Welcome to those of you stopping in from our Proverbs 31 devotion today. You’re just in time to hear the announcement of our March book club selection.
We’ve been waiting for the opportunity to feature a book by this gifted author, and her newest release proved to be exactly the kind of novel that makes us stand up and cheer. Please give a warm welcome (and a round of applause) to the lovely and talented, Christa Parrish! Her second novel, Watch Over Me, is this month’s book club selection.
Her rescue might be the miracle they needed…
Things like this don’t happen in Beck County.
Deputy Benjamin Patil is the one to find the infant girl, hours old, abandoned in a field.
As police work to identify the mother, Ben and his wife, Abbi, seem like the obvious couple to serve as foster parents. But the newborn’s arrival opens old wounds for Abbi and shines a harsh light on how much Ben has changed since a devastating military tour.
Their marriage teeters on the brink, and now they must choose to reclaim what they once had or lose each other forever.
You can read the first two chapters of Watch Over Me here.
Christa Parrish graduated high school at 16, with every intention of becoming a
surgeon. After college, however, her love of all things creative led her in another direction, and she worked in both theatre and journalism.
A winner of Associated Press awards for her reporting, Christa gave up her career after the birth of her son, Jacob. She continued to write from home, doing pro bono work for the New York Family Policy Council, where her articles appeared in Focus on the Family’s Citizen magazine. She was also a finalist in World magazine’s WORLDview short story contest, sponsored by WestBow press. She now teaches literature and writing to high school students, is a homeschool mom, and lives with her husband, author Christ Coppernoll, and son in upstate New York, where she is at work on her third novel.
We’re delighted to give away two copies of Christa’s novel, along with this hand made vase inspired by Abbi Patil, one of the main characters in Watch Over Me. Our grand prize winner will receive both the vase and a novel. And a second winner will get a copy of Watch Over Me.
You can enter to win by leaving a comment on this post, signing up for our monthly newsletter, or subscribing to our RSS feed. Winners will be drawn at the end of the week.
This poignant and powerful novel establishes Christa Parrish as one of the most talented new voices to emerge in Christian fiction. We encourage each of you to spend a few hours with this book and get to know characters so real you’ll miss them when you turn the last page.
Good luck to each of you. Thanks for spending a little time with us today, and we hope you come back on a regular basis.
Thanks for the opportunity to win a great read!
Unfortunately this story line sounds like alot of us. If we had the “heart” knowledge that our “head” has, we would be an unstoppable force for Chirst. Satan does not want us to realize our real power in Christ. He wants to keep up confused, ashamed, hidden, so that we do not discover the truth – Christ living in us!
This sounds like a great read. I love Christian Fiction. I always have a book on my treadmill to read. I have to workout due to diabetes and so this motivates me to walk (I will not allow myself to take the book off the treadmill. If I want to read it, I must walk while doing so.)
I am always looking for great novels or series that will grab my attention and keep me walking! LOL
Thanks P31 and Shereads for bringing this book and author to our attention.
Many blessings.
I just read last night at a healing meeting verses that are in reference to your verse today. He needs us to be only who he created us to be and nothing else. Thanks for this devo and this ministry to keep the encouragement running strong.
How exciting! I am always looking for some great books to read – This one sounds great!
This looks like a really good book. I do so enjoy She reads and the Proverbs 31 devotions. I feel uplifted every time I get on the websites.
I have never heard of this author but will take another look. She sounds very interesting.
This book sounds great and I appreciate the opportunity to win it!
The book sounds like one I’d really enjoy. Thanks for the insight!
This sounds like a wonderful book, one I would love to read.
And I happily signed up for your newsletter – loving this site!
Thank you so much for the devotional article by Christa Parrish. I am now 67 years old and have been in full time Christian ministry for 19 years. However, in my teen years I definitely felt very much out of place in my church and even in my own family. No one would have expected me to be a leader in the Christian world. Because I felt so alone in my convictions and thinking, I started to fall away from my earlier intimacy with God. Eventually, I met and married a man who also had many personal and spiritual conflicts. We continued to attend church and remained on the fringe. At the same time we were both very successful by worldly standards. Marriage breakdown caused me to go back to petitioning God and asking Him to take me away. Instead He called me to complete submission and called me back to ministry (a calling I had at the age of 17) It is my passion to speak to Teen Girls and Women as I do in the Ukraine for 15 years; to encourage them to truly love and accept one another. We had no children; yet God has given me many younger people in my life over the years and I am so fulfilled. There is nothing like being in the centre of God’s will for your life regardless of what some Christians view is. Recently I was criticized by a fellow believer for continuing to go to Ukraine to minister at my age. I forgave him in prayer and asked GOD what HE says instead of letting someone pull me down as I did when I was very young.
If I don’t win this book, I will still want to read it. Thanks Again.
Cathy
I am new to the Proverbs 31 devotionals and excited about checking out this she reads site and maybe winning a book. Thank you!!!
This looks like a good read and I would love to win a copy and give it a try…thanks for the opportunity to win a copy.
I love Christa Parrish’s debut novel, Home Another Way, and as a result, I am looking forward to reading Watch Over Me!
This sounds like a good book! Thank you for the opportunity to win a copy.
Your devotion today was so timely for me! I would love to read your book and share it with my book club.
The devotional you wrote really touched me today. Thank you for your inspiring words and the reminder that God has created us to be exactly who He wanted us to be, and not our idea of perfection. I can’t wait to read this book!
Hi All – I can’t wait to read this book. Last month was the first time I had been to the website and loved the Jenny B. Jones selection.
Would love to have a copy of the book. Feeling a little on the fringes myself.
This book really sounds interesting–and, to tell you the truth, it’s been a long time since fiction had much appeal to me. I am very glad to have read these 2 chapters-thank you!
This website is a blessing – just what I’ve needed for enough information for choosing new books to read! I’m looking forward to reading Christa’s new book, with characters who are real, with faults and hang-ups like the rest of us!
I am so happy every day to have discovered this website and the Proverbs 31 devotionals. What a fabulous resource for our book club! Thank you.
Today’s devotion reminded me how grateful I need to be that I attend a church that sees past my wheelchair and encourages me to use the talent the Lord has given me. Thanks for the reminder!
This sounds like a great book. Thanks for offering it up for a prize!
Blessings,
Emma
emmastormy@gmail.com
Refreshing…I am curretnly in a bible study with a group of married women , reading a book I beleive is very much the ABC of MArraige as a submitted wife, serving her husband, he as the head and she without a brain. While there are many aspects of submision that are biblical, I beleive we are to follow Christ as our head witnessed in our respect to our husband, yet we ar enot to become a drone and follow without a personality and a calling in the great commission. Many Marraige books focus as if all of life is about getting the marraige right as the “end all be all” for a married woman. Biblically, the harmony of marraig and living as “one” more than living as a servant to a master, is a high call and requires much submission, more of myself to my will laid down at the foot of the cross to do His will – go and preach the gospel to all the nations – in a marraige of true oneness, I find the strength and hope to fulfill the great call and leave a legacy of Christ to the next generaton. Thanks for the encouragement that we are created to have a unique place to share the love of Christ in the body and to the world. I pray that our marriages reflect the love of Christ as we go.
Thanks for the opportunity to win this as a prize! Be blessed!
Thank you for offering us the opportunity to win such a great-sounding book. Looking forward to reading it!
I am not only looking forward to reading Christa Parrish’s book, but share this book with others. I appreciate her dedication and her ability to stay focused on what God has given her to bless others.
I liked the author’s thoughts about trying to fit into the mold others have defined. Yay that your husband supports your uniqueness!
This book sounds like a great read. I would love to win!!!
Sounds like a great book. Please put my name in on the drawing!!
I have been an aspiring young writer for quite some time and I am always interested to read other people’s work. After years of procrastinating, God is telling me to just WRITE!! So that is what I am going to do–I am always encouraged by other Christian female writers. God bless:)
Thank you for your story. I can identify as one of those not so girly girls who doesn’t always fit into a specific mold.
This looks like a book to learn from. I would like the opportunity to read it.
Thanks!
Thanks for the giveaway.
I know what it feels like to be “on the fringe” so I am excited to read this author! Thanks!
So many of us are told that we aren’t good enough, not pretty enough, not built good enough. If we’re young enough and don’t have Christ centered in our lives, we tend to believe the lies. It’s only through God’s eyes that we can see ourselves clearly. I am one of those that have always been told that I’m not enough. My daughter is now feeling those same feelings of unworthiness and my heart breaks every time I sit and listen to the lies that she is starting to believe about herself. My prayer is that this book be something to help her, all of us who have tried to measure up to someone else’s standards and failed. That we will find rest and contentment only when we see ourselves as God sees us! Unique, beautiful and precious.
So many of us are told that we’re not good enough, not pretty enough. If we’re young enough, been hurt enough, and don’t have Christ centered in our lives, we tend to believe the lies. I am one of those that have always been told that I’m not enough. Now my daughter is feeling those same feelings of unworthiness. My prayer is that this book be something to help her, help all of us who have tried to measure up to someone else’s standards and failed, and find peace within when we see ourselves as God see’s us.
I am one of those that have always been told that I’m not enough. Now my daughter is feeling those same feelings of unworthiness. My prayer is that this book be something to help her, help all of us who have tried to measure up to someone else’s standards and failed, and find peace within when we see ourselves as God see’s us.
My prayer is that this book be something to help all of us who have tried to measure up to someone else’s standards and failed, and find peace within when we see ourselves as God see’s us
Thank you for an introduction to this book! I find it beneficial to have a book recommendation from a good friend…you’re that friend!
Sounds like a very interesting book, I can’t wait to read it!
Hello! I really enjoyed reading your post on Proverbs 31! It is exactly what I needed to read, especially since I have not been feeling the greatest about myself.
Your book seems quite interesting! I have never read a Christian fiction book, but I look forward to doing so at some point in my future. I used to be such a bookworm when I was younger, and I truly miss reading on a regular basis.
Thank you for sharing your unique gift with the world!
Thank you so much for the daily devotional. I enjoy Proverbs 31 so much that I share it with all my friends. The Bible Verse and narrative seem to be written just for me and give me the encouragement I need for the day. Also, thank you for the recommendations of books to read.
Again, thank you for providing a great service that is uplifiting and filled with God’s love.
Ann Adams
Your novel sounds interesting.
This sounds like an awesome read – looking forward to it!
This is an especially appropriate devotional. During Lent especially I find so often we are trying to “fix” ourselves, by listening to the right speaker, the right music, reading the latest self help book or even eating the right food, instead of looking to Jesus for direction of what changes he desires for us or just rejoicing he how he has made us special in our own way. Thanks for reminding us where the real help comes from.
I feel like you just described my whole Sunday School class. My husband stopped teaching and they were all to find other classes. After 6 months they asked if my husband could start teaching the same class again. I think they all feel comfortable there and mostly- accepted as who they are.
Thanks for the great devotional. I love the encouragement to find out who Christ created us to be rather than trying to fit into the mold. For years I believed the lie that I wasn’t good enough but God is slowly replacing that lie with his truth of being His workmanship and reminding me that He who began a good work in me will be faithful to complete it. I would live to read your book, Thanks for reminding us our truth worth comes from Him.
I totally agree with Sondra (commenter #2) about satan’s schemes to keep us confused, ashamed and hidden. I also love her idea that if she wants to read a book, that by keeping it on the treadmill she HAS to walk while doing it… GREAT IDEA!
I am excited to find a new read that seems to be what I need as I sit on the “fringe” .