Our Story ~ God’s Glory

Approximately four years ago my friend Sharon and I embarked upon a writing project we knew would be time-consuming and intense. I asked if Sharon was ready to put her life out there for the world to see. After all, some of it was not exactly pretty. Growing up as an only child in a dysfunctional environment of mental illness was hard. And then to find out that you, yourself, have a mental illness was even harder. But Sharon wanted to offer the same hope she found to others dealing with mental health issues. And so, we began.

The Beginning

While sitting in my office, she and I joined hands and voiced a prayer for God to lead our thoughts and words. Sharon began searching for verses of encouragement. From there, we discussed topics about our experiences and trials. Without question, Sharon’s mental illness created overwhelming challenges we felt were relevant to the book.

Throughout much of our friendship, Sharon was concerned about abandonment. Life would have been easier if I had, but, unlike others, I refused to conform to her fears. God brought us together for a reason, and He doesn’t make mistakes.  

Through the years until her remission, we faced hospitalizations, panic attacks, mania, job losses, car accidents, financial crises, health crises, deaths, personal losses, relocations, and more. As you can see, we had a plethora of scenarios to choose from while writing the book.  

No two scenarios of mental illness are the same, but the hope we find in Jesus Christ is. That’s our message. Through the darkness, God shines His light. He makes a way and straightens the crooked path. His love is available to anyone who will accept it.

The Middle

Sharon and I wrote thirty devotionals and presented them to a writing mentor. Her remarks were kind, but her advice was firm and gentle. We had more work to do. We left discouraged but determined. Thirty more devotionals were written supplemented with quotes, scripture, reflective questions, and journaling pages. We also added a few peace-inducing photos.

From the start, we wanted our book traditionally published. This would not be easy. We set aside the book for months to draft a proposal.

We then returned to the book, persevering through personal setbacks, job issues, and family needs. We met with numerous traditional publishers at writing conferences. Some offered solid advice, one was downright rude, and others gave false hope. Still, we didn’t give up. We prayed for a traditional publisher and that is what we expected God to provide.

Outta My Mind, Into His Heart is the title Sharon created. It is perfect – exactly what wish to portray through our devotionals.

Last spring, we attended a new conference for us and met with two representatives. We felt a connection; they felt a connection. Although their business was not typical, it was traditional. It resonated with us and sounded like a good fit. We were offered a contract onsite.

But we weren’t finished yet! We still had more devotionals to write. The managing editor preferred coloring pages over photos. (I am convinced God gave this spur-of-the-moment idea to Sharon.) This meant we needed artists. A quest ensued.

The End

Sharon and I completed the book, found artists, and toiled through the long process of developing and editing the content, creating a book cover, and providing references, resources, and endorsements.

Within eight months, our book was published. Sharon and I decided to stifle our excitement and withhold our announcement until after the holidays.

A Book Launch Party was planned for early January. The launch was a success with good food, fun fellowship, a great venue, delightful decorations, coloring activities, Facebook Live interviews, and giveaways.

Our prayer is for God to bless our project and for the needs in the mental health community to be met. Outta My Mind, Into His Heart also addresses advocates for those individuals. This is one of the unique features of our book.

Although it’s been only a few weeks, we are already getting positive feedback such as: “Your book is wonderful!!! So well done and so beautifully written!” We are also being featured on a website from a writer in St. Louis. And the biggest news is that our book is a finalist in the Southern Christian Writers Conference 2023 Notable Book Awards.

God is indeed blessing our project. He is also blessing our sustained friendship. And I can’t wait to see how He blesses the mental health community. At the end of our devotionals, our book has the “Sinner’s Prayer”. Perhaps some will say that prayer. What a tremendous blessing that would be of eternal proportions.