Luann Budd

I am the author of Journal Keeping—Writing for Spiritual Growth, the President of the Network of Evangelical Women in Ministry (NEWIM), and a co-facilitator of The Springs—a contemplative retreat for Christian women. 

Background

I grew up in Seattle, Washington, and attended the University of Washington and Long Beach State, majoring in English. I worked with the South Basin Writing Project, a California Subject Matter Project, where exemplary teachers teach their peers best classroom practices. I also taught Freshman Composition at both Long Beach State and San Jose State Universities and I worked as the Administrative Officer at San Jose State University library for fifteen years. 

My husband, Kevin, and I have 5 children, 4 granddaughters and 6 grandsons.

I enjoy speaking at women’s retreats and for the Network of Evangelical Women in Ministry (NEWIM) conferences and three-day spiritual retreats called The Springs.

I began journaling 45 years ago on a leadership retreat in college and found it to be helpful in my devotional life. Years later, while writing my Masters' Thesis in English-Composition, I began to see that the benefits I received from writing in my journal were the same benefits that researchers were finding private writing had for their students. I wrote Journal Keeping—Writing for Spiritual Growth to answer a friend's question: What do people write about in their journals?

Photography

I love to take photographs of nature. There's something about photography that helps me to see the beauty of the world around me, and connect with our Creator. It gives me great joy to share what I see with others, so I create and sell photo notecards. All of the proceeds go to provide scholarships to The Springs retreat.

NEWIM

I am the President of The Network of Evangelical Women in Ministry. NEWIM is a non-profit organization that offers contemplative retreats for women serving in their local churches and Christian ministries. We also create beautiful, safe places for women serving in ministry, and women married to pastors, to connect with women in similar roles outside of their churches and ministry communities. I have formed lifelong friendships in NEWIM and found it to be a lifeline for me.