Friday Friends ~ Susan Stilwell

Welcome to Encouraging Women today my dear friend, Susan Stilwell. I had the honor of meeting Susan at the 2011 NCompass Writers Retreat. Susan's the mastermind behind a lot of the things you see on my blog. Get ready to be encouraged and most likely challenged by her today! Welcome, Susan!

(1) Tell us a little about your family and growing up years. 

My dad is a bivocational Baptist minister, and I grew up in little country churches. My parents loved me and encouraged me to believe I could do anything! I’m the oldest of three girls, and a classic first-born. We moved several times when I was young, so I spent a good part of those years feeling awkward and lonely. Sometimes, that feeling still creeps up on me.

(2) When did you know God was calling you to write? 

Actually, my husband spoke that over me when our kids were toddlers! I got serious when I started writing my own Bible studies and lessons, around 2003. I really consider myself a student first, a teacher second, and a writer after that.

(3) Who is a person that is making and has made a strong impact on your life, and why? 

My husband, Steve. He’s rarely flustered, and can always switch gears and see the big picture. He’s also one of the most generous and gracious people I know.

(4) What is your life verse? 

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace 

as you trust Him so you may abound with hope

by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

~Romans 15:13 

My middle name is Hope, and I’ve woven this verse into the long-version of my testimony. It's the lens through which I view life!

(5) Other than Jesus, what Bible hero would you like to talk to? 

Gracious, so many - Joseph, David, Daniel, Peter. Since most of your readers are women, I’ll go with two ladies: OT - Deborah the Judge. NT – Lydia from the church in Philippi.

(6) What in depth Bible study would you recommend to my readers? 

An older Precept Upon Precept study, Kinsman Redeemer. (Actually, I’m a fan of PUP studies in general. They’re all great!)

(7) Tell us of how you came to a saving relationship with Christ? 

Growing up in a Christian home, I always believed in Jesus but I didn’t always belong to Him. When I was five years old, I asked Him into my heart because I knew that’s what He wanted to do. But when I was 12, I understood that my sin separated me from God, that I needed to be forgiven for my sin, and that Jesus was the only One Who could forgive me. So I guess my coming to faith had two points: believing at age 5, repenting at age 12.

(8) Please give a word of encouragement and hope to my readers who may be struggling today. 

No matter what’s going on in your life, nothing is outside God’s ability or desire to redeem. NOTHING. Once you fully trust Him with a situation, He’ll bring healing and restoration. It might not look like what you imagine, but it will be something that deepens your faith and reveals His glory.

Susan Stilwell lives in Roanoke, VA with her husband, Steve, and their Yorkie, Sophie. She has two kids in college: Scott at Virginia Tech, and Sarah at James Madison University. When the whole family is home, she makes sure to have three things handy: a pot of hot coffee, a jigsaw puzzle, and a board game.

She's a passionate teacher of God's Word, and enjoys writing lessons and Bible studies. She's also a conference speaker and has helped lead tours to the Holy Land. 

You can find Susan on Twitter (@susanrstilwell), Facebook, and her inspirational site, SusanStilwell.com

Perks of Faith

By Susan Stilwell, Guest Blogger

What’s the best job “perk” you’ve ever had? I’m not talking about dental coverage and a drug card, although those are excellent perks! I’m talking about something fun, like a discount on shoes... free passes to the movies... free food...

My best perk (at the time) came when I worked in a concession stand. I could have all the fountain drinks, french fries and corn dogs I could eat! I cringe at that now, especially since I know how much sugar is in Coke, how much fat is in french fries, and how much unmentionable “animal byproduct” is in a corn dog.

Since then I’ve had better jobs with better benefits, some of which I use regularly, like medical insurance. And there are some benefits I have yet to “cash in” on, like retirement accounts.

Faith has benefits too, some of them we experience in the present and some, like eternity with God, we won’t experience until the future. Romans chapter 5 has some of my favorite “faith perks” -

• peace with God,
• access to Him through prayer,
• joy in midst of suffering,
• hope,
• character and maturity,
• God’s love poured into us,
• Holy Spirit living in us,
• justified and reconciled before God,
• recipients of God's grace, and
• eternal life

We have all those benefits spiritually, but do we experience them physically? Mentally? Relationally? My guess is that the average Christian has a head-knowledge of these, but has yet to let them do their full and transformative work in his/her whole being.

Since “we are what we think,” what do we fill our minds with? Trashy literature? Fearful thoughts? Questionable entertainment? We shouldn’t complain about not having any joy in our lives if we continually fill our minds with junk.

But what if we filled our minds with the Word? What if we memorized even tiny verses of scripture, like Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always”? Since God’s Word is active and alive and sharper than a two-edged sword, our thought-life would be transformed. 

We would start to view the world thru the lens of the Word, and would start to learn what was good for us and what wasn’t. We would be convicted of things we should or shouldn’t do. We would be prompted to get out of our comfort zones and start taking bigger steps of faith.

As the Word transforms our mind, our body begins to transform. Our countenance will change. Rest will restore us. God will give us healthier physical desires.

The transformation continues to our relationships. We’ll look at people and actually see them instead of looking past them. We’ll be more sensitive to the needs of others. We’ll be more gracious and forgiving because we understand how important the Lord’s grace and forgiveness has been in our lives.

But the best thing of all is that we’ll be more like JESUS, and that will make Him smile. And when we open our eyes in eternity and see THAT, it'll be better than all the discounts, freebies and fries in the world.

Susan Stilwell is a wife to Steve, and mom to Scott and Sarah. After that, she teaches Bible studies, writes and speaks. In her spare time, she helps friends learn to program their gadgets and fix up their blogs (BlogmamaSusan.blogspot.com)

Roanoke, VA is her home and she can be found on Twitter (@susanrstilwell) and on the web at SusanStilwell.com