Healing What’s Beneath the Surface: A Conversation with Author Denise Renken

Denise Renken

Have you ever felt like something just isn’t quite right… but you can’t explain why?
In today’s episode, Host, Shelly Brown sits down with author Denise Renken to talk about her book, Triage: Healing Mental and Spiritual Roots, a powerful and honest guide that helps women understand how their past has shaped them and invites them into a deeper healing journey with God.
This is one of those conversations that goes deeper than surface-level answers.
Because so many women are walking through life carrying an ache they can’t quite explain…
Seeing patterns in their relationships, reactions, and thoughts…trying to fix what’s on the outside—without realizing the root is much deeper.
Denise doesn’t just share her story—though her story is powerful. She helps you begin to understand yours.

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When Letting Go Feels Risky: A Story of Identity, Pride, and Trust with Author Carolyn Jacobs

Carolyn Jacobs

What if the life you’re trying to escape… is only revealing a deeper struggle within your own heart?
In today’s episode, Host, Shelly Brown sits down with author Carolyn Jacobs to talk about her novel, The Pride of Babylon, a richly layered story set in 1917 Mesopotamia that weaves together history, faith, and the deeper questions we all wrestle with.
At the center of the story is Ana, a young woman desperate to break free from a life shaped by expectations and control. But when she steps into the ancient world of Babylon, what she discovers isn’t just history, it’s a confrontation with her own heart.
In this episode, we talk about:
• The inspiration behind this powerful story and its connection to the biblical world
• Why Babylon is more than just a setting … it’s a reflection of pride, control, and surrender
• How Ana’s journey mirrors the tension so many of us feel when we’re trying to hold it all together
• The role of faith, trust, and letting go when life doesn’t look the way we expected
• And the deeper invitation this story offers to anyone who feels stuck, uncertain, or searching

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Readers Respond to Connection

connection

By now, you’ve started to:

Clarify your message.
Understand your reader.
Speak to where they are.

And this naturally leads to the next step.

Connection.

Because here’s what we’ve seen over and over again: Readers don’t respond to pressure. They respond to connection.

This Week’s Author Growth Tip: Share one message without mentioning your book at all.

What to Do This Week

Keep this simple.

Write a short post or email that:

Speaks to your reader’s current season

Offers encouragement or truth

Leaves your reader feeling seen

Example

If you’re in a season where you feel stretched thin—trying to take care of everyone else while quietly running on empty…

I just want to remind you that God sees you. He’s not asking you to carry it all on your own. Even in the middle of the pressure, His presence is steady, and His strength is available to you right here.

No mention of your book. Just connection.

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When God Feels Quiet: Finding His Presence in the Silence with Author Gina Anderson

Gina Anderson

What if God isn’t silent… but speaking more gently than you expected
Have you ever walked through a moment so overwhelming… you didn’t even have the words to pray?
In this tender and deeply meaningful conversation, host Shelly Brown invites Redemption Press author Gina Anderson to the table to talk about her 52-week devotional, When Life Leaves You Speechless: Finding the Quiet Moments in Times of Loss, a companion for those seasons when life feels heavy, grief runs deep, and God seems quiet.
Together, they explore what it looks like to encounter God not in the noise… but in the stillness.
Gina shares from her own journey through profound loss—the passing of her son and later her husband—and how, in those moments when words failed, she began to recognize something unexpected: God was still near… still present… still speaking—just in whispers.
This conversation is both tender and powerful, offering encouragement for anyone who feels overwhelmed, weary, or unsure how to move forward.

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Write one short message that begins where your reader is today

Your reader

Once you have clarity, and you know who you’re speaking to…

There’s one more piece that makes all the difference.

Starting where your reader is—not where you are.

As authors, we often speak from what we’ve learned. But readers connect when we speak to what they’re experiencing right now.

This Week’s Author Growth Tip: Write one short message that begins where your reader is today.

What to Do This Week

Keep this simple.

Complete this sentence: “If you’re in a season where ____________…”

Then write 2–3 sentences of encouragement.

For example:

If you’re in a season where you feel like you’re doing everything you can, but it still doesn’t feel like enough…

I want you to know you’re not alone in that feeling. God is not measuring you by your productivity—He’s inviting you to walk closely with Him, right in the middle of it. Even here, He is at work in ways you may not yet see.

Simple. Honest. Real.

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What If the One Who Feels Small Is the One God Uses Most? with Author Amy Tullos

Amy Tullos

What if the child who feels the smallest, the weakest, or the most afraid… is the very one God is preparing to use in the most meaningful way?
What do you do when fear feels bigger than your faith?
In this heartfelt conversation, host Shelly Brown invites Redemption Press author Amy Tullos to pull up a chair at the table and share the story behind her beautiful middle-grade novel, The Sparrow’s Song.
Through the journey of Gideon, a tiny, timid sparrow who feels overshadowed by stronger, more capable siblings, Amy gently reveals a powerful truth: courage doesn’t come from becoming fearless… it grows as we learn to trust the Maker.
Together, Shelly and Amy explore how this story speaks not only to children, but to the hearts of the those guiding them—moms, grandmas, teachers, and mentors who long to nurture faith in the next generation.
If you’ve ever wrestled with fear, questioned your ability, or wondered if God could really use someone like you… this conversation will remind you that His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

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