Katie Ganshert, Author at Katie Ganshert

2015: A Word & A Prayer

Posted on January 5, 2015January 5, 2015 by Katie Ganshert

Yesterday, I had lunch with six women.

It was a visionary lunch. A fellowship lunch. A let’s-be-real-and-share-our-struggles kind of lunch.

As one friend shared about the hard season she’d come from and this new season God was leading her into, I was struck with a realization I hadn’t yet put into words.

She said that for so long, she was numb. She had walls up around her heart that she didn’t know were up, and God was finally starting to break them. Her heart was soft and pliable.

And as she talked, this giant, unexpected lump rose in my throat. Because y’all, I’m where she was. I was sitting amidst these amazing women of God, in this visionary meeting of the minds, ready to talk about ministry and womanhood and Jesus, our champion, and all I could think was that I was numb.

JESUS, who SAVED my SOUL, who rescued me from myself, who rose from the grave, who promises VICTORY and GLORY to all who believe in Him and yet …

Numb.

You want to know the great thing about being with Jesus-loving, authenticity-minded women?

I could tell them the truth.

Hi, I’m Katie. I love Jesus. But I’m not feeling it.

There are all these things I know in my head.

I know God is good. (Because there have been seasons in my life when I’ve experienced His goodness profoundly.)

I know God is ENOUGH. (Because when my world has fallen apart, or when my hopes have crumbled into ash, or when my expectations and my reality might as well exist on opposite poles, He. Has. Been. He has been more than enough. I know it from the soles of my feet to the crown of my head.)

But sometimes knowing these things, sometimes even experiencing these things, doesn’t help when you’re struggling with the emotions of the moment.

Thank God, truth does not rest on emotion.

He is good, even when life feels blah.

He is present, even when He seems silent.

He is faithful, even when we aren’t. Even when little-old-me is sitting here not wanting to go to Him.

He still loves me.

And get this.

His grace is sufficient, even when that grace doesn’t move us to awe. <–Click to Tweet

Can I tell you how utterly scandalous that feels to type? Because if His grace isn’t moving me to awe, then something is SERIOUSLY wrong.

That’s just the thing, though. Something is!

Something is seriously wrong with all of us.

We’re all completely messed up, and yet His grace covers it.

I can try to muster up the awe. I can try to fill up my heart. Make it not numb.

But it won’t last.

Because I can’t fix me.

So instead of striving to fix things I can’t, I’m going to ABIDE with the One who CAN.

Maybe some mornings, all that’s going to look like is me sitting with my cup of coffee and my open Bible, with nothing to say.

Maybe some mornings, the only prayer I’ll be able to mutter is, “Show me your goodness.”

Maybe that’s a selfish prayer, I don’t know. That’s another thing I’ve been struggling with. He says to ask. But sometimes I’m not sure if I’m asking for the right things. But you know what? I’m just gonna go ahead and ask anyway, because He calls Himself ABBA, which means daddy, and all the good daddies I know never get mad at their children for asking, and since He’s not just good, but PERFECT, I’m gonna go out on a limb and say He doesn’t get mad at us for asking for things either.

So there you go.

As I abide in Him during this season, I am going to pray that He’ll show me His goodness.

Whatever that looks like. I want to see it. Like, off-the-hook see it. This year, in 2015, I want to see His goodness in the land of the living. I want Him to pour out His love in a way that far exceeds anything I could ever ask or imagine. I want Him to show it to me in tangible ways. I don’t just want to be wooed (He’s always wooing us), I want to be undeniably, can’t-escape-it, He’s-after-me-and-won’t-give-up pursued.

That’s my word for 2015.

That’s my prayer for 2015.

What’s yours?

A Broad Shouldered Hero

Posted on December 22, 2014 by Katie Ganshert

Today I have the immense pleasure of introducing Jessica R. Patch to you, my fabulous readers! Jessica is not only a good buddy, but a wonderful writer and today she’s popping in for a visit. Make sure to sign up for her newsletter to receive a FREE novella, Hope Under Mistletoe. It’s one I’ve read AND adored. So without further ado, here’s Jessica. . .

Do you ever feel the weight of responsibility? Like a truck is unloading a barrel of wet cement right on top of your shoulders. Things like:

Family

Children

Elderly parents/grandparents

Finances

Buying groceries

Work

Mowing grass

Cleaning house

Committee meetings

Deadlines

Potlucks

Ministry

Toting children to games/extracurricular activities

Insert responsibility here: ______________

One thing after another and we find our hearts sinking into the quicksand of too much too fast. Not to mention surprise catastrophes and worries that pile on top of responsibilities. Things like:

Medical issues

Cancer or (Insert sickness here)

Infertility

Natural disasters

Broken plumbing

Roof leaks

Death

Marital affairs

Divorce

Job loss

Car breaks down

Insurance goes up

Insert catastrophe here: _______________

It’s amazing we’re not all walking hunched over. In my novella, Hope Under Mistletoe, Eden Snow (the heroine) has a lot piling up on her plate. She’s a Christian, but she doesn’t seem to know quite how to just let it go. From her shoulders to His.

Here’s a little excerpt:

“Hey.” Audrey rested her hand on Eden’s shoulder. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”

“It’s not, Aud. It’s not!” She stormed off and jumped into her truck. Nothing was going right. Her father was stealing her sleep, the burned down church stole her joy, living in the parsonage was stealing her mind, a dumb teenager probably stole baby Jesus, and playboy Knox Everhart might be stealing her heart!

One thing that’s universal about romance novels is a hero and his broad shoulders. We love it, don’t we, ladies? The physique is nice, but the truth is broad shoulders represent strength. And no matter how independent we are (I’m all for independence) we still desire strength. Some help to carry the load.

“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 NLT

We don’t have to carry the load on our shoulders. But Someone can. He came, the Word made flesh. If the government of the entire world rests on Jesus’ shoulders, then all of those cares and concerns you have can easily slide from yours to His.

No one can carry them like Jesus. No one has broad shoulders like Jesus. No one is more heroic and protective, loving or understanding as Jesus. Not a man in a novel, movie, or TV show.

It’s okay to let go. It’s okay to pour out how you feel. It’s okay to release the frustration. And admit you just can’t do it. You’re just too weak.

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7 NKJV

He cares. Throw it on Him! Don’t let pride keep you from it. Don’t hold back. He is your Wonderful Counselor. Your Mighty God. Your Everlasting Father and He is your Prince of Peace. Anybody need some peace? I thought so. Me too.

You can get through it. I can get through it. And we can do it by letting Christ do what He was born to do.

Name one thing you know you need to cast on Jesus, but for some reason can’t seem to do. I’ll be praying for each one of you. That God will help you overcome pride, fear, of whatever it is that may hinder you. And I’ll be praying He gives you the strength to cast that care on Him.

If you’d like to read Knox and Eden’s story in Hope Under Mistletoe, it’s FREE to all my newsletter subscribers. Simply visit HERE to sign up. Once you confirm your subscription to my newsletter, you’ll receive a welcome letter with a Kindle or PDF link. Click on whichever you prefer and Voila! It’s all yours.

Also, check out my Hope Under Mistletoe Pinterest page and snoop around town, see who I cast as the characters and enjoy some of the book scenes!

Jessica R. Patch writes inspirational romantic suspense and contemporary romance. A passion to draw women into intimacy with God keeps her motivated, along with ice-cold Perrier and adventurous trips in the name of research. When she’s not hunched over her laptop or teaching the new & growing believer’s class at her church, you can find her sneaking off to movies with her husband, embarrassing her daughter in unique ways, dominating her son at board games, and collecting recipes to wonderful dishes she’ll probably never cook. She is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such Literary Management.

You can connect with Jessica on: Facebook, Twitter @jessicarpatch, and her BLOG

Hope Under Mistletoe

A rowdy bar owner. A widowed pastor’s wife. And Christmas Hope that brings them together.

After widower Eden Snow’s church almost burns to the ground, she’s compelled to find a temporary place to hold services and Christmas cantata practices.

Has-been hockey player, Knox Everhart, has a reputation for being fast on the ice and with women. Except Eden. She’s always been a fascinating mystery to him, which is why he agrees to let her use the back room of his bar—with one rule: No converting his customers.

But when Eden brings the church to the bar, it offers something the bottle can’t. Hope. And he finds himself falling in love with a woman and a Savior he feels unworthy to pursue.

Christmas Traditions: The Strange and Highly Unusual

Posted on December 18, 2014December 18, 2014 by Katie Ganshert

When it comes to Christmas traditions, two come to mind.

The first is not unique to our family, but not as well-known as I once assumed.

Who has heard of the Christmas pickle?

Up until very recently, I thought everybody had! Then I saw a note from one of my editors in my upcoming manuscript (the scene involved the pickle), asking what in the world I was talking about. She had to look it up.

Supposedly, it’s an old German tradition, which would make sense. I come from hardy German stock. I grew up calling my great grandma and grandpa Oma and Opa, and I distinctly remember Oma yelling at Opa in German anytime she got upset. They came to America on a boat as teenagers.

The funny truth, though, is that it’s not actually an old German tradition at all. The funny truth is that nobody is quite sure where this tradition comes from. All I know is that we have one and this is how it works.

First of all, you should know that it’s not food. It’s an ornament, and it comes in varying sizes. Someone hides the green pickle ornament on the tree and the first person to find it gets an extra special gift. We did this when I was younger and we do it now with our son, Brogan.

The second tradition is most definitely unique to my family.

And that tradition is egg salad.

What’s that? Egg salad, you say? On Christmas?

Yes, egg salad sandwiches on Christmas Eve, to be more exact.

Our family is quite large, with lots of aunts and uncles and cousins and second cousins. And every Christmas Eve, for as long as I can remember, we hosted a giant party. It was the thing. The big event. The party my brother and my same-aged cousins and I would eagerly count down to with much anticipation. Because it. was. so. much. fun. It was the night we opened most of the gifts. The night we got to stay up to two in the morning (because the adults were playing cards in the basement). And we ate food! All kinds of food. A whole giant table-full of food.

And every single year, part of that food included my aunt Peggy’s egg salad.

My aunt Peggy is more like a second mom than an aunt. As a kid, she lived with us. In elementary school, when you’re supposed to draw a picture of your family, my aunt Peggy was in every one. And every year the day before Christmas Eve, I remember her boiling eggs upon eggs upon eggs and peeling them in the sink. A sign that the long-anticipated party was upon us at last!

We still have our annual party. No longer at our house, but at my Uncle Paul and Aunt Lisa’s. Peggy still makes her egg salad. I eat it approximately once every year, on Christmas Eve.

What’s one of your Christmas traditions?

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