We published Hope During Heartache in September 2014. I spent the remainder of 2014 asking God what He wanted to be my next project.
During 2014 and 2015, I was still learning how to hear His voice clearly, and I realized I wanted to do more compilation style books – helping others share their stories about how God helped them through a difficult circumstance in their lives.
Four topics came to mind: Cancer … Adoption … Chronic illness … and then I asked God for a “happier” topic and He allowed … Marriage.
I began praying for God to direct me to the right people to ask to contribute to these four books, and used the organizational skills He had been growing in me to keep track of the stories as they began to come in.
January 2015 was when I found out I was losing my job in 30 days … which resulted in being hired by another company in March. I now was working for two companies and writing on the side.
I tried to keep up, but the compilation books got delayed and then I needed to fix the legal side of the equation … and finally, in November 2018, Peace During the Pain was released.
This book tells the stories of 11 courageous men and women who either walked the journey of cancer themselves … or walked it with a family member. It’s told either from their personal perspective or from the perspective of family members if their loved one is now spending their days in eternity with Christ.
It is my honor and privilege to get to share the stories of others all in one place, and each of these testimonies reflects the presence of God’s peace throughout their journey.
As with the Hope During Heartache cover, God had a special cover picked out long before this book was released. In December 2017, a friend of mine from high school posted the picture on his Facebook page. I reached out to him admiring the picture and asked his permission to use it “someday” for one of my books. He graciously agreed and sent it to me, where I saved it in my files for future reference.
When we were picking out a picture for this book, we knew that this was the perfect picture to reflect God’s peace in the midst of the pain we experience in life. When I messaged my friend to let him know which book it was being used for, he shared with me that cancer hits close to home for him, another confirmation for me that this is the cover picture God intended for our use.
Maybe you or a loved one has gone through a cancer diagnosis or are currently receiving treatment for cancer … may this book encourage and support you during this scary time. Or pick one up for a friend who needs encouragement and support.
Has cancer effected your life personally? How did you, your family (or friend) respond to the diagnosis and treatment? Please share with us by hitting reply. I’d love to continue this conversation with you.