Grace & Mercy: A Devotional Journey was created from a desire for a fresh look at discipleship within the modern, busy church. The book explores the progression of the seed planted in a sermon: how truth gets watered, germinates, sprouts, grows and eventually bears fruit. Grace & Mercy demonstrates how to have a nourishing and flourishing spiritual life. A soft plot line meanders throughout and the book gently explores themes of communication, discipleship, positive expectations, and diligence. Each chapter includes devotional content for individual readers and exploratory questions for group discussion.
Readers can expect to:
- Discover the value of slowing down, paying attention, and soaking in the wisdom of biblical truth expressed each week in the Sunday sermon
- Understand how to live a more contemplative life
- Grow in their faith from week to week
- Improve awareness in the way God is moving through the people who are in their lives
- Be stirred up toward love, gentleness, and goodness toward one another
"Pictures and stories and memories are three of God's sweet gifts to help us visualize his truths and strengthen our hearts. Katie and Chris use all of these to paint little portraits that add color and depth to how I understand and experience God." --Kirk Freeman, Lead Pastor, CrossBridge Community Church, San Antonio, Texas
"My wife, Beth, is often suggesting daily devotionals for me, but I just can't get into them. She was surprised to see me devouring Grace & Mercy and asked, 'What's different about this one?' I paused a moment, looked up and said, 'I can relate to these. Let's gather some friends and dig into it.' Grace & Mercy provides an interesting and engaging tool to study the Bible." --Jim Lenaway, Pastor, B-Free Church, Bradford, Pennsylvania
"Grace & Mercy presents an honest, encouraging look at life with its disquieting issues. Katie welcomed me to sit beside her "knee to knee" with Jesus, the Wonderful Counselor, then to journey onward, with Him leading the way. --Chuck Rizer, Lieutenant Colonel, Army Chaplain (retired), author of Downwind of Thunder
"This devotional is wonderfully refreshing and special. I love the practical, chatty, relatable style that makes recognizing God's presence and love in our lives so accessible. If you want to benefit from experiencing God in your everyday life, Grace & Mercy is for you." --Rob Davis, Founding Pastor, Vineyard Church, Hopkinton Massachusetts
From Loving Healing Press www.LHPress.com
Yancosek, Kathleen E.: - Kathleen ("Katie") Yancosek is originally from Kane, Pennsylvania. She lived in nine different cities before retiring from the Army in 2017 as a Lieutenant Colonel. She holds a bachelor's and a master's degree in occupational therapy and a PhD in rehabilitation science. Dr. Yancosek has co-authored 38 publications, including three book chapters. She co-authored Handwriting for Heroes, a six-week program on how to transfer hand dominance. Katie lives in San Antonio with her husband, Barry. They have two adult sons. Joshua, is serving in California with the U.S. Navy, and William is a college student at the University of Texas in Austin. Since her retirement, Katie is running a private rehabilitation practice to help people cope with neurological and behavioral health issues. In her free time she runs, reads, and writes. Grace & Mercy: A Devotional Journey was a unique partnership project between Katie and her pastor. Katie hopes this book will encourage personal growth in grace and mercy as well as bring people together around questions that matter. Katie's has two new book projects: one is a recovery workbook called Recover in Color and the other is a children's adventure book called A Tale of Two Squirrels. Chris Dillashaw is the Student and Family Pastor at CrossBridge Community Church. Chris is a graduate of Baylor University with a degree in Religion. He has over twenty years in ministry and has been preaching since he was fifteen years old. He has a desire to see people connect to God's Word in real and practical ways. This creative partnership with Katie confirmed for Pastor Chris that preaching with stories doesn't just get a laugh, but actually helps people to connect with God through His Word. This book was an opportunity to witness the impact of sermon messages landing on the hearts of the listeners. Chris hopes that Grace & Mercy A Devotional Journey will bless pastors and inspirational speakers. Chris is excited about the book's real-life application, and hopes that readers will develop a deeper love for God and the mystery of His revelatory Word. Chris has a heart for the nations and has evangelized in more than 25 countries. Chris is a native Texan and grew up in San Antonio. He and his wife, Ann Marie, have two daughters. What's next for this pastor? Chris will be loving and serving Jesus with his whole heart and preaching every Wednesday night to his Ablaze Ministry students and to the entire CrossBridge congregation on selected Sundays. He will preach to anyone who will listen and
