NASHVILLE, Tenn.—What If Your Blessings Come Through Raindrops?, the first book by Dove Award-winning and Grammy Award-nominated worship leader Laura Story, will release March 13 by Freeman-Smith, a division of Worthy Publishing. The 30-day devotional is based on Story’s #1 song, “Blessings,” nominated for a 2012 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Song.
Comprised of 30 daily devotions designed to draw readers into a deeper understanding of God’s sometimes mysterious gifts, What If Your Blessings Come Through Raindrops? includes the devotions “He Loves Us Too Much to Give Us Lesser Things”; “When Faith Disappears”; “The Blessed Thorn”; “Giving Endurance a Chance to Grow”; and “How Can We Find Peace Amid Suffering?” Each devotion contains Story’s personal reflections garnered from her own journey, along with prayers, quotes and a journaling page for readers to recount how blessings have impacted their own lives.
Written and recorded by Story, “Blessings” was a #1 hit at Christian AC and Inspo radio last year, in addition to topping the iTunes Christian/Gospel Top Songs chart for 28 consecutive weeks. The song is featured on Story’s critically acclaimed Fair Trade Services recording, Blessings. Her previous recording, Great God Who Saves, garnered a Dove Award for Inspirational Album of the Year and featured the hit single, “Mighty to Save.” In addition, Story penned the popular worship song “Indescribable,” recorded by Chris Tomlin.
Story is involved in music and women’s ministry at Perimeter Church in Atlanta, where she resides with her husband, Martin. She will be on the Girls Night Live Tour this spring with Mandisa and Britt Nicole. For a complete list of upcoming dates, visit www.laurastorymusic.com.
Worthy Publishing, a division of Worthy Media, Inc., is a privately held company whose mission is helping people experience the heart of God. Worthy is an independent voice in Christian publishing, managing editorial, marketing, publicity, sales and distribution from its home offices in Brentwood, Tennessee. Worthy focuses on a boutique list of new books each year, crossing a broad spectrum of genres, including fiction, Bible study, current events, devotionals, biography, leadership, specialized Bibles, as well as spiritual and personal growth.
What If Your Blessings Come Through Raindrops? ($11.99) will be distributed to retail outlets nationwide by EMI CMG. For a free download of the first chapter, visit www.laurastorymusic.com/free. For further information, visit www.worthypublishing.com or www.turningpointpr.com.
Blessed by and through the storm| Posted February 29, 2012
The word “blessé” in French means “wounded” or “injured”. That’s not what we’d typically call a blessing. Many would even consider it tired, trite and even cruel to tell somebody facing a crisis that God’s going to work it together for good, or that He has a plan, His ways are not our ways, etc. Laura Story’s new 30 day devotional, What If Your Blessings Come Through Raindrops?, (which even mentions that in Chapter 19) is an inspiring look at these concepts. Based on the themes in her Grammy-winning song, “Blessings”, Laura offers encouragement to anybody who’s been facing storms that there seem to be no answers for. Having faced her own crisis recently (her husband Martin had a brain tumor), she’s no stranger to the questions we ask God in these times.
As there’s less than 30 days until the book comes out (March 13), I read it all in one day. I don’t recommend this if you’re reading it to be inspired – everything kind of blurs together. I’m used to and favour devotionals that are heavily story-centred, but this one is more introspective. Each entry starts with a Bible quote, followed by a thought for the day, inspirational quotes from leaders/heroes of the faith, and more appropriate Bible verses for the topic. At the end of each chapter is a place for the reader to write their own thoughts. Again, I did not take advantage of this, but I expect it would be helpful for a Bible study group. The back of the book includes helpful verses on various themes, such as anger, fear, and prayer.
First, Laura Story deals with various aspects of blessings or the disguises they come in. She also covers our responses when we think God hasn’t, and what He might be trying to say. The overall message is one of God’s great faithfulness, even in our hardest trials. We discover that God loves us so much that He is willing to let us suffer to make us better. He deserves our worship even when we do not understand or feel abandoned. Indeed, He has made us to be unsatisfied in this life so that we will long for the next one, where our faith will be sight.
I would recommend What If Your Blessings Come Through Raindrops? to anyone whose life is in turmoil. It may seem hard to swallow, but God has NOT left you and still loves you VERY much. Even when the rain is pouring....
