Shannon Ethridge Answers The Faithful Fifteen
June 2005
 Shannon Ethridge is the best-selling author of Every Woman's Battle and coauthor of Every Young Woman's Battle, as well as a wife, mother, speaker, and lay counselor. Previously a youth pastor and abstinence educator, Shannon has a master's degree in counseling/human relations from Liberty University and she speaks regularly on the Teen Mania Ministries campus and in a variety of other church and college settings. Shannon lives in east Texas with her husband, Greg, and their two children, Erin and Matthew.
FaithfulReader.com: What kind of testimony to your faith are you demonstrating in this book? Is your goal to demonstrate your faith in your writing?
Shannon Ethridge: My goal in writing the Every Woman series is to demonstrate that we CAN have faith in God to fulfill our innermost longings for love and intimacy, and that He is faithful to forgive and cleanse us of past sexual sin. It is my joy to share how God has personally revolutionized my life and continues to make all things new!
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?
SE: Although I was raised in the church, I lived for many years as a "saved" person, but not a "sanctified" person. The sanctification process began after I was married and realized what an issue I had with trying to find sexual and emotional fulfillment outside of my marriage. It was through surrendering those struggles to God and a desperation for sexual healing and wholeness that I came to understand that Jesus' blood was enough to set me free from enslaving relational addictions.
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.
SE: I grew up in the Methodist church and was the president of my youth group, so I thought I was doing the "Christian" thing right. As adults, my husband and I have gravitated toward more contemporary styles of worship and have settled into Garden Valley Bible Church where we often lead marriage conferences and youth workshops.
FR: Tell us about your current church family/fellowship. How does it influence your work?
SE: We continue to remain surrounded in prayer (and accountability) through our church family, which provides a wonderful feeling of belonging, safety, and security. Most are relatively familiar with my work and my testimony, yet are incredibly loving and supportive regardless of what is in my past. This gives me the courage to continue taking off my mask and being real with people, hopefully giving them the freedom to do the same.
FR: Who are your spiritual mentors? Your professional mentors?
SE: My mentors include Ron and Katie Luce, Founders of Teen Mania Ministries, Susan Duke, a fellow Christian author, and a long-time friend and spiritual father-figure, Jerry Speight. God has spoken to me through them many times and used their words to encourage me repeatedly.
FR: Discuss your calling/mission --- as a writer, and as a Christian.
SE: Ironically, I've never felt that my calling is to be a writer or a speaker, but to be an advocate for sexual integrity. However, God has opened such incredible doors for me to preach that message through books and speaking engagements that I've stumbled upon being a writer and speaker out of my passion to help women overcome sexual and emotional battles. In the words of T.D. Jakes, I have discovered that "the point of my greatest MISERY is also the point of my greatest MINISTRY!"
FR: What are your Scripture reading habits?
SE: I use a one-year Bible-reading computer program called Ilumina Bible Software and I absolutely love it! Each day, it gives me a passage from the Old Testament, one from the New Testament, one Psalm and one Proverb, so there's variety and plenty of meat to chew on. I also can cut and paste scriptures into an electronic journal that allows me to make my own notes as well about what I sense God is saying to me through a certain passage.
FR: What books have most influenced your work?
SE: The first book I ever read on female sexual issues was Robin Norwood's DAILY MEDITATIONS FOR WOMEN WHO LOVE TOO MUCH, which was a real eye-opener. T.D. Jakes' THE LADY, HER LOVER, AND HER LORD was also very influential as I began overcoming my shame and ministering to other women. Finally, Francine Rivers' fiction novel REDEEMING LOVE painted a beautiful picture of the Hosea and Gomer story, one I have identified with greatly in my own marriage relationship.
FR: Do you read secular fiction at all? If so, who are your favorite authors, and why?
SE: No -- there are so many great Christian fiction novels out there that I stick with those. I've not picked up a secular fiction book since junior high. I find it important in the battle for sexual and emotional integrity to guard my heart --- even when choosing the books and magazines I read.
FR: What are your other media habits --- television, movies, music, etc.?
SE: I enjoy older movies like Singing in the Rain and White Christmas. I don't watch much television with the exception of Home & Garden Television (HGTV) once in a while, when I feel the need to vegetate or need inspiration on how to decorate my house. I really enjoy Contemporary Christian music and just bought the WOW 2005 CD --- it's amazing! My favorite new artist is Bethany Dillon. That girl can sing!
FR: Do you and your family have any special faith-based traditions?
SE: Every few months I write in a journal about how I see each of my kids growing physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. They love it when I read entries from past years, reminding them of how special they are to me and to God. Also, the last 30 minutes of our day is our "quiet time" with the Lord, a time where we individually read scripture or a devotional book and pray together before we go to bed.
FR: Tell us about your prayer life and habits.
SE: Although I'm pretty faithful with my Bible reading habits, I confess my prayer habits aren't always as disciplined. I often send up a two-sentence prayer in the shower or as I'm preparing dinner or something, but if I do that for very long at a time I begin to feel distanced from God and I crave much more. I try to walk alone several times a week so that I can have that uninterrupted time to just commune with Him and listen to His voice. What I have to say to God really isn't as important as what He has to say to me. After all, He already knows my heart. I need to get to know HIS heart more.
FR: Describe what you believe the role of writing in religion is.
SE: I believe that just as the writers of scripture were divinely inspired to communicate God's heart to His people, He still chooses and inspires writers today to continue doing the same. Obviously, I'm not equating contemporary writing with Scripture, but I believe God still inspires. The written word, especially when God leads us to share stories of how He comes to our rescue, is powerfully convicting and encouraging at the same time
FR: Tell us about one or more of your favorite encounters with readers.
SE: When I was taking my last class toward my master's degree at Liberty University, the teacher's assistant, a twenty-something student, was talking about how he encourages all of his female students to read EVERY WOMAN'S BATTLE. I approached him afterward and smiled, saying, "Hi! I'm Shannon Ethridge -- the author of that book." He thought I was lying, but I finally convinced him. He shared that many of his female friends had been greatly impacted by the book, and that he had learned how to avoid toying with a woman's heart as a result of reading it himself.
FR: Would you share a story about someone you've brought to Christ or share how your writing has helped someone?
SE: I'm frequently encouraged by bookstore owners who email me to say that they know of customers who have come to know Christ as a result of the "Every Woman" book series. But the most powerful experience I had in leading someone to Christ was when I was in my closet one Saturday morning praying up a storm for my uncle, whom I rarely saw except on holidays. Suddenly there was a knock at the door and it was him, saying he was driving by my exit when his truck seemed to veer off the road, so he decided to come by for a visit. I told him all that God had laid on my heart and how I had been praying for him. He told me all of the reasons he felt he didn't deserve to be saved, but when we told him that it's about GOD's goodness, not our own, he asked Jesus Christ to be his savior and help him sort out the messes he had made in his life. Six years later, he is struggling physically with cancer, but is spiritually stronger than ever.
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Bibliography
- EVERY WOMAN'S MARRIAGE: Igniting the Joy and Passion You Both Desire (WaterBrook Press, July 2006)
- WORDS OF WISDOM FOR WOMEN AT THE WELL: Quenching Your Heart's Thirst for Love & Intimacy (Essence Publishing, September 2003)
- WORDS OF WISDOM FOR WELL WOMEN: 40 Devotions of Preparation for Leading Women at the Well to Living Water (Essence Publishing, September 2003)
- EVERY WOMAN'S BATTLE (WaterBrook Press, July 2003)
- EVERY WOMAN'S BATTLE WORKBOOK (WaterBrook Press, July 2003)
- EVERY YOUNG WOMAN'S BATTLE (WaterBrook Press, July 2004)
- EVERY WOMAN'S BATTLE PROMISE BOOK (WaterBrook Press, March 2005)
- PREPARING YOUR DAUGHTER FOR EVERY WOMAN'S BATTLE (WaterBrook Press, June 2005)
- EVERY SINGLE WOMAN'S BATTLE (WaterBrook Press, August 2005)
- EVERY WOMAN, EVERY DAY (WaterBrook Press, November 2005)
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