Welcome to the blog of author Marlo Schalesky!

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Survey Says … ???

Hi Friends,

Good news - I'm working on my next book idea!  And more good news … I'd love to have your opinion! Below is some info on what I'm thinking about.  This would be a book similar in format to Wrestling with Wonder (except about Sarah instead of Mary). So, can you let me know if you think this book would be one that would speak to the deep places in your life and encourage you in your own journey?

Okay, here's what I have so far for a description and concept … let me know if you like it!

WAITING for WONDER
A Transformational Journey through the Life of Sarah

WHAT IS IT?: 
A unique, contemplative journey through the life of Sarah, Abraham’s wife, to reveal the wonder of a God who does not work according to our timetable.

CONCEPT:
After 20 years of infertility, Marlo often says she should have a PhD in the art of waiting. Now, she brings her experience to the story of the Bible's Sarah in order to explore the wonder of waiting for those who find themselves on a long journey toward the promised land.

Because God’s timing is so rarely our own...

It’s easy to believe God when a promise is new, fresh, bubbling with life.  It’s hard when the years pass and nothing changes.  It’s hard to keep praying, keep hoping, keep believing.  It’s hard when those you love betray you, when desperation strikes, when your own plans backfire, and still God does not fill the emptiness.  But God is calling us to more.  He is calling us, as He called Sarah, to wonder ... to laughter in the face of the impossible. 

Because we lose the wonder in the waiting of life ... 

Who is this God who makes impossible promises, and then asks us to wait?  Who is He who shows us the stars in the sky while there is no baby in the bedroom? Who is He when months turn to years and stretch to decades and still the promise remains unfulfilled? Who is this God of long intervals, painful delays, and yet-unanswered prayer?

He is the God of the waiting room. He is the God of the stars when we don’t see even a glimmer of light. He is the God of a million beaches when we can’t even hold a single grain of sand. He is the God who calls us to trust Him in the in-between places.  He calls us to the wonder of waiting. 

Because Sarah shows us God -- Determined, breath-taking, and beyond all our plans...

Who is this God?  For us, like Sarah, following God’s call isn’t about a life of ease, of every-prayer-answered when we want, or easy faith.  It’s about His tireless commitment to “bless the whole world” through us.  It’s about being a part of God’s-Promise-Come-True when it seems like all hope is long dead and gone.  It’s about discovering a God who asks “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” and always has the last laugh.

Sarah’s story illuminates all of our stories because it shows us the depth and purposes of a God who does not act in our timing but in His own.  By traveling with her through the pages of this book, readers will find their perspective transformed from discouragement to hope, from frustration to deep joy.  By Waiting for Wonder, they will find a God who takes their breath away ... even, and especially, in those moments when He seems to be taking too long.

10 comments:

Laurie H said...

I would absolutely read this book! What you have so far already really speaks to my heart.

Unknown said...

I love this concept! All of us can relate to the subject of waiting!

Teresa R said...

I know I've had times when I thought the wait was too long, but
when God answered, the timing was perfect. This is a book to be read by many

Jackie Smith said...

I would certainly read it....sounds great! I loved Wrestling with Wonder!!
Blessings~~

jen said...

Anything by you I'd read...but that sounds like a great book. I hope Amazon will sell it. Post on Facebook when it comes out!!

Anonymous said...

Yes! Waiting to read it!

Jessie Gunderson said...

This sounds amazing. I haven't struggled with infertility but my heart goes out to my friends who have and I believe the concept of waiting and wondering if God has forgotten you is so well illustrated through the trial of Sarah and yourself that I would easily relate. Appreciate your vulnerability!

Kiersti said...

This sounds beautiful, Marlo! I loved the bits I read of your Wrestling with Wonder book on Mary, and this one sounds equally powerful. Whether we've dealt with infertility or not, nearly all of us can relate to the struggle with waiting. And I love how you point us higher to the God we can trust and His purposes and plans that are so much bigger than ours.

Jan Cline said...

Much needed topic in today's hurry up world!

Marlo Schalesky said...

Thank you, friends! Your comments have been so helpful, and encouraging too.