Snark & Sensibility

PLEASE WELCOME

DEBRA MCNINCH

TO

TUESDAY’S TREASURE

Isaiah 61:3 (ESV) 

“and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.

I have a favorite flower, the Zinnia. They are bright, bold, and varied, each one unique, yet together they create stunning beauty. Tall or short, pastel or vibrant, they remind me of God’s people—different, yet beautiful when planted together. Each summer, I eagerly plant zinnias in my yard, anticipating the explosion of color and pure happiness they bring.

In Early summer, as I walked through the yard, I noticed something unusual. A seed had been carried from the flower bed and dropped into the rock bed nearby. There it was—sprouting right out of stones. No soil, no nutrients, just rocks…and a determined little plant pressing upward toward the sun. Day after day I found myself cheering for that zinnia, amazed at its persistence.

Standing over that flower, I began to think about my own life as a mother. For years, I was planted in good soil. My family felt strong and secure, growing with all the other Christian families. But with one phone call, everything changed. The stability I thought I had crumbled when my child became a prodigal. It felt as though I had been uprooted from the garden and dropped into the weeds and rocks. The life I knew was gone in an instant, and I was left asking one question…

How do you survive when everything is broken?

That zinnia in the rocks kept reminding me of a phrase I had heard many times: “Bloom where you are planted.” But I wrestled with it. Lord, I was not planted here. I did not choose this. I was thrown into this hard place I never asked for.

Have you asked God the same challenging questions: How do I grow when life has uprooted me? How can beauty come out of such pain?

One morning, as I watched that little flower, the Lord whispered to my heart: “Blossom in the broken.”

The truth is, none of us ask for broken seasons. None of us wants the heartache of walking with a prodigal child. Yet here we are. We cannot choose the soil we have been dropped into, but we can choose how we grow in it.

That zinnia could only survive with extra care. It needed water several times a day. The weeds around it had to be pulled. I had to guard it from being crushed. The same is true for us. If we are going to blossom in the broken, we must stay near our Living Water—Jesus. We must guard against the weeds of distraction and discouragement. We must root ourselves in His Word and His love.

You may not have been planted where you are, but you can still thrive where God has you. When we cling to Him in our pain, His promise holds true: He will give us beauty for ashes.

Friend, you can blossom in the broken. Stay close to the Father and let Him turn your hardest places into a testimony of His faithfulness.

ABOUT BATTLE CRY

Finding hope, conquering shame, and uniting to pray our children home

Does your child identify as anything but a child of God? Are you suffering alone with the pain of having a prodigal because of shame? Do you wish you knew how to pray for your wayward child?

For Debra McNinch, one phone call changed it all. After raising her family in the faith, she found herself with a child going in the opposite direction. Shame, fear, and disappointment became her daily struggle until she learned how to hand it over to God.

Battle Cry will show you how to…

Develop a focused daily prayer plan to lay your prodigal at Jesus’ feet.
Let go of what you thought your fairy-tale life would look like and trust God with your reality.
Overcome the shame of not raising perfect Christian children.

Now Debbie stands as a voice for all parents of prodigals. Her motto NO ONE FIGHTS ALONE is a call to unite in prayer for believing for prodigals to return. Through her humor, tears, and faith, you’ll find God is still in control, Satan will be defeated, and our prodigals are coming home.

 Purchase link, Amazon:   https://a.co/d/e2YZuPm

ABOUT DEBRA MCNINCH

Debra McNinch is a wife, mom, speaker, first-time author, and the founder of the BATTLECRY Prayer Movement—a growing community of parents who are praying their prodigal children back home to Jesus.

?Debra’s favorite things are Jesus, coffee, cupcakes, and glitter (in that order!). She collects vintage junk, anything sparkly, and more Sharpies than one person needs. She takes pride in learning a new skill each year and gets through life by leaning on God’s Word—and a little humor. She especially loves when the two collide.

??In Fall 2024, Debra released her first book with Cross River Media, sharing her family’s story and how it led to a powerful prayer movement for prodigals. She writes and speaks to encourage parents to keep praying and keep believing—because prodigals are coming home.???

Website:  debramcninch.com

Instagram:   Instagram.com/battlecrymoms

MY REVIEW *****

Rarely do I find a Christian book that is so honest. Debra McNinch shines through her broken heart as she unabashedly tells her story of a mom’s heartache, learning that her child has veered from the hope in the Lord and found identity outside of God’s grace. Any mom whose child has veered from spiritual truth will find solace and comfort in Debra’s story. Ultimately, our children are in God’s hands.