Monday, May 18, 2020

Biblical Minimalism ~ The Book Is Published ~ All Glory to God!

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life."
Proverbs 13:12
(NKJV)

Hello, everyone!

I love the above verse, and it surely applies to the news I am sharing with you here today.  As many of you know, my family and I have been on a mission of minimizing our lives over the past few years, and the Lord laid it on my heart to write a book about it and include the many spiritual lessons He has taught us along the way.  

When I finished writing our family's story, we knew we needed a powerful cover for our book—one that would portray the compelling call of Jesus to follow Him wholeheartedly and without reserve.  I couldn't imagine what that would actually look like, until the day Zach called to me and said,  "Mama, you HAVE to see this picture I found online!"  I can hardly put into words the emotions that washed over me as I stood behind Zach staring at the computer screen.  It was my first time seeing Helen Thomas Robson's amazing photo, "My Friend."  I was so overwhelmed as I said, "That's it, Zach!  That is the exact epitome of everything I am trying to say in this book!"  

He and Kevin both agreed, and the quest was on to find out who took that photo.  After some searching online, I found Helen, and soon, we were on the phone talking like old friends.  I told her some of our story and how deeply her photo moved us.  I began to inquire about obtaining the rights to use her photo as our book cover, even though I was no where near ready to publish.  The book needed a thorough, professional edit, and the cost was inhibitive.  Helen, so graciously allowed me to use her photo as the banner of our Biblical Minimalism blog, and we agreed that I would call her back if and when the time ever came that the book would be published.

After a long waiting process, the Lord made a way, and the book was finally edited and recently prepared for publishing. I contacted Helen again and was able to secure usage rights for the book cover!!  Zach applied his amazing graphic design super skills, and he designed the cover so beautifully.  We could not be more pleased with the outcome! 

Here it is!


Last week, I completed the laborious task of publishing, and our book is now available for purchase—both in paperback and ebook form by clicking HERE!!

The other day, my dear husband came home from work, and as I met him at the door, I saw that he was holding something behind his back.  He had that little mischievous grin on his face, and I wondered what was going on.  Soon, he showed me.  In his hands, he held an envelope from Amazon, and I instantly knew what it was!  The "proof" copy of our book!  Kevin, Zach, and I stood by our kitchen counter to open it together.  It was quite an overwhelming feeling to stand there and hold in our hands the thing that, not only have I poured so much time and energy into over the past few years, but we have walked out together every single step side-by-side.  Soon, we prayed together, praising God for allowing this to come to fruition and dedicating this book to God.

I'll be honest.  When it came right down to the point of hitting that "publish my book" button, I was terrified.  If this were a ficional book, it wouldn't be nearly as hard to "put ourselves out there."  But, this is our story - so near and dear to our hearts - a story that we walk out and live every single day.  Things are revealed in this book that are deeply personal to us, and when I thought of hitting "publish," it felt like releasing something sacred to a world that is far too often unkind and unforgiving.  We are all three very private people which made this even more difficult.  But, GOD.  He kept dealing with my heart, showing me things like:

1.  We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.  (Revelation 12:11)
and
2.  The whole reason He has led us on this journey is to help others through sharing the lessons we have learned.  When we laid down our lives and consecrated to following Him with all our hearts, He accepted that sacrifice of surrender and led us in a path that would teach us what others need to hear.  To hold that in and refuse to share what God has taught us for the sake of protecting our privacy is rooted in pride.  I could feel, deep in my spirit, that it was time, and it was His ultimate will for us to move forward in this process.  You know how sometimes you just "know" something is God's will?

I am not going to say that I overcame fear to do this, but I am often reminded and comforted by Elizabeth Elliot's words,
"Sometimes when we are called to obey, the fear does not subside and we are expected to move against the fear. One must choose to do it afraid.”

By His grace alone, we did this afraid, and now it is done.

With the publication of this book, our family ministry has expanded.  It is exciting to us, yes, but is also requiring an enormous amount of faith!

Please join us in giving praise to God for making it all come together, for providing the finances needed, and for miraculously making this happen!

We are not in this to become rich, by any stretch of the imagination.  Our fervent desire is to further the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to get this book into the hands of every person who wants to read it, whether or not they can afford to purchase a copy. If you would like to support our ministry and purchase a copy (or multiple copies!) of our book (available in Kindle and Paperback format), just click HERE!

We have also added a "Donate" button option (located in the right sidebar of this blog) to enable those who feel led to make a one-time or recurring contribution.

To those of you who have so graciously agreed to be on our launch team, your books will be coming in the mail to you just as soon as possible.  Thank you for your patience!

Many, many thanks and blessings to all of you for being so loyal and encouraging to us on this amazing journey!  May God bless each one of you in a special way.

18 comments:

  1. I love reading the story behind the cover photo of your book! God is so amazing! I can't wait to get my hands on your book. For the past 4 years or so I have been doing a lot of "purging" in stages. I feel like I'm in the final stage of my minimizing journey and I know God wants me to get more out of this process than just minimizing things. He wants to work on my heart through it. The timing of your book is no coincidence of that I'm sure!

    Thank you for your faithfulness sweet friend! God is so good!

    Love,
    Annie

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    1. Thank you, sweet Annie! I am so excited to hear about your minimizing journey and so thankful you shared with us! I had to smile when you said you feel like you are in the final stage of your minimizing journey because every time we think we are there to that point, we find out we still have so much more to purge! LOL! It is an ongoing process, but it sure feels good to look back and see how far we've come. Oh, it is liberating to turn loose of the things of this world with the intent of drawing closer to Jesus! Yes, God is surely so, so good. I agree that the timing is certainly no coincidence. So many times I became so impatient and frustated in the process, but God absolutely did not want it published until this very time. He showed me that hearts are more receptive now than they would have been before. May we all do ALL He asks. We will be so glad we did - He is coming soon. Thank you for your kind words of encouragement, dear friend. Much love to you!

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  2. I'm so happy for you, Kevin and Zach on the publishing of your book. I know how much of your heart you have put into this book. I can't wait to read it myself. May God bless you all as. the book launches and may it bless the lives of all who read it.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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    1. Oh, you surely do know, sweet friend! You have been there to pray and encourage and uplift me so many, many times through these years. I can't wait to get it to you - they are saying it is taking from 2-3 weeks to get the books, but I am hoping maybe they will come sooner. I am so anxious to get them out to you and all the others. I so appreciate your blessings spoken over us and ask that you please keep praying for us. I am praying for you, too, and sending much love and gratitude your way!

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  3. Alleluia, and amen, Cheryl! I can't tell you how much I'm honored to be on your list of folks to read your book and review on my blog. I so hear you about listening to God's urging to write/publish books that we hope and pray will bring others closer to Him. If you don't already have my novels, let me know privately, and I will mail them to you for free once this pandemic shutdown is lifted.
    Blessings!

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    1. Oh, Martha! You are SO kind! I am so honored that you are on our list, too, and I would LOVE to have your books! I will email you right away with our mailing address! No hurry on mailing them - just when it is safe for you to do so. Thank you so much for thinking of me. Many, many blessings back to you, sweet friend!

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  4. Thanksgiving fills my heart, dear Cheryl! How thankful and blessed I am to know that your book has been written and published! As I've walked with you through this journey that you've been on, I've seen the handiwork of the Lord through every difficult place you've walked through, and how HIS presence guided, protected and led you ever closer to HIM. I'm grateful beyond measure that the Lord laid this burden on your heart to write your story and I look forward to it being a tool to change many lives for HIS kingdom's glory. May the blessings of the Lord be rich and abound mightily in your life, and through the pages of this book, may the Lord be glorified!

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    1. Oh, sweet friend! You have been there and been such a support and encouragement to me throughout this whole process. I will never forget when you let me know that I needed to go forward with this and get it done. I needed that nudge so much. We can totally share in this victory and moment of harvest because you have shared in the heartaches and prayer requests SO many times. Your prayers! They are a Divine gift to my family and me. YES! May the LORD be glorified. He gets ALL the glory. My part in this is very minimal (how about that pun?). It is truly ALL Him. I have never loved Him more. Sending much love and gratitude to you for your faithful friendship, encouragement, support, and kindness time after time after time.

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  5. What a wonderful and blessed journey that the three of you have been on and now it’s coming to fruition. I loved reading about how you found Helen and her graciousness in giving you permission to use her picture. This is an exciting time for you, all which came about through being lead by Our Heavenly Father.

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    1. Thank you so much, Kitty! Yes, Helen is a GEM. She is such a dear person, and I have so enjoyed getting to know her through this process and will never forget the amazing role she played in it all. If you ever get a chance to visit her website, you will absolutely love her work. She is SO talented and as sweet as she can be, too. Yes, we are pretty excited around here, to say the least. Leaning hard on GOD and giving ALL glory to HIM. It is HIS. Forever.

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  6. Congratulations on completing a project that obviously means a great deal to you. Thanks for committing time and energy to sharing your insights.

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    1. Thank you ever so much for your sweet visit and kind words! What an encouragement and blessing you were to me today! Many blessings to you, in return.

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  7. Well Cheryl,How precious to know another chapter of your all's life has opened so beautifully..Thank God for His close blessings on all 3 of you..I rejoice with you..I pray that Jesus will keep on blessing and leading you 3 to higher grounds with Him and walking with His hand in yours and all who do that blesses so many other lives..Not to dampen any spirits but I still battle my health and in another awful battle that the outcome does not look good and I am afraid..So PLEASE say alittle prayer for Me..You all are loved dearly.Love,Elaine

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    1. Thank you, Elaine! God bless you and heal you and help you. Prayers are going up for you, and much love is being sent your way!

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  8. Congratulations!! What a wonderful thing to bring a work to completion, I can only imagine as I am one who has many projects in the works!! So encouraged and inspired by your testimony!!Many blessings as you launch your book! God Bless you in your creative journey!!♡

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    1. Thank you, Shayndel! Your beautiful words of encouragement were so deeply appreciated! May the Lord bless you as you continue on your projects, and I hope you are able to get them all finished!

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  9. Hi cheryl....greetings from manila, phils....thank God i found homespun devotions by you n your family....it gives me overwhelming joy and inspiration amidst the covid pandemic. I hope to get a copy of your book too. God bless us all!

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    1. Oh, so wonderful to hear from you this morning! I am SO grateful you took the time to leave a comment, and I trust our book will be a blessing to you! Thank you for reading what God lays upon our hearts, and may the Lord richly bless you and keep you safe and healthy continually, in Jesus' name.

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