Ellen Chauvin | Soaked & Sprouting

Soaked in God's Word, Sprouting Seeds of Faith

Four Years and Counting: Books, Books and More Books!

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You know the old saying: Always a bridesmaid, never a bride? I feel like that sometimes as a writer. Always on other people’s book launches, never writing my own book!

Please note – there is not one iota of bitterness in that statement! I’ll tell you why: The women who wrote the books, and on whose launch teams I’ve served, have a message. God placed it on their hearts. Beautiful messages. Important messages. Messages of His faithfulness and His provision and His love for each of us. And each of these books is written for His glory alone.

I have been honored to be a cheerleader for a number of books that have been published the last four years. Let me share them with you:

Over It – Conquering Comparison to Live Out God’s Plan by Kristine Brown. Well, now, if we’re honest, haven’t we all struggled with comparison from time to time? I have. In her book, Kristine teaches us truths about comparison and what can do to overcome it. She encourages us to find contentment on our God-given uniqueness. This is a wonderful book for you or for a young teen girl who may question whether she’s good enough.

Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey through Depression by Dr. Michelle Bengston. Michelle is a board-certified neuropsychologist, and has seen first hand the devastation of depression. When she experienced depression, she realized the treatments she was recommending to others was lacking. In this book, Michelle blends her medical expertise and faith to offer readers hope grounded in God’s love and grace. This is a must read for anyone suffering from depression.

I have had the privilege of serving on launch teams of three writers from Proverbs 31 Ministries. All of these books (in my UN-BIASED opinion) are must haves on your book shelf!

Listen, Love, Repeat: Other-Centered Living in a Self-Centered World by Karen Ehman
Doing Busy Better, Enjoying God’s Gifts of Work and Rest by Glynnis Whitwer
Come With Me, Discovering the Beaty of Following Where He Leads by Suzanne Eller

Because I am a Bible geek, there were two books that were my particular favorites:
Everyday Obedience: Walking Purposefully in His Grace by Katie Orr. Katie created the FOCUSed15 Bible study method. In as little as 15 minutes a day, this book will take you deep into Colossians 3. For the busy woman, this is a wonderful study process!

Deeper Waters: Immersed in the Life-Changing Truth of God’s Word, by Denise J. Hughes. Part memoir, part Bible study how-to, Denise has a love of God’s Word that will overflow into your life, as you read her book. She wants to share with others the many things that have helped in her study of God’s Word through the years. She wants to mentor us and minister to us through her book.

Y’all, seriously. Go get one or two or all of these books. You will be blessed!

Grace be with you,

Four Years and Counting – Opportunities

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What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. 1 Corinthians 3:5 NASB

Writing and blogging these last four years has brought so many new friends into my life. I am so thankful the Lord led me in this direction. Blogging has also brought about some wonderful opportunities for me. I have been asked to guest post on other websites. What an honor!

Here are a few of them. I hope you enjoy!
The Laundry Moms: I thought it was hysterically funny that these sweet ladies asked me to write a post for them. After all, I’ve never birthed a baby and I hate laundry! HAHA! However, I did share a few lessons I’ve learned about being a step-mom. Click here to read the post.

The Consilium. When Diane Bailey at the Consilium asked for volunteers to write for her site, one of the subjects was grief. I volunteered to share my story. After my mama passed away, I was overcome with grief and guilt. You can read about it here.

In addition to guest blog posts, I was also asked to be interviewed for a PODCAST! Me! Speaking! God just amazes me with His sense of humor! Holly Barrett, over at Living a Redeemed Life asked if she could interview me. It was so much fun visiting with Holly. She made me feel at home and welcome. You can find the podcast here.

I’m not sure how I first ran across the Deeper Waters website, but I fell in love with it! When they opened the doors for contributors, I raised my hand! This site encourages women to get into the Word of God every day. Be still my heart! You can find my contribution here.

Most of you know I’m a Bible Geek. But I’m also a Word Nerd. So when my friend Liz at My Messy Desk asked for contributors for the 2017 Word Nerd series, I was IN! The word I chose was Knowledge – which so happens to be one of my spiritual gifts. I hope you enjoy this post.

My friend Jana asked for contributors to her Everyday Thanksgiving series over at Sweet to the Soul. Y’all, you need to go over to Jana’s site and just walk around a while. It is beautiful. Jana is a creative artist and all that creativity spills over from her beautiful heart! I think you’ll enjoy your time at Sweet to the Soul.

Next week: Book launches! WOOHOO!

Grace be with you,