Two thoughts were jockeying in my head to become the focus of this week’s episode, and God surprised me by showing me verses from Isaiah that address both thoughts.

I’m in need of rest lately—and God is calling me to rest, so I thought about dedicating this episode of Believe & Speak to God’s command that we rest. But I’m also in desperate need of guidance. I’m in a season of transition and need direction from God, so I prayed for God to lead me to a passage of Scripture that addresses his ability to guide and also his command to rest.

One of the things I love about God is that he knows exactly which places bring us refreshing and which places hinder our ability to rest. He doesn’t give us a command and then set us up to fail. Even in seasons of transition we must remember to rest and trust that God will guide us to places of refreshing.

I want to invite those of you in the Fresno/Clovis area to a long-awaited book release party. My book, Longing to Belong, released during the lockdown, which kept people from assembling and kept bookstores from operating. I never got the chance to celebrate, but now I finally get to have my party! And I get to multiply the fun! Two of my friends recently launched their books, and so we’re throwing a Book Release Party x 3.

My friend Penny has written a memoir for a woman whose daughter battled Lyme disease. My friend Carrie has released a romance novel with delightful characters. My book is based on an in-depth study of Psalm 139. Mark your calendar for Friday, June 24 at 7 p.m. to gather in my lovely backyard with the authors of three very different books and our book-loving friends.

Send me an email at info@shawnamarie.com to learn the location of the Book Release Party x3, and please spread the word!

This week’s scripture: Isaiah 58:11-14