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Welcome back to Fierce Calling! In today’s episode, I welcome a very special duo: mother-daughter team Donna and Charity Amidon. Donna—an accomplished author, speaker, and Bible teacher—returns to the show to talk about her impactful book, Tracing His Promise: Understanding the Bigger Story of Jesus and What That Means for Us. But this time, there’s a creative twist: Donna’s daughter, Charity, an exceptional artist and illustrator, joins the conversation to share her unique role in bringing this project to life.
Together, Donna and Charity reveal how a simple Advent family tradition grew into a beloved Bible study—one that seamlessly connects Old Testament Scriptures to the promises fulfilled in Jesus. We’ll hear behind-the-scenes stories about how illustrations that started as small doodles at the kitchen table grew into the artwork that now graces the pages of Donna’s book, as well as full-color Christmas ornaments, inviting families to create meaningful Advent traditions.
You’ll also get practical ideas for using the book at home, in small groups, or as part of your church community, plus inspiration on how to use your own gifts to impact others for Christ.
Whether you’re looking for hope in God’s timing, new ways to engage with Scripture, or encouragement to pursue your calling, this episode is sure to uplift you. Let’s dive into this heartwarming conversation about faith, creativity, advent, and God’s faithfulness across generations!
We’re Talking About This Amazing Book and More!
P.S. Planning your fall Bible study or Christmas Advent? Now’s the perfect time to explore Tracing His Promise! And if you do, be sure to share your experience with us. We’d love to hear—and maybe feature your story, too!
Episode Highlights
00:00 “Book Discussion with Charity”
07:31 Divine Preparation and Small Beginnings
11:46 Art, Passion, and Impact
14:00 Mother-Daughter Art Collaboration
18:04 “Illustrations Enhanced with Color PDF”
20:51 Bible Study Book’s Progression
23:19 Exploring the Old Testament Together
27:10 “Fulfilled Prophecies: Hidden Treasures”
30:17 Empowering Youth Through Faith Sharing
34:37 “Passover’s Symbolic Link to Jesus”
37:49 Faith’s Universality Through Art
40:24 Trusting God’s Perfect Timing
43:19 Trust God’s Timing
47:30 Gratitude and Future Invitations
Connect with Donna!
You can connect with Donna at donnaamidon.org, where you’ll find out more about the book, her blog, and speaking.
Follow & connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donnaamidon_/
Follow & connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ignitetheheart/
A graduate of Southern Evangelical Seminary, Donna is an author, speaker, musician, and lover of all things Bible. For over two decades, Donna has been helping women engage with the rich truths of Scripture and apply them to everyday life.
With a heart for the local church, Donna has served as a Bible teacher, worship leader, radio broadcaster, small groups director, and pastor’s wife. Donna brings Scripture to life with clarity, heart, and just the right touch of humor, leaving her audience both challenged and refreshed.
Donna regularly shares at women’s conferences, retreats, and church gatherings. She also serves as a Spiritual Fitness Coach with Back to the Bible, where she hosts short video messages to encourage Christians in their spiritual journey.
Her first book, Tracing His Promise, invites readers to see Jesus throughout the Old Testament and discover God’s faithfulness from creation to the cradle.
Donna and her husband, Ryan, live in Virginia with their adult daughter and teenage son.
Connect with Charity!
You can connect with Charity and find her amazing art at https://www.luckydogart.com/
Follow & connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amidonartstudio/
Follow & connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/luckydogart/
Link to view more about the book and see Charity’s art and ornaments:
https://www.donnaamidon.org/tracinghispromise
You can find the downloadable PDFs with the ornaments at the back of the book (pg. 297) via a special QR code!
My Endorsement Written for Tracing His Promise:
“Tracing His Promise is a powerful, biblically grounded study that reveals profound connections between Old Testament Scripture and the coming Messiah who was born in Bethlehem and is undeniably Jesus. Throughout the study, Amidon illuminates for the reader the significance of events, prophecies, and people of Old Testament times, and not only how they connect directly to Jesus’s birth, but also how Jesus was present from the beginning of it all. Amidon engages readers through thought-provoking questions, impactful illustrations, and deep insight. She invites families to incorporate the Jesse Tree into their Christmas traditions and provides creative ideas and downloadable ornaments to help them assemble their own Jesse Tree. Amidon’s passion is evident at every turn of the page, while she helps her readers make golden-nugget connections hidden in plain sight. This study is unique and impactful! Don’t miss it!” —Doris Swift, host of the Fierce Calling Podcast and author of Surrender the Joy Stealers: Rediscover the Jesus Joy in You
What Threatens to Steal Your Joy?
Check out Surrender the Joy Stealers: Rediscover the Jesus Joy in You 6-week Bible study rooted in John 15. You can find more info at https://dorisswift.com/book/
Let’s Stay Connected!
Find my free resources including Fear Fighting Bible Verses, Simple Tips for Sharing Your Faith, Surrender the Joy Stealers, Step Out of Your Doubt and Into Your Calling ebook, and more on my dorisswift.com homepage!
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Thanks for Listening!
I hope this episode encouraged, inspired, and challenged you to cultivate community, live and walk in the value, purpose, and worth God gave you, and take action where your passion, compassion, and conviction intersect.
If you’re looking for a speaker for your next women’s conference, retreat, luncheon, or workshop, reach out and connect with me on my speaker page at https://www.womenspeakers.com/florida/edgewater/speaker/doris-swift
Let’s have a chat about your next event!
Stay tuned for more amazing content and remember to check the show notes for all the links mentioned.
Thank you for being a part of our community. We are grateful for your continued support and encourage you to embrace the unique gifts that make you magnificently you.
I hope you’ll join me next time when I talk with another guest who is taking action where her passion, compassion, and conviction intersect …
Until then friend, have a blessed week, and I’ll talk to you soon.
With love and joy,
Doris
P.S. Don’t forget to follow us on social media for bite-sized wisdom and inspiration from Doris and our incredible guests! 📲
Transcript
Doris [00:01:53]:
Welcome back to the show. Today. I’m excited to have a return guest, which this is Donna’s, I think, third time on the show. And I’m excited to have her back. Donna Amadon. And she is an author, a speaker, a Bible teacher, and just amazing author. And we’re going to talk about one of her books today. And we also have an amazing other guest with us, Charity Amadon, and she is Donna’s daughter.
Doris [00:02:21]:
So we are so excited and blessed to have both of them here together because there’s a special connection that they’re going to share about this book. And the book I have behind me here is amazing. It’s called Tracing His Promise, Understanding the Bigger Story of Jesus and what that means for us. And we’re going to be talking about this among other things. So I’m excited to get started. Welcome to the show. It’s great to have you both.
Donna Amidon [00:02:49]:
Thank you.
Charity Amidon [00:02:50]:
Hey, thank you.
Doris [00:02:51]:
All right, well, we’ve talked a little bit about the book before on, you know, the past episode, but there’s a special twist that we did not have before, and that was also inviting Charity into the conversation and how she was connected with this book. So how, however the Lord leads, if you want to, you know, Donna, if you want to kind of lean in first and then bring Charity into how this all connected, because this book is powerful. And I’ll tell you, I’m actually also going to lead this book as a Bible study at our church in the fall, and we’re going to talk more about that. But I can’t wait to help, ladies, to read through it and just dig in to what this means for us. Exactly, as the subtitle says. So. So yeah, Donna, if you could share a little bit more about that. And of course, this is how you’re taking action, where your passion, compassion, and conviction intersect.
Doris [00:03:48]:
Oh, and also, I wanted to also mention, too, that Charity is an amazing artist and illustrator. So that gives you a little hint about what we’re going to talk about. So go ahead, Donna. Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you sure?
Donna Amidon [00:04:05]:
Well, it’s just funny how God orchestrates things and how he sees the whole picture of your life in mind. And we get so kind of trapped in one day at a time, but he just has a bigger plan all the time. And we really saw this happen with how this book kind of blossomed. And it really started about eight years ago. I was leading a Bible study at a church, and it was fall about this time of year. And I’m praying, God, what do I teach these precious ladies. And I had picked out a book that I kind of liked, but was a little hesitant and just didn’t have that feeling in my spirit, like, this was the book. And then one morning, Charity, my daughter and I, who’s here with me, she was about 10 years old at the time, and we were talking at the kitchen island.
Donna Amidon [00:04:52]:
Do you remember that?
Charity Amidon [00:04:53]:
Yeah.
Donna Amidon [00:04:53]:
And I said, charity, I said, do you think that you want to do the Jesse Tree study when you are a grownup? And do you remember your response?
Charity Amidon [00:05:05]:
It was a yes.
Donna Amidon [00:05:05]:
It was a yes. Her little eyes lit up, and she was so excited. And to give you a little backstory, Jesse Tree, if you’re not familiar with it, is this Advent tradition where you put ornaments on the tree every day of December. And rather than it be the Grinch or Santa Claus on the tree, they are ornaments that represent different stories in the Old Testament that tell about the coming Christ. And we had done this with the kids for many years. And when I saw Cherry’s enthusiasm about doing that when she was older, I thought, wow, this is a gift to our family. And what if I just started dreaming? What if this could be a gift that we give to so many families at our local church? And so that fall, I just started typing out a Bible study very, very quickly. And we went through the Old Testament stories of that point to Jesus.
Donna Amidon [00:05:57]:
And what ended up happening was amazing. I don’t know. You might experience this, Doris. Sometimes when you lead Bible studies, people are excited at first, but then the attendance kind of wanes as time goes. But with this particular study, something completely different happened. They started coming, and they came. And within about three years, we had a hundred ladies go through this particular study. And I just knew it was a gift to the body of Christ.
Donna Amidon [00:06:21]:
So I started pursuing publication. But the question is, how did Charity come into the picture?
Charity Amidon [00:06:27]:
Yeah, so the seed form of that was when she would. She would kind of just print out the Bible study for. To hand out to the ladies that were at the Bible study. And I would just draw, like. She would like, do you want to just draw, like, a tiny picture of, like, the Ten Commandments or, like, grapes for Joshua and Caleb? And I’d be like, oh, yeah. And I was like, how old? Like, 13.
Donna Amidon [00:06:50]:
Very young.
Charity Amidon [00:06:51]:
I just did, like, a little something.
Donna Amidon [00:06:52]:
I would say, tyri, can you draw a sheaf of wheat? Can you draw a little manger? And she would just draw this cute little picture.
Charity Amidon [00:06:57]:
Yeah. So that was really fun. I really enjoyed doing that and thinking of things to Do. So that’s how it started. And I never thought that it would, like, go more than that. But, yeah, I went to those. I was able to go to those Bible studies too, because at the time I was doing a co op, so I was at home during the, like, the mornings. So, yeah, it was really fun to be a part of it and just hear all those rich Old Testament stories at such a young age and just, like, have it ingrained into my mind.
Charity Amidon [00:07:25]:
And I think that was, like, a great foundation of where that would take me when she would actually write the book.
Doris [00:07:31]:
Yeah, it’s amazing to see how the Lord had been preparing all of this way before you even had any idea what was going to happen. And, you know, that’s how it is with him when we trust him and we just surrender our lives and we just say yes to him and we’re obedient to whatever his call is and what he leads us into doing. And just. It’s just so precious that this kind of began. You know how the word says not to despise the small beginnings and, you know, and so that you were small and this was like a small beginning of where it was going to lead with this bigger picture story, which is really what. What the book is about, which is exciting. And, you know, of course, I’m not surprised at all of how the study just continued to grow and grow and grow, because as we were kind of talking a little bit before we started recording that sometimes the Old Testament can be a little intimidating, or sometimes it’s hard for people to read it and really see what kind of connection it is or what really they’re supposed to get out of it. But it’s God’s word and how you tie it together with the prophecy of the coming Messiah and how that all really is knitted together, and it’s just.
Doris [00:08:47]:
It’s just fantastic. And so, Charity, when did you really start with your drawing and your artistry? Because I want to. I would just want to pull up. Bring up here this, what you did. I won a contest that Donna was running and you could get. Because Charity does pet portraits, she’ll probably share a little bit about that. But you could send a picture if you were the winner, and Charity would create a drawing from it. And this is such a likeness of the actual photo.
Doris [00:09:17]:
It’s beautiful. I love it. And it’s going to go in a very more beautiful frame. I’m not going to just keep it out like that forever, but I just. It’s just such a gift because not Everybody has the patience to do all those fine details. So when did that kind of start to kind of birth in you? When did God bring that through?
Charity Amidon [00:09:36]:
Yeah, I don’t even remember when it first started, but from what I’ve heard, and when I was like two or three, was that how old I was?
Donna Amidon [00:09:45]:
You were three.
Charity Amidon [00:09:46]:
Three years old. I had an appendectomy, so my appendix had ruptured. And I was in the hospital for a long time. And it was really scary because I also had pneumonia at the same time. And they didn’t know whether to put me under surgery because they didn’t know if I’d wake back up since because of all the complications. So I was just in the hospital for a very long time and just sitting there on the bed, I just started to draw. And I would draw these pictures of like, dogs and. And like humans and princesses and horses and all this, like, random stuff.
Charity Amidon [00:10:20]:
But my parents were like, dang, like, she’s pretty good for a three year old. And so I just kept on doing it and I. I just always loved drawing and. And I would, like. As I grew older, I found different ways to do art. Like I would make these puppets out of brown paper bags. It was so fun. Like, I still have them in my closet.
Charity Amidon [00:10:39]:
Like, I just loved art. And as I grew up, people would start to be like, oh, can you draw me this? Can you draw me that? And I was like, sure. I’ and then when I was 15, I think I started a business so that people could commission. I started with dogs, their dogs, and I could paint their dogs for them. So I’ve been doing that business ever since. And it’s called Lucky Dog Art Studio. So I only did drawings at first, actually didn’t like painting. But I started doing paintings and it was growing and it was really great and really fun.
Charity Amidon [00:11:11]:
I loved it. So I’m continuing to do that. And like I did for you, Doris. I also do. I’m branching out. I’m doing people. And for Mom’s book, I did illustrations. And that was a huge jump because those are digital.
Charity Amidon [00:11:24]:
Those aren’t like on a piece of paper. So that was a whole learning curve too. But I’ve always just loved it and I’ve found it, like, super amazing to not just do art of like God’s creation, which is beautiful, like dogs and people, but like to actually make them, like very biblically grounded drawings and really think about biblical principles and how to combine them using art.
Doris [00:11:46]:
So, wow, that’s really powerful too, you know, because everybody can relate to art and the beauty of it and how it’s reflecting God’s creations in such a beautiful way. And I’m so glad that you’re continuing to do that and using your gifts and sharing your gifts, you know, because I love that. With Fierce Calling, I always love to say that the podcast is to encourage women to take action where their passion, compassion, and conviction intersect and to use their gifts to impact the world for Christ. So this is really amazing. And I know that you are in school, so there’s a lot going on. And I remember, too, with the pet portraits, there was. There was quite a long waiting list. So you have a lot of interest.
Charity Amidon [00:12:28]:
They’re grateful. But, yeah, there’s a. There’s a waiting list, so that’s awesome.
Doris [00:12:32]:
That’s great. So, yeah. So how did that come about in coming into the book? Like, how did that begin, if you want to share?
Donna Amidon [00:12:43]:
Well, I had received the contract with my publisher and was just writing, writing, writing, writing. And, you know, things sometimes just drop in your spirit, and you’re thinking, wow, that’s. That’s a really good idea. And.
Charity Amidon [00:12:58]:
And we.
Donna Amidon [00:12:58]:
And it’s a God idea. And so I was writing, and I thought of those little. I thought back to those little illustrations that I had Charity drew years ago, the Little Sheaf of Wheat, the Little Manger. And I thought, what if she did a little illustration at the beginning of each chapter at the book? She’s done it before. And I thought, this is a great idea. So I presented to the publisher, and they were a little hesitant at first, didn’t really jump on it. And I thought, I cannot let this go. You know, sometimes you just let things go sometimes, you know, no, I’ve got to.
Donna Amidon [00:13:31]:
I’ve got to make this. I’ve got to at least take another step and see what happens. So I said, charity, why don’t you draw just a couple pictures, and we can send them to the publisher and see what they think. So you drew the dove. I think he drew Joseph’s coat of many colors in black and white.
Charity Amidon [00:13:46]:
Yeah, that was the challenge.
Doris [00:13:48]:
Yeah.
Charity Amidon [00:13:49]:
And I think it was the grapes and the shepherd.
Donna Amidon [00:13:52]:
Yes, and the shepherd. And they wrote back with an immediate, yes, we would love to have these illustrations in the book. So that’s how it came to be.
Doris [00:14:00]:
Amazing. And, you know, it was such wisdom from the Lord to say, hey, let’s send some in. Because, you know, everybody thinks their kids talented. I mean, let’s just face it, okay? And this is a publishing company, and they’re like, well, that’s really nice that your daughter is an artist, but, you know, but then actually seeing it and going, wow, this, this is going to be powerful for the book and add to it and the fact being that it’s a mother daughter team just makes it sweeter, you know, because there’s a lot of illustrators that are amazing out there. But when it’s your own child especially too, to have that talent. My, both my kids are talented with art. I mean, my, my son and my daughter in love actually even have an art business that they do. You know, they go to like the, the different festivals and things like that and they have the booth and, and all of that.
Doris [00:14:53]:
But I, I was never, I did like paint by number. I, you know, I was more writing or like a writer than artist, I think, because I didn’t have the patience. I wanted to like, finish it. You know, I want, I didn’t want to like work on little strokes and. But I do also love, you know, when you can go on YouTube and you can follow people that kind of take you along as you create a, you know, a painting or something. And I’ve done that with some of my grandkids and stuff, so that’s fun. But really the true artistry of being able to bring something to life on the paper or the canvas or to be able to do it from your thought, from your, you know, memory or how you envision vision that it should look. So.
Doris [00:15:43]:
Because I, you know, some of us are great at copying things, but to come out with it in that creative flow, you know, that is really a gift.
Charity Amidon [00:15:52]:
So, yeah, that was definitely a challenge for me to think of it and then draw it because I’m very much of like, I’ll just replicate the photo.
Doris [00:16:01]:
Yeah, yeah. Because you were taking the imagery that was described in, in the Bible and, and creating that from that, you know, versus copying like a beautiful flower or something like that. So, so I’m so glad the publisher said yes because it really, it’s really exciting. And so if you could share also a little bit more about how the listeners would use these in a special way that you have to do. Like, I’m, I’m just gonna thumb through here and you know, like at the beginning of the chapters, there’s the, you know, you see the artwork right there and that’s really powerful and it’s a good, hefty book. I mean, it is chock full. I wrote a, an endorsement for it because it just, it was powerful and so it’s chock full of Scripture and truth. So share a little bit about what.
Doris [00:16:59]:
How else that the listener. Because sometimes people. I don’t know if they really have grown up with. With Advent in their churches, you know, sometimes, and they might not really connect. How do I bring this into my family? What do I do? So how. How would you share that?
Charity Amidon [00:17:19]:
So when they did the Bible study at our home church, it was kind of like, make your own ornament for the Advent study. And this book can still go along with the advent study. It’s 25 chapters, so that means like, 25 stories, 25 ornaments. So they would just do, like, for Jacob’s ladder, they would just have like a little ladder made out of sticks or something like that. Something cute. So what we thought of to do was use the illustrations that I was able to do and put color to them and make them so that you can print them out yourself and make little ornaments so that you can use it for when you do it with your family. Yeah, during the Christmas season.
Donna Amidon [00:18:04]:
And this is really just another kind of step in the progress of the book because she had done the black and white illustrations. And then another thought, I’m like, wow, Charity, if you put color to these, because she’d done all 25, actually, there’s more. There are other illustrations peppered throughout the book. But I thought Charity, if you just add some color, easier said than done to these illustrations, we could make a printable download in the back of the book that people could. A PDF that people could print off and make their own ornaments out of it. And so Charity was so kind to comply and say that she would be willing to do that. And that took a lot of work, too. And so what ended up happening is that we have the black and white illustrations throughout the book, but in the appendix of the book, there’s a QR code that you can can down or you can go to that website, and it is a free PDF download of all 25 of these gorgeous illustrations.
Donna Amidon [00:19:03]:
And for those watching, they can see just a little picture of what they’ll get. There’ll be three sheets, and you’ll just see these gorgeous, gorgeous pictures that she did in full color. You see even there, Jesus with the three men. Oh, sorry. And.
Doris [00:19:19]:
Oh, wow.
Donna Amidon [00:19:20]:
Yes.
Doris [00:19:20]:
Yeah.
Donna Amidon [00:19:21]:
So it just adds so much value to the book. Not only do you get the book, but you get this very practical tool of how do I even do this with my family? How do I even start this tradition of remembering the coming Christ during Advent, those 25 days? Well, you have these 25 ornaments that correspond to the 25 lessons that you walk through as you read tracing his promise. So it’s just an incredible gift that Charity did and really adds value to us as we read it, because we get to not only read it once, but we get to recall the stories every Christmas as we see these ornaments on our tree.
Doris [00:19:58]:
Yeah, that’s beautiful, too, because it’s not also for your book. It’s not a book you just read once. You continually take it out and review it and go through it and share and. And how it’s a way to memorize and remember things better when you’re using the visual and reading it and hearing it, you know, and so that really kind of drives it home for us because we. I mean, we really need help in remembering things, and these are tangible things that can help us to remember. So. So I love that so much. And there’s just so many ideas that can be done with it.
Doris [00:20:37]:
You know, like homeschool groups can do this together, or Bible studies, like you were saying. I don’t know if you want to share, maybe, Donna, if you want to share a little bit about how would someone go about in leading this as a Bible study.
Donna Amidon [00:20:51]:
Yeah, it’s set up for that. And in fact, as far as the story of how the book unfolded, I originally wrote the book as a Bible study, and when I presented it to the publisher, they said, we don’t want a Bible study. We want a trade book. So my heart, and you will hear this as you read the book, is truly for Bible study and that type of setting. But I have written it in a way that it’s very conducive for small groups at a church or Sunday school. Basically, there are 25 days of. Or 25 stories that you go through, and then you can just break up those 25 stories however you want. You can meet weekly and go over two stories or three stories just based off how many weeks that you have in your particular group go through the stories.
Donna Amidon [00:21:33]:
And at the end of each chapter or end of each lesson are discussion questions that you can do. And so I’ve had the joy, the extreme joy of visiting many Bible studies that have used this just locally. And just what faith it spurs in the listener’s ear as they read is just so encouraging. You know, as you mentioned, we sometimes we just push off the Old Testament as antiquated or not relevant to my life. But Romans 15:5 says that these stories were written for our instruction so that we can have hope. And how many of us need hope? And so I have written this book. Yes, we can understand, but yes, we can also be more importantly, transformed. And we can have our faith spurred just to greater levels because we see the faithfulness of God.
Donna Amidon [00:22:24]:
And I’ve had women just say, wow, these stories spoke exactly to where I was that particular week. I just see the Lord’s hand. It’s not by me. It’s God’s grace completely. It’s his spirit working and moving in the hearts of men and women. But yes, this book is really been a very powerful tool in many small groups that I’m getting the joy of seeing it firsthand. So I don’t know if I just answered your question or just got really excited about that.
Doris [00:22:52]:
You did, you did. Yeah.
Donna Amidon [00:22:55]:
But yeah, just it’s, it’s very, it’s very conducive for small group study. I think that’s probably the best way to do it. Of course you can do it on your own, but it is very much a community, a community experience. Even in the subtitle and a subtitle it says what that means for us. It’s not just what that means for you. What’s what, what does that mean for us as God’s daughters and as his sons.
Doris [00:23:19]:
Yeah. Wow. I love how you explained all that. It’s beautifully said. And I, and I do love that you say us because sometimes there’s books that speak directly to the reader only, which, you know, if you read it on your own, it certainly does. But to think of it as, this is the story of us, you know, God and us. And so I think that that’s pretty powerful and how it opens our eyes to the Old Testament because I love how you said, when you were kind of explaining that how women are really like getting into the Old Testament and then seeing how it all connects and, and you’re able to see the fruit of all of this happening because there are a lot of teachings going on and I don’t think it’s really anything new, but it is false teachings trying to almost wipe out, you know, the Old Testament or kind of not put a lot of emphasis on the Old Testament, because there’s a lot in the Old Testament that might seem kind of like, whoa, that was a lot that God did. But it was all purposeful and powerful to learn those things.
Doris [00:24:31]:
And yes, Jesus came to fulfill. He fulfilled all the prophecies that were given about him. And so how would you speak and encourage to look at this as one big story?
Donna Amidon [00:24:46]:
I often think of the Bible as a two act play or a two Part movie. The Old Testament is Act one. The New Testament is Act Two. And if you’ve ever gone into a movie halfway through, or if you’ve ever had a friend join you for the movie halfway through, they start asking you all these questions like, what is that person? What is that mean? What does that mean? Because they’ve missed the first half of the movie. But if you go back sometimes, if you’ve only watched the second half of the movie and go back and watch a movie from the beginning, your mind lights up like a Christmas tree because you’re like, oh, I knew who that person was. And, oh, that makes sense why that happened. And you just kind of see how everything in the first part of a movie builds and climaxes to that point. That in the movie that you’re just where the music swells and we’re all just getting excited.
Donna Amidon [00:25:35]:
And if we think of the Bible in that way, we can think of the climactic point of the Bible being when Jesus was born and his life and his death and burial and resurrection. That is the. That is the climax of the. The story. And so that first act, or the Old Testament is really the. The part that gives us the anticipation and hints hundreds of times to millions of people. And so when we see the Old Testament, we see a prophecy of Jesus spoken hundreds of times over thousands of years to millions of people. And we see this over and over again.
Donna Amidon [00:26:13]:
And. And it builds with it, culminates with Jesus. And so if we’re throwing out the Old Testament, if we’re saying it’s not important, then we’re dismissing the part of the story that anticipates and gives reason and shows the brilliance of our salvation. So, yeah, it’s overwhelming. It’s. I get it. It’s intimidating. There are parts that I certainly don’t understand.
Donna Amidon [00:26:34]:
But tracing his promise gives us just that big picture view. And it helps us see how all the pieces. We went to New York City not long ago, we saw many icons, and then we went up to the Empire State Building the last day. And when we did that, it kind of made Manhattan island make sense. Like, there’s the Statue of Liberty, there’s the 911 Museum, because we were looking at it from a different vantage point. And I feel like that’s what happens. Tracing his promise, we kind of go up to another level and we see all these stories and we see how they all come together and point, point to the person of Jesus.
Doris [00:27:10]:
Yeah, I love that because, you know, as we said earlier, he didn’t come to Abolish the law. He came to fulfill it and he fulfilled all those prophecies about him. And that some of the things, because you bring out in the book some of the things that we may not have noticed. I think, I think in my endorsement I said something like Golden Nuggets in Plain Sight or something like the Hidden Treasures and In Plain sight or something because it’s right there. But so that, that’s amazing and, and kind of helping us, us to go through it because sometimes we just need a little help with, okay, how does this all connect and where does this fit? And throughout the book you could just feel the excitement of the author and also the illustrator. You know, how this was just really powerful and, and how you love to share. But Charity, I was going to ask too for your generation because this is an important book for even like students, you know, to, to go through. And it’s written in a way that is, you know, very easy to understand and make the connection.
Doris [00:28:14]:
So how have you found that as far as speaking from someone from, you know, a younger generation, how this book can impact some of your friends and even those that are even younger than you?
Charity Amidon [00:28:28]:
Yeah, my mom wrote the book so it’s very conversational and it’s easy to read lots of stories and like that, very good explanations of really complicated things. And we’re actually just this morning we did this Bible study with a group of girls at our church. They’re like 8th, 9th, 10th grade. And they just, they just love it. They’re just so into it. They. I love seeing their faces when things click. Like you can just hear.
Charity Amidon [00:28:53]:
They’re like, oh. Like whoa. Like I didn’t even realize that. And I think those are the moments where it’s just like, oh, this is so incredible and this is so rich. And one thing that my mom always says that I love when she tells the girls is that take these principles and the things that you’re learning in this awe inspiring experience that you feel when you learn about the scriptures and how everything connects into your worship. And so since we all go to the same church, we can worship together and we’re all worshiping together. And it’s just so encouraging when my mom says, like, take what you’ve learned from this study and think about that while you’re worshiping and think about, wow, like by your like blood that we are saved and we are healed. We can think of the Passover and just all these different things.
Charity Amidon [00:29:39]:
Just, it enhances your worship in a way rather than just not even thinking about the Words, but instead like thinking about them more than even the. The song like portrays like. And just like all the stories behind it just like enhances worship even more. And I think it’s been great to see the younger generation learn about all these things because I think a lot of times they can just not think it’s important or just walk right past the incredible richness of the Bible because there’s, it’s. There’s just a lots of e easier things to do. But I’m just so glad that we’re able to do with those girls because it’s been such a great thing.
Doris [00:30:17]:
Yeah, that’s really precious too that you, you’re doing that with younger girls. And I, and I hope some of the listeners might lead, you know, they might volunteer in youth, they might lead groups and that’s really for, for boys or girls. You know, it doesn’t have to be just girls, but. But it’s just powerful to be able to. Because God entrusted us with His Word and so that young, the younger generations can see that they’re also entrusted with His Word and His truth and how they can also share it and so these exciting ways that they can better understand. And like you said, charity enhancement, the worship, it enhances worship when you have these things that are uncovered and it’s not like something new because there’s nothing new under the sun. It’s just, it’s been in His Word but just uncovering and bringing it to the forefront and kind of shining a light on certain things that may not have stood out before and how it connects in a. And I just love that about that.
Doris [00:31:22]:
And plus. And Donna. And you’re a musician, right? Are you. Are. Do you. Is your whole family musical or.
Charity Amidon [00:31:28]:
I love singing. Yeah.
Donna Amidon [00:31:30]:
Yeah, we have a lot of music going on in the house for sure.
Doris [00:31:32]:
Yeah. That’s precious too. I love that. So what are the plans coming up for the book or what Is there anything in the future that you’re. You’re thinking about doing differently or what. What are some plans that you have coming up?
Donna Amidon [00:31:49]:
That’s a great question. Something that just happened that I’d love to mention is the book is also out on audiobook. So that’s been a really neat. Just another level of people that can be able to hear about the promise of Christ. I would love to maybe one day down the road make a devotional for families that also cover the 25 stories of the book. So you just have it in bite sized form but so that you can use it. Yeah, you can use it with your families. I mean, you can use it now, but just maybe using Charity’s illustrations do that down the road.
Donna Amidon [00:32:23]:
But apart from that, right now, I’m just really enjoying going to women’s events, sharing and talking about the book and seeing more and more ladies and men be impacted by what they hear.
Doris [00:32:37]:
Yeah. And you’re such a lovely and eloquent speaker and how you share the Bible and how you’re excited about it, you know, and so you can’t help but be excited about it, too, you know, if you’re listening to when you’re speaking. So. And then it comes out in the book as well. And you also do videos. You. You’re part of another organization that is for Bible literacy. Right.
Doris [00:33:01]:
What. Can you share a little bit about that, Donna? Sure.
Donna Amidon [00:33:04]:
Yes. I am a content creator for Back to the Bible. It. It has been. Back to the Bible has been around, I’m thinking at least 80 years on the radio. In 2020, it transformed. Transformed to a online ministry. But if you go to Back the Bible, they have a YouTube channel.
Donna Amidon [00:33:22]:
And you can find me teaching. You can find just a whole host of other great teachers. And really, Back to the Bible is going back to the Bible to find truth so that we can live out our faith and walk out our faith and put it in motion. So it’s been a joy to be a part of that ministry on and off for about 10 years now.
Doris [00:33:40]:
I love that. And Charity, you’re in school, right? So what has God laid on your heart as far as. Do you have kind of like an idea of a direction, how you might want to go in your walk with him?
Charity Amidon [00:33:54]:
Yeah. One thing that the doing the illustrations for this book has sparked is just like, how you can present the Bible with using art and how powerful that is and how it can just stick in your brain. Like a picture is a thousand words. And I just. I get really excited about showing people the art and being able to explain really complex things with it and kind of combining them. And if that’s okay, could I do that really quick with one of them?
Doris [00:34:24]:
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Charity Amidon [00:34:25]:
Could I bring one?
Donna Amidon [00:34:25]:
Sure.
Doris [00:34:26]:
One.
Charity Amidon [00:34:27]:
Okay. There’s a couple, but one of my favorites. And, like, I would get it as a tattoo. Like, some people are like, it’s another conversation.
Donna Amidon [00:34:36]:
Was it this?
Charity Amidon [00:34:37]:
No, but I can do that one. If you look in the book for the people who are just listening and not watching, there’s a. There’s a picture for the Passover. And the really cool thing about the Passover, and I won’t spoil it, but I kind of will is. Is that when they put the blood on the door frame to spare them from the tenth plague, the Israelites, it was a picture of Jesus and how his blood is how we are saved and not by good works or anything like that. And so did you find it? I really enjoy doing that one where I kind of combined like, the doorpost and the cross together and just how the bloods on the door frames also just like it’s the same like, innocent blood of a lamb that saves us. Like the lamb of God and also the lamb here. Yeah.
Charity Amidon [00:35:28]:
So doing things like that is. Is very exciting for me too. And I’ve. I’m trying to think of more cool ways that you can put the truth of Scripture into art. And it’s truly not to. To boost me up at all. It’s truly just to have people understand who God is and get excited about it and be able to remember it because. Because the Lord, I mean, he gave me this talent that’s not of my own abilities, and I just want to honor him fully in that.
Charity Amidon [00:36:01]:
And so I think explaining the truths of the Bible through art is something that I love to do and hope to continue to be able to do.
Donna Amidon [00:36:10]:
Yeah. And what makes me so excited is people will read a chapter of the book and they’ll forget most of it by the next day. But when they all look at that picture, pictures can just stay with you. And to have each chapter with a. A picture that really captures the heart of that chapter is such an incredible gift. So thank you for charity for doing that. And I just love how pictures just burn in our mind and we can remember it over and over.
Doris [00:36:37]:
Yeah. Yeah, that is so true. And, and too, how different things speak to different people. You know, like you were talking about the audiobook version. Maybe that’s something that people, you know, when they’re hearing it, it’s easier for them to grasp or understand or when they’re seeing it visually in these. In these pictures and then reading it themselves and, or having someone else read it to them. You know, so there’s. There’s so many different ways that people learn and experience what, you know, God wants us to learn and know and, and grow and just a beautiful tool for discipleship, too, and especially for the writing and also for the drawing and the art, because it’s an open door to conversation.
Doris [00:37:23]:
You know, you can just. You can have some of these illustrations on. You probably thought of this already, but, you know, have them on T shirts or something to where people can say, wow, that’s really cool. What, what is that about? You know, tell me about that. And it just is like an open door of divine appointments where you can share. So that’s really powerful. And I love that you’re using your gifts for that. And of course, you, you’ve been raised in a wonderful godly family and not everybody has been.
Doris [00:37:49]:
So I think too, that’s another thing to consider, the fact being that some have come to faith, but maybe had a rough childhood or maybe didn’t, you know, had a great childhood, but their family was not Christian or, you know, knew Jesus and now there’s like a whole new world opening up to people who are hearing about him, maybe hearing the word for the first time or when you have a language barrier because, you know, you don’t have to speak the same language as someone, but someone can look at a picture, you know, a piece of art, and they can understand what the message is from it. So I think that’s another powerful thing because it can be international, you know, with, with the art part of it too. So I think that’s really great. And ways to just share the gospel with, with others. And of course him as coming king too, you know, that he’s. He’s going to return and that the hope that. And that’s the message too. Throughout the book, it’s like this continual hope and God’s faithfulness and truth that everything that was said came to pass and there’s even more to come that we can be excited about.
Doris [00:38:58]:
So I love that so much. And if there is something, I’ll give you each an opportunity, maybe one last thing you’d want to leave the listener with before we can maybe have you share how they can connect with and, and reach out to you all.
Donna Amidon [00:39:12]:
You know, we live our lives so much, and it’s not until we’ve lived something and we look back, we can see how God’s hand was in it the whole time. I remember when I first did this for the ladies of the church eight years ago. I thought, this needs to be a book. And I begged and I pleaded and I stormed the gates of heaven and, and asked God, make this a book. Make this a book. And it didn’t happen. And it didn’t happen. And so I had to pray and wait, wait and pray and wait and pray and wait.
Donna Amidon [00:39:41]:
And it wasn’t until like five years or six years later after the book was ready, that I even got an agent and got a publisher. And then the book happened. But yet I look back Now. And I think if God would have said yes when I wanted him to say yes, I would have written the book, but there would be no illustrations because Charity was so young and had not developed as an artist. But yet I’m praying God do this so hard. But yet God would say, wait, my daughter. I’m working on something even better that’s going to blow you away. And then seven years later, Charity’s able.
Donna Amidon [00:40:24]:
I write, I get the contract, and Charity is able to be the illustrator. And what a lesson for me in the book, and what a lesson for me in life. And what a lesson for all of us listening is that we can truly trust God’s timing. And when he says no or when he says wait, it’s often because he has something else in mind. Because we must remember he has a perspective we don’t have. He has wisdom beyond anything we can even begin to have. And so it’s just beautiful how God’s timing is truly perfect and that he wants us to wait and trust in his faithfulness and his goodness and his loving kindness even when things don’t make sense. So I love how that was a huge lesson for me as I wrote the book.
Charity Amidon [00:41:09]:
And even in that waiting, like. Like one of the stories in the book is about Abraham and how he had to wait 25 or so years for a promise of a son that God had promised. And he was just like, where is it? And he tried to fulfill it in his own strength, but it was so that when it happened, and it would have been the. Like, it would have been so impossible for Abraham to do it in himself. That, like, to have a kid at 100 that, like, they knew that it was God that did it. And I think there’s just so many stories in the book that show that, like, through the hard times, you can trust the Lord. And Jesus has always been there. He’s not just a backup plan.
Charity Amidon [00:41:52]:
Like Genesis 3:15, like, that’s the first mention of the gospel. The first time that. That God was like, I’m going to save you guys, was like, Genesis, the first book. So it’s just really encouraging to know that God, the same God that is in Genesis, the same God that part of the Red Sea. And it was with Abraham and Joseph and all these characters that we read about, like, those are very real people. And that’s the same God that we pray to today. And just understanding that just really, really helps you just appreciate what Jesus did and all that the Lord has gone through and his people have gone through, and it’s Encouragement to us to just look at the story as a whole, I think.
Doris [00:42:37]:
Yeah. Wow. I. This is a great note to kind of end the show on, because this really relates to everyone, you know, and it will encourage someone listening today day who’s been waiting. Maybe there’s a prayer that they’re waiting, they’re waiting on, and they’re just not seeing anything or someone that. That is serving, serving, serving, but just not seeing any fruit and wondering, is it time to quit? You know, should I. Should I quit? And maybe there are some times where God is changing direction and maybe leading you into something new. But oftentimes it’s in our own strength that we think we should do things or we try to make things happen on our own and that it.
Doris [00:43:19]:
It’s not the right timing. It’s not God’ timing in. And I think it’s really great that you share this story about how it would not have worked out as well had it gone your way. Donna when we thought, you know, we wanted this to happen now, you know, and then when it happens later, seeing that it’s so much better than we could ask or think, you know, it’s like just that scripture in Ephesians, but just knowing that God has it under control, like he knows. He knows what’s going to happen, so we just can trust him in that and, and, and just show up, basically. So I think that’s going to encourage a lot of people listening today who, who just feel like maybe they don’t want to show up anymore, but just keep showing up and, you know, just, just keep trusting God and in whatever it is, you know, that’s happening. And we have challenge, we have seasons in our life, we have things that happen. Life happens as, as the saying goes, but that we can always trust our God is faithful.
Doris [00:44:18]:
And this, this book is. Is encouraging because it’s kind of showing that over and over and over. And you know, as. As you brought out Charity that time time again, we see it throughout the pages and how all of it connects together. So, wow. This, this has been really amazing and I loved that you were both able to be on together, which is really cool. And I would also love if you would share with the listener how they can connect with you and where they can find the book and all things that Charity is doing and all of that.
Charity Amidon [00:44:51]:
So I am on Facebook, Instagram, and then I have a website. A website is www.luckydogart.com. and then Facebook is the same Lucky dog Art on Instagram, it’s amadon art. So that’s a M I D O n art. And you’ll find me, hopefully. And if you message me, I will write you back. I’m not the not that, like, popular, so I’ll write you back. And I would love to do really any thing for you that you would like to get commissioned as a drawing or a painting or just an idea.
Charity Amidon [00:45:23]:
I’d love to hear from you on that.
Donna Amidon [00:45:26]:
Yeah, well, you can find me@donnaamadon.com and as charity said, I am not Beth Moore or Priscilla Schwarr. I will write you back. I will write you back personally. So I’d love to hear from you. And you can get Tracey as promised. Really? Anywhere books are sold. Barnes and noble, Amazon, christianbook distributor.com. it’s also available on Audible and audiobook.
Donna Amidon [00:45:51]:
So I think it’s at a really low price right now. So it’s a great gift. It’s a great Bible study tool. So I encourage your listeners to check it out, check out the reviews, see if it’s something that they would enjoy.
Doris [00:46:02]:
Yeah. Thank you so much for sharing all of that. And it’s just been such a pleasure having you both on the show. And I think it really brings home just how impactful this, this book is. And knowing a little bit about the backstory is kind of cool because then as people are going through, they can go, oh, yeah, I remember when they were talking about this, you know, or whatever on the show. So I’ll put those links in the show notes so people can find you. And if. If anybody is interested in doing it as a Bible study at their church, in groups, youth groups, homeschool groups, women’s groups, groups, men’s groups, you know, all the things.
Doris [00:46:39]:
It’s just fantastic. And what a great time of the year to really get this book. It’s. It’s kind of an evergreen because it’s like something that you can do every year, you know, it just is. And then you can do the ornaments and all of that. So it’s just. It’s just great because it incorporates a lot. It could be done as a workshop, which would be really super fun too, you know, and incorporating the art into it and all of that.
Doris [00:47:01]:
So. So thanks again, ladies, for joining me. It’s been great having you on. I appreciate that.
Charity Amidon [00:47:06]:
Thank you.
Donna Amidon [00:47:07]:
Thank you, Doris, and God bless you and your ministry. I love your heart. I love your gracious spirit. I will just. You bought some of my son’s coffee years ago. You. You wanted to support charity as well and have been so kind to write the endorsement. So God bless you and your listeners and the friends listening.
Donna Amidon [00:47:24]:
You have a beautiful heart and a beautiful ministry and so God’s richest blessings on all that you do.
Doris [00:47:30]:
Oh, thank you so much. That is, that is so sweet and I, I appreciate that. Such a blessing and you know how God puts us all together and I’d love to have you both back on the show sometime. We’ll be here together or separate, you know, however God leads. So that will be fun. And friends, thank you again for listening in and I hope you were blessed, I know you were by the conversation and what Donna and Charity had shared today. And I hope you join me next time time when I talk with another woman or women who are taking action where their passion, compassion and conviction intersect. Until then, friends, have a blessed week and I’ll talk to you soon.
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