Hello fellow Treasure hunters!  I can’t wait for you to read about one of the precious treasures I’ve met  in my journey!

I first met Mid at FaithWriters- a Christian writing group where I’ve been blessed to meet sooooo many like-minded friends!

I was at once drawn into her sparkling spirit! The more I learned about her, the more I was intrigued.

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She’s multi-gifted in photography, writing and art. 

Her first novel, Barriers was published in  2010 and she is currently writing the sequel, Betrayal, with a third book, Birthright to follow.

Mid, tell us a bit about yourself.

Thank you, Cindy. Well, I’m in my golden years of life. (I think that begins after age 50, right?  🙂 So we’ll just leave it at that)   I just celebrated 36 years of marriage to a wonderful husband, Fred, and we are happily fluttering around in our empty nest, which has much more room now. 🙂

We live in Northern Indiana on an historic farm that has been in Fred’s family since founded in 1833, and we have the deed signed by Andrew Jackson. But we are also building a retirement home in Western Michigan not too far from the shoreline, should the Lord tarry that long.

I had 14 children, losing two at birth to congenital kidney defects. I have 6 sons and 6 daughters and 10 grandchildren. I love to take pictures of what’s around me, paint pictures of what I experience, and write pictures from what I feel. It’s not a hobby, it’s just how God created me. My hobbies are herbs and gardening and needlework. Actually, I’ve tried just about everything from making soaps, perfume and lotions, to homemade paper from botanicals. That was all before I took up writing and photography!

1)   Mid, your life journey has taken some interesting turns and uphill climbs. Would you share with us about your Jewish roots and how you came to believe Yeshua was the Messiah– your Savior?

I accepted the Lord, Jesus Christ, when I was ten and was forced to go to church. My mother sent my brother and myself there to hopefully help our attitudes…she didn’t realize the Lord would actually touch my heart, and I would end up saved. (Unfortunately, I fell away by the time I reached the last years of high school, and my life spiraled downhill until I hit the bottom of the sinful pit I had dug all by myself.) That year, I received my first Bible, a white one with my name in gold on the front. I read it front to back, over and over. I loved Jesus! I lived in an area in Washington State that overlooked the Columbia River, and from a favorite spot in a favorite tree, I would look across to the hills as I read, and imagine living in the time of Jesus and being with Him. I knew His people (the Jews) were special and held that feeling as I grew up, but really not knowing why I felt that way. When I moved to Indiana in the mid 1970’s, I was drawn to a Messianic musical group named Lamb, and then met a young man who started teaching me Hebrew before he moved away. I had a deep desire then to visit Israel, but again, no explanation as to why.

After writing The Færen Lands, I decided to tackle a novel about Israel, and spent five years doing research and reading the Thoene novels about Israel’s history. It was through my research that I came across a couple of pictures, which shocked me. One looked just like my grandfather, another like my mother and one like her sister, and I remembered, when I was little, wondering about the odd shape of their noses. I know… an odd thing to remember. Then I saw a picture of the Judean hills and compared it to a picture of the hills across from where I grew up–they looked identical!  It all began to come together and make sense. My great grandparents moved to the United States from Odessa, Russia, one of the largest Jewish communities in that area. They changed the spelling of their last name and my grandfather’s first name, and completely erased their family records and history. It was never mentioned to my mother, or if it was, she refuses to acknowledge it. But God put it all into my heart as a child. He orchestrated all those events in my life and nurtured my love for Israel, and when the time was right, He revealed my Jewish identity.

2) WOW!!!!    That’s amazing.  I first read your book, Barriers! It kept me on the edge of my seat. The current situation in Israel is fascinating and  prophetic in the culmination of the age of this world we live in!  I was especially excited to get my hands on your next book! I love allegorical works and was thoroughly captivated by your newest book, The Færen Lands!  Your telling of the fall of Lucifer, known to us as Satan and the redemption and plan of the King and His Son – hooked me.  Then I was drawn into Halael’s journey! Halel went through so much destruction, disappointment, and loss, my heart actually ached for her. That’s why I was shocked to find out, that this story was written as a sort of auto-biography.  Halel is you- in a sense!  I knew then, God would use this book to touch many people’s hearts — because it tells your authentic journey and struggles and  “rings true”. How did this all come about? What led you to write this story and in this manner?

I had only shared my testimony with a few very close and trusted friends, and, of course, my husband.  But I was asked one day at a church we attended, to give my testimony, which I did… sort of. What I mean is, I condensed it and gave a pasteurized version. My past life was so bad, I have yet to tell it in its entirety. What I’ve come to realize is that I don’t need to. God has forgiven my past to the extent He doesn’t even remember it! But after sharing my testimony, many said how much it had blessed them, and they felt it would others as well. So in seeking the Lord, He inspired the telling of The Færen Lands. It took just 4 months to write… that was in the year 2000. It’s taken this long to get it published, and only because I came across Create Space and could do it myself. I had, through the years, sent it in to different publishers, but it was rejected for being an allegory and also because it was about my life. But again, I believe it’s all about God’s timing.

3) What is the most Surprising Treasure God has ever revealed to you in your life journey?

I think it was the fact that I didn’t have to prove anything to Him, or have to be perfect or anyone special.

I simply had to humbly accept His Son, Yeshua (Jesus), as my Savior and trust in His word given to us through the Holy Scriptures.

Nothing was more freeing to me after being held prisoner by my past, than to know I didn’t have to “do” anything except to believe. No amount of “good works” on my part could have made up for the life I had lived. Only one person was able to make that atonement, and He did that on the cross. My favorite verses are found in Psalm 103, and I like how they are translated in the Complete Jewish Bible: He (Adonai) has not treated us as our sins deserve, or paid us back for our offenses, because His mercy toward those who fear Him is as far above earth as heaven. He has removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west. Just as a father has compassion on his children, so Adonai has compassion on those who fear Him. For He understands how we are made, He remembers that we are dust. (10-14) But the mercy of Adonai on those who fear Him is from eternity past to eternity future. (17) What an amazing promise that covers our entire life: His mercy is from Eternity past to Eternity future!!

If you’re interested in getting to know a beautiful Treasure- here’s where more of Mid can be found!

 
http://midspoint.com

http://www.midspointofview.blogspot.com

https://twitter.com/Midspoint

https://www.facebook.com/mid.stutsman

https://www.facebook.com/Midspoint

http://pinterest.com/midspoint

http://israeldocumented.blogspot.com/

Surprising Treasure:    But we have this treasure in a fragile vase of clay, in order that the surpassing greatness of the power may be seen to belong to God, and not to originate in us.    II Corinthians 4:7