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L.J. Watts

J. Watts grew up in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. She married very early and though the marriage ended after only a few years, she and her ex-husband remained good friends. They have two children, a son and a daughter and they are proud grandparents. L. J.’s ex-husband lived in a different state so initially she faced parenting responsibilities alone. She was a hands-on parent and worked as a volunteered in the many activities that her children participated. She has very fond memories of those times such as being a Cub Scout Den Mother for three and ½ years; assisting the cheerleader director and hosting many school dances. At one of those dances a popular radio DJ of that time made an appearance and mingled with the students. She assisted in the classrooms of the teachers of her children and never missed a single Parent-Teacher conference for her children from pre-school through high school. Another memorable time for L J. was when she played the role of Big Bear in a play to help children know the signs of sexual abuse and encouraged them to reject and report the abuse. The play was titled Little Bear and was performed for the students of the district where her children attended school. When her ex-husband returned to Illinois, he shared the parenting responsibilities two weekends per month and a week during the summers. During those times, L. J. lived single and free—dating a member of a motorcycle club. Eventually, she tired of the party life style. She felt a void in her life and began to pray for guidance. Although L. J. grew up in a Christian home, she did not give her confession of faith until she was an adult. She spent many years chasing a religious interpretation of what a Christian life should be until she enrolled in a world religions class at the local college. The class caused her to question what is truth and what is fiction concerning God. She asked God to help her to know if Jesus is the truth that she should be following. He answered her and directed her to begin her search for Jesus in the book of Psalms. Initially, she rejoined the church of her youth where she was taught by two leadership-training ministers never to teach an opinion but use only the Bible as the teaching authority. Still feeling a spiritual void, she decided to move her membership to another church. She found a church home where she took several classes and began bringing her children to church. Later, she apologized to her children for not initially giving them a Christian home life. L. J. returned to college and received two Associates Degrees. Those eighteen months were very difficult for her because she was battling an illness that plagued her during her previous attempts to graduate from college. Her constant prayer partners were her mother and the leadership minister of the future teachers at the church she attended. She was finally successful and graduated in May of 1990. She received an invitation to the Honor’s Banquet and was escorted by her son and daughter. L. J. is very passionate about making sure children are trained in the truth concerning God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. There were no children’s ministries at her church when she was young so she is especially excited about the many churches that have a ministry especially dedicated to teaching children the truth about Jesus. She taught Sunday school at a previous church home and she now teaches at her current church home. The ages of the children she currently teach range in ages seven to nine and she also works with the Extended Day Care program at the Christian school attended by two of her grandsons. She enjoys thinking of creative ways to present the Word of God, as well as Bible trivia questions to her students. L. J. enjoys spending time with her family—especially her grandchildren but she also has many different interests. One of her favorite pastimes is enjoying the many activities of the Chicago lakefront with her family, as well as the museums and zoos. Her favorite annual activity is a visit to the Museum of Science and Industry. Another of L. J.’s passions is education. She recently completed a grant proposal comparing the effects of Christian/private school education versus public school education. She hopes to be able to get funding for her nonprofit foundation. With that supportive funding she will provide scholarships to low-income students with a desire to attend Christian schools. L. J.’s hidden passion was writing. Her ex-husband was a photographer and encouraged her to write short stories to complement his photos. Even after the marriage ended, she continued to write short stories first for her own enjoyment then later for a very select group of friends. As she became a grandmother she began to write autobiographical short stories and mini-booklets about her grandsons for paternal members of their families. The books were so well received she was asked to write for non-family members. As her relationship with the Lord grew, she began writing to Him. After she left the world’s lifestyle and returned to living for Christ, she repented of using the writing talent the Lord gave her for ungodly use. She asked the Lord to forgive her and began writing to glorify Him. Inspired by a prophetic encounter at her current church home, she began writing The Northington Chronicles, A New Beginning. It is her first published novel. It is her desire to continue to glorify God, edify His children and help the un-church to break away from myths and untruths regarding God, Christ and Christians.

Titles by L.J. Watts
The Northington Chronicles