Today, I'm thrilled to introduce you to someone who got out of the boat, or in her case, out of the country, and followed the call of God to a remote village in Guatemala. My dear friend Marcia Moston's book, Call of a Coward - The God of Moses and the Middle-Class Housewife, will be released on August 7th. I want you to meet Marcia, but first...a little backstory.
If you've followed this blog for over a year, you may recall that I reviewed Call of a Coward in July of 2011. What happened next is the kind of thing that should be impossible...unless you happen to believe in a God who does all sorts of impossible things.
Marcia's story, Call of a Coward, won the 2010 Women of Faith contest that included a self-publishing package with Westbow Press. The book went to print, Marcia began the not-so-fun but oh-so-necessary process of promoting her book, and then things got...well...the impossible happened.
One month after the book came out, Thomas Nelson offered her a contract (and if you don't follow publishing, let me just say that this is HUGE). It's been a roller-coaster kind of year for Marcia as everything went on hold while Thomas Nelson worked their magic. (I personally think she should write a book on the adventure of following God through the crazy world of publication).
And now, a year later, the book is going to show up on store shelves all over the country and I'm so excited to see what God is going to do ... if it's anything like what He's already done, it's going to be awesome!
Q: Tell us about yourself.
A: Although
I hold degrees in sociology and Christian education, most of what
I’ve learned has been by the proverbial seat of my pants. I’ve
taught English in a Christian high school, worked with orphans in a
Mayan village, led mission teams to Central America, delivered
Yellowbooks, stuffed vending machines, and lived in everything from
tepees to parsonages.
I love to share the stories and lessons I’ve learned along the way
about what a very real God can do with the smallest of our offerings.
My first and most dear word from the Lord is Be still and know
that I am God—Psalm 46:10.
Q: What do you hope readers will glean from your story, Call of a Coward-the God of Moses and the Middle-Class Housewife?
A: A
fresh confidence in the Living One Who Sees Them. A sense of
expectancy in encountering him. Both the story and its path to
publication are examples of the possibilities of an ordinary life in
the hands of an extraordinary God. I hope readers will be inspired
and encouraged that whether they travel a thousand miles or a
thousand feet, God can do exceedingly more than they imagine.
Q: Tell
us about Call of a
Coward-the God of Moses and the Middle-Class Housewife.
A: It’s
about laying aside your hopes, dreams, and fears to follow God even
though where He’s leading seems to require credentials you lack and
courage you don’t think you have. And about discovering just how
personal and gracious He is. Here’s my opening:
The
problem with promising God you’ll follow Him wherever He leads is
that you just might have to go.
I suspect it would be easier if you were certain of His calling—like
stepping out the door and seeing the lilac bush on fire and
hearing a voice commanding you. But when it’s your husband who is
delivering the message—well, that leaves a little room for wonder.
At
least that’s how I felt when my husband rocked my comfortable
middle-class afternoon with his belief God was calling us to
pack up and move to a Mayan village in Guatemala.
Permission link: Excerpted from
Call of a Coward: The God of Moses and the Middle Class
House-Wife. Thomas Nelson ©2012. Used by permission of Thomas
Nelson, Inc. www.thomasnelson.com.
(Lynn here: I've added in another excerpt because one is not enough and because this gives you a feel for how beautifully Marcia writes...I dare you to read this and not squeeze the arms of whatever chair you're sitting in...)
The
road exceeded my worst expectations. Cliffs rose straight up on one
side and plunged
straight down on the other. The dusty, rutted trail between the two
was wide enough
for one vehicle. It was one thing to ride a scary road with a husband
you could yell
at; it was another to ride a scarier road with a stranger who said
with the same equanimity,
“There’s a good view from the overlook up ahead,” and “The
brakes are bad,
that’s why I have to pump them.”
Hernando
downshifted, pumped the screeching brakes and entered the river. I
couldn’t decide
whether to look ahead at the slippery rocks on the steep bank, look
behind from where
we had safely come, or simply bury my head in my lap. If I needed a
sign from God,
this was it. I decided there was no way I could ride this road to go
shopping, to get our
mail, to find a doctor, to do anything─
ever. When, and if, I met up with Bob in the village,
I was going to have to tell him so.
Permission link: Excerpted from Call of a Coward: The God of Moses and the Middle Class House-Wife. Thomas Nelson ©2012. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson, Inc. www.thomasnelson.com.
Q: Is there anything else you would like readers to know?
A: It
was with fear and trembling that I put my name on the same line as
Moses’, but the story is not about me or Moses; it’s about the
God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Call
of a Coward: The God of Moses and the Middle-Class Housewife is
available online at Amazon,
Barnes
and Noble, Christian
Book Distributors or from your neighborhood
bookstore.
***********
Your turn: If your husband (or wife...I know there are some guys who read this!) came home and said "I think God's calling us to...." how would you respond? Or how would you hope you would respond?
