It Started With a Fish

Posted on March 5, 2015 by Lynn

For well over thirty years I have worked with children and youth either as their Sunday School teacher,blue fish Preschool Director, tutor, Elementary, Junior and Senior High School Teacher, substitute teacher, Children’s Minister, and youth leader.  I told someone recently that I have worked as a teacher with all ages from babies through to College and Career.  God gave me a passion to teach, and I have been blessed to do what I love to do these many, many years.  Still, after all these years I find that there is still more I learn from the kids than they learn from me.  That is just one of the many ways God humbles me.

In this season of my life, (as a Junior High School teacher, grandma, mom to three adult children AND published author), I work closely with youth everyday.  I have a dynamic group of students who keep me on my toes with questions and insights, and who keep me laughing with their exuberance and sparkle.

Working in a Christian school definitely blesses my life because I can openly share my faith with my students and we can have great theological discussions that not only challenge them but challenges me!

I often remind my students that they should boldly proclaim their faith and stand up for Jesus around their friends, however I too struggle with being bold.  Sometimes I need a reminder that we must have a sense of urgency when we witness to our friends…it is literally a matter of life or death.  Do we truly understand that?

Years ago a passionate seminary student, gave one of the most profound talks I had ever heard to our youth group at church.  Trevor looked out over his youthful audience, took a deep breath and then held up a plastic bag.  Swimming inside the bag filled with some water, was a little blue fish.  Trevor called him, “Little Joe” and proceeded to tell us how Little Joe was a breed of fish that thrived in hot springs.  From B.C. to Alberta, hot springs abound, so we were immediately intrigued by this knowledge.  Trevor said that he had heard that when the fish is removed from the hot springs they tend to change colour if put into cooler water, but the fish will return to it’s natural colour if it is once again returned to hot water.  He said he’d like to test that theory, and proceeded to place the bag with “Little Joe” in a pot-like kettle that he then plugged in.  While waiting for the pot to boil, Trevor proceeded to talk to the students about Heaven and Hell.

Now, admittedly try as I might to concentrate on Trevor’s discourse, my eyes were constantly drawn to that pot of water.  And as the water began to boil, I heard gasps from several girls.  “He’s going to kill that fish!”  one girl whispered to me.  I started to have visions of students going home and describing to their parents what transpired at youth group that night.  I already envisioned irate parents and phone calls and traumatized students never wanting to come back to church ever again.  As the water boiled, more and more students lost interest in what Trevor was saying and I finally spoke up, “Enough is enough, Trevor!  Save the fish!”

Trevor calmly unplugged the boiling pot, looked down at the “Little Joe”, and then said, “Little Joe didn’t change colour.”  Thud.  He didn’t need to say more.  I was mortified.  I dreaded to see the carnage!

Trevor calmly turned and faced the youth, “We’ve been talking about Heaven and Hell.  For those of you who have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you know that at the end of your life you will join Him in Heaven.  However scripture tells us that for those who turn away from God, they are eternally separated from Him and that is what we call Hell.”  Trevor then expounded on what Hell is described as like in scripture: “The fire of hell” (Matt. 5:21); “eternal fire” (Matt. 25:41); “eternal punishment” (Matt. 25:46); “fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:48); “in hell…in torment” (Luke 16:22-24).

Trevor looked over his audience of young listeners.  He had everyone’s attention.  “As much as you were worried about Little Joe being boiled alive in that pot of water,” and he lifted a bag and we saw with great relief Little Joe swimming contentedly in the bag, “Little Joe was never in that boiling water.”

He showed us how he had switched bags without us knowing it.  I gasped at his slight of hand, and then the room was so silent you could hear a pin drop.

“As much as you were worried about a little fish being boiled alive,” Trevor repeated, “how much more should you be concerned about your friends facing eternity in hell?  Doesn’t this give you cause to think about being more bold about sharing your faith with everyone you know?”

Point taken.

That evening in our small groups, the girls were a-buzz about “Little Joe” and I was able to share the gospel as openly as I had ever done before with the girls.  The following week another vibrant speaker gave a clear gospel message at the midweek meeting that built upon what we had discussed the week before.  As a result when the invitation was called, 8 students went forward for the first time and prayed to receive Christ as their Lord and Savior.  Three of those students were from my Gr. 8 small group.  Many more youth rededicated themselves to sharing their faith with their friends.  The following week, 7 more students went forward wanting to follow in believer’s baptism.

And to think, it all started with a fish!

Posted in Inspiration & Devotion, Proverbs 16:9 - Journey Thoughts, Teach on, Teacher! | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Stand Up to Bullying!

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Lynn

The Tormentors were waiting for him after school.

Brad Evans, Shane Banister and Cole Smith surrounded him the moment he stepped outside.  He tried to dodge around them but they blocked his escape and Brad hip-checked Tim into the side of the school building, while at the same time slamming his head against the brick.  Tim grunted as the air was knocked out of him and he felt dizzy and sick.

“Freak!” Brad spat at Tim. “You’ll always be a freak!”

Cole knocked Tim’s backpack out of his hand and Shane kicked it like a football into a snow bank.

Tim cringed as Brad raised a fist to strike him again in the face.  He closed his eyes expecting the punch to land when suddenly he heard a deep voice snarl, “Not on MY watch, mister!”

(excerpt from my novel, “Love the Wounded“)

As most of my readers know, my two previous books, Shoot the Wounded and Heal the Wounded are listed as resources on the largest anti-bullying website in the world www.bullying.org  as is my third book.  My young adult books have a strong anti-bullying message running throughout them.  Heal the Wounded even won a Bronze medal in the 2011 Reader’s Favorite Book Awards.  As much as I am delighted with the accolades, the real reward for me is if in reading my books people will get the anti-bullying message that my books are trying to convey and say, “Not on my watch!” and stand up to bullying in their school, university, or work place.

Today is “Pink Day” in my home town.  All students are encouraged to wear pink to show support for the victims of bullying and to publically say that they are standing up to bullying.  bullying_stops_here1

“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”   (Deuteronomy 31:6)

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Go Ahead and Write!

Posted on February 23, 2015 by Lynn

One of the young ladies in my creative writing class is an avid writer.  She has a hunger for expressing herself on pen and paper and she is eager to write her first book.  She is an avid reader too.  The thing is, as much as she loves to write, she is already asking the question so many young people ask at her age…can she make a “living” out of writing?  Eeeeeeek!

Since going on this writing, publishing journey after writing my Wounded Trilogy books, I am still coming to terms with what it means to sell and market books.  I’m convinced that there are spectacular writers out there but so very, very few who actually make it “big” in the industry.  For all intents and purposes, the industry is a very, very discouraging place for would-be novelists.  I read somewhere that traditional publishers only publish 2% of manuscripts that are sent to them.  That means they turn 98% of authors away.  Certainly a few of those authors are those who have vastly over-estimated their writing ability.  (Ever watch American Idol?  Some of those people who can’t carry a tune are actually shocked to be told they can’t sing.  Well the same holds true for writers.  Some people were just never meant to write.)

That said, traditional publishing houses are in the business to make money.  They know what kinds of books are popular and what will sell immediately.  It’s not only who you know in the business, it’s what you know about the business that will determine whether or not a traditional publishing house will even look at you.  An author who thinks they have the next Great Gatsby novel is seventy-five years behind the times.  It doesn’t take a rocket-scientist to see that anything paranormal right now is hot, hot, hot.  An author also needs to research what books are popular in their chosen genre.  For example, I write young adult novels.  When I go to my local bookstore I know that any book written by Suzanne Collins or Rick Riordan are selling fast, fast, fast.  I write Christian young adult novels.  Haley DiMarco and Ted Dekker are at the top of the reading lists here.  It doesn’t mean that new authors have to write exactly the same kinds of books as Collins, Riordan, DiMarco or Dekker write.  I mean, you have to stay true to yourself, but it shouldn’t come as a shock either that a traditional publishing house may reject your “unique” novel when you’re swimming in the same publishing stream as those best-selling authors.

So why write?

I have been writing since I was in elementary school.  I had amazing teachers who encouraged me to write.  I never thought I would actually have one of my stories published.  I didn’t write to become published (although I know that to be the goal for many a writer).  No,…I wrote because I just LOVED to write.  It’s a form of expressing myself.  My biology teacher in high school signed my yearbook “To the only literary biologist I know!”  When I handed in an essay, in any subject area except Math, my teachers could expect a treatise that Tolstoy would be proud of.

I would say I am “driven” to write.  It’s part of who I am.  I am called by God to write and so I write.  I told my husband when my book, Shoot the Wounded, was published that if one person read it and liked it, I would be happy.  Well, God has greatly blessed that effort!

For me, writing has become an expression of praise and worship to God.  He has gifted me with this talent so every time I write, I am praising Him with my gift.  So I say, to all my young writer friends out there, go ahead and write!  If God has called you to write, go for it!  Write for the sheer enjoyment of writing, and write to glorify the One who gave you the talent and the ability to write!

“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, Who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

Did you catch that last part?  “…strengthen you in every good deed and word.“

That should be a great encouragement to all those writers out there.

Posted in Proverbs 16:9 - Journey Thoughts, Teach on, Teacher!, Write On! | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments