Someone You Should Know: Lynn Yount

In our Someone You Should Know series, Chris Tornquist interviews Faith members to help us get to know them, see how God is working in their lives, and make new connections within our community. In this episode we get to know Lynn Yount.

• Automated Transcription

• Dan Jarms 0:00
  Today on faith matters, we have another edition of someone you should know Chris turnquist is going to interview Lynn Yount.
  
  Dan Jarms 0:13
  I'm Dan Jarms. And you're listening to faith matters a podcast to help update you on matters of faith Bible Church, as well as equip you in matters of the Christian faith.
  
  Chris Tornquist 0:42
  Today, what a pleasure to have Lynn Yount with us. Hi, Chris, welcome.
  
  Chris Tornquist 0:53
  I tell you, you're one that people may recognize your name as they see it. And they've seen it, but they may not know you. So that's going to be a fun thing that they say, oh, that's more about her. I've seen her name around. So I'm really looking forward to going through
  
  Lynn Yount 1:09
  that. Yes. I've had a few people say, Oh, you're the one. Yeah.
  
  Chris Tornquist 1:15
  It happens. I'm sure that's in a good way. Oh, you're the one. I hope so. Yeah, I think it probably is on that one. Well, let's just get started out. Just find out a little bit about you where you're born raised schooling. Give me some general background.
  
  Lynn Yount 1:29
  I was born in central California. I grew up in the Fresno area. I am the youngest of three. I was the youngest in my whole family for quite a few years. So I'm just the baby. Well,
  
  Chris Tornquist 1:44
  there are advantages and disadvantages of that. Yes. I'm the youngest in my family of my siblings. And so there was some distinct advantages with with that. Yeah,
  
  Lynn Yount 1:52
  I have two older brothers. And so they were ready to have a sister by the time I came along. So I have a pretty Charmed, charm childhood.
  
  Chris Tornquist 2:01
  Oh, isn't that delightful? School, High School. Anything past that?
  
  Lynn Yount 2:08
  Yeah, I was I was homeschooled through eighth grade, went to a Christian High School. And then a Christian college. I went to Fresno Christian High School. And then I went to Latino University in eastern Texas. Oh, yeah. For my undergrad. And so grad school was the first public school I attended. And I think some might call that sheltered. I might agree, but I'd probably call it more protected of childhood in just a, you know, a Christian home with believing parents believe in grandparents who wanted to give me the best opportunities I could. And I'm extremely grateful for them.
  
  Chris Tornquist 2:49
  Of course, so went on to grad school. Yes. And where did you go from that?
  
  Lynn Yount 2:53
  Tarleton State University Central Texas, you are the first person I think I've ever met outside of that area.
  
  Chris Tornquist 3:01
  And I know of of Latino quite well. Oh, good one. Yeah. So that would have been a great experience. What was your degree at Latino,
  
  Lynn Yount 3:09
  I went as a pre law history, political science major ended up adding an English major. So I graduated with the double major, and both those liberal arts.
  
  Chris Tornquist 3:19
  Oh, they're fun. And then with a master's degree in what
  
  Lynn Yount 3:24
  English rhetoric, it was mostly focused on creating composition teachers to get that degree. So I did some student teaching as a graduate student.
  
  Chris Tornquist 3:36
  And so thus bringing over those skills and abilities that the Lord gave you to do things here at Faith Bible Church.
  
  Lynn Yount 3:43
  Well, one of the things I found out in doing that was that I didn't feel like I was a teacher. So it, it may not have turned out like it did for most people. But I did have some experiences that helped me become who I am, and learn what my faith has to do with it.
  
  Chris Tornquist 4:05
  Wonderful. That's a great experience and learning. That's when that happens when it clicks. Yeah, that's just incredible.
  
  Lynn Yount 4:12
  I mean, it would be more helpful if it was like, here's what I do want to do. But finding out here's what I don't want to do helps to.
  
  Chris Tornquist 4:20
  And some of us go through several of those jobs until we figure it out. I thought I wanted to do that. I never mind. I know that feeling. So what brought you to Spokane, how did you get here?
  
  Lynn Yount 4:31
  I had some family that had lived here and I had visited a few times during the summer I'll specify it was during the summer that I had visited. And so when I finished college, I had an option, you know, I could go kind of wherever that was the time of my life when I could do that. And so I said I'm gonna go live near my relatives actually lived with my uncle here for a couple of years and it was great. I, that was 17 years ago.
  
  Chris Tornquist 4:58
  So you emphasize that well Summer. So I'm assuming when you experienced your first one or two hard winters, you thought,
  
  Lynn Yount 5:09
  oh, I still don't love driving in the snow finally got my first Subaru you out about a year ago. And that was a good investment.
  
  Chris Tornquist 5:19
  Great stuff on that one. As you think about childhood growing up, high school, what things really stand out as good memories to you that you really enjoyed. I loved
  
  Lynn Yount 5:31
  music with my family, I played the piano and sang and choir in high school in college. But the sweetest memories are definitely those kind of around the piano at home singing hymns, kind of things with my grandparents with my aunts and uncles and cousins. And I missed that because I don't really have that exact feeling now, but it's a strong one. Wow.
  
  Chris Tornquist 5:56
  Now just Pastor John Gardner know that you are a musician. He
  
  Lynn Yount 6:02
  knows I'm a bad music.
  
  Chris Tornquist 6:06
  Somehow I can. I can't believe that. You know, there's just there's just something here as I sit here and look at you and chat with you that I just I just don't think that's probably true.
  
  Lynn Yount 6:16
  He, I've mentioned but he you know, he called for ladies to join the choir. And I still haven't taken that big step out yet. But now
  
  Chris Tornquist 6:25
  we know, however, to pray for you that you'll have you do Guth, and be part of the choir next time on that one. What have you done? To put food on the table to talk about things? You know, you didn't really know, I don't think I want to do that. How about things you've done that you've turned out? Yeah, this was good. You
  
  Lynn Yount 6:43
  know, when I moved to Spokane, I was just applying for jobs all around. And I ended up with a part time like fact checking gig at the spokesman review. And that within two weeks of being hired for that little part time job, I was hired into a full time job that had just come open, they're like, God's leading was very clear in a lot of my career transitions that I've had, I worked at the spokesman review for 10 years. And so I learned a lot of things about journalism, because that hadn't been my particular focus of writing or study. And so I learned a lot there. When it came time to leave there, I worked at the Union Gospel Mission for a few years. And that taught me a lot about, you know, writing about people's stories, and just a learning I've been learning on the job, kind of employee and in all of my work. And
  
  Chris Tornquist 7:36
  so bringing all of that over here to face Bible Church, tell us about what you're involved with now.
  
  Lynn Yount 7:42
  Well, on staff here, I'm working part time to help tell stories, I work with Seth Weber in the communications department. And so a lot of the articles we've previously had in faith weekly, and now are going to be having in the Living Faith Magazine, I'm involved in both planning out those stories and writing some of them and interviewing people. And I've learned so much just from being in that position. We have a big church. And it's just filled with really interesting, cool people. And I'm not great at just putting myself out there to meet the new ones. But once I get the chance, I love learning about people and telling their stories when they'll let me. So
  
  Chris Tornquist 8:22
  you're involved in other things besides this, I know as far as the editing and the writing and getting to know because you've been involved in an adventure the past several months with someone I happen to know.
  
  Lynn Yount 8:36
  Yeah, I've been part of Marty's inaugural aspiring women class this year. And that has been a just a wonderful experience, both getting to know her and being kind of pushed to learn and try some things in order to share just the wealth, To whom much is given much as expected. And the Lord has given me a lot of opportunities to learn and study His Word. This has been an opportunity to try to learn how to share that with others more effectively. And
  
  Chris Tornquist 9:06
  so you have opportunity to write Bible studies and to teach Bible studies. And so a stretch. Yes, not I
  
  Lynn Yount 9:14
  haven't kind of learned that I wasn't a teacher. It was a little scary when when I was recruited into this opportunity. But this is a whole different thing. It's the word of God. It's people who hunger to know the Word of God, who wouldn't want to be part of sharing that. Wow,
  
  Chris Tornquist 9:33
  that's great. Now, there's a little trivia thing that people a few of us know a little about, but most people don't know anything about that. They'll go, really? And you know exactly where I'm going with this. Tell me a little bit about your 15 minutes of fame. A few years. Hey, it
  
  Lynn Yount 9:55
  was a half hour Excuse me. 30
  
  Chris Tornquist 9:57
  minutes of fame.
  
  Lynn Yount 10:00
  Bing, maybe even an hour, I had a chance to Well, I just filled out the online test to audition for the game show Jeopardy in, I don't want to name yours.
  
  Chris Tornquist 10:10
  We don't have to name a few years ago, just say it wasn't last year.
  
  Lynn Yount 10:14
  And so I appeared on the show a couple times. And it was at a time of my life, when my dad was real sick with cancer, he was going through treatments, and having that come along and just be just the ultimate Lark. And that he was able to come see the taping, was just one of the sweetest memories of God's just unmerited grace to me and my family, it was not something I would have expected to happen. It's a great memory. And of course, people tease me about it and think, Oh, you're so famous. And it was, it was something different than that familiar, certainly
  
  Chris Tornquist 10:55
  very smart. Because you have to be on top of some of those subjects to be able to push that buzzer.
  
  Lynn Yount 11:01
  Yeah. But it's called trivia for a reason. It's, it's not that important.
  
  Chris Tornquist 11:09
  But you can tell stories, I'm sure for a long time of how you prepared and what it was like and meeting the people and how they really did it as opposed to what you see on TV. I'm sure it was just quite the experience for you.
  
  Lynn Yount 11:21
  It was fun. It was really fun. It is actually pretty similar to what you do see on TV, you don't have a lot of guidance in preparing. And I got to maybe shake hands with Alex for about 30 seconds. And most of the time I was being you know, touched up by makeup people or whatever, when he you know, so I didn't have a lot of extra time to talk with him. But they just made it they made it a fun experience. They know how to kind of, or at least this many years ago, they really knew how to make it a fun time for people who are really nervous to be there. And I just, I guess spoiler but I you know, I won the first one on a really squeaky, squeaky close race. And that was another just huge blessing from God. Wow.
  
  Chris Tornquist 12:05
  Wow. That's incredible. Well, I thought maybe that bring you back for the Tournament of Champions or something?
  
  Lynn Yount 12:12
  Man, I'm not one of those super champions.
  
  Chris Tornquist 12:16
  Well, what a time, what a time you been here at Faith Bible Church? How
  
  Lynn Yount 12:21
  many years? A little over 10 years now? Wow, almost 11 Excellent. You've
  
  Chris Tornquist 12:25
  seen a lot of things, a lot of changes people in and out growth, just just a wonderful things. Yeah,
  
  Lynn Yount 12:31
  I had never really been committed enough in a church to become a member until I came to a politics I'd always gone to church my whole life. But being in college, I had gone to several different churches and never really got settled down. Anyway. So coming to faith where our membership is really significant. made it a really special place to be where it you can really connect with people because you have that
  
  Chris Tornquist 13:02
  this is gonna sound really, no, they won't at all guaranteed. There's
  
  Lynn Yount 13:05
  there's a covenant of membership here where we have that relationship with each other, and people aren't going to let you just kind of drift away, even if you want to. And that's really special. And so I've had just really wonderful connections here that I'd never really had in a church family before. Is
  
  Chris Tornquist 13:23
  that good? Is that a fair thing to say? That's what you really appreciate them. One of the things you really appreciate about this place?
  
  Lynn Yount 13:29
  Yes. And just the just the high value for God's word and the appreciation for its richness, and that it's sufficient for life. About what
  
  Chris Tornquist 13:43
  age or what time in your life, did you come to have a personal relationship with Christ where you knew that this was really it? Yeah,
  
  Lynn Yount 13:52
  that's, that's a tough one for someone who grew up in a situation like, like mine, and I always loved being in church and being around and learning the Bible. So it's hard to, it's hard to put my finger on it. But in I would say, you have a couple of these situations in childhood where you're present. You know, I remember going to camp and being presented with the you choose this or this and making that choice. But when you're 11, how much of that choice do you know about? So it was in it was really in high school where I realized that this makes a big difference in my life. It means my life is for a different purpose than other people's lives would be. And that had to be kind of challenged and played out in a lot of different ways as I continued to become an adult and I've made some really bad mistakes in my life. But God is so gracious that I can always you can always turn right there behind like he's right there. And I Um, that's a really special thing to me and knowing
  
  Chris Tornquist 15:01
  the eternal college, I am sure, those are some incredible growth times when you were at the college there. That's
  
  Lynn Yount 15:09
  the best. Those are the best four years of my life, maybe not, but really sweet memories of being with other young people who really love the Lord. And I was a Bible minor. So that was a big, very good, big kind of foundational piece of knowing, knowing the word and loving the Bible. If
  
  Chris Tornquist 15:30
  you had to say, what are you learning the most right now? Back in the last year or two? What's What do you think the Lord is teaching you?
  
  Lynn Yount 15:41
  The Lord has really shown me a lot more of the pride that is in my heart, over even over the just the beautiful gifts that he's given me in how I approach those gifts. I want to be a humble conduit of those things. It is not my credit, if I have particular abilities or experiences they're going to do. They're not those abilities and experiences aren't going to be what actually make me able to do anything for him. It is the surrendering of those abilities to him. And the trust in him even when it doesn't look to me like those are working out very well. Wow. That's been big, even in aspiring women like, Yes, I could probably do the assignments. I've always been pretty good at school. But what difference is it actually going to make unless I am surrendering to the power of the Spirit to actually work in people's hearts work in my heart and cause that His word to be powerfully shared in those situations? And you're married? Yes, my husband, Doug, yes.
  
  Chris Tornquist 16:56
  And how many years?
  
  Lynn Yount 16:57
  Doug and I were married 10. And two thirds years ago, wow.
  
  Chris Tornquist 17:02
  more specific than I thought. We came to
  
  Lynn Yount 17:07
  faith Bible Church as we were looking for a church to be attending together. So it's a big kind of this is the same season as being part of faith Bible Church as being a married couple. So that
  
  Chris Tornquist 17:17
  was together, that just adds to what you're learning on that one. And I sort of knew that it was kind of at the same time, too. I kind of waited till now, because
  
  Lynn Yount 17:26
  I didn't mention him yet.
  
  Chris Tornquist 17:29
  Part of your spiritual growth, it's been part of your experience,
  
  Lynn Yount 17:32
  is going to be part of anybody's spiritual growth. But it's a it's a huge blessing. The Lord, even the story of us getting married, we've known each other for 15 years before we got married. And the Lord just kind of made that timing and that connection the right time. For even for his future purposes, I don't know what we have in store for us to be doing together. But we get to be growth group leaders together as one that's been a wonderful thing. That's a big part of how faith Bible Church works is to have those smaller, smaller groups, and we just love being with those people. If
  
  Chris Tornquist 18:11
  we can pray for you, the family of faith, or if we can pray for you with an area tell us what it would be.
  
  Lynn Yount 18:20
  I want to delight in the Lord and have the joy of my salvation. Because I can boil it down to obedience, sometimes without the joy. And clearly, the Psalmist says like, I'm going to pray for those things. I'm going to pray for the joy of my salvation. And so I just forget so often when when things are hard, that I still have the joy of the Lord, and I need to pray for that. And so I, anyone who's willing to pray for me for that? Yes, bring it on.
  
  Chris Tornquist 19:00
  That's wonderful. Well, thank you so much, Lynn for taking the time to be with us. We really appreciate it. Yeah,
  
  Lynn Yount 19:07
  it's been wonderful. I think we could go on and on but
  
  Chris Tornquist 19:10
  we could get to so when Young's one of those people had faith Bible Church that you need to know.
  
  Dan Jarms 19:24
  Thanks for joining us on these podcasts this fall. We're going to take a little bit of a break for the Christmas season and we'll pick back up at the New Year.

Chris Tornquist

Chris is a graduate of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, IL (M.Div.) and has served as a pastor in churches in the Midwest. Chris and his wife Marty have been married for nearly 40 years. Chris currently teaches the Fundamentals of the Faith class and serves in the Prayer Ministry here at Faith Bible Church.

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Lynn Yount

Lynn and her husband, Doug, lead a Growth Group. Lynn serves as a writer and editor for Living Faith magazine and other church communications.

View Resources by Lynn Yount