When a friend launches their book into the world, I can’t help but cheer them on by pointing YOU to their writing. Liz Ditty is one such friend: she and I met when we were both just dipping our toes into the writing water. We wondered if our words mattered and whether we even had books in us (turns out, we did). Well, Liz’s book baby, God’s Many Voices, releases today and I can’t wait for you to get your hands on it. Check out this interview with her and leave a comment to win a copy of the book!
—
—
Tell us a bit about yourself, will you? I’m a Spiritual Director and an author and speaker, I also serve on the teaching team at my local church. I love telling the stories of God as much as I love listening to people’s God-stories. I’m a survivor of fundamentalism who believes that doubt and mystery are their own special kind of grace. I’m also a very normal person who has lost the Hamilton ticket lottery too many times to count and loves a good latte.
Let’s talk about your book: what, in a nutshell, is your book about anyway? God’s Many Voices is about learning to listen and to recognize the voice of God and then expecting to encounter Him around every corner in our daily lives.
Do tell, what was the inspiration behind it? In my work as a Spiritual Director and brief stint as a volunteer jail chaplain, I listened to people at every stage of faith who were really wanting to hear God’s voice, but didn’t think He spoke to them. People love to tell big miraculous stories about God’s voice that are so amazing but no one else can relate to them. Every time someone says “God told me…” someone else wonders why God never told them anything.
I wanted to write a really approachable book that people could actually relate to, about the ways God speaks in our everyday lives and how we can pay attention so we don’t miss what He’s already saying. God says in the Bible that we have His Spirit with us, alive and at work, so the question isn’t “Why doesn’t God speak to me?” it’s actually “What is God saying?” and this book is a friend to explore that very real question with.
How do you hope readers will be changed by your words? The cover of the book is covered in a starry sky because of an incredible secret the stars have. Did you know that scientists think that the stars may be making music that we can’t hear through the vacuum of space? Now that they are expecting to hear something, they are developing tools to try to listen.
I hope that everyone who interacts with this book will grasp on to an expectation, that they are loved by a good God who wants to be with them in all the messiness of real life. That they will listen and wonder and question and explore all of it with the community around them. I know God has words and grace for each of us, and I hope we can all help each other notice them.
Lest we forget to ask, how have YOU been changed by writing the book? Stewarding the sacred stories of people I knew and telling my own story, my past my present and my in-between…without tying bows or leaving out bad parts was a radical act of honesty. I had to name things and forgive people and be honest with myself in ways I did not anticipate.
From the beginning, I had serious imposter syndrome and kept waiting for the email from my publisher to tell me “hold on a minute, we finally realized you’re an unqualified fraud.” But it never came, and the worrying that I couldn’t be perfect finally gave way to the realization that real is better than perfect. In telling my stories I discovered this ridiculous permission to be myself that I hope I can hold on to (but I’m sure I’ll have to learn again).
How and where can we find you on the internet? I’m easy to connect with at www.LizDitty.com and my book can be purchased on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBook.com, or Target.com.
—
I know …isn’t she fantastic? Leave a comment telling Liz why you’d like to win a copy of her book, God’s Many Voices. You can also visit my Instagram account on Thursday for more chances to win. Winner will be drawn Friday. Good luck!
*Post contains Amazon Affiliate links
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In