FaithfulReader.com - The Faithful Fifteen Feature - (original) (raw)

Beverly Lewis Answers The Faithful Fifteen

November 2003

FR: What kind of testimony to your faith are you demonstrating in this book? If you are writing fiction, do you write fiction that is based upon your faith or that has a message for the reader? Is your goal to demonstrate your faith in your writing?

BL: My fervent prayer is that the books will point readers to the Lord Jesus, first and foremost. Though the novels may be entertaining, even educational as to the uniqueness of the Amish subculture, my greatest desire is to craft a truly inspirational story that stirs hearts and lifts readers to a place of healing (if that is needed, on whatever level) or spurs them on to further heights of victorious Christian living and ministry for the glory of God.

To think that God is using me to help spread the Good News of the Gospel --- that Jesus Christ came to this world to save humanity --- via storytelling (one of the tools Christ Himself used!) is a daily blessing and privilege.

FR: When did you come to a saving knowledge of Jesus? Where are you today in your walk? Is your faith an important part of what you do?

BL: I am told (by my mother) that my earliest leanings toward the Lord came when I was just three years old. Later, at the age of six, I walked the sinner's aisle and opened my heart to Jesus in Reading, Pa. at a revival meeting. Growing up a "PK" (Preacher's Kid) had its occasional drawbacks as well as great rewards, naturally, but I am thankful for my godly heritage and the character building my parents consistently offered my sister and me by their words and deeds, simply living out the life of faith they both walked and talked. I sincerely trust that Christ's love and grace can be seen readily in me, that my walk of faith extends to every corner of my life, from caring for the needs of my own family --- as well as extended family --- to writing inspirational fiction that touches my readers either through intimate connection with character and story, or by my personal responses to readers' letters. It is my joy to serve the Lord Jesus in these ways.

FR: Tell us about your church experiences, how you grew up (or maybe didn't grow up) in the church, where you attend now, your involvement in your local assembly, etc.

BL: Growing up in my father's church in Lancaster, Pa., literally on the second pew, meant I had better be paying close attention, as well as taking a few sermons notes on Sunday mornings. (Some of those scribbles have become surprisingly useful in the writing of recent novels, which makes my dad simply beam!)

From early on, I was eager to grow in my understanding and memorization of Scripture and in the ways of the Lord. Soon, I was restless to share the joy of my salvation --- and give something back --- by playing piano and organ offertories from age 11 on. Later as a young adult, following college, I directed children's and teen choirs in our church in Colorado and occasionally the adult choir. I also taught the junior boys' Sunday school class --- enlightening, to say the least! --- and wrote columns for the monthly bulletin, which kept me quite busy until our three children were born. Caring for twins, as you can imagine, put most everything else on hold for plenty of years. (Thankfully, the writing "bug" did not bite repeatedly until all three children were well into middle school.)

Most recently, I have been content to settle into the church pew while focusing on writing inspirational fiction, as well as speaking at local Christian women's groups and writer's conferences, along with cheering my husband on in his music ministry.

FR: Who are your spiritual mentors? Your professional mentors?

BL: My father, of course, was my pastor all of my growing-up years and continues to be a great source of inspiration and encouragement, along with my darling mother (the account of her miraculous healing is the basis for my book, THE SUNROOM). Various schoolteachers and piano instructors, along with several college professors, stand out in my mind as having had a tremendous influence in my life. My recent pastor of 20 years --- Rev. Don Steiger and his wife Loretta --- also impacted my life immensely during my early adult years.

Some remarkable editors come to mind as well: Barbara Lilland, Carol Johnson, Rochelle Gloege, and Lori Walburg Vanden Bosch. I also owe a debt of gratitude to author Bill Myers, as well as dear friend and fellow writer Mary Erickson.

FR: What Christian authors have most influenced your work?

BL: There are dozens of wonderful authors who have touched my life, shaped my thinking, and encouraged me in unspeakable ways. Some who are often on the tip of my tongue are C.S. Lewis, Catherine Marshall, Oswald Chambers, Derek Prince and Anne Graham Lotz.

FR: What are your other media habits --- television, movies, music, etc.?

BL: Since I'm busy writing mostly every evening, I hardly ever watch TV. Occasionally, I turn on a news station, but I typically keep in touch with current events via online news.

But music is a huge part of my life. I play the piano every afternoon around 3:00 as a way to unwind or pour myself into something besides fingers on the computer keyboard. Mozart and Chopin are my great loves as far as piano literature goes, and I like pure jazz too. I can easily lose myself in the music, just as I do in my writing. Great therapy for life! Oh, and I also love to arrange old hymns in a classical style. As for singing, we do a lot of that around our house, especially along with Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir and Smitty CDs.

When I'm on a writing marathon, I do my best work when listening to Arthur Rubenstein's performances of Mozart Piano Concertos. A 3,000-word day comes most readily when I'm caught up with Yefim Bronfman and Isaac Stern playing Mozart Sonatas for piano and violin, or Yo-Yo Ma's baroque collections. On cloudy days I'm easily swept away by Josh Groban, Andrea Bocelli, James Galway, Songs from a Secret Garden, and certain Oldies.

My all-time favorite movie is the A&E; version of Jane Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE.

FR: Do you and your family have any special faith-based traditions?

BL: Dave and I introduced the concept of Jesus' birthday taking preeminence over the secular celebrations at Christmas time early on. We baked a two-layer birthday cake for Jesus each year, complete with candles (not 2,000, but close!) and we sang the "Happy Birthday" song with our children. This worked very well because our oldest daughter was born two days after Jesus' birthday, which helped make the connection even more meaningful for all three.

Also, we always place a large nativity beneath our 12' Christmas tree, putting the spotlight on Christ's birth.

FR: Tell us about one or more of your favorite encounters with readers.

BL: One of the most touching came from a "shunned" Amish man who wrote me repeated email letters, sharing his heartbreaking story. He said he'd held great bitterness towards his family and his former church community, but he believed God had, through a series of peculiar circumstances, led him to drive more than a thousand miles back to his hometown, where he stumbled upon my trilogy of books, The Heritage of Lancaster County. In the reading, he empathized with Katie Lapp and found peace, as well as a hope of forgiveness to those whom he felt had so wrongly treated him for decades.

Also, I was greatly impressed by a non-Amish bookstore manager I met while on a tour a few years ago. With tears rolling down his face, he shared how his family had "shunned" him severely for choosing to walk with the Lord instead of embracing the expected tradition of his rigid church. Following the book signing, he said emphatically that he believed the universal themes of my books had the potential to bring many readers to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. My husband and I shook hands with him, thanking him for giving me the opportunity to meet his customers. But before we left, he insisted on praying for me!

FR: Would you share a story about someone you've brought to Christ or share how your writing has made a difference?

BL: Two teenage girls in a Montessori School in West Africa have been writing to me, sharing how they have opened their hearts to faith in Jesus Christ after reading both my Holly's Heart and SummerHill Secrets series for teen girls. A young man from a nearby school wrote that he had never heard of Jesus until reading my books. A young mother in Sweden described how she suffered from acute depression, but that my book, THE REDEMPTION OF SARAH CAIN, had helped her greatly, giving her a renewed hope.

A sixteen-year-old girl, suffering with low self-esteem due to developmental disabilities, asked her mother to contact me. In the letter, she openly shared how my books, THE POSTCARD and its sequel THE CROSSROAD, had given her courage to try harder. "How can I ever give up now?" she wrote.

Finally, an elderly gentleman sent me a number of snail-mail letters, during the time of his wife's battle with cancer. "She was soothed when I read your books aloud to her," he wrote. She willed herself to live long enough to hear the "next book." But when her last breath came, she released her hold on this life and went peacefully to heaven because of the message of THE SUNROOM, her husband told me. Later, when the elderly gentleman himself passed away, not many months following (I was informed of this by his granddaughter), I made copies of his heartfelt letters and sent them to his grieving family.