The Two for Today website and Rev. Dr. Sharon L. Bryant
The idea for the Two For Today website came to me when I observed the stress that the COVID-19 Pandemic was creating for individuals struggling to survive and find meaning in a vastly changed world. Then, from overseas, I observed the upheaval in the USA created by the recognition and acknowledgement of pervasive and systemic racism that still exists throughout the country and the struggle of church leaders to identify ways to authentically deal with these issues. I saw so many good and faithful leaders (both ordained and lay) who were discouraged and burned out. I wanted to reach out to them to say, “Don’t give up! We need you. Here is a verse or two of scripture that might help you take another step, fight another battle, and move on.”
Who I AM…
I was born in Davenport, IA, but left when I was a toddler to travel with my parents to Thailand where they served as Mission Workers for the Presbyterian Church (USA). I spent my first seventeen years in that country, learning its language, studying at a mission school, and playing with friends from countries around the world. I returned to the United States to study vocal music at Pfeiffer University in Misenheimer, NC. Shortly after I graduated, I married Robert James Bruce, Jr., and had a son, Julian.
After my marriage ended in divorce, I traveled to Chicago where I worked as a vocational counselor and educator, earning a masters degree in Counselor Education from Western Illinois University. I started my own business, Phoenix Systems Associates, working as a management consultant and trainer for a variety of clients, including nonprofit organizations and major corporations. While serving as CEO of that organization, I also completed my doctorate in Adult and Continuing Professional Education from Northern Illinois University. I was then hired by Dell Computer Corporation to manage its Educational Services for employees and contractors in Austin, TX. Meanwhile, my son, Julian, grew up in the Chicago area, graduated from Notre Dame University in South Bend, IN, and Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC. He now lives and works in San Diego, CA.
In Austin, I attended Central Presbyterian Church. It was there that I heard God’s call to be a Minister of Word and Sacrament and, with the support of the Session of Central Presbyterian Church, I went to seminary. Completing my studies at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, I served as a chaplain for Lone Star Hospice in Smithville, TX, for a year before being called to serve as pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Stephenville, TX. I served as pastor there for more than six years.
On a visit to Thailand with my mother, I was invited by the Church in Thailand to work there. In 2011, I was hired by World Mission of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and moved to Thailand to work for the next ten years. In those ten years, I invited other professionals to join me in the work of the Church. Seventy-seven individuals accepted my invitation to come and, at the time the COVID pandemic began, 25 of those were still working in Thailand. The COVID-19 Pandemic effectively closed the program in Thailand. I returned to the USA in 2021 and now live in San Diego, CA, near my son, Julian. I regularly preach in area churches, lead retreats, visit terminally-ill patients, and write.