Write for the Soul – Gigi Murfitt

The mile-high city of Denver is cold tonight. I’m here for the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writer’s Guild Writing for the Soul Conference.
The sky is midnight blue with the half-moon lighting the way. God’s handiwork is evident all around me.
I had dinner with my college roommate Denise and her husband Tucker. I love catching up with good friends. It is amazing how people come into your lives and although you have not see them for a long time, you pick up right where you left off so many moons ago.
God is like that with us. Even if we don’t pray or read our Bible to communicate with Him for a long time, He’s right there ready to pick up where we left off. He reaches his Hand and picks us right up saying, “So glad to see you. I’ve missed you.”
I pray you’ll take His hand tonight and let Him guide your way.
God has moved in my heart these past two days. This is a powerful time to share with other people whose heart beats to the rhythym of words on a page as they seek to touch lives and share the incredible message of Jesus across the nations.
I’m going to blog my thoughts from a few of the sessions. But for now I’m going to let my oxygen deprived brain sleep so I will be well rested tomorrow.
Rest well my friend. And praise His Holy name while you are at it. I leave you with a Psalm of praise to ponder with praise….
God Bless Your Heart,
Gigi

Psalm 138

A Psalm of David.

I will praise You with my whole heart;

Before the gods I will sing praises to You.

I will worship toward Your holy temple,

And praise Your name

For Your lovingkindness and Your truth;

For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.

In the day when I cried out, You answered me,

And made me bold with strength in my soul.

I love to read.
One of my favorite authors has become a friend. Karen Kingsbury spoke at our church’s women’s quarterly breakfast six years ago. She related the story of how her writing career blossomed and how God moved in her life to make it happen.
I immediately connected with Karen as a wife, a daughter, a sister and a writer. Most of all I related to her as a fellow daughter of the Most High God!
At that time I only had a dream of ever being published. Karen gave me hope that day. I bought a couple books at the breakfast and immediately became a fan.
In these six years I’ve also read every book Karen has written – some of them twice! I’ve fallen in love with the characters in her books — the Baxter family — through the Redemption, First Born, Sunrise, and Above the Line series of books. Now I can’t wait for the Bailey Flanigan series.
Over the years Karen has blessed me and my family in many ways. She’s always encouraging me about my writing. Now, seven years later I can say that God answered my prayer for publishing a book. My Caregivers’ Devotions to Go book was the first in what will hopefully be many books.

Steve, me and Karen Kingsbury at the Write for the Soul Conference

The most recent Karen Kingsbury book I read is titled Unlocked. Karen does an amazing job covering the life of Holden Harris, a young teenager with Autism. She also touches on the subject that is hitting the media often these days — bullying.
I found myself crying several times while reading this book because I understand the world of living with a disability through my son Gabe. Although Gabe was fortunate to not be constantly bullied, I do understand that bullying happens every day in schools and has been an issue for a long time.
If you’re looking for something to put on your Christmas wish list, I hope it will be this book. I know you too will fall in love with Karen’s writing and the way she handles real life issues with truth and grace.
So let me introduce you to Karen through her latest book: Unlocked. Can I challenge you to purchase an extra copy for the school library of a junior high or high school near you? Amazon has the book on sale right now for just that purpose! Just click on the link and order a few copies. I’d love to hear what you think about the book. Come back and comment on my blog. Your comment will earn you a chance to win a copy of one of Karen’s other books.
God Bless your heart, my blog readers. Happy reading!
Gigi Murfitt