“That is so hard-hitting!” I exclaimed in the middle of our Starbucks conversation.
I sat, a glass of cold water in hand, across from Authenticity Book House president, Fran Geiger Joslin, a speaker at the just completed Roaring Lambs Writers’ Conference. My desire to learn more about ABH and its evolution led us to Starbucks. As we shared some of our backgrounds and personal lives, Fran revealed how she once shattered a leg and found the best healing came with “walking through the pain.”
Her statement struck me to the core as it quickly resonated with my understanding of the realities of life. Sometimes it’s best to walk through the pain, the struggle, or the temporary darkness. On the other side we often find healing, relief, and occasionally an understanding of the reason we endured the struggle in the first place.
I realized, after hearing Fran speak and then meeting with her following the conference, ABH lives out the meaning of its name. It avoids shying away from hard realities and truths. In my head I’ve nicknamed this publishing nonprofit “A Beautiful Honestness.” The organization shares God’s truth—the most important truth. ABH books contain materials having the power to transform lives. They focus on how God works in our lives, bringing us through pain to hope.
I’m so excited about ABH’s mission, the impact already accrued in its short history, and the impact it will continue to have through the lives of those who read its bite-sized books. ABH authors walk through their own pain, sometimes quite literally, and the product of this experience shines in God-spoken truths related to real earthly struggles. These authors explain God, his love, and his grace, producing far-reaching effects as books reach readers on the other side of the world.
I believe everyone lives a “little bit broken”…meaning no one lives perfectly. We’ve all experienced hurts and heartbreaks. How we choose to move past them makes the difference, affecting how we routinely respond to life and ultimately, our ability to understand happiness.
ABH books demonstrate how people navigate past brokenness. That’s what attracts me to this ministry. As a “word-nerd” and “grammar geek,” I look forward to playing a part in preparing these books by volunteering as a proofreader.
To summarize, I believe ABH exemplifies the following verses:
- Psalm 68:34 (NLT) – Tell everyone about God’s power. His majesty shines down on Israel; his strength is mighty in the heavens.
- 1 John 4:16 (NIV) – And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
- Philippians 4:13 (NLT) – For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
I eagerly anticipate seeing God’s work through ABH in the coming months and years. In future ABH books, I look forward to reading pieces of other people’s pasts, their brokenness, and their hope… all in the name of glorifying the almighty, all-powerful, unconditionally loving God.