Welcome
to The Words of my Mouth and the Meditation of my Heart
Meet Janis
Welcome to The Words of my Mouth and the Meditation of my Heart. I am Janis Lanning, wife of Don and “Mama” to our twenty-four children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and spouses. We spend lots of time watching little ones or traveling to ballgames, band concerts, and birthday parties in Missouri and Oregon (Go, Ducks!). I’m grateful for a close family where we can be integral to each other’s lives.
As a retired teacher and mama to so many, I’m attuned to varying personalities and learning styles. Recognizing my passion as a lifelong learner, I want to help others become joyfully confident in their journeys: discovering the ability to study God’s Word, make a pie, or compose a poem is fun, regardless of age. I enjoy reading, writing, and creating. I lead a Sunday school class and ministries for women in my church. I have written children’s curriculum for the Christian publishing company Urban Ministries. I also write devotions and camp materials for other groups. One may find me in the kitchen when I’m not surrounded by kiddos, at my computer, or with a book. In 2009, I merged my interests and compiled a family cookbook, “Just for the Memories.” A cookbook is more than a collection of recipes; it is a treasury of life stories, so just completed a new edition, “Tried and True.” As our family grows, we have new life stories!
Everything above would be nothing without my first love and the most crucial aspect of my life: knowing God through Jesus Christ. That relationship is the glue holding my passions together. My purpose for The Words of My Mouth and the Meditation of My Heart is to share fun snippets of life while encouraging the pursuit of a deeper, more fulfilling life in Christ. I hope you will join me!
Janis Lanning is a Christian writer and speaker. She enjoys writing curriculum and inspirational pieces. She is a freelance writer, with the ability to create curriculum, classroom units, and camp devotions. She previously wrote Sunday school material for Urban Ministries, Inc. and continues to write camp devotions for Heartland Baptist Association in Missouri when asked.
Curriculum Writing for Elementary and Middle School
Janis began her teaching career in North Kansas City schools. She quickly realized both a love and a skill for writing school curriculum. She creates lessons for children with varying abilities. Engaging lessons can be adapted for remediation and challenges. Open-ended units of study offer variety for multiple learning styles and creative activities keep children interested. Janis benefited by working with outstanding teachers and administration in grades K-8, reading improvement, gifted, and in many content areas.
Curriculum Writing for Christian Resources
After retiring from full-time teaching in 2003, she makes time to apply similar writing strategies on curriculum for Christian resources. Janis wrote for Urban Ministries, Inc. Their homepage title, “Reach. Teach. Transform.” could easily be Janis’ personal mantra for writing. Janis wrote Sunday school materials for the Junior Way and JAM departments. She creates lessons for children, the accompanying teacher’s guide, and activities for a resource booklet. During the past twelve years, she also created Vacation Bible school material for several ages. She co-authored an Advent calendar book, which has yet to be published. Janis attributes Urban Ministries for being the venue God used to stretch and hone her writing skills professionally.
Publications for Camps
A growing confidence and somewhat more flexible work allowed Janis to venture off into other writing and speaking opportunities. Since 2010, she has written camp devotions for Missouri’s Heartland Baptist Association: Introduction to Camping, Children’s Camp, Middle school, and High School. After Janis receives the theme and key verse from camp directors, she designs devotions and activities for leaders as well as campers. They are activity-oriented and open-ended so camp counselors have all the background and teaching tips needed to share God’s Word. Camper devotions allow children to seek God personally.
Women’s Ministry Speaker
Writing and speaking go hand in hand for Janis. Janis actively teaches Bible studies and Sunday school. Janis’ desire for all women is the same as her personal desire. She wants to know God’s transforming power more fully through His Word and for that relationship to touch others. She encourages women of all ages to grow in the Lord. Just as Janis breaks down difficult content into smaller teachable parts with the school curriculum, she uses the same techniques in Bible study and speaking.
Janis welcomes other curriculum writing opportunities in the future. Feel free to contact me regarding your needs.