Teenagers can be life changers. Never underestimate the power of sixteen year olds.
Guest blog post by author Carol Kinsey
I was
leading a high school girl’s Bible study. Every week, eight girls gathered
together to learn more about their relationship with Jesus. It was a wonderful
time of fellowship and learning. One afternoon, a couple of the girls started
discussing an exciting new novel they’d read. As I listened, I grew weary. This
“exciting new novel” went against everything I’d been teaching them from the
Word of God. In their quest for entertainment, these young ladies were filling their
minds with smut, worldly thinking, and trash talk.
We looked
at Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is
honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell
on these things” (NASB).
They were
smart enough to know the answer. “It doesn’t. But what else can we read?”
I explained
that there was a whole world of Christian literature out there, but I could see
I’d hit a brick wall. This book was cool. It was fascinating. Everyone was
reading it…
It really
started there. I remember it clearly. I’d always had stories in my head. I
loved writing. I’d studied journalism in college and had a far greater love for
words than numbers. So, I sat down at my archaic laptop and wrote a novel for
those girls.
My husband
encouraged me through the all-nighters I pulled in order to crank out that
first book. I printed it out—typos and all, and put it in a three ring binder.
It was a
Christ centered, teen, suspense novel, that held to Philippians 4:8. I’m not
sure who was more surprised that they loved it. Them or me. They devoured it.
After that, they wanted more. So I wrote more. And for the next two years with
that group of girls, I realized I loved writing novels. I loved creating
stories that showed God at work in the lives of people—stories that showed
struggles, faith, purity, the power of prayer, godly relationships, and pointed
to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
From there,
my writing continued. When my husband took a job as a youth pastor, a few of the
teens found out that I wrote, and once again, I was given the opportunity to
point people to Christ through writing. But these teens wanted more. They
wanted to be able to share my books with their friends. They wanted my books
out there in the world. They encouraged me to take my books one step further
and get published.
Every one
of my novels has been touched in some way by one of the teens in the youth
group. Whether it’s through cover design, proofreading, social media, or
encouragement, God has used those teens in my life just as I pray He is using
me in theirs.
Each step
of the journey has been exciting. It’s still continuing. Through my writing
curriculum and homeschool conferences, I’ve been able to encourage other young
writers to use their pen to the glory of God with Philippians 4:8 as their
filter.
I’m excited
about the release of my newest novel, Witness
Protection, which was released in September. It’s an action suspense with a
powerful Christ centered message. There’s nothing in it that I wouldn’t feel
comfortable with one of my high school youth group teens reading.
I love
writing and I’m thankful that God has given me the opportunity to use writing
to honor Him.
- Carol Kinsey
Witness Protection
(Released September 2017)
There is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed.
Ty Westgate
is a man living under witness protection. Brooke Dunbar is a young nurse,
struggling to find hope and healing from her past. After four years in hiding,
Ty puts his faith in Christ and realizes his moral duty to tell his unsaved
parents about Jesus. While this step of faith holds eternal significance for
Ty’s parents, it also puts Ty’s life in jeopardy. Together, in this fast paced
novel, Ty and Brooke work to unravel the truth behind Ty’s adversaries. Will
Ty’s decision to share his faith cost him his life? Will Brooke learn to trust
the One Who can heal her past? The price of freedom may be too high.
Buy links:
About Carol:
Carol Kinsey
lives with her husband and their two daughters on a farm in rural Ohio. She
and her husband have been involved in youth ministry for over twenty years and
currently serve at a small country church, which inspired her first novel, Under the Shadow of a Steeple. Her
novel, Witness Protection, was
released in September 2017. She has also published Greater Love, Until Proven
Innocent, and a writing curriculum, Creative
Writing Through Literature. Carol has a passion for writing exciting
Christ-centered fiction that uplifts, encourages, and gives glory to God.
Website: http://carolkinsey.net
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