Retired educator Terri Bentley ’84 pens Christian novels, devotions

Terri (Neunaber) Bentley ’84 has fond memories of her time at Concordia University, Nebraska. Her husband Dale ‘86 and daughter Tina Bentley ‘04 also attended the university. 

“I was already married when we attended there, and Tina crawled and then walked all over David dorm where we lived in an apartment there,” she explained. “I completed my coursework for the Lutheran teacher colloquy program in 1984. My husband was interested in the DCE program and although the Portland campus was closer for us, Seward was highly recommended for that program, and we enrolled there. We packed up our two daughters and headed to Nebraska. I was pregnant with our son who was born there in Seward.” 

Dale and Terri already had bachelor’s degrees from Boise State University before arriving at Concordia.  

“My husband began attending church with me when we were dating and after our marriage decided he would like to go into church work. I, on the other hand, am a life-long LCMS Lutheran. He was new to the Lutheran church. While at Concordia, I took the Lutheran Teacher Colloquy coursework to go with my bachelor’s degree.  Many years later, I earned a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Concordia in Portland, Oregon.” 

Terri said she loved the fellowship, the academic guidance and support that her family experienced at Concordia Nebraska. Since she already had a degree, she had the opportunity to grade papers for some of the professors and became friends with some of them. 

“One encouraging word I never forgot was that the Lutheran church needs more writers. Writing has always been a passion of mine. In the years following my Concordia experience, I attended writing for the church workshops presented by Concordia Publishing House,” she said. 

Eventually, Terri had devotions published in the “My Devotions” booklet for children. 

“I helped create some of the CPH school curriculum for Lutheran schools and for VBS.  I started writing for Lutheran Women in Mission (LWML) and have had many Bible Studies, devotions, retreats, sketches and programs published through them,” she explained. “I also have written many local Christmas and Advent programs over the years.  The summer 2023 Lutheran Woman’s Quarterly features an article I wrote about my special needs granddaughter. Kalli is the cover girl!” 

“Concordia helped develop my confidence in sharing my faith with others on many levels. I’ve been involved with writing, speaking, mentoring, planning and reflecting in God’s Word so much in my life that having that spiritual foundation makes all things possible.” 

Terri taught high school language arts for 28 years. There are no Lutheran secondary schools in southwest Idaho so she was never able to teach in one and served as a Christian teacher in the public school system. She did teach a release-time Bible Study class for high schoolers for ten years next to the school where she taught. This program was recognized by the Northwest District LCMS.  

The Bentleys enjoy traveling and spending time with family. They live in the Idaho mountains about an hour north of Boise with their two, big, black dogs. 

Now retired, she served from 2022 to 2026 as the district president for the Utah-Idaho District LWML and has discovered a new passion: writing as a Christian historical romance novelist. She recently celebrated the release of her second novel For the Love of Honor which follows the release of For the Love of Family which was published in 2023. A third novel, "In a Land so Strange," is currently in the works. The novels are published by Ambassador International, a Christian publisher out of South Carolina. 

“These Lutheran historical fiction novels follow members of a German family who immigrate to America in the 1800s and settle near the St. Louis area,” she said. 

She also continues to write regularly for LWML and published a small devotional book called "Oh Lord, I'm Puzzled" that applies the puzzle metaphor to life dilemmas. 

She said her time at Concordia prepared her for her current vocations. 

“My day-to-day retirement begins with a cup of coffee and time for devotions. I am in the habit of reading through the whole Bible each year now. I take journal notes, and if I am struck with an idea for a devotion or Bible study, that may be an emphasis that day,” she said. “Concordia helped develop my confidence in sharing my faith with others on many levels. I’ve been involved with writing, speaking, mentoring, planning and reflecting in God’s Word so much in my life that having that spiritual foundation makes all things possible.”  

Concordia University, Nebraska equips students to serve as the hands and feet of Christ and be His witnesses through the university’s church work programs. Whether students desire to serve as a Lutheran educator, director of Christian education or a pastor, deaconess or parish musician, Concordia Nebraska prepares them to share the love of Jesus around the world.