5 minutes with Penny

Tell us a little about you.

My parents were MAF missionaries, so I grew up in a lot of different places and find the smell of aviation hangars comforting. I became a Christian when I was seven, sitting on the edge of my bed in Dhaka, Bangladesh, listening to my mum read about God’s forgiveness in Patricia St John’s novel, Treasures of the Snow. Maybe that’s why I believe books can be such powerful encouragers of children’s faith.

After I went to university and trained to be a primary school teacher, I married Richard and started writing children’s books. We lived in Nepal for five years in the early 2000s and are now based in the Blue Mountains, NSW, although our hearts are firmly in western Sydney. We have three children (two grown up and one teen), an English Pointer with anxiety, and a garden I try to keep full of flowers!

Do you have a favourite Bible passage? If so, what is it and why?

No, not really. But I do have various favourite verses that stand out at different times and for different reasons, depending on what I’m reading, learning or growing in. A recent stand out verse is Isaiah 59:16 ‘He was amazed to see that no one intervened to help the oppressed. So he himself stepped in to save them with his strong arm, and his justice sustained him.’ (NLT) The proactive nature of God’s love, justice and salvation is so strong in this verse! It gives me courage on days when the world – or even just myself – feels beyond help. 

How do you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus?

Reading God’s word helps keep my eyes fixed on Jesus. I’m currently doing a two-year, chronological reading of the Bible with an online Bible study/commentary group. I’ve never read the Bible in this way before and am really appreciating how the different parts/genres relate to each other in a time-line sort of way. Alongside my Bible reading, I also journal about how the passages I’m reading relate and speak into my life and writing. Prayer – on my own and with others – helps turn my focus upwards.

I took a step back from social media lately – a scary thing to do as an ‘author’ – but doing so has been extremely useful to keep my focus on following Jesus (rather than the noise and opinions of the world).

What would you like the next generation of Christian women to know?

You don’t have be all things for all people. God designed you exactly as you are. He knows your personality and strengths, and the clumsy parts too. We don’t have to do or be anything more than he can equip us for. Be kind in your expectations of yourself, learn to rest, and seek your purpose, home, courage and hope in Christ.

What’s one thing that you love about your local church?

I love the way our local church actively supports mission and sees itself as part of the global church family! One example is the ‘ZimZam Café’, held once a month after the evening service. All the funds raised from this event are sent directly to support various, really practical, mission projects around the world.

What did you learn about God during a time in your life that you found hard?

I went through a difficult time of depression when one of my children was very young. Facing weakness like that can be incredibly confronting. But through that time, I came to understand that God’s grace means my weakness never gets the last word. Neither does God expect us to fix ourselves before he extends us mercy. He meets us where we are. He calls us beloved. And he does the work within our hearts that needs doing. He will never let us go.

What are you passionate about?

I’m passionate about God’s word and the saving grace of Jesus. I love figuring out how to live faith in action, all things kids and faith and kids and books, freedom and protection for the vulnerable, and all the spaces these issues intersect!

What do you enjoy doing when you rest?

I like pottering in my garden. (Does it count as rest when you are covered in dirt and sweat but grinning because of the promise of flowers?) I enjoy reading novels fast and children’s books slow. I enjoy long conversations with my kids, walks with my husband and lazy breakfasts that look pretty.