Susie Finkbeiner's Blog, page 11

Before You Get Into A Fight…

Last night, I had the amazing pleasure of sharing with a book club. The discussion about PAINT CHIPS was great. They asked lots of questions about the writing process, mental illness, human trafficking.

The discussion really centered on sex trafficking in West Michigan.

Someone in the group asked me the best question of the night.

“What can I do to now?”

I thought I’d take the opportunity to share a few links of places to look for those action steps we can all take in order to fight trafficking. Please now that this is a huge issue, bigger than any one person. We all need to do our part to make a difference. Isn’t that the cool thing about being created as community oriented people?

First: Learn…check out the FAQs page of The Polaris Project. You can learn all kinds of information about what trafficking is, who it hurts, and how to identify it. Click HERE.

Second: Allies…check out the resources page from The Manasseh Project to learn who is already in the fight…and what their specific needs are. Click HERE.

Third: Join…if you live in Michigan, The Michigan Abolitionist Project has three groups across the state that are more than happy to get you plugged in to the fight. They will work with your giftedness and passions to get you to work. Click HERE. If there isn’t a group in your area and you’d like to start one, click HERE to contact someone about how to get that started.

Fourth: Money…$5 goes far when fighting human trafficking. $500 goes even further. If you’re able to give, do so. In any amount. Click HERE to contribute to The Manasseh Project. I personally vouch for and endorse The Manasseh Project. They are doing amazing things to rehabilitate victims of human trafficking in West Michigan.

The more you click through on these sites, the more you will learn about how YOU can get involved. Some of these actions seem small. When compared to people who storm the brothels and work one-on-one with survivors, they do seem insignificant. But that’s just not true. Every single action toward freedom is huge and special and wonderful.

(Next Week: How to fight trafficking with your shopping habits)

Just Want To Say Thanks!

Tornadoes and God’s Love

I watched footage of one of the monster tornadoes that touched down in Oklahoma. It was from one of the storm chaser types. The guy offered commentary on the direction of the twister, how large he estimated it to be, explained the roaring sound.

Then the guy got scared.

His adrenaline had turned to fear. And he got in his special made car and drove away as fast as he could.

He drove to where the tornado had been. Everything was flattened. No movement anywhere. The calm after the storm.

The calm just before everyone realized what had happened. What they’d lost. Who they had lost.

The calm just before the Red Cross came. Before news reporters stood on corners to report on the devastation.

An eery, unearthly calm.

My thought, looking at torn to shred houses and uprooted trees?

Oh my goodness. Lord, don’t let some insensitive, Bible toting person say something awful. Please just shut their mouths.

Because, inevitably, someone says something terrible to blame the victims of tragedies. Citing the judgement of an angry God. Painting a picture of a God who delights in the sufferings of His people.

Even though Scripture clearly points to the delight that God has in His children. And, never mind that the prodigal son wasn’t pelted with daggers when he came home, but overtaken by his father’s embrace.

If I got a call today from one of my atheist or agnostic friends, asking why God let this happen…well…to be honest with you, I wouldn’t know what in the world to say. Because I don’t understand it. Does that make my faith weak? I don’t know. But at least I can admit that I wonder and doubt and question.

And I think God can handle that.

But I sure as anything wouldn’t say that God sent the tornado. Or that He wanted to make a point. Or that He needed more angels in heaven and that’s why He took those kids.

Because I don’t believe those words. And I think they do more harm than good.

I guess what I would say is that my heart is broken. Because that is true. And that I really, really, deep down inside believe that Jesus grieves with us in tragedy. Why wouldn’t He? He wept for His friends Mary and Martha when He saw their anguish over losing their brother.

And, get this, Jesus knew how that day would end. With the resurrection of Lazarus.

And, get this, Jesus knows how everything will end. Far better than we claim to know.

And, yet, He finds no delight in pain or suffering or loss.

I think that He longs for heaven. For us. More than we long for it. Because He lived here and knows heartbreak.

And because He has lived there, in heaven. And, in that place, He will wipe dry our tears and make right all that was made wrong.

He has gone to prepare a place for us. Because He loves us.

He does so. Dearly.

Everybody Loves Lola

First off, congratulations to Anne Ferris! She won the copy of “Ring of Secrets”! Anne, I’ll get that book to you ASAP! Well…and your birthday present, too. 

Last week, I met up with a friend of mine. She told me that she’d read Paint Chips. The first thing she said…

“I just LOVED Lola.”

Seriously. I hear that all the time. Everybody loves Lola. I love Lola. She was a joy to write.

I’ve been thinking about what makes Lola so very lovable.

Yes. She’s fun. She’s passionate. Her faith is deep…she humbled me so much as I wrote. She is forgiving and self-sacrificing.

I think that she represents what we would like to become.

But, also, I think we love her because of what she’s overcome. And how far life has taken her. That she didn’t stay a victim. But grew into a survivor. And that she is in the business of raising up survivors. And that is a beautiful thing.

The cause of her life is to let God use her to set others free. And to help them live in that freedom.

The really great thing is that people like Lola, with the drive and passion to help others live in freedom, do exist.

Let me tell you about a few of them.

Andy Soper is the program director for The Manasseh Project, a rehab for teens trafficked in West Michigan. Learn about the newly opened home HERE.

You’ve heard me talk up Better Way Imports before…because I think they’re great. They work with anti-trafficking organizations around the globe to empower women to stay out of the “life”. How it works? BWI sells items made by the women who have been rescued. The women have a job that earns them a fair wage (BWI is a member of the Fair Trade Federation). Check them out.

These people live lives of sacrifice, compassion, and justice. They inspire me. Lola embodied a little bit of each of them.

And I’m proud to call them my friends.

Susie’s Book Club

Hi, all! I intended on making an “Ask Susie” video for you…but it’s late and I ran out of Dr. Pepper. So, you’ll just have to settle for a written bloggy blog today. 

Yesterday, my good friend Heidi Beavers asked if I could provide a list of worthwhile books. See, she has three growing boys and works full time…she just does not have time to invest in books that are…ahem…just “eh”.

I thought she had a really great idea. So, I decided to put together a list of books that I have really enjoyed.  Here goes! (HINT, HINT: read all the way to the bottom for a GIVE-AWAY!)

Great Books That I Love

Pocket Guide to the Bible by Jason Boyett (The Bible is FULL of interesting details…things that often need a little explaining. Boyett did a great job compiling this book. With a “Cast of Characters” list, a history of the writing/spreading of the Bible, and the like, this book is great for Sunday School classes, Youth Groups, People looking for a fun way to learn a little more about the Bible)

Talking To The Dead by Bonnie Grove (This novel will have you anxious to keep reading. Full of questions, raw emotion, and really excellent writing, you will not be disappointed that you picked this one up. Well worth the late nights reading)

Zora & Nicky by Claudia Mair Burney (Raw! RAW, I tell you. Claudia didn’t hold back anything when writing this novel. And she’s a Michigan girl…so she gets some extra love around this blog. If you think you understand race relations…even within the Church…well…you’d better think again). Claudia’s book Wounded: A Love Story is on my “to read” shelf.

Embrace Me, The Passion of Mary-Margaret, Resurrection in May…and more by Lisa Samson (Lisa’s good. She’s really good. She knows how to write a novel.)

The Land Between: Finding God in Difficult Transitions by Jeff Manion (Great for a small group, this non-fiction study is both encouraging and challenging)

Unconditional (A beautiful novel that was based on the movie…but it’s a really great read.)

Isn’t It Time for a Coffee Break?: Doing Life Together in an All-About-Me Kind of World by Amelia Rhodes (Great for a study, ladies’ group, etc. This book is fun, full of quick chapters, discussion questions, and space for notes.)

Goodness & Mercy by Patti Hill (Okay…so I just started reading it…but it is SO GOOD already. SO GOOD!!!!)

NOW IT’S your turn! Tell me a book or two that you would love to recommend! Each comment on this post will be entered to read a book on my to-read list. Ring of Secrets by Roseanna M. White. It’s the first in a series about spies in the late 1700′s!

Have a great weekend! Happy reading!

Faces and Names

When we talk about sex trafficking, it is easy to reduce the victims to a number or a statistic.

Average age of a trafficking victim: 13 years old.

Average amount of time a woman survives sex trafficking: 7.

Number of girls and women in the sex industry in the United States: 2.3 million

Numbers numb me. Especially when those numbers are so staggering. And those numbers make me feel detached, distant, helpless.

It wasn’t until I saw the faces of trafficking victims that I realized how very real, and very damaging “the life” is. And when I read their names, I remembered that they are individuals. That they had someone who gave them a name and had hopes for them.

When I wrote Paint Chips, I wanted to convey the victims and survivors as flesh and bone, made in the image of God people. People with dreams and plans. Joy and pain.

As I wrote, I often looked at the faces of woman who walked the “track”. The Salvation Army’s Initiative Against Sexual Trafficking has made available  the mug shots of woman, arrested for prostitution. From several different arrests (and in chronological order), the pictures are heartbreaking. This is, clearly, not a good life. It’s a difficult one. A soul strangling life.

It is clear from the gaze in their eyes.

Please take a moment. Look into the faces of these women.

You will see women who need redemption, mercy, and freedom.

Click HERE to view the faces and to read the names.

Neti Pots, Mullets, and The Prodigal Son

Sell, Sell, Sell

I have a confession to make.

There is one thing about being an author that I’m not in love with.

In fact, I fear it. I tremble at the thought of having to do it.

It…is…

Selling.

Now, I’ve been in sales before. At one point, I sold candles. Yeah. I didn’t do very well with that one. But I was mildly successful when selling for Better Way Imports. I sold LOTS of great things then. The thing was, it wasn’t my work I was selling. It was the work of gorgeous-hearted survivors of human trafficking. Seriously, that kind of thing is easy to sell.

But this. This is different. I’m selling my words. Something I worked on for a very long time. I’m selling a piece of who I am.

It feels self-serving. Ego-centric. Bragadocious.

*According to the Urban Dictionary, bragadocious is “The art of bragging”.

It’s like, every single day lately, I’m saying,

“Hey, I wrote a book. It got published by, like, a real publisher and stuff. I think it’s pretty good. You’ll think it’s awesome, too. So. Like. Buy it. Read it. Tell every single person you’ve ever met to do the same. Right now. Do it.”

It feels so wrong.

People have called me famous. It’s flattering. It makes me giggle a little. If I’m not careful, it gets to my head.

I need to remind myself of one thing…

I don’t want to be famous because of anything I write. I want God to be famous because of it.

And, if I really think about it the right way, I’m not selling my work. I’m selling that which God has gifted me to do. I’m selling the words He allowed me to write for His glory.

And, when I think about it that way, I’m a little more okay with it.

In My Own City

The other day someone asked, “So, why did you write a novel about Human Trafficking?”

I paused before I answered. I guess because I didn’t intend for Paint Chips to be about human trafficking. Or because it’s such a difficult topic.

That is a question I’ve been contemplating all weekend. I decided to share a story with you. A real story. Something that I saw while I was in the middle of writing the novel.

***

At the time, I worked as a Freedom Fighter for Better Way Imports. Really, it was a direct marketing gig. But I had the honor of selling items made by women who had been rescued from the brothels and red light areas of countries such as India, Cambodia, and Thailand. I’d speak about the evils of sex trafficking in those other lands. Then, the guests would purchase items, the money from the sales enabling those rescued women to have a job.

It was a pretty awesome job.

One night, I had one of my events all the way on the north side of Grand Rapids. I remember that the night was so cold that it hurt. After the event, I took a sip from my insulated mug of coffee that had been in my van. The cream in the coffee had turned to ice. That cold.

Along the way home, I got a bit lost. I couldn’t seem to find the entrance for the high way, so I took Division. I knew that road would lead me home.

Division has a bad reputation. It probably has deserved it over the years. It can be a pretty tough street. Especially at night. My clock told me that it was after 11 at night. So, I double and triple checked my door locks.

As I drove along, I noticed that not many people were out. Pretty much just me and the occasional police squad car.

But then, ahead of me, I saw something moving. Like something moved back and forth off to the side. As I got closer, I realized that it was a bag or purse that someone was swinging. That someone was standing on the corner.

“It is too cold to be out like that,” I thought.

Then, I realized that it was a woman. A girl. And the way she looked into my van, I knew that she was looking for a “date”. She looked right at me, then turned her head when she realized that I was a woman.

But, in that flash of eye contact, I realized that she was far too young. More girl than woman. I knew the statistics. That, even in my own city, the average age of a prostituted person was 14 years old.

The average.

That doesn’t mean that younger girls aren’t out there.

And I knew that the youngest of them don’t walk the “track”.

But this girl sure looked young.

And I couldn’t help her. To stop and pick her up could have put both of us in danger. I had no idea where I would have taken her. What I would have said.

Half an hour before, I had advocated for women around the world. Thousands of miles away. I’d actually helped them.

But, in that moment, driving past that girl, I was powerless.

I cannot tell you the gut clench I get even remembering the hard look in her eyes. And that I was powerless to do anything.

What I can do is write. To be a voice for that girl. To tell a story that might be at least a little similar to hers. So that people won’t just drive by, thinking that she’s dirty. Or that she’s a sinner. Or that she chose that life.

No one chooses that life.

At least no one I’ve met who has walked that track.

I didn’t want to write a novel about Human Trafficking.

I wanted to write a novel about a couple of survivors. Survivors who never stopped being human, even as slaves. Survivors who were deeply and wonderfully loved by their God.

Just like we’re loved by Him.

Because I hope…really hope…that the girl I saw on the below freezing night has become a survivor. That somehow she has felt the love of her Father.

And that she is safe. And free.

Sign Me UP!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Table at Baker Book House.

The last week and a half has been INSANELY surreal. Three book signings/parties will do that to a girl.

Me, explaining to the audience that what I really wanted to be was a cast member on Saturday Night Live.

Laughing at my goofy friend, Justin. He Salman Rushdied me. If you don’t know that story…check out the link below.

Salman Rushdie story HERE

A very sweet friend came all the way from OHIO for the signing! Thanks, Natalie!

After the Baker Book Signing, I had a more relaxed release party in Middleville, Michigan.

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My pal Amelia! Her book “Isn’t It Time For A Coffee Break” released in January.

The Lovely Jen Gusey served as my event photog. Kind of like having the paparazzi around…only cuter.

My Bro.

Kathi and Cheryl. A few very sweet and dear friends of mine.

Fun fact. Michelle edited Paint Chips before I sent it along to WhiteFire Publishing. Boy. Did she go through the red pens. But she’s really nice about things like edits and tense issues. That’s why she’s amazing.

Then, a release party at Great Lakes Christian College. Ryan Apple and I teamed up. He signed his CD’s, I signed a few books.

Chatting it up with my college professor and mentor, George Brown.

Darcie is a saint. She lived with me in college. If you know me, you’ll understand why that makes her such an amazing person.

Ryan Apple is a very talented musician. And he’s a pretty swell buddy of mine, too.

And another very sweet and forgiving soul. Carrie was also my roommate. Seriously. I’m not all that easy to live with…

Needless to say (but I’m going to say it anyway), it has been an exhilarating, amazing, terrifying few weeks. And there is even more to come!

Sorry that I don’t have a video for you this week. I sound like a frog and look like Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer. Not really all that attractive.

We’ll save a video for when I sound like a canary and look like, well, me.