Interview with LaTan Roland Murphy: Courageous Women

My guest this week is LaTan Roland Murphy, author of Courageous Women of the Bible. I met LaTan at a writers’ conference two years ago. She is also a gifted speaker, vocalist, and decorator. What I love most about her, is her love for Jesus. In a time when we need courage to live out the life God has called us to, LaTan gives us Biblical models of strength to move forward. At the end of her interview, you’ll find out about opportunities to enter a drawing to receive a copy of Courageous Women of the Bible. But first…

What inspired you to write Courageous Women of the Bible? Did this come out of a personal experience and/or experiences you have shared with other women?

Deborah was the first inspiration. Deborah’s story drew me in and made me want to know more about the courage her life required.  I wrote the first draft as a Deborah Bible Study and the publisher liked the concept of bringing the women of the bible to life by paralleling our own struggles against theirs. They asked me to write about 11 women. What a joy! I grew and learned SO much!

There are many courageous women in the Bible, why did you choose these women?

Because, we hear about Mary, Martha, Ruth and Naomi so often but rarely, if at all, do we hear about the Shulamite Women or the Shunamite Woman, or about Jael’s role in courageously standing against Sisera the enemy of the Israelite Nation.

Do you have a favorite character? Do you identify with one in particular? Why?

Truthfully, I related to each one of them. Mary, mother of Jesus spoke to my heart so much in this season of my life when my oldest son turned 33 years old. This was about the age she would have watched her son, Jesus, give himself up on the Cross for our salvation.

How have you found courage?

I’ve found courage in living the unavoidable situations of life. Death, loss, betrayal, heartache,  The list goes on and on, really. But I find courage comes to me as I boldly and faithfully pursue the heart of my courage giver, Jesus.

What do you hope women will take away from reading it?

Oh my! Well, this book truly transformed ME. That’s what the power of God’s Holy Word does when we saturate our flesh in the life changing power of it. So, I just want women to share it with every woman, girl, and to share it with our sons who, perhaps, will father a daughter someday, or become a husband to a wife. I pray your tribe will passionately pursue gifting this to everyone they know because we all need to live courageously, and we simply cannot be courageous on our own.

If you could say one thing to women about being courageous, what would it be?

They have all the tools wired into their DNA to live courageously, because they are created in the image of a Holy God. I would encourage them to pursue the heart of Christ, daily. Courage will come, as they do!

Any other thoughts you’d like to share?

Courage requires us to stay strong in the Lord and in the power of God’s Holy Word, when we want to give up, throw our hands in the air and tell God “this is too hard for me, Lord!”  He knows life is too hard for us already and He provided us a Helper to come near to us each and every day. I’d like to encourage your readers to whisper at the start of each day: “I am strong and courageous, because the Holy God of Israel lives inside of me,”

And, if any of your readers want more understanding, I would love to have them message me through my website: Latanmurphy.com

Thanks so much for sharing with us today, LaTan.

Don’t you love that idea–to whisper at the start of each day, “I am strong and courageous, because the Holy God of Israel lives inside of me.” ?

Women at Taylors First Baptist Church will have an opportunity to hear LaTan as the speaker at their retreat in January but the names of the first fifty people who share my blog www.marilynnutter.com and Latan’s website latanmurphy.com on social media go into a drawing to win a strength and courage bracelet and a copy of Courageous Women.  Be sure to tag me so I know you have shared it. GO!

Latan’s book is available at Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Courageous-Women-Bible-Insecurity-Confidence/dp/0764230522/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1542042257&sr=1-1&keywords=latan+roland+murphy  and Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/courageous-women-of-the-bible-latan-roland-murphy/1126399597?ean=9780764230523  and audio books https://christianaudio.com/courageous-women-of-the-bible-latan-roland-murphy-audiobook-download