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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Devotionals Are the Pits

by Chautona Havig · 3 Comments

ThinkstockPhotos-510491779I’ve shared pictures of my personal devotional journal for some time now, but I’m sure over the past few months, some have noticed a decided absence in posts.  There’s a reason.

They became incredibly personal. Part of it is pride, I’m sure, but a lot of it is just that not everything should be put out there for the world to see.  And most of those entries fell in there.

It all started with the weeks leading up to the release of Highlands.  We did some experiments with that book, and frankly, they flopped.  I sold record numbers of the book, and didn’t even cover my expenses (because of our experiments).  Discouragement hit me hard.  That’s not normal for me, by the way. I tend to be a “roll with the punches” sort of person. 

I asked the Lord for guidance, poured out my concerns, my doubts, my hopes in that journal.  And then it happened.

Emails began trickling in.  Emails that said things like:

This is a long way of saying thank you for what you do. God has used you to bless me.

It will make you wonder. It will make you think. It will make you re-evaluate

HIGHLANDS vividly illustrates how the attitude of the heart colors the world around us.

This series really makes me contemplate if I am enjoying the life God has blessed me with to the fullest. A great friend is one that makes you strive to be a better person, and this book does that, it makes me want to better.

Yes, many of those entries are from the reviews.  That’s because most of the emails I received are so hugely personal, I could never share them.  Some wrote of trying to grapple with ideas of defects and how they affect our lives–how Tony’s journey helped them see things in different lights.  Others wrote of the pain that suicide victims leave behind and the raw emotions that smother loved ones trying to make sense of it all.

People emailed to thank me for writing the book.  Thank me!  I always feel like I should be the one thanking readers for spending their time and money on my petty little offerings, and I get letters of gratitude?

So, it took a little while to see the big picture, but I truly believe the Lord had a bigger plan for Highlands than I could have ever imagined. Thankfully, other books make up the financial difference, and it all works out in the end, but even if it didn’t.  Do I care?

Reading an email that says, “I cannot tell you how I needed the very encouragement you wove into that story just as I opened it. Reading it changed my life.  I cannot tell you how many times I’ve thanked the Lord for your writing. It brought me back to the Lord.” (used with permission), is what my writing is about.  I write to encourage the body of Christ through fiction.

The Lord is good to me.  All the time.  Even when I can’t see it… or perhaps ESPECIALLY when I can’t see it.

Yeah, devotionals are the pits… but working through them with the Lord can also draw you right back out again.  Thank you, Father!

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Comments

  1. Ryoko says

    January 3, 2016 at 9:19 pm

    Thank you for sharing. It isencouraging. I agree with your “especially”

    Reply
  2. Lois says

    January 3, 2016 at 8:14 pm

    …and this is the very thing that makes you special, Chautona. I may be wrong, but I believe if you could not help others with your writing, you would stop writing for lack of fulfillment. There is no amount of income that can make up for the joy of helping another person know the Lord or encouraging fellow-believers in their walk with Christ. That is what you do, and as long as you help others find a closer relationship with the Lord, God is going to take care of you and your family. Even when the experiments flop and the expenses aren’t covered, God has them covered because God is not limited to the possible!

    In Matthew 14, he fed 5000 men besides women and children, with just a little boy’s lunch (5 small loaves and 2 small fish), and the disciples gathered 12 baskets of leftovers. In Matthew 15 he fed 4000 men besides women and children with just 7 loaves and a few fish, and they gathered 7 baskets of leftovers from that meal.

    God’s wages for those who love and serve him go far beyond what mere money can do, and he provides for our financial needs also as we follow him. I’m praising the Lord with you Chautona! I appreciate you.

    Reply
  3. Lucinda says

    January 3, 2016 at 6:45 pm

    Didn’t I tell you there was much good about Highlands? You wrote what God laid on your heart to write, and as a result, people were blessed. He will fill the empty spaces and bless your finances as you continue to be obedient to His direction.

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 263: A Chat about The Love Script w/ Toni Shiloh
byChautona Havig

I had another lovely conversation with Toni Shiloh last month. Her latest book, The Love Script released and boy does it promise to be another #BookTouchdown!  Listen in to what you’ll find in this Love in the Spotlight series and especially in The Love Script.

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

How Many Lies Does It Take to Expose the Truth That Love Brings?

Authors tell me over and over that they experience the same things I do when I’m writing. You start helping your characters work through their problems, and as you do, the Lord starts exposing your own.  He helps you understand where you need growth and helps pull weeds that try to choke out that growth.

The Love Script has a great twist of someone trying to use a lie to smooth over the gossipy ripples of false reporting (genius way to handle it, eh?) and oh the fall out.

Toni promises we’ll see some great wisdom from Lamont’s mother and some deep truths that Neveah discovers.

The Love Truth by Toni Shiloh

A Hollywood hair stylist.

Nevaeh Richards loves making those in the spotlight shine but prefers the anonymity of staying behind her stylist chair, where no one notices her. But when a photo of Nevaeh and Hollywood A-lister Lamont Booker goes viral for all the wrong reasons, her quiet life becomes the number-one trending topic.

The silver screen’s latest heartthrob.

Lamont Booker’s bold faith has gained him a platform, and the authenticity of his faith is well known . . . until the tabloids cause the world to question everything he claims to be. With his reputation on the line, he finds himself hearing out his agent’s push for a fake relationship–something he never thought he’d consider in a million years.

A love that goes off script.

With their careers at risk, Nevaeh and Lamont have to convince the world that their scripted romance is more than just an act. But when fake seems to turn into something real, can Nevaeh trust her heart in a world where nothing is ever as it seems?

You can find out more about Toni on her WEBSITE.  Follow her on GoodReads and BookBub.

And don’t forget that you can get 30% off the book with free shipping at BakerBookHouse.com. And you can get You Make It Feel Like Christmas, too!

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Episode 263: A Chat about The Love Script w/ Toni Shiloh
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I love this book so much. And it wouldn't be an "A I love this book so much. And it wouldn't be an "Anne" story without Gilbert and Diana... meet Gage. He's not quite Gilbert, but he's got everything a Gilbert should have--including the ability to completely annoy Anne when he doesn't mean to. She's speaking to him here... barely.
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