My name is Maggie and I am the owner and head moderator of Virtuous Women.  I have been a Christian for thirty-two years, having made a public profession of faith in Christ as my Savior at the age of 6 and baptized by immersion two weeks later upon my own request.  I was raised by Christian parents who were active in lay ministry in our home church, and who put my brother and I to work alongside them as soon as we were equipped.  At the age of about ten I started helping with puppets and at age 12 I began attending teacher seminars.  I was introduced to Child Evanglism Fellowship missionaries through these seminars and was approached about serving as a Christian Youth in Action Summer Missionary.  As a summer missionary I went to camp for two weeks where I was trained in how to present Bible and missionary stories incorporating the gospel points and how to teach memory verses.  We then went out in teams of two or three into communities where people opened their backyards to us and we taught five-day clubs to the neighborhood children.  I did this ministry for three summers, at the ages of 14-16.

I attended Appalachian Bible College and graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Bible and Theology with a concentration in Bible Family Counseling.  The most important thing I learned there was how to study the Bible for myself, and in an Independent Study in Bible assignment learned the unmitigated joy of discovering new truths for myself.  From that time I have been passionate about helping others learn to study the Bible and learn truth for themselves, especially women.

In 1995 the Lord brought back into my life a friend I had met in college and made it apparent to us that we were to be married.  We married in 1996.  My husband also has a passion for Bible teaching and helping people learn to study the Bible for themselves.  He has a unique take on Bible teaching and spiritual warfare, coming from a military background that includes time in the Marine Corps, Army Reserve, WV Army Reserve National Guard and Drill Sergeant.

My teaching style is such that I do not "tell" my student the answers but attempt to guide them in finding the answers for themselves.  I admit that I had one instructor in college who did this and it drove all of us crazy.  However, having accumulated experience in life I recognize that this is the most meaningful way teaching.  There is a Chinese Proverb that says, "Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day.  Teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime."  I have seen people who have gone to Bible colleges, considered themselves thoroughly educated in the Bible, and got caught up in some false teaching because what they got in college didn't cover that particular point.  Had they been equipped and encouraged to study for themselves, this shouldn't have happened.  My goal is to "raise" students who outgrow me, and hopefully always value my contribution to their learning process.

You can visit my theology blog at:
http://trapperhoney.blogspot.com