1 Dec 2017

Coffee With: Asheritah CiuCiu

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Advent starts this weekend.  And one of the books out there for you to read, by yourself or with your family, is Unwrapping the Names of Jesus.  And today, I get to share with you some fun thoughts from the author, Asheritah.  Asheritah and I wrote for the same blog a few years ago and her writing has been a continual source of encouragement for me.

I hope you enjoy the interview.

  1. So what some people might want some help with is how to pronounce your name.  And can you give us a little bit of your background: like your family, what you do, etc?

Sure! My name looks intimidating at first, but it’s easier than it looks. Asheritah, my first name, is pronounced like “margarita” and my last name, Ciuciu, is pronounced choo-choo like the train. It sounds like a silly way to explain pronunciation, but my name has deep significance. My father made it as a compound name, based on Asher, to mean “God is my happiness.” And that’s been the guiding light of my life ever since, and it’s the foundation of One Thing Alone Ministries as well, as we strive to help women find joy in Jesus.

 

I grew up in Romania as a missionary kid and met my husband in sixth grade summer camp. It took eleven years for us to eventually marry, but I’m so blessed to have him as my husband. We have two spunky little girls and currently live in Northeast Ohio.

 

  1. With all the Christmas books out there – why this one? Why now?  What compelled you to write an Advent book?

Believe it or not, I didn’t really enjoy Christmas growing up. Even into young adulthood, the Christmas season brought more anxiety than anticipation, and when I was expecting my first daughter, a mentor of mine encouraged me to begin new traditions for my own family. As I began praying, asking the Lord to help me rediscover the meaning and joy of Christmas, He pointed me to the names of Jesus.

 

If we really believe that Jesus is the greatest gift of all, wouldn’t it make sense that we would want to learn more about Him? What does it mean that He is the Lion of Judah? The Lord of Lords? The Alpha and Omega? Each name is a promise, a unique identity that reveals a facet of His character, and when we unwrap them one at a time, we discover the beauty of Jesus, Son of God, made man for us.

 

My desire with Unwrapping the Names of Jesus is to help readers rediscover the joy of Christmas by growing deeper in their knowledge and love of Jesus, learning to worship Him with all their hearts, so that when Christmas morning rolls around, we’ll all join in to sing, “O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!”

 

  1. Can you share a special holiday memory that you have?

One of my favorite Christmas gifts was a box of English books my dad managed to secure for me in Romania. English books were so hard to find, and he hid a treasure trove under my bed one year, and instructed me to take out only one at a time. Oh, the anticipation of each new book made me both excited to read the next book and also slow down to relish each book I held in my hands. In a way, this special gift inspired the format of Unwrapping the Names of Jesus, as I want readers to have that same experience: excited to read the next day’s name, but also slowing down to relish the beauty of who Jesus is today.

 

  1. You graduated Cedarville.  What was the best part about being at a Christian university?

So much goodness! Cedarville was where I learned to think for myself, to hold up my own beliefs to inspection and really own my faith. But it also taught me the importance of defending my faith with gentleness and respect, something I struggled with as a teenager. I loved having a safe place to wrestle with the difficult parts of my Christian faith, and I still look back with fondness at many of the late nights spent debating transubstantiation, amillenialism, and arminianism, debates I don’t touch much today, but conversations that laid a foundation for my desire to help women dig deeper into the truth found only in Jesus.

 

  1. Being a mom to spunky children, do you ever wonder how you do it?  What about parenting and being in ministry (outside the home)?

Oh, this is a challenge, isn’t it? It doesn’t matter whether you’re climbing the corporate ladder or climbing the lego-strewn stairs, there’s always more tugs on your time and body than there is energy to do it all. I think it’s important to enlist the help of others, especially those whose strengths fill in the gaps of your weaknesses.

 

I’m blessed to be surrounded by a community that supports me in life and ministry. From my husband (who is my biggest champion and a huge support in the technical part of running our ministry), to my mom and mother-in-law (who take turns babysitting our girls), to my team of assistants around the world (from South Africa to San Diego and everywhere in between), to the countless women who respond to my SOS prayer texts before I jump on a radio interview or when I’m facing a book deadline, I am blessed with so much help. Seriously, I couldn’t do this all by myself, nor would I want to even try.

 

  1. Out of all the names of Jesus that you unwrap in your advent book, which has been the dearest to you?

This is the hardest question of all, because I don’t really have a favorite. Instead, I’ve found that different names take on new meaning in different situations in life. Just today, I got an email with some bad news, and for a few moments I panicked. But then the Spirit reminded me that Jesus is the Lord of Lords, and that means He’s in control of this situation too. His Names are either true all the time or they’re not true at any time, and it’s moments like those that require us to live out what we say we believe. (BTW, everything turned out ok in the end, because Jesus really can handle our crises, can’t He?)

 

  1. This blog series is called Coffee With…so if we were sitting down having coffee somewhere, where would we be and what would you get?

Easy. We’d be sitting at the copper-topped tables at Artisan Coffee Shop, where you can find me most weeks working on some new project. And I’d probably be sipping on a Dark Chocolate Orangeman, which is part of the secret menu, but if you wanted to try one, I’d order it for you too. 🙂

11 May 2015

Coffee with Trillia Newbell

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Interview with Trillia Newbell

I’ve just been recently introduced to the life, ministry, grace, humor, and writing of Trillia Newbell.  She does some great things for the kingdom in race ethics, CBMW, and for the ERLC.  But, today, I’m not talking to her about those things – though I would definitely like to.

I’m getting the privilege to introduce to you her new book, Fear and Faith, by Moody.  Ladies (gentleman, keep reading because your wife will thank you for the book) – this is one of those books, and they have been rare in my life – that I think every woman should read.  Married, single, mom, widow, barren, adoptive mom, divorced…you name it – its for you.  Because I think Trillia has hit on a topic all women struggle with.  FEAR.

I’ll save my book review and the GIVEAWAY for next week, but right now you can hear from Trillia herself.  And while I didn’t get to sit down with her face to face and have coffee, this is what I would ask her if I could have:

1.  You write a part about always being in a hurry. How do you manage to write books, minister to women and others through CBMW, ERLC, and be a wife and a mom?

When I first began writing I had a desire to write as often as possible for as many organizations as possible. In part, I was simply excited to write. I also thought it was a great way to grow. As my responsibilities have increased at the ERLC and speaking opportunities have also increased, I’ve had to say no more often than I’d like to. That, I think, is how I’m able to balance. As new seasons come I have to make decisions to stop doing certain things. Before I was writing books, I was a fitness instructor, as I began to write more and my husband and I saw this as a ministry I ought to invest in, I gave up fitness.

I simply could not do this without my husband’s support, encouragement, and blessing. He helps me evaluate opportunities and balance serving the home, family, church, and broader ministry work. God’s grace is sufficient and he enables me to work.

2.  When you got finished writing this book: what had you learned the most about yourself and what would be the first chapter in Fear and Faith part 2?

I’m not sure what I learned about myself but what I did learn is that fear is universal. I knew that it was a common struggle but the response has been such that I realize it’s almost a temptation for everyone. If I had a Fear and Faith part 2—the first chapter might be on finding our identity in Christ as we seek to fight these fears, especially the fear of not measuring up.

3.  What verse or advice would you share w women on how to conquer social media and its push on what we do in life?

I think if a woman is secure in her identity in Christ and looks to Scripture to define for her what womanhood is, she will be able to fight the temptation to compare on social media. I don’t think that social media is all bad. I think we should be able to look on these various sites and rejoice with other women who receive what we do not or who are gifted differently than us.

But we also must know that we do not have to be on social media. I think many fear missing out so we check often. But if social media tempts us to sin rather than is a means of grace, don’t get it on it. There’s freedom to miss out—and honestly, we aren’t missing out on much because real life around us still goes on.

I hesitate to throw out Scripture because it depends on what aspect of it someone is struggling on. There’s plenty in the world about running our own race, not looking to the left or right, and encouraging one another. I would say anything in that category would be a good start.

4.  Random question just for fun for your readers to get to know you better. If you could go on one trip just w your husband, where would it be and why?

Mine is Paris!! I studied abroad, in Swansea, Wales, and while over there I visited France. I traveled to Paris a few times and it was by far my favorite city. My husband, Thern, has not been to Paris (though he has been abroad). I would love to sit at the foot of the Eiffel Tower with him. Oh man, that would be so wonderful!

5.  What is your favorite coffee shop where you live and what is your “regular ” order?

I love to work at the Frothy Monkey and The Good Cup. I enjoy fruit tea and various delicious coffees.

 

15 Nov 2012

Coffee with…Tricia Goyer

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Panera is good for lots of things: food, writing, second office, and meeting new friends.  Today: it was a bit of all four!

I was introduced to Tricia before I moved to Little Rock and I knew I wanted to meet her.  She is a few years ahead of me in life and many years ahead of me in writing and motherhood.  She was a blessing to sit down with and learn how she got started and what her life is like.  With these pictures and short interview: I hope you will feel like you joined us at our table at Panera.

1.  What is your greatest joy as a Mom?  Snuggling and reading books.  It is one of my favorite times of the day!

2.  When did you start writing?  When I was a stay-at-home-mommy at the age of 22.  A friend was working on a novel and I realized it was something I could do at home.  I went to my first writer’s conference in California in 1994.  I love the friends I met there and the community I still have with them today.

3.  What is your favorite menu item at Panera?  Broccoli-cheddar soup.  I have to find a healthy(ier) item to balance it out.  The seasonal pumpkin muffins are wonderful!

4.  What is your favorite book you have written?  Night Song was my second novel.  It was set in my favorite country: the Czech Republic during WWII.  It is about a 13-year old boy.  I cried while writing it.  I haven’t read it since it was written in 1994.  I hope I still like it 🙂

5.  What is the Scripture that has been encouraging to you this week?  “If we humble ourselves, He will lift us up.”  Coming back from Allume, I was so blessed by all the women I met, such a community, such a blessing.  I in turn want to help people all the time.

And today, Tricia, you were.  Thanks for helping me network, encouraging me as a mom and writer, and for having lunch! 

You can read all of Tricia’s books: fiction, non-fiction, devotional.  Check out her blog and find her on facebook and twitter.