(BP) - Bible study author and speaker Jennifer Rothschild says she hopes the Crossover evangelism event preceding the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Nashville in June will cause people to discover a renewed passion for sharing the Gospel.

"My hope is that the participants will become infected with the evangelism bug - that they'll realize that this is not as intimidating as it seems, that it will ignite in them excitement ... so that they'll go home contagious and infect their entire church," she told Baptist Press May 23.

Something that makes Rothschild's insights unique is that at the age of 15 she was diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease that eventually took her sight. Through learning to face life without her vision, Rothschild has picked up some thoughtful and encouraging lessons to share with others who struggle with seemingly unconquerable obstacles suddenly placed in their paths.

Rothschild, author of the Bible studies Walking by Faith: Lessons I Learned in the Dark and Fingerprints of God: Recognizing God's Touch on Your Life, published by LifeWay, will be a featured speaker during the Saturday evening Crossover rally June 18 at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tenn.