Greetings from Sarah Sundin! Today I have the joy of interviewing Nancy Kay Grace. Nancy has had multiple stories and devotionals published in anthologies, but she’s here today to share about her debut book.

Welcome, Nancy! Please tell us about your book, The Grace Impact.

The Grace Impact is a devotional based on 2 Corinthians 9:8. God reveals his character to us and lavished His grace on us through His Son. In all things, at all times, God’s grace covers every detail of life so we can walk confidently and share this grace with others.

What inspired you to write this book?

After I had some stories published in the Chicken Soup series, I began sending out an email newsletter and devotional called GraceNotes. God nudged me to keep sending it monthly. I did, with the hope that someday the devotionals could be published as a book. Those devotionals became the seeds for the book.
The GraceNotes newsletter is available to sign up at my website, https://www.nancykaygrace.com/.

Why did you write this book?

I attended a Christian writer’s conference with the intention of only listening to God. At the time I was discouraged, wondering if I should continue writing. God had other plans. There was an available appointment with CrossRiver Media. I took the next step to talk with that publisher, who was interested in a proposal. The project went forward.

When God nudges us, our response is to take the next step in faith.

What surprised you the most during the research or writing of your book?

The book developed into thirty short essays of understanding how grace pulses throughout the Bible and in our lives. It evolved from being a devotional with insights about grace to being a study about God’s grace that happens to be a devotional. I had to dig deeper in my understanding of grace.

At the end of each short chapter is a section of additional Scriptures, questions for reflection. and a prayer. Anyone can use the book as a devotional or as a Bible study on grace.

The book won the Christian non-fiction book of the year in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards.

Congratulations, Nancy! What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

My hope is for others to gain a deeper understanding of God’s grace. We are saved by grace, but we also grow and mature in faith. We are to be grace-givers in the world, not keeping it to ourselves.

What themes do you return to again and again in your writing?

The themes that I write on are our identity in Christ, perseverance through the challenges of life, and gaining a better perspective through hope.

Too often we forget our identity in Christ when the culture around us pulls us down. We need the reminder of God’s statements of our identity, so they become an anchor for us.

The Lord has been my strength and refuge when I faced tongue cancer reoccurrences. I’ve had to press in to the Lord with faith, press out the challenges with hope, and press on with God’s strength.

We gain a better perspective for life when we refocus our hope on the Lord. The situation may not change, but we can handle it better when we have hope through our relationship with Christ.

So true! How has being a writer impacted your relationship with Christ?

I learn more from the Bible and how to apply it to daily life. Through writing, I grow personally in my faith and then share with others through my newsletter, blog posts, and online devotionals.

Now that you have a book of your own published, do you still have an unfulfilled dream?

My husband, Rick, and I have a dream to serve pastoral couples through retreats. We have been in church ministry for more than forty-seven years. At several critical times in our ministry life, we got away to a retreat center to refocus and persevere through the ministry challenges. This meant a lot to us. We would love to hold retreats for those in ministry to be refreshed and encouraged. I desire to encourage pastor’s wives.

What are your hobbies or activities or passions outside of writing?

I love to collect hugs from our grandchildren! I also enjoy Bible journaling, hiking, and playing worship songs on piano.

So what’s next from you? Please tell us about your next project.

My husband, Rick, and I are working on a manuscript for couples who want to develop more spiritual depth and closeness in their marriage. We’ve observed that many Christian couples want to grow together spiritually but don’t know where to begin. Through the years of trial and error in our own marriage, we want to debunk some myths and show that the intertwining of spiritual lives in marriage is possible.

That sounds amazing! Thank you for sharing with us, Nancy!

To learn more about Nancy and her writing, please visit Nancy’s website at https://www.nancykaygrace.com/ and Nancy’s blog at https://www.nancykaygrace.com/blog/ .

Writing for Him,

Sarah Sundin

Sarah’s website: www.sarahsundin.com