When Joan C. Benson and Marjorie Wingert drove six hours together to a writers conference, neither predicted they would embark on a divinely orchestrated partnership.

Together, Benson and Wingert bridge generations, cultures, and abilities to create children’s books addressing today’s most challenging topics.

From Carpooling to Co-authoring

The first page of their writing journey opened eight years ago with a God-ordained appointment. Marjorie’s husband shared her desire to attend a writers conference at a prayer meeting Joan attended. In response, Joan made arrangements to contact Marjorie. Joan never fathomed what God would do next. Their providential meeting soon birthed a road trip for the ladies to a national conference in Pennsylvania. That six-hour drive created an instant bond between the two strangers.

Marjorie, a South Korean-born now-American citizen, was an aspiring author new to the publishing business, wife, and mother of one young daughter. Benson was also a wife, mother of four adult children, and a grandma of eight. Joan had written for many educational publishers as a reading specialist, but she yearned to write inspirational fiction to reflect her Christian faith.

“We have hilarious tales from that road trip because I am directionally challenged, and Marjorie is blind.” Joan laughed. “You can only imagine!”

But God safely delivered them there for His riches to explore and back home again with only a few random detours.

What started as a chance encounter blossomed into a powerful writing partnership, with four children’s books published and more in the works. Their series, Cornerstone Concepts for Kids, tackles complex topics like gender, race, the value of life, and identity through a biblical lens. This thrust to address contemporary cultural issues was not a concocted plan but one the Lord laid upon their hearts.

“We were appalled at how new worldly agendas were specifically targeting young children,” Joan explained, “And God was telling us, ‘I’ve given you a voice and a pen—now use it.’”

Though their ages span a few decades, their lives intertwine through Christ. “It doesn’t matter whether it’s age, season of life, experience, or the fact that I’m Korean and she’s Caucasian. Our differences have never been a factor. As unique children of God, we’re one in Him,” Marjorie reflected.

“We tend to complement each other’s perspectives, which improves our writing. We can contribute dimensions from our different seasons of life,” she continued. “Though Joan raised her children in a different era, she is concerned for her grandchildren growing up today. I see my only child facing a culture which often opposes our Christian faith.”

Learning Together through Differences

Marjorie, blind from a progressive retina disease, uses specialized software to write. She admits there are challenges. “There are times I feel like throwing the computer out the window because it’s not working, and there’s nothing I can do to make it work,” she shared. “Those are the times of suffering where I have to say, ‘Okay, Lord, You know my heart.’”

But their partnership has helped both women grow as writers. For instance, Marjorie credits Joan with teaching her the intricacies of writing in rhyme. “By the time we got to the third book, I was like, ‘I get it!’” Joan admires Marjorie’s spiritual insights. “I deeply respect how the Lord speaks to her, providing creative avenues to convey hard truths.”

We tend to complement each other’s perspectives, which improves our writing. 

The Art of Graceful Compromise

What makes their collaboration work? Both women point to mutual respect and the ability to listen. “We’re committed to hearing each other out,” Marjorie explained. “If we’re unwilling to listen to the other person’s perspective, it will not work.”

“We have differences of opinion,” Joan added, “but usually the language will be something like, ‘Well, let me think about that,’ or ‘This is not a hill to die on.’” CONTINUED TO P. 13

However, the concept behind their writing relationship is not unique. They believe the art of compromise reflects how the diverse body of Christ was designed to work.

“If the body of Christ would take time to listen to one another with mutual love and respect,” Marjorie reflected, “think about what we could accomplish together and its impact upon our culture.”

Equipping Parents for Tough Conversations

Their Cornerstone books address contemporary issues many parents struggle to broach with their kids. “Parents often ask: ‘How do I talk about gender with my child? How do I talk about the value of life and respect for racial differences?’” Marjorie explains. “But we believe this can be done in age-appropriate ways with Christ as the cornerstone.”

“God impressed this analogy on my heart,” Joan added, “ If you are so careful to protect your baby from the harsh cold with snowsuits and mittens, shouldn’t you be even more diligent to arm them with God’s truths— before anti-biblical ideologies persuade and influence? Young children cannot arm themselves, as in Ephesians 6. That’s our job as their caregivers. We must cover them in God’s Word so they know Truth first.”

Marjorie and Joan’s heart desire is to give parents tools to build a biblical foundation for the youngest readers in creative and kid-friendly ways. That goal led to creating accompanying parent guides for each Cornerstone book as a stand-alone component.

“For each concept presented in the brightly illustrated books, we have devotional stories to extend the ideas further,” Joan noted. “The guide provides parents and children with relevant and supportive Scripture. In accord with the age of the children and always left to parental discretion, discussion questions are provided.”

Saying “Yes” to God’s Call One Step at a Time

Marjorie and Joan look back on this writing journey, awed by God’s provision and inspired to embrace God’s leading.

“God provided in so many different ways,” Joan recalled, “whether it was a word of encouragement, financial contributions, or even getting them traditionally published.”

“Saying ‘Yes’ to God’s calling will bring challenges,” Marjorie said, laughing. “But when you step out in faith to follow God’s leading, it brings great blessing.”

This writing pair believes the greatest blessing is how God has used their books to give hope to parents and truth to young children.

“It’s interesting,” Marjorie pondered. “The common response we receive after we speak at churches is how helpless parents and grandparents feel about these challenging cultural topics.”

Saying ‘Yes’ to God’s calling brings challenges. But stepping out in faith brings great blessing.

“Parents and grandparents tell us how they feel hope and empowerment,” Joan continued. “With the Cornerstone Series, they have a kid-friendly, biblical way to begin the conversation.”

As we celebrate Christ’s gift of hope this holiday season, Marjorie and Joan are deeply grateful to God for entrusting them with a message that brings hope to both parents and children.

Find the Cornerstone Collection of books on Amazon, ChristianBook.com, and Barnes & Noble. Parent guides are also available through Amazon. Connect with Marjorie and Joan at marjoriewingert.com and joanCbenson.co