Blog - Leah Stirewalt

It’s week 3 of our author interview series, and like the first two weeks, the featured author will be giving away a signed copy of her book to one of you! Stay tuned for instructions later in the post about how to enter to win this week’s book.

I am so excited to introduce you to a fairly new friend…Julie Gillies! I met Julie at She Speaks (a Proverbs 31 Ministries Conference held each summer for ladies feeling called to speak, write, serve in women’s ministry, or a combination of those areas) the summer after my husband passed away. We kept up with each other via social media ever since. I had the privilege of celebrating Julie’s book release earlier this year. Now…for a little more on Julie…

Julie Gillies is the author of Prayers for a Woman’s Soul (Harvest House Publishers). Healed from a traumatic childhood and awed that God saved her seriously troubled marriage, her message helps women pray with boldness, confidence, and the certainty that God hears. Julie is the Critique Groups Director for Proverbs 31 Ministries, and serves on the editorial team of P31 Woman magazine. She’s the joyful wife of Keith, mom of two soldiers and one civilian, and Grammy of four. She loves hanging out with the entire gang at home, especially on days when her house is clean. Find FREE resources and connect with Julie at: www.JulieGillies.com.

I recently asked Julie some questions about her experience with writing Prayers for a Woman’s Soul, and here is what she had to say:

ME: What inspired you to write Prayers for a Woman’s Soul?

JULIE: Several years ago I wrote a blog post about praying for myself, and several commenters told me they’d never prayed for themselves before. That surprised me, and I felt there could be a niche for a book, so I conducted an informal poll of church-going women, and more than half of the women I spoke with confessed they did not regularly pray for themselves. I decided then to write a book that not only gave women permission to pray for themselves, but a practical book that would walk along side women as they began the holy habit of praying for themselves.

ME: How would you summarize your book in two to three sentences?

JULIE: Prayers for a Woman’s Soul is a 52-week devotional that includes authentic stories you can relate to, along with personalized Scriptures and specific prayers. It’s a holy invitation to pray for and about yourself and the topics that matter most to you.

ME: Who would you say is the “target reader audience” for your book?

JULIE: Stressed, multitasking, overwhelmed women with long to-do lists—who pray for everyone and everything except themselves.

ME: What was the most difficult part of writing the book?

JULIE: Living out the chapters was rough (because I tell on myself) and opening my heart to the level of transparency God required felt very risky. What I discovered is that women really respond to the authenticity and can relate to my issues. Lol We all have issues—now let’s pray about them!

ME: What was your favorite part of writing this book or share something you learned in the process?

JULIE: I learned that even when we feel incapable, God uses our obedience. He is faithful and equips us even when the task before us is daunting. All He really needs is our willingness. And that amazes me.

ME: What one thing, above all else, do you hope your readers take away from reading Prayers for a Woman’s Soul?

JULIE: My fervent hope is that women realize that praying for ourselves is not selfish—it’s absolutely vital, and that they will run with that revelation, and begin praying—for themselves—every day. Praying for ourselves bring authentic transformation and equips us to soar through our days!

ME: A little unrelated, tell us something fun or surprising about yourself that this blog community might not already know.

JULIE: I love to dance! Recently I was in Nashville and had a free evening while my teen daughter attended a One Direction (boy band) concert. My brother and niece joined me for dinner and we wandered into the WildHorse Saloon, where an instructor taught a basic line dance. I worked up quite a sweat. It was an absolute blast!

I personally love Prayers for a Woman’s Soul and would love for EACH of you to have a copy. But…while we can only give away a single copy here this week, feel free to order a copy directly for yourselves or a sister, mother, friend, aunt, etc. You can do that HERE! This will supercharge your prayer life ladies! Don’t miss out!

Now…for the giveaway! Julie’s graciously offered to give one of you a signed copy of her book! You can have up to TWO entries:

1. Comment on this post answering this question…have you developed a regular habit of praying for yourself, or is this an area that you really need to work on?

2. For a second entry, share about this giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter by linking to this post and be sure to “tag” me in it! Then, come back here and leave a second comment saying you’ve done so.

The giveaway runs through 9:00 pm Tuesday (7/16) night. So, today and tomorrow ONLY! I’ll announce the winner on Wednesday morning!

I thought I’d go ahead and share another little DIY project I’ve been working on (yes – this one was Pinterest-inspired too)!

I’m a keeper of cards! I love getting/giving cards, even if they are almost extinct. But, one of the issues I’ve had with my card collection was lack of organization. They just existed in piles…birthday, Mother’s Day, Christmas, just because, thank you…all piled up together. I found an idea on Pinterest where someone made little books out of their cards, grouping them by category/holiday. So, here is my attempt at doing the same thing.

The first book I made was for 40th Birthday cards. I actually received more on that birthday than any prior, so it really needed to be a collection of its own. The other birthday cards can co-exist together in one book.

Most of the examples I found on Pinterest used chipboard, purchased from a local craft store. However, being a thrifty soul, I chose to use recycled cereal boxes, pasta boxes, cardboard, etc. for my chipboard and the “covers” of the books.

I simply cut the cereal boxes down to a size just a little bit larger than the largest card in the stack.

Since I’m also a scrapbooker, I’m never short on scrapbook paper and chose to use some in my stash to decorate the cereal boxes.

For the 40th Birthday book, I ripped up some of the scrapbook paper and used Mod Podge to glue it to the chipboard / cereal boxes. That was just the design element I chose for this particular one. I used my Cricut to cut out the letters used on the cover, but you could also use stickers if you prefer to go that route.

In the next book, sympathy book #1, I simply hot-glued the paper to the cereal boxes – no ripping, no Mod Podging at all. I used “in memory” type paper to decorate that particular cover.

I then used a hole-punch to punch two holes in the left-side of both the top and back covers as well as in each card going in the book. I chose 1.5″ album rings that you can find at your local craft store to “bind” the books together.

Insert all the covers and cards onto the rings, close them up, and you’re all set! VERY easy, but it can be time consuming, depending on how elaborate you want your covers to be. Now, for my sympathy book, I did choose to place a copy of the obituary inside the front cover – simply to enrich the book even more. Overall, however, the 40th birthday party book took me much longer than the sympathy book due to all of the small pieces of paper and Mod Podge usage.

I plan to make several more…including another sympathy book to finish up storage of all the cards I received following my previous husband’s death. I also have cards ready for Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, thank you, just because, and several more. I’ll simply work on them as time allows and as I have empty cereal, cake, or pasta boxes to use. 🙂

Have a blessed rest of the day!

Author Interview 3 with a Giveaway!

A Little Sunday DIY