God Answers Prayer

When I was growing up, my favorite school assignments were creative writing projects. I was a voracious reader, always carrying a book with me and reading every chance I got. I dreamed of writing my own books.

While in high school I had the chance to write an article for a church magazine. What a thrill it was to see my name in print! I continued writing and submitting to magazines, and was blessed to be published in numerous publications. But I really wanted a book.

When I was pregnant and dealing with 24-hour morning sickness for the entire nine months of my pregnancy, my mother-in-law suggested the time had come to write my book. So I put together a fun dating book, Someday Your Prince May Come: So What Do You Do in the Meantime?

It practically wrote itself, and I couldn’t wait to send it out. I started out at the top, sending it to a major Christian publication. They liked it and held it for consideration for over a year before eventually deciding not to publish it. Undeterred, I sent it to another publisher, who also liked it and held it for six months before eventually deciding not to publish it. Soon after that, another book came out, and while it wasn’t the same, it was close enough I knew my book would never be published.

In the years since then, I have written and submitted at least a dozen manuscripts and proposals and accumulated a thick pile of rejection letters. I had pretty much given up and decided it obviously wasn’t meant to be. Then in October of last year, Marnie Swedberg offered a publishing challenge for the featured speakers at Christian Women Speakers. On a whim, I whipped out a proposal for a Bible study based on All God’s Women and submitted it to one of the publishers Marnie suggested. I vowed it was my last shot. If they didn’t publish it, I’d quit trying.

Elk Lake Publishing’s website said they’d respond in a few weeks, but I didn’t hear anything. In December I woke up one morning determined to just check in to see the status, but when I checked my email, there was a letter from Deb Haggerty. Turns out, she’d liked my proposal and responded right away, but the email never sent. That day I signed my publishing contract for Women of Prayer: Getting to Know God through the Prayers of Bible Women.

It’s been a busy time of writing and editing, but Women of Prayer is now officially released and available for purchase. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I’d be the author of a Bible study book, but here I am.

I look back at the books I was writing before, and they pale in comparison. Even at the time, I knew I was going through the motions but not feeling passionate about what I was writing.

I’m my worst critic, but I’m truly excited about Women of Prayer. I can feel proud because I know it’s not about me. Only God could turn me into a Bible teacher. He showed me how to dig deep and get excited about Bible study, and now I can’t wait for Him to take what He taught me and use me to share the same thing with other women.

In January I’ll be doing a simul-study. My goal is to have groups of women all around the world studying Women of Prayer together. I’d love if each of my All God’s Women listeners and readers did your own personal study with the book this fall. Then in January bring alongside you a friend or two to study together with the simul-study. It’s not like you’d be teaching. I include a leaders guide, but it’s just about facilitating discussion rather than teaching. You could do this, and what a blessing it could be!

We serve an amazing God! I can’t wait to see how He uses this Bible study to impact lives. I look forward to hearing personal stories from everyone.

To God Be The Glory! Great Things He Can Do!