Jamie Janosz

I received the invitation to be in a professional women's mentoring group at work. And I thought - "What a wonderful idea...for someone else." Joining a mentoring program seemed like another "to do" on my pretty big list. I am a mom of a teenager. I work full time. We just finishing a cross-country move. I try to make time to write. And, occasionally, I clean house and cook. And, as long as I can remember, I have been a reluctant joiner. I don't really appreciate being assigned to relationships one-on-one or in a group. I prefer to go it alone quite a bit, and (when I do connect to others) I've found that relationships are best that happen naturally. But this invitation was different. It came from a former student and colleague who I greatly respect. She is kind and smart and thoughtful. She wanted to improve professional life and opportunities for women at our organization. How could I say no? So, I said yes. For the past months I have bee...

Amanda would never ask for your help. So I will. Amanda Rinkel was my student at Moody - and I sensed, right away, she was a special person. She was a bit older than my other students with long red hair, freckles, and a serious nature. Growing up, her family operated a grist mill in Indiana. They made pancake mixes and flour as well as supplied electrical power to their neighborhood. Her family's life centered around the mill, so Amanda dropped out of high school to help. Her decision to quit school - which some of us might find shocking - came in response to a family crisis. Her mom had been diagnosed with a genetic and incurable disease: Huntington's Disease . Amanda was tested as well. She found out that she, too, has Huntington's. She doesn't know how long her life will be or how long she will be able to function well. Life expectancy is generally 20 years after symptoms begin. But, Amanda did not give in to self-pity or despair. She refused to giv...

I first heard about Mary McLeod Bethune when I was a student at Moody Bible Institute. She was an early graduate of my college - and an African American woman. I knew she had gone on to become one of the greatest women in our country. She was so well known that she earned the status of being featured on our postage stamps. But I didn't really know much about her. As I researched Mary McLeod Bethune for my book, When Others Shuddered: Eight Women Who Refused to Give Up . I learned a bit more about her remarkable life: She was the 15th of 17 children, born to former slaves. From an early age, she hungered for education. She graduated from Moody Bible Institute with a desire for missionary service to Africa - an opportunity she was denied because of her race. Undeterred, she started a school for African American girls in Daytona Beach, Florida, that went on to become Bethune Cookman University. She was asked to work with Franklin D. Roosevelt and led many ...

Sitting a midst piles of brown cardboard boxes, I’m the classic “day after move in” mess.  I still haven’t found our microwave or our kitchen table in the packing container, so I’m balancing my computer precariously on my lap and drinking coffee from my rapidly cooling mug knowing there is no chance of reheating. But I am also filled with a thankful heart. God has been with us throughout our cross-country move. Day after day I have seen His provision and His guiding hand, and I am deeply and utterly grateful. Last summer, in the midst of selling our house, I visited with a professor at Moody Bible Institute, Dr. Ron Sauer. I was interviewing him about his practice of praying, daily, for his students. Before classes begin, he walks through the room, stopping at each desk and remembering each of his students, individually, in prayer. He said that he believes that God answers these prayers and cares about each of us, deeply and individually. Then, he asked to...

When I was in grade school, a young couple, Rich and Cheri, were hired to pastor the youth at our little First Baptist Church. They were students at Chicago's Moody Bible Institute, and in exchange for housing, they served part-time at our church. As a part of their job, they would hold a children's church service every Sunday morning in our slightly mildewed church basement. I don't remember if we were dismissed from the adult service entirely or were sent down just before the sermon, I do remember that we loved it. The group of about 30 kids, kindergarten to 6th grade, would rush down the linoleum steps as quickly as we could to take our place in the rows of metal folding chairs. They were arranged like a mini-sanctuary with a wobbly wooden podium front and center, the upright piano pushed to the right. We were squirmy and energetic, a hum of nervous energy in ruffled bobby socks and clip-on neckties. Cheri would get us started with the singing. We had plenty of...

On this snowy, Chicago, Saturday morning, sitting at my kitchen table and still wearing my fuzzy bathrobe, my heart is filled with gratitude for all of the people who made publishing my first book a reality. On this day of my book release, I just want to say that I am tremendously thankful for all of you who helped make this little dream of mine a reality. First, to each of these eight women – Fanny, Emma, Evangeline, Amanda, Nettie, Sarah, Virginia, and Mary - this book is about them and because of them. I want the honor to land firmly at their feet, for they are the ones who walked the long and difficult road of faithful service. They have my utmost admiration. I hope, some day, to be just a bit like them.   Second, I am thankful for my Moody Publishers editor, Holly Kisly. She believed in this project from the start and understood how important it was to tell the next genreation of women these stories. My editor, Karen Waddles, made sure my ideas were clea...

This photo of the aftermath of the Great Chicago Fire hangs on the wall of the Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago. On the night of October 8 th , 1871, the Great Chicago fire began. The sight of the flames spreading as far north and south as they could see was both terrifying and awesome. Emma joined her friends at the window where they could watch the blaze coming ever closer. “We saw a veering wind, fearing that the fire might be blown one more point westward, and so destroy the entire city,” wrote Emma. The wind held its northward course and the river helped spare the west side of the city. The devastation, however, was widespread. Among the city’s 300,000 population, as many as 100,000 residents were left homeless by the great fire. Of these, many were the poorest immigrants, already barely able to meet their families’ basic needs before the tragedy. The area of destruction spread four miles and long and nearly one mile wide. One hundred and twenty-five people were confi...

After seeing the beautiful mosaic-like cracked ice in the Chicago River, I decided to grab my camera and snap a few shots during my early morning commute. Each day, I make the trip from Northwest Indiana to Chicago. I arrive, via commuter train, at Millenium Station and walk north on Michigan Ave, over the bridge. I zig-zag my way north to Moody Bible Institute. The city looks especially beautiful this time of year. I'm usually bundled in my ugly, but incredibly warm, down coat. My trip is a bit happier when I have a tall cup of Starbuck's in my hand. Another view of the icy river... Crossing the bridge over the Chicago River, heading north on Michigan Ave... The Wrigley Building, which has recently been refurbished, decked for the holidays. This is the Driehaus offices, housed in one of Chicago's original homes. Always lovely and worth a quick detour on my way. And here I am, freezing, but happy because I now have my Starbucks......

This morning, I signed a book contract with Moody Publishers. I am so excited! Not only am I thrilled for this opportunity to be published, but I am honored to tell the stories of some amazing turn-of-the-century women. The working title of my book is: HEROIC PIONEERS: 8 Christian Women Who Changed Chicago, the Church, and the World. And they did! The book will highlight the lives of eight, Chicago women who were contemporaries of evangelist D.L. Moody. One was a slave’s daughter – one a single school teacher stricken by typhoid fever – one was a wealthy philanthropist - yet each of them achieved amazing things for God and His Church. They started schools and ministry organizations. They preached at the World’s Fair. They marched boldly into Chicago's vice district and changed taverns into missions. They worked alongside United States Presidents to change public policy and challenge injustice. Together - they instituted many important outreach organizati...

One day, on eBay, I found this silver key charm from 1915. Because I love history and all things vintage, from time to time, I do an online search for items that are related to Moody Bible Institute. This charm belonged to at student named Myron Griswold - and asked to be returned if lost...for a reward! As I walked to my Chicago office, Myron's charm on a chain around my neck, I smiled. This little bit of history was going back to the right place, a place where I have worked since 1990. Funny how things come full circle. I work at Moody Bible Institute because I love my job - I teach writing to college students who are driven to change the world for good. I help them learn to tell their stories and articulate their faith. They are hopeful, sometimes naive, but always determined that they can make a difference. I also work there because I believe in the purpose and history of this unique and important Chicago institution  The college, located in the center of...