Fortunately for you and me, God is lavish with grace. I only wish that I'd come to understand this long before I did, not that I will ever fully understand the generosity or joy with which God dumps it out upon me.

For a long time, the notion of grace was a theological term separate from most of my daily reality. Of course, I understood that I needed grace. Who can get very far without at least a dollop? I simply had no idea that the hand piling on the free dollops belongs to the One true Lover of my soul.   

Early on, in fact as a five-year old, I understood in child-like simplicity that I was at odds with God and could be put on good terms with Him only through Jesus, who spent His life and blood to purchase mine.

But it was much later before I began to understand and experience the heart of the One who had willingly gone to such lengths to woo and win my allegiance. Although I profited from good Bible teaching throughout my youth, from Bible classes in college and church, I had little experience of the loving, gracious heart of my Father.  

The funny thing about grace is that once you become aware of it, the more you realize you need, the more you crave and the more you get to savor.

So it is for me. God has awakened my need of Him and given me more than I could have dreamed possible. But it hasn't come without price--confession of sin and shame to others, repentance of idolatry, acceptance of my responsibility to develop gifts and interests, death to my agendas--the same as for you.

What has been utterly astonishing is that confession of specific sin and shame to trustworthy others has been met with surprising compassion and grace and amazing affirmation of the glorious work God is doing in me. Risking my heart in relationships is scary but enables me to more profoundly experience the affection and love so elusive to my perfectionism and spiritual pretense. I'm learning to enjoy God's "come as you are" party, and yes that's what we're about here at Inspire!  

During those early years of awakening, I began to write and develop Titus 2: Spiritual Mentoring for Women with the generous assistance of gifted friends and leaders in the women's ministry of the large church on whose staff I served for seven years. My work there included enfolding new members, directing congregational care, and overseeing women's ministries.

The Spiritual Mentoring studies have given me the opportunity to inspire and train women to develop relationships that are truly transformational, and the studies have been used by hundreds of women in churches nationwide. The Inspire! ministry and resources are based upon the truths, philosophy and practices integral to these foundational studies.

If you've guessed that I enjoy writing and teaching, you're right. Of the two, writing is more difficult and sometimes tempts me to hurl my laptop into rush hour traffic. If I pretend to prefer wandering the mountains or perusing antique shops or books stores, don't you believe it. There is nothing more thrilling than helping others recognize and respond to the wonder and freedom of God's "electrifying grace," to borrow Tim Keller's turn of phrase.

As Founder of Inspire! Women's Mentoring Ministries, I'm committed to creating and/or presenting resources that help you come as you are to God and risk trusting others, that challenge and encourage you to nurture spiritual relationships, and that inspire you to courageously offer your gifts in joyful service to the kingdom.

While I've been privileged to minister vocationally in the past, I currently work in the surveying department of an award winning engineering firm in suburban Maryland. My work has nothing to do with anything that I've studied, but I excel at it and enjoy the variety of projects I do with our skillful staff. 

Gratitude aside, I'll give up my current position in a heartbeat to serve Inspire! It's my fondest vocational desire to devote my time and resources to the leadership and further expansion of all three elements of Inspire! You can read more about this under Inspire! Vision.

In case you're wondering about more personal details, I grew up on a ten-acre ranch on the Mojave Desert in California, graduated from Biola College (now University) with a B.A. in English, taught junior high through college English in Christian schools in Maryland and Florida, earned an M.Ed. and did doctoral course work in human development at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Now I reside in Bethesda, Maryland and worship with the wonderful congregation of Fourth Presbyterian Church (EPC). I'm privileged to lead two women's Bible studies monthly and am bolstered by growing friendships with women in them. When not mentoring, writing or developing Inspire!, I might be found visiting my 88-year-old mother, who has dementia and regales me with imaginative tales, or with my nose in an English mystery or fingers in colorful needlepoint yarn.

Now you know a little more about Susan. I hope you have the sense that all of us at Inspire! are real women--women just like you, in desperate need of a daily handout of grace and oh so rich for having received it.