Lifelong Pursuit of Christ: Melinda V. Inman

A Lifelong Pursuit of Christ

As followers of Christ, we discover a journey that takes us through nourishing, green pastures, still waters of refreshment and at times, deep, dark valleys. Our Good Shepherd saves us, leads us, cares for us and loves us all along the way. Therefore, our greatest desire is to live for Him.

I am honored to introduce someone who has walked with the Lord through the peaks and valleys of life. Through it all, her passion remains… to pursue our Savior. I am deeply inspired by her gifted writing, her strong faith and her kindness toward others. When I first began blogging, she took the time to encourage each wobbly effort I made as a new Christian writer, despite her years of success in the field. Meet Melinda Inman! A wonderful writer and a thoughtful friend.

Meet Melinda V. Inman

How did you become a Christian?

I became a Christian at thirteen. Immediately afterward, I was hurled into one of the most difficult events of my life, which left me reeling and stumbling through my teen years. When I came to my senses after all of the trauma, I recommitted my life to Christ, was baptized in a horse tank by my young husband, and began the process of lifelong pursuit of Christ alongside my husband. We eventually found faith-enriching, doctrinally solid churches, and our growth continues by the grace of God.

How has your faith impacted your writing?

My faith impacts my writing in every way. The first impact occurred when I was asked to write the Bible study material for our entire church, which I did for ten years. I am a Precept Bible Study Leader, and so is my husband. We brought the inductive Bible study method to our church through my writing, and we brought in Precept people to train our church leaders, continuing that Bible Study training ourselves as time went by.

Tell us about your faith and writing journey.

Having stories I had wanted to tell for many years, I began writing Christian Fiction in 2009, and I started blogging in 2011. When seeking inspiration, I pray and ask the Lord to direct me, and then I wait to see where he leads. He always makes the way clear. I’m one of those people who must write in order to know what I think, as many writers must. To puzzle my way through a matter, I must write about it. The Lord always meets me here.

Pursuing Christ in the Valleys

Between 2012 – 2016 an undiagnosed chronic illness sidelined me from writing the church material (I was still homeschooling our youngest child at that time), but also from the preaching and encouragement ministry I enjoyed so much in the prison. Memory problems, extreme fatigue, and unrelenting pain hampered my work and also cut short my public speaking. The Lord shrunk my life while still using me to write five novels of award-winning Christian Fiction. God is the One who directs us and who determines the outcome.

At home now with several diagnosed autoimmune diseases under treatment, I continue to study God’s Word. Since I am an exhorter and a teacher, I have been writing a weekly inspirational blog that teaches and encourages, using my spiritual gifts, often from a reclining position as God’s love upholds me.

Tell us about your upcoming book.

When I began to study Hebrews yet again and to write about it, the Lord laid it upon my heart through the encouragement of others who read my initial blogposts, to compile the posts into a book. I prayed about this, because I knew it would be a long and tasking project, and the Lord confirmed. He even led me to an unorthodox approach of not working from the front to the back of the letter, but to follow the orderly plan he gave me.

As I began the project, I had no idea what the future held. But God did. And, as it turned out, the opening chapters the Lord had me address from Hebrews were full of strengthening content that was necessary for the hardship we were about to face. When I went back to compile the blogposts into book form, I was astounded by what I discovered. The Lord in his wisdom had prepared both me and my readers for living like Christians during a pandemic and other hardships that occurred, such as the racial injustice, the rioting, and the contentious election.

The discovery of this reality was an affirmation that the book was meant to be. God’s kind preparation made that clear in addition to the urging of others. As a result, I’m extremely excited to get this manuscript of my first non-fiction book ready to go. The working title is Hebrews in a Time of Pandemic, A Storyteller Examines Hebrews.

Writing spiritual content from home is now my way of spreading the uplifting message of the goodness of God and his gift of salvation through his Son Jesus Christ. Since writing this series of blogposts through The Letter to The Hebrews, I’m now writing a short series of blogposts through Romans 8 – 11.

How can readers find your books, blog and social media contacts?