Quotes & Questions – The Reluctant Rival: Leah’s Story

With my other books, you would have been hearing about the release of The Reluctant Rival: Leah’s Story for months by now. However, since this book is part of Guideposts Ordinary Women of the Bible series, and since GP is a subscription-based publisher, I wasn’t expected to do a lot of marketing.

But I’ll let you in on a secret: I love this story so much, I want folks to meet Leah! And I think you’ll get to know her best if we ponder a few quotes and questions from the story–like we do with my other books.

Usually, with my other new releases, readers get access to Group Discussion Questions either in the back of the book or as a free download on my website (see the individual book page). There’s also a downloadable Bible study available for each book (also free on the book’s webpage and/or on YouVersion Bible app–see below for clickable YV plans).

But, again, The Reluctant Rival: Leah’s Story is a different animal. Because it’s a part of the larger series and sold as a “work for hire,” I can’t offer those things. So I thought I’d do a quick little “Quotes & Questions” discussion JUST for my Newsies (subscribers)!

Just For My Newsies!

Before we get started, can I confess something to you? I really LOVED writing Leah’s story. Let me count the ways:

1. Because it was a shorter book, I had only one, main plot line that I delved into deeply. So yummy!
2. Leah has always been one of my heroes because God noticed her suffering and blessed her in it–and she praised Him for it despite her continuing trials.
3. It just FELT right while I was writing it. This one is hard to put into words, but I hope you’ll understand what I mean when you read the book.

A Few Favorite Quotes

When it came time for the soft marketing I wanted to do, I asked my assistant to read the manuscript and pull out a few of her favorite quotes and make memes for social media. After telling me this was her FAVORITE book of all I’d written, she settled on these three quotes:

Quote #1

“Why couldn’t she trust Yahweh’s protection the way she challenged others to do?”

Okay, here’s another confession for y’all. I might sound sort of wise in some of these newsletter articles–but I don’t always do a great job of following ALL my own advice! Eee-gad! 😯

• Why is it so much easier to give advice to others than to trust God in our own struggles?

Quote #2

“Inhaling the fresh scent of almond blossoms, she communed with her God, recounting yesterday’s victories and presenting today’s challenges.”

I don’t even remember what Roy and I were going through at the time I wrote this scene, but I DO remember thinking that recounting God’s past faithfulness was the only way I would get through that day.

Having lived with chronic pain since 1997, I’ve learned a few things about perseverance. I’m not perfect, and there are still days I get frustrated and downright discouraged. But I’ve personally found that recounting God’s faithfulness has been–for me–a fantastic way to gain a little steam for whatever lies in front of you in the moment.

• In what ways has God shown you his faithfulness that can give you hope for what you face today?

Quote #3

“There’s a level of intimacy you can only reach when you serve the same God.”

I wrote Leah as embracing Jacob’s God and Rachel stubbornly holding onto the pagan traditions of her abba’s household. Though Scripture says Rachel stole Laban’s gods, it never says she personally worshiped them, so we must remember that this aspect of The Reluctant Rival: Leah’s Story is fiction.

Yet the concept of deeper intimacy built through shared faith is–in my experience–absolutely true. I grew up in a Christian household, but it was divided by a serious theological divide. My parents nearly divorced over their divergent beliefs. I’ve heard my older siblings talk about the household they grew up in (before our parents’ faith diverged) and the household I grew up in were EXTREMELY different.

Faith can become bricks in a wall that divides two hearts or it can meld two hearts into a single beat. And it’s not just marriage relationships that can be strengthened. I’ve gone deeper in friendship in a few short months with believing friends than with lifelong friends who don’t yet know Jesus.

• How does worshipping God together create deeper intimacy in a relationship?

Truth From Truth

I love how we see the progression of Leah’s faith in Scripture (see Genesis 29-35). Discussion questions are often based on the historical facts or the creative fiction in a story, but our Bible studies are based on the enduring Truth of God’s Word. So let’s end with the single most fascinating truth I took away from writing Leah’s Story . . .

I could almost FEEL Leah’s shift in life-focus through the story. One very revealing pattern was seen in the way she named her sons. Her first three boys’ names reflected longing for external circumstances to change, but the last three point to what God is doing within her (check out Gen. 29:31 – 30:24).

• What other ups and downs do you see in Leah’s physical, emotional, and spiritual life as she walks alongside Jacob as his first wife?

Mini DQ’s and Bible Study

Well, I know it’s not the same as a full-blown list of back-of-the-book Discussion Questions or one of my sweet friend Shawna Duvall’s in-depth Bible studies to accompany a full-length novel. But I hope you enjoyed the brief overview of The Reluctant Rival: Leah’s Story and your exclusive peek inside my heart.

If you’d like to check out any of the discussion questions or Bible studies for my other books, simply CLICK HERE, and then click on the title of whichever book you’d like to explore. (The last few books have discussion questions only in the back of the books, not on the website.)

Books with an accompanying YouVersion Bible app study (CLICK on the graphic):

ENJOY!

Willing to Share the Graphics?

Here are the text “blurbs” for each of the memes below if you’d like to share.

1. Just click on the meme you’d like to share.
2. Download it to your computer.
3. Share it on your favorite social media platform.
4. Copy and paste the appropriate text below with the meme you chose.

 Graphic #1 Text:

Strengthen your faith with a new twist on the familiar story of Jacob, Rachel, and Leah in @Mesuandrews #NewRelease, #TheReluctantRivalLeahsStory. Part of Guideposts #OrdinaryWomenoftheBible series. https://bit.ly/OWBReluctantRival

 

 

 

 

Graphic #2 Text:

Strengthen your perseverance with a new twist on the familiar story of Jacob, Rachel, and Leah in @Mesuandrews #NewRelease, #TheReluctantRivalLeahsStory. Part of Guideposts #OrdinaryWomenoftheBible series. https://bit.ly/OWBReluctantRival

 

 

 

 

Graphic #3 Text:

Deepen your relationships with a new twist on the familiar story of Jacob, Rachel, and Leah in @Mesuandrews #NewRelease, #TheReluctantRivalLeahsStory. Part of Guideposts #OrdinaryWomenoftheBible series. https://bit.ly/OWBReluctantRival