{"id":6892,"date":"2015-12-10T19:59:48","date_gmt":"2015-12-11T00:59:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/?p=6892"},"modified":"2015-12-10T19:59:48","modified_gmt":"2015-12-11T00:59:48","slug":"lay-ministers-debut-novel-inspired-by-real-life-experiences-with-the-divine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2015\/12\/lay-ministers-debut-novel-inspired-by-real-life-experiences-with-the-divine.html","title":{"rendered":"Lay minister’s debut novel inspired by real-life experiences with the divine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here\u2019s today\u2019s dispatch from the crossroads of faith, media and culture.<\/p>\n

Close encounters of the heavenly kind. <\/strong>Texas homemaker-turned-lay minister and author Jennifer Wilder Morgan debut novel Come to the Garden<\/em> focuses on how sharing divine encounters can draw people closer to God. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Inspired by her ministry at Methodist Hospital in Houston, Morgan believes that sharing how God shows Himself can lead to healing and deeper faith as we share our experiences and in turn, actively listen to each other.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Right before her 50th birthday, Morgan felt called by God to write about how He has been speaking to her throughout her life, mostly through dreams.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI never planned on writing a book,\u201d says Morgan, “but when I started thinking about it, I realized that God has been speaking to me, but I always kept my dreams to myself. I didn\u2019t want people to think I was strange.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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As Morgan began to consider what it would look like to put her real-life accounts on paper, she felt as if God told her to use a fictional angel, \u201cMargaret,\u201d to help her share her experiences with readers. Throughout the book in powerful conversations, Margaret helps her recognize how God has been connecting with her from the beginning of her childhood to the present.<\/span> Morgan says prayer and listening to others speak about their divine encounters encouraged her to embrace the truth of her own experiences and share her journey with others.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI began to realize that others were having the same or similar experiences and encounters with the Divine as I was,\u201d she says. \u201cThe stories they shared with me validated and reinforced my own encounters.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I also saw the healing that comes as people share their stories with an accepting listener. It allows them to embrace what they\u2019ve experienced\u2014stories they might have been afraid to talk about. I knew that I, too, had to share my experiences in this book\u2014encounters that I believe draw people closer to the heart of a personal God who wants to be known.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The inspirational book will hit shelves nationwide on Feb. 23, 2016 through Howard Books (a division of Simon & Schuster).<\/span><\/p>\n

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In conjunction with the release, Audible will issue a special audio version of the book\u00a0produced by Eakin Films & Publishing and narrated by Today Show<\/i> host Kathie Lee Gifford.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u00a0\u201cJennifer has written an amazing and beautiful book…<\/i><\/b>where she introduces us to a lovely angel named \u2018Margaret\u2019 who creates a special and safe <\/i><\/b>place for people to come and tell their stories,\u201d says Gifford. \u201cMargaret is the perfect vehicle to guide us <\/i><\/b>through this Garden. She\u2019s so lovable and I enjoyed voicing her because she\u2019s not a fairy godmother, she <\/i><\/b>is very much God\u2019s creation\u2026an angel that has been with us during our journey and loves us very much.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Next April, Morgan will host a unique 3D stage event as part of the book launch called 3D Angel in the Garden<\/em> which will be shown in theaters nationwide.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

John W. Kennedy is a writer\/development consultant specializing in teleplays, screenplays and novelizations<\/em>. He can be reached at john@jwkmedia.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Encourage one another and build each other up \u2013 <\/em>1 Thessalonians 5:11<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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He has written over 100 children's novels based on episodes of the Cartoon Network series \"Ben 10\", \"Ben 10: Alien Force\", \"Ben 10: Ultimate Alien\", \"Ben 10: Omniverse\" and \"Generator Rex\" among others. He also writes Beliefnet\u2019s \"Faith, Media & Culture\" blog. Previously, he has produced successful news and talk programming for CNN, Fox News, Pax TV and SiriusXM. Specialties: Script Writing, Movie\/TV Novelizations & Adaptations, TV Content Creation and Development, Creative Consultation, Producing and Booking News and Talk shows. 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