Speaker teaches reflection, challenge
The message struck a chord within Rhonda Bogart, spurring the Spokane woman to pack her bags and embark on a mission trip to Romania.
“Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone,” Beth Moore, author and Bible teacher, said in a video.
Moore’s words during the three month online Bible study course inspired Bogart to spend 10 days in rural Romanian villages, organizing vacation Bible schools for children.
“She talked about how we need to challenge ourselves and to believe that God will work in our lives,” said Bogart. “It was definitely life-changing.”
Bogart, 41, will be among more than 5,000 women expected to gather this weekend to hear Moore preach at the Spokane Arena. Bogart and other women from Crossover Church in Mead are longtime Moore fans and have used her Bible study programs as they explore their own spiritual paths.
Moore, who founded Living Proof Ministries in 1994, has established a large fan base among Christian women throughout the country. In the Spokane area alone, dozens of churches have used her books and Bible study programs, which address marriage, motherhood and other issues.
Her ministry is “dedicated to Biblical literacy and a commitment to guide believers to love and live on God’s Word,” according to the Living Proof Web site. Her fans praise her openness and sense of humor. Several women who regularly use her Bible study programs describe Moore as a spiritual leader who has taught them to reflect on their actions and their own calling to serve God.
More than 421,000 women in 39 states have attended her Living Proof conferences.
“When she teaches, she seems like she knows me,” said Tammy Fortney of Deer Park. “It’s like sitting down and having coffee with your best friend.”
The fourth child of a retired Army major and a homemaker, Moore grew up in a Christian household in Arkansas, where she learned about God during Sunday school. Before establishing Living Proof, Moore taught aerobics to Christian music and spoke about God during luncheons and retreats, in addition to raising her two children.
When she’s not on the road, Moore teaches a 700-member Sunday school class at Houston’s First Baptist Church. She also hosts an interdenominational Tuesday night Bible study for women in her city.
“God has spoken through her,” said Cheryl Monson, of Spokane, who first learned about Moore six years ago. “All my life, I struggled to follow a religion. Now, instead of religion, I have a relationship with Jesus.”
In addition to watching a weekly video, Monson said she takes about 15 minutes each day to read the Bible and do Moore’s study. The process has enhanced her relationship with God, she said, and helped her become a better mother to three young children.
Looking back on her trip to Romania last July, Bogart said she never would have found the courage to travel overseas had it not been for Moore’s words. It wasn’t easy to go without the conveniences of her daily life in Spokane, including her hair dryer and morning latte, Bogart said.
“She challenges us through God’s word,” said Bogart, a mother of two and a manager at a law firm. “She reminds women to go out there and not be afraid because God will help us.”