First, a little bit about me and how this book came to be…

So, let’s chat. I love chatting! And meeting new people, especially moms.

I am a mom, I have a mom, and I have worked with moms for years as a childbirth educator. And my writing style is much like my teaching style, telling things like they are with truth, humor and transparency.

I hated it when the instructor told me in Lamaze class that the contractions wouldn’t hurt. That was simply not true. And I vowed then and there that everything I did in life had to be truthful, but that sometimes the truth hurts so humor tempers lots.

Anyway, I have four kids, two adult sons, 28 and 25 and two younger daughters, eleven and thirteen, and for those who wonder about the gap, our third child was actually the only one truly, truly planned for the time she arrived, as she was adopted and brought home from Vietnam at five months of age.

My husband and I have been married for almost thirty years and met in college and have hung in and on ever since. We live in a small town in Central PA where he is a physician and I spend most of my time after three pm in the car.

The opportunity to write this book came to be as a result of a totally divine happenstance conversation I had with editor extraordinaire and grace dispenser Kim Bangs who invited me to submit a concept sheet and then proposal for this book.

Well, what about that soft spot for moms?

Moms have a tough job, don’t you think?

We do have the Bible, and not to minimize that as an instruction manual in right living by any stretch of the imagination, but it tends to come in after friends and family and all their free advice, that can be pretty costly…

So the question arose, how can we take Biblical wisdom and stories, role models and examples, and weave them into relevant (and funny) stories to encourage moms? I know I need encouragement! Everyone else’s kids may be perfect, but mine are NOT. And, shocker, neither am I. But guess what? Neither were many of the moms, ok, all of the moms in the Bible. Remember, Jesus has the corner on the market in the perfection department, so God has provided lots of examples of moms and how they dealt with different situations, similar to what current day moms deal with. Truly, there is nothing new under the sun. But, the story of the Bible is one of redemption, and moms need to remember that.

So, the opening story for Genesis, is titled, “E is for Eve and Epidurals.”

So, tell us a little bit about how the book is laid out, and who is Henrietta Mears?

The book is inspired by the writing of Henrietta Mears, renowned Bible Teacher from Hollywood Presbyterian Church in the 1940’s and on. She believed in making the Bible accessible to everyone, and wrote her hallmark publication, What the Bible is All About, and was the founder of Gospel Light Publishing, Regal’s (the publisher of this book) parent company. So Regal has now published two devotionals inspired by her writing.

The book is comprised of 66 chapters, one for each book of the Bible, each one bit sized for busy moms.

Each chapter starts off with a brief section entitled “Snapshot from Henrietta” which serves as a basic overview for that particular book of the Bible. It is then followed by selected Scriptures, also inspired by the writing of Miss Mears, with one specific Scripture from among her selections highlighted. This Scripture is one that has particular relevance to moms.

A short one sentence synopsis precedes each story under the heading, “Momento” and then is followed by the story under the heading, “Mama Mia” which focuses on a mom or mom theme.

Each story is followed by an encouragement, “Lightening the Mother Load” and then closes with questions for reflection under “Musings for Moms.”

Tell us a little about the stories; some of these titles make me laugh.

I am so glad they make you laugh. Every mom who has gone through labor can relate to labor pain. Well, it says there right in the Bible, women will experience pain in childbirth, so E is for Eve (the grande dame mama) and epidurals…

Then there are others, like, “Bath”-Is That for Bathing or Bathsheba? (Being noticed and admired…); “White Teeth and Plastic Surgery” (paying attention to appearances); “Mean Girls 101” (raising great daughters); and “Too Much Idling Will Ruin Your Engine” (Gossiping).

But the stories are relevant, honest, and will result in many nods of recognition. I am simply the scribe (oh, and experiencer of most of the stories, which are all true, although some names have been changed….)

But aren’t Moms too busy to read?

I will be the first mom to admit that we are busy…and I often fall asleep at night, sometimes drooling, while trying to read. But these chapters are bite sized, uplifting and include lots of Scripture, and can be read on the go. They are great for the car or purse. Plus, with the Bible overview, if you have friends who don’t think the Bible is particularly relevant, or not for them, this is perfect to introduce them to the Bible as the real deal!

Is this for all moms, or just young moms?

The challenges that moms face are really universal throughout their lifetime. It may be a different story, but ultimately it is the same script. It may be sleepless nights with a colicky baby, but problems and not understanding what is wrong continues with your kids through a lifetime (sorry, if you have young kids you probably didn’t just want to read this…)

It includes single moms, young moms, older moms, and moms who aren’t yet moms. There are struggles in yearning to be a mom and God’s answers and timing that are also written about with bittersweet honesty.

Have you had experience with tough times in parenting?

Absolutely. But because God is in the grand business of redemption, while it doesn’t condone wrongs, He will use mistakes to help us reach out to others. I have experienced crisis pregnancy, pregnancy loss, infertility, adoption and motherhood as a young fool, and older fogie…remember, we have seventeen years between number one and four. Our adult sons have had struggles (one son’s struggle with substance abuse is what paved the way to my relationship with Christ) and just real life issues, which would make it into my annual Christmas letter, and is why I no longer write one (no, I write a book instead…)

How has this book been redemptive to you?

That’s a great question, because the first draft of this manuscript was, well, a little let’s just say, sharp (ok, downright caustic in some places) and that showed me, through the eyes of another, that I still had significant healing to go through in my relationship with my own mother. And it is amazing how God has accomplished that, through allowing me to write, re write and then learn from Him through the writing of this book.

What kind of feedback have you had so far?

You know, it’s been really encouraging. Moms are relieved that they are not alone, that there is someone else who will acknowledge that they don’t have it all together (and don’t drive a clean car, either…) I have had so many women remark that they felt like I was just chatting with them over coffee, that the stories are so real to life. And that’s what we need isn’t it? Encouragement from others that we journey through life together, God loves us, will redeem our mistakes, and then enable us to share with the next sojourner on the journey of life.

What else would you like to share?

I would love for people to join the conversation, come stop by for a visit at my web site: www.kathypride.com, also known as The Mennonite Diva. Friend me on Facebook, although there I listed my “full” name for some unknown reason, Katherine Pride (so formal) follow my blog on the home page of my website, and just hang out.

Wait just one minute…did you say Mennonite Diva? Tell me about that.

Sure. First of all, my message of encouragement to women is that they all need to release their Inner Diva’s. They are Divinely Chosen, Inspiring, Valued and Amazing. I worship at a Mennonite Church where I also serve as the Outreach and Missions Director, and I love pink and having fun. So please drop by!

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Sam Sinclair is HOT!! Steaming mad that is. She sold her townhouse, and her possessions, bought an RV and drove to Alaska with a letter of a promise of a job, only to arrive to find out the boss let his nephew have the job. She is mad. Lucky for her she is quickly able to find a job managing a Christmas gift shop, and quickly is in love with her job! Always a great lover and fan of Christmas, working in a shop that is all about Christmas seems to be a place where Sam fits right in. Plus Olive, the store owner’s aunt, is a dear and quickly becomes a close friend.

Bryce Stone, is a veteran. And he hates the commercialization of Christmas. And of all the places he could live, he lives in North Pole Alaska. He is the owner of the store where Sam is working. Having lost an eye while in Afghanistan, he is very timid and leery of women. His fiancee had dumped him after the accident, so trusting women did not come natural to him.

Follow this story as Olive orchestrates a romance between the two of them, and finally has romance in her own life. A beautiful story that will have you laughing at the antics of Olive, Samantha and crying at the sorrows Bryce faces. Definitely a book to read. 297 pages $12.99 US 4 stars

This book was provided for review purposes only, no payment was received for this review.

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Another LFY book, this one was definitely a great story! Cassie, a new widow, heads to Holiday Florida to her vacation home for her first Florida Christmas ever. Her grown daughter has plans, and Zan Cassie’s husband had always wanted to spend a Christmas in Florida. So she heads to Florida. Determined to get the house ready to go on the market. She knows she doesn’t really need a vacation home, and Florida was never just a place she was excited about, like Zan was.

Arriving and picking up old friendships right where they left off, Cassie is surprised to find herself thinking more and more about why she is wanting to sell the vacation home. Could it have anything to do with the nice widower, who has moved to town since the last time she was there?

A cute book with hilarious situation comedy in it, you will truly enjoy Love Finds You in Holiday Florida. 328 pages $12.99 US 4 stars

This book was provided for review purposes only.

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Never pretty enough to please her gorgeous mother, Allie will do anything to gain her approval–even marry a man she doesn’t love. Lt. Walter Novak–fearless in the cockpit but hopeless with women–takes his last furlough at home in California before being shipped overseas. Walt and Allie meet at a wedding and their love of music draws them together, prompting them to begin a correspondence that will change their lives. As letters fly between Walt’s muddy bomber base in England and Allie’s mansion in an orange grove, their friendship binds them together. But can they untangle the secrets, commitments, and expectations that keep them apart?

A Distant Melody is the first book in the Wings of Glory series, which follows the three Novak brothers, B-17 bomber pilots with the US Eighth Air Force stationed in England during World War II.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Memory Between Us, A: A Novel (Wings of Glory)This is one of the better whole novels that I have read in a while. This is a historical romance that has all of the elements that one’s heart looks for and while at the same time bringing forth events of a war time past that are true and hard to accept. Usually I am not a fan of war time novels, but this one captures my heart. In a similar manner as the films Pearl Harbor and Hanover Street except with a moral conscious. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and cannot wait for the sequel A Memory Between Us come this fall.

It starts with the cover being pure dreamy that just makes your heart sigh. Then from page one I was in love with the character of Allie and soon after Walt. Watching how romance blossomed and watch the confusion of their hearts and yearning for explanation for the other was pleasantly painful. Each chapter brought me begging for me. Sarah Sundin wrote an incredible heart rending story and I highly recommend it. Sundin is now on my favorite authors list.

*Thanks to Donna Hausler of Revell Books for providing a copy for review.*

“Available March 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

View all my reviews >>

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My introduction to Kristen Heitzmann was through her most recent contemporary romantic suspense novel The Edge of Recall and I loved it. When I found out that she also had previously written a series in my favorite genre of Christian Historical Fiction I added it to my TBR list. Then I discovered that Bethany House was going to re-release the series with beautiful new covers and I could not wait to get my hands on the series! After reading the first novel, I am glad that I did. Originally published in 2000, now being re-released in 2010.

This is a story of romance, redemption, vengeance and love. It ends with a string that causes a reader to have to get the next book (ordered my from PaperBackSwap thank you very much) and on the edge of your seat you want to know what comes next. I recommend this story, and I’m certain will recommend the series.

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  Though I am a prolific reader especially in the historical and fantasy genres of fiction, from time to time I find a contemporary fiction or something else outside my normal reading patterns that I end up loving just as much. Jenna Callahan has been faced with lots of change and the consequences of choices made as a very young woman. When the man who has loved her from a distance since they were teenagers returns from a tour of duty in the Middle East, her father relents from his adamant insistence that Nate Langley was less than his only daughter deserved. However Nate has some skeletons in his personal closet after active duty in the military during the US War on Terror. His potential father-in-law told Nate he was unworthy of his "princess" and chased him off before the two were out of high school. Jenna’s father instead pushed her into marriage with a sports star.

Despite her faith and the baby that came along in this relationship, the marriage was really nothing more than a sham. Yes her former husband had a lucrative career in sports but family was a responsibility he would rather leave behind in favor of his short lived career. Nate is still tight with Jenna’s brothers and when he returns from roaming both Texas and the world the Callahan’s are some of the first residents of Callahan Crossing to welcome him home. He must help his folks keep the cotton farm running smoothly but at the same time needs part time work to contribute to the family expenses. Jenna’s father and brothers both realize that Nate still harbors strong feelings for her and she might well be in the same situation.

This may be a contemporary novel but it still proved to be a fulfilling escape to a world far removed from my own daily existence. Country life has always intrigued me from the days when I fell in love with Laura Ingalls Wilder through both her books and the TV show adapted from them. Despite being a city girl I have always dreamt of having my own space and horses one day. While that dream may never be fulfilled literally, I still revel in stories from both the past and present featuring farms and country abodes removed from the daily hustle and bustle of modern life. Sharon’s story and characters proved to be the perfect distraction I seek from my reading adventure. There are many other surprises for both the reader and characters in Sharon’s action packed story of survival, love, and the commitment to home and family many wish were more prevalent in our modern era. I look forward impatiently to my next visit with the denizens of Callahan Crossing in upcoming sequels to Gillenwater’s first Callahan installment. (ISBN# 9780800733537, 330pp, $14.99)

Thanks to Revell for providing this review copy to Christian Bookworm Reviews.

Reviewed by Melissa Meeks. See more of my reviews at Bibliophile’s Retreat.

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Danette, describe yourself for our visitors.

I am a single mother, who also happens to be an evangelist with a call to preach the Gospel. I founded Joy Ministries, an evangelistic outreach ministry that ministers salvation and restoration to the needy. Joy in the Morning, my weekly television program, allows me to bring a word of encouragement into the hearts and homes of millions of hurting people. I am passionate about God and I am passionate about what He has called me to do.

How do you find time to connect with God?

I don’t find time; I make time to connect with God. There are hundreds of things vying for my time and yours, but the honest truth is that we make time for what is really important to us. I cannot function without being in the presence of God and hearing His voice. He is my joy and the source of my strength! Daily, I rise early to seek God first in prayer, worship, and the Word.

Do you have a favorite bible verse and or quote you wish to share?

I have two favorite scriptures:

Rom. 4:18-21 “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it has been said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead – since he was about a hundred years old – and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.”

Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Tell us about your current book, Don’t Quit in the Pit.

My new book is a must read for anyone who has experienced the destructive pits of life – abuse, rejection, divorce, or financial hardship. I have been there and I know how painful these pits can be. I share my personal testimony of how God turned my situation around, and how He can turn any situation around for you, too. This book will give you powerful keys to get out of any pit, as it builds your faith to overcome any of life’s difficult circumstances.

What influenced you to write this book?

I wrote this book because people need it. There are countless people overwhelmed by destructive circumstances in their life. They are drowning in a sea of hopelessness, and they need to know that God has the power to rescue them and turn their situation around.

What valuable lessons do you want readers to learn from your book?

I have been through some major storms in my life and I have found that when you think you are about to sink, God will throw you the rope of hope – His Word. God’s Word is true; you can count on it and not just survive, but you can even thrive. Don’t quit in the pit that you find yourself in, but grab hold of the rope of hope and ascend to the peak that God desires for you. You can have the power to turn any situation around!

What’s next for you?

In addition to continually adding national airtime, I am working on my second book, while also making preparations for a citywide youth crusade in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. I have known from a young age that I was called to Latin American nations. God is opening the doors for a great outpouring of His presence.

Where can visitors find you online?

You can learn about Joy Ministries at www.joyministriesonline.org, and about my new book at www.dontquitinthepit.com.

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Leanna, describe yourself for our visitors. 

I’m a wife to a fabulous man! I’m also a mom to a couple of great kids, and I’m usually trying to figure out what to fix for dinner, how to get the house cleaned, and trying to remember when to pick up which child from which activity. I’m also a writer with a lot of imaginary people rummaging around in my brain.

How do you find time to connect with God?

It’s a priority. I have to make the time. It’s usually early in the morning. I have a room upstairs in my house where I go before anyone else is awake. During the day it’s usually a mad dash from here to there, or I’m trying to put words on the page, but I often pray during the day. Sometimes at night, I need to go back to that ‘upper’ room and spend more time with the Lord.

Do you have a favorite bible verse and or quote you wish to share?

My favorite verse is Jeremiah 29:11. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Who are your favorite authors? Favorite books?

I have very eclectic tastes and read as much as I can from biographies to, of course, all kinds of fiction. There are so many wonderful books out there just waiting to be discovered. One of my obsessions right now is Pride and Prejudice. A couple of my other favorite stories are A Christmas Carol and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, I kid you not.

Tell us about your journey to publication.

I actually have a couple of journeys, the first, which took about three years, before I was offered my first book contract. I then wrote for a few years, writing twelve books in the secular romance market, before I left to figure out what I wanted to write. God took me on a journey during that time, which started during my first pregnancy. There is nothing like taking your newborn to a pediatric cardiologist to put you on your knees. From there, God began to change my heart and ultimately took me in a new direction with my writing. But breaking back into publishing after a few years’ absence wasn’t all that easy. When the time was right though, God opened the doors.

Tell us about your current book.

The day Armstrong stepped on the moon has special memories for most Americans, but not for Bryn Seymour. It’s the day her mother died. Despite death defying feats, guilt has always pulled Bryn down time and again. But a perfect love shows her taking a leap of faith is the first step to soaring. But it only happens … once in a blue moon.

How did you come up with ideas for Once in a Blue Moon ?

The idea that started Once in a Blue Moon was when I contemplated huge milestones in our nation’s history, when people ask, “Where were you when…?” I was just a little girl when Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon. I remember lying on my parents’ gold shag carpet and staring up at the television console. I was so young that I don’t think I really understood the significance. Maybe all the hoopla made me realize its importance. Most Americans have very fond memories of that event. But what if someone had the opposite reaction? What if someone’s life changed that day?

What influenced you to write this book?

I was actually torn between two stories, and I prayed and asked God which one he wanted me to write. It was Once in a Blue Moon. He was so faithful in getting me through this book, bringing things to mind when I needed them, pointing out connections throughout the book so it could go deeper. I was really worried about finishing the book because while I was revising it, my father was in and out of the hospital. It was very difficult to find time to work during that long three-week stretch. Amazingly, I was able to turn the book in a week early. Right after that, my dad went into the hospital for the last time. I was able to spend that week with my dad and family.

Did you have a favorite character(s)? Who and why?

It’s difficult for me to choose only one. I loved Bryn. I could so relate to her fears and also her impulsivity. I loved her sense of humor. Howard was very interesting. I never knew what he would do. And well, Sam…he was a great romantic hero. The attraction and tension between Sam and Bryn…well, it was hot.

What’s next for you?

FACELIFT comes out September 2010. A ‘can do’ kind of woman, who runs her own business and raises her teenage daughter alone, takes into her home her ex-mother-in-law after a botched facelift. She turns Kaye’s world upside down. Kaye receives her own emotional facelift when she learns joy isn’t tacking on a happy face but relying on her sovereign God who has a plan for her life.

Where can visitors find you online?

I’m on Facebook and Twitter and my website is: www.leannaellis.com where you’ll also find my blog.

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Gentlemen, describe yourselves to our visitors.

We three co-authors of Bo’s Café grew up in three different regions of the USA with vastly divergent backgrounds. But, eventually, all three of us stumbled into the same trap. We got tricked into the snare that says, “If you are ever going to keep from getting hurt in this life, and if you you’re ever going to reach your dreams, you’ve got to protect yourself, because no one else will or can.” This is a crock of con.

By the time John was 25 years old, he was an acid-dropping, wandering-hippie, selling his plasma for dope, and living alone in an idyllic southern California beach town. In high-school, he had been an all-state high school baseball pitcher and student body president, even securing the homecoming queen as his girl. But, the wheels came off in college and in his embarrassment John thought he had to protect himself by leaving for another state and then lying to all his friends back home that he had become a stand-up comedian. In reality, John might have done standup comedy once or twice, with humor only a mother could love.

Bill grew up a very bright son of two alcoholic parents, abandoned to an orphanage for part of his Wisconsin childhood years. Anyone who has a similar story implicitly knows the insecurity and the weird coping mechanisms that such early experiences nurture. By the time Bill reached high school he was already a card shark, making money all weekend long for the local mafia. Spooky, when you realize that a decade later Bill held the title of first Assistant Auditor General for the state of Arizona.

Bruce became the over-achieving middle child from a high-octane, performance-driven home in the Northwest where early on he figured out that he had to live up to the family name, at all costs. Problem was, he kept coming in third, out of three siblings, in academics, sports, music, and other areas—a classic formula for custom-made masks.

Imagine the lies we told ourselves, let alone other people! Lies picked up when we’re young can stay with us for a lifetime. Our common lie was that we had to buck up, shape up, move up—and most importantly, that we had to make all this happen on our own. This is a recipe for toxic hiddenness, self-deception, and power-driven manipulation. So, at Bo’s Café, you’ll recognize a familiar face (or mask) in the main character, Steven.

Toss one more ingredient into our story, and you’ll catch a whiff of the spice that flavors Bo’s Café. Ever since we were young, each of the three of us had something nagging that said, “There’s more to me, to the reason I’ve been put on this earth, and I don’t know what it is. I know I have talents. I know I have stuff to offer. But I keep shooting myself in the foot. From the earliest time I can remember I thought I was here to do something a whole lot more significant than what it seems I’m doing right now. It just seemed life would be more fulfilling than it is right now.” We kept scratching for that “something nagging” in us, but we did so in some of the most destructive and strangest ways. So does Steven. So do a lot people we meet.

How do you find time to connect with God?

Connecting with God is a lot like connecting with our wives. It’s John & Stacey, Bill & Grace, Bruce & Janet. We love being with our brides, learning from them and discovering life with them. So we make time to connect. And, we do this imperfectly. We also live for the unplanned joys of life together. All three of us can hardly wait to get home from work each day or from the speaking trips we take. This same relational energy holds true with the sweet love of the Trinity for us. We cannot get over the fact that on our worst day, Jesus is absolutely crazy about us! He never leaves. He never goes away. He is Christ-in-us, all the time. Too amazing! Totally incredible! So, you’ll not be surprised to learn that some of our best times connecting with God are in the wood-crafting shop, in the garden, on the golf course, on our mountain running trails, at the beach, and when we’re with others.

Do you have a favorite bible verse and or quote you wish to share?

We have bundles of favorite verses, and probably our most loved book of the Bible is Romans, but here are three of our favorite verses:

John: Galatians 2.20

Bill: Colossians 2.6

Bruce: John 15.9

Who are your favorite authors? Favorite books?

John: Ruthless Trust by Brennan Manning. The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis.

Bill: The Making of a Leader by Bobby Clinton. The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Bruce: A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken. The Call by Os Guinness.

Tell us about your journey to publication.

We had already typeset Bo’s Café for self-publishing when Paul Young, author of The Shack, and Wayne Jacobsen and Brad Cummings, editors and publishers of The Shack, invited us to consider using Bo’s Café as a companion book to The Shack. We threw away the typeset manuscript and joined Windblown so that many more thousands might discover the power of living in environments of grace and relationships of trust.

Tell us about your current book, Bo’s Cafe.

Beyond our own journey’s, Bo’s Café is based on the secrecy and courage of real people with whom we co-authors have walked. One haunting question best captures the suspense behind their stories, “What if there was a place where the worst of me could be known, and I would discover in the telling of it that I would be loved more, not less?”

Steven, our main character, desperately needs an answer to this haunting question. He’s a fast-rising, 34 year old rainmaker, at a kicking-it Southern California company . . . and he’s losing it. Up to this point he’s been successful, satisfied, medicated, and isolated. In charge, in control, in command. But, when his life starts “backfiring like any old engine”, (ala www.thereviewbroads.com) Steven starts doing abnormal things to his beautiful wife, Lindsey, and everyone else within reach.

Enter loud Hawaiian-shirted, 1970 Buick Electra-driving, cigar-smoking, former-business-mogul, now-marina-boat-operator, Andy Monroe. Throw in Cynthia, Carlos, and Hank from the Marina del Rey boardwalk cafe, and the dance begins.

How did you come up with ideas for this book?

All of us long to be known . . . and we are afraid we will be. We three co-authors live in the awareness of this mysterious sensation—both a longing and a fearing to be known. Sometimes, we’ve let fear overwhelm us. This has created unwelcome drama, twisted conflicts, and tragic losses in our journeys. Conversely, listening to “the longing” has fostered intense trepidation, messy relationships, and unimaginable freedoms. Now that we’ve tasted astonishing authenticity, we’re never going back to the standard fare. Thus, Bo’s Café is more than a utopian idea. We three have been hanging out with one another and many others at our own “Bo’s Café” for over 20 years.

Jesus makes it all possible, and this is truly where Bo’s Café got its start. Most Christians don’t know that God has made us saints, who still sin, not sinners striving to become saints. This changes everything! If people knew about this treasure, churches everywhere would become safe places. Not soft places, but safe places, where we could be real, we could try out our faith, where we could fail and yet be loved, where we could get up again and walk into the dreams God planned for us before the world began. Bo’s Café is the picture of what this life is like. There is nothing like this messy freedom!

What influenced you to write this book?

We co-authored an earlier book titled TrueFaced, which helped people leave the shadowy corners of the Room of Good Intentions and stumble into an authentic Room of Grace. The most often asked question of the first 75,000 TrueFaced readers was, “Now that I’ve found this incredible Room of Grace, how do I live here?” Bo’s Café is our answer to that question. Bo’s Café is that Room of Grace.

Did you have a favorite character(s)? Who and why?

Our favorite character is Andy, because after his career crashed and he lost all hope, he learned from his friend Cynthia how to be a true man, a real man. Cynthia also taught him later how to discover when someone else in crisis finally awakens to the pain of not being able to control their lives the way they thought they could, and begins trusting someone else to speak into their lives. Our next two favorite characters are the 34 year old Steven and the 25 year old Meagan.

What’s next for you?

In the 16^th century, there was a reformation of salvation by grace through faith that swept the world. Thank God! We all benefited for eternity. But, in the 21^st century, people on every continent desperately need the rest of that reformation—the reformation of sanctification by grace through faith.

We can’t wait to take this revolutionary message to the next generation, 18-35 years old—with the help of many men and women in that age group, and others, who are discovering the indescribable freedom of environments of grace and relationships of trust.

Where can visitors find you online?

You can find our podcasts, blogs, stories, resources, at www.truefaced.com and www.boscafe.com. Here, you can also freely download our Bo’s Café discussion starters for your book club or small group.

Note from the authors:

As we’ve had opportunity to encourage thousands of people from all walks of life, we’ve observed that there are no together people, just those who dress better. So, as you read Bo’s Cafe, you may think of people in media, politics, sports, the professions and other disciplines. People who tried to tackle the tiger of “this longing and this fearing,” by themselves. Those who went with their fears and paid for their decision with high stakes “consequences”.

You may think of your family, your friends, your neighbors. Or you may even think of your own desire to find a safe place where the worst of you could be known and yet you would discover that you were loved more, not less. If this is you, we hope you’ll jump in the Electra and take off for Bo’s Café. The story of Steven and Lindsey Kerner and the folks at Bo’s Cafe is really not about celebrities. Bo’s Cafe could be about any of us. And, it has been about at least three of us.

Have a great ride!

John Lynch, Bill Thrall, Bruce McNicol

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