Rene Gutteridge Answers The Faithful Fifteen
August 2004
Faithfulreader.com: 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?
Rene Gutteridge: It may seem weird, but I separate my personal faith from the faith in my stories. My novels aren't books about my personal experiences with faith, but they are told from my belief in God and Jesus Christ and the entire truth of the Bible. So I guess if someone asked me about my faith, I would share about how God has used my books to touch others. I would share about the time we had zero dollars in the bank account and God miraculously brought money to pay the bills. I have a very personal and deep faith, and that faith is very much a part of my experience as a writer. But my stories are separate. They are fiction. They're art. And it is out of my faith that many of the stories are birthed, but I don't use the stories to demonstrate my faith, if that makes sense. I tell stories. There is certainly a message, as there is in all works of fiction. My messages vary from story to story, but in all of my books, God exists and pursues His most beloved creation. I don't think I could tell a story that does not acknowledge God's existence. For me, it's as real as the wind in the trees.
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?
RG: I accepted Jesus as my Savior when I was around five years old. It's hard to measure where I am in my walk. Some days I think that I'm conquering the flesh and carrying my cross. Other days I feel as far from God as the sun is from the earth. I know this: I love God and I continue to follow Him. I certainly stumble and mess up --- everyday, in fact. But it is God who is always at the forefront of my mind. The lesson I'm learning now is what it means to be in continual prayer. My goodness, what a powerful concept. God began teaching me this about four weeks ago, and it's totally transformed how I perceive life and all the problems that come along with it. I believe God is really trying to focus my attention on my prayer life, because He knows that is where the power and the victory await. On my knees.
My faith is woven into every part of my life. It's part of my writing, my marriage, the raising of my children, my friendships, my finances, my social life, my troubles, my successes, my joy and my sadness. God's goodness and wisdom saturate!
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.
RG: I grew up Baptist and was always very involved in church and youth groups. When I went to college I looked around for a new church and found a great downtown church in Oklahoma City called First United Methodist. It was an amazing church. I eventually went to work for them for five years as their Drama Minister. Now I attend the church my husband works for called Westmoore Community Covenant Church. He's the worship pastor, and I write sketches for them on a volunteer basis. That is basically the ministry I'm involved in at the church, the drama ministry. I love giving of my time in that area. My husband and I work well together in that way. He directs, acts and produces, and I write.
FR: Tell us about your current church family/fellowship. How does it influence your work?
RG: I have the most supportive church in the world. They love to read what I write, and they are so encouraging. They buy my books and are always eager to read them and pass them along to friends. I'm so thankful for The Flock That Rocks, as they are known. I feel so blessed to be a part of this flock. And I grow so much spiritually there that it is sure to be seen in my work one way or the other.
FR: Who are your spiritual mentors? Your professional mentors?
RG: Spiritually, I'm not sure I have just one. There have been many people in big and small ways who have guided me through my life and prayed for me. You know, I learn a lot from watching people and how they act --- their fruits, I guess you could say. I just love to observe. And I have learned so much from watching various people over the years. It's not so much what they've said to me as much as what I've seen them do when they thought no one was looking. Professionally, I suppose it is the same story. I was lucky to have a professor named Terry Phelps take me under his wing in college. He really developed me as a writer. Today, I am always eager to learn from those who have walked where I want to walk, who have written many books over many years. I'm a big advocate for mentors, actually. I don't think we have enough mentors for my generation. I'm always looking for people to give me advice, to show me the way, to tell me their stories. I long to hear the wisdom from those who have done this. I guess you could say I'm truly hungry for it, so I hope to continue to be spiritually and professionally mentored by people with whom I cross paths.
FR: Discuss your calling/mission --- as a writer and as a Christian.
RG: As a writer, I believe my calling is to tell the best story I can. As a Christian writer, I believe it is the same calling, though it is no secret that I rely on the Holy Spirit for help, because on my own, I'm nothing. I've always felt that on a practical level of this writing mission, God was going to use me to introduce Christians who love fiction but don't read Christian fiction to the genre.
And my calling as a Christian? To love God with all my heart. To serve Him. And to do His will.
FR: What are your Scripture reading habits?
RG: Ah!! Confession time, eh? Well, I believe in reading the scriptures everyday. I go through seasons where I do that faithfully, and then of course there are times in my life where I fall away from it. Usually those times don't last long, though, because I can literally feel myself growing hungry for the Word and I scramble back to it eagerly. I'm a tired mom of two small kids, so I don't beat myself up about how much scripture I read. I always read at least one chapter, and sometimes I get a lot more in than that. But I believe there's so much meat in one chapter that it nourishes me for a day. I've read all the way through the Bible several times, and I always try a different translation once I'm finished. Right now I am reading the Living translation and loving it.
FR: What books have most influenced your work?
RG: I think the most influential books in my life are from my childhood. I loved Judy Blume, V.C. Andrews (yikes!), THE OUTSIDERS, WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS, CATCHER IN THE RYE, and THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA. I read like crazy when I was a kid, and that birthed my love for writing.
As an adult, I'm always influenced by good writing. Of course, it depresses me too, because then I think, "Am I ever going to get to that level?"
FR: Do you read secular fiction at all? If so, who are your favorite authors and why?
RG: I do read some secular fiction. I'm in a book club and we often times read secular selections. I like John Grisham, I'll admit it. I try to read a wide variety of authors and genres and many times not the best-known ones, though I do have a weakness for pop fiction. I'm careful about what I select. I am very visual and prone to disturbing images if I'm not careful, so I don't just read anything that comes along. Some people can read things and it doesn't bother them. I'm not one of them.
FR: What are your other media habits --- television, movies, music, etc.?
RG: I'm kind of a TV junky. But I'm selective in what I watch, content-wise and also because of time restrictions. For the most part, we keep the TV off until the kids go to bed. I've seen every episode of "Frasier" at least three or four times, and have learned most of my comedy writing skills from that show. Right now I'm addicted to "Last Comic Standing." I used to go to three or four movies a week. That was the pre-kid era. Now my husband and I are lucky if we rent one a month. But I do try to keep up with what's going on in the movie industry, since I have a background in screenwriting. I'm totally hooked on M. Night Shyamalan's work.
My husband is a musician, so I listen to a lot of his music, especially since as far as my 5-year-old is concerned there are no other musicians in the world except Daddy. But I do like the radio sometimes. I listen to almost all Christian music, though I have been known to put in Elton John, the Top Gun or Footloose soundtracks, and switch over to the 'eighties' station for a bit.
FR: Do you and your family have any special faith-based traditions?
RG: We're big Christmas people, so we do a lot of fun stuff around Christmas. The kids are just getting old enough to really understand the meaning behind Christmas, so as they grow older we'll continue to add to our traditions. Aside from Christmas, we have a neat tradition called The Mailbox. It's an actual mailbox in our house, and when the flag is 'up' there's a surprise inside. My husband and I came up with this idea to teach the kids about grace. Sometimes you just get good stuff without earning it.
FR: Tell us about your prayer life and habits.
RG: As I mentioned before, God is really cultivating this area in my life. But my prayer life has always been an important part of my life. I've gone through various stages. I've actually gone into a closet and prayed. These days, with the kids, I find myself praying more throughout the day. They're small prayers, as things come to mind. I try to immediately tackle any worries with prayer, which causes me to pray quite often! I also relish the quietness of a car ride when I don't have the kids or they're asleep in the back. I've done some heavy duty praying in the car. We also make it a habit of praying as a family, even though the kids don't always understand it. If there is a problem that affects the whole family (like recently our air conditioner went out in our house) we sit in a circle and pray about it. My five-year-old loves to pray with us and really gets into it. It's so precious.
FR: Describe what you believe the role of writing in religion is.
RG: Oh my goodness, I'm so bad at philosophical-type questions, but I'll take a stab at it. I certainly believe it is important, and the Scriptures show us that. I believe that writing is powerful. God's very Word was spoken and then written down. If I may address the more specific idea of fiction in religion, I believe it's also very powerful. Jesus used parables, and that's what we're all doing today, in one form or another. God gave us imaginations, and I believe He's very much an advocate for storytelling. I believe the role of fiction in religion is the same role that it plays in society. It does more than entertain. It is a way of delivering a message. In our case, it is the message of Christ. But fiction is capable of delivering the truth in ways that connect to the hearts and emotions. And to the imagination.
FR: Tell us about one or more of your favorite encounters with readers.
RG: I recently had a wonderful letter sent to me by a woman named Anglia, who said that GHOST WRITER brought her back to God. It just made me cry. It's so humbling and exciting to know God is using me. She said, "You wrote this book in the year 2000, but on July 21st, 2004, it changed my life." Sends chills down my spine. I'm still trying to get a hold of Anglia, because she typed in her e-mail address wrong.
One night I was walking into an Old Navy and a woman said, "Hey! Are you Rene Gutteridge?" I nodded, thinking I'd just run into an old high school acquaintance that I was not recognizing! But she said, "I just finished reading your book at the doctor's office!" That was really weird because I didn't know how she recognized me.
I love all the letters I get. I write every person back.
FR: Would you share a story about someone you've brought to Christ or share how your writing has helped someone?
RG: I've rarely been there for the harvest. I think God has used me many times, though, to plant seeds or to water or to protect from the harsh sun. I've heard stories about my books changing people's lives. One lady told me that she gave GHOST WRITER to a friend, who gave it to her mother, who read it and called her in tears, saying she never understood until that moment how much God loved her. And until then, she'd closed the door on God.
I think that is what is so cool about books. Books written years and years ago are still changing people's lives. A book can land in your lap in the strangest of ways, and end up profoundly affecting you. And I happen to believe there are no accidents...that all over the world God is directing books here and there to the people who need them. Including me!
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