Interview with Fern Nichols

I have a secret that I must share. I have rekindled an old relationship. As the saying goes...it just happened. My discreet partner is thoughtful, understanding, and at times comforting on a cold, blustery day. When I need a moment of silence on my way to carpool, I have it. When I need a friend to lean on after a long day, I have one. Quite frankly, I never realized just how in tune I have become with my long, lost friend...God.

This month’s Jen’s Jewels Fern Nichols has experienced quite the same epiphany. As a mother, she experienced firsthand the ups and downs of raising children in the crazy world in which we live. So, she turned to a higher power to help her navigate life’s journey. In her latest release, WHEN MOMS PRAY TOGETHER: True Stories of God’s Power to Transform Your Child, she calls upon the help of faithful moms to give encouragement to others facing life’s challenges.

As part of this interview, Tyndale has generously donated five copies for you, my lucky readers, to win. So, don’t forget to look for the trivia question at the end of the column. And as always, thanks for making Jen’s Jewels a part of your reading adventure.

Jen: As the mother of four children as well as a grandmother, you have experienced firsthand the Herculean feat of raising healthy, happy children. So that my readers may have a better understanding of the path you took in becoming an author, please tell us about your educational and professional experience.

Fern: My mother was an inspiration to me. She took seriously her role of mothering. She was able to be a stay-at-home mom and was very intentional about our physical, mental and spiritual development. She made nutritious meals, made sure we went to school, taught us the Word of God, modeled prayer and faithfully took us to church.

As a result of how she was raising me, I believe God set deep in my heart the importance of the godly influence of a mother. And that’s what I wanted to be. I had no intention of going to college or having a career. I wanted to be a MOM!! But God in His Sovereignty not only opened doors for me to go to college, but to major in the thing I loved most -- children. I earned my degree in education. Both my fiancé, Rle, and I graduated from college together, got married one month later and both taught school in the same district.

In our third year of marriage God blessed us with a baby boy, and I was able to become a stay-at-home mom. God gave me the desires of my heart. But did I ever learn a lot as a new mom! I needed the Lord more than ever. I was in the Word and on my knees seeking direction, wisdom and guidance for this new little life. I was intentional, just like my mom, and from birth began the life-long teaching of the Word, prayer and taking him to church. God blessed us with three more children and my desire to raise “Jesus Lovers” was heightened all the more.

Throughout those years of raising these precious “gifts” God gave us, I was very active in living out my faith. I wanted to serve the One I loved. I had many opportunities to do that through teaching Sunday School, being choir director, playing the organ and piano, and teaching neighborhood Bible studies. My husband and I were called to serve in Campus Crusade for Christ for 15 years. Rle was the coach for Athletes In Action. In my seasons of service, I purposed in my heart that my priorities would be God first, family second and ministry third. Truly my profession was Motherhood!

Jen: Your religious faith has been the cornerstone to the development of your career as an inspirational speaker and advocate for Christianity. What was the driving force that led you to pursue this vocation?

Fern: There really was no driving force to be an inspirational speaker. As I desired to please the Lord and follow His will for my life, opportunities opened for me to speak at retreats, churches, seminars, workshops. My main topics were always centered on how to be a mature Christian, the blessings of motherhood and prayer.

On one fall day in 1984 as I kissed my two eldest sons goodbye before they left for school, I went back to the kitchen with a very heavy, burdened heart for them. I was truly fearful for their spiritual lives at that public school. So many things loomed in my mind of the incredible battles they would be facing. Would they make the right decisions in tempting situations, would they be able to recognize humanistic teachings, would they choose godly, moral friends? And on and on it went. As I was talking to the Lord about this, I prayed a desperate simple prayer, “Lord, there must be one other mom who will pray with me for our children and the school.” I had experienced the power of corporate prayer and it was time to unite.

The Lord laid upon my heart the name of another mom. I immediately called her and poured out my heart, the burden I felt, and asked if she would take time out of her busy schedule to come to my house and pray. She felt the same way and agreed to come. We thought of a few other moms we could invite. So, that very next week there were five of us in my living room praying a simple four step format of prayer that kept us praying the whole hour. We were serious. The lives of our children were at stake.

Out of one desperate mom’s burden for her boys, God birthed a prayer ministry for children and schools. You truly do not know what God has in mind when on one unassuming day you are in prayer.

Jen: Let’s talk about Moms in Touch International. Please describe for us its core purpose.

Fern: We named our group Moms in Touch -- moms in touch with God, with one another, with our children and the school through prayer. We knew we could not physically follow our children around at school, even though a lot of moms would love to. But, the one thing we did know was that when we prayed, Jesus would be there. We were experiencing so many answers to prayer that we couldn’t help but tell others. The grassroots movement began. Moms were calling me to come to their house to help form a group for their school. Then churches began inviting me to come share. God opened opportunities to share at retreats. The word about this life-changing ministry was spreading.

Jen: How did your vision become a reality? And, what part did Dr. James Dobson (Focus on the Family) play in helping you achieve your goal?

Fern: God kept increasing my vision. At first it was prayer for my children and the school they attended. And then the vision increased for all the schools to be covered in my area. Then in 1985 God moved our family with Campus Crusade for Christ from British Columbia, Canada, to Poway near San Diego, California. I knew no one. One simple prayer emerged, “Lord, I need one other mom to pray with me.” By the end of the school year, there were 15 moms coming to my home to pray for the high school. In 1988 we had our first MITI retreat. Thirty-five women were at a retreat center together in a fire-side room thanking God for all the answers to prayer we had seen since praying in a MITI group. The Holy Spirit was moving sweetly among us. A prayer emerged, “Lord, we have been changed, our children and the school have been changed, and we now ask that all the schools in the San Diego area be covered in prayer.” The prayer grew even bigger. We then prayed for all of California schools to have a MITI group. Then our faith grew to ask for the whole Northwest. The Holy Spirit moved our prayers across the United States and then around the world. There was silence. Then one mom prayed, “Lord, who can tell the women of the world about Moms in Touch?” There was a pause. “Dobson, that’s who.” “Lord, we ask to be on his program.” I think we were all stunned at first by the request and then there was a joyous agreement.

Three months later, without anyone contacting FOF, LuAnne Crane from FOF called me, asking about MITI. She caught the vision, and said there were a lot of requests that crossed Dr. Dobson’s desk so she couldn’t promise anything.

Did we ever pray! We were so bold that not only did we ask to be on the program, but that God would give us two days, just in case a mom didn’t hear the first day. God answered above and beyond our request. He gave us three days. Twelve other moms joined Dr. Dobson and me in the studio. God knew this message of hope needed to be heard by moms. The result of the program was over 24,000 responses. Needless to say, the ministry has never been the same since that day. We are Moms In Touch International, and we are now in over 130 countries.

Jen: And initially, what affect did it have on your family? Did your children feel any pressure growing up having to live up to other’s high expectations in terms of their behavior? Their mother was (and still is!) a devoted Christian. We all know…kids will be kids no matter who their parents are.

Fern: My family really didn’t know exactly all what was happening. By God’s grace, I was able to change hats from ministry to home easily. When my children were home I was able to have my focus on them and was involved in all their activities. I remember one time I took a red-eye flight to speak at a MITI retreat so that I wouldn’t miss my son’s football game. They realized the scope of the ministry for the first time when they attended the MITI 10th Anniversary Retreat. There were 750 women who came from many different states. My family was amazed and said, “Mom, I knew you prayed for us, but we didn’t realize what you were doing.” It was a real eye-opener, even for my husband. "

Jen: With the creation of this powerful group came your writing of several books. Your latest release, WHEN MOMS PRAY TOGETHER, is a heart-warming collection of stories that would inspire even the non-believer to have faith. Describe for us its metamorphosis.

Fern: I never set out to be a writer. In fact, I remember in my English class in high school that I had a lot of red marks on my papers. But again, God in His Sovereign plan for my life had an agent from Zondervan contact me to encourage me to tell my story. If it weren’t for Janet Kobobel Grant capturing my “voice” in the book Every Child Needs a Praying Mom, it would not have received the silver medallion award. She was a key piece in writing that book. Connie Kennemer was my co-writer for the gift book Prayers From a Mom’s Heart.

The new book WHEN MOMS PRAY TOGETHER was birthed because of my deep desire to glorify God for His faithfulness to MITI for 25 years. As our 25th anniversary was approaching, I wanted to display His glory through sharing answers to moms’ prayers. I was encouraged by Cheri Fuller to call Larry Weeden and share my vision for the book with him: 25 stories representing answers to prayer over 25 years. I wanted it to be a legacy book that I could give to my grandchildren one day and say, “Honey, the God who answered these prayers is the same God who will answer your prayers today.” This is not a “coffee table” book to just sit on the shelf. I wanted this book to strengthen the faith and prayer life of women all over the world. Larry caught the vision and the project began. Once again I needed the “body” to make this book have the impact that I wanted it to have. Thankfully, when I asked three women to come alongside me and edit the stories, they each said, “Yes.” They are Cyndie de Neve, Mary Jenson and Cheri Fuller.

When a mom wrote me after reading the book, I was so pleased. She said, “This book is all about God and His glory. It doesn’t glorify MITI at all, and yet the heart of MITI shines through, offering hope to desperate mothers who need to know that God cares, is powerful, and offers compassionate support for moms, through women who will pray without judging.” What a great joy to see that the vision was truly fulfilled.

Jen: In terms of the nuts and bolts, how were you able to collect these inspirational stories to share with your readers? And, did you make an outline of certain topics that you wanted to explore, or was it simply just finding a unique voice within each one that needed to be heard?

Fern: We put the word out to our MITI leadership about the project and asked them to share with us a powerful answer to prayer. We gave them guidelines and suggestions of topics that we were interested in. The stories started coming in. Through prayer, my team and I came to consensus and identified the compelling stories that we felt were not uncommon and that mothers would readily identify with. Each story displays God’s glory even though some of the prayers did not turn out as expected.

Jen: The inspirational quotes and prayers peppered throughout the book are truly beautiful. Can you lend some suggestions as to how the reader may go about incorporating them into his or her spiritual journey?

Fern: There is something about hearing truth from the heart of another saint. I chose quotes that had meant a lot to me over the years. Quotes that encouraged me, made me ponder and sometimes led me to prayer that God would strengthen me with this truth and that He would help me live it. I wanted the reader to have the opportunity to be blessed as I was and still am. I also chose Scriptures that are especially meaningful to me. I wanted a lot of Scripture in the book. There are no greater words than God’s words. It is His “now” speaking voice that pierces the soul, draws it to a greater intimacy with Him. I would suggest memorizing one quote or Scripture a week! When we hide God’s word in our hearts, at the appropriate time in whatever circumstance we may be going through, God will bring these Scriptures and quotations to mind to give us courage.

Jen: I have to admit, each story is utterly amazing in the sense that as a mom, I could totally relate no matter what the circumstances were. The one that left a lasting impression on me was chapter 13 Unlocked: Hope for Moms with Disabled Children by Thalia Henning of California. In what ways did you personally reach out to the contributors?

Fern: Each story touched my heart. Each one drew me into the hurt and pain of her situation, and her desperateness to believe and her courage to join with others and not give up praying. I was so blessed that each story revealed a faithful, caring God who manifested Himself in precious ways. If the story needed clarification or if emotions needed to be described more clearly, the editors would get back with the story writers and ask appropriate questions to bring about a clearer, more compelling understanding. They were all wonderful to work with, even though at times it was hard for some of them to go back to a dark emotional place, but they did, for the sake of the reader.

Jen: If you had to choose, which story impacted you the most and why?

Fern: The chapter that filled my eyes with tears each time I read it is was Connie’s Kennemer’s story, chapter 15. Connie and I go way back to 1985. She came to my home to see how a MITI group could pray a whole hour. As a result, God prompted her to start the first elementary MITI in the Poway area. She was a worship leader also and came to lead the worship at our MITI retreats. We traveled together, prayed together, laughed together, cried together, and talked about the MITI vision together. Her story did not turn out all neat and tidy. And yet, by what God taught her about who He is through MITI -- she still sings. She is an inspiration to me.

Jen: How did you personally grow as a mom after the completion of this project?

Fern: Once again the great realization that God’s plans and purposes will not be thwarted, and the wonderful mystery, the marvel that Almighty God in His Sovereignty has chosen His bride to partner with Him in prayer to accomplish His will on earth. So, now as a grandmother, crying out with other grandmothers for the next generation, I know that my God is an unchanging faithful God. He will save, deliver and lead my grandchildren on paths of righteousness because I have seen the power of God revealed manifested by the prayer of many.

Jen: And, what was the most valuable lesson learned from this experience?

Fern: That moms are not alone. Our hearts beat the same for our children and grandchildren all over the world. Also, that God did not intend for us to carry our burdens by ourselves. We truly do need each other. There is no better place to be than in the community of praying moms. This book is proof of that.

Jen: How would my readers go about joining (or even starting) a Moms In Touch group?

Fern: To start or find a local Moms In Touch group to pray for your children and schools, and for resources and information, we have an excellent, user-friendly website: www.momsintouch.org. We also have a number they can call: 1-800-949-MOMS. As our vision is that every school be covered in prayer we are excited to think that after moms/grandmothers read this book they will not wait, but start today. Truly, the time is urgent. As Lamentations 2:19 says, Arise cry out in the night, as the watches of the night being. Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord, lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint from hunger at the head of every street. Our children need Jesus NOW! We MUST pray.

Jen: Now that this project is completed, what is the next step in your journey?

Fern: To keep on keeping on. We will not rest until the vision is realized. We will continue to sound the clarion call to “Arise! Cry Out!” through whatever means available as we seek the Lord for His continued direction, wisdom and guidance. We are being very intentional in our strategies to reach out to the moms with young children. She is the next generation of moms that we will hand the baton of this prayer movement to. May the LORD find us in prayer until the day He returns.

Jen: Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to stop by and chat with my readers. Your book is the perfect gift for any mom this holiday season. Thanks for sharing your words of wisdom with my readers. God Bless.

Fern: What a great joy that I can share through this book the goodness of the Lord through the power of praying with others. And that you have given me this opportunity. Thank you so much. May the Lord receive all the glory.

I hope you have enjoyed my interview with Fern Nichols. Please stop by your local library branch or favorite bookstore today and pick up a copy of WHEN MOMS PRAY TOGETHER: True Stories of God’s Power to Transform Your Child. Better yet, how would you like to win one? Answer the following trivia question and you could be One of Five winners.

What is the name of the organization Fern started for praying moms?

On November 10th, I will be bringing to you my interview with an extraordinary young autobiographer, Kevin Michael Connolly. You won’t want to miss it.

Until next time...Jen

When a twist of fate landed Jennifer at the "Reading with Ripa" roundtable discussion with Kelly Ripa and Meg Cabot, she knew that her career as a French teacher would essentially be over. Instead, she figured out a clever way to combine her love for reading and writing and "voilà" She became a book reviewer and columnist with www.freshfiction.com. On the sidelines, her parents secretly hoped that her French degree from Vanderbilt would one day come in handy and Jennifer is happy to report that the phrases ‘Je ne sais pas' and ‘C'est incroyable!' have been quite useful when reviewing certain selections! As is typical in her whirlwind life, one thing led to another and soon she found herself facilitating a popular moms' book club and writing a column she cleverly named Jen's Jewels. (Jewelry is one of her many addictions, as is the color pink and Lilly Pulitzer, which when you think about it, would probably make for a good story! Hint! Hint! ) To keep herself away from her favorite retailer, Ann Taylor, she serves on the Board of Trustees of the Harford County Public Library in Maryland. As a national trainer for The Arthritis Foundation's Aquatic and Land Exercise Classes, she is an advocate for those like herself who suffer from arthritis, the nation's #1 cause of disability. When asked how she manages to do all of these things and actually get some sleep at night, she simply replied, "It's just Par for the Course." Hmm! Now where have we heard that before?