My Heart, Ever His

Suffering has been a very unwelcome part of my life.

Recently, a new season of loss took a completely different shape from previous winters of my life. A different kind of cold settled in; not the sharp, brutal sub-zero kind, but a cloudy, damp, chills-to-the-bone cold. Like a slowly creeping fog that settles and stays, this season of loss was an ill-defined cloud, daily thickening to zero visibility or lifting enough to see hints of sunshine through the mist.

I’ve learned through the years that God’s light shines the brightest in the darkness, so I should have remembered His faithfulness more confidently. I haven’t always seen His glow in the middle of the hardest moments of my life, but over time He has revealed hints of Himself in ways He knew I’d recognize, ways that were best for me.

Surprising me, God inspired me to write in that season of loss, to put into words the emotions and experiences of my life as a woman as I rode those rough, relentless, pounding waves. I’ve never been a good journaler, always afraid someone might read my raw revelations and be shocked at my depravity. But in that season I was fully convinced of my wickedness, and I resolved that if God sees all and loves me, what someone else might see is irrelevant. The ink began to flow.

The Psalms were my daily companion every day for months that year. The words of groaning, complaining, anguish gave voice to my heart and became comfortably familiar to me. The descriptors of emotion felt right, not rash.

I stepped into prayer writing slowly, cautiously, and carefully. I wasn’t sure I could or should be as real as the psalmists. I saw by my repeated reading in the Psalms that all but one out of one hundred fifty end with words of praise and adoration. I recognized the key to bringing my woes to God was turning the pouring out of my heart in complaint to words of surrender and trust before closing with amen.

God wasn’t offended by my raw, honest complaints if my heart returned to faith. God was gently inviting me to fully express myself to Him as my Father, who loved me and knew what I was feeling anyway. He wasn’t afraid or offended by my emotions.

Those prayers were the start of my new book, My Heart Ever His. It is a collection of 40 prayers which invite us to bravely and authentically talk to God in the same ways the psalmists did thousands of years ago. The book releases on March 31 and is available for preorder now.

If my story resonates with you, I’d love to invite you to join the launch team for the book.

What is a Launch Team?

My launch team is a community of women passionate about inviting their friends and loved-ones into honest conversation with our Heavenly Father. Those in the team have the chance for you to read My Heart Ever His early and share about its message on social media, blogs and reviews on e-retailers.

Would you consider joining me on this journey? Preorder My Heart Ever His and request to join—the first 100 to preorder and request will receive a second hard copy of the book!

What Will I Receive as a Launch Team Member?

We do ask that you preorder your own copy of the book first, but other than that, my publisher and I will provide everything you need to be part of the launch team.

Everyone who joins will get a digital copy of the book to read early, with the first 100 of you who preorder and join will also get an additional hard copy. You can keep it or share with a friend you’d like to take this 40-day journey with you!

You’ll receive access to an exclusive Facebook group for discussion and collaboration. I’m excited to unpack the book in this community with you. You’ll also receive regular updates via email, including exclusive content, information about upcoming events and interviews, and more.

What Will I Do as a Launch Team Member:

My publisher is asking that launch team members preorder and read My Heart Ever His before it releases on March 31 in order to write an honest review of the book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Christianbook.com or Goodreads—or all of them if you’d be willing! We’d also love for you to join me in the private Facebook group for more conversations about my book and about prayer.

You can share about the book on your own social media. We’ll make exclusive graphics for you to share if you want some support in that way. If you’re a blogger, podcaster, or create your own content somewhere, you’re welcome to feature the book.

But don’t miss this: I’m most interested in women who want to grow in prayer joining this team. Being a blogger, podcaster, etc is not that important. Women like you who are investing in your families and want to please God are the ones I want!

I’m in! How do I join:

Preorder My Heart Ever His and fill out the questions upon requesting to join the Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MyHeartEverHis/

Everyone who submits their preorder receipt number (the number you receive in your order confirmation email) as well as the email address they’d like their advanced reader copy sent to will be part of the community. Remember that the first 100 people who request to join get a FREE hard copy of the book in addition to their preordered copy.

You have all been such faithful readers and bringing you along for part of this next publishing journey, I think, will be fun. Thanks for your interest!

Ever His,

Barbara