About Noel

If I could begin a conversation with you over a cup of coffee, I would begin with the basics: I am a professor of Old Testament and spiritual formation, an author, a retreat leader and public speaker, a wife, and a lover of really good coffee and meaningful conversation.

For a long time now, I have had a keen interest in the ways in which God’s story speaks to the heart of human experience. The stories in the Bible are, of course, first the stories of the original Jews (and Christians) who told them. However, as one who has taken her place in the midst of the beautiful and messy tradition of orthodox Christianity, they are also my stories. They are your stories, too, dear friend.

I invite you into these stories because that is what these stories do. The stories in the Bible always invite us to find our place inside of them. These stories invite us to experience all that God longs for us to experience—wholeness, forgiveness, peace, and joy.

In short, these stories invite us to experience God.

That is my invitation to you. Much of my own journey has involved a movement from fragmentation to wholeness, and so much of my writing will speak to these themes. For me, the words of the prophet Hosea to the children of Israel speak to my own experience:

Here, the Bible references much of human experience—much of our lives are in wilderness spaces, wondering where God is and longing for God to speak to our hearts, to offer a tender word. Throughout the Bible, it is in wilderness that people encounter God. It is in wilderness that I have encountered God. Wilderness, with all that it symbolizes about uncertainty, fear, loss of control, the absence and the presence of God, is part of my story. For me, wilderness is autobiographical. I have found myself in wilderness spaces, uncertain about the future, uncertain about where God is, and yet, strangely, finding that it is in that very space where God has most captured and captivated my heart.

I hope you will join me as we journey together into the heart of God.