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Sneak Peek: Author Interview with Christina Fox

sneak peek

I always like to know a little something about an author before I sit down and open up his or her book. Christina Fox’s new book, A Heart Set Free:  A Journey to Hope Through the Psalms of Lament releases next week (on Wednesday, April 20th).  I’ll be sharing the foreward I wrote for her book on Thursday (and explaining some of the reasons I like it so much), but today, I wanted to get to hear from Christina herself.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I am originally from Maryland, but since graduating from Covenant College almost twenty years ago, my husband and I have lived in South Florida. We have two boys, 8 and 11, whom I homeschool. I lead the women’s ministry committee at my church and teach Sunday school (at Treasure Coast PCA). I am the content editor for enCourage, a new women’s ministry blog associated with the PCA. My educational background, training, and license are in counseling and that is reflected in my writing ministry. Though I’ve written on many topics, I most enjoy writing about how the gospel applies to the trials and challenges of life. A few things about me that my friends know: How much I love hiking in the mountains. I also love old things and enjoy exploring antique shops. I like to imagine the stories behind the objects I see while I’m antiquing (I also have quite a few collections from those trips…). I also love to read and am always in the middle of several different books. We enjoy traveling as a family, exploring new cities and places. I am also obsessive about my coffee. Dark roast in a French Press.

When did you first start writing? What do you enjoy about it?

I loved writing as a child. I wrote poetry in high school and participated in poetry competitions. In high school I also started a newspaper for my Christian school. Since I studied counseling in college and graduate school, the only writing I did then was term papers. But after I had my first son, I began writing again in earnest. Those early years of motherhood were hard and writing was a way for me to think through it all. I’ve been writing ever since. Writing helps me process what I am thinking. It is a creative outlet. It’s also a ministry, a way for me to share the truth of the gospel and point people to Christ. Writing has also helped me utilize my background and experience in counseling, but in a different way.

Is writing ever difficult for you? How so?

Writing can be difficult for me as a mother. Homeschool and other responsibilities take up a lot of my time. And homeschool often wears me out mentally making writing a challenge sometimes.

Heart_Set_Free_v2Why did you decide to write A Heart Set Free: A Journey to Hope Through the Psalms of Lament ?

I wrote A Heart Set Free: A Journey to Hope Through the Psalms of Lament because emotions are something that we all have but often don’t know what to do with them. I wanted to encourage women to seek after Christ in the midst of their hard and painful emotions. The Psalms has always been a source of comfort and help to me in my own emotional turmoil. The Psalms have a lot to say and to teach us about our emotions and my book explores that.

What’s the message you hope readers will take away from your book?

The central message I want readers to learn is how to lament. I want them to learn to cry out to God and to find their hope, peace, and comfort in him. And ultimately, because Christ has fulfilled the Psalms, all the cries of our heart have been met in him.

For a sneak peak, here’s a quote from her book:

We need to be believers who know how to lament, not simply for the sake of catharsis or emotional relief, but because we believe that God rules and reigns over all things. We need to lament not because we are without hope but because we have faith in God. We also need to lament so that we can enter into the pain we so often avoid in order to know the peace that God gives those who come to Him in faith. We need to lament so that we can learn more about God, about His redemptive purposes in this world, about ourselves, and about our greatest need in Christ. And we need to lament so that we can experience more of God’s amazing grace p.78

Here’s what others are saying about A Heart Set Free:

“When facing a trial, nowhere is the Christian called to “fake it til you make it.” In A Heart Set Free, Christina Fox invites us to vulnerability, transparency and trust – particularly when life is hard.  She does so by walking us through the often avoided Psalms of lament, those dark and blustery passages whose presence in the Bible unsettle us. Christina offers practical, empathetic help for those whose emotions have taken them captive in a time of upheaval, tracing a biblical pattern for lamenting to God with honesty, trust and worship.  No need to hide our sorrows and fears. Our Father leans close to hear the cries of his children.”

–Jen Wilkin, author of Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Mind

“We’re emotional creatures, whether we stuff our emotions deep down in there or let them take the lead. I wish I had Christina’s book back when I became a believer. It would have saved me a lot of painful emotion-stuffing and foolish emotion-ignoring. Read this one slowly, plan to discuss it with a friend, and anticipate a season of worship-driven reflection on God’s faithfulness to you.”

– Gloria Furman, author of Glimpses of Grace, Treasuring Christ When Your Hands Are Full, and The Pastor’s Wife

“Christina shows us from God’s Word the importance of trusting Jesus with our emotions, even when we are weeping. With theological integrity and practical suggestions she tenderly teaches us the language of lament and how our lamentations can take us to the gospel.”

-Susan Hunt, Pastor’s wife, former Director of Women’s Ministry for the PCA, speaker, and author of more than a dozen books for women and children, including Spiritual Mothering: The Titus 2 Model for Women Mentoring Women.

And, just for fun, if you had an afternoon to do whatever you’d like, where would we find you?

Browsing an antique shop with a Starbucks in my hand.  (I’ll join you anytime!!) 

 

headshot2015-2Christina Fox received her undergraduate degree from Covenant College and her Master’s Degree in Counseling from Palm Beach Atlantic University. She writes for a number of Christian ministries and publications including True Woman, Desiring God, and The Gospel Coalition. She is the content editor for enCourage and the author of A Heart Set Free: A Journey to Hope Through the Psalms of Lament (Christian Focus, 2016). Christina serves on the advisory board at Covenant College and leads the women’s ministry team at her church. She lives in sunny S. Florida with her husband and two boys. You can find her at her blog, Twitter, and Facebook.

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