When Judy Rushfeldt was in Grade 12, her high school counsellor informed her that becoming a writer was impractical, and that she should be a teacher, nurse or secretary. That conversation resulted in a detour into medicine, but Judy eventually found her way, and today looks back at more than 25 years of writing, two published books and an online magazine.

The daughter of entrepreneurial parents who moved around western Canada to follow their dreams, Judy and her four siblings were taught that “the sky is the limit if you are willing to work hard and strive for excellence.”

As a child, Judy wrote poetry and journals, read voraciously, and enjoyed other creative activities like playing the piano. School was boring, except for Mr. Yeo, a high school English teacher in Invermere, B.C., who “ignited the flame of my writing passion,” she says.

After the counsellor derailed her writing dream, Judy enrolled in pre-med, then took a year off to travel in Europe where she looked for—among other things—God.

Looking for God
Raised in a mainstream denomination, Judy felt she had “tried Christianity.” At 18, she began to explore New Age and transcendental meditation. While in Europe, she felt close to God, but not close enough. Back home, after a few more years of searching, the 23-year-old threw herself on her bed, pleading, “God, I have tried everything I can think of to get to know you. What do you want me to do?”

The phone rang. It was her mother inviting her to a breakfast. Hoping this was God’s answer, Judy went. The couple sitting next to her at the restaurant shared the gospel. Her mother, a new Christian, hadn’t known how to tell Judy herself.

Later, Judy discovered that several of her friends were Christians. She was dumbfounded. Why had they never shared their faith with her?

Now certain of her need to write, Judy enrolled in journalism school in Calgary. After graduation, she went to work for Canadian Petroleum Magazine, eventually becoming assistant editor. Then she freelanced for a time for business and trade magazines in the energy industry, writing more than 300 articles.

Next, she formed a corporate communications company, which she operated for five years. She then became communications coordinator for one Calgary’s largest city departments. She left after two and a half years, suffocated by the amount of red tape she had to deal with there. But the job was not a total loss—while working for the city, Judy learned to write strategic plans, a useful skill.

During this time, Judy also began speaking to women’s groups. Once terrified to even recite a poem in class, she says she discovered that when she obeyed God, He gave her the confidence she needed.

By this time Judy had married, and she and her husband Brian became associate pastors of a church, and then deans of a Bible college. Judy found an outlet for her writing by starting several outreach magazines and writing a Bible college curriculum.

In 1997, Brian co-founded Canada Family Action Coalition (CFAC) and became the executive director. Judy volunteered full-time for five years, looking after communications, but she also decided to write a book based on her research. She published Freedom versus Feminism in 2000.

Strong conviction
Remembering her own struggle to find God, in 2003 Judy launched an online magazine, LifeToolsforWomen.com. Says Judy, “Polls of internet usage have found that ‘the desire to grow spiritually’ is among the top five reasons why women surf the internet.

“I have a strong conviction that many women are just like I was in the years I was trying to get to know God—searching in all the wrong places because they have never been exposed to a relevant gospel message. Those are the women that I pray God will reach and touch through this online magazine.”

But she also wants to work with women who are Christians, to help them use their God-given abilities. “If God has given you a gift, He will make a way for it to be expressed,” she says. “He wants us to develop and steward our gifts. But it doesn’t just happen. We must be willing to do our part.”

Right now, Judy is doing her part by promoting her second book, Making Your Dreams Become your Destiny, published in 2005 by Castle Quay Books Canada. She has also recently become a speaker with Compassion Canada.

Judy Rushfeldt’s website is www.makingyourdreams.com

N. J. Lindquist is the executive director of The Word Guild (www.thewordguild.com). Her mystery, Shaded Light, was released last fall.

Published in ChristianWeek June 10, 2005 Volume 19 Number 06