FAITH PONDERINGS: Why Author DIANE STORTZ Writes Devotionals (and TWO giveaways!)

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When I was homeschooling my sweet Miss A, we were blessed to stumble upon Diane’s I AM: 40 REASONS TO TRUST GOD (Thomas Nelson, 2016) at our local Hobby Lobby. Drawn by the cover, we added it to our cart and for the next forty school days, we began each morning by making ourselves mama/daughter tea, then reading one thought-provoking entry, delving into our bibles to check out each scripture verse she mentioned. And now I’m delighted to learn that the author, Diane Stortz, has two new devotionals out. Better yet, she’s agreed to be my guest blogger today sharing her thoughts on what inspires her to write faith-based devotionals for kids and families. Thank you so much for stopping by, Diane. Now, without further ado, here’s Diane!

THE INSPIRATION BEHIND MY DEVOTIONALS

by Diane Stortz

My five young grandchildren—all boys—live in two different states, Ohio and Georgia. Whenever they’re together, only a time or two each year, we make sure to get at least one group photo with all five. It’s fun to track their growth this way, and I love sharing the pics with other family and friends, especially those who live far away in the Pacific Northwest.

We all love sharing what’s important to us with the important people in our lives, right? We all love sharing good news. We introduce a new friend to our long-time friends because we know they’ll hit it off.

For all these reasons and more, I write devotional books.

How It Began

Nearly 20 years ago, an acquaintance invited me to a women’s group meeting in her home. The idea was to read through the Bible together in a year. The focus was simple: “Let’s get to know God.” Every Monday night we gathered to talk about what we had read the previous week. 

We enjoyed doing this so much, we did it again the next year, and the next. Others joined us.

As we read, as we discussed our questions and our insights, we began to discover what God is like—who He is and what He does. Our lives changed as we began to understand how much He loves us and that we can depend on Him.

Getting to Know God

When I write, my focus is on helping readers get to know God better, just like the focus of those women’s groups. I love walking readers through the Bible’s big story from beginning to end in age-appropriate ways. 

I AM: 40 Reasons to Trust God introduces readers to 40 different Bible stories and names of God found in the Bible, names like God All-Powerful, The Lord My Light, and Bread of Life. Each of the Bible’s names and descriptive titles for God tells us something important and meaningful about His character. 

Stop-and-Go Devotional: 52 Devotions for Busy Families takes readers through some of the Bible’s familiar events, with simple explanations, conversation starters, prayers, and activities for families on the go. (Tip: Use the material in each devotion over the course of one week. This book is truly designed to be used as you go through your busy week.)

Someone has said, “The Bible is the only book whose Author is always present as you read.” My prayer is always that my books will help readers discover the Bible and get to know the Author better on every page.

Diane Stortz is a multipublished author who writes to make God’s wonders known to the next generation. Her newest releases are Stop-and-Go Devotions: 52 Devotions for Busy Parents and God’s Words to Dream On, both from Tommy Nelson. Diane and her husband have two married daughters and five young grandchildren—all boys! Learn more at http://www.DianeStortz.com.

NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAYS!!!

Diane has kindly offered two book bundles containing one copy of her STOP AND GO DEVOTIONAL and one copy of I AM: 40 REASONS TO TRUST GOD for me to giveaway to two lucky winners. If you’d like a chance to win one of these book bundles, let me know in a comment below. (NOTE: Must be U.S. resident with a street address (as opposed to a P.O. Box and at least 18 years old to enter.) The giveaway ends Tuesday, 6/25/19 at 12:01 am EST. The winner will be announced the next day!