There were so many things I wanted to be when I grew up. As an adult, I find I’ve been on a lifelong journey of discovery of who I have been becoming all along. All of which has led to what I write about here and on the companion website of nancybentz.com.
When I started this blog in 2010, I commented to my husband that I was stumped at the “About” page (kinda like when you go to introduce your best friend and your brain freezes up). Wise man that he is, he simply asked me, “What do you want to be known for?” With that, the ice block began to thaw and the river began to flow …
I got married to that wise man, Wayne, in September 1976. Our union produced three beautiful children – a son and two daughters – all of whom are now married. Two of their families have produced our four grandchildren who bring joy to our lives. God knows it helps to be younger when birthing and raising families…and we were. All these years later, it’s evident Wayne and I made a great choice to have our family while ‘youthful’ was still our middle name. We’re not old geezers yet, which means more energy to enjoy the changing seasons of middle age. And, we have the ability to relate to our own children and their spouses, cheering their triumphs, giving sought counsel, and being a source of prayer covering and encouragement as they too walk the path of discovering who they have been becoming all along.
Our empty-nester home is located in Spokane, Washington – the city where my husband was born and raised. I hail from Yakima, Washington where my family of origin still resides. On one end of our life spectrum, my mother (in her 90’s) is the last of our four parents still with us. We were introduced to a new phase of life with the passing of Mom Bentz in May 2010 – three weeks after I started this blog. My father passed in October 2018, eight years later, at another pivotal point in our own life journey. And, in 2021, two months into our Sabbatical year, Dad Bentz passed on. The opposite end of the spectrum is that our grown children, all in their forties, and our four grandchildren have full and engaging lives. They are now where we used to be, learning and living life’s lessons in their respective seasons. With our nuclear family scattered far from our home in Spokane, we are living the ‘sandwich’ season mostly long-distance.
In January 2010 I began a course of study for my Life Coaching certification while working fulltime. After a 23-year career of executive assisting and office management, I transitioned in January 2012 to come alongside my husband in the helps ministry God has entrusted to us, Shammahs Field LLC / Shammah Ministries, founded in 2004.
In 2021 we took a Sabbatical year off and returned for God’s refocused and appointed time in May 2022 on a reduced schedule. Wayne continues in his counseling / prayer ministry practice. Through Shammah Ministries, writing is a mainstay of what I offer here, complemented with spiritual growth and development writings and teachings through the lens of the Redemptive Gifts of Romans 12 over at nancybentz.com. Earlier coaching-focused posts remain relevant and accessible at From the Archives.
In 2005, just two years into my employment with what turned out to be my final employer, the Lord began to draw out of me a latent childhood love for creative writing. Decades later and a life’s worth of journeying, He has fashioned a redemptive story line that I simply must tell. After all, that’s part of who I have discovered I have been becoming. He has etched Himself and His love on my heart for eternity.
As you read, may you too drink deeply from the Source of our Wellspring of Life.
Nancy ~ Gracefully Free