Holy in the Moment: Simple Ways to Love God and Enjoy Your Life is a new book on spiritual development from my friend Ginger Harrington.
Written out of her personal experience, Holy in the Moment presents practical, intelligent encouragement for those seeking healing for personal fear and anxiety.
The book is insightful, clear and full of ideas that resonated with those of us who don’t have anxiety but long to grow closer to God.
Choosing holiness is the key.
Why?
“Our choices are how we respond to God,” Ginger said. “Faith, love, trust, surrender, and abiding are all practical choices we make each day.”
Who is Ginger Harrington?
A long-time follower of Jesus Christ, Ginger is a blogger, professional speaker, Bible study teacher and ministry leader.
A “retired” military wife like me, Ginger also helped develop a non-profit ministry Planting Roots: Strength to Thrive in Military Life.
(Planting Roots encourages women to plant roots in faith, and to share the gospel wherever God sends them.)
The call to be holy came out of her life.
“As I struggled to find healing for anxiety that often plagued me, God taught me He is the only One who can make me holy and whole.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 in The Message states, “May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together–spirit, soul, and body–and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ.
“The one who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it.”
Ginger Harrington
As Ginger clearly articulates throughout her book, he key is choosing to trust, believe, abide, surrender, pray and rest in what Jesus said is true.
“These simple choices make a practical difference in my attitudes, thoughts, feelings, relationship and work.
“It all comes down to the choices we make in the moment. As long as holiness remains a theoretical concept rather than a practical choice, our faith life will suffer.”
Godly choices and being holy.
Throughout Holy in the Moment, Ginger references journal entries.
To be able to write a book about holiness, took years of living.
“God has been writing this message in my life for the past 20 years, which is reflected in my writing and speaking content over time.
For a book like this, a personal life-message, God had to bring me through the process before I could write this book.”
The idea behind Holy in the Moment began with a blog post Ginger wrote in January 2013, based on a single question.
“If we choose holiness in this moment, what difference could it make?”
She focused on making one simple choice that year. God used the “one simple thing at a time,” concept to bring big changes in her life.
How did this insight into being holy change her relationship with God?
“Understanding holiness, the wholeness of Christ in me, settled the dis-ease of my soul. I had lived with consistent fear humming in the background of my days.”
Ginger’s anxiety issues grew out of fear. Like many, she feared rejection, failure, disappointment, loss and change.
(The last two are difficult to avoid in a military family).
“Fear impacted my relationships, self-esteem, security, and relationship with God.
Though I had been growing in my faith for many years, there was a gap I didn’t understand between what I believed and my emotional health.
I still experience anxiety and fear at times, but I’m learning to make different choices.
As God brings my spirit, soul, and body together, my relationship with God grows stronger as well.”
Holy in the Moment: the book
Ginger has a beautiful turn of phrase which made reading her words pure pleasure.
My Kindle edition is filled with highlighted passages! Try this one.
“Daily reading of God’s Word taught me to listen, and it was in the valley of heartbreak and broken dreams where I came to know Jesus more intimately.”
She provides practical steps to apply her principles–in a way that seems doable.
Each chapter ends with bullet point “simple reminders.”
Her simple reminders from the chapter “Moments to Think” includes ideas like:
“The difference between holiness and selfishness narrows to a single thought if you act on it.”
“Think about what you’re thinking about.”
Everything goes back to, points to, or is related to God/Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
“Listening begins with God, and we need to trust Him with the process.”
Ginger writes with a confident, friendly tone that feels as if she’s talking with you.
“Today’s rest and freedom comes from yesterday’s submission.”
Ginger’s goal
“My heart is full in the experience of seeing what God has done in writing the book. Knowing that God is encouraging women and transforming lives through the content is an incredible joy.”
I came away with plenty of notes and things to ponder from reading Holy in the Moment.
Tweetables
Being Holy in the Moment is a matter of choice. Click to Tweet
Choosing holiness in each moment is key to our surrender to Jesus. Click to Tweet
Beautiful turns of phrase and Biblical truth provide holiness in the moment. Click to Tweet
Thank you so much for sharing this book and interview with your readers!