Kristen Wisen :: Author

I love to teach. I love to study. And I love to write – about the goodness of God and characters from my imagination. About myself…not so much! However, knowing my roots may help you understand as a reader where my love for the Lord was born and bred, so here goes!

I was born in Illinois and spent most of my childhood in a suburb of Chicago, in a believing home, attending Christian schools and serving in my local church. My parents, Robert and Judy Van Kampen, rolled up their sleeves and modeled a deep commitment to the body of Christ for as long as I remember. I gave my life to the Lord at a young age and as I grew up, the hunger for knowing my Savior and the love for His Word was deeply imbedded in my life. I thank the Lord for my godly parents, their love for Jesus Christ and the instruction they gave me, as well as the example they laid for me. From my home life on into adulthood, I had the privilege of sitting under both of their instruction, and soon discovered I had my parent’s heart for truth and for teaching.

I married my high school sweetheart, David, and we headed off to Grand Rapids Baptist College, now Cornerstone University, together. David is my greatest friend and confidant – another blessing from the Lord. He also has a teacher’s heart, and is one of the best teachers I know – he has a brilliant mind and a passion for truth.

After David graduated from college, we returned to Illinois and had our first son. Six years later, we had the perfect family – two sons with a daughter in the middle. We thanked the Lord and called it quits, but God had other plans. Through a series of circumstances, the Lord brought into our home three more daughters from Romania – twins who were six at the time and another who was twelve. They all fit in between our oldest and youngest, so we officially have six children within six years of each other! Adoption completely gave me a new perspective on God’s love for me, and I have to tell you, with two in college and four in high school, life is full and busy.

Fifteen years ago, my family moved to West Michigan. We started a church and that has been the major avenue of service for my husband and myself. I have done it all – served in the nursery, taught in the Sunday school, directed the children’s and adult choirs, sang on praise teams – you name it, I would do it. But my heart soared with teaching. Almost ten years ago, I started a Bible study in my home with a group of mothers from a traveling soccer team and that led to an opportunity to teach the women at church. I have found that there are hardly enough hours in the day to fill my desire to study, and teaching has provided a wonderful outlet because when I study, I want others to know what I am learning!

So, where does writing fit in? I loved my English and Literature classes in school, and found joy in writing as far back as grade school. As a young mother, I would write stories using my children and their classmates as characters, and read them at lunch to the kids. I started a book or two, but never found the time to finish them. As I began to teach, I wrote volumes of spiral notebooks with my notes in them – but they are mostly written out like commentaries. I have a storyteller’s imagination, and after a week on a small cruise ship with Jerry Jenkins (which is a whole other story in itself), I was encouraged by a dear friend to throw my hat into the ring and write a book.

My husband and I continue to teach and serve in the church. We went through formal training a couple of years ago together and that has opened the privilege of serving at the Biblical Counseling center at my church. What an honor it is to sit with sisters in Christ and seek God’s Word for His answers and instruction on how to please Him!

So, there it is in a nutshell. I know it sounds rosy at a glance, but no life is without its trials and difficulties. It is in those times God produces endurance, and I thank the Lord for His constant love and care for me. I am continually amazed at how gracious He was to give us His Word, and am confident of its authority, its sufficiency and it accuracy. We have been given Truth, and I take that responsibility seriously. In all things, may Jesus Christ be praised.

Thus says the Lord, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord.
Jeremiah 9:23,24

Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him
II Corinthians 5:9


	Home About Kristen About The Book Links & Resources Books Contact Kristen	About The Author I love to teach. I love to study. And I love to write – about the goodness of God and characters from my imagination. About myself…not so much! However, knowing my roots may help you understand as a reader where my love for the Lord was born and bred, so here goes! I was born in Illinois and spent most of my childhood in a suburb of Chicago, in a believing home, attending Christian schools and serving in my local church. My parents, Robert and Judy Van Kampen, rolled up their sleeves and modeled a deep commitment to the body of Christ for as long as I remember. I gave my life to the Lord at a young age and as I grew up, the hunger for knowing my Savior and the love for His Word was deeply imbedded in my life. I thank the Lord for my godly parents, their love for Jesus Christ and the instruction they gave me, as well as the example they laid for me. From my home life on into adulthood, I had the privilege of sitting under both of their instruction, and soon discovered I had my parent’s heart for truth and for teaching. I married my high school sweetheart, David, and we headed off to Grand Rapids Baptist College, now Cornerstone University, together. David is my greatest friend and confidant – another blessing from the Lord. He also has a teacher’s heart, and is one of the best teachers I know – he has a brilliant mind and a passion for truth. After David graduated from college, we returned to Illinois and had our first son. Six years later, we had the perfect family – two sons with a daughter in the middle. We thanked the Lord and called it quits, but God had other plans. Through a series of circumstances, the Lord brought into our home three more daughters from Romania – twins who were six at the time and another who was twelve. They all fit in between our oldest and youngest, so we officially have six children within six years of each other! Adoption completely gave me a new perspective on God’s love for me, and I have to tell you, with two in college and four in high school, life is full and busy. Fifteen years ago, my family moved to West Michigan. We started a church and that has been the major avenue of service for my husband and myself. I have done it all – served in the nursery, taught in the Sunday school, directed the children’s and adult choirs, sang on praise teams – you name it, I would do it. But my heart soared with teaching. Almost ten years ago, I started a Bible study in my home with a group of mothers from a traveling soccer team and that led to an opportunity to teach the women at church. I have found that there are hardly enough hours in the day to fill my desire to study, and teaching has provided a wonderful outlet because when I study, I want others to know what I am learning! So, where does writing fit in? I loved my English and Literature classes in school, and found joy in writing as far back as grade school. As a young mother, I would write stories using my children and their classmates as characters, and read them at lunch to the kids. I started a book or two, but never found the time to finish them. As I began to teach, I wrote volumes of spiral notebooks with my notes in them – but they are mostly written out like commentaries. I have a storyteller’s imagination, and after a week on a small cruise ship with Jerry Jenkins (which is a whole other story in itself), I was encouraged by a dear friend to throw my hat into the ring and write a book. My husband and I continue to teach and serve in the church. We went through formal training a couple of years ago together and that has opened the privilege of serving at the Biblical Counseling center at my church. What an honor it is to sit with sisters in Christ and seek God’s Word for His answers and instruction on how to please Him! So, there it is in a nutshell. I know it sounds rosy at a glance, but no life is without its trials and difficulties. It is in those times God produces endurance, and I thank the Lord for His constant love and care for me. I am continually amazed at how gracious He was to give us His Word, and am confident of its authority, its sufficiency and it accuracy. We have been given Truth, and I take that responsibility seriously. In all things, may Jesus Christ be praised. Thus says the Lord, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord. Jeremiah 9:23,24 Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him II Corinthians 5:9