mary demuth

November 4, 2022 by Tricia Goyer 12 Comments

Love, Pray, Listen

Love, Pray, Listen with Mary DeMuth

Mary DeMuth is a literary agent, international speaker, and podcaster, and she’s the novelist and nonfiction author of over forty books, including Love, Pray, Listen (Bethany 2022). She loves to help people re-story their lives. She lives in Texas with her husband of 31 years and is the mom to three adult children. Find out more at marydemuth.com. Be prayed for on her daily prayer podcast with 3.5 million downloads: prayeveryday.show. For sexual abuse resources, visit wetoo.org. For cards, prints, and artsy fun go to marydemuth.com/art. Find out what she’s looking for as a literary agent at marydemuthliterary.com.

Connect with Mary on her website, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Bookbub, and sign-up for her newsletter.

As mentioned in our chat

Love, Pray, Listen | Mary DeMuth
1 Corinthians 13
Romans 12:2
Get 52 Weekly Prayers for Your Kids — Free!

Want to watch our chat? Click the image below!

More about Love, Pray, Listen:

“Love, Pray, Listen offers empathy and grounded biblical wisdom to help parents thrive, no matter what path their adult kids take.”–PASTOR STEVE STROOPE

Wisdom and Hope for Parents of Grown-Ups

As a parent, your role changes drastically after your kids grow up. You fear heartache and strained relationships when your children choose difficult–even seemingly wrong–paths.

Love, Pray, Listen is the gracious, practical resource you need for navigating the rocky terrain of parenting grown-ups. In this book, mom and author Mary DeMuth answers questions like:

· What do I do when my kids make choices that don’t align with my values?
· How do I keep communication lines open with my grown children?
· When do I speak, and when do I listen?
· Is it possible to hold on to my joy when parenting is so hard?
· How do I avoid the temptation of meddling in my kids’ lives?

Love, Pray, Listen offers a robust theology for long-term parenting gleaned from the discipleship model Jesus exemplified, one that carefully and thoughtfully applies his way of expressing love.

This is your invitation for spiritual growth and a path toward fulfilling relationships with your adult children.

Purchase a copy of Love, Pray, Listen.

Q&A with Mary DeMuth

TG: What is your writing process like?

MD: I give myself deadlines, usually 1-3000 a day.

TG: What is your writing Kryptonite?

MD: A writing playlist

TG: If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

MD: Trust the Holy Spirit to guide you about marketing.

TG: What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?

MD: A writer’s conference.

TG: What did you edit out of Love, Pray, Listen?

MD: I composited stories to protect identities.

TG: What is the most difficult thing about being an author?

MD: Sales, marketing, platform

TG: What is the first book that made you cry?

MD: To Kill a Mockingbird

TG: What is your favorite under-appreciated Christian non-fiction book?

MD: Calvary Road by Roy Hession

TG: As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot?

MD: Uncaged bird

TG: Which book that you’ve written is your favorite?

MD: Daisy Chain

TG: Which of your books was the most fun to write?

MD: The Seven Deadly Friendships

TG: Which was the most difficult — and why?

MD: We Too: How the Church can Respond Redemptively to the Sexual Abuse Crisis

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April 8, 2022 by Tricia Goyer 1 Comment

The Most Misunderstood Women of the Bible

Do you ever feel misunderstood? My friend Mary DeMuth understands. She also digs deep into Scripture to share about The Most Misunderstood Women of the Bible: What Their Stories Teach Us About Thriving. Mary is the author of more than forty works of fiction and nonfiction, and her podcast Pray Every Day is one of my favorites.

The Most Misunderstood Women of the Bible

I will say right now that I love Mary’s books. It’s one of the best books I’ve read in a really long time (I expected nothing less from my friend — but wow it blew me out of the water). When you listen to the podcast, you’ll notice my voice sounds a little rough. I just got back from keynote speaking for the Mt. Hermon’s Writers Conference. I love being in the company of writers and speakers who are working hard to hone their skills to put out books. There are so many great men and women of God prayerfully seeking God to bring great resources into your hands.

I talked almost non-stop the past three days, at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. During breaks, I would prayerfully walk asking God who I needed to inspire and help. I had no agenda except for my keynote, so I would just walk along, and pretty soon there would be someone that asked to sit and chat or friends that would seek me out for prayer or encouragement. It’s such an amazing thing to be able to do that.

What I came away with from this weekend, although we try so hard to make sure we hone our craft and work to make sure we’re the best writers and speakers that we can be, it really comes down to connecting with God, and I wanted to share a little from my book Heart Happy: Staying Centered in God’s Love through Chaotic Circumstances which comes out on April 19th.

There’s a difference between knowing the rules of Christianity and personally connecting with Jesus. The Pharisees were a religious group of men who made following God’s laws their life’s work—but when God walked among them, they missed Him. I understand this.

One day, I was in the middle of my very ritualistic morning Bible reading when I felt God tap my heart. “You spend a lot of time learning about Me. Are you ready to connect with Me?” He said. The answer was yes.

I put aside my study guide and simply sat. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the back of the couch. I pondered my journey with Jesus. I thought of the little girl who’d heard about His love in Sunday School and who whispered prayers to Him in her dark bedroom, feeling His love in return. I remembered being the teen who attempted to find love to fill the chasm within her heart and instead finding herself pregnant and abandoned. And then, when she surrendered, discovered Jesus loved her no matter the state she found herself in.

As I thought about all these things, my chest warmed, and a quiet peace fell over me like a soft blanket. Knowing that Jesus stood at His father’s side yet also reached down to me at that moment caused fresh tears of joy to spring to my eyes. The worries of the day fell away from the forefront of my mind as my soul reminded me that Jesus created me for Himself, not for all the things I could do for Him.

That day started the same as a thousand other days, yet it shifted my outlook. It was similar to pulling back a curtain to allow in the sunshine. I’d been able to see just fine before, but pushing aside the “work” of spending time with Jesus allowed new light to flood in.

Like most followers, when I dedicated my life to Jesus, I separated things into two categories: do and don’t do. It became easy to focus on the don’t-dos and then beat myself up for not being a good enough Christian. As much as I willed myself to be joyful, kind, loving, and patient, I could never achieve that goal. And when I tried to stop being drawn to the wrong type of television shows or books, I wondered if I should be trying to tell others about God when I didn’t have my act together. I mean, why should people listen to me when I claimed to be a Christian and still messed up again and again?

The more time I spent just being with Jesus, enjoying His presence and His love, the more I found myself no longer drawn to the media that the world offers. It became distasteful to me. Like how, after I learned to cook from scratch at home, those boxes of mac and cheese just didn’t cut it anymore.

When we focus on a relationship with Jesus over religious rules, we experience God’s presence in our lives in ways we didn’t believe possible. Faith is not a formula. We can believe in Jesus and live a pretty good life. Yet when we experience God, feel His love, and join Him in His work in the world around us, everything changes.

This is really the heart behind Heart Happy and in today’s episode, Mary talks about how these women she’s written about are real women and how they connected with God or struggled with their connection with God.

Friends, I hope you’ll be encouraged by this chat with Mary. I pray that while you listen to us talk, you’ll think about the misunderstood-ness of doing all the things to please God. I pray that these stories that Mary has to share will remind us that the most important thing is to just go before God—no matter our past or current situation. Mary shares how writing this book helped her to overcome the trauma of her early life. She also gives wonderful advice if you’re going through a season of being misunderstood. You’ll be blessed by this podcast!

Scripture to Ponder

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV)

If you are enjoying the show, I have a quick favor to ask! If you haven’t yet hit the subscribe button and left a rating and a review on iTunes, please take a moment and do so! I love reading your reviews and it keeps the algorithms happy so new listeners can find the podcast as well!

Writer’s Desk with Mary DeMuth

Let me say here that Mary DeMuth’s The Most Misunderstood Women of the Bible: What Their Stories Teach Us About Thriving is one of the best books I’ve read in a really long time. Mary is one of my long-time friends in real life, and I’m so excited to be featuring her on Writer’s Desk.

Make sure you scroll to the bottom of this post and click the link to watch our candid conversation. Also, enter for a chance to win one of three copies of The Most Misunderstood Women of the Bible!

The Writer’s Desk with Mary DeMuth

Author and speaker Mary DeMuth has written over forty fiction and nonfiction titles. In her spare time, she loves to cook and has hosted thousands of people over the years, including hundreds in France where her family lived a few years ago. She lives in Texas with her family of five, a needy dog and two feuding cats. Connect with Mary on her website, WeToo, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, listen to her podcast, and sign up for her newsletter!

Q&A with Mary DeMuth

TG: Everyone always asks for an interesting fact, we’re going to flip the question. What is one boring fact about yourself?

MD: I don’t like coffee.

TG: Why did you write The Most Misunderstood Women of the Bible?

MD: I knew how hard my own journey was in being misunderstood by others, and I had also fallen in love with rapid reading the Bible. I began to see how other biblical women managed the pain of misunderstanding. That intersection informed the book.

TG: Did you have any surprises or learning moments while writing this title?

MD: How very real the biblical women became to me. They breathed and lived and had bad days and good.

TG: What do you hope readers take away from your book?

MD: To realize it’s not their job to micromanage their reputations, and also to fall in love with the Bible.

TG: Do you have any habits or rituals as a writer?

MD: When I’m on deadline, I create a graphic where each box = 1000 words. Then I relentlessly, daily color in a square. Typically I color in two or three boxes a day. It’s a visual reminder of my progress.

TG: What habits would you encourage others to take up to be a more productive writer?

MD: Write every weekday, and give yourself a word count. Make yourself do it. Create a chart and check it off. Writing is a muscle that must be exercised daily.

TG: What do you snack on or drink while writing?

MD: Hot tea (sometimes) and this particular dark chocolate.

TG: How do you overcome writer’s block?

MD: I typically don’t have it. I don’t allow it. Like Tricia, I just keep writing.

TG: Are you an “edit-as-you-go” writer or do you wait until the very end before you do any editing?

MD: I dump, then edit later.

TG: What would you say is the most common mistake new writers make?

MD: Not writing consistently. Not being teachable. Not knowing the publishing industry. Not understanding the importance of marketing in making a career.

TG: What is the best piece of writing advice you’re ever received?

MD: Go where you want to take the reader.

Click on the graphic below to watch my interview with Mary DeMuth on The Most Misunderstood Women of the Bible

Enter for a chance to win one in three paperback copies of The Most Misunderstood Women of the Bible.*

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*Due to shipping costs, the giveaway for the physical copy is open to US mailing addresses only.

More about The Most Misunderstood Women of the Bible

Understanding Isn’t Overrated.

Ask any woman—most of us know what it’s like to be misheard, mischaracterized, or misrepresented by family, friends, or strangers. Few of us feel deeply known and understood all the time. Worse, many of us have endured long, painful seasons of misunderstanding in which the people around us have questioned—or worse, judged—our motives and actions. We have asked ourselves, How do I correct these misperceptions? Do I try to defend myself—or does that only make me look guilty? How can I recover my joy even if someone believes something about me that isn’t true?

This problem—and your feelings and questions about it—is nothing new. In fact, women have faced it since the dawn of time. In this engaging book, Mary DeMuth tells the tales of ten women in the Bible who were misunderstood in their own time and often still are—bringing to each of them a deep humanity that makes her, and her problems, more relatable to twenty-first-century you. If you are struggling with feeling misunderstood, let these stories inspire you to grow and remind you that you are not alone. And remember: There is always One who understands you perfectly and stands ready to comfort, strengthen, and defend you through every situation you face.

Purchase a copy of The Most Misunderstood Women of the Bible: Amazon | Baker Book House | BookShop.org

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May 21, 2020 by Tricia Goyer Leave a Comment

It’s Not the Amount of Words You Write | Mary DeMuth

My friend Mary DeMuth has learned that It’s Not the Amount of Words You Write, but following the leading of the Spirit to speak life into others. She is an amazing artist and shares with us how God used her obedience to bless a broken relationship and bring healing.

It’s Not the Amount of Words You Write that matters; it’s your responsiveness to the Spirit by Mary DeMuth

To say I had difficulties with my in-laws would be an understatement. Things got so bad right when we were first married (nearly 30 years ago now!) that we had to separate in order to heal. Since then, it’s been a rough slog toward reconciliation, isolation, and trying to repair what had been broken. Even after all that, our relationship felt tenuous.

A couple years ago, I thought about my husband’s parents and their three adult kids. All three had maintained longterm, supportive marriages. It was then I felt that familiar nudge of the Holy Spirit to write a note to my in-laws.

Truly, I only wrote about two small paragraphs, maybe 50 words. In it, I conveyed something to the effect of, “I wanted to thank you for the example your marriage has been to all of us. You should be proud of the legacy you’re leaving.”

About a year after that, the card memory long forgotten, I found myself in their town with a free couple of hours. I surprised them with a call and asked if we could meet for dinner.

“Come over to the place first,” my father-in-law said.

It’s Not the Amount of Words You Write | Mary DeMuth

There, they took me on a tour of their tidy home (I hadn’t seen their new place yet). They had a hallway with a bend in it where a small round table sat, adorned with a table cloth. “Come see this,” he said.

Together, they pointed to the top of the table where a candle, a dried rose in a vase, and the card I sent them stood.

“We read it all the time,” he said. “Thank you. It meant so much to us.”

Standing there in the bend of the hallway, I sensed God tell me that those fifty or so words were some of the most important ones I had ever written.

I’ve written 43 books, but that Holy-Spirit prompted card became pregnant with purpose and kingdom significance.

My encouragement to you: listen to the voice of the Spirit when He prompts you to send a card to someone. It may just change the landscape of someone’s life forever.

…

I have designed cards just for this type of purpose in my Etsy shop. Click here to see my greeting cards.

I also designed 31 Scripture art cards for you to slip into a note to a friend. They boast Scriptures from the Old and New Testament. Use these square (unfolded) postcards to help your kids memorize Scripture, or send them to a struggling loved on. Find them here.

Mary DeMuth is an international speaker and podcaster. She’s the novelist and nonfiction author of over thirty-six books. You can find out more about Mary at PrayEveryDay.show, MaryDeMuth.com, WeToo.org, WriterMastermind.com

Are you new here? You might want to subscribe to my newsletter, check out my podcast, or follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, or Instagram.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” Read full privacy policy here.

October 11, 2019 by Tricia Goyer Leave a Comment

#WalkItOut Podcast 076: Mary DeMuth

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This week on the #WalkItOut Podcast, Mary Demuth and I chat about some tough topics — and what you can do about them. You're not going to want to miss this episode and be sure to pick up a copy of Mary's new book, We Too. — This week on the #WalkItOut Podcast, Mary Demuth and I chat about some tough topics — and what you can do about them. You’re not going to want to miss this episode and be sure to pick up a copy of Mary’s new book, We Too.

#WalkItOut Podcast 076: Mary DeMuth

Why do bad things have to happen? It’s especially hard when pain is caused by sexual sin.

Being an innocent victim can be a heavy burden, such a heavy thing to have to carry around. It’s even harder when we, in the church, don’t know what to do about it. How can we help victims?

This is especially hard when someone in the church is the perpetrator. There is another level of disbelief and anger. And how can we help those who have been sexually abused?

Often churches are afraid that if this happened within their doors, word will get out and it will hurt the ministry. And because we are so focused on the “bigger picture church” we forget the victim.

We are going to be talking about all of these things in today’s episode with my friend, Mary DeMuth, author of the new book We Too: How the Church Can Respond Redmptively to the Sexual Abuse Crisis.

I am so thankful for Mary. I’m thankful that she continues to talk about the pain of her past, and also reaches out to try and help others. She is so genuine.

You are going to enjoy my conversation with Mary. I know you will be blessed! You can listen above or on iTunes. I’d love it if you share this with your friends.

Links from the show

We Too
WeToo.org
Romans 12:15
NetGrace.org
21 Days to Healing

This Week’s Walk It Out Scripture

2 Corinthians 5:19-21
…that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Learn more about Mary DeMuth:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pray Everyday Podcast

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Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | BookBub

This week’s episode is sponsored by:

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March 22, 2019 by Tricia Goyer 1 Comment

#WalkItOut Podcast 049: Mary DeMuth

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On this week’s episode of #WalkItOut Podcast, we’re chatting with one of my best friends, Mary DeMuth, about her new book 7 Deadly Friendships.

Today’s guest is Mary DeMuth, and we’re going to chat about friendships. I love friends— and I am blessed with so many friends! Pretty much if we’ve ever talked for more than five minutes, we’re going to be friends for life. Friendships are wonderful. I love getting to know people, I love encouraging them and inspiring them — but I should say, friendship is wonderful … until it’s not. I’ve had those challenges in my life. I’ve had dear dear friends where circumstances pull us apart or people that I’ve gotten to know that as we’ve gotten deeper into our relationship, I’ve discovered that they are not really who I thought they were. Have you’ve ever had a friendship that was difficult, or maybe even deadly? I think it’s helpful to know that sometimes there are those friendships that are not healthy that we need to walk away from. I’m excited to share Mary with you today as she talks about friendships and her new book, 7 Deadly Friendships.

I know you are going to be blessed by this conversation with Mary! You can listen above or on iTunes! I’d love it if you shared with your friends!

Links from the show

7 Deadly Friendships
Writer’s Intensive
Pray Everyday Podcast
Proverbs 6:16-19
Luke 6:27-31

This Week’s Walk It Out Scripture

Zechariah 7:9-10

This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. 10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’

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A special thanks to Life Worship for the use of their song Wide Open Space for my theme song!

Want to hear more from Tricia? Don’t miss these great podcasts:

Surviving Sarah | How to Parent and Calm Angry Kids
The Home and Hearth Podcast: Helping Our Kids Deal with Their Anger
More to Be: Angry Kids and Soft Hearts: Finding the Calm in Motherhood Chaos
Janet Mefferd Today Podcast
Simply Wholehearted: Loving Angry Kids

May 18, 2018 by Tricia Goyer Leave a Comment

#WALKITOUT #015: Mary DeMuth

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In today’s episode of #WalkItOut Podcast, we’re chatting with Mary DeMuth! I hope you enjoy today’s show. You can listen at WalkItOutPodcast.com or on iTunes!

In today’s episode, we’re chatting with Mary DeMuth.

Mary DeMuth is a former church planter in France and the author of more than thirty books. A sought-after international speaker, she has overcome (through Jesus’s healing) a difficult past to become an authentic example of what it means to live a brand new story. She lives in Texas with her family.

If you’ve had the opportunity to hear my friend Mary speak or read her books, you know you will be blessed. And if you haven’t heard of Mary before then you’re in for a treat. Mary is one of the most honest and genuine people I know. Just being her friend, I’ve learned how much she leans on God, and it’s inspiring. In this podcast, Mary and I talk about prayer and about why she needs Him so much in her life—why all of us need him so much. I hope as you listen you’ll be inspired to pray in new ways—in ways you hadn’t dreamed possible.

I hope you enjoy today’s show. You can listen above or on iTunes! I’d love it if you shared with your friends!

Do you have an angry kid? Join the Calming Angry Kids support group on Facebook!

Links from the show

Episode #1 with Maria Goyer
Jesus Everyday
Pray Everyday Podcast
Practice the Presence of God
The Seven Deadly Friendships
Free Prayer on Monday
Restory Art
Walk It Out

This Week’s Walk It Out Scripture

Psalm 145:18

The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

Sponsors
Walk It Out

A special thanks to Life Worship for the use of their song Wide Open Space for my theme song!

October 25, 2016 by Tricia Goyer 2 Comments

My Journey to Adoption {Listen to my Interview on the Restory Show}

Recently I had the joy of chatting with Mary DeMuth on her Restory Show. We talked about my story: growing up needing love, finding it in boys, being a pregnant teen, then turning my life over to Jesus. The bulk of the episode we talk about my family’s journey of adoption. Click here to listen our chat, and keep reading to learn a little more about how my adoption story began!

I first thought about adoption around 1999 when I was reading an article about orphanages in China filled with baby girls. At the time, John and I had three young kids ages 10, 7, and 5. I had also just gotten my first book contract.

I talked to John about adopting an orphan, but he didn’t think it was a good idea. The idea of adding more kids into our chaotic life wasn’t appealing to him. Not to mention the cost, which was $20,000+. Oh, and I should mention my propensity to take on more than I can chew. One of John’s roles in life is to protect me from my good intentions.

Years later the kids grew up, and John was the one to bring up the idea of adoption with me. I jumped on the chance. I was SO excited about adopting a baby girl from China, but just as we turned in our paperwork, in 2008, things changed. They slowed down the number of adoptions. It looked like a 4-5 year process. I was heartbroken.

I clearly remember one day when I was crying out to God, “Why did you even put this on my heart if it’s not going to happen?” (And by “happen” I meant in the way I wanted, with the beautiful, Chinese baby girl that I imagined.)

I mentioned children from the Heart Gallery a few times in passing, but I didn’t think much more about it until I read a book called Kisses for Katie. It was about a young woman who adopted thirteen children in Uganda. I read the book on the way to a MomLife retreat, and I was moved.

I felt God speaking to me, “If she can adopt thirteen children in a third-world country, can’t you open your home to a few more?” I felt led to ask a few friends to pray that John’s heart would be open to adopting from the foster care system.

Later that night, when I called home, these were the first words out of John’s mouth, “Did you know that adopting from the foster care system is free?” As I heard my husband’s words, my faith grew. Adoption wasn’t “my” thing that I needed to “talk my husband into.” Adoption was on God’s heart.

For more posts and information on adoption, check out my adoption directory!

Hear @TriciaGoyer share about her foster-to-adoption experience on Restory Show with @MaryDeMuth

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May 9, 2014 by Tricia Goyer 47 Comments

Our Walled-Off Hearts | Guest Post by Mary DeMuth (Plus a Giveaway)

Our Walled-Off Hearts

Recently, a reader on my blog wrote something quite astute: “As much as tearing the walls down hurts, it doesn’t seem to be as painful as maintaining them.”

We live in a walled-off world—walls we erect because we’ve been hurt by someone or several someones. It seems easier (and safer) to protect our hearts at any cost, brick by brick. But the problem comes when that wall becomes the very fortress that prevents joy in our lives.

I’ve so been there.

I’ve suffered relational heartache. So much so that my walls became towers of protection, and I hid my heart from risking with people. Because people are shifty, and, in my mind, were bent on hurting me. Better to build, brick by brick.

But if I’m completely honest with you, I am sad to say I’ve caused relational heartache. I’ve injured. I’ve been the cause of other people building walls. I wish it weren’t so.

So here we sit with pain between us and the people in our lives. We’ve hurt. They’ve hurt. And the wall grows.

There has to be a way through, right? There must be more to life than expending extreme amounts of energy in self-protection and preservation. What if we could find a way through the pain?

I believe there is, which is why I wrote The Wall Around Your Heart: How Jesus Heals You After Others Hurt You.

As I walked through my own relational pain and learned to deal with the bitterness that had enabled me to build a huge wall around my heart, I knew the only way out was Jesus. As the most openhearted person to walk this earth, all I could do was ask Him to please-please-please show me how to move on and live the joyful life that always seemed elusive to me.

And He showed me. Boy did He show me—through His own words.

The Wall Around Your Heart is the journey I took from embittered to openhearted, from living in reaction to the past to living joyfully in the present tense. The pathway I take you through is simply this: The Lord’s Prayer.

Did you know that this prayer is relational? Did you know there are secrets embedded in this prayer that will help you move on after heartache? Did you know this ancient roadmap will teach you how to have the life you’ve longed for—a life of abundance and hope—even after people hurt you again?

After reading The Wall Around Your Heart, not only will you reframe your relationships and learn to live openhearted, but you’ll never pray The Lord’s Prayer the same way again. This pathway has utterly, truly changed my life, and it’s my sincere prayer that it will radically alter the course of your life.

So if you’ve built a great big wall around your heart and you’ve finally grown tired of living in isolated fear, consider picking up The Wall Around Your Heart.

Tear those walls down you’ve built around yourself! #giveaway @MaryDeMuth @TriciaGoyer

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Steps You can Take

Read through the Lord’s Prayer using the PDF here. Ask, which part of the prayer am I having the most difficulty with in my relationships?
Ask a close friend, “Where do you see me putting up walls around my heart?” Dare to listen!
Write a letter of forgiveness to someone who has hurt you. Don’t mail the letter.
Look over your past two weeks & how you’ve interacted with your family. If you feel you’ve done something worth apologizing for, dare to take that first step and say, “I’m sorry. Will you forgive me?”

Prayer

Jesus,

I don’t want to have a great big wall around my heart. I realize it protects me, but it also prevents real joy in my life. Give me the guts and bravery I need to tear the wall down, risk again in healthy relationships, and be an openhearted person. Give me courage, Jesus, because I need it.

Amen.

About Mary

Mary DeMuth is an author and speaker who loves to help people live uncaged, freedom-infused lives. She’s the author of fifteen books, including six novels and her critically acclaimed memoir, Thin Places. After church planting in Southern France, Mary, her husband, and their three teenagers now live in a suburb of Dallas. Find out more at marydemuth.com.

About The Wall Around Your Heart and a Giveaway

Family members hurt us. Friends betray us. Fellow Christians deceive us. But Jesus provides a path through the pain—the Lord’s Prayer.

In The Wall Around Your Heart, Mary DeMuth shows you that you can reach wholeness and healing in the aftermath of painful relationships by following the road map of the Lord’s Prayer. You’ll walk through story after story of hurt people who are led through biblical truth into amazing, life-sustaining, joyful growth.

Life is hard. People can be mean and petty and awful. But they can also be amazing and beautiful and sacrificial. God is good. He is faithful. You can trust him with your relationships. “He’ll send people to call out what is hard in your heart,” Mary shares. “And that’s a gift to you.”

Allow God to access the wall around your heart. Dare to say, “Tear down the bricks, Lord, whatever it takes.” Pray first. Ask for bravery—for yourself and for others. Risk engaging despite your hurt. Seek the shelter of Jesus.

You don’t have to resign yourself to your wounds! You can rise above the pain. You’ll usher in a new life—an openhearted way of relating to others that expands the kingdom of God. In the process, you’ll draw closer to Jesus, be healed, and become an agent of healing to others.

Mary is giving away SIX copies of The Wall Around Your Heart! Enter below. Only those in the U.S. are eligible to win.

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Love, Pray, Listen with Mary DeMuth

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Q&A with Mary DeMuth

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The Most Misunderstood Women of the Bible

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It’s Not the Amount of Words You Write that matters; it’s your responsiveness to the Spirit by Mary DeMuth

It’s Not the Amount of Words You Write | Mary DeMuth

Together, they pointed to the top of the table where a candle, a dried rose in a vase, and the card I sent them stood.

I’ve written 43 books, but that Holy-Spirit prompted card became pregnant with purpose and kingdom significance.

I have designed cards just for this type of purpose in my Etsy shop. Click here to see my greeting cards.

I also designed 31 Scripture art cards for you to slip into a note to a friend. They boast Scriptures from the Old and New Testament. Use these square (unfolded) postcards to help your kids memorize Scripture, or send them to a struggling loved on. Find them here.

#WalkItOut Podcast 076: Mary DeMuth

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For more posts and information on adoption, check out my adoption directory!

Our Walled-Off Hearts

Steps You can Take

Prayer

About Mary

About The Wall Around Your Heart and a Giveaway