Living 'n'Telling
THE STORY OF LOIS BORTHWICK
COLUMN
with Akeel Henry
Renewal is one of the great promises that the gospel message offers. It matters little who you were before you met Jesus; when you do, you will become new. Life in Christ may not necessarily be a “do-over”, but it’s a fresh start according to 1st Corinthians chapter 5 verse 17.
This promise not only liberates us from the accusations of the enemy but also gives us hope to press forward in faith. This is true even for persons who have previously enjoyed success in this life. Persons who considered themselves as being “good”. Who Tried their best to follow the rules and do what made their overseers (parents, teachers, church leaders or bosses) happy. Our guest for this edition of Living ‘N’ Tellingknows a thing or two about this and it is my pleasure to share her story with you. Her name is Lois Bothwick, formerly Lois Clouse. She was born and raised on a small crop farm in New Riegel, Ohio – a small town in northwest Ohio in the USA. She was raised in a large nuclear family where she was the 6th born of nine (9) children. Lois described her early years as being very playful, humble, religious, and broken. “Overall, my earliest years were fairly happy just being a kid, playing with my siblings.
I loved school, loved the routine, and loved to learn new things. My life revolved around my family, my school, and our church. My Dad worked hard for us, but he had a drinking problem and later we realized was bipolar. He at times was very mean and abusive to my mom and us kids so that left me with a lot of hurts, insecurities and fears which have taken me years to heal from”
