Breaking Old Rhythms - Book Trailer

I am less than 2 months away from the release of my first non-fiction book Breaking Old Rhythms: Answering the Call of a Creative God on March 1! Thanks to the wonderful peeps at Skor Inc. here is the book trailer. Check it out!

Video by: Brody Harper and Ryan Slaughter of Skor Inc.
Music by: Matt "DJ Opdiggy" Owen
Book Publisher: Intervarsity Press - Crescendo

Amena Answers Your Questions Part 3

My third Question and Answer blog featuring questions from Angeley Crawford on Facebook. 

Question 1: What is "Christian" Poetry?

Question 2: How do I find a writers' group?

Question 3: What are your thoughts on dealing with the hurt or envy that comes with interracial dating?

Have more questions? Find me on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest.

Finding Wonder: Margaret Feinberg's Book Wonderstruck

My friend, Margaret Feinberg, has a new book and 7-session DVD Bible study called Wonderstruck: Awaken to the Nearness of God (releasing Christmas Day)—a personal invitation for you to toss back the covers, climb out of bed, and drink in the fullness of life.

Through Wonderstruck, you’ll learn how to recognize the presence of God in the midst of your routine, unearth extraordinary moments on ordinary days, develop a renewed passion for God, identify what’s holding you back in prayer, and discover joy in knowing you’re wildly loved.

Wonder isn’t a word I often use. Even as a kid I was a bit of a skeptic. I stopped believing in Santa by the time I was six, because I surmised that Jolly Old Saint Nick wasn’t coming to my grandma’s, where I spent most Christmases. First, because where she lived was near the ‘hood and second because she had no chimney and I hadn’t heard many stories about Santa walking in through front doors in the ‘hood with presents and reindeer.

In the same way that the magic of believing in Santa was lost on my six year old self, a sense of wonder or amazement can still slip by me today. Thankfully, in Margaret’s book, she isn’t writing about a mythical character, magic, or make believe, she is writing about the Creator of all things, the Savior of the world, and when we take the time to really experience his creation, it makes us believe.

My husband and I recently moved. Our old apartment was full of imposing walls and closed off spaces, but our new place is all open space and archways, with two large windows opening up to the living room and dining room. We moved in just as the summer was ending, and found ourselves mesmerized by the path of trees we could see swaying in front of our windows each morning.

One morning, I woke up and caught a glimpse of the most beautiful purples and oranges as the sun began to rise. All this time we’ve been living here I never knew such a view was possible from our window. This is what Margaret’s book Wonderstruck invites you to do: take in a new view, see a sunrise through a wall of trees, remember God’s faithfulness during tough times, lift your skepticism and be struck with wonder right where you are.

Follow Margaret’s snarky, funny, and inspirational posts on Twitter, Facebook, or her blog. You can learn more about this great book by visiting www.margaretfeinberg.com/wonderstruck where she’s offering some crazy promos right now with up to $300 of free stuff. I’ve seen the book for as low as $7.95 ($14.99 retail) on Barnes & Noble for all you savvy shoppers.

So where have you seen the wonder of God in your life?  

Amena Answers Your Questions Part 2

My second Question and Answer blog featuring questions from Grant Moyo and Penny Hunter on Facebook.

My literary calling has not been exposed in spite of acknowledgement, was it not meant to happen? -- Grant Moyo

How do you view the role of women in the church - is their voice for other women only? -- Penny Hunter

Have more questions? Find me on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest.

Amena Answers Your Questions Part 1

My first Question and Answer blog featuring questions from @YaniMeansPeace on Twitter and John Bomboy on Facebook.

How Do You Book Your Gigs? -- @YaniMeansPeace

What is Your Take on Using "Choice Language" in Christian Music? -- John Bomboy

Have more questions? Find me on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest.

Christmas Poem Videos, Script, and Download

Through a partnership with 4Thought Media, I have released two new Christmas poem videos: "Shine His Light" and "Unlikely Situations." These two are available for download at 4ThoughtMedia.com.

Below the Script for "Shine His Light" and "Unlikely Situations" is available for purchase as well. We had some broken links previously so if you have any trouble downloading this, please email info@amenabrown.com.

Thank you and Merry Christmas!

AMENA BROWN - SHINE HIS LIGHT (CHRISTMAS) SCRIPT


AMENA BROWN - CHRISTMAS POEM SCRIPT

poem: for the girls at wellspring

started scribbling this poem after beginning a monthly writing session at the wellspring living victory program, a home for girls who have been victims of sex trafficking, exploitation, and abuse. you can check out more info and support the work of wellspring living here: http://www.wellspringliving.org.


for the girls at wellspring


these women
have seen more storms before the age of 16 than I have known in all my years
these girls were forced to be women
responsibility and sexuality and violation forced down their throats and in between their legs
they had no silver spoon
were never spoon fed anything except miniscule amounts of love

one writes
of a dark alley
watching the ravaging of another girl
wishing for superheroes or God to save her
another writes
of her proud Latina heritage
the rhythm of her people dancing in the consonants of her poetry
another writes
of anger pent up, folded, rolled and stuffed
that now must be opened up, examined and freed

I feel inadequate
what do I have to teach these women?
I am a student in their classroom of how to survive
how to not let life beat you down
how to crucify and resurrect

I write and talk with them
a few are bubbly attention-getters
some are quietly ruminating
some listen to and watch me but refuse to talk or scribble
some sleep through the entire session

this is no ordinary classroom
I work with who I can
whisper silent blessings and gratitude over those who albeit quiet are here and alive to tell of it

words and stories
sit in the stomachs of women like these
crawl up their windpipe
tire, fatigue and then rest in the throat
eventually, the weary words make it to the tongue, to ink
and this is the day I hope for these precious ones
a place to be free and unedited