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Author Natalie Monk |
Natalie,
welcome to Overcoming With God. We
appreciate your willingness to share your testimony of overcoming with our
readers. Hi, Carrie! Thank you! It’s an honor to be here. I look forward
to meeting your readers.
Would
you tell us about the one of the most difficult things in your life you have
had to overcome, with God’s help?
Answer: A few
times over the years, I’ve had people I love cut off communication with me and spread
untrue things, simply because my family and I try to live by principles taught
in the Bible. People who once considered me as close as their own relatives,
people I sacrificed for and poured my life into. This is never an easy thing to
take. We humans set so much value upon the approval and acceptance of others,
especially when we let someone close. As Christians, we tend to anticipate
others will behave in the same way which we hope we would in a given situation.
When this doesn’t happen, we feel pain, or at the very least confusion. And
when someone decides to exit our life instead of lovingly working through
disagreements, the feelings of rejection become reality. The easy path for me was
to wonder if my investment was a waste of time. Even greater was the danger of
letting the hurt turn to bitterness. It takes time and effort, but God can help
us overcome, even after events like these.
What
passages in the Bible have been most helpful to you in those times? I Peter
2:19-20 For this is
thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering
wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye
shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it
patiently, this is acceptable with God. Blessed are ye, when men shall
revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against
you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is
your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before
you. Matthew 5:44b Pray for them which despitefully use you,
and persecute you;
What
helped you get through or helped you cope with this difficulty? First,
I had to remember that Jesus also suffered for good and truth. Knowing that he
endured far more than I gave me comfort and brought a deeper fellowship with
Him. Secondly, I had to acknowledge that we’re all fallibly human. Even as
Christians, we’re at different places in our walk with Christ. This can cause
conflict when some hold to their own traditions or opinions more than God’s
word. Instead of becoming bitter, I had to learn to pray for these people out
of a heart of love and ask God to continue His work in them while
simultaneously asking Him to help me be where I needed to be in my thoughts,
feelings, and words about them. Thirdly, God encouraged me through quality time
with my family and other friends, and we grew closer by working through the
struggle using God’s truths. And finally, thankfulness. This has been vital for
me. Specifically, thanking God for this opportunity to show His love, for the blessing
of those friendships while they lasted, for my deepened relationships with God,
family, and other friends, and for the chance to eventually encourage people in
similar situations. The Bible commands thankfulness and praise (Ephesians 5:19-20;
I Thessalonians 5:18; Colossians 3:15) and for good reason. Getting our minds
into the thankfulness pattern improves our feelings and interactions with others.
An easy way to practice gratefulness is to keep a small journal beside your bed
(many writers do this anyway) and, first thing in the morning, write ten things
you’re grateful for. Doesn’t take long. Some days I just thank God for sunshine
and breath and the ability to walk and speak. Coffee and giggles and chicken
salad. Writing my ten things never fails to make me smile.
Disability
friendliness: Is this latest release available in audio format or do you have
any other works available on audio? Do
your e-books have audio capability? Do you have any in large print? I don’t believe Barbour has this collection
in audio or large print. This is my debut work, but in the future, I hope to
have books on audio and with large print.
In this
latest work, do you have any topics useful for bibliotherapy, or therapeutic
influence through reading about a disorder or situation? In my
novella, For Richer or Poorer, the
hero works to rebuild his failed relationships and reputation after he let
bitterness produce unwise decisions in his past. He learns the value of
faithfulness, perseverance, and starting now to build his future testimony. He
also learns that those who hurt him are often driven by their own pain. The
heroine learns to lean into thankfulness during a time of testing.
Question
you’d like to ask readers: Was there a time in your life when
thankfulness helped cheer you and keep you going? What are some practical ways
you remember to be thankful?
BIO:
Natalie Monk is a member of the American Christian Fiction
Writers and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency.
A preacher’s daughter from North Mississippi, Natalie loves porch swings, old
movies, and meeting readers through her website: www.nataliemonk.com.
Natalie’s Links:
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Of Rags and Riches Romance Collection from Barbour |
Book Links:
Amazon
Barnes
& Noble
Christian
Book Distributors
(Coming soon to a Walmart shelf near YOU!!!)
Book blurb for For Richer or Poorer
novella:
In order to bring her starving family to New Jersey, Polish
immigrant and housemaid Marcella Lipski must marry wealth…so she dons her
employer's discarded ball gowns and goes husband hunting at Newark's tourist
spots. There's just one problem. Ella can't speak a speck of English. She
considers herself blessed to secure free English lessons from a
poor-but-mysterious cart driver—until she loses her heart in the process.
Book blurb for Of Rags and Riches
Romance Collection:
Journey along in nine historical romances with those whose
lives are transformed by the opulence, growth, and great changes taking place
in America’s Gilded Age. Nine couples meet during these exhilarating times and
work to build a future together through fighting for social reform, celebrating
new opportunities for leisure activities, taking advantage of economic growth
and new inventions, and more. Watch as these romances develop and legacies of faith
and love are formed.
CFP: NATALIE, MAY GOD BLESS YOU ON YOUR DEBUT AND WITH YOUR WRITING!!!
Giveaway: Natalie is giving away a paperback copy of the Of Rags and Riches Collection. U.S. entrants only, please.