I grew up in Plain Dealing, Louisiana, a town of 1,000 residents about 30 miles north of Shreveport. Even though I have lived mostly in big cities ever since I graduated from high school, I am still a small town girl at heart.
And no, my parents did not name me “Crickett” at birth. I was born Janene Keeth and later was given the nickname Crickett when I was on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ. My fellow CCC staff said that I reminded them of Jiminy Cricket because I was little and bouncy, so they decided to call me “Crickett.” It has followed me wherever I go.
I became a Christian at an early age. I walked closely with the Lord in junior high and high school, but in college, I went my own way. When I was a junior at LSU, a girl on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) walked into my life one Friday afternoon and changed it for eternity. Bonnie helped me realize that I was controlling my life instead of allowing God to guide me. She discipled me that semester, and for the first time, I knew what it meant to passionately pursue Jesus Christ. Bonnie gave me a desire to know Him more intimately and to make Him known to others; and she showed me how.
After graduating from LSU, I went on staff with Campus Crusade, wanting to impact others’ lives the way Bonnie impacted mine. I was on campus staff for six years and then spent four years in East Asia. I returned to the U.S. to get a B.S. degree in Perfusion Technology in Houston, Texas. (A perfusionist runs the heart-lung machine during open heart surgery.)
After working at Texas Heart Institute for three years, I moved to Dallas, Texas. While working as a perfusionist, I also served as the Associate Minister to Single Women and the Women’s Ministry Associate at Northwest Bible Church. However, I felt God tugging on my heart to go back into full time ministry.
I attended Dallas Theological Seminary while still working at the hospital. After receiving a Master of Arts degree in Christian Education with a focus on Women’s Ministry, I joined the staff of First Evangelical Church in Memphis, Tennessee as their Women’s Ministry Director in October 2005.
As the Women’s Ministry Director, I write and teach the Bible studies for the women at First Evan. I co-authored Sumatra with the Seven Churches, one of the Coffee Cup Bible Study series, with Sandra Glahn.
• Life purpose: To encourage and exhort others to passionately pursue Jesus Christ
• Life verse: Colossians 3:23-24: “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men; knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”
• Favorite foods: Seafood, steak, Mexican, chocolate and sweet tea
• Hobbies/Pastimes/Interests: Watching LSU and other SEC football, as
well as the Dallas Cowboys. I love fishing and hiking when I have time outdoors.
I also enjoy a good “game night” with friends and reading a good suspense novel.
• Ambitions/Aspirations: I love to write and teach and I hope to publish more Bible studies. I have dreamed about climbing Mt. Everest.
• What I like to read: Historical fiction and anything by Francine Rivers. I also like to read books about mountain climbing adventures (like Everest) and other historical narratives, as well as suspense novels.
• People are surprised to know: I went sky-diving and climbed two 14,000-foot mountains in Colorado. I was also the first girl trombone player in the LSU Tiger Marching band.
• Best counsel/advice I’ve ever been given: “Make an impact with your life by investing it in someone else’s life” (Howard Hendricks). And “Choose your battles.”
• Family: Single. I have two adorable kittens named Hannah and Hobson. I have two brothers who live in San Antonio and Tampa. I absolutely adore my two nieces and nephew and my two great-nieces and three great-nephews.
