10 Questions for Nancy Sebastian Meyer
Nancy’s ministry, called Hope4Hearts, helps wives, women, mothers, and daughters to hear God’s Word, understand His truths, and apply godly principles to their lives. Always and foremost, she communicates God’s love, hope, grace, and peace. She has a new book, Talk Easy, Listen Hard: Real Communication for Two Really Different People, and a new CD called Heart Hope . Her third book is coming in March with NavPress, called Spiritually Single Moms: Raising Godly Kids When Dad Doesn’t Believe.
1. Tricia: Nancy, first start by telling me a little about you and your writing.
Nancy: First, my writing ability is a gift from God (I got C’s in HS composition classes)–and knowing this is a gift keeps me humble. Second, my husband (a pastor-turned-agnostic) gives me permission to write about our story and my faith, which is also a rare gift from God – for such a time as this. These gifts make it possible for me to share hope and healing with hurting women – from inside the pain, instead of the “other side” – and women really respond! At my first writers conference, God turned my desire to write inspirational fiction into a passionate calling to communicate God’s hope. Nine years and five books later, the passion remains and God remains faithful!
2. Tricia: One of your speaking topics really caught my interest. The title is “You Are So Beautiful.” Why do you feel women today have such a hard time believing they are beautiful?
Nancy: Satan’s lies abound in our culture today! He delights in dissatisfying us with ourselves and with the One who loves us beyond anything we can imagine. Women need to hear the refreshing truth from Psalm 139 that we are completely known and loved by the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe (as His child, does this not make me Miss Universe?)!
3. Tricia: You travel often to speak. Have you had any traveling stories worthy of making it into your talks?
Nancy: Hmm. Not yet–but that’s a good thing, right? (smile) I’ve got plenty of other humiliating stories that make it into my talks and bring smiles to the faces of women who are silly just like me (aren’t we all?)!
4. Tricia: You encourage parents and spouses to look “beyond expectations.” How can they do this in practical ways?
Nancy: Because our human nature sinfully wants everyone to serve us, we are often disappointed when people fail our expectations. So I’ve learned a phrase I try to live by: “All hope, no expectations.” This means, I put my hope in God and not in what my humanity dictates is best for me. Practically speaking, this means I’ve given the stuff I don’t like about other people to God, and I deliberately focus on what I LIKE about them. I keep a list of things I love about my husband in the back of my Bible. When I’m tempted to feel hurt because of something unkind he does or says, I look at my list and refresh my mind about all of the things I like, instead of dwelling on the negative. This is the practical outworking of Philippians 4:8 that tells us to concentrate on the good things.
5. Tricia: Convertible or mini-van?
Nancy: Convertible, no contest – and definitely bright red!
6. Tricia: You have a new book for Spiritually Single Parents. How common is this?
What does your book offer?
Nancy: Sadly, too many women today are spiritually single (husband is still part of the family, but is spiritually apathetic, antagonistic, or absent). Spiritually Single Moms: Raising Godly Kids When Dad Doesn’t Believe, offers these moms a sense of community – finally someone is talking about it and they don’t feel alone anymore. The book also offers God’s truth on how to cut back on the resentment, guilt, and over-acheiving that is zapping our strength – when the reality is: more is caught than taught. If WE don’t see Jesus, how can we show Him to our kids? The book is about DOING less, and BEING more of the godly mom your kids need to experience.
7. Tricia: There are writers who speak and speakers who write. Which are you?
Nancy: I’m one of the rare (odd) ones that loves both sides equally.
8. Tricia: If you could get a captive audience of any specific group of woman, who would you want to talk to? What would you tell them?
Nancy: I would speak to wives, because marriage comes before mothering and greatly impacts mothering. I would talk to them about 1) how to live life attuned to God’s perspective, 2) how to decipher and delight in the differences God beautifully creates in each couple for their good and His glory, 3) how to forgive, keep short accounts with a spouse, and learn to praise him, and 4) how to become a sexually passionate woman for her man! These are the four sessions of WOW–the Wives Only Workshop–which we just launched in Lancaster this October!
WOW–the results from the impact of God’s truths have been amazing!
9. Tricia: What are your top three favorite movies? What do you think this says about you?
Nancy: While You Were Sleeping, Sabrina , and Ever After. I am a sappy romantic – and proud of it! And maybe one of these days, God will release me to go back to inspirational romance writing – I hope, I hope. (smile)
10. Tricia: What is one way that God has surprised you this year?
Nancy: He grew my faith. At 45, with 40 of those year spent as a Christian, I thought I’d figured out that my strongest spiritual gift is faith (followed quickly by teaching and encouragement). We’ve been planning WOW (see #8) for over 18 months. He’s kept me on my knees every day, all along the way. He’s tested and tried my faith. Others said we would be lucky to get over 300 to come to this first-ever event. Our numbers last weekend were over 860, our budget came in as needed (God is never late, but He is seldom early, either!), and the staff of amazing volunteers totally humbled me. There is a fine line between faith and foolishness, and I’m still not always sure where it is. But I choose faith–I choose to believe–I choose to take the leap. Thank you, God, for being faithful!
Love, Nancy
http://www.classervices.com/nancymeyer.htm
Talk Easy, Listen Hard: Real Communication for Two Really Different People
(Moody Publishers, October 2006).
Sometimes opposites attract…that is, until they start repelling. And when a couple’s differences go uncelebrated, communication quickly breaks down. Nancy Sebastian Meyer addresses three important factors affecting communication: personality types, thought continuums, and love languages. With wit, wisdom, and the Word of God, Nancy shows you how to enjoy being the person God created and how to better understand and communicate with the special person in your life. From engagement to the golden years, couples can continue to connect, talk easy, and listen hard.
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