I grew up as a preacher’s kid, the daughter of Roy and Barbara Moss, in Bartlesville, OK. During this time I was involved in many musical activities: High School Select Choir, Bartlesville Strolling Strings, Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra, and Oklahoma All-State Orchestra. I won many awards at various classical piano and violin contests. I also won first place at a state-wide academic contest in the area of music theory. I was an honor roll student and based on my standardized test scores, I earned a National Merit Scholarship.

On the basis of this scholarship, my tuition was paid to attend Tulsa University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, magna cum laude. I was selected for the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau, and at graduation I was selected the Outstanding Nursing Student in my class as well as one of only three Outstanding Business School Students. During this time I also volunteered at my church in the capacities as Sunday School teacher for 1st and 2nd graders, member of the youth team, violinist, and organist. I took piano lessons from Doug Howard and Judy Bradley, both of whom greatly contributed to my skills in playing by ear in a Pentecostal context. Judy Bradley also built on my skills as a pianist by developing the organist in me. At the time I did not realize how important that skill would be in my life.

When I met Steven Beardsley after high school in 1992, we were on a missions trip to Berlin and Budapest. They promised this trip would be life-changing, and were they ever right! We remained in contact over the next few years, but I had received an operating room internship in Tulsa that I thoroughly enjoyed. This turned into a job offer which I intended to take. I had a condo bought and was ready to start my career doing what I loved, but in 1995 things changed and Steven and I married in August of 1996. I had just finished my BSN from Tulsa, and he had just finished his MTS from Harvard Divinity School. We moved to Newark, DE where he was Assistant to the Pastor.

After a time of working in pediatric home care, I turned my attention to our growing family. Deciding I could provide the best education for my children, I obtained training in the Montessori method and started the long and exciting journey that still consumes much of my time: teaching my 5 children how to think, analyze, and do whatever they need to do. After a foundation of the Montessori method they transition to a classical approach based on The Well-Trained Mind.

From the start of our marriage, I helped by working at the church. I served in many capacities including (but not limited to) Bible Quiz coach, youth leader and teacher, Sunday School teacher, ladies’ leader, speaker, listening ear, shoulder to lean on, furniture-mover, garden-weed-puller, and toilet-paper-changer. Basically, if it needed done, I did it. As my husband became Associate Pastor and then Senior Pastor, I continued to give much focus to the church, serving on the Pastoral Team. For a while my focus was concentrated on my responsibilities as Director of Children & Youth Ministries, a position I acquired in 2000, and Director of Music, which I have been since 2003. I have more recently handed the responsibilities of the Children/Youth department over to someone else while concentrating on growing the music department. I still play the Hammond organ, piano, and violin in the church orchestra, though not all at once. My kids and their schooling still take a lot of my time and energy, but I have 3 graduates, so we’re getting there.

I love to travel, and since 2013 I have been traveling with a Hubby as he does missions work. Our trips have all been to developing countries, and I quickly discovered the need for good health education. In 2016 I began to do something about it, teaching health classes to the Bible School students in Lagos, Nigeria. Since then I have continued to teach during each successive trip, and I have started a health-improvement initiative called Developing Global Health.

As a you can tell, I enjoy being busy. I describe myself as a follower of Jesus, wife, mother of 5, teacher, and musician.