Fabulous Friday Feature-Betsy St Amant-God is Evident on My Journey

Today we welcome author:

Betsy St. Amant

One commenter will win a copy of
Betsy's new release:

Love Arrives in Pieces

Mary here. Betsy is an awesome friend. She spent time with the Alley cats at the last ACFW conference, enduring all our crazy. In her post below you will see she is full of energy and has experienced more than a bucketful of life already. Her website shows a list of her published books. I asked Betsy to share how God has led her on her writing journey You're gonna love reading her God story. Here is what she said:

God is Evident on My Journey

I was asked to write a post about how the Lord has led me on my writing journey. And all I could think of was the phrase “kicking and screaming”. ::grin::

You’ve probably seen the cartoon of the stick figure Jesus and the Christian. Jesus is pointing out the footsteps in the sand. “Those multiple set of prints are where I walked beside you. Those single footprints are where I carried you. And see that long groove? That’s where I dragged you.”

I don’t think it works that way exactly, but you can probably relate!

I’m pretty sure I have the world’s worst memory—maybe right up there along with the Israelites. Because no matter how many times God has worked miracles in my life, shown His endless love for me, and never failed to provide for me, I still panic, doubt, and pitch a fit every time my life careens off the course I’ve plotted. The equivalent of sitting down in the sand and crossing my arms in a huff that would give any toddler a run for their money.

It’s no different with my writing journey—and I’ve very recently been knocked down in that regard. But you know what? I’m finally starting to get up, brush the sand off my rear end and just walk with Jesus.

He’s led me this far, and He’s not going to start wandering us around in circles now.

When I look back, His fingerprints are so evident on my writing journey. There was this time I felt prompted at an ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) conference to go talk to someone whom most in attendance considered a Very Important Person. I argued with God. “Um, don’t you know who that is? I have nothing to say to them. They won’t even remember me!” But I obeyed. Struck up a conversation, which turned into a great one (they did remember me!) I felt sure this would be the opening to a door at that particular publishing house. I could “clearly see” what God was doing here. It was so obvious (ha! Hilarious, right?)

See, the thing about God is, we rarely guess His plan correctly. And the best part is His plans are better than ours anyway. Ephesians 3:20-21 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

I thought I knew what God was doing that day when I obeyed that prompting and started that conversation. But I had no clue. Oh my goodness, I was so far off. God took that conversation and developed it into a friendship that rescued me on more than one occasion, that saw me through one of the darkest seasons of my life, as well as the corresponding season of confusion and rebellion afterward. That relationship prayed me out of the pit, spoke life into me, and, through various avenues, took me to a deeper level of “next” with God that I didn’t know existed.

Oddly enough, I did get published at that particular publishing house less than a year later. Not because of anything to do with that person (who isn’t even at that house anymore) But because of God’s “immeasurably more” ways. And if I’d had to pick? I’d have picked the friendship over the contract. God knew what I needed more than I did, and He provided. And He still is, and He always will.

It’s so much better to walk with Jesus. To have those moments of insight and hindsight that literally steal your breath until all you can do is exhale His name in wonder.

What about you? Are you walking with Jesus on your life’s journey today? Are you being carried right now through a particularly rough storm? Or are you being dragged, fighting against the purpose God has called you to?

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Betsy St. Amant has a heart for three things - chocolate, new shoes and sharing the amazing news of God's grace through her novels. She resides in Louisiana with her adorable, story-telling young daughter, a collection of Austen novels and an impressive stash of Pickle Pringles. Betsy has a B.A. in Communications, is multi-published in contemporary romantic fiction, and freelances for her local newspaper. She also enjoys inspirational speaking and teaching on the craft of writing. When she's not composing her next book or trying to figure out where Mr. Darcy went, she can usually be found somewhere in the vicinity of a white-chocolate mocha, or singing along with her daughter to the latest Disney soundtrack. Look for her upcoming novel with HarperCollins publishers, Love Arrives in Pieces, June 2015!

Here is how you can connect with Betsy:

Website: http://www.betsystamant.com/
Blog: http://www.writergetsreal.blogspot.com/

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Click Here to buy or read
Love Arrives in Pieces

For so long, Stella was known for her beauty. Now, with her heart stripped bare, she must discover who she really is.

Former pageant queen Stella Varland doesn’t trust beauty anymore after her divorce. Her appearance betrayed her and led to brokenness, so instead of being beautiful, now she tries to make beautiful things, but she always falls short. So she keeps her passion for art to herself and focuses on her interior design work. But if she doesn’t get another job soon, she’ll be stuck living with her parents.

Contractor Chase Taylor is determined to live a life of no regrets after losing his fiancée. Now he lives life at full speed, striving to see how much he can accomplish. He knows if he slows down, he’ll fall apart. So he returns home to Bayou Bend to renovate the town’s old theater and is shocked to discover that the designer for the project is his old flame, Stella.

Forced to work together, Chase and Stella battle their chemistry and past as they struggle to compromise and work together on a vision for the theater. Their wills clash as they attempt to hide their brokenness—and their unresolved feelings for each other—until Chase discovers the hidden parts of Stella, while losing her trust in the process.

A near catastrophe, a fire, and a small-town gossip mill finally force Stella and Chase to realize that they have a choice—to hold on to the shards of their pasts, or surrender their fragmented pieces to the One who makes a beautiful masterpiece from their brokenness.

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Enter the contest to win a copy of

Betsy's new release:

Love Arrives in Pieces:

Laughter and Singing at the Homeless Shelter

It was a night to remember. A night to tell friends about. So I am... Fifty men, women, and teens rode in busses on icy expressways into the inner city. They poured out of the bus at a homeless shelter unsure where to go, what to do, or what to say. One led the pack through the main doors, pass security checkpoints, and on through winding hallways to a large room. At night, this room is filled, wall to wall, with cots, blankets, and at this time of year, cold homeless men, women, and children. On this evening before the night, hundreds of chairs formed straight rows and faced a platform. The fifty set up sound and instrument equipment. Singers cozied in the limited platform space. Instrumentalists tuned their instruments. A few residents poked their heads in the door. Intrigued, they came in and watched the first measures of several songs start, stop, start again. Microphone levels adjusted. The singers laughed. Chattered. The group stepped off to the side and...

Patty said…

I just got married in April and the Lord is teaching me many things about myself, (not always pretty things)! I am learning how stubborn, self centered and selfish I had become as a single person living alone, except for a cat, for almost 10 years... Change is never easy, but I am trusting the Lord to guide me in the right direction.

pattymh2000(at)yahoo(dot)com