Lisa Elliott, the award-winning author of three books, including The Ben Ripple: Choosing to Live through Loss with Purpose, isn’t sure that she ever chose to attend Tyndale (OBC).

“Rather, I believe God chose it for me,” she says. “He knew the plans He had for me, plans for a hope and a future that required putting me in a community that would nurture my newfound faith, where He could train me, and instill in me His call upon my life.” Lisa graduated with a BRE in Camping and Christian Education in 1985. “OBC set my heart free, and fanned the flame to be and find confidence in all that God created me to be,” she says.

Since then, Lisa has become a wife, the mother of four, a speaker and blogger, with her “Straight from the Heart” ministry that has impacted the lives of men and women across the nation at conferences, retreats, camps; and appearances on 100 Huntley Street, Christian radio, and podcasts with FamilyLife Canada.

“In all honesty, I never set out to be an author,” she says. “In fact, I wrote The Ben Ripple to a live audience while I was still living it out! However, I’ve discovered that writing allows me the freedom to express what the Lord is working out in my heart. … So, yes, writing is therapeutic. However, the deeper sense of purpose comes in knowing that my experience can, and has been, used of God to help enlighten and encourage others.”