Embracing New Beginnings After Unexpected Challenges with Melissa McLaughlin

Welcome back to Fierce Calling! In this episode, host Doris sits down with Melissa McLaughlin, an author, teacher, and speaker, who writes to uplift and inspire followers of Christ.. Melissa opens up about her faith journey, including her unexpected bout with debilitating health issues that led her to an unexpected and unplanned early retirement from her teaching career. What could have been a season of loss became a time of deep spiritual renewal, as Melissa rediscovered her identity in Christ and found new ways to connect with God through scripture-based prayer.

Out of her darkest moments came her first book, In Dark of Night When Words Fail, Voice of Jesus, Pray for Me, designed to help those who struggle with prayer find their voice again through scripture. Melissa also shares how her second book, The Whole Bible Devotional: Seeing Jesus in Every Book of the Bible, was inspired by her own challenges with reading the Bible all the way through, and her desire to help others see the big-picture story of Jesus woven throughout all the books of the Bible.

Join us for an encouraging conversation about hope, identity, and the power of God, Who creates beauty from ashes. Whether you’re in a season of uncertainty, desire to deepen your prayer life, or looking for fresh ways to engage with Scripture, Melissa’s story and resources will inspire you to keep seeking God’s purpose—no matter what twists and turns life may bring.

We’re Talking About This Amazing Devotional and More!

Florida Women’s Ministry Leadership Conference mentioned in the intro:

Episode Highlights and Takeaways …

1. Introduction to Melissa McLaughlin

• Roles and identity: teacher, writer, wife, mom, speaker, prayer leader, overcomer
• Passion for pursuing Christ with biblical truth, grace, and prayer
• Brief overview of her books:
  • “In Dark of Night When Words Fail, Voice of Jesus, Pray For Me”
  • “The Whole Bible Devotional: Seeing Jesus in Every Book of the Bible”
• Context of her writing coming from personal struggles
• Doris’s introduction and excitement about the conversation

2. Melissa’s Personal Faith Journey

• Growing up in a Christian home
• Making her faith her own during college years
• Becoming a teacher and her passion for education
• Marriage and raising three grown children

3. The Impact of Health Challenges

• Long history of back problems leading to debilitating health issues at age 50
• Forced, early, and unexpected retirement from teaching
• Struggles with loss: health, job, and sense of identity
• Spiritual wrestling: questioning God’s plan and lack of healing

4. Rediscovering Identity in Christ

• God “peeling back” layers of false identity
• Coming to see herself as a child of God, identity rooted in Jesus
• Faith being deepened and transformed through suffering

5. Losing and Regaining the Voice to Pray

• Feeling unable to pray during her darkest moments
• Returning to Scripture and learning to pray aloud from the Bible
• Rewriting Scripture into personalized prayers
• Restoration of her prayer life: God’s words empowering her prayers

6. The Birth of Her First Book

• Decision to write for others struggling to pray
• Combining teaching, compassion, and personal pain into her writing
• Purpose and design of “In Dark of Night When Words Fail, Voice of Jesus, Pray For Me”
  • A prayer guide using Scripture for those struggling to pray or seeking to refresh prayer life

7. Transitioning from Teaching to New Ministry

• Letting go of her expected career path
• Recognizing how God repurposes gifts for new seasons
• The unexpected call to writing and blogging

8. Encouragement for Listeners Facing Unexpected Change

• Reflection on how God is never surprised by our circumstances
• Importance of not finding identity solely in career or roles
• Trusting God’s faithfulness to unfold new things

9. Struggles and Strategies in Reading the Bible

• Personal experience of reading the Bible fully as a teenager
• Attempts to encourage her children to read the Bible, and the challenges they faced
• Disappointment over not completing a family Bible reading plan

10. Creation of the Second Book: The Whole Bible Devotional

• Desire to help people get the “big picture” of the Bible and see Jesus throughout Scripture
• Structure and purpose of the book:
  • Non-academic, accessible Bible overview
  • 66 representative Scripture passages, one from each book of the Bible
  • Prayers accompanying each passage, focusing on Jesus’s role across Scripture
• Suitable as a 66-day devotional for deeper Bible engagement

11. Teaching as a Calling Beyond the Classroom

• Understanding that her core gift of teaching could be used in new formats
• Comparing experiences with Doris regarding finding new avenues to teach

12. Practical Guidance for Bible Reading and Study

• Difference between reading through and studying the Bible
• The benefit of structured plans for reading large sections
• Importance of context and seeing the Bible as a whole

13. Process and Discernment in Selecting Devotional Scriptures

• Details on the five-year journey to select the 66 passages
• Reading one chapter a day and prayerfully discerning key verses
• Consulting study Bibles and biblical resources
• Seeking to highlight how Christ is present in every book

14. The Transformational Power of the Project

• Personal spiritual impact on Melissa during the writing process
• Emphasis on patience and allowing God’s timing

15. Central Themes of Her Devotional

• Seeing Jesus as present from Genesis to Revelation
• Understanding Jesus beyond just the New Testament/manger story
• The significance of Jesus as Savior AND Lord

16. The Need for a High View of Scripture and Christ

• Importance of filtering all teachings through the Bible
• Jesus as the eternal Word, present from the beginning
• The fullness of Christ: mercy, righteousness, justice, lordship

17. Addressing Modern Misconceptions About Jesus

• Tendency toward emphasizing only grace and love
• Balanced understanding of repentance, lordship, and salvation through Jesus alone
• The danger of “multiple ways to God” and affirming Jesus’s claim as the only way

18. Encouragement for Listeners in Difficult Seasons

• Personal words for those facing pain or loss
• Assurance that God sees, loves, and can use broken places for His glory
• The power of waiting on God and trusting in His continued work

19. Resources and Ways to Connect with Melissa

• Website and blog: melissamclaughlin.org
• Free subscription with prayer resources
• Blog content: devotionals, Bible studies, prayers, poetry
• Books available on Amazon and major retailers
• Social media presence: Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, Pinterest
• Invitation to reach out for prayer or encouragement

20. Closing Thoughts and Exhortation

• Reminder that endings often lead to new beginnings
• Encouragement to trust God’s bigger plan
• Affirmation of listeners’ value and place in God’s story
• Invitation to future episodes and continuing community

Connect with Melissa!

You can connect with Melissa at melissamclaughlin.org

Email – melissa.melissamclaughlin.org
X/Twitter – https://x.com/MMcLaughlinsong
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/melissa.mclaughlin.7906/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/melissamclaughlinwriter/
Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/MelissaMcLaughlinTruthfulGrace/
Amazon link to The Whole Bible Devotional – https://a.co/d/cPXLDlU
Amazon link to Whisker, Wags, and Woofs – https://a.co/d/4D3jF1B
Amazon link to In Dark of Night When Words Fail – https://a.co/d/iunv6Hr

Melissa McLaughlin is a writer, teacher, and speaker. She loves encouraging others through her faith and words. Having retired from her career as a public school teacher, she now writes and speaks about her passion, Jesus Christ. She holds Bachelor’s Degrees in Elementary Education and Special Education, as well as a Master’s degree as a Reading Specialist. In addition, she earned a Certificate in Foundations of Biblical Studies, which complements her teaching degrees as she writes to uplift and inspire followers of Christ.

Melissa co-hosted a Writer’s Workshop and numerous Bible studies and praye