Meeting Lee Carter

Lee Carter will be taking us through Stirrings of the Soul this month (the first post will be on Thursday, and the two per week after that). We've previously met Lee here, but thought we'd ask her a few more questions:

Favourite book in the last twelve months

One book I had been meaning to read for many years, I finally read last year: My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell. A laugh-out-loud read and a heart-warming true story about Gerald’s eccentric family and his own extraordinary childhood, I was so glad I finally got around to it — completely entrancing.

Favourite new author you discovered in the last twelve months

I’ve enjoyed reading two books by Mark Tredinnick, dipping in and out of them over the last year: The Little Red Writing Book and The Little Green Grammar Book. Mark is an Australian writer and poet who describes himself as a sentence wrangler and even though these books are about grammar, sentence structure and style, he makes reading them a pleasure — an adventure in words, elegant, inventive and practical. As a writer, I have gained so much from these little books and I recommend them to anyone who wants to know about good writing.

Who have been your role models of Christian womanhood?

My first role model was my Mum: although she didn’t say much about her faith when I was a child, there was never any doubt in my mind who she was living for. She lived out her love for God (and continues to do so) in quiet, committed and prayerful service of others. As a mother, she was consistent and patient; as a wife, she supported my Dad in many ways, never criticising him and always honouring him. My siblings and I knew without a doubt how very much they loved each other (and continue to do so).

I’ve lived most of my adult life far away from my parents, and so other Christian women have been important role models too. By example, one minister’s wife taught me to love God’s word and another taught me the joy of knowing God through studying that word. Another older friend continues to model for me the quiet beauty of a soul shaped by suffering and the joy of a Christian whose one great treasure is knowing Jesus as her Saviour. Another dear friend models cheerful care and love for her large family, while another continues to encourage me with her habits of thankfulness to God and trust in him, in the midst of continuing difficulty. I am blessed to know these women and thank God for each one.