or anywhere else)?" With God's enabling power, I believe it can. Let's see! It is sort of difficult for me to talk about myself, but my husband thinks I should, so here goes.

I was born on October 30, 1940, in San Francisco and named Judith Ann Casad. My earliest memory is when my mother was pregnant with my younger brother and pushing me in my stroller in the Haight Ashbury district of San Francisco during the time of World War II in 1942. Haight Ashbury was a nice retirement community at the time. I was about one and one-half years of age then, and I can still picture myself looking at the tray in my little stroller and determining that I would always remember that moment. Actually, there was nothing at all special about that moment, but I just decided to remember it, and I did, even to this day.

Growing up in San Francisco, I also remember stepping on snails. I liked to hear their shells crunch under my feet. In my mind, this was my big sin as a little girl. But God convicted me of this practice when I reached the mature age of five. At Christmas of 1945, I was given a little book called, Secrets, written by Jessie Orton Jones. Secrets talked about God and His wonderful world, even snails. From the moment my parents read the book to me, I decided to stop stepping on snails. But the book didn't condemn my "sinful" practice; it gave me positive reinforcement and helped me not to feel guilty about the fact that I had been stepping on snails. Let me quote from page 8:

I am glad I'm who I am;

I like to be myself.

Even when I do the wrong thing,

I know I am the right person. ⁽⁴⁾

I believe that God guided the friend of my parents to give me Secrets, and this was the first step in my life to encourage me to seek God.

Since the Scriptures provide many lists of genealogies, I thought I would include a brief genealogy of my family. Of course, we all started with God and Adam and Eve and then later Noah and his family, but aside from that, my family can be traced back quite far into antiquity. I am a direct descendent of the following notables (why else would I give you my genealogy?):

Pepin the Elder c. A.D. 580-639
        -- Founder of the Carolingian dynasty
        -- Mayor of Austrasia

Dodo c. A.D. 640

Pepin of Herstal c. A.D. 635-714
        -- Duke & Mayor of Austrasia

Charles Martel c. A.D. 688-741
        -- Mayor of Austrasia, King of Franks

Pepin the Short c. A.D. 714-768
        -- Mayor of Austrasia, King of Franks

Charlemagne c. A.D. 742-814
        -- King of Franks
        -- Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire

Pius Louis I 778-840 -- Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire

Charles the Bald 823-877 -- Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire

Judith married Baldwin the Hardy -- Count of Flanders and Artois

Baldwin II d. 919 -- Count of Flanders, married Ethelswida
        /Elfrida, daughter of Alfred the Great, King of England

Edward the Elder d. 924 -- King of England, grandson of Alfred the Great, King of England

Edmund I 921-946 -- King of England

Edgar 944-975 -- King of England

Ethelred II 968-1016 -- King of England

Edmund Ironsides 981-1016 -- King of England

Edward d. 1057 -- Prince of England

Margaret, married Malcom III -- King of Scotland

                   William the Conqueror, 1027-1087 -- King of England
                             -- Married Matilda, daughter of Baldwin V
                Henry I, 1068-1135 -- King of England

Matilda, daughter of Margaret married Henry I, King of England

Maud/Matilda 1102-1167 -- Empress of Germany

Henry II 1133-1189 -- King of England

John 1167-1216 -- King of England, signed Magna Carta

Henry III 1207-1272 -- King of England

Edward I 1239-1307 -- King of England

Edward II 1284-1327 -- King of England

Edward III 1312-1377 -- King of England

Besides a genealogy, I also had parents. They gave me a good moral background and good basic qualities which help me today. My father, Arthur Barry Casad, is noted for being the son of Adam Floy Casad, Captain of West Point's famous football team of 1902 and later coach and professor at West Point. A military base, now an industrial park in the area of Ft. Wayne, Indiana, has been named after my grandfather. My father also is noted for being a graduate from Stanford University, an engineer, and for working on the Polaris Missile. One of his distant relatives is Mary Cassatt, an impressionist artist (1844-1926) who is featured on postage stamps. My mother is noted for being born on Valentine's day and having the name of Katherine Elizabeth Darling. The genealogy above comes from the family line of her father. My mother graduated from the University of Washington as an art major and became a fashion designer, later working for Mattel and designing Barbie Doll clothes.

I have been blessed by God with a wonderful husband, Dallas Alfred Phillips. Dal first saw me in San Mateo, California (where we had moved), at one of Hillsdale High School's rainy-day football games, where I was performing as head pompom girl. He had come to watch his brother, Roger, who was the drum major of the band at the game, but he noticed me bounding around with my long pony tail. Now, Dallas is five feet, five and one-half inches tall and wasn't interested in dating girls who were taller than he was, so after the rainy game was over, he went down from the bleachers to stand on the ground near me in order to see if he was taller than I was. Sure enough, he was (I am a towering five feet tall). So when he and his brother played their guitars and sang at one of our high school pep rallies, he asked me if he and his brother could give me a ride home. I said, "Yes," since I knew his brother, who was in one of my classes. The next day, Dal invited me for a dinner date. Since he was a Christian and only wanted to date Christians, at dinner he carefully brought up the subject of God and Christianity. He had determined that if I was not a Christian or not interested in becoming one, he would not date me again. But I was a Christian! Whew! (Story to follow.) I didn't know that it was a good idea for Christians to date Christians, but I was very pleased that he was one also. God even was guiding me in this aspect of my life.

One thing led to another, and in 1959 we were married. By then I had completed one year of college at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, and wanted to settle down and raise a family. I had no plans to continue with college.

We were blessed to raise three children, Roger Barry, Robin Christine, and Timothy Glen. All three are Christians and living for the Lord, for which we are thankful to God. Roger is a pastor and store manager, having a wonderful wife and two boys; Robin works for the Secretary of State in Washington State and has one boy, two girls, and a granddaughter; and Tim owns his own auto glass company and has a wonderful wife and three girls. All three of our kids live in the same town in Washington, and Tim and Robin and their families all attend Rog's church. When we visit one, we visit all, which is very convenient for us. So our quiver is full, and we are blessed as a family.

When I was about ten, my mother enrolled me in ballet lessons. My arches rolled over and she thought ballet would help my feet. Doctors later stated that they were surprised that ballet didn't hurt my feet. Actually, I think the real reason that my mother wanted me to take ballet lessons was because she had taken ballet. So I took ballet for seven years. Then when I attended Whitman College for one year, it is interesting that my mother's Russian ballet instructor still was teaching and just happened to be teaching ballet at the college. So of course, I took ballet from him for my physical education courses. He remembered my mother with fondness and tried to encourage me to go into ballet professionally. But, I wanted to get married, so wasn't interested in a ballet career.

Actually, I gave up ballet after seven years (except for taking it in college) for tennis. I loved the sport. I would walk to the courts and practice hitting balls against the backboard for hours. If other players needed a fourth for doubles, they would ask me to join them. Eventually, a tennis coach for the Junior Whitman Cup tennis competition in the San Francisco Bay Area offered to give me free tennis lessons if I would join his team. I guess he saw my tenacity and thought I would be an asset to his team. His team always won the competition each year, and to keep up the record he often scouted for new talent. I benefitted from this generosity, and we did win the years I was on his team. I also competed in tennis tournaments, and with an excellent doubles partner, we were seeded number two in junior girls doubles in northern California. This was quite an honor. I haven't played much tennis since my teenage years, but tennis still fascinates me.

Scripture indicates that those who seek God will find Him if they seek Him with all their heart. ⁽⁵⁾ I was not aware of this idea in the Scripture, but since the age of five when I received my Secrets book, I did begin to seek God. I remember asking my mother when I was ten, "What is a Christian?" She replied, "A Christian is someone who believes in God." I knew that was not the whole answer, so I continued to seek God. One summer when I was twelve, I made myself read the whole Bible. I wasn't able to understand it, but at least I had read it. However, I still hadn't found God. Each Sunday, I would attend the Episcopal church with my father and would listen very carefully to the sermons. I had the choice of attending Sunday School instead, but there was too much goofing around in my Sunday School class, so I decided to stay in the main church with my father, listening intently. But this didn't help me either.

When I was a teenager, I joined a TRI-Y group for girls, sponsored by the YMCA. One evening, Wednesday, May 9, 1956, one of the girls in our group brought her Sunday School teacher, Mrs. Isabelle Roberts, to our meeting. She presented the real, but simple Gospel of Jesus Christ. Hearing what she said made sense to me about how to become a Christian and why I needed to be one. When Mrs. Roberts finished speaking, she asked if any of us wanted to receive Jesus into our life and become a Christian, since Jesus had died for us on the cross so that if we receive what He did for us and applied it to our lives, we could have our sins forgiven and be united with God in fellowship now and in eternity. I responded without hesitation. Finally, I had found God and become a Christian through receiving what Jesus had done for me at the cross! And what peace I had! No more searching. The Holy Spirit bore witness with my spirit that I was right with God ⁽⁶⁾ -- finally! God had answered my prayer, even if it did take over eleven years.

That night, I think I was the only person who responded to Mrs. Roberts' invitation to receive what Jesus did at the cross and become a Christian, but I was so glad that she came to speak to our group, even if it was just for me at the time. Mrs. Roberts didn't just lead me to salvation through Christ, she also discipled me, giving me workbooks to fill out, which asked questions about specific scriptures in the Bible. This grounded me in the Word of God right away.

And I began to memorize Scripture. Almost every day in the summer of 1956, I would walk three miles to play tennis and bring Scripture memory cards with me to memorize. So I didn't just become a Christian, I began to grow as a Christian in the knowledge of God and His Word.

I still attended the Episcopal church with my dad, but now I could understand the sermons better because I was a Christian. And now, I was beginning to understand God's Word, which was being engraved on my heart. ⁽⁷⁾

Four months after Dal and I were married, we moved to Eugene, Oregon. It took us three years to find a good, Bible-believing, doctrinally sound church. It was there that I was baptized in water as an outward sign of my inward experience through Christ of death to sin and rising to new life in Christ. I also received another baptism in this church, the baptism of the Holy Spirit under the ministry of Rev. Vic Trimmer, a guest evangelist. The baptism of the Holy Spirit gives believers power for service. This must have been evident in my life because the pastor's wife soon asked me to teach a fifth-grade girls' Sunday School class. I had never thought about being capable of teaching in church, but I decided if the pastor's wife had confidence that I could do it, maybe I could. So I did. This was God again, guiding my life through people around me and preparing me for His later specific calling of a teaching ministry.

After our three children were born in Eugene, we moved to Sacramento, California, and began attending a large church. Rev. Dick Eastman was the youth pastor and noticed my love for God's Word. One day, he asked me to coach a Bible quiz team. I didn't even know there was such a thing, but it tweaked my interest and I said I would. When our boys were old enough, they joined the team and memorized a lot of Scripture in the process. Rog was top quizzer at one point and one year even memorized the whole book of Matthew. Later, I was asked to become the Bible Quiz Director for the whole district and coordinated the program and Bible Quiz meets, recruiting pastors to help as judges. At this time, I held a Christian Worker certificate even though I was not in full-time ministry. But it served to give me approval for the Bible Quiz Director ministry in which I was involved.

Dick Eastman also asked me to help as a leader with the youth and to oversee one of his PEP (prayer evangelism partners) teams. Besides weekly meetings with the youth, this involved a program of Ambassadors in Missions, in which we led a group of youth to Nevada to work with the Indians. We took our children with us, and an interesting question was asked by our son Roger, who was still young, saying, "Where are all the Indians?" He had been playing with them, but didn't even know it. They were normal people, not like what he had seen portrayed on TV with their feathers and bow and arrows. This was a good learning lesson for him.

On Sunday afternoons, under Dick Eastman's leadership, I also taught in his University of the Word. This involved seminars for college-age students.

When Rev. Rich Wilkerson and others became youth pastors at our church, I continued to be involved with the youth in various leadership capacities. In addition, I gained experience directing youth drama groups, holding kids crusades, and teaching Sunday School for all ages, including pre-school, grade school, junior high, senior high, college, and adults. At one point I even taught Berean Correspondence courses in Sunday School. I also led and taught Junior Church. In fact, both Robin and Tim became Christians at five years of age under my ministry of Junior Church. Rog had earlier become a Christian at four and one-half, when he asked me at home how to become a Christian. Although he was young, I figured if he could ask the question, he was able to understand and apply the answer, which he did. He became a Christian on his father's birthday.

Even at home I found myself involved in ministry. For all of the kids on our block, I began a neighborhood Kids' Club. Of course, our own kids participated also. One girl who attended regularly lived next door and was born without arms and with one leg half the size of the normal one. She made the best of her handicap and had a very good attitude. One day when the kids were playing outside, she said, "Why don't we play something that everyone can play?" Of course, the kids did so that she could participate. She had a prosthesis for her short leg and metal arms with hooks for hands. It was amazing what she could do. One day at Kids' Club when I taught about people with deformities and injuries being healed in heaven, she said, "You mean I'll be whole in heaven?" She had thought that she would have her deformity for ever. She wasn't mad at God, but just accepted her condition. What a blessing it was for her to learn that she would be whole in heaven. Kids' Club was worth it just for the delight and hope this knowledge gave her. With Kids' Club, God had guided again to bless her especially.

At one point, I was impressed to write several doctrinal courses. In retrospect, these courses were precursors to my later teaching ministry and books. One of the courses was entitled, "Foundations for New Christians," and was used at various sites in the Western United States, Brazil, and Europe. The other course was entitled, "Things Which Shall Be Hereafter."

In addition to a little writing, I also decided to complete my B.A. in Christian Education, which I received in 1979 with honors from Sacramento Baptist College. Christian Education seemed the appropriate major for me at the time since I had been involved in various areas of Christian Education. A friend happened to tell me about this college which was near our home. Shortly after I completed my degree, the college closed down. I had completed my degree just in time. Again God was guiding this process.

During this time of my Christian experience, my motto and driving force consisted of two verses with similar meaning:

Genesis 24:27 (KJV) -- ²⁷I being in the way [on the pathway], the LORD led me.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NIV) -- ¹⁰ Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.

I had not had a specific "calling" to serve the Lord in the various ministries mentioned above. However, when ministry needs were presented as I was going about my life, some seemed right so to do, and I did them with my might.

Since God knows that I am very focused, God in His wisdom did not give me a specific "calling" while I still was raising our children. He allowed me to focus on them even though there were periods of ministry. At times, I also obtained paid jobs to help with finances, but this enabled me to learn business and computer skills which would be of great use later.

One day when I was driving to work, Monday, September 12, 1983, I was thinking about our oldest son who, the day before, returned to Bible college after being home for summer vacation. I wished that I could go with him to college, but then wondered why. I was not a possessive mother. Why did I want to go with Rog? All of a sudden, it was as if a light turned on in my mind. I didn't hear or see anything, but at once I realized that I wanted to go with Rog so I could teach in Bible college. Of course. Why hadn't I thought of that before? I am supposed to teach theology and Bible in Bible college. There seemed no doubt in my mind; God had just "called" me.

That evening I told my husband about my strong impression of teaching in Bible college. I said if this is a call of God, I would need to go to graduate school for more education. He said that he thought I should do it, that he thought this was God calling me. Dal always has enjoyed my teaching in Sunday School, so he agreed that I should teach in Bible college. He was very supportive. I didn't even have to cry or beg.

In the spring of 1984, the doors opened for me to attend Simpson College for a Master of Arts in Bible and Theology. Simpson had a Masters program in Sacramento for two semesters. I was able to enroll for the second semester. But then Simpson closed down their Sacramento M.A. program. I didn't know what to do. I spoke with my advisor in San Francisco, Dr. Glenn Schaefer, and he said I would just have to attend classes in San Francisco. I thought, "Sure, I have a full time job, and there was no way I could get off work to drive to San Francisco for classes." It seemed as if I was at a dead end, since there were no other Bible colleges at the Masters level in Sacramento. But eventually, I got up enough courage to ask my boss if I could take off work on Mondays and Tuesdays to attend college in San Francisco. I was shocked when he said, "Yes, as long I would be available to work overtime on the other days, even weekends, if I was needed." So I was able to continue working toward my Masters after all. And Simpson College rearranged the courses so I could take what I needed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

It took me two and one-quarter years to complete my Masters from Simpson. Several times I stayed up all night working on my course work. I was so engrossed in the studies that I didn't even realize that I had been up all night until I saw the morning light. At the beginning of each semester, I never was able to pay the total fees which were due, but by the end of each semester, somehow I would have the money to pay the costs. On May 9, 1986, I defended my Thesis. I told my advisor, who was on my Thesis committee, that it was my thirtieth anniversary of being a Christian. He said, "Let's see how mature you are." Well, I was able to defend my Thesis, and I was able to maintain my 4.0 grade point average, graduating summa cum laude. I had completed this phase of my education.

Dal gave me a surprise party to honor my graduation with a Masters. The morning of the party, he phoned our son, Roger, in Washington, and asked him to make up a poem to be read at my party. Within an hour he phoned back with the following poem:

This is no ordinary mother of three;

She's also a wife and a grandma, you see.

So, why a degree did this grandma pursue?

Didn't she have anything better to do?

Her dream is to teach, study, and learn.

Therefore, a Masters she sought to earn.

And earn it she did, while working full-time.

She's summa cum laude, at the front of the line.

Does her schooling end here? You might want to ask.

Is she finally through with her studious task?

In a few years, when she's a grandmother great,

They'll be calling her Dr. . . . JUST WAIT!!!!!

Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised by the party. It was continued evidence of support by my husband. I also was impressed by and enjoyed the poem. It later became the inspiration for me to obtain my doctorate.

The first paid teaching position I obtained after receiving my M.A. was for Simpson's B.A. program which still was in Sacramento. I taught for them the Fall semester of 1986 and received enthusiastic compliments from the students.

After teaching for Simpson one semester, Capital Bible Institute (now Capital Bible College) hired me to teach Old Testament. I had applied there after I graduated. When Rev. Chris Howard made an appointment to interview me, he said, "Come on in and impress me." So I brought stacks of papers that I had written during my graduate work. He said he was impressed and hired me to teach Old Testament. For some reason, I had emphasized the Old Testament in my choices of courses. God had guided me again. As it turned out, I taught for Capital from the winter quarter of 1986 through the spring quarter of 1995, nine years in all.

While I was teaching for Capital, Pastor Leroy Lebeck of Trinity Church asked my husband if I would be the Christian Education Director at Trinity. I said that I already had a ministry teaching and turned down the offer. But I couldn't stop thinking about how the person they would hire should do the job. I kept getting all sorts of ideas. Finally after a month, I realized that God was empowering me for the position. This was God's way of guiding me to accept the job and an indication that God would enable me. But would I be able to teach at Capital Bible College at the same time? It worked out that I was allowed to engage in both ministries at the same time.

I remained at Trinity for three years until Colossians 4:17 was impressed upon me, "Take heed to the ministry that you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it." I knew immediately that this verse was speaking to me and which ministry was meant. It was teaching, so I gave six weeks notice to Trinity and ended my responsibilities there with a Vacation Bible School. During that period of time, I could not sense God's enabling power any longer, although there were no problems. This to me was confirmation that I had made the correct decision.

As it turned out, my graduate education did not end with a Masters. Roger's poem was an encouragement to obtain a doctorate. But the real reason was that I needed to be as equipped as possible to keep growing as a teacher for the Lord. Now, I had the time to do so since I had resigned from Trinity. So, I located a university where I could obtain a Ph.D. in Theology and remain in Sacramento. I discovered that Walden University offered distance education, which involved attendance at occasional seminars located throughout the United States. Walden was perfect for me. It allowed me to gear my studies around a basic framework and to relate and apply them to my area of teaching ministry. As a result, I wrote four books based upon my course work. I use these and others I have written as supplemental textbooks for the courses I teach. An added blessing was that my friend Kandee Mamula wanted to obtain a doctorate with me. So we traveled as buddies to seminars across the U.S. together.

My final course work was my dissertation entitled, The Concept of The Holy in the Pentateuch and Its Implications Toward Wholeness of Being and Ethical Effect. I have since made this into a book, Beholding The Holy, Being Changed. The defense of my dissertation was made on a conference call, with committee members in Alaska, Florida, Nebraska, and Minnesota. This defense just happened to be on October 28, 1994, which was the 28^th birthday of our son, Tim. This birthday was called his royal birthday since he was 28 on the 28th. So it was already a special day! Plus, the members of my dissertation committee showed me favor, and at the conclusion, they said, "Congratulations, Dr. Phillips." Yeah! I had passed! Celebrating, we went out to eat, and at the restaurant I was awarded a balloon mortar board hat! Now I was officially a doctor in all my balloon glory!

Since the spring of 1994, before I had completed my doctorate, I had been in contact with Bethany College with respect to beginning a satellite program in Sacramento. They were open to the idea, and we interacted for a long two years.

During this time, six people prophesied over me that I would be teaching in a greater capacity than at Capital Bible Institute. I did not seek out the prophesies. Twice, I was praying for someone and then in turn the person would prophesy over me.

The first prophecy came through a student of mine, Deann Carter in the Spring of 1995. I had prayed for her after class one evening, and then she said she wanted to pray for me. After her prayer, she said that while praying she saw a vision of ocean waves rolling in on the beach. To her this meant that I was going to have a teaching position and nothing could prevent it--nothing could hold back the waves.

The second person, a friend Roxanne Knowlton, was staying in our home for a few days and wanted to pray for me. After praying, she had a definite assurance that God would bring the teaching position to pass.

The third person, another student Catherine Walline, had asked me to pray for her and then she wanted to pray for me. When she finished, she said, "You have the job." I said that I had been seeking it, but I didn't know if it would come to pass. She said, "No you DO have the job; I KNOW this from the Lord."

Shirley Hackney was the fourth person who prophesied. While I was visiting at her home in January of 1996, she told me that God had given her a message for me, but she wasn't sure she should give it to me because it wasn't pleasant. Finally, she did, stating that God was preparing me for the teaching position, but she saw in a vision that I would have to go through a time of deep suffering first. At the time, I thought her prophecy was contradictory to the others I had received, and I was confused.

The fifth person was a friend named Bette Henke. When we were talking on the phone, she said she wanted to pray for me. Then as she was praying, she said that she saw a vision of a bright light and an open door that no man could shut because Christ was keeping it open for me.

The sixth prophecy came through another student, Ed McCarley. As a side note about Ed, one time when I was teaching a spiritual growth class, I had to have my thyroid removed. Ed decided to go to the hospital and pray for me during the operation. When I awoke from surgery, I had no pain. I attribute this to God answering Ed's prayers on my behalf. Sometime later, God had given Ed a word for me, so he wrote it down in a letter and sent it to me. It pertained to God fulfilling His vision and calling for me. Actually the words were in a book by Dick Mills, He Spoke and I was Strengthened -- Daniel 10:19, which Ed thought applied to me. Below are the words of the book which Ed sent to me:

Isaiah 50:4 (NASB)
⁴ The Lord God has given Me the tongue of disciples, That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.

I have given you the tongue of the learned, that you might know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary. You shall be awakened morning by morning to listen to my teaching.

Long ago I said through my servant, Daniel, that knowledge would be increased in the time of the end. This was my word to my people -- a promise given to them for the latter times. But know this also, that even as there must be an increase of knowledge, in like manner there must be an increase of those who teach knowledge. And you are part of the fulfillment of that prophetic word.

Therefore, open your ears to hear what my Spirit is saying to the Church. If you have ears to hear, then listen:

I will reveal myself to you by my Word and Spirit.

I will give you a revelation of my will.

I will waken you in the morning hours.

I will make known my truth to you.

I will show you my mind.

You will give this truth to others.

You will teach others what I have taught you.

You will share the knowledge I have given you.

You will gain both natural and spiritual knowledge.

Truly,

All kinds of knowledge will increase,

Knowledge of the things of the world,

Knowledge of things pertaining to me.

All knowledge will multiply in the last times.

Therefore know this:

I am fulfilling my prophecies in you.

I am keeping my ancient promises through you.

Your speech shall be the speech of the instructed.

Your words shall have the marks of one who has been taught by me.

I will give you an ear to hear.

I will give you a word to say.

As you go, I will go with you. I will give you knowledge and truth that is irresistible.

Look again to my Word.

Haven't I promised you that I would give you a mouth and wisdom which can neither be gainsaid nor resisted? Approach your task positively, with faith in me.

Do not teach, expecting to be rejected.

Do not teach, expecting to be opposed.

Do not teach, expecting to be repudiated.

I will not only give you some of my wisdom and some of my knowledge, but I will also give you the power of my Spirit, causing that which you teach to be received--to be recognized--to be appreciated.

You shall be my mouth.

"A word spoken in due season, how good it is," Proverbs 15:13.

Habakkuk 2:3 (NASB)
³For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal, and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay.

You have looked back, remembering the vision I gave you. With this vision came also an assurance of a work I would do in your life.

You have waited for fulfillment.

You have waited for the prophecy to come to pass.

You have waited long, wondering when . . . .

The enemy of your soul has tried to flood your mind with doubts. He has even suggested that you repudiate the promise I made you. He has suggested that you reject the dream I gave you -- that you refuse the vision, casting it off as something spurious and unreal.

But the vision is for an appointed time. Even as my word was given to Mary regarding those things I would do for her at an appointed time, so you must wait for the appointed time of your vision.

You shall have your performance.

You shall have your fulfillment.

I, the Lord, am the author and finisher of your faith. I authored the vision. I began it, and I will finish it.

In the meantime, I am preparing you, conditioning you, training you, discipling you that you might be ready for the hour of my visitation.

In this time of waiting, I have shown you many things. I have developed longsuffering and patience within you.

Soon the time will come for fulfillment. I, who have spoken to you, will shortly bring my word to pass. My promises will not be delayed without purpose. That which I have spoken to you shall be done.

"My covenant will I not break, nor alter the word that is gone out of my lips," Psalm 89:34.

Again, I did not seek any of these prophecies. I even had forgotten about them at one point, but they were encouraging when I did think about them.

By early 1996, I knew that Bethany was not going to approve the idea of a Sacramento program, and I was quite discouraged. One morning in my discouragement, February 2, I woke up with the beginning of a poem on my heart. I got up and went to my office to write down the first few lines, and the rest of the poem immediately followed, all in twenty minutes. I knew that this poem was God's guidance to me again, giving me encouragement to trust and praise Him even at this time. Let me share it:

The Meaning There

My heart tears within me.

There is no meaning there.

I must look to my Creator.

There is meaning there.

Temporal life is so tragic.

Where is meaning there?

At such times I must look upward.

There is meaning there.

I am not the only hurting.

Is there meaning there?

There is One Who hurt before us.

There is meaning there.

Oh, Our Father, move within us.

Give us meaning there.

Fulfill your vision that you gave us.

There is meaning there.

Let this life have a purpose.

There can be meaning there.

Let your light shine in and through us.

There is meaning there.

May our lives reflect your glory.

What a meaning there!

May your glory bring us victory.

There is meaning there.

Let us travel ever upward.

Glorious meaning there.

May we bring others with us.

There is meaning there.

May our lips forever praise you.

You give us meaning there.

You alone are all our meaning.

That IS the meaning there.

By the time of the April 1996 district council, I knew that Bethany was not going to go ahead with the Sacramento program. This involved a lot of suffering on my part because I had such a strong desire to teach, even though by then I had committed myself to God no matter if I never taught again. At this council, a former student, Pastor Mark Tucker, prayed a dynamic prayer on my behalf which was a great comfort to me.

On Sunday afternoon, May 5, 1996, our son Roger, called to encourage me. He reminded me about the six prophecies which I had forgotten about. He also reminded me about Joseph in Egypt waiting two years in prison before the fulfillment of his dreams and then being elevated to second in command of all Egypt. Rog told me that the fulfillment of the prophecies may not be now and may not be Bethany, but God would fulfill them in His timing. Rog did encourage me, but as my husband reminded me, he also had been encouraging me along the same line.

The next morning, May 6, while driving to a temporary job, I thought about what Rog had told me the day before and I started relating Scripture to my situation. I remembered that Joseph had received his dreams thirteen years before they were fulfilled. Then I observed that the coming September 12 would be thirteen years since I had received my "calling" to teach. Would I be as Joseph and have it fulfilled in a greater capacity than teaching at Capital Bible Institute? Next, I thought of Moses spending forty years in the wilderness, but forty years was a long time. I would be ninety-six years of age, counting from this moment. That wouldn't work. Then all of a sudden, I couldn't remember the date. What year was it? 1996, okay. What month was it? May. Oh no, what day was it? The sixth. On May 9, 1956, I became a Christian. That was almost to the date forty years ago. Now I thought, would I be like Moses and not enter the promised land or be like Joshua and enter in. It is amazing that I made it to work safely, thinking all these thoughts while driving.

Well, on Wednesday, May 8, I received the "official" call from Bethany that they had decided not to do a program in Sacramento. This was the date that ended my forty years since being a Christian. May 9 would begin my forty-first year. Even though I received a "No," was my time of waiting for God's fulfillment almost over? In spite of the "No," I was at peace with God and began to praise Him, knowing he would fulfill His "calling" for me in His timing. That evening, I even drove home praising God. I would enter God's promise for me someday. Right now, I had to trust Him that all things were in His control and that His will is always best.

As it turned out, by the end of June 1996, I received another call from Bethany. They had changed their mind and decided to resurrect the idea of a Bethany College Sacramento program to begin that fall semester. I would be the Director and an instructor. Praise the Lord! In September, my calling would be fulfilled thirteen years after I had received it, just as with Joseph. And as Joshua, I began to enter into the promise of God.

God provided a number of confirmations to the calling and fulfillment of teaching. He provided a facility for Bethany's Sacramento courses at Family Christian Center with Pastor Rich Oliver, who very graciously allowed Bethany to use their facilities. God also provided highly qualified adjunct instructors in addition to myself. And God provided motivated students who had been praying for a regionally accredited undergraduate Christian college in the Sacramento area offering majors in Bible and Theology, Church Leadership and Psychology.

Later we needed more facilities than Family Christian Center could provide. Bethany's Sacramento office had been in our home for five years, but we needed to have the office moved near our classrooms and we needed library space. God guided in this need also. In October of 2000, I attended a sectional minister's meeting and one of the pastors at the meeting asked if we needed space for the college. I said, "Yes," but this pastor's facility was outside of the Sacramento area. However, another pastor, Jesse Rorie, who overheard our conversation said to meet him after the meeting. He said he had space for us at his church, Arena Christian Center in Sacramento right off Interstate 80 and Interstate 5, and asked me to follow him to his facility. While showing me the space, which was large enough for my office, a library, and two classrooms, someone approached the pastor and wanted to rent some of the space. The pastor said he thought he had just rented the space to us. And he had! Whew! We made it with a few minutes to spare. The space was ours with a great location for the Sacramento area, and God provided again.

Bethany College maintained their successful program in Sacramento for seven years. But on Friday, June 13, 2003, I was told that Bethany was closing down the Sacramento program. However, I and the other instructors were invited to continue with Bethany through their on-line program. We agreed to do so.

Although most of the Bethany Sacramento equipment was purchased and owned by my husband and myself, Bethany kindly allowed us to keep what equipment was theirs in addition to the library books. Was this a sign that we should remain a college? Was God guiding again?

Shortly after we began the Bethany Sacramento program, one of my students, both at Capital Bible Institute and then at Bethany, named Sandy Bristow, had a dream on October 30, 1996 (my 56^th birthday), and I was in it. She told me that she was not subject to dreams or visions. In fact, she indicated that she had never had a dream such as this one. After sharing the dream with her husband, he told her that the dream was from the Lord and that she should call me. The following is Sandy's account of her dream, which she entitled, "The King's Banquet":

I received an invitation from the King to a huge banquet. I was overwhelmed to receive the invitation, although inside I always had a knowledge and an expectation that someday I would be invited. Holding the invitation in my hand brought me closer to the reality of the event -- that I was personally invited by the King!

It was to be a formal affair. The men were to wear tuxedos with a white flower boutonniere. The ladies were to wear ball gowns. The King was sparing no expense at the preparation of this feast, for its purpose was for the selection of a bride for His Son.

I had been assigned a young lady to prepare for the time of the banquet. She was only one of many young ladies who had received a special invitation, since they were of the proper age for betrothal and were unmarried. This young woman was, in my estimation, quite plain and ordinary looking. I was to care for her needs up to the time of the banquet. I needed to make sure that she ate nutritiously. When the day of the banquet came, I fixed her hair up in a French-looking hairdo and dressed her in a plain, ready-made formal that we had purchased for about ninety dollars. It was not very fancy, but it qualified because it was of a formal length. I was concerned that she would look very plain next to the other young ladies. I wished that I had more finances to invest in preparing her.

On the day of the banquet, I helped the young lady into the back seat of my car next to my sixteen-year-old daughter, Elissa, who was going along to assist me. In the front passenger seat was a young girl of about ten years of age. We were going to Judy Phillips' house. I had kept the young girl for three to four days. Judy had been given a sort of guardianship over her.

When we got to Judy's house, the young lady stayed in my car. Elissa and the little girl went into Judy's house with me. The little girl sat on Judy's floor, near the kitchen, playing and listening quietly. Judy was busily pulling trays of hors d'oeuvres and fancy little desserts out of a rounded-cornered refrigerator. She was placing the trays on the kitchen counter. Some of the trays were decorative silver trays and some were more plain. One tray had what appeared to be chocolate-covered eggs, spaced about three inches apart. Another tray had what appeared to be rounded shortbread biscuits with a raspberry sauce poured over them. I was amazed that Judy prepared that much food in only three to four days, during the time that I had the little girl in my care.

Judy mentioned that the little girl had received a special invitation from the King to be among the select group of eligible young ladies. I was astonished and thought, "No way . . . she's too young and not mature enough." I mentioned something to Judy about her being mentally slow or not up to par. Judy's response to me was, "Shhh." The girl was nearby and could hear. Judy was concerned that she would be offended. She thought that she should go to the banquet and did not see her imperfections as a reason to exclude her. I also knew Judy respected the King and would honor His invitation.

At some point, Judy asked Elissa and me if we would like something to eat. We chose some ice cream that Judy had made herself. There were two rounded containers. The ice cream level was below the one-half mark. Other people had scooped out ice cream before us. Elissa selected the container with three flavors, a pastel trio of chocolate and two exotic flavors. I chose what looked like vanilla and strawberry. I recognized that the ingredients were very fresh and were only the finest available. I had never tasted anything like it before. It was not of the store-bought variety.

In this dream, I never saw the little girl's body or face. The only portion which manifested was her legs. Judy was pulling long white-ribbed cotton socks onto the girl's legs. They pulled up over her knees. Then she put black Mary Jane shoes on her feet. I was thinking how I wished that I had known that the little girl was invited, because I wanted her to have a pretty dress to wear to the banquet. I was concerned because Judy stopped after putting socks and shoes on her. She didn't have a dress for her to wear. But she wasn't concerned and her focus immediately went back to the food she had prepared and getting it to the banquet.

After this, Elissa and I helped Judy load all the trays of food into her car. We no sooner had her car loaded when she took off in a cloud of dust without even looking back. All of a sudden I remembered, "Oh no! She forgot the little girl!" No sooner had I thought that when someone walked up to Judy's house and through the front door to complete the preparation of the little girl. Seeing that amazing transition and knowing that the little girl was taken care of, I got into my car and took off to follow Judy to the banquet.

The banquet was to be held in a huge outdoor coliseum. The tables, arranged in many, many long rows, were very long and covered with white starched tablecloths. Judy arrived and was busy unloading the trays of food from her car and putting the food on special tables reserved for the food. She was very focused, neither looking to the right or left, but quickly moving and placing the food on the tables.

It still was early in what seemed to be the afternoon. There were maybe two to three hours before the banquet would begin. I noticed that Judy was wearing a suit like always. I was wearing jeans. This was normal attire for us in spite of what everyone else was wearing. There was a feeling of total acceptance and no condemnation whatsoever for my wearing jeans to the banquet. I was a worker, and I was dressed perfectly for my job. Judy's suit was perfectly in line with her position also.

I took the young lady, whom I had prepared to be selected as the bride, and ran her across the grass area to stand in a special area reserved for those young ladies who had received special invitations from the King. The King and His Son were to be in a fancy coach drawn by beautiful horses. The coach would pass in front of all the eligible young ladies, among whom the King would select a bride for his son. There was a sense of excitement and anticipation among the ladies.

As I left the young lady whom I had prepared, I was so concerned because she looked so plain. "Surely the King wouldn't take any notice of her," I thought. As I walked back to the table area, I had a vision of the woman who was to be chosen for the Son's bride. She was stunningly beautiful. Her face, hair, and gown were breathtakingly perfect. She seemed to glow with light from within. I thought, "She's not the one I brought."

I turned around to check on the young lady I had left, and she had been miraculously transformed. She was perfectly radiant and beautiful. Her dress had turned into a ball gown. I thought, matter-of-factly, "Wow, she must have brought her makeup with her."

Judy was busy putting food out onto the serving tables. I was standing at the end of one table in the banquet area. There were a man and his wife seated near me. The man looked rather bristly and shaggy and like he did not belong in a tuxedo. He looked as if, in his off time, he rode a Harley. His wife, who also was rough and unmannered, may have had one of her own. They had arrived early and were the only ones seated at a table.

The wife had helped herself to an hors d'oeuvre. It was cold, so she took her husband's cigarette lighter and tried to warm it up. I was flabbergasted at their uncouth ways, so I went and told Judy about it. She immediately confronted them and explained to them that their behavior was not appropriate at the King's banquet. Without speaking a word, they put the lighter away.

As I walked away from the table with Judy, I asked her, "What are they doing here? Why were they invited?" Judy replied that they had been invited and looked at me and calmly said, "You would be surprised who has been invited." I was contemplating what Judy said and was trying to figure it all out, when I glanced across the grassy field and up past thousands of bleachers.

There was a balcony which extended out from the bleachers. It had swags of fabric draped over the edges. The King and His Son walked out onto the balcony. People were trickling into the banquet area, and I knew that the time was getting closer for the banquet activities to begin. I glanced up at the King and His face turned toward Judy. Immediately, I could see His recognition and approval of Judy. I felt that He was pleased with her. Then He looked over the crowds of arriving people.

I still was standing at the end of a long white banquet table. There were more people coming toward the tables to sit down. Judy was busy, continuing to put the food out and arranging it on the tables in the food area. And this is where the dream ended.

The King: God the Father, always loving, never condemning His people.

The Son: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, obediently and patiently waiting with his Father for the time chosen when He would meet His bride.

The Banquet: The Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

The Young Ladies: The Church, who is being prepared to be chosen as the bride of Jesus Christ and who is being transformed by the Holy Spirit.

The Little Girl: Must be Capital Bible Institute. I attended part-time for almost four years. Judy Phillips was one of my instructors.

Sandy: I was given some very unusual character traits in this dream. For instance, I had no spiritual perception. When I woke up, the first thing I thought was that my role in the dream was for some comic relief. Then I considered the details.

The Young Lady: Believers whom the Lord brings to me to take care of and prepare for Him. These are the people of the former Soviet Union and Americans (Key Friendships ministry). It is interesting to note that the Lord is always bringing us a variety of broken and homeless children, teens, and women to live with us and to care for. Of all the work we've put into each person, when they leave I often focus on what I perceive as the unfinished work, instead of what has been accomplished. This is what I did with the young lady, the incompletely dressed little girl, and the uncouth couple.

Judy: Judy was herself, focused on preparing spiritual food and feeding/teaching others at church, Bethany and Capital Bible Institute. She is the Energizer Bunny, who keeps going and going.

The Food: As I was reflecting on this, the thought came to mind that Jesus is the Bread of Life. Wine represents the blood of the new Covenant. Jesus said His meat was to do the will of His Father. He said He had meat that wouldn't perish, which would lead to everlasting life, a gift from Him to us (John 6:27). To say that Judy's food was only her teachings/knowledge would be not to see the depth of what is really here. Judy teaches the Word of God. The Word is Jesus. She is feeding into her pupils Christ, the Living Word of God, whose life-giving truth pulsates throughout our being by the power of the Holy Spirit and changes us, mind, body, and soul. After an encounter with Jesus Christ, we are never the same. We are, as Oswald Chamber relates, ruined for the natural.

Preparation: At the same time that food was being prepared, the bride was being prepared and the banquet was being planned.

What a wonderful day that will be! I'm so excited that I'm invited! Certainly my view of my work for the Kingdom of God has been affected! By the way, I'm also relieved that I can wear jeans!

The young girl over whom I was guardian in the dream is Capital Bible Institute. Ten years before toward the end of November 1996, I began to teach there. I have not taught there for a year but have provided manuals and books, which I have written, for them to use, which explains my limited involvement as portrayed by the socks. Sandy was one of my students at Capital Bible Institute and graduated after almost four years there with a two-year diploma. This may be shown in her involvement with the girl in the dream. Capital Bible Institute is not slow, but it is not a regionally accredited institution and so it has a lower academic status when accreditation is considered.

Also, soon after Sandy's dream when I was teaching an adult Sunday School class, a lady came up to me and said she really enjoyed the class because she was so hungry and I was giving her spiritual food. She appreciated it so much that she asked if she could give me a hug. Of course I said, "Yes."

An interesting side note is from our neighbor and close friend Ruth Reis. I told her about Sandy's dream, and her immediate response was that it could have been her dream, which had some similarities to a dream she had a few days before. She said she saw me dressed as a priest and ministering. She also said that our daughter, Robin, would be taking in a child, as I had taken in the young girl. Well, as it has turned out, Robin since has taken in her granddaughter to raise. Interesting!

Sandy had another dream on February 29, 2000. I was in it again, so she passed it along to me. This is her account:

After a weekend at Sierra Faith Center in Mariposa, where evangelist/prophet Todd Bentley prophesied over Elissa and me, I had the following dream Monday night:

The setting was in a graduate-level college-like atmosphere. Judy Phillips was a fashion designer who designed and sewed very costly couture garments. Her name was synonymous for quality garments. She had two garments hanging up in the room, and I overheard her say that she was going to give them away. There were several students in the room, but none were paying close attention. I didn't want to miss the opportunity, so I spoke up quickly and said, "I'll take them!" So she gave them to me.

In my heart, I had an intense appreciation for the quality of these garments. I knew I was very privileged to possess and wear these specially designed garments.

There were two garments. They were constructed exactly the same. Both were knee-length dresses, short sleeved, with the tailoring details (darts, collar, lining, etc.) similar to a suit. The lining was not thick fabric, but of a durable fabric that made the finished garment thicker and heavier (like wearing two garments together). The looked very costly and rare.

Both garments were sewed exactly the same, but of different patterns and colors. One garment was obviously a little older and slightly "worn." I thought it might be really comfortable, but when I tried it on, it was just a little too tight, so I decided to try on the other garment. They reminded me of the summer military uniforms I had in the Navy, which were two-pieced suits, with similar fit and seams.

The other garment was slightly big, but I wore it. I was a little self-conscious about wearing it though. I knew that not everyone had a couture garment like I was wearing, and I had a sense that some people might have negative feelings about my wearing it. I was afraid they might think that I was dressing above my status.

I believe that the garments each represented a ministry focus or possibly spiritual giftings. They were given freely, and I took them freely. They were offered for anyone. There were a number of students in the room with four to five standing and chatting with one another. But I overheard Judy say that she would give the garments away. I quickly spoke up first, and she gave both garments to me.

The first garment was an older garment; it felt a little worn and represents past ministry experiences, the Russian Church, etc. The second garment represents a new ministry gifting that the Lord has given me to wear. I'm just putting on something new, and it doesn't quite fit yet--I have to grow into it. It is meant to be a well-fitted ministry when I grow into it. It may represent the prophetic and healing ministry.

Judy Phillips was an instructor at Capital Bible Institute and Bethany College for many classes that I had. She labored, shaped, formed, and carefully detailed the fabric of my spiritual life. She had an impact on me spiritually. She has "sewn" into my life things of great value. Her effort and time have resulted in a quality product. She has sewn into my life with time and effort the value and quality of the garment. She has laid a strong, costly foundation.

God is calling me beyond the ministry of the first garment. If I keep wearing the first, old garment, it is too tight and I will rip it.

The dream places an emphasis on the quality and the fact that the garment was given to me to wear. I was to just take it freely. The garments were seamed the same because they are from the same God and the same Holy Spirit. The garments represent ministries. The colors on the second garment, which I put on to wear, represent the giftings of the prophetic and healing. These are costly and rare. They represent the extravagant graces of God.

Joseph's coat had many colors because it was a prophetic representation of all God would fulfill in his future. This made his brothers react with jealousy and envy. There will always be people who will see the gift and judge. I need to just keep my eyes on God and leave them to the Lord. Like Joseph, God might use me later to bless them.

I spoke with Judy Phillips about my dream, and she said that her mom was a fashion designer. She had hopes for Judy to follow in her footsteps. Judy's life took a different path, as a teacher of the Word of God. I believe that God fulfilled Judy's mother's dream for Judy, not in the natural sense, but in the spiritual. Judy is sewing into future ministries and anointings that will bless the Church. She is clothing students with the call of God. They are wearing the garments of their destiny!

Because of Sandy's dream and my involvement in it, I invited her and her daughter over to see my mothers' notebooks of the many sketches of the fashions she had designed. They came over, and we had a great time visiting and seeing various types of fashions for numerous periods of fashion history from the 1920's on.

In October of 1996, shortly after beginning the Bethany Sacramento satellite, we visited missionary friends, Larry and Debbie Mininger, who were leaving for Estonia and Ukraine. We wanted to see them before they left, so we visited a church where they were speaking. At the end of the service, Larry wanted to pray for people, so Dal and I went up for prayer. Larry prayed for both of us, and then he began to prophesy over me that my ministry would expand. I thought, how can this be, I already am swamped directing and teaching for the Bethany Sacramento program. I didn't have time for anything else, I thought. Later in 1998, I began leading student study tours to the biblical lands of Israel, Jordan, Greece, and Turkey for Bethany. Maybe this was the fulfillment of Larry's prophecy, but was it?

A few months later on January 5, 1997, Pastor Garland Bilbo of Praise Church in New Orleans, Louisiana, was a guest speaker at our church. He also asked people to come up for prayer if they wanted to be changed or to have more of God. Of course, we want more of God, so Dal and I went up for prayer. We were some of the last people Pastor Bilbo prayed for and his prayer seemed to be more specific as compared to his prayers for those around us. In his prayer for me, he placed his hand on my head and commented about the wisdom, knowledge, and experience God had given me and also about what Dal and I have gone through in our lives (we took this to pertain to business and ministry). Pastor Bilbo did not know anything about us; we had never met before. But what he prayed for me seemed to indicate that God had prepared me for the teaching ministry and was confirming his calling once again.

During 1997, another incident occurred which involved God's guidance and a little bit of prophecy, as I look back on it. I had been interacting with my neighbor friend, Ruth Reis. She was considering going on a tour to Israel, although she already had been to Israel a number of times. I told her I would check into a tour that I had read about in a magazine. When I was speaking to the travel agent on behalf of my neighbor, the travel agent asked me, "Why don't you lead a tour to Israel?" I thought, I have never done it before and I don't know how. Besides I don't have the time. But, the same day I called the travel agent, I had to teach two classes that evening. When I walked into class, two students, Carol Atwood and Nancy O'Connor, approached me and asked me to lead a tour to Israel. Then before the second class began, another student, Kris Bassett, walked into the classroom and asked, "Judy, when are you going to lead a tour to Israel?" I asked these students why they asked me that night. They didn't know. Then I told them the story about my phone call that day to the travel agent regarding a tour to Israel for my neighbor but that the conversation turned around to the idea of me leading a tour. All the students present decided this must be God. I have been leading biblical tours ever since.

On the last day of one of our tours, May 30, 2000, Dal and I were walking around Jerusalem during free time, and Dal suddenly asked what I thought would be the most important message to teach if people from various countries around the world asked me to teach for them. I looked at him and asked why he asked me that question. He didn't know, but thought I needed to think about it. I did think about it and determined that the contents in my Spiritual Growth class probably would be the most valuable to begin teaching for others.

Two weeks after Dal asked me what I would teach in other countries if asked, June 14, 2000, I had a phone call from a former student, Janice Wooldridge, who was living in San Antonio, Texas. She said she had a dream about me the night before. I asked her how she knew my phone number, and she said that God had given it to her so she thought she should call me. Her dream prophesied that I would be going places in different countries to speak, that doors would open and that the finances would be provided. She said that I would educate many people to reveal God's truth and have many spiritual sons and daughters around the world. Right now I was in a testing period to know God's heart.

Janice said it was important that I be in the right church and that I would be changing churches. We did change churches the following year when we moved our Bethany site to Arena Christian Center. It was then we began attending that church.

In addition, Janice said that eventually our daughter, Robin, would work with me. She also asked if Robin had gained weight (when Janice knew her, she was a size 00). I said, "Yes, she has gained a little." Janice said that she could see her in her dream and that she had gained some. She also told me to tell Robin to "Step into her destiny." It is interesting that Robin now is taking care of her granddaughter who is named Destiny.

According to Janice's dream, the prophesied events of my teaching around the world would start to happen once I met a "tall African guy with glasses who is very humble." Have I met him yet? We shall see.

A year later, November 16, 2001, two friends, Virginia Nutt and Laurel Scarborough, visited me and had a word for me. Actually, they said that God would give me wisdom and understanding (Daniel 9:22), and they gave me a passage of Scripture found in Isaiah 54:2-3 (NRSV), indicating that I would be fruitful:

² Enlarge the site of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. ³ For you will spread out to the right and to the left, and your descendants will possess the nations and will settle the desolate towns.

Janice Wooldridge had another word for us on March 22, 2002. She called, stating Dal and I would work together and that Dal had warm hands and would have a healing ministry with speaking engagements. She also said that we would go to fancy places and visit kings and priests as ambassadors. Whether this means actual rulers of nations or leaders in the Lord, this remains to be seen.

At our district council, we were encouraged to ask someone to pray for us at the altar. I went up to a former pastor, Pastor Leroy Lebeck, and asked him to pray for me. He prayed and quoted the following verses from Isaiah 46:9-11 (NRSV) while praying:

⁹ I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like me, ¹⁰ declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, "My purpose shall stand, and I will fulfill my intention," ¹¹ calling a bird of prey from the east, the man for my purpose from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have planned, and I will do it.

Time will tell if this verse can be applied to me. But it did encourage me to trust God to fulfill His calling and purposes for my life.

Early in 2003, a friend, Carl Goebel, told me that he believed God was impressing upon him that 2003 was a year of transition. I thought he meant a world-wide time of transition, and it certainly was. But when Bethany told me on June 13, 2003, that they were shutting down our Sacramento program, it became a year of transition for me also. Carl was prophetic in more ways than one.

Carl also had several more impressions from God. Here they are in his own words:

About the beginning of 2003, I received a visual impression of myself standing in the parking lot of the business park owned by Arena Christian Center and PianoDisk. The impression included an awareness that the entire building complex housed a Christian educational institution of unknown name. I wondered where the church, which had been located in part of the building, was now located. I glanced up above the flat roof of the one-story complex and noticed a white structure (some three stories high) towering above the left view of the business park. It was apparently located in the large adjacent parcel of land, now vacant. I understood that this white building was where the church was now located.

In the early summer of 2003, I received another visual impression, one specifically relating to Reyah College. It was a view of the sea, whose waters extended to the horizon. Above the sea, the sky was filled with streaks of clouds, some beautifully white, some ominously dark. I understood that the vastness of the water represented the great success of the college, and the streaks of clouds represented the various time periods for the college, some bright and productive, some dark and discouraging. But, overall, the scene was dynamically positive and encouraging.

Shortly after June 13, when Bethany stated they were closing down Sacramento, my husband and I, along with our instructors, decided to open our own Bible college. Carl and another friend, Kurt Vincent, helped us name the college based upon the theme verse that I had chosen for the school:

2 Corinthians 2:14 (NIV)
¹⁴ But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.

They suggested the college be named "Reyah College," since "Reyah" in Hebrew means "fragrance." We immediately liked their suggestion, and so our school is named Reyah College.

Later, February 24, 2003, my friend Virginia Nutt, whom I mentioned earlier, gave me some words from the Lord. She said:

God will be glorified in you as you will be a dancer and make merry for the glory of the Lord, and your words will fall upon the hearer as the dance of the tapestry of the image of Jesus Christ on the highway of the Lord. Many will come to you for instruction and you will glorify the Lord and exalt Him.

My former student and friend, Janice Wooldridge had another dream and called me on March 15, 2003. She mentioned that in the dream she visited me and saw our daughter, Robin. She saw that Robin had straightened her hair and was rocking in a rocking chair, being peaceful and at rest. She also mentioned that Robin would be writing. Yes, Robin had straightened her hair and often would rock her granddaughter, Destiny, in a rocking chair, being at peace. And yes, she recently had thought about writing encouraging books for her granddaughter to read as she was growing up.

Then Janice said she saw me in her dream and that she could see greenery and blossoms, which were blooming around me. She also said that she saw doors opening for me and that within three months I would know what they were. In addition, she said that family relationships would be restored among some family members and that with respect to Dal and me there would be a bank loan. She said I was entering a new level of worship, climbing a ladder of trust, and God would show me dreams. I would be sharing more of my life, possibly in teaching, and I would be involved with a LOT of college students. Then she asked if our church was a BIG white building. I said, "No," but then remembered what Carl Goebel had seen in his visual impression that our church would be on an adjacent lot and be a towering white building about three stories high.

Janice's dream was amazing. In three months, June 13, 1996, Bethany indicated that they were closing down the Sacramento program. A few days later, June 15, exactly three months from Janice's dream, we entertained the idea of opening our own college. Also, family relationships were restored among some family members, and Dal and I refinanced our home to pay off debts. Then beginning in 2004, the doors opened for me to teach seminars at various churches and colleges, and my husband suggested that, in addition to teaching, I share my testimony so the people could get to know me. Our church is not a towering white building yet, but who knows, it might be one someday.

I have had another prophecy, this time from my good friend, Dr. Kandee Mamula. A week after Bethany communicated that they were closing down the Sacramento program, I visited Kandee's church service on a Saturday evening, June 21. The pastor asked those who had a prayer need to raise their hands. I raised my hand and Kandee began praying for me. When she finished, she shared with me that she had seen a vision while praying. The vision was of the ocean waves coming and coming continuously to the shore. She saw me looking at the waves and then turning with my back to the waves to look at the multitudes of my disciples who had gathered to receive my teaching.

Kandee's vision was similar to Deann Carter's vision of the waves over eight years earlier. Deann's vision indicated that as the waves would come, I could not hold them back; God would fulfill His teaching purpose for me. Kandee's vision indicated that multitudes of waves would keep coming and I would have many, many disciples from around the world whom I would teach.

Kandee's and Deann's visions also correspond with the vision Carl had seen of the sea. He understood that the vastness of the sea represented the success of our college.

I think it is interesting to note that the background for the logo I picked for Reyah College is the Mediterranean Sea. In the summer of 2003, I went on a Journey's of Paul tour with Dr. George Wood and his group to Greece, Italy, and Turkey. The first night on the cruise ship, I took a picture of the sun setting behind the mountains of Athens as we departed from there. I liked the picture so well that I decided to use it as the background for our Reyah College logo. It wasn't until later that I realized the Mediterranean Sea idea tied in with the three prophecies I had received earlier about having many disciples and the success of our college.

On October 19, 2003, I spoke with Janice Wooldridge again on the phone. Besides catching up on the news of our families, Janice said that she saw me on the television station, TBN, that week. We weren't sure if that meant I would be on television some day or not. Now, I have no desire to be on television, and what Janice saw could just mean that she saw me teaching in front of people. We shall see.

Through these prophecies God was continuing to guide my steps. With Bethany closing down Sacramento, what should we do? God seemed to confirm that we should open our own college.

When Bethany College notified me that they were closing the Sacramento satellite, at first I was concerned. But then I began to praise the Lord who has everything under His control and who has been guiding my steps. At this point, I began to sense a great deal of freedom. Just before the notification, I had been thinking about Janice Wooldridge's dream and other prophecies that I would have many disciples around the world. I didn't see how that could happen. Now, maybe it could with our new college we wanted to open. Maybe this is what Larry Mininger meant when he prophesied that my ministry would expand.

I picked our theme verse for the college, and we agreed on the name, Reyah College. Thanks to the gracious help of our Pastor, Jesse Rorie, we were able to keep the excellent facilities that we had used for Bethany Sacramento, and our Bethany College adjunct instructors remained with us. We set up a corporation board and registered with the State of California as a nonprofit, religious corporation. We also registered with the Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education, which granted us official authorization to award degrees. Then we filed for our tax exempt status with the federal and state governments. In addition, we wrote an Information Handbook with our statement of faith and other helpful information about our college.

Our classes began the week of September 8, 2003, with students who remain very excited about our high quality, affordable biblical and ministry education. Plus, as busy learners, they like the flexible format of learning through evening classes and/or audio tapes and audio CD's.

Students who graduate from Reyah College have gained biblical and spiritual enrichment and are qualified educationally for ministerial credentialing with our Associate in Leadership Ministries program. In addition, they gain experiential learning which can count in a portfolio for credit at many regionally accredited colleges.

Thus, we provide accessible education to enrich, disciple, and equip our students to be effective and fruitful as they go about our Father's business. Our motto is: Learn -- Develop -- Serve! Biblical Education for Busy Learners! And Lord willing, we are and will continue to "spread everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ," 2 Corinthians 2:14.

On Monday, February 2, 2004, I received a phone call from one of our students, Midge Rodriguez. She related that a lady, who had been praying for her, came up to her Sunday at church and gave her a Bible verse that God had given her to give to Midge. Midge said, "You will never guess the verse!" I said, "Is it 2 Corinthians 2:14?" It was! Midge was so excited because to her it meant confirmation that she was to keep attending Reyah College, that this was of the Lord. She sensed God saying to her, "You are in Reyah, and I put you there. You are learning the Word to speak to your family and others." Now, more than ever, Midge definitely believes that God is using Reyah and me for her life and others spiritually!

Have I met the tall "African guy with glasses who is very humble?" I may not have met that specific person yet, but Kevin Brown, one of my former students, fits all of the criteria except he is not from Africa, but he is a black man. While visiting in our home on January 27, 2004, he said that I am supposed to be doing teaching seminars and for now not to be concerned about fund raisers for the college. Kevin has started the ball rolling for me to provide seminars, first in his church and then in others, and he and his wife have been a tremendous blessing to me and Dal.

Kevin's word to me was confirmed the same day he mentioned seminars, January 27, 2004. A former student, Amanda Shepard, who directs Chi Alpha at the campus of San Francisco State University, e-mailed me that day and asked me to do a seminar on March 20, 2004, for college students from five campuses in the San Francisco area. Of course, I said, "Yes!"

Well, that's my story so far. I had thought my life was plain and uneventful, but considering the interaction of family and friends along with God's guidance, it now seems interesting to me. But my earthly life is not completed yet. God still has service for me to do for His Kingdom and glory. Stay tuned.

I consider the calling as a teacher to be one of great responsibility. In fact, James 3:1 indicates that many should not become teachers because of the high level of responsibility. In other words, they should make sure they are called of God and then take it seriously. However, teachers are only a vehicle to help others in their knowledge and spiritual growth. They should not be the focus but should direct the focus upon God. Therefore, they should not make their students dependent upon them but should provide the necessary tools for continued growth and service. But teachers should challenge students in order to stimulate their growth.

As a woman teacher, I do not attempt to prove my "right" to teach, but I consider myself a person who has been called of God to do so. At the beginning of a course, I just explain the basics of the course and then begin to teach. I do not think I am the focus but a vehicle for the students to learn. If they have a problem at first with my being female, they soon forget about it because they find they are getting excited about learning.

To me, the teaching of sound doctrine and scriptural foundations is very important so that Christians may be strengthened in God's Word, well-equipped, and ready for His use. Foundational to my teaching is growing in the knowledge of God. As individuals grow in the knowledge of God and focus upon Him, they have a strong desire to worship and praise Him. In so doing, they become more Godlike and Christlike, which in turn provides for meaningful service in God's kingdom work.

Since God is involved in all of one's life and should be considered in that manner, it is imperative that education revolve around God, His Word, ways, and principles which should serve to guide one's daily living. Thus, my philosophy of education at the college level pertains to the idea of imparting knowledge, insight, and principles of God in such a way that what is taught can be understood, retained, and applied in one's life for effective Christian service no matter the vocation or avocation. Values, principles, and keys to help the interested student find his or her own answers from God and His Word should be instilled; thus, the individual is not dependent upon the teacher, but upon God. However, because lives can be influenced pertaining to eternal values and present actions, the teacher should be called of God to the teaching profession. According to 1 Corinthians 12:28 and Ephesians 4:11-13, God ordained the profession of teaching for the purpose of equipping Christians in ministry and for strengthening and encouraging the body of Christ. Therefore, education is an important area of Christian ministry.

The Scripture which fulfills the burden of my heart, and I believe that of the Apostle Paul, is found in Colossians 1:25-29 (NRSV):

²⁵ I became its servant according to God's commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, ²⁶ the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints. ²⁷ To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ²⁸ It is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. ²⁹ For this I toil and struggle with all the energy that he powerfully inspires within me.

Making God known as I grow in His knowledge is the burden of my heart and the thrust of the ministry God has given me. I apply this perspective to my courses. My goal for each student is that he or she also grows in the knowledge of the Lord and His ways to a greater extent than where that person was at the beginning of the class. Even though I do teach facts, I stress principles and examples with the ability to think and apply them in everyday life. Beginning students usually have a difficult time thinking and would rather just memorize facts, which they soon forget. But I require thinking, and once they catch on, they thank me even after they have graduated. Many students return to say they are applying what they have learned in my classes to their lives and ministry. My type of teaching is challenging, but my philosophy is that if one takes the time to take a class, one ought to be stimulated in growth in order to have something to show for the time spent. After all, we must be about our Father's business and become profitable and fruitful servants meet for His use.

In retrospect, a person's whole life prepares one for ministry. What we have learned through life's circumstances can be used for the glory of God. We can learn through our mistakes to better help others, since God can turn around our mistakes for good as He did with respect to Joseph and his brothers in Egypt. Plus, we can learn from our successes to help others become fruitful in God's kingdom work.

The experiences Abraham had throughout his life and interaction with God prepared him for his big test, recorded in Genesis 22. Abraham had learned to trust God so much that he was willing to obey God and offer his son Isaac on an altar. Hebrews 11:17-19 records that Abraham still trusted that his descendants of promise would be through Isaac even if God had to raise Isaac from the dead. And Abraham showed by his action that God was more important to him than the gift from God, even if the gift was Isaac, his son of promise.

Abraham's action, as recorded in Genesis 22, reveals the idea of "Birth and Death of a Vision," which I first heard about at a Bill Gothard seminar years ago. The concept is that God first of all gives or births a vision or burden in someone's heart for a specific ministry. But the situation becomes such that there is no possible way of fulfillment, so the vision dies. However, at some point, God resurrects the ministry and receives the glory. Isaac was considered as dead; yet Isaac was the son of promise through whom Abraham would have many descendants and the world would be blessed. But as Abraham was obedient, God in a sense resurrected Isaac from death by providing a substitute ram to be offered on the altar.

With respect to the vision or burden I believed God placed in my heart in the first place, this possibility died after I received my doctorate. But then God resurrected the teaching ministry for me, and He receives the glory. Even after Bethany decided to close down the Sacramento satellite, God resurrected again the ministry of teaching for me by providing the ministry of Reyah College. Sometimes a vision dies and is not resurrected, but then God provides something better for us in its place. But wherever we are, we need to "bloom where we are planted," in other words, we need to let our lives glorify God and be useful wherever we find ourselves in life. There is always a place to serve Him, and we should do it with our might. Sometimes the least significant things in human eyes are very important to God and are of lasting value. We should never stop learning and being as prepared as we can be to serve God.

Actually, our main calling is to glorify God and be conformed into the image of Jesus Christ. We can do that wherever we are. A summary of being Christlike is the summary of the Ten Commandments that Jesus gave to His disciples:

Luke 10:27 (NRSV)
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.

But whatever we do, we must be about our Father's business. A introductory comment of Vernon C. Grounds in Alan F. Johnson's commentary on Romans, sums up the idea:

What is man? Man is God's creature; Yes, but man is God's image, and through the misuse of his God-bestowed freedom, man is God's shame and man is God's problem; But by that incredible strategy of the cross, God makes it possible for man to become the Creator's child; And man may become the Creator's co-laborer, and man, finite man, may become the friend of an infinite and all-holy God; And ultimately man may be, if he will have it so, God's glory. ⁽⁸⁾

In conclusion, I want to mention the fact that I don't live or base my life on prophecies. I even forgot about most of them and just went about my Father's business, doing what seemed right so to do and what was in my pathway to do. I never sought prophecies in the first place, but they came to me.

On January 30, 2004, as I was reviewing the notes I had taken pertaining to the prophetic words from many friends over the years, I was amazed at how specific the prophecies were and how most of the details have been fulfilled. They verified God's amazing guidance in my life, and I was impressed to share about this interaction of God in a book of my life to encourage and bless others. So here it is.

The positive response of students to my teaching is one confirmation to me that God has called me to the teaching ministry. Although they state that my courses are challenging, they learn and come back after graduation and thank me for the impact on their lives and ministry.

The following are some of the students' comments:

1. Her anointed sermonettes are collectors' items.
2. As a teacher, Judy has no real weaknesses--teaching is her gift from God. She could take better care of herself though--so she'll last longer.
3. So much knowledge is her strength and openness to the Spirit of God and His leading. She is an inspiring, exciting, and electric teacher, full of wisdom.
4. Strongest point: desire to find God's truth.
5. I enjoyed her excitement and her teaching. She really lived what she taught.
6. Judy is the greatest--I learn so much through her ministry and reflection of Christ.
7. All I have to say is:  Wow!
8. I learned so much during the discussions and lectures--so rich with information and knowledge and insights!
9. Judy is a perfect example of what a teacher should be like. I commend her for her excellence, true dedication to her students, and her genuine care for us!
10. Overall, still one of the biggest impacts on my life. Thanks!!!
11. Judy has such insight and wisdom, yet she always gives God all the glory. God has used Judy in a wonderful way in my life--much healing has taken place. Judy has helped me tremendously in disciplining myself to study God's Word. It has been such a blessing that I will continue.
12. I really enjoyed the enthusiasm Judy has when she teaches her classes. She expresses well her belief in what she teaches. Judy is always well prepared when questions come up. And I am amazed by all her knowledge--her classes have enriched my life!
13. As a teacher, I don't think Judy has any weak points.
14. Judy encourages you to live and be the best for Jesus that you can be.
15. She accepted varying views on doctrine very well.
16. Awesome course [Hebrews] and instructor.
17. Judy has a sincere desire for all to learn and to expound her knowledge to others. I have grown to appreciate her even more in this past year.
18. Awesome--best class ever--learned the most. This class [Old Testament Prophets] eternally impacted my life--Thanks.
19. Judy is concerned with each student and her focus is for the eternal value of all. Judy has a clear understanding of the Word.
20. This course [Old Testament Prophets] makes you learn or else. I was pleased to have Judy as an instructor. I will never forget her. She knows what she is talking about. I wouldn't change a thing.
21. It changed my life--getting to know God more deeply, more thoroughly. She knows her God and His Word--she imparts it well.
22. Judy's strong points are her walk with God and laughter.
23. She has totally changed my life; how I pray; how I respond to trials; my love for God. The tests can be tough, but we learn! Judy has brought the Old Testament alive to me! She's planted in me an excitement and desire to study deeper.
24. It was an awesome class [Old Testament Poetry] that made me grow closer to God.
25. Judy is strong in her understanding of the subject and has a deep sincere love for our class and us.
26. I have grown in the knowledge and understanding of who God is. My life is changed irreversibly.
27. The information was never dull or dry! always tantalizing. One of the better organized teachers I've ever had. I remember her using statements for the practical nature more than just to be talking.
28. Strong voice, very clear, motivator.
29. Loved this class [God the Father] very much; have a better understanding of God, His plans and purposes.
30. For me personally, this course [Theology and Doctrine] has been an "eye-opener!" After twenty years as a believer, I found that I "knew" most of the material ONLY on the surface level. "I've been drinking milk way too long!" This course offered me the chance to "really bite down on some meat." There should be a way to request believers to go through a course like this after every five or ten years. Imagine the revival that would take place!!
31. I have the opportunity to learn so much. And the good part about it is that when I'm studying and doing assignments, I feel like I'm having devotions and the Holy Spirit is right with me.
32. Your teachings are so rich.
33. Thanks for a couple of great classes this semester. Although your classes typically have a lot of work, I am blessed by what I come away with learning. Thanks for being diligent to God's calling.
34. I really enjoyed your classes. Thank you so much for your teaching. I learned a lot.
35. You have walked me through a lot of my learning. I am grateful to have such a woman of God playing a key role in my development.
36. It has been a rare opportunity to be almost tutored by such an excellent teacher who cares so much about each of us personally.
37. You have blessed and touched many, many students. You have taught me so much, Judy, and you always add so much more to your classes than what is required. I'll always cherish what I have learned in the New Testament, Old Testament, Systematic Theology, Paul and Spiritual Formation. Thank you for making everything so much clearer to me.
38. No teacher is like you. I miss your style, your teaching personality, and all that you add into your classes. There are so many things that you have taught me that have really stuck with me. Your teaching and the things you say never go unnoticed and are never forgotten by me and I'm sure others. You have truly touched many people.
39. Judy has been an encouragement to me throughout all of her classes. She is enthusiastic when she speaks and really wants to share all that she can with us. She loves the Lord and God's love reflects in and through her. She certainly goes the extra mile in each class because she loves us and wants the best for us.
40. Great teacher!
41. Great course [God the Father]. While participating in this course I grew very much in the faith and understanding of God.
42. This is the first time in college that I have been intellectually challenged.
43. Thank you so much for all your encouragement. God used you in my life, and I know he has used you in the lives of many. Keep up the good work for the Lord.
44. This has been a fun class [Pentateuch].
45. I have appreciated your encouragement throughout the semester. You have been a blessing to me.
46. Thank you for the encouraging words. I really appreciate them. I have enjoyed our class together.
47. I really feel like I am learning a lot in your class. You are very organized.
48. I learned a lot in your class this semester. You are a wonderful teacher.
49. I have enjoyed your class. You are very organized and you have made it very easy and enjoyable for me this semester.
50. This class [Spiritual Growth] has helped me through some very difficult times over the last couple of months. Through the homework and exercises, I have been able to keep my focus in the right place and by doing so have been strengthened, immeasurably enriched, and received direction. The Lord impressed upon me that I still have a lot to learn and need to be more diligent about reading His Word and praying. Your class is nurturing this so much in my life.
51. I have to tell you that I've never seen an instructor as knowledgeable about their subject as you are.
52. I thoroughly enjoyed this class, Judy [Spiritual Growth]. I learned so much. The important thing that has changed my life in this class is how to focus truly on God, how to pray by first starting to praise Him and focus on Him. I never dwelt on what praise actually is, which simply is communicating back to Him all His qualities and what we see favorably in Him. That in itself has opened my eyes and made me more aware of how to praise Him and being more aware of His presence. Praise and worship have really taken on new meaning for me as has reading God's Word. Now I ask, what did I get out of it, what does God want to teach me, and how does it apply to me today. Now when I read, I sort of take it with me all day and meditate on it. Thank you so much for teaching this class. It took the focus off of me and on God. Thanks again for sharing your love for the Lord with us and sharing all that you can about Him to us.
53. Thank you for such a wonderful learning experience. I have truly enjoyed every moment of both your Old and New Testament classes.
54. In the Spiritual Growth class, I have been becoming more and more God-centered rather than self-centered and have been freer to become effective in service for the glory of God and for the benefit of others. Being in God's presence and worshipping Him is becoming a lifestyle for me.
55. I just want to encourage you by saying that I am learning quite a bit [Spiritual Growth]. Praising the Lord and exalting Him is becoming an everyday thing for me.
56. No class or course has ever given me as much in the way of personal growth and satisfaction as has this Old Testament study. Because of this whole school experience, I have sought and received the Spirit baptism, and I'm closer to the Lord than ever before. Specifically because of the Old Testament series, I have become more aware of my responsibility before God and, more specifically, this semester I have become more aware of my responsibility to others.
57. For five semesters now Judy has been mentor and friend to me, accepting my weaknesses but encouraging my strengths, while all the time demanding my best.
58. I've never left her class "hungry."
59. Judy is an extraordinary teacher. Teaching is her greatest gift, and the work of the Holy Spirit is clearly evident in every course, every lecture, and every word of instruction she gives.
60. In grading papers, Judy can be so very critical and so very kind at the same time. The result is greater effort with less fear next time on the part of the student.
61. You have taught me and given me so much insight into the things of God and His Word that I can't thank you enough. From one end of the Bible to the other, you have enlightened me and created a hunger to learn more about the things of God. You have raised my confidence in my God and myself in your encouragement and directing my life while in your classes by the example of your life of dedication to God and His Word, by the knowledge and wisdom that you have shared with me, by your stern but fair evaluation of my work, and by the graciousness that you bring with you into the class.
62. From this course, I found a renewed appreciation and understanding of the ways of God in dealing with humanity on personal and corporate or national levels. Upon gaining a more intimate knowledge of the lives of the prophets, i.e., the depth of their conviction in the fact of frequent and relentless ignorance and opposition, and their resolves to obey and make known the ways of God, I personally, came away with a renewed spiritual impetus to follow more closely, listen more carefully, study more intently, and seek Him with a more confident tenacity. Because of the content of this study and its emphasis on judgment and correction, as well as its instructor (you know who you are, Judy!), I feel like I now have a more balanced view of God's judgments and mercies, i.e., his righteous requirements and his long-suffering patience, his absolute holiness, and his grace to redeem fallen man. I must say, Judy, that in spite of your lack of specific knowledge in a few instances (then again I can ask some rather obtuse questions sometimes!), I keenly appreciate your attention to answer questions specifically and to the point. I have found that to be a rare quality. Furthermore, I honestly don't think I've ever heard a teacher that better balances between disseminating the base academic content of biblical literature without losing sight of an awareness of the spiritual nature and function of the work you're performing. I must say, Judy, that I was specifically and personally ministered to in a number of classes, and I felt the anointing on your teaching and deeply appreciate it.
63. Through your courses, I am getting to know my God in a deeper way, having the joy of my salvation restored, and my spirit renewed. The fervency that I felt as a young believer is a part of my life once again.
64. When I attended the first night and reviewed the syllabus and saw all that was required, I thought to myself, "you've really done a stupid thing this time." No way was I going to be able to keep up in the class, and I was sure I would be dropping out. But something happened once the instruction began; there was such a conviction that came over me, that the only way I can put it into words is to say that I fell completely in love with the class, the study, the assignments, and most of all, God's Word. I couldn't wait to get to class; many times I would be in class an hour before starting time. As I thirsted after God and his desire for my life, I found myself being refreshed each Tuesday night while drinking in knowledge from Judy's messages. Thank you, Judy Phillips. You are a woman whose voice speaks truth, whose eyes shine brightly, and whose person reflects Jesus. My only regret is that the class has come to an end. But Glory to God, there is still more to learn.
65. This class has broken down complex concepts into bite-size pieces. Now I feel challenged to read and study the Old Testament instead of being overwhelmed! Most importantly, I feel that God has opened my eyes up to Scriptures which will change my life. The foundation being built during this class is very strong, and I feel that the Lord is strengthening my concept of Him and the Christian walk. Thank you for your teaching style, Judy. I appreciate your ability to make mind-boggling statements understandable! The facts you present are clear and concise. Thank you for "walking us through" these ideas.
66. I appreciate that you try to get many points and ideas grounded into our heads, so we will know them for the ministry. The Old Testament has so much to say about ministry, how to do it, and how not to do it. I've learned a lot in your classes because you portray the Scriptures and make them all come alive in the culture and customs, thought, literature, and mind set of the writers and peoples of the time. Thanks a lot for your dedication.
67. The teaching style allowed for a little bit of class participation, yet still covered a lot of information. The information incorporated some popular theological differences, stimulating thought on our part. Even with other views of the Bible and some views that Judy had on the subject, Judy always separated what is known or commonly believed from what was speculation.
68. Old Testament Prophets has been a great class. There is just so much material that it has inspired me to dig into the Old Testament. I really like the way that Judy presents God in the Old Testament. Not just facts, but you can see the face of God. Judy, I want to thank you for your love for God and your concern for each individual student that you teach. You are truly a blessing and woman of God.
69. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you so much for your teaching and for all that you have done for me in my relationship with Christ. It is evident in your teaching that what you teach is a part of your life. You are not teaching just to teach, but you love what you are doing and you take a real interest in every single student. I don't think it would matter what you teach or do in your life, it would turn out good because God is in all that you do.

    1. Encarta® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1999,2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

    2. Ibid.

    3. 1 Peter 1:7.

    4. Jessie Orton Jones, Secrets, New York: The Viking Press, 1945, p. 8.

    5. Deuteronomy 4:29; Jeremiah 29:13.

    6. Romans 8:16.

    7. Proverbs 7:1-3.

    8. Alan F. Johnson, Romans, The Freedom Letter, vol. 1, Chicago: Moody Press, 1984, p. 5.