Shirley Smith first shared God's Word when she was seven years old. Lining up her dolls across her bed, she taught Sunday school lessons from her Bible story books. She memorized short Bible verses in Sunday school and longer passages, such as the parable of the ten virgins from the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew, in her public school third grade class. After graduating from high school, she prayed for guidance in choosing a vocation. Receiving a degree in Community Health, she instructed public health clinic patients about preventive health measures before taking a job that included instructing new employees. God was steering her toward service in teaching. She became an assistant Sunday School teacher. When God led her to retire, he led to encourage others by writing about lessons he had taught her that had strengthened her faith and her Christian walk. She lives in Jacksonville, Florida.