Forgetting the good things God has done in our lives can create a dangerous vacuum and make us more vulnerable to making bad choices. My friend Janet Thompson, award winning author of eighteen books, takes us on a journey of remembering in her new book, Forsaken God?: Remembering the Goodness of God Our Culture Has Forgotten. When I think of Janet, I usually think of her wonderful ministry to women and her ministry called Woman to Woman Mentoring. She has a heart for women and an abundance of wisdom to share on a number of fronts. In her latest release, she is plumbing new depths, and I’m pleased to do this interview with her so she can share these insights with you. If you’d like a FREE copy of the book, you can make a comment at the end of this interview to enter our drawing.
Linda: Your new book seems to take a different direction from your previous ones about infertility, cancer, prodigal daughters, and stay-at-home husbands. Why did you decide to write this book?
Janet: While having dinner with some dear friends, the conversation turned to how quickly we forget God’s goodness when the next crisis arises in our life. I pointed out that we berate the Israelites for their continual forgetfulness of all God did for them, even after He parted the Red Sea and provided food and shoes that never wore out in their journey, but are we really any different today? Don’t we see the amazing wonders and miracles of God in our daily lives, and yet when trouble sneaks into our life, it quickly erases our memory of God’s previous amazing goodness and love. All we think about is “Where is God when we need Him?” Of course, the answer is that He’s right where He’s always been, at work in our lives, if we would only remember how close He stays to the troubled and brokenhearted.
Linda: How does remembering what God has done help us deal with current and future troubles?
Janet: If we don’t remember what God has already done in the past, we won’t believe what He is capable of doing in the future. Memory builds faith. When we take the time to look back at all the times God has been there for us, in our good and bad experiences, we remember that He never left us or deserted us, and He’s not going to let us down now. He doesn’t always work in the same ways and timeframe we want Him to, but we can be sure He is at work in every believer’s life.
Linda: What are some ways we can jog our memories to remember God’s goodness?
Janet: Every chapter in Forsaken God? has a memory jogger for the reader to think back to something God has done in his or her life that maybe they have forgotten. Then there are “Ways to Remember God’s Goodness” suggestions such as: taking pictures, having a thankful list, telling your testimony, looking for God in your everyday circumstances, creating a timeline of God-events in your life, ridding yourself of bad memories, learning from the past, and many more ways.
Linda: Why is there a “?” after the title?
Janet: Most people don’t think they have, or ever would, forsake God, and no one does it intentionally…it just seems to happen over time that God takes a lesser place in the life of many Christians. So instead of dogmatically saying Christians are forsaking and forgetting God, I hope to gently start the thought process: Is it possible that I have forsaken God without realizing it? Is God truly first place in my life? Would anyone know it? Am I standing up for God and His truth in a culture that is quickly forgetting and abandoning God? Am I willing to be bold for God, even when it’s not popular or politically correct?
Linda: Since mentoring is your passion, how will Forsaken God?: Remembering the Goodness of God Our Culture Has Forgotten help influence the next generation?
Janet: I’m so glad you asked. Forsaken God? has a section titled Generation to Generation where I challenge Christians to pass on their faith to the upcoming generations, reminding them why we believe what we believe. And we must speak to them and reach out to them where they’re at, in a language they understand, and be willing to discuss the issues they face in today’s culture. We can’t be afraid to talk about difficult or uncomfortable topics. They need to not only know how Christians should react to today’s culture, but they need to see their parents, church leaders, grandparents, mentors, youth workers, and influencers living out their biblical faith—not the pseudo faith of much of today’s culture. They need help in discerning God’s truth from Satan’s lies.
Linda: What would you say to someone who has experienced great loss and pain?
Janet: I would say that God has not forsaken you so don’t forsake Him when you need Him most. He’s the only true source of love and faithfulness in your life and He’s the lifeline that won’t let you sink into your sorrows, even when you think that’s what you want to do. Read the Psalms, play praise music at home and in the car . . . listen to the lyrics and start singing along. Pray continually, and trust and believe that God always answers, sometimes in a still small voice. Look for Him in every circumstance; He’s there waiting to rescue you and give you a testimony of His great goodness and faithfulness.
Linda: This sounds like a good book for discussion. Can Forsaken God?: Remembering the Goodness of God Our Culture Has Forgotten be used for group study?
Janet: Absolutely! There are discussion questions at the end of each chapter for use in small groups, Bible studies, and book clubs. My own church’s Women’s Bible study is reading Forsaken God? as their summer Bible study.
Linda: Where can readers find copies of Forsaken God?: Remembering the Goodness of God Our Culture Has Forgotten?
Janet: Forsaken God? is available at all Christian bookstores and online stores such as Amazon, Christianbook.com and Barnes & Noble.com. It’s also available signed at my website. I also write a Monday Morning Blog and a Monthly Online Newsletter that you can sign up for at my website. Readers can contact me and/or leave comments at http://infotowomantowomanmentoring.com.
This book sounds wonderful and I would love to win it and read it. Thank you Linda!
Hi Rebecca,
Thank you for your reply. It looks like Yvette won the drawing but I hope you will still consider reading Forsaken God? It was written for such a time as this. Blessings Janet Thompson
When I read this a few days ago, it really hit me hard. It was confirmation of what a “big brother in Christ” keeps admonishing me to do (especially during this season of difdictrials). He’s always saying, “recall! Recall all the gods God has done.. Write it down and when these times come, encourage yourself in His faithfulness”.
Hi Yvette,
It looks like you’re the winner of Forsaken God? and it sounds like your “big brother in Christ” thinks a lot like me. But the Lord tells us over and over in the Bible never to forget the amazing things he has done for us. You’ll find many opportunities to remember God’s goodness to you as you read the book. Be sure and stop along the way to answer the questions. Enjoy!
Enjoy your blogs and facebook, thank you for all you do.
Hi Rhonda,
It looks like Yvette was the winner of Forsaken God? but I do hope you will still consider reading it because God is the only hope for the culture we live in today and it’ so important that we Christians remember and share the goodness of God with a lost and hurting world. Blessings, Janet
I owe an apology to all of you. For some reason the automatic notification on my website program was not working, and I didn’t think there had been any comments on this interview. I will notify the author now and see if she is still willing to send out a free book. I’m pretty sure she will. I’ll let you know when we do the drawing. I know you would enjoy reading Janet’s book. She has so many insights to share. Blessings to you all, and my sincere apologies.
Congratulations to Yvette who is the winner of the drawing! Yvette, you are getting an email from me, asking for your mailing address. Please respond by sending me an email at the address I gave you in the email. Thanks! I hope you are greatly blessed by the book!!