Michelle Bentham lives called to serve God and His Kingdom as an ordained minister, visual artist, author, speaker, and teacher. She remains passionate about helping others connect to God’s heart through creative expression and God’s Word – the scriptures and His Son, Jesus Christ. She lives as a daughter and friend of God, wife to Scott – AKA #TheFisherman, a mentor, friend, and mother to a handful of amazing adult children, sons-in-love, and Mimi to two precious grandchildren while anticipating the arrival of her third Fall 2024.
Michelle confessed with her mouth what she believed in her heart at age twelve. She and her family regularly attended a small Bible church in Granbury, Texas, where she attended Sunday school and youth services each week. She remembers the day vividly; it was a warm fall Sunday afternoon, and she had been following along in her Bible as the pastor shared an in-depth message from scripture. A deep sense of knowing filled her heart as she became aware of the sins she committed: those lies she told, times she snuck money out of her momma’s purse or was disrespectful to her parents. Those were the sins that put Jesus on the cross for her. As her family of five loaded into the car, she confessed her awareness to her parents. It was at that moment that salvation became a reality in her life. The work of sanctification would be delayed by church splits, poor decisions, suffering abuse, divorce, and criminal behavior that should have sent her to jail – a true prodigal child.
But, in those prodigal days, God’s mercy met her, and she married #TheFisherman with a blended family of five kids who were six years apart in age. Somehow, this “used-up woman with three kids” built a life with a good man who didn’t know God, and they found their way first to church and then into a marriage blessed by God in every way. They landed in a little church in those early days of marriage, where they each took on leadership roles and grew in relationships with other believers.
She came in the back door to leadership in a small country church when her pastor’s wife invited her to help lead Bible study. There, she grew as a volunteer before becoming the women’s ministry leader while still wet behind the ears as a disciple of Christ. In those early days, she found a veracious appetite for in-depth bible study and began writing blogs about her passion in 2007.
During a season of unbearable grief, she found both healing and freedom and began to lead, teach, and mentor others in both grief recovery and how to live free in Christ. She also found her way into an internet radio station and found a home behind the microphone. She has developed programming for three radio programs, helped three individuals launch their radio programs, and helped three women begin their podcasts and shared her platform with them as they learned the ropes.
In 2016, after years of working in vocational ministry in a handful of churches, she sought ordination as an independent minister with the National Association of Christian Ministers. This became the first vital step of faith that would launch her into a season of discovery and adventure with God – leading ultimately to calling and purpose in Christ.
In 2017, she began to lead a verse-by-verse study in her hometown of Granbury, Texas. These verse-by-verse studies came to fullness around a table full of women hungry to dive into scripture. Michelle never looked back. Since that time, she led and taught the verse-by-verse format in all four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, as well as two previous written studies in the epistles focusing on the letters of John, Peter, Jude, James, Hebrews, Ephesians, and Colossians. She loves encouraging people to read the scripture for themselves and consider what they would believe if they only had the scriptures to inform their faith.
As she began to embark on this journey of faith, leading community-based Bible studies, she also began displaying art in a local gallery, began teaching art courses from a biblical perspective, and took an online coaching certification course that would become instrumental in discovering her purpose and calling in life. Her preparation journey culminated in 2020 when she began attending a ministry school online, from which she graduated in 2023. She lives to know God deeply and express His goodness to those around her, making them hungry to live a Kingdom-focused life.
In 2023, Michelle began publishing online courses and workbooks through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing. She created her LLC to house her art, design, publishing, and coaching businesses. As she has followed God through the process, she has learned that He wants to expand her understanding and help the company fund her ministry.
She now lives in Granbury, Texas, with her husband, Scott, where she enjoys an abundant life and close relationships with her family, friends, and the body of Christ.
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