How would you describe your writing in general to someone who hasn't read any of your books?
I write from the pages of life, as my life has intersected with God’s Word, and His Spirit has led and healed me in the face of great suffering.
What inspired you to write Make Up Your Mind: Unlock Your Thoughts, Transform Your Life?
God gave me victory when I was left a victim. In the wake of the worst disaster of my life, I learned how to think differently as I saturated my mind in God’s Word. I never thought my story would be what it is, but I realize now it is not my story, but a story of my Redeemer weaving through the shattered pieces and restoring me to the mind of Christ.
We are limited by mindsets of depression, anxiety, loneliness, anger and many other mindsets that cause us to lose focus and faith. As we go through life, our mindset shifts to our struggles or to faith. Life’s hard places can become smooth as God transforms us through His thoughts, and we learn to lay down our thoughts and pick up His. But it is a choice we have to make.
“Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts” (Proverbs 4:23, GNT).
How did you research or plan your book?
In the midst of COVID and cancer, I sought my Master’s degree from Liberty University and am now pursuing my doctorate. Mindsets are now what I am studying toward my dissertation, as I seek to understand what God’s Word has to say about mindsets.
What do you hope readers will take away from your book?
I hope my readers will learn how to move their mindsets away from their own thoughts to renew their minds to have God’s thoughts. Make Up Your Mind is for everyone who has struggled with any of the mindsets common to man and wants to have consistent victory over their own thoughts and behaviors.
What sparked your interest in this topic?
My last traditionally published book was Shame Off You, which is also related to mindsets. But extinguishing shame was just one aspect of recovering a biblical mindset. Prior to Shame Off You, I wrote 31 Days to Hope Reinvented. This book offered hope rather than trying to escape our lives and find hope in the wrong places. But another message was needed.
In ministry and speaking at women’s events, I saw that mindsets plague us all and that God’s people have largely given up the fight, living according to their thoughts. And I have seen the impact of this message on healing women as I travel and share this message. I knew I needed to put this message out there in a biblical and practical guide to help the reader to experience the abundant life Christ promises.
How much of your own life goes into your books?
We cannot share on a topic unless we have lived it. I share my mistakes, my victories and God’s impact and transformation on my mind and life as I have wrestled with this topic. But while my interaction with this topic is shared, the focus is on how Scripture handles these mindsets and especially how Christ did.
What is your work schedule like when you're writing a book?
Ha! Robust and full! I work full-time as a ghost writer/marketing expert for a Christian financial business and part-time as the Family Ministries and Worship Arts Director at my church, as well as volunteering for Proverbs 31 Ministries on the First 5 app and COMPEL blog, as well as doing the work of ministry. Rising early and seeking God first is my strength, and multi-tasking as well as bulk production enable me to do what I do. God also led me to start my own internship where I equip my team to do the tasks I do, which takes time as well, but also frees up time for me. God is my portion!
Do you have any writing quirks or quirky habits when you're on deadline?
It is super challenging to find the time, so I will typically go away to a hotel by myself for a night or two at a time. These sessions are intense and enable me to do a lot of research and writing. God meets me in a special way in these sessions which become holy ground and worship.
What's one thing your readers should know about you? Or what's one unusual fact about you?
I love peanut butter pizza. Now that I have grossed some of you out with that, others want the recipe—message me, and I will give it to you!
I fiercely love my family. I stayed home and homeschooled my children for 23 years. All five of my children love and know God, but they are not perfect. Perfection is not the goal, but loving God in an authentic faith is. “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 1:4, NIV).
I never would have thought after walking with God and waiting for God to reveal my future husband to me that my husband would betray me. Or that I would walk through divorce and be a single mom of five. But while I never wanted this story, it is mine. May I glorify God with it!
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a singer. When I was saved, God gave me songs. I also wanted to go into missions. Little did I know the missions God had for me with the precious children that He gave to me. God’s plans and calling are greater than any goal I have ever had.
What's your passion in life now?
To help others by inspiring them to overcome the battles of their mind with the Word of God. To help them to see deep in a shallow world through Seeing Deep Ministries.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Don’t worry about what others say about you. Don’t let it shape you. Don’t let shame or mindsets stifle the identity you have in Christ.
About the Book
In Make Up Your Mind, the reader will learn about the root behind common mental battles, focus on ten key negative mindsets and learn how to overcome them using Scripture and real-life solutions as they adopt the mind of Christ.
Did You Know?
As COVID fatigue drags us into a new year, kids need something to laugh about. So many frowny faced news casters and glimpses of tragedy on TV or even in the immediate family begin to weigh on even adults who pretend to understand what is going on. For kids surrounded by long faces and frequent nose jabs, it is time to laugh! Here are some reasons:
Laughing is stress relief. An outlandish read aloud can bring out the genuine laughter from the stomach and the heart. Endorphins are generated with laughter and decrease stress. Ahhhh.
Laughing decreases muscle tension. Laughter tightens stomach, shoulder and facial muscles that relax afterwards. Pre-readers can enjoy funny pictures, but the best laughs come from feeling the person next to you laugh as well. Turn that frown upside down!
Laughing has long- and short-term benefits. Short-term heart rates and blood pressure go up during laughter and down after, lowering our fight/flight physical stress. Long-term laughter can assist in physical healing and improve the immune system. Whew—I needed that!
-Robin Currie, The Very Best Story Ever Told
Why I LOVE My Local Christian Bookstore
“A little escape from the hectic world is what I find when entering a friendly Christian bookstore. And I walk out with a rich investment of my time.”