Author Archives: Janet Sketchley

About Janet Sketchley

Janet Sketchley is an Atlantic Canadian writer whose Redemption’s Edge Christian suspense novels have each been finalists in The Word Awards. She's also the author of the devotional collection, A Year of Tenacity. Janet blogs about faith and books. She loves Jesus and her family, and enjoys reading, worship music, and tea. Fans of Christian suspense are invited to join her writing journey through her monthly newsletter: bit.ly/JanetSketchleyNews.

Breath as Prayer, by Jennifer Tucker

Book cover: Breath as Prayer, by Jennifer Tucker

Breath as Prayer, by Jennifer Tucker (Thomas Nelson, 2022)

In this charming gift book, Jennifer Tucker combines proven breathing techniques with Scripture-based prayer to offer tools to “Calm your anxiety, focus your mind, and renew your soul.”

Everyday anxiety is something most of us experience more than we’d like. And if it’s not anxiety, it’ll be something else that agitates or distracts or stirs us up. Settling down can be easier said than done.

These 84 short readings and prayers come with gentle artwork. If savoured one per day, they can begin building a positive and peaceful habit. They can be read in order or by theme, meeting the felt need of the day (prayers of trust, direction, gratitude, help… there are 12).

I love how Ann Voskamp says, in her introduction to the book, “To learn to breathe prayers through all the labor pains of living is to be delivered into peace.” [page 14]

And I love these words from the author:

“Anxiety is not an enemy you need to fight. It is an opportunity to slow down and invite Christ into your struggle, to breathe deep in His presence and let His peace enter into all your broken places.” [page 30]

The book opens with an easy-to-read overview of the idea of focused breathing and brief prayers, grounding firmly in the scientific and in biblical Christianity. Page 21 includes a chart of what breath prayers are and are not, highlighting the difference between Christian practice and general spiritual and self-help practices. The author also points out the difference between anxiety disorder (needs professional help) and the more common everyday anxiety.

Each day’s reading features a truth to “breathe deep and know,” followed by a brief devotional reading and Scripture verse. Then a page of pastel-hued word art presents breath-sized snippets of the verse to repeat a few times in sync with slow inhales and exhales. I found this settled my spirit and led me into a sense of God’s unhurried presence.

A compact hardcover with lovely art, Breath as Prayer makes an excellent gift book for a friend or for yourself. Highly recommended as a gentle resource for spiritual growth and self-care.

For a brief, accessible overview of breath prayers, read this post on the author’s blog: What Are Breath Prayers? Jennifer Tucker’s website, Little House Studio, also offers mental health information and printable art. If you scroll to the end of her book page, you’ll find two free printable colouring sheets and a curated Spotify playlist with songs “to help you slow down and b-r-e-a-t-h-e.”

[Review copy from my personal library.]

Follow me on BookBub

Review: The Color of Sky and Stone, by Sara Davison

Book cover: The Color of Sky and Stone, In the Shadows, Book One, by Sara Davison.

The Color of Sky and Stone, by Sara Davison (Three Dreamers Press, 2023)

Part thriller, part romance, and part Christian women’s fiction, The Color of Sky and Stone is a beautiful story that’s clearly hard for me to categorize. (Although I’ve learned a couple of new terms: this can be called upmarket fiction or book club fiction, since it’s designed to stimulate thought and discussion.)

Thriller: Tane is a secret operative in a Canadian organization tasked with taking down drug lords and crime rings. The brief scenes from the enemy’s point of view had me very nervous reading this book. I’m left with an unanswered question, but as an increasingly-timid reader I don’t think I’ll be brave enough to read the sequel in search of an answer. If this is the last high-suspense novel I read, though, I’m glad to have ended with one so appealing. [Note that only portions are intense; most scenes engage the heart and spirit. Also, what I feared didn’t transpire… yet.]

Romance: Lia and Tane are both isolated by their roles in life. Their relationship begins as two strangers exchanging letters. In the honesty and vulnerability of what they write (they’re not expecting to meet) watching them fall in love is sweet.

Christian women’s fiction: Themes of forgiveness (of self and others), honesty, secrets, identity, faith, childhood trauma, risk-taking, and emotional healing make this a book where readers walk with the characters and perhaps find something that makes a difference in their own lives. Discussion questions at the end offer additional opportunities for personal reflection and/or group discussion.

Lia and Tane’s experiences leave them both questioning their chosen roles. What makes the story beautiful is the honesty they risk sharing and the way it frees Tane from hurts he’s carried for years. None of this is contrived or pushy; it’s an organic outcome of their shared experience.

The Color of Sky and Stone is book 1 in the “In the Shadows” series. Sara Davison is an award-winning Canadian author of romantic suspense. Visit her website to learn more about her and her books: saradavison.org.

[Review copy from my personal library.]

Follow me on BookBub

Replacing Resolutions (Guest Post)

Photo credit: Steph Beth Nickel

Replacing Resolutions

by Steph Beth Nickel

We’ve all heard the statistics at how short-lived New Year’s Resolutions are.

This year let’s try something different.

Let’s decide what we want to achieve by this time in 2024. Remember to be kind to yourself and set realistic goals.

Here are six of my goals:

  1. Complete Paralympian Deb Willows’s second memoir.
  2. Write and self-publish a novel.
  3. Work with my editing clients.
  4. Fulfill my responsibilities as the editor of FellowScript.
  5. Fulfill my responsibilities as one of Kathi Lipp’s interns.
  6. Get healthier.

To achieve our goals, we must break them down into small, achievable steps and set a flexible date to complete each step. Flexible because we will inevitably have to reschedule some of our goals.

Here is an example of steps I could take to accomplish the goals listed above:

Deb’s Book

Work on the book at least three times per week until it’s ready to submit to the publisher.

YA Novel

Complete the novel.
Get input from alpha readers.
Complete rewrite.
Have manuscript edited.
Buy book cover.
Have manuscript formatted.
Research how to upload the book to a single distributor or multiple distributors.
Upload the manuscript to distributor or aggregator.
Get the word out.

I have chosen not to date these tasks, but I have listed them in the order I intend to complete this project. Of course, there will likely be some overlap.

Editing Clients

Work on editing clients’ projects five times per week.

FS Responsibilities

Proofread submissions as they come in from the Columns and Acquisitions Editors.
Pass them along to the Design and Layout Editor.
Finalize the magazine.
Train a new editor.

FellowScript is a quarterly magazine. So, I cycle through these responsibilities four times per year—except the last one of course.

KL Intern Responsibilities

Keep up with ongoing responsibilities.

Get Healthier

Exercise 3-5x/week from January through December.
Drink more water from February through December.
Eat more fruit and veggies from March through December.
Limit desserts and sugary drinks from April through December.

While I may incorporate the listed goals before the stated start date, it’s best not to try to incorporate everything at once.

Setting fixed deadlines may be best for some people. I, on the other hand, function better if I have flexible deadlines for the majority of the things I have on the go. That way the fixed deadlines I have don’t seem as overwhelming. Plus, there is more margin for day-to-day tasks and those unexpected situations that are sure to pop up.

What are some of your goals for the coming year? Have you broken them down into doable steps? Do you work better with fixed or flexible deadlines?


Photo credit: Jaime Mellor Photography

Steph Beth Nickel is a freelance editor and writer and an author. If you would like more information about her services, you can contact her at stephbethnickelediting@gmail.com.

You’re invited to visit her website: http://stephbethnickeleditor.com/.

You can join her Editing Tips Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/418423519384351.

Review: Shade Grown, by Heather Day Gilbert

Book cover: Shade Grown: The Barks & Beans Cafe Mystery Series, Book 8. By Heather Day Gilbert. Image features a Great Dane and some houses.

Shade Grown, by Heather Day Gilbert (WoodHaven Press, 2023)

A peaceful garden tour turns to trouble when Macy Hatfield finds the body of a reclusive movie star among the hostas. Warned by her brother Bo, the town’s new mayor, to leave investigating to the police, Macy can’t resist helping the dead man’s sister find answers.

As always, the story includes scenes in the Hatfields’ coffee shop with the rescue dog section as well as the friendly West Virginia small town setting. The mysteries are good puzzles, and it’s fun to watch the characters’ relationships unfold. I appreciate both the clean nature of the content and the light tone. Yes, someone was murdered and crime abounds, and yes, Macy may end up in danger, but there’s no thriller-level intensity to make us afraid to turn the page.

Shade Grown is book 8 in the Barks and Beans Café series. It will appeal to lovers of clean cozy mysteries set in small towns, to coffee- and dog-lovers, and to gardening enthusiasts.

A reader new to the series could start with this book and find all they needed to understand the characters and this story, but this is a fun series and worth reading from the beginning. While each story is complete in itself, relationships grow and change over the course of the series.

Heather Day Gilbert writes contemporary mysteries and Viking historicals. For more about the author and her work, visit heatherdaygilbert.com.

[Review copy provided by the author with no obligation to write a review.]

Follow me on BookBub

Review: Crafting for Murder, by Barbara Emodi

Crafting for Murder, by Barbara Emodi (C & T Publishing, 2023)

Secrets and schemes and small-town murder.

Empty-nester Valerie Rankin has returned to the tight-knit—and tiny—community of Gasper’s Cove on Nova Scotia’s Atlantic coast. She’s housesitting for her vacationing aunt and teaching sewing classes and trying to set up a crafter’s co-op to boost tourism.

But home isn’t the stable, unchanging place she remembers. Suddenly, she’s trying to save the family store and investigate a murder. The locals she’s known all her life aren’t who she thinks they are. At least one is a killer.

I really enjoyed this book and will definitely read the next one. The town feels like a character in its own right, and I like how ordinary Valerie and her rescue dog, Toby, are. The mystery is solid, but it’s the interpersonal relationships that unfold that make the story stick with me.

This isn’t one of those stories where the amateur sleuth has a knack for quietly finding and piecing together the clues. Valerie is impulsive, she jumps to conclusions, and she antagonizes a lot of people in her quest for justice.

One of the people she accuses says, “Maybe you should slow down on trying to figure people out and maybe notice who they are more.” [p. 157]

In short, Valerie’s a lot like most of us would be in her situation. And she has a good heart. She may be going about this the wrong way, but she’s sure it’s for the right reasons.

Crafting for Murder is sure to appeal to fans of small-town cozy mysteries. You don’t have to be a crafter or a Nova Scotian to engage with this story, but if you are you’ll feel an extra connection.

As well as her mysteries, Barbara Emodi has written instructional books on sewing. To learn about the author and her work, visit babsemodi.com. Book 2 in the Gasper’s Cove Mysteries series, Crafting Deception, is scheduled for release in December 2023.

[Review copy from the public library.]

Follow me on BookBub

New Releases in Christian Fiction (December 2023)

December 2023 New Releases

More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website


Contemporary Romance:

Bidding on a Second Chance by Emily Conrad — His bid for a second chance this Christmas might lead to her most disastrous fall yet. Police officer Graham Lockhart’s life is dangerous enough without accident-prone Piper Wells tripping around in it—at least that’s what she claimed when she declined his marriage proposal two years ago. But he can’t help but wonder if there is more to her refusal. Piper always cared for Graham, but she is incapable of giving him the one thing he wants more than anything—family. All her orphaned self knows about that is how much it hurts to lose. She’s better off focusing on caring for her nephew and running her business. Secondhand furniture doesn’t break hearts. When an injury sidelines Piper leading into the holidays, Graham steps up to help her keep her commitment to a Christmastime auction benefiting a local family. Can they overcome the hurdles between them, or will the past and their warring hopes and fears trip them up for good?? (Contemporary Romance from Hope Anchor LLC)

Home from the Storm by Laurel M. Blount — After a senseless loss, hotheaded Caleb Hochstedler left his Amish faith and his young wife to seek justice. Two years later, he tracks his parents’ killer back home to Johns Mill, where he’s astonished to learn he’s the father of twins. Now he’s determined to protect his children and the woman he still loves—if she’ll let him. Her new husband’s abandonment broke Rhoda Lambright’s heart and proved her father, the bishop, right. Such a stubborn man could never be happy among the peaceful Amish. When Caleb unexpectedly returns, Rhoda is caught between her rock of a husband and a very hard place. Her church forbids divorce and requires forgiveness, so Rhoda lets Caleb back into their home. But can she ever let him back into her heart? One thing’s for certain sure. This second chance will take all the faith they can find. (Contemporary Romance from Berkley)

The Care of a Cowboy by Elsie Davis — In the sprawling landscape of Crossroads Creek, where the Texan sun paints golden dreams, Max Turner suddenly finds his dream of reclaiming his family’s lost ranch put on hold. To avoid draining his savings account, Max is desperately searching for a new job and a place to live, except ranch foreman jobs weren’t easy to come by. As the scorching summer unfolds, Max’s path crosses with that of Lucy Carrington, a determined young woman whose dreams clash with the expectations of her traditional rancher father. When her father hires Max to secretly oversee the ranch because he doesn’t trust his daughter to handle a man’s job, Max is caught in a web of deceit. As Max and Lucy navigate the complexities of their new roles, including the surprise news that Max is guardian to Crystal…a twelve-year-old niece he never knew existed, they discover the power of love and resilience, and the true meaning of family. (Contemporary Romance from Sweet Romance Publishing)

General Contemporary:

Broken Spirit by Sheridan Lee — The dream of motherhood eludes her. Can she find her way back to hope? Belinda Briggs’ life is shattered by losses and crises, shattering her faith and leading her on a quest for renewed hope, faith, and peace in this series finale contemporary Christian women’s fiction tale. (Contemporary Women’s Fiction from Winged Publications)

Chokecherry Valley Comfort by Jean Rezab — One accident. Two devastated families. Paul Richmond’s life changed in an instant when his wife and seven-year-old daughter die in a car accident. He struggles to move forward with this huge change. As his two-year sobriety anniversary approaches, he knows he’s on the edge of a relapse. He takes a sabbatical from his work as a doctor and heads to his in-law’s farm to get perspective and try to come to terms with his new life. Tyler Garvey is the only survivor of the two-vehicle accident in which his younger brother dies. He feels guilty because he should have been driving. His parents don’t blame him, but he blames himself, and so does Paul. Both families try to put their lives back together. It’s going to take time, a great deal of comfort, and forgiveness on all sides. (General Contemporary, Independently Published)

Chokecherry Valley Joy by Jean Rezab — Abby feels like everything is wrong with her life. She’s never dealt with the grief of losing her twin sister, Samantha, and niece, Amy, in an accident. Her marriage to Mark has fallen into the routine of his long hours of work and her erratic schedule as a nurse in a busy Houston hospital. Their failed attempt to have a child puts further strain on their relationship. Unhappy in her current job, she needs a break. She travels to Chokecherry Valley to spend two weeks with her parents at their farm. Mark plans to join her after he finishes his current work project, and she hopes to reconnect with him and discuss their future. (General Contemporary, Independently Published)

The Year of Goodbyes and Hellos by Kelly S. Irvin — Determined to save Sherri’s life, Kristen drops everything to guide her sister on the harrowing cancer treatment journey. When she’s unable to balance the strain of caring for her patients, being a wife and mother, and her frantic efforts to save her sister, Kristen’s carefully balanced life crumbles, starting with her marriage. Desperate to regain her footing, she vows to rebuild her broken relationships . . . as soon she’s sure Sherri will beat the odds stacked against her. Unlike her sister, Sherri Reynolds has worked to cultivate balance in her life. Her children, her job as a teacher, and her strong faith keep her grounded—until her diagnosis sends her spiraling into the scary world of what-ifs and unknown outcomes. Sherri faces the agonizing realization that family history may be about to repeat itself. With the clock ticking, she’s determined to use whatever time she has left to heal old wounds and restore relationships. Together, the sisters are forced to reexamine their priorities, address the still tender wounds of their childhood, and delve more deeply to discover what it means to live each day to its fullest.? (General Contemporary from HarperCollins Christian Publishing)

Christmas in Ohio by Bettie Boswell, Tamera Lynn Kraft, Penny Frost McGinnis, and Michelle Levigne — Come join us for a celebration of Christmas in the Buckeye State, with snow and mistletoe, a dash of suspense and danger, mystery and reunions, healing and hope. (General Contemporary from Mt. Zion Ridge Press)


Historical Romance:

When Love Comes by Penny Zeller — A woman with a broken heart. A man struggling with the loss of his brother and the subsequent care of his young niece. And two silly aunts who discover it’s never too late for true love. When Charlotte’s and Tobias’s paths cross in Prune Creek, Wyoming, can they put aside their preconceived disdain for each other? Does God have a plan for them and for a young girl in search of someone to take the place of the parents she lost? (Historical Romance from Maplebrook Publishing)


Cozy Mystery:

Deadly Burden by Janet Sketchley — Obey the police and stay safe, or follow her heart and help unmask a killer? Landon Smith solved the last murder by accident—and nearly became the next victim. When a shocking death strikes her close-knit circle, can this amateur sleuth discover who wanted the town busybody dead? The dead woman knew too much about too many people. Was she silenced to protect a secret? Or because of one she wouldn’t tell? And how can a dyslexic trauma survivor find clues the professionals miss? Landon can’t afford to be sidetracked by a vindictive guest at the inn or by unexpected family drama. Or by falling for the geeky writer next door—now that he’s over her. With a storm closing in and no leads in sight, Landon’s first Christmas at the Green Dory Inn is shaping up to be anything but merry and bright. (Cozy Mystery, Independently Published)

Romantic Suspense:

Buried Grave Secrets by Darlene L. Turner — Standing guard…with threats on all sides. When bones are found at an unmarked grave site—and then shots are fired—forensic anthropologist Jordyn Miller knows someone wants old secrets to remain buried. She’ll do anything to uncover the truth about these suspicious deaths, including accepting the protection of her ex-boyfriend, Constable Colt Peters, and his K-9. But with targets on their backs, can Jordyn stay alive long enough to bring a serial killer to justice?? (Romantic Suspense from Love Inspired Suspense/Harlequin)

Plus check out these recent additions to Fiction Finder published within the past month:

A Courageous Betrothal by Denise Weimer – A wounded lieutenant, a woman fierce enough to protect her family, and an American Revolution with everything at stake. (Historical Romance)

Another Outer Banks Christmas by Christina Sinisi – She’s a role model for everything good, and he comes from a rough and broken home. (Contemporary Romance)

Finding Baby Jesus by Lynn Weathington – Will Baby Jesus find his way back into the nativity in time for Christmas? (Contemporary Romance)

Hilltop Christmas by Kathleen D. Bailey – When the integrity of the Festival is threatened, Noah must call on his Lord, and Jane on the God from whom she’s drifted, to find justice and restore Hilltop to what it is. (Romance)

Her Christmas Healing by Mindy Obenhaus – With love, faith, a support dog and some Christmas spirit, maybe it’s not too late after all… (Contemporary Romance)

For Love or Money by Susan Page Davis – When he learns where the money probably came from, will it keep their two families apart? (Western)

Hope’s Hills by Ruth Kyser – Will they remain good friends, or has God got other plans for their futures? (Contemporary Romance)

Snow Globe Secrets by Laura Thomas – Shootings, snow globes, and secrets abound when Alexis James witnesses the shooting of a British author outside the local bookstore. (Romantic Suspense Novella)

The Quilting Circle Box Set by Mary Davis – All four books from the Quilting Circle Series in one box set. (Historical Romance)

Follow me on BookBub

Review: Mistletoe and Murder, by Connie Berry

Cover art for Mistletoe and Murder, by Connie Berry. Winter village scene with snow and a lit Christmas tree.

Mistletoe and Murder, by Connie Berry (Crooked Lane Books, 2023)

Christmas Eve is fast approaching, and the wedding guests are arriving any day. American antiques expert Kate Hamilton is set to marry her British detective fiancé, Tom Mallory, in a carefully-organized wedding in a quaint English village.

What could possibly go wrong?

If you guessed flight delays, wardrobe issues, and last-minute schedule changes, you’d be right. And of course Tom’s mother’s continued disapproval of Kate as a future daughter-in-law.

But this is a mystery series. And this time, the mystery is too close to Kate’s heart. Neither she nor Tom could bear to leave on their honeymoon without seeing it resolved.

Readers will enjoy a novella-length visit to the village of Long Barstow and the regular cast of characters. Those familiar with the series will recognize some visitors from previous books. If you’re new to the series, you can start here and not feel out of place. But it’s worth starting with book 1, A Dream of Death, and following the series from the beginning.

Each Kate Hamilton Mystery is a contemporary story with connections to the past.

Mistletoe and Murder is book 4.5 in the series. To learn about author Connie Berry and her books, or to sign up for her newsletter and receive a free short story, visit connieberry.com.

[Review copy from the public library via the Hoopla Digital app.]

Follow me on BookBub

Less is More? (Guest Post)

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

Less is More?

by Steph Beth Nickel

I’m writing this at the end of October. I will let you know in the comments how I did with my goals for November.

Prioritize your current WIP (work in progress). Make room on your schedule. Keep your appointments with yourself the way you would with anyone else.

These are all good pieces of advice.

However…

You are a unique individual, a creative.

Sheer willpower and including my two current works in progress on my schedule have not been enough to keep me writing.

While it isn’t surprising that spending four days with my coauthor and working exclusively on her second memoir got me back into the groove of working on Keep Looking Up, what happened recently goes against conventional wisdom and fuels me up even more.

I was going to sign up for NaNoWriMo again this year and commit to working on my YA speculative fiction novel, which I’ve been working on off and on for several years—yes, years. Instead, I have committed to FlashNano. The goal: write 30 short stories in 30 days.

Am I crazy? Possibly…

However…

There are times in my life when the more I take on, the more motivated I am to work on projects I’ve neglected for far too long.

I recently wrote a 1400-word short story to submit for possible publication in the InScribe anthology that will be published in 2024. Whether it’s chosen or not, I’m pleased with how it turned out.

Because I wrote “Love Your Enemy,” I’m primed to work on Deb’s memoir and the YA novel as well as dive into the adventure of writing more short stories.

Of course, I’ll have to focus on my goals in order to accomplish them. I’ll have to add them to my daily Action Plan (aka my To-Do List). I’ll also have to set aside other things that I won’t have time to accomplish.

But by the end of November, I should have many more words written and polished. And as a writer, I’ve come to realize that none of the words we write are wasted.

Here are six reasons I’ve come to this conclusion:

  1. Practice may not make perfect, but it does make us better writers.
  2. Working on a new or different project can help us get unstuck with our current work(s) in progress.
  3. The more we write, the more it may fill the writing well or charge our writing battery.
  4. When we write works that seem to flow from us, it may give us the wherewithal to get back to those projects that we find tedious and uninteresting. (Most writers have to work on this type of project from time to time—or frequently.)
  5. We may end up publishing a piece we originally wrote just for fun after we revise and polish it.
  6. A piece we write may spark a longer work that gets picked up by a magazine or book publisher or one we choose to self publish.

So, I’ve found that, with writing, less is simply less. And more? Well, the more I write, the more I’m motivated to keep writing.

How about you? Do you need to focus on a single project, or does writing unrelated pieces motivate you to get back to those works that you’ve been neglecting?


Photo credit: Jaime Mellor Photography

Steph Beth Nickel is a freelance editor and writer and an author. If you would like more information about her services, you can contact her at stephbethnickelediting@gmail.com.

You’re invited to visit her website: http://stephbethnickeleditor.com/.

You can join her Editing Tips Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/418423519384351.

TWO Christmas Fiction Pre-orders!

Pre-order Deadly Burden  in time for Christmas. Text details  include $2.99 USD pricing ends Dec. 6
For curated buy links, click the image or visit https://books2read.com/deadly-burden.

Pre-order pricing ends on release date, December 6, at which time the paperback version will also be available.

What’s Deadly Burden about? Here’s a teaser:

When a shocking death strikes her close-knit circle, can Landon discover who wanted the town busybody dead? Was the dead woman silenced to protect a secret? Or because of one she wouldn’t tell? And how can a dyslexic trauma survivor find clues the professionals miss? With a storm closing in and no leads in sight, Landon’s first Christmas at the Green Dory Inn is shaping up to be anything but merry and bright.

[Find the full back cover synopsis on my Deadly Burden page.]

And another Christmas mystery, releasing on the same day:

Cover art: Murder by Eggnog, a Kelsie Butler Mystery

Murder by Eggnog, A Kelsie Butler Mystery, Book 2 by Karin Kaufman.

Join Kelsie Butler and her friends as they investigate a sinister murder in an independent living home. With evidence in short supply, can they solve the case before it’s too late?

You can pre-order Murder by Eggnog on Amazon. Find my review of book 1, Outline for Murder, here.


So… two engaging Christmas reads. Release date for both books will be December 6. Treat yourself to some early Christmas reads–order now!

Follow me on BookBub

Review: Risking Rest, by Carolyn J. Watts

Book cover: Risking Rest: Embracing God's Love Through Life's Uncertainties, by Carolyn Watts

Risking Rest: Embracing God’s Love Through Life’s Uncertainties, by Carolyn J. Watts (hope*books, 2023)

The best memoirs let us experience something of the writer’s world but also invite us to apply some of the life lessons to our own hearts, however different our circumstances.

Risking Rest is a memoir in two parts, linked by the imagery of pregnancy and birth from Dr. Carolyn Watts’ obstetrics training. The first two-thirds of the book revisit her brief years serving in a medical mission to Afghanistan’s “hidden women” in a remote village. A sensitive soul with an as-yet-undiagnosed illness that taxed her body, she nonetheless proved wrong the assessing psychologist’s declaration that she’d never make it—never make meaningful connections there.

For North Americans, this glimpse into the harsh beauty of rural Afghanistan and its courageous women will help us better appreciate the needs. And it helps us see some of what these women have since lost under the restrictive Taliban regime.

For non-medical readers, the narrative of serving 24/7 with never enough staff—or heat!—and while working in a language not their own is the stuff of heroes. But Carolyn Watts is quick to deny the heroic—they served because the need was great, even when exhaustion wore their compassion thin and government officials threatened to shut them down.

In the middle of this intense season, Carolyn wrestled with Jesus’ invitation to rest: “How did ‘my yoke is easy, and my burden is light’ mesh with words about taking up your cross and sharing in Christ’s sufferings? [Page 128]”

She describes feeling a strong call from God to this part of Afghanistan, and that call kept her focused through the hard times—until her deteriorating health brought her back to Canada.

Enter part two of the memoir, learning to let go of the first calling—to focus on the One who gave the call and who was now giving a new call: to be cradled in His love and to learn that weakness could be a gift.

When the outward things that define you are stripped away, who are you?

Favourite lines:

…the One who brings life into being in us, tending it gently and with great skill, is little worried about the mess of the process. [Page 12]

Cling not to the call but to the One who called. [Page 166]

There are times grace hurts. [Page 167]

Risking Rest is a transparently vulnerable account of one Christian’s lifelong desire to grow closer to God. Each chapter opens with a heart-warming Scripture pointing to how she experienced God’s care even in the hard places. The book concludes with some practical and personal questions to help readers consider their own faith journeys and how they might apply the same lessons for themselves.

Dr. Carolyn Watts is a Canadian writer and blogger. You can find her at Hearing the Heartbeat, which she describes as, “Listening together to God’s heart and making our home in Christ’s love.” I highly recommend subscribing to follow her hope-filled blog posts. To view the trailer for Risking Rest or to download a free chapter, visit hearingtheheartbeat.com/risking-rest.

[Review copy from my personal library.]

Follow me on BookBub