Welcome co-author Sena Woodall

I met Sena more than eight years ago--she was a twenty-six year old Southwestern girl that God sent to Virginia to discover her destiny in Him. I'm grateful that I've been a part of that destiny. Not only do I treasure her friendship, but I value her relationship with Jesus Christ. Sena is a devoted seeker of God. The language of her love affair with Jesus is real and raw and rugged--she doesn't mind sharing the ebbs and flows of her journey. With great pleasure, I introduce you to my best friend and co-author: Sena Woodall R.N.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am currently a Registered Nurse at a local hospital. I love my job and the doors it’s already opened for me to see God move. I love being active and enjoy being outdoors when I can. I graduated in 2001 from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor’s in Visual Communications. I made the journey across the country years ago in hopes of finding the grace of God. This leap of faith has allowed me to change my career and my life. After working in the advertising business for years I decided that it wasn’t for me. I had the privilege of working for someone who allowed me to serve God at work and through my work. There,  I grew closer to God and waited to see what was next. In 2009 my life took a complete turn and  the birth of my best friend’s third son, reignited  my desire to become a nurse. I graduated last May after three long years. To say God is good is an understatement. God is indescribable and His love is the most powerful thing imaginable. I am a product of His love, grace and mercy. 

The main theme in your passages is the love and beauty of God. Why?

My view of who God is has changed over the years as I have followed Him. When I first met Him, I was taught that He was only interested in controlling my life. I felt that I needed to prove to Him that I was worth His sacrifice. One day Jesus began to show me who He really was and showed me in the Bible that He not only loves me, but He is in fact Love itself. He took me on a journey through the Song of Solomon and showed me what His view of me was. This picture of God’s love has become a main theme in my life and has affected how I view Him, not just my perception of how He views me.

What is your favorite scripture and why?

My favorite scripture is Song of Solomon 4:9 “You have made my heart beat faster, my sister, my bride;
You have made my heart beat faster with a single glance of your eyes, With a single strand of your necklace.” This speaks to the very heart of God. All it takes is a glance from us to move His heart. To know that I have that ability to overwhelm God with my glance- that changes everything. I love that it isn’t our work, our life or our attempt at pleasing Him, but a simple glance of our eyes-a look from us to Him that causes Him to be overcome with love for us.

What is your favorite Christian quote and why?

A. W. Tozer said “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” I discovered this quote years ago and it had always challenged me to question what I thought about God. How we see God can dictate how we respond to Him. If we think He is far away and only concerned about our actions then we spend our lives trying to please a God who is distant. If we see God the way He is: a loving Father and King who gives everything away and is intimately involved in our welfare, then we live our lives full of life. Our lives become marked by praise for the One who gave us His life.

How has using a devotional helped you in your faith walk?

I like using devotional as scaffolding to the Bible. Each one I’ve used has guided me into more truth about God and challenged me to look deeper into the scripture on the page. I believe devotionals are helpful for pointing you to a truth of the Bible, but it requires you to seek the truth and let God speak to you as you meditate in His word. 

Why do you write?

I like to write as a way of expressing the deep things in my heart. Over the years it has been a place where I can express my emotions and feelings, and at the same time God speaks to me. I love writing because it helps me process what I am going through, and it gives me a record of where I’ve come from. It helps me to look towards the future. Writing is the place where it can be just me and God. What comes forth can be shared with the world or kept as a secret.

Do you have future plans to write another book?

I do have plans to write another book in the future. As I have walked with God for the past 17 years, I have learned so much about Him. I would like to write a book about the mercy of God in the midst of waiting for a promise to come true. There are things about God that we never get to experience until we are in great need. These times of waiting and patience can produce one of two responses. One is that we think we know better than God and therefore we try to gain the promise without Him. The other response is where we learn how to lean on God and trust in Him more than our circumstances would want us to. Usually we experience both and then the questions comes to us: are we willing to believe beyond the waiting. That will be the topic of my next book.