What a joy to introduce my friend, Christian author and speaker, Janet Thompson. I watched her onstage several years ago when I attended a LifeWay training session on mentoring. I remember sitting in the audience, thinking how much I'd love to do what she was doing–speaking to women from the stage. Fast forward eight years or so here we are! See, we just never know what God has in store for us!
Janet is the founder of Woman to Woman Mentoring and About His Work Ministries. Sharing life's experiences and God's faithfulness is the premise of her books and speaking. She's the author of: Face-to-Face Bible Study Series (New Hope Publishers 2009); Praying for Your Prodigal Daughter: Hope, Help, & Encouragement for Hurting Parents (Howard Books / Simon & Schuster 2008); Dear God, They Say It's Cancer: A Companion Guide for Women on the Breast Cancer Journey (Howard Books / Simon & Schuster 2006); and Woman to Woman Mentoring: How to Start, Grow, and Maintain a Mentoring Ministry (LifeWay Press 2000).
Janet has a Masters of Arts in Christian Leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary and a Masters of Business Administration from California Lutheran University. She and her husband Dave live in Lake Forest, California and have four married children and ten beautiful grandchildren. They attend Saddleback Church and lead a "Parents of Prodigal Daughters" Support Group.
Vonda: Welcome, Janet! First of all, tell us what prompted you to write this Face-to-Face Bible study series.
Janet: Well, I had started the Woman to Woman Mentoring Ministry at Saddleback Church and written resources to help other churches start the ministry, and one day my husband asked me if I had ever thought about writing Bible studies for the mentors and mentees (M&M'S)–something they could do together. He envisioned me writing about how mentoring relationships in the Bible could be applied to today's M&M relationships. I told him I would check in the Bible to see if I found any mentoring relationships, and I located twelve! So I started to work writing.
Vonda: You started Woman to Woman Mentoring in 1996. Has this Bible studies series been around that long?
Janet: No. I originally wrote the series titled Mentoring God's Way for another publisher who decided not to publish them.
Vonda: Ugh!
Janet: No, it worked out great! I just went ahead and self-published the first three,
and they've been on the market since 2003. Then recently I met New Hope Publishers, and my studies were just what they were looking for to start a new Women's Bible Study line.
Vonda: Yes, I'm afraid if we're on this writing journey any length of time, we all hear about releases that never came to be. But that's when we have to remember, God truly is in control. And you're proof of that! Now, to change gears here, what experiences prepared you to write a Bible study?
Janet: I've led Bible studies for years, and I also have a Masters from Fuller Theological Seminary. So I was able to combine the practical with the academic to write Bible studies that help the reader delve into the biblical relationship, but also think about how to apply the principles they learn to their own life.
Vonda: Is there a reason you changed the title? And is there a significance to the title Face-to-Face?
Janet: New Hope said they wanted to change the title. Later I was reading the book of Numbers and one morning I read Numbers 14:14 "They have already heard that you, O LORD, are with these people and that you, O LORD, have been seen face to face." The minute I read that Scripture, I knew that was the title, and New Hope liked it too.
Vonda: Isn't it exciting when God does something like that? I love it! Now, tell us a little about the format of the studies.
Janet: I'd love to! There are five fast-moving sessions and each session is divided into five days. Each study has a "three-way application." There are questions for studying:
- On Your Own
- M&M'S-two women studying together
- Group Study-with a Leader's Guide in each book.
Vonda: I see you've included a Leader's Guide in each book, which is a great idea. What made you think of that?
Janet: After years of leading Bible studies, I knew just how I wanted to make leading easy. So there are icebreaker ideas and then a complete guide for how to go through each session–which questions to focus on and what the answers are in case they get stumped. Anyone could be the leader or facilitator with this guide.
Vonda: Sounds like a great resource. So what is the main theme or focus of each of the studies published so far?
Janet: Face-to-Face with Mary and Martha: Sisters in Christ features the sisters Mary and Martha, but expands on the fact that as Christian women we are all sisters! It also has the distinction of having a chronologically younger, but spiritually older, woman as the mentor.
Face-to-Face with Naomi and Ruth: Together for the Journey is the beautiful story of a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and it focuses on how mentoring, as well as all, relationships should be two-way and reciprocal.
Vonda: This sounds like it would even work for the basis of a conference or retreat. Have you thought of that?
Janet: Oh yes! As a matter of fact, I've already had great fun with churches choosing either "Together for the Journey" or "Sisters in Christ" as their retreat theme, and then I develop my talks to incorporate the many facets of each of these topics. I've written skits to go with each one, and the ladies come away with not only a better understand of the featured biblical relationship, but more importantly why God put them in the Bible and how they can be applied to our lives today.
Vonda: Sounds like lots of fun! Are there more Face to Face Bible studies in the works?
Janet: Yes, there are. Winter 2009 New Hope will release Face-to-Face with Elizabeth and Mary: Generation to Generation and Face-to-Face with Euodia and Syntyche: From Conflict to Community.
Vonda: How exciting! I've already added these great books to my online store, but where else can the Face to Face Bible studies be purchased?
Janet: They're available at all Christian bookstores, Amazon, and Christianbook.com, as well as from my website:
Vonda: And one last question. How can CWD readers lear
n more about you and your ministry?
Janet: All they have to do is head over to one of my websites: or
Vonda: Thanks for stopping by and visiting with us today, Janet. It's a good reminder of how one disappointment can lead to so much more. God certainly did have a plan, didn't He?
Janet: Yes, He did! And thanks for having me. It was a joy to be here!
Vonda: Okay, readers…someone is going to win an autographed copy of one of Janet's books! To be in the drawing, all you need to do is leave a comment for Janet or me. (I'll be at the Gideon Media Arts Conference and Film Festival next week, so the deadline for drawing is Saturday). I can't wait to see who wins the free book!
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The Christian Writer's Den Writing Retreat is Now Open for Registrations! Mark your calendars for October 1-4, 2009!
You've heard about it and now it's time to secure your spot! Where else can you get four days and three nights in a beautiful, modern mountain cabin, nine homecooked meals, writing instruction, hours of writing time, and free stuff–all for $200??? (If you haven't guessed, this is a ministry effort of The Christian Writer's Den.)
Look at last year's video and then read all the details here. But don't wait–only 12 spots are available!
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Blue Ridge was AWESOME! And it was fun meeting so many CWD readers!
Yes, we took pictures. Yes, I said I'd post a group shot of Christian Writer's Den people who were there. But I forgot to take one teeny-tiny thing into consideration–my disorganization!!! I can't find my cord to download the photos from my camera! So…
If anyone would be willing to send me a copy of the group photo (preferably already resized–I haven't figured out how to do that on this Mac), I'd really, really, really appreciate it! (The life of a techno-dummy is so hard!)
Addendum: 
THANK YOU, CYNTHIA LOVELY! Thanks to her sweet techno-geek hubby, we have a photo! Can you find yourself??
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I know I'm way over word count, but here are three quick things:
- I promised to meet with a beautiful young girl after the last group session at Blue Ridge, but ended up taking a friend to the ER instead. I'm so sorry, but I don't even have your name. If that is you, please email me. I want to apologize profusely.
- I've received several emails about agents since returning from Blue Ridge. Here's a great interview with agent Beth Jusino (by Mary DeMuth) on When DON'T I Need an Agent?
- Want to Be In A Novel? Mindy Starns Clark, Jerry Jenkins, Terry Blackstock and lots of other bestselling authors are participating in a charity auction and the winners will see their names in print over…and over…and over. Check it out!
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And finally, as we gaze over the upcoming weeks of summer and all that entails, remember these words of Paul, as spoken to Timothy:
…be prepared in season and out of season… 2 Timothy 4:2
Are we prepared to be His light this month? This summer? This year?
I pray God's blessing on the work of your hands and your hearts,
Vonda
