Travis West

Travis West is professor of Hebrew and Old Testament at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan. He is passionate about teaching, which he views as an act of hospitality, making room for students to have formative encounters with the subject matter, their classmates, their own hearts, and the Spirit.

He and his beloved wife, Mariah, have been transformed by their weekly Sabbath practice, which began in 2007. Over the past several years, Sabbath has become not just a practice but also a way of lifea commitment to slowing down, to savoring life as it's happening, to embracing the limitations that come with being human, and above all to seeking joy and delight and connection in the midst of heavy and polarizing times. This commitment, nourished over the past 17 years and counting, directly contributed to writing The Sabbath Way.

His previous books, Biblical Hebrew: An Interactive Approach and The Art of Biblical Performance, explore innovative ways of reconnecting people to their Bibles, whether in the classroom or the sanctuary, by incorporating performance, embodiment, and play into the process of learning biblical Hebrew and interpreting biblical stories. His YouTube channel, WTSHebrewPlayers, has helped thousands of people discover the ancient context of their Bibles and explore the marvels of biblical Hebrew.

Part of his vocation is to nourish the faith and practice of the church by making the insights of the academy accessible and practical for the lives of everyday people. His adult education curriculum, Hebrew for Regular People, cowritten with Hannah Stevens, introduces laypeople to insights from the Hebrew language and some of the practices and theology of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). He has also coedited the popular She Is Called: Women of the Bible study series, with April Fiet. The four volumes in this study have been translated into Spanish and downloaded over 2 million times all around the world. His essays, blogs, and poetry have appeared in Reformed Journal.

When he's away from the classroom and the writing desk, Travis can be found searching for wonder while walking the fields near his house, going to a farmers market, watching a movie, or hanging out with Mariah, his most consistent source of delight and amazement.