Journal: Intimate Writings of a Relationship with God
January 4, 2010 by Lillie
Recently I had the privilege of working with Aundrea Hernandez to edit Journal: Intimate Writings of a Relationship with God.
This was an unusual project because while Aundrea wanted to produce a quality book to honor the Lord, she also wanted it be remain a spiritual journal. The book is filled with raw emotion and spirituality, and Aundrea didn’t want to lose that. She didn’t want readers to stumble over misspelled words or confusing sentence structure, but she did want her journal to read like the outpourings of the heart of a believer, which is exactly what it is. She even designed the book to look like a well-used, handwritten personal journal.
You can read a sample journal entry to get a feel for what the book is like. If you enjoy the sample, you’ll want to order an autographed copy at One Ordinary Believer.
Aundrea will be my guest here at A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye on Wednesday. Be sure to come back and hear her story of how the book came to be.
What a wonderful concept for a book. I’ve often thought about turning my story and my journals into a book, however I never thought anyone other than myself would be interested. I do, however, love hearing other’s stories and look forward to returning on Wednesday to hear the story behind this publication.
.-= Ami @ Razr Skin´s last blog ..Razr Skin – Why We Believe We’ve Found the Best Motorola Razr Skins Out There updated Mon Jan 4 … =-.
Ami,
We’ll see how the book sells. It’s different from anything I’ve been involved with before.
Hi Ami,
Your comment blessed us! My daughter and I hope our book will inspire many, many others to write their own stories about their Journey with the Lord. It is by the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony, that we overcome. Each one of us has a testimony that could touch the lives of others, and in the times we are in right now, people need to hear them.
Lillie, I just read the sample from that book. WOW! I am amazed and impressed. I will buy a copy very soon. Must wait for checks to get here. Thank you for sharing about this!
Dawn,
I’m glad to share something I’m so excited about.
Dawn,
Thank you for your kind words and interest. We hope you will be blessed!
there is no greater pasion than having a close relationship to GOD. not all writers has the will to right such inspiring works.
.-= angel82´s last blog ..True Blood Season 1 Episode 5 s01e05 “Sparks Fly Out” =-.
angel,
If you read the book, you will see the real passion Aundrea has for the Lord.
Your comment blessed us angel82.
They say to write about what you know, and what we know about most is
how the Lord has always been with us. Reading back over these stories encourages us and reminds us how He is always with us – we really wanted to share that with others.
Thanks for the heads up, the sample was very good. In fact i am just going to place an order.
jonathan,
Glad to hear you’re placing an order and hope you enjoy the entire book as much as you enjoyed the sample.
Hi Jonathan,
So glad you enjoyed the sample entry. And thank you for ordering the book – we hope it blesses you!
I like your sample journal entry. It’s absolutely a very inspiring story to all of us. I must admit, that the idea of building your closeness to God is usually our last priority now. Most of the time, we can only remember God everytime we are facing difficulties in lives. However, we need to remember that we should learn how to approach him not only during tough times in our lives, but also good times too.
.-= Mark´s last blog ..School Grants For Studying Abroad =-.
Mark,
I hope Aundrea’s book reminds a lot of people of the importance of a daily relationship with the Lord. As you say, too often people call on God only when they’re in trouble.
That reminds me of a joke that, like most jokes, has an element of truth in it: Jake got stranded in a snowstorm in his old beat-up pickup truck. He prayed for God to save him from the blizzard, but instead the battery of the truck died and eventually Jake froze to death. When he got to heaven, he asked why God didn’t answer his prayer. The answer: It had been so long since Jake last prayed that God didn’t recognize his voice.
Of course, we know that God always recognizes our voice no matter how long it’s been since He’s heard it … even if the “voice” is groanings of the Spirit. Yet it is important to develop a relationship with Him in our day-to-day lives.
Amen Mark!
He should always be our First Love! When I think of spending time with Him, I envision crawling into His lap and placing an ear to His Heart, and listening. He is always speaking to us; the question is are we listening?
This sounds really good Lillie.
Bluestocking,
I think it is great—different and meaningful.
Bluestocking,
Your comment is very encouraging. Thank you for your interest.
My eyes filled with tears as I read your story. I have just been is a mental ward for a week. How I wished a Chaplain would come and see me.
I think it not a surprise to publish journals,and for them to be popular, what is the Book of David’s Psalms after all?
Matthew,
Sorry to hear you have been hospitalized. We have a wonderful intercessory prayer team at our church who would be glad to pray for you. Let me know if you would like me to put you on the prayer list.
You make an excellent observation about Psalms, something I had not really thought of before.
Beautiful Observation, Matthew.
It is true! And The Bible is a compilation of the personal testimonies and accounts of the saints, from their viewpoints.
There is no distance with God – you are in our prayers.
this journal is a very enjoyable. so you read it.
.-= kamal´s last blog ..Episode12- Give a Little Bit =-.
kamal,
I hope you are going to read it.
Thank you for your comment about the book, Kamal.
It’s uplifting!
wow ! this book seems full of spirituality and emotions. After take a look on sample of this book it has cleared that it is really a big privilege for you.
Eva,
I hope the sample convinced you to order the book for yourself.
Thank you Eva, for your comment.
This really inspires us to keep writing and pressing on.
We love the quote by Isaac Singer, “Life is God’s Novel, let Him write it.”
It is a very interesting premise for a book and is something that is really created to elicit emotional response. While I am very ambivalent about any sort of God, the idea is something that I have kicked around for quite a while. I have to say that dredging up this sort of emotional material from your own life can be extremely difficult.
.-= James@cheap electric guitars´s last blog ..Beginner Guitars: How to Choose =-.
James,
If you are ambivalent about God, you might find the book enlightening. It’s a very personal account of a personal relationship with God.
Hi James,
Thank you for your interest in our story.
Yes, I admit that some of the memories, a couple in particular, were very hard to revisit – at times I found myself tearing up while typing. But when I look back and see how the Lord has brought us through, we can see the healing that has taken place in our lives, and we are truly thankful for it.
.-= Aundrea´s last undefined ..If you register your site for free at =-.
Looking forward to hearing your interview with the author. I’ve opened the link you gave and I’ll have a quick preview read now
Thanks, Emma. I’m sure you’ll enjoy both the sample and the interview.
Hi Emma,
Hope you enjoyed the Entry!
Aundrea,
Thank you for taking the time to respond to each comment on this post. I appreciate it, and I’m sure my readers do also. I’m looking forward to our conversation here tomorrow.
I’m looking forward to it too Ms. Lillie.
And K and I also want to Thank you, for everything. You are a Blessing
[...] Now Aundrea has written and published a book—Journal: Intimate Writings of a Relationship with God, which I talked about in a previous post. [...]
One thing for sure, this style of prayer will marshal the energies of the universe to such an extent as they are there to be marshaled.
Whether one subscribes to The Secret, or angels, or the akashic record, or direct intervention from Jesus, or simply the power of love, Uncle Bernie cannot lose having this kind of support at his bedside.
The pouring of the heart into the public arena is always risky as Jesus well knew. His warning not to cast pearls before swine rings true especially today.
However, Jesus didn’t say not to show your love of God before all, including those of harsh and bitter temperament.
Congratulations to all who worked on this project.
It will be a credit to you and to your memory for a thousand years.
.-= Vincenti Winchester´s last blog ..New Article: Elf Culture: One with Nature =-.
Vincenti,
Any time we proclaim our faith publicly, we risk upsetting some people. But we are told not to be ashamed of the Gospel but to stand up for the Lord. I am sure many people will be blessed by Aundrea’s faith journey.
I wish more people would embrace god in their writings. It doesn’t have to be exclusively about god, but a mention of him is something I always love to see.
.-= Jenny´s last blog ..Warehouse Partition =-.
Jenny,
One reviewer listed my novel Dream or Destiny as one of the best Christian books she’d read in 2008 although the novel is not specifically written as a Christian novel. My faith is important to me, and it just comes out naturally in what I write.
This is such an inspirational book!
Yes it is, Lori.
This book was such an inspirational read. Highly recommended. Thanks for broadcasting it so nicely Lillie.
Jacob,
I hope you let the author know on her website.