About Me: "The Interview"   An interview written by Debbie who knows herself well enough to answer questions honestly so as to share her story in a genuine, real and fun sort of way with hardly any tangents. Q: Where did you grow up? I grew up in the woods of northwestern Minnesota, 10 miles from Callaway, where there were two churches, the Catholic and the Lutheran. My family chose Lutheran, which is where I attended 8th grade confirmation classes, Wednesdays after school, right after running over to Baker’s Café to purchase sugary Fun Dip which Pastor said wasn’t allowed in class. Q: What did your family do “in the woods?” I was born in Edina, MN but my parents and younger brother and I moved in 1973, when I was five, after my dad read a book by Helen and Scott Nearing called Living the Good Life. Helen and Scott’s experiences of tapping maple trees and living off the land in an organic Little House on the Prairie sort of way seemed the path to take which would lead us to the “good life.” I remember being so excited to move “to the woods.” And since Dad’s job at the time was portable--he blasted ponds in the wetlands for farmers and other landowners (Boom Potholes was the name of dad’s business…cool, huh?)--he thought it all made perfect sense to move and live like Laura Ingalls. We soon settled into the business of tapping maple trees on our 400 acres, producing pure maple syrup for 12 years. We had a big garden to feed us and, just like Laura’s Ma, my own dear mother stoked our wood cook stove to prepare everything from pot roasts to pancakes. We also had a wood sauna down by the lake where we bathed. The reality of living the “good life” wasn’t always sugar-maple-crispy-pancakes nice. Life was sometimes hard for the Ma, and she still hasn’t figured out why we waited three years to buy a hot water heater. Q: So you lived in the Woods until you graduated from Detroit Lakes High School and your family produced maple syrup and your dad blasted for a living? Yes, I lived in the woods until I went to Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN and declared myself a theatre major (but later tacked on the Speech degree and also took Education classes so I could become a licensed teacher). The maple sugaring business continued until 1985 (the year I graduated from high school) and my dad blasted up until I got married in 1991 but something else that began in 1974, when I was 7 years old, was the real business adventure for our family… Maplelag. During one sap season a maple syrup producer said, “Can I bring a group of friends this winter, stay in the ’Sugarhouse’ and ski on the sap trails?” “Yes” answered my parents and, because this seemed like a good way to supplement the sugaring income, they renovated the insides of two old log sauna cabins and rented them to guests, who brought their own food and bedding (similar to winter camping). So, Maplelag was born and has become an awesome cross country ski resort/conference center as well as a really cool place to get married (Dan and I should know!), Maplelag also started hosting the Concordia College Language Camps (Russian and Swedish) in 1976 and now, all summer long, my family--parents and younger brother Jay along with his wife Jonell and their four boys--all operate the resort together and say “Hola” as Spanish Camp educates and entertains its campers. Here’s a plug for my family: Go visit Maplelag at www.maplelag.com Q: Okay, now get to the part where you meet your husband and you end up living in the Icebox of the nation. Was that all good? Yes. The part about meeting and marrying Dan is excellent. God chose us for each other and I don’t mean to sound sappy-spiritual but it’s so true! We met through a praise and prayer group in Minneapolis. We met at the home of the pastor’s family Dan was renting a room from in late November 1990 and got married at Maplelag on June 1, 1991. It must be noted that my first kiss (kisses) from Dan parallel those you see at the end of the Keira Knightley Pride and Prejudice movie (the kisses of Mr. Darcy kissing Elizabeth). Very nice. It can also be noted that Dan makes me crazy but I’m committed to keeping him. He’s a great husband really who refers to me as “Pretty Debbie.” He’s a great father to our four sons. And, by the way… kissing! Yeah. But I digress. Dan graduated from law school, passed the bar and we moved to CA while he attended the Defense Language Institute and studied Russian through the Army Reserves. My position as an Apple Valley, MN High School teacher in Speech and Acting ended and I became a nanny for a family in Carmel, CA. But, after much thought and prayer, we left the military, nanny job and CA and moved to Dan’s hometown of International Falls, MN where Dan still practices as an attorney. Of course the best souvenir from CA was bringing home our four month old son Marco (and you should know I had no drugs when he was born because I was in CA, and because I was supposed to give birth with the dolphins!) So, yes (since I went on to give birth to three other sons), it IS good that I’m in the Icebox of the nation. Oh, yeah, there’s more…See next question. Q: Why is it good that you live in International Falls, MN? Because this is where God gave me the ministries of Everyday Matters; the first everyday matter ministry of serving my family and the second everyday matter ministry of sharing my stories via the radio and speaking. Yes, it’s true I wanted to be an actress on the stages of Broadway and while I did (somewhere in the back of my mind) think about getting married so my husband could support my career, the having kids part was not so much a part of the plan. My favorite pastime growing up was not playing with dolls but costuming myself and others (and the only doll playing was if those babies had a large assortment of clothes and accessories that I could adorn them with). Nope, no diaper changes and bottle feedings for my dollies. Another of my favorite pastimes was traveling to flea markets and auctions with Mom and Dad and collecting gloves, shoes, dresses, hats, etc. with which to create costumes. And Callaway Elementary School had its entire 6th grade class decorated by Debbie Richards one spring day in 1979. Q: Okay, why all the babies? Especially when you made the statement; “The having kids part was not so much a part of the plan.” Yeah, I know. Can I just say here and now: “I don’t home school and my kids eat white bread!?!” But I LOVE being a mom. Our four boys, Marco, Peter, Joey and David, have helped get me in shape for LIFE! Because without them I would be completely self-absorbed, as opposed to somewhat self-absorbed; I would be completely impatient, and I would be far less trusting of God. The boys bring me joy beyond explanation, but also painful challenges which have produced good fruit in me because I’m trying to stay rooted in Jesus and His Word. I can honestly say James 1:2-3 “and consider it pure joy when I face trials of many kinds because I know the testing of my faith develops perseverance.” It’s only because I trust God and His love for me that I can be thankful for the tests because He’s the Administrator! Yes, being a mom has helped me realize life isn’t all about me and that’s a lesson any true self-addict needs to realize…everyday. Being a mom isn’t a walk in the park, especially when you’re pregnant with your fourth child, have two who are still in diapers, and your second child goes by the name of “Screech” because that’s what comes out of his strong willed lungs each time he needs something. BUT, its more laughs and fun than I thought. You really start to get what it means to love unconditionally, and you learn how to receive love unconditionally. I would do anything I could to save my children and look, Jesus did too. He died on the cross. I could write pages “About my Boys” but to make this simple (yeah, whatever Debbie, this whole interview is anything but simple) I will put a title in front of their names to hopefully illustrate their personalities: Pastor Marco 8/14/94 Passionate Peter 11/28/97 “Just the Facts” Joey 5/19/99 Baby David 10/4/2001 And Dan and I have found that the best way to “train our boys in the way they should go” is to show, tell and encourage them to develop a real and personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Once they know, trust, and love Him they’ll want to follow and obey Him. And the added bonus is that as they begin to obey God they will eventually begin to understand that obeying God means obeying their parents too. “Oh Lovely,” is the response I got from my oldest son, Marco, when I read Proverbs 30:17: “The eye that scorns obedience to his mother will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley.” Well thankfully my children still have their eyesight. But the point is this: Obedience brings peace, joy and blessings…for everyone! And who doesn’t want that? Do I hear an “AMEN?!” Q: Okay, how did the ministry of Everyday Matters begin? And I thought it was called Everyday Manna? Yeah, I know, you’re right…it was Everyday Manna from January 2006 until September 2008 (almost three years) and it’s a great name and makes perfect sense to what the ministry is all about, but all I can say is this: I changed the name after many talks with God, who, I believe, wanted me to change it so that everyone would understand, the first time around, that what matters are the choices we make in our everyday matters. And of course we matter so much to Him and He wants to help us in our everyday matters but there will ALWAYS be manna in the messages because that’s what really matters. Whew? Get it? Q: So how did it all begin? Around 1996 when Marco was two years old and there were no other babies and I liked my hairstyle I remember getting a phone call from Auntie Ginger, who incidentally led me to Christ when I was 7 (through their Campus Crusade plastic glove for children, which explained what Christ did for us on the cross as represented by different colored fingers). Right… the phone call: Auntie Ginger, the most wonderful, fun, free and non-religious person I’ve ever known, shared how important it is to gather what God has for us everyday from the Bible, His Word. She explained it was just like the Israelites who gathered manna as they journeyed toward the Promised Land. God gave them what they needed each day and if they stored more than they needed, it was stinky and maggot infested the next day. So the brilliant point is this: We can’t store all of God’s Word for us on Sunday mornings at church or at a really good Beth Moore Bible study on Thursday nights. We need to feed on the truth of His promises EVERYDAY or our “next days” will be stinky. This made so much sense to me and I got excited about going to the Bible thinking “I get to” not “I have to.” I started reading it everyday consistently and I’m here reporting it has changed my life. My mind is renewed, my relationships within my family, immediate and extended, are healthier, everything is good because God is good and I know Him better than ever because of spending time with Him in the B-I-B-L-E! Q: Okay, so you’re in the Bible everyday but you still haven’t answered how the ministry of Everyday Matters began? Yeah, okay. I was in the One Year Bible from January 1997 until 2003 at which time I switched to the Two Year Bible which was fantastic but sadly they’re not in print anymore. (But believe me, you,…I will be pursuing this as a project…I’m a wife and mom of four, juggling a lot of things like many other mommy people and this Two Year Plan was brilliant). Okay, then in 2004, I attended this amazing Mennonite Ladies Retreat and at one of the small group sessions Pastor’s wife Hope shared how she was writing words of encouragement in a little 3x5 notebook for her husband and at the end of the week she’d set the notebook on his desk and he’d read it. This made an impact on me. I thought, “Good idea, I’ll do the same,” so I began writing for husband Dan. The first entry was the day after Dan had lost the race for appellate court judge. “Wednesday, November 3, 2004 Daniel 10:19 ’Don’t be afraid, for you are deeply loved by God. Be at peace, take heart and be strong!’ Dan, I’m proud of you for your character and love for our family, friends and country. I can always count on you to do the right thing and honor God.” Dan loved this but things soon changed because in less than two weeks God really began speaking to my heart and giving me words of encouragement too. I still shared the book with Dan at the end of the week but the real beginning of “manna gathering” was God feeding and showing me how His promises could be applied to my everyday life. This officially began when I wrote: “Monday, November 15, 2004 Corinthians 1:3, ’God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.’ God loves me for how He made me. He wants my heart, my sacrifice of praise. What disappoints Him is not my performance, which I’m disappointed in, but what really grieves God is when I don’t obey Him. And to obey Him is to count it all joy when I have trials, to surrender all, to let Him be my comforter, to choose Him, choose joy and let His peace surround me.” I was able to do this everyday because it was such a small space to write down the things God was telling me, and often the verse I wrote down would take up the whole page! The outside cover of my 3x5 spiral notebook said, “Memo book.” but of course I began calling it my “Manna book.” It was so easy and freeing. And if I couldn’t read everyday all that my Two Year Bible was asking me to read (which was a little of the Old and New Testaments with a sprinkling of Psalms and Proverbs), I’d simply read a few verses of something! The point was to “manna gather,” to connect with God, to deepen the friendship with Him. And as I followed Him and His Word I started to LOVE my life because all of a sudden the scriptures started coming alive and making a difference in my everyday matters. In 2007 I was consistent and everyday enough in spending time in the Word that I moved to the Amplified Bible and let God guide my reading (and when I’m led to do so I sometimes even bounce to other translations). Bible food is something I know I can’t live without. A couple of missed days and I’m a stinkin’ mess. Q: How did you get on the radio? During the year of 2004-2005 I recorded a CD reading 7 different stories I had written such as “Is My Life in the Toilet?” and other gems. The CD was called “Stories from the Icebox” and I thought I’d become the next Garrison Keillor, just a female one. I finished the CD in the winter of 2005 and July 4 of that same year, in Smokey Bear Park, the station manager of Psalm 99.5, (the Christian radio station in town) Bruce Christopherson approached me and told me to contact him if I ever had an idea for a radio program to reach women of “my age.” I simply shrugged off what he said because I had different plans. It was kinda weird to me, too. Although I knew Bruce from working as an announcer at the station on Monday nights in 1996, I wasn’t going to change my plans since I really was on my way to do my own radio thing…with Garrison. But one day in October 2005 as Dan was reading the “Manna Book” (on the green and cream striped mattress-ticking chair) he looked up and said; “Debbie you should do something with this writing. This is good.” Hmmmmm, I’m thinking. Garrison did grow up Lutheran and we do have that connection but maybe I would do better with connecting to everyday women and sharing my everyday manna. Okay. I took the notebook, wrote exactly what was on the page and then a scenario popped into my head where God’s words had directly applied to a particular situation in my life and I typed away. I then took the old tape recorder we had from the late 80’s, before CD’s hit the scene, and I recorded my demo on the kitchen floor (the older boys were in school that day and David was in preschool). I dropped off my “demo” which was about 5 minutes in length at the station, which I proudly say serves northern MN and NW Ontario right from the Icebox of the Nation! Bruce accepted the demo and only asked that I shorten it to two minutes and so I began writing and recording throughout the months of November and December, and, on January 2, 2006 (a day before my 39th birthday) Everyday Manna aired throughout the northland! A year later it became a 90 second spot and a year after that it became the length it is today, 60 seconds. And, as you probably realize, it’s only by the grace and strength of God that I, Debbie, can tell a story in 47 seconds…which is the time I have when you factor in the intro. and outro. And I’m thrilled at all the station managers and program directors that have picked up the program and who’ve encouraged and coached me along the way. Q: Why do you want to bring up the Wizard of Oz? Well, after having played Dorothy Gale from Kansas my senior year in high school, I think I now have the feeling you get when you’ve found your way over the rainbow “the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.” I get to talk, sing songs, be dramatic, and tell my stories but the best part is this; I get to encourage and share the real everydayness of Jesus and His living Word for our everyday lives. I learned that if I ever go looking for my heart’s desire I’ll look no further than my own backyard. It’s in my home, in my pajamas, being everyday me, sharing my love for a God who tells us that we matter to Him, that I realized I’m truly living the abundant life Jesus promises in John 10:10. Wow. It’s so incredible. “There’s no place like Him.” Q: Now just tell us all the things, in as few sentences as possible that make Debbie, Debbie. Well, I like hot tea and not coffee. I drink Diet Coke for breakfast and my favorite snack would be plain Lays potato chips with a glass of milk (especially at 3:00am eaten by the light of the refrigerator door). Sara Groves is one of my favorite singer peoples, and, if I could have an unlimited clothing budget to decorate myself, I’d want to buy most everything at Anthropologie. I’m in a constant drama with my hairstyles and colors. I’m a late night person and not an a.m. gal. I don’t enjoy sewing or gardening but I like to cook creatively and my family is positive about this too. I love a good tart rhubarb pie. I’m not a person that’s crazy about chocolate (and I know I just lost a few fans). In 2004 I was in the Mrs. MN pageant and came away with the Mrs. Congeniality Award, but even greater than that was meeting one of my most special friends who is now involved in this ministry with me. Q: Good job with a few sentences but you want to tell us more stuff, don’t you? Yes. Q: Go ahead. You’re giving yourself the interview. Right. I love to have fun and laugh with people (but then who doesn’t?). But I also like to have challenging, good conversations, not really debates but just good “back and forth” sessions where I learn from others but I get to share my heart, too (which is kinda like when I speak at retreats or conferences). And, yes, I think the Winsor Pilates that I do five days a week for 20 minutes works. I love the TV series 24 with Jack Bauer. Dan and I only watch it on DVD and make it our special date time together. Basically we’re junkies when it comes to this program. Q: I’ve heard you’re kinda a rule breaker? What? Q: No Thru Traffic? Yeah, Okay. But I try I’m not to be a law of the land breaker or a breaker of God’s laws. But yes, when it says, No Thru Traffic I’m the person who drives through (maybe that does count as breaking the laws of the land)? Q: You still have more you want to share don’t you? Yes, please. Continue. My husband and I still sleep in the double bed I brought into the marriage, but all six of us can still fit on it in a very snuggly-cuddly sort of way. I had braces. I also had zits when I reached puberty--which was at the end of college (I’m serious because I never could get past 100 pounds in high school). And in high school I was skinny--not shapely-thin--skinny and the only curve I had was the curve of my scoliosis. Okay, that all sounds kinda sad. Let me end by saying: I love my life and the journey that has brought me to where I am today. I love who God made me to be. I love my husband and children and really, truly there’s no place like home because home is where the heart is and my heart is with HIM!

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