Wonderful. Inspiring. Motivating.

A review of Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story by Gerilyn Herold

Who should share their faith story? Everyone! It doesn’t matter if you are outgoing or shy. Ms. Ward encourages her readers by sharing her own initial reticence and explains how the Holy Spirit helped her to move past those feelings.

We all need to spread the good news. We live in a very hungry world. Sharing Your Faith Story makes it easy. In the first half of the book, Ms. Ward provides all the tips and tools you need to realize and share your own story.

The chapter on spiritual journaling is excellent. Journaling makes us more aware of, and remember, all the good things God does for us – so we can share them. Journaling also develops our communication with the Lord and soon an easy conversation flows. Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story gives steps for how to start, and maintain, a spiritual journal. Ms. Ward does an especially good job of addressing common barriers that may hold us back from starting a journal.

The chapter on Mary is very appealing. She is our role model and our spiritual mother. Sharing Your Catholic Faith Story gives good reasons to turn our eyes, and hearts, to Mary. She shows us how to gently lead others to her son.

In the second half of the book, Ms. Ward has compiled wonderful stories of faith journeys. Each story is as unique as the person writing it. I particularly enjoyed this section. Sometimes God draws us with an overt call, perhaps after a traumatic event. Sometimes it’s a subtle, unshakable nagging of the heart. For me this was like being at a retreat — when you have a little extra time to hear each person’s journey. I found it stunning to read stories of how God draws each one of us to his heart with a tender, individualized love.

Suggestion: try reading a few of the stories before bed. I did and found that I slept better. I also found myself motivated to share my own faith story. No story is too big, too small, or too subtle.

Thank you Ms. Ward, for convincing me that we all have a faith story to share. Thank you for giving me the reason, tools and desire to share my Catholic faith story.

Gerilyn Herold, the creator of A Hidden Miracle, a Christian fantasy middle-grade novel, is a Catholic author who loves her faith. She resides in San Diego, California, where she enjoys the surf culture, and travels north to the Redwood Forest. She has often experienced the blessings of her faith, and the action of the Holy Spirit, in both her personal and family life.