You can come home again.
Prodigal Daughter is a lyrical journey from a stolen childhood and the "gold and gowns" of worldly allure to a profound spiritual homecoming. In these pages, readers navigating their own restless search for belonging will find a sacred companion in Deborah Rutherford's vulnerable and resonant verse. Journeying through five powerful movements-Innocence, Strife, Awakening, Restoration, and Dancing-Deborah explores what it is to be relentlessly pursued by Grace. Finding God in the quietest moments-from a rain-soaked hotel room in Budapest to a walk beneath the Georgia pines-Prodigal Daughter celebrates a Love that turns ashes into beauty and affirms that you are never too far gone to come home.
Experience intimate storytelling with a memoir rendered in Verse.
Through unflinching honesty, Deborah invites us into the landscape of her life: a pilgrimage spanning from the rugged coast of Maine and the Smoky Mountains to the sun-drenched shores of Maui and Southern California. She explores the rebellious years of searching for belonging, the wilderness of disordered eating and self-harm, the grief of abortion and loss, and the slow, miraculous awakening to a God who never stopped pursuing her.
Come find healing through ancient stories and contemporary retellings.
Deborah uniquely weaves Scripture with personal narrative, showing how ancient stories intersect with contemporary life. Biblical imagery of gardens, water, and the wilderness threads throughout the collection, reminding the reader that God's redemptive work follows consistent patterns across generations:
-The Woman at the Well finds modern resonance in the poem "Arrival."
-The Paralytic's healing mirrors Deborah's own restoration in "Going Home."
-The faith of the Bleeding Woman and the testimony of Saint Stephen become mirrors for Deborah's own struggles and the search for a new heart.
-And more...
Camp, Jennifer J.: - DeborahRutherford.substack.com
Rutherford, Deborah: - DEBORAH RUTHERFORD is a Christian wife, award-winning poet, speaker, and Emmy Award-winning makeup artist whose diverse Welsh, English, and Mexican heritage deeply informs her perspective on belonging and identity. Serving as a "sacred companion" for the soul, Deborah invites readers to find "beauty for ashes" through biblical meditation and lyrical storytelling. Her pilgrimage from a stolen childhood to a life of grace is the heart of her debut poetry collection, Prodigal Daughter: Poems of Light for the Lost Ones. Moving through five powerful movements-Innocence, Strife, Awakening, Restoration, and Dancing-Deborah explores the miraculous awakening to a God who never stopped pursuing her and the new life that comes with our return to Love Himself. Her work has been featured in The Way Back to Ourselves, Vessels of Light, Calla Press, and Prosetrics. She is the founder of the Behold-Her Beauty podcast and a co-author of the Unexpected Blessings series. Represented by The Blythe Daniel Agency, Deborah leads writing workshops at the Peachtree City Library and is an active member of the Atlanta Christian Women's Writers, AWSA, and COMPEL Pro. She lives in Georgia with her husband, Don, where she finds joy in singing old hymns and walking under the Georgia pines. Connect with Deborah at Deborahrutherford.com; her newsletter and podcast at deborahrutherford. substack.com as well as her Instagram @deborahrutherfordwrites.
