I’ve met many inspiring writers in my blogging and book writing journey. Some of them I’ve asked to read and write a review of my book, Brokenness to Beauty. Some have asked me to do the same for their books. Debbie W. Wilson is one of them and I must say, her newly published book, Little Women, Big God: It’s not the size of your problems, but the size of your God, is a Bible study for women that captured my interest in the first few pages.
Little Women, Big God by Debbie W. Wilson
Wilson takes five women in the lineage and life of Jesus—Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba and Mary, the mother of Jesus—and walks them right into your living room. She puts skin on these women who are only names to us in the Bible. They become real, live women we can recognize and relate to. Sometimes you will see yourself, sometimes a relative or friend, in the author’s insightful analyses of these women’s lives and the myriad of problems they faced. And the God in whom they trusted.
Debbie Wilson doesn’t just lightly skip over what the Scriptures say about these women, though. No, she boldly yet graciously goes deep with probing, absolutely relevant issues for women today. The statement in Scripture that “these things … were written for our instruction” (1 Corinthians 10:6, 11) was never more masterfully brought to light than in this Scriptural study of these five ordinary women in the biblical record.
This ten week study will definitely be worth the commitment of time and thought required to go through it. You will not come out the same for having learned at the feet of Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba and Mary through the mastery of Debbie Wilson’s teaching. You will come out stronger in your faith in your Big God. Check out Debbie’s book, Little Women, Big God: It’s not the size of your problems, but the size of your God, and blog at www.debbiewwilson.com.
Springtime in Georgia is beautiful, with many flowering bushes, large and small. I was there the middle of April and watched the buds on my hostess’ rhododendron bush open into full bloom. It reminded me of the large rhododendron in the yard of my former home in West Virginia. Gorgeous.
Almost heaven, West Virginia, where everything is green … and grows!
While I was in Georgia representing Mustard Seeds and Mountains at a missions conference, I was able to attend three book signing parties for my book, Brokenness to Beauty, put on for me by long-time friends. I so appreciate each of these host ladies! I got to visit with them, share about the ministry of Mustard Seeds and Mountains with the guests, and then had readings from and discussion about my book, Brokenness to Beauty. One passage we read was from Chapter 5—The Scriptures, Our Life:
“I remember well my daily struggles with fear, pain, and uncertainty in the days of cancer treatment, crying many tears as I talked to God. Though Randy was able to be with me for a few months at the beginning of my treatment, most of that year and a half he was back in West Virginia working while I stayed in California. Every day I turned to the Bible. I poured out my heart to God in prayer as I read his Word.
I once wrote on my blog:
The Scriptures, God’s words to us, sustain me daily. They are our life. They bring the only light to this dark path.
At the end of his wilderness journey, Moses knew he was about to die. He had faithfully obeyed the words of the Lord. He led the Israelites out of Egypt, bore up under the crushing load of their complaining and rebellion against God (and himself), and gave them the law of God, the first five books of the Bible.
Before he turned over the reins of leadership to Joshua, Moses sang a scathing song of warning and chastisement before giving the Israelites one last charge. He said:
Take to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you shall command your sons to observe carefully, even all the words of this law. For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your life (Deuteronomy 32:46–47).
These words about the Bible are for me as much as for the Israelites of thousands of years ago. The Scriptures are not idle words for me; they are my life. I take that statement to heart.”
God has given us his words. Do we grasp the significance of that? I am convinced, even from my own life, that we do not understand as we ought what it means to have God’s words. If we did our lives would be different!
His words are meant to transform us. That only happens when we take them in (usually through reading and studying them), understand them to some degree, put them into practice, and by so doing change our thoughts, words, behaviors and lifestyles.
As I write this blog post on my laptop in my home in Bakersfield, CA, I marvel at the patient work of God in my life, even though I’ve been slow to learn the value and importance of his words.
The words of God to the Israelites are for me, and for you, today:
Take to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you shall command your sons to observe carefully, even all the words of this law. For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your life. (Deuteronomy 32:46–47, emphasis mine)
Will we take seriously, to our very hearts, the words of warning from the Word of God given to us through Moses and the other writers of the Scriptures?
Will we faithfully teach our children to carefully obey the Word of God, setting the example for them to follow our steps of faith and obedience?
Will we grasp the truth that the Word of God is our very life, not to be taken lightly or pushed aside, following the noise of the culture around us?
Will we live in the truth that we do have all the time we need for spending in God’s Word (rather than the lie that “I don’t have time”)?
Will we strive, as the writer of Hebrews says in chapter 4 verse 11, to enter into God’s rest through diligently obeying his revealed word?
It’s all a matter of the Will.
No more excuses.
May we will to do his Will. God help us.
And he will.
So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed … work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:12-13, NASB.)
On the first day of spring in “Bakersfield Beautiful,” Randy’s term for our city in the springtime, I had a first of another kind: my first book signing party for Brokenness to Beauty. My friend Marj, mentioned in the book, hosted the party at the Stockdale Country Club, inviting over 20 of her friends. True to her impeccable style, Marj made sure everything was beautiful and came off just right.
Some of the ladies in attendance were my friends too, but many I had never met before. Now I have several new friends in the Bakersfield and Shafter areas.
We enjoyed a delicious lunch as a couple of my friends, at my request, read portions of the book that were meaningful to them. We had some discussion as I answered a few questions from the ladies. It seems many who read the book come away encouraged and strengthened to carry on through their own trials, the reason I wrote the book in the first place. The most amazing thing to me was that I wasn’t nervous at all!
After we ate, I wore my hand out signing books the ladies were purchasing! I was grateful my friend Naomi stepped in and wrote down names and handled the business end of things. I could not have done both myself!
Marj’s book signing party was my first and I’m so grateful to her for her enthusiastic support of my book. It is friends telling friends that will spread the word and more women can be encouraged in their walk through life.
Now I am preparing for four other gatherings at which I get to share about how and why I wrote Brokenness to Beauty.
If you haven’t read Brokenness to Beauty: Transforming Your Brokenness into a Beautiful Life, pick up a copy at any of these online outlets: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, WestBow Press Bookstore. Let me know if it was an encouragement to you and leave a review at any of these sites, and Goodreads too if you are a member.
And tell a friend.
If you are interested in hosting a book signing party for Brokenness to Beauty, please contact me by leaving a comment or emailing me at Jacqueline@brokennesstobeauty.com. I’d love to talk with you.
Roy Fisher will always be Pastor Roy to me. He was there for us when Randy and I went through a very difficult time in our lives.
We had one baby and I was expecting our second child. At home alone with my infant son I began having pains at five months into my pregnancy. I picked up my little boy and trudged over to the neighbor’s house to use their phone since we had none. I called Randy at the church where he was interim youth pastor, the same church in Florida where he had been born again a few years earlier.
Pastor Roy drove Randy to our house, picked me up and took us to the local hospital where he sat and waited with Randy. It was a difficult four hours for us. I had a miscarriage. Pastor Roy was there to simply be with Randy, comfort us, pray with us and see that our needs were met.
Pastor Roy, who is still active in ministry in his “retirement” years (he and his wife recently returned from a six month stint as interim pastor in his home country of England), graciously read and wrote a review of my book, Brokenness to Beauty. He then shared my book with a friend of his. His friend is reading Brokenness to Beauty and wrote an email to him, which he shared with me:
Dear Pastor Roy: What a wonderful gift this book is. I already have many areas of my life experiences with suffering and illness that I can relate to the author. Not only that, she reveals a heart that seeks after God and finds answers in His Word. I don’t think I’ve done this nearly enough–I’ve sought oftentimes answers from people or even my doctors, but truly, my answer must come from Him alone. She described the Lord as her rock in one chapter. I love that. I need to make sure I’m making Him my rock and fortress. Feeling so grateful for her testimony so far–I’m in Chapter 4. Will check in again with you soon.
This is just one of many such comments I am hearing from those who have read my book. I thank God when I hear positive reports that Brokenness to Beauty is helping and encouraging others! The reason for writing this book is being fulfilled every time someone is strengthened or challenged by it.
I am grateful for friends like Pastor Roy who share Brokenness to Beauty with their friends. He is still building up others as he is prompted by his pastor’s heart, even in sharing a book with a friend. I hope you too will read Brokenness to Beauty, be encouraged by it and share it with your friends!
This past Saturday over 100 women from The Bridge Bible Church here in Bakersfield gathered and then scattered over the city in small teams to carry out the theme of our event, “Love Where You Are.” It was an outreach to downtown Bakersfield to show God’s love to the people of our city by doing good to and for the people of Bakersfield.
As we went, we looked for ways God was already at work in our city and asked ourselves how we could be a part of it. We saw God at work, heard stories of God at work in individuals’ lives, and did small acts of love to become part of what God is doing in our city.
One team of women went to the rescue mission (yes, God was already at work there) and cleaned up a patio and did crafts with the women residents. One of my friends on that team, Eurcell, literally gave the shirt off her back to a resident.
The lady working with her pulling weeds and sprucing up the patio, kept admiring Eurcell’s bright pink T-shirt with the scrolly artwork. Finally Eurcell asked her if she’d like to have the shirt, she did and they traded T-shirts! Eurcell’s generosity produced a gift of love to that woman living at the rescue mission.
Another team went to the city bus station, talked with folks, handed out coffee, snacks and free bus passes. Some of them even rode the bus and talked with passengers, prayed with some and listened to their stories. Many expressed gratitude for the kindnesses shown them.
One team of ladies washed windows and cleaned the bathrooms of local downtown businesses, pushing their cleaning cart from store to store. Then they handed out flowers to passers-by, surprising them and bringing smiles to their faces.
One of the larger teams went to the Teen Challenge womens’ residence, joined their worship time, had lunch with them and gave them all a new set of bed sheets. They spent time listening to and talking with the women in the Teen Challenge program, women ranging from teens to middle age, all passionate about living new lives free of drugs and alcohol. And all because God was already at work through the people of Teen Challenge.
Other teams of women went to the Pregnancy Center, Ronald McDonald House, delivered lunch to the local police and fire stations, and one team held a cookout and worship song-fest for the residents of a low-income apartment building downtown.
So many different ways to serve the people of our town, and by so doing say, “We love you, because God loves you.”
I was part of the Prayer Team. We made up “blessing bags” the night before in which were snacks, a Christian tract and a tiny Bible that was made up of one verse from every book of the Bible. A couple of the women on our team stayed back at our venue, dubbed “command central,” and prayed for all the teams who had gone out to serve.
The Prayer Walk Team!
Some of us prayer-walked the streets praying for our city businesses, government offices, downtown churches and their outreaches, and people we met on the sidewalks.
We approached people on the street, offering them a blessing bag and asked if we could pray for them. There were sad encounters, like the one with the young man sitting on a curb with a backpack. He had the look of someone who had been living on the street, an all too common sight here in Bakersfield.
He willingly took the blessing bag offered him by my friend, mumbling his thanks. When asked if we could pray for him he muttered in the affirmative, nodding slightly.
My friend placed her hand on his shoulder and prayed for this young man, asking for God’s healing of past hurts and spoke of the grace and love of God for him. He began to quietly weep, hiding his face with his hands and the blessing bag he was holding.
He told us his name is Tony[1]. We will keep on praying for Tony. God is at work here.
A block down from Tony we met Mary who was weaving a flower from a long, strappy palm frond. She showed us a finished flower, made by her ex, Tony. Yes, the same Tony sitting a block away.
Mary said she is tired of not being happy, of living on the street, of freezing at night under her blanket. She’s ready to move in a different direction to find happiness, although it was obvious she didn’t know which direction that might be.
My friend encouraged her to attend the church just around the corner. Mary looked skeptical, but we pray she will go. We know that is the right direction for her. They will receive her at that church. That’s why they are downtown, to seek out the lost and bring them to Jesus. God is at work downtown.
Our little prayer-walking team had a happy encounter too. More than one, in fact.
We gave a blessing bag to a man sitting outside a pizza place waiting for his order of pizzas for his son’s sports team. He thanked us for the bag of goodies and began to tell us how one of his sons, who had been attending a college up north, had been hit by a big F-150 pick-up truck and almost killed.
Miraculously God spared him, he recuperated, and finished his education. He later married and now has a new baby and has become ordained in the Christian ministry. His father, smiling widely, said he loves telling that story.
God was already at work in that family.
My favorite story came out of my friend’s boldness to go over to four skateboarding teenage boys. I do not easily initiate conversations with strangers so these street encounters are always a huge stretch for me. But I followed along as we walked to these boys.
The first young man, maybe fourteen years old, took the blessing bag my friend offered him, telling him “God bless you.” At those words his whole face lit up and he said emphatically “God bless you!” and gave her a big hug. Then he looked at me and repeated “God bless you!” and gave me a big hug!
He blessed each lady in our group and gave each a hug. The other boys, who were also given blessing bags and thanked the ladies, were not so outgoing and one bashfully said, “I don’t want to hug you ‘cause I’m all sweaty,” so those three boys gave us all handshakes and we all blessed one another in God’s name.
God was already at work in those boys’ lives. As we gave out blessings, we received blessings in return.
Later, when all the other work teams returned to our meeting venue we listened to some of their stories too, some happy, some sad. All these stories from these encounters are fuel for prayer, prayer for those who populate our city.
My prayer is that this day of showing love to our city will not end with the closing of our “Love Where You Are” event Saturday night, but rather will only be the beginning. A beginning of continuing–
“let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”[2]
We saw God at work in our city. We took opportunities to join him in what he is doing by small, daring acts of kindness and love. Now, as we continue to do good and pray for those we encountered, may we be reapers of the harvest. For there surely is a harvest.
Oh, and one of the stories from the team that handed out flowers is that the same skate-boarding boy who gave us all hugs, when given a flower by this team, asked if he could have some flowers, was given them, and proceeded to hand them out to passers-by on the street! Harvest begun.
“Let us learn to think of tears as liquid prayers.” Charles Spurgeon
During my cancer treatment, many times—daily—I cried out to God. Pain especially makes me vulnerable to tears. Fear has a similar effect. My default response is to pray, talking and often crying with tears to God. To this day, I work hard at holding it together emotionally in public, but in private, just me and God, I hold back nothing from him. I know I can unload my fears, my uncertainties, my anxieties, my tears on him, and he will understand. He can take it. We are always accepted by him, never rejected. We can be vulnerable and open with the Lord, for no one who comes to him in that way is ever rejected. …There is only One who can bear, and has borne, our sorrows, our pains: Jesus. (Taken from Brokenness to Beauty, Chapter 13, Prayer as Our Lifeline.)
In chapter 13 of my book I give you a peek at some of my areas of weakness: pain, fear and anxieties, the unknown. I never said I was strong, but I do know the One who is and I have learned to go to him, where I can unreservedly dump all my cares on him. As fellow blogger, Susanne Maynes, says in her recent blog post titled “Why your faith doesn’t always need to feel victorious,” sometimes we simply need to climb into Abba’s lap and let the tears flow. I think I should be an expert at that!
Picture by Helen Hooker
Take a moment, click on the link and read what Susanne has to say about crying in the Lord’s lap. You may find it to be just what you need. I know I did.
Survival skills are important for everyone to know in case of emergencies. I need to nail down some myself. But beyond that there are four essential things we need to put into place to be able to thrive, not just survive, in every area of life.
I’m talking about four essentials we need to know, practice and develop to successfully get through the dark valley of struggles and suffering, because we all go through trials at some point in life.
I’d never given thought to how I navigate the tough times in life until I knew I needed to write about my own journey through trials. Trials like cancer. When I blogged during cancer treatment I wrote about my responses to what I encountered, tears and fears and all, and what I did with those tears and fears.
I prayed, through tears. I dumped my fears on God and he traded them for his peace. I found strength and hope to keep on for one more day as I read God’s Word. I was comforted and helped in every way imaginable by the people around me, family and friends both near and far away.
And when I felt like giving up, on those dark days when I didn’t feel like getting up, I remembered my reason for being. And I got up. And kept going. For one more day.
When I analyzed these realities of my life, how I navigated the storms that came my way, I found names for them, and a way to share these powerful truths so that others could be strengthened. For one more day.
And I wrote Brokenness to Beauty. I found a way to share how to transform your brokenness into a beautiful life. How to thrive through the trials of life.
Yes! Now you can order Brokenness to Beauty from me and save on the cost per book. And I will personally sign your copy of Brokenness to Beauty!
To order Brokenness to Beauty directly from me, click here to go to my facebook Author page, and message me to open the conversation. Or leave a comment and we’ll talk. Help me get word out about how to thrive in life, not just survive.
When I first started blogging on my first blog, jacquesjourney.blogspot.com, I had just begun breast cancer treatment. I posted about my ups and downs week after week, simply sharing my feelings and experiences, fears, insights from the Word, and how I got through the difficult times. I didn’t know any blogging etiquette, I just wrote what came to me, from my heart.
It was from that blog that the book, Brokenness to Beauty: Transforming Your Brokenness into a Beautiful Life, was born. I never dreamed of writing a book, but I kept hearing from friends and readers of my blog that what I wrote was encouraging and that I should write for a broader audience. They began asking me when I was going to write a book, that I should tell my story.
After a few years of hearing these comments from near and far, family and friends, like a slow sunrise it began to dawn on me that maybe God was trying to tell me something through all these people.
He does that, you know. God uses others to speak into our lives. I already knew that, I believed that, but I still had the “Who, me write a book?” mindset.
Yes, me write a book. I became slowly convinced it was God trying to get through to me to write to encourage others in their life journey. So, okay, I got serious about writing a book that dealt with going through trials and still live in joy, with peace and purpose.
I had a lot to learn about writing in general, and about writing and publishing a book, specifically.
You know those graphs that show a steep upward curve? Well, I’ve been on that learning curve for some time and it never ceases to continue upward, to infinity! First it was learning about writing a book, then about publishing it, and now the learning curve is about marketing that book.
What good is writing a book if no one knows it is there to read? The point of writing a book is so others can read and benefit from it.
So the word has to get out, and get passed on from person to person.
Join the Tribe!
So the reality is, if you are one of those friends or family members who encouraged me to write a book, or if you were encouraged by something I wrote on my blog since I began it in 2008, or if you ever told a friend about one of my blog posts, or told them to follow my blog … take one step forward!
You have been duly recruited to my Tribe to promote Brokenness to Beauty among your friends and family and spheres of influence!
If you have already bought a book, thank you! Please write a review on Amazon and other sites! And tell your friends about the book.
If you haven’t already bought a copy, you can buy Brokenness to Beauty online, by clicking on the store name, to order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or from the publisher, WestBow Press. The Kindle, Nook and e-book, as they are respectively known, are available at these distributors. Reviews may be left at all these sites. Please do leave a review!
Pass the word!
Buy the book, read it, be sure to leave a (honest) review on Amazon and other book review sites, and tell a friend!
That is one of the most important things you, Tribe member, can do: tell a friend–or many friends–about Brokenness to Beauty. It has been said that the best form of advertising (aka marketing) is “word of mouth.” From one friend to another. They are waiting to hear!
By JPPI on Morguefile
Consider buying several copies to share with friends, give as gifts, promote at your church, small group or Bible study group.
If Brokenness to Beauty was worth the effort to write, it is worth promoting so others can find out about it, read it and gain encouragement from what God has taught me about going through the hard times in life and coming out better for it.
Have you joined my Tribe? Thanks to those who already have! If you are joining up now, leave me a comment to let me know!
Brokenness to Beauty is on Kindle! Click here to go to Amazon to purchase Brokenness to Beauty at the great price of $3.99!
Brokenness to Beauty on Kindle
Do you prefer ebooks to paper? Now you can have Brokenness to Beauty in your Kindle library!
Click over to the Amazon Kindle Store or Amazon books and pick up Brokenness to Beauty for only $3.99 and start reading immediately! No waiting for the mail delivery; start reading now.
My book, Brokenness to Beauty: Transforming Your Brokenness into a Beautiful Life, is now live on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, West Bow Press Bookstore and other outlets!
My book is live!
This book was written because I believe I have a message of encouragement for others going through difficult times in life. And we all go through them at some point. No one escapes.
Trials in life can be the building blocks of character development, the Scriptures say as much in Romans 5:1-5 (NIV). “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;perseverance, character; and character, hope.And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
Knowing how to make that happen in our dark times is another story. Brokenness to Beauty shines a light on the pathway through the valley of suffering. It will encourage, strengthen and empower you on the way to wholeness, joy and peace in the midst of trials.
To make it easy for you to find my book, click on the Amazon site or the publisher’s, WestBow Press Bookstore (then click on the search button), and order the book, either soft or hard cover! It is also available on Barnes & Noble . On the B&N site, click on the book for more versions.
