by Nancy Huffine | July 26, 2024

One of the keynote speakers at Moody Bible Institute’s 2024 ReNew women’s conference is author, speaker, and mom Glenna Marshall. Glenna’s husband, William, is a pastor, and the Marshalls are raising two sons, Isaiah and Ian, in Sikeston, Missouri. Glenna grew up in Tennessee and studied creative writing at Union University, graduating with a BA in English in 2003.

Glenna is the author of three books, including Memorizing Scripture for Moody Publishers, and travels extensively to speak at women’s retreats and conferences. Much of her writing deals with spiritual disciplines as the means by which we grow in the faith and endure suffering. No stranger to trials, Glenna shares openly in her books about her long history with infertility and a rare chronic pain disease. Her deepest desire is to direct her readers into a deep study of Scripture.

Let’s meet ReNew conference keynote speaker Glenna Marshall.

Will the 2024 ReNew women’s conference be your first experience speaking at a Moody event?

Glenna: This will be my first speaking experience at Moody! All of my connections with Moody have come through Moody Publishers. I’ve done multiple interviews with Moody Radio, have published one book, and have a contract for two more books with Moody.

Tell us about that partnership with Moody Publishers. What was your most recent release, and what are you working on now?

Glenna: I recently published a book on Scripture memorization with Moody and have loved seeing God work through that as readers are reaping the benefits of hiding God’s Word in their hearts. That was such a fun book to write!

These days, I am working on a new book that walks through Psalm 139, examining what it means to be known by God. While we know that God is all-knowing, His omniscience means something deeper when it comes to His people. For those who struggle to believe that God loves them on an individual level, this book is an invitation to look at the heart of God through Scripture. He is the One who knows us better than we know ourselves—and loves us more than we could possibly imagine. This book will be published with Moody in July of 2025.

You’ve written and spoken about seasons of pain and loss in your own life. Most of us want to avoid suffering like the plague—no pun intended. Does suffering have anything good to teach us?

Glenna: We’re tempted to view suffering as something that should be avoided at all costs, but Scripture holds a different view of suffering. Trials and pain can be the very instruments God uses to refine our faith and deepen our trust in Him. Peter speaks to this in his first epistle, saying that our trials bring about “tested genuineness” of faith (1 Peter 1:9).

Suffering is one of the means by which we learn perseverance, which is necessary for the Christian life (James 1:2–4). We follow a Savior who suffered greatly, so it makes sense that we, too, will suffer as He did. But Scripture teaches that we can rejoice in suffering because God uses our trials to make us like Jesus (1 Peter 4:13) Suffering is difficult to endure, but it produces hope in God’s good purposes for us. He will make us like Jesus!

As the wife of a pastor for more than 20 years, what do you think most people misunderstand about pastors’ wives, and how would you inform those opinions?

Glenna: Most pastors’ wives do not have formal training for ministry. I sure didn’t! So walking into ministry—sometimes as newlyweds with a husband fresh out of seminary—means we are ill-prepared for the challenges of church ministry.

Additionally, being “the pastor’s wife” does not mean we know how to teach children’s Sunday School, play the piano, or organize outreach projects. A pastor’s wife is a regular church member who needs encouragement like everyone else. She has gifts that can edify the church like the other members, but she will not automatically fit into a mold or meet unrealistic expectations. Sometimes the best gift I can give my church is to be at home with my kids so that my husband is free to be available for a meeting or hospital visit. That is good, albeit unseen, service to the body.

Sometimes Christian women/families look perfect on the outside: fit and friendly husband and wife, happy and obedient children, family prayer and devotions together, tidy and organized home. For the Christian woman who wonders why her life doesn’t look anything like that, what would you say?

Glenna: Sometimes the image you get of other people’s “perfect” lives is just that—an image. A projection. You’re not seeing the messy bathroom, the arguments, the disciplinary issues, or the tight budget at home. People let you see what they want you to see, so keep in mind that no one’s life is as perfect as you might think.

Additionally, God’s calling on your life is not to be accomplished, popular, famous, wealthy, organized, or admirable. His calling is for you to be faithful. When we see Him face to face, He won’t say, “Well done, my good and accomplished, wealthy, organized servant!” No, His words will be about faithfulness. Build your life around the things that will cultivate faithful, spiritual growth in your life: God’s Word, prayer, His church. Keep your eyes on Jesus and invest your strength in what will last.

We’ve been hearing for years now that, while we’re more “connected” than any generation before us, we’re also lonelier. Do you think that’s true?

Glenna: Online connections are only screen-deep. Being friends with everyone often means we are close friends with no one. When God created Adam, He said that it wasn’t good for him to be alone, so He also created Eve. We were made to have relationships, and we do not flourish in bodily isolation.

While it’s a gift to be able to connect with people across the globe and have relationships afforded to us through the internet and social media, we will struggle with loneliness if we do not invest in in-person friendships. This is why your local church is a gift to you.

God did not intend for us to follow Jesus in isolation. We are part of a family, and we need one another. When I feel that loneliness that comes from too much scrolling, I take it as a cue to put down my phone and spend more face-to-face time with my local church friends.

For the woman who hears you speak at the ReNew conference—whether she’s joyous, skeptical, exhausted, or broken—what do you hope she takes home with her when she leaves?

Glenna: My hope is that whatever her state of mind, she will leave feeling refreshed by God’s Word, encouraged to build her life around knowing Him through Scripture. If we want to know God, we must do this through His Word—that’s how we are renewed! Many years ago, I struggled to understand that God loved me or that He could use suffering in my life for good, and it wasn’t until I gave myself to regular study of Scripture that I began to see Him as the good, kind, faithful God that He is. I plan to give the women some tools to help them renew their minds with God’s Word so that they will be prepared to see Him as He truly is.

Glenna is the author of Memorizing Scripture, The Promise Is His Presence, and Everyday Faithfulness: The Beauty of Ordinary Perseverance in a Demanding World. Some of her most-read blog posts include “When God Takes His Time,” “The Goodness of God in a Closed Womb,” and “When I Am Afraid, I Will Trust in the Carbon Monoxide Detector.” Connect with Glenna on Facebook, X, and Instagram.