A Holy Shift: Breaking Delay and Stepping Boldly Into God's Assignment with Linda D. Moore

In this episode of Hope Unlocked, Kristin Kurtz sits down with Linda D. Moore for a powerful, Spirit-led conversation. Linda shares how God has moved through her story—including powerful moments of surrender, divine redirection, and obedience that unlocked her next steps. Together, they talk about hope, healing, and how to walk boldly into your God-given assignment, no matter your past. Get ready to be deeply encouraged and reminded that your story is far from over.

Linda's Contact Info:

Website - www.lindadmoore.com

Email - info@lindadmoore.com

Linda's Books: 

Write Your Story and Launch Your Legacy: Casting Hope with Seeds of Truth and Grace 

Write Your Story and Launch Your Legacy Workbook: Casting Hope with Seeds of Truth and Grace

 When Love Shows Up: A Devotional of Hope, Healing, and Redemption through Poetry and Prose

🎙️Hope Unlocked Listener Exclusive! Feeling stirred but not sure what to do next? Book a 45-minute Holy Spirit-led 1:1 coaching session w/ Hope Unlocked host Kristin Kurtz, founder of New Wings Coaching. This powerful conversation will help you move from stirred to activated—with peace, clarity, & a Spirit-led next step. Book your call HERE now–special pricing to listeners!

Chapters

• 0:16 Welcome to Hope Unlocked
• 2:47 Linda's Silenced Creative Voice
• 7:13 Finding Faith at Age 52
• 12:57 The Painful Secret of Abortion
• 23:14 Forgiving Yourself Takes Time
• 33:23 Discovering Her Voice as a Writer
• 44:09 From Dirty Bar of Soap to Hope
• 1:03:56 Final Words of Encouragement

Transcript

Speaker 2: 0:16

Welcome to the Hope Unlocked podcast. I'm your host, kristen Kurtz, and I'm also the founder of New Wings Coaching. I help and empower wildhearted and adventurous women of faith feeling caged and stuck, unlock their true purpose and potential, break free from limitations and thrive with confidence, courage and hope. If you're curious to learn more about coaching with me, head to newwingscoachingnet and be sure to explore the show notes for ways to connect with me further. Get ready to dive in as we uncover empowering keys and insights in this episode. So tune in and let's unlock hope together. Welcome to the Hope Unlocked podcast. I'm Kristen Kurtz, your host. I pray this episode is like a holy IV of hope for your soul. Please help me. Welcome my new friend, linda D Moore, to the show. I'm so excited to have her here. I know that she is going to release so much goodness and share parts of her story that are really going to impact you and tell you more about what she's been up to. So, linda, would you be open to first sharing a little bit about yourself?

Speaker 1: 1:16

Yes, I'd be happy to Kristen. I'm so excited to be here. I remember how we found each other. I remember you talking about hope and seeds and I thought, oh my gosh, I need to reach out to her because my book is called casting hope with seeds of truth and grace and I thought okay, I I understand, lord, what you're doing. You're connecting us here for some reason. And here we are. It's been a while. It's taken us a long time to get together. I think this is our fourth try.

Speaker 2: 1:50

Yes, today is the day Today is the day I know I'm excited.

Speaker 1: 1:56

It's beautiful here. I'm in the state of Washington, in the desert side of the state, over on the Eastern side, and it's beautiful, it's sunny, it's clear. We went golfing this morning. Already, my husband and I golf every morning and yeah, so we're ready, we're ready.

Speaker 2: 2:20

Well you have. You shared some things with me prior to us getting started, and I know that he has had you on quite the adventure in life, right? Yes, where would you want to start in sharing more about you and where he's taken you?

Speaker 1: 2:47

When I was a little girl, I was old enough to write a poem maybe 8, 9, 10. And I was so proud of this little poem. It was called A Dirty Bar of Soap. And I thought it was so creative and so clever and so unique. And I was so proud of that little poem and I took it into my mother mother. I remember we were in her bedroom and I handed it to her to read and she read it and she said, linda, this is the most stupid thing I've ever read.

Speaker 1: 3:14

And she threw it on the floor oh my gosh and I never wrote another word, word, and I so wish I had that little poem. Oh, my word. So here, all these years later, god's message to me has never changed Speak up and write, be kind and gentle and let him handle everything.

Speaker 2: 3:41

Can you say that again? Somebody needs to. Yes, yes.

Speaker 1: 3:44

Speak up and write, be kind and gentle and let him handle everything. I joined Toastmasters to learn how to speak. And in order to give a speech, one must write a speech. And it was there I learned I was a writer, and that was about 10 years ago, in 2014. Wow, just 10. And I thought, oh my goodness, I was. I started to write and I thought, oh my goodness, this is really good. Oh my God, I had no idea.

Speaker 2: 4:23

I had no idea oh my god, I had no idea. I had no idea.

Speaker 1: 4:33

Oh and how many years was that between your mom and this? This, yeah so say I was 10, and so 10 years ago I would be so 50, almost 60 years ago when I wrote that little poem. And so I am now the author of two best-selling, number one best-selling books on Amazon. I have a workbook and I'm now working on book number four, and I have self-published two books, and two different publishers have picked up books three and book four. Oh, my goodness. So I'm thinking what would have happened if I would have kept writing right from the age of 10. Uh, I I don't concentrate on that for very long, but I realized. You know what One of my messages is even though your purpose was squelched when you were little, it's still in there, and let God bring it out.

Speaker 2: 5:43

Yes, yes, yeah, oh, my gosh, yeah, that's so. Resonates with me because, um, I think you know a lot of the women that I encounter, and even part of my own story is, you know, the voice got cut off at a young age. Um, and I won't get into my story, but I've noticed that you know, there's something that snags people. There's, there's, whether it's creative, usually in the creativity space, would you say, like people you've talked about, like when it comes to arts, you know singing, um just different ways of expressing yourself.

Speaker 2: 6:19

And if somebody like puts you down in that area.

Speaker 1: 6:23

It can really snag you. Yeah, I, I had no idea what that little episode would do when I was 10 years old, that it would squelch that whole line of thinking. Yeah, and creativity, all that creativity um, was she?

Speaker 2: 6:44

she probably had no idea. You know, looking back with your mom, she probably had no idea that that would no the culmination of those words, what that would actually do, right?

Speaker 1: 6:55

No, in fact, I never got to share that with her either. We never really talked about that. Really talked about that, um. But my story is about growing up with my mom who, um, was not available emotionally yeah and it's taken us.

Speaker 1: 7:21

It took us till the end of our life, till the end of my mother's life. It took us that long to be emotionally connected and it was only through god that that happened and I'm so thankful. You know, in the bible that talks about store up your treasures in heaven. And I never understood that. I didn't know what that meant exactly. Let's see, whenever I became a Christian at 52 oh, wow, so I know both sides. So 52, so 25 years ago, and when I, when my mom told me she loved me for the first time, I realized that's a treasure that we store in heaven. That's a treasure that nobody can steal. You know, it can't rust. So I love the treasures that we go through in life that God just hands us. He just hands them to us and they're stored in heaven. I just, I love that.

Speaker 2: 8:31

And it's the simplicity of the words that you caught right, and not everybody catches those words when it's, you know, maybe for those who've lived in a space where it's on repeat, right Exactly, would you say. So I want to go back a little bit. You were 52 when you came to Christ. I was. You must have some stories.

Speaker 1: 9:02

I have some stories and in fact I've written them all down and I've published my stories and I um, I marvel at what god has been able to do with, uh, his simple request of speak up and write. So when I'm writing and when I'm speaking, I know I'm in his favor and it just happens so simply and so easily. It's not an effort and, uh, when I was see 52, I was going through my second divorce. My dad had just died and I was completely lost. My second divorce, my dad had just died and I was completely lost and I didn't know. Even though I was raised in the church we went to church every weekend I just never got the message about God and the Holy Spirit and Jesus, and I was new to Bible study at 52, and I had a little brochure from Bible study fellowship.

Speaker 2: 10:16

Okay.

Speaker 1: 10:17

And I was holding on to it. I wasn't sure quite why, but I picked it up one day when I was at a meeting and I didn't know anything about the meeting and I didn't know anything about the bible. I didn't know anything about Christianity.

Speaker 1: 10:28

I like to say that I backed into everything because, uh, I wasn't aware, I was just open and I was, uh, available and I had, I was lost. I was completely lost. When my dad died I thought I thought my dad would live forever. I really did, and he was my buddy. And somebody said well, you know, he will live forever if he was a believer. And I actually don't know if my dad accepted Christ or not before he died, but I was, so I guess I was so open that day it was February 2nd 2000. And I sat down at the kitchen table one morning and I went through this little brochure it has about 40 verses in it and I accepted Christ and I didn't know, I didn't know what I was doing. But the first word you'll like this, kristen, you'll appreciate this the very first message I got right after I finished going through this process. These are the words I heard your hope is misplaced. You need to hope in me.

Speaker 2: 11:39

Oh my word, Say that again. That's for somebody.

Speaker 1: 11:43

Yeah, your hope is misplaced. You need to hope in me.

Speaker 2: 11:48

So when you heard that like you immediately like heard a message. Right, I did.

Speaker 1: 12:00

I'm sure it meant a lot to you.

Speaker 1: 12:01

So what did that do to you? When you heard that, yeah, well, uh, it caught my attention for sure. I knew, I knew what. I knew what it was. I was confused.

Speaker 1: 12:09

I did go to, I was take. I was going to al-anon at the time because my dad had admitted his dependency. So I was in al-anon and I went to al-anon that night and my question was okay, I've just accepted Christ. And these are the words I heard. And I have a question for all of you Can I no longer hope in my fellow man? And somebody came up to me after the meeting and he said no, you can hope in your fellow man, you just need to hope in God first.

Speaker 1: 12:41

And that was my first day of being a believer. This is your first day, first day, the very first day. But two days later I had now, I didn't know at the time that it was a holy ground moment, but I had a holy ground moment. Two days later, in my kitchen, in the same house, I found myself down on my hands and knees. I was in the fetal position and God was there with me. God was standing over me in my kitchen and he was. He was big and I was little, he was everything and I was nothing. He was God and I was sinner. He was judge and I was guilty. He was right and I was wrong. He was everything and I was nothing and I was whimpering. And he had me watch the movie of my life and I saw who I had been being in the world and I never wanted to be that woman ever again.

Speaker 2: 13:51

Wow, and this is just two days later.

Speaker 1: 13:54

Two days later, that was February 4th, and then guess what? And then he was gone. But guess what he left behind.

Speaker 2: 14:01

He left behind love.

Speaker 1: 14:04

He left behind love, he, love, he left behind love, he. He loved me enough um to scold me and to love me at the same time, and he had. He did it so beautifully and so gently and, uh, it still makes me cry because, um, it was, um, I got love for the first time. That was, I got that. He loved me. And so my question my question for him.

Speaker 2: 14:34

Yeah, go ahead. Oh, I was just gonna say, like you, you had never experienced love in that way before no, no, not at all.

Speaker 1: 14:43

I've been scolded, but not with love. Yeah, mom had a heavy hand and uh, I thought, oh my gosh, and I could feel it. I could wear it like a coat. It was so tangible, that love, like I felt it, and that from there I went through this long repentance process. I didn't know what repentance was. I had no idea. Again, I kind of backed into everything.

Speaker 1: 15:21

I went through a long repentance process because my questions to God were okay, lord, why have I been divorced twice? Why have I been raped twice? Why have I been struggling financially twice? And he said well, do you remember those two abortions you had? And I said well, nobody knows about those. And he said well, I know. He says you've kept yourself in jail for 34 years. He said if you would have come to me at any time along the way, I would have forgiven you. You kept yourself in self-imposed prison for 34 years because, guess what, I never told anybody I had a divorce. I had an abortion at 18, and I had an abortion at 18, and I had an abortion at 21. And I never told anyone. The two fathers, of course, but no one else, not my mom, not my dad, nobody. I had no friends. I was all alone in the world and I believed that those abortions did not happen.

Speaker 2: 16:27

And I went on with my life as if they didn't.

Speaker 1: 16:28

And every once in a while they would creep back up into my consciousness and I'd tamp them down. I'd say no, no, no, it didn't happen, it didn't happen, it didn't happen. Wow.

Speaker 2: 16:41

So you were denying the fact that it happened?

Speaker 1: 16:44

Yes, yeah, the fact that it happened. Yes, yeah, this was back in the day, you know when, abortion was illegal okay and so, uh, I, I just told no one you know, I back then, I mean I knew premarital sex was forbidden, but I did it anyway. But when I got pregnant I realized oh, I can't tell anybody, because then people will know I had sex, premarital sex, and I wasn't about to go there.

Speaker 2: 17:15

So was there a lot of shame that you felt at that time? I'm sorry, were you flooded with shame at that point.

Speaker 1: 17:21

Definitely, definitely, were you flooded with shame at that point, definitely, definitely. I think that's why, you know, even though I wasn't a Christian, I think I knew that what I did was wrong and I couldn't admit it to myself. Even so, guilt and shame and remorse and sadness and, uh, it was. It's such a huge step that we know I didn't realize how, how big that step was. I didn't realize, uh, what a big deal it was until afterwards. And then I just ignored it and I. So here's what I believe today that, um, I didn't put two and two together. I didn't know that, uh, so two, two divorces.

Speaker 1: 18:26

I, as I understand it now, I understand that I back then, even though I had a great marriage my first husband was amazing, my second husband was amazing what I believed is that, because of the abortions which didn't even tell myself about, I believe that I didn't deserve a good marriage. You know, way down deep inside, I did not deserve a good marriage. I didn't deserve to be happy, I didn't deserve to have fun, I didn't deserve to have a good life. And I didn't even know, I believed that I didn't know any of that until later. Now I can see it clearly. It's like, oh, I ruined two perfectly good marriages, because I didn't believe that I um deserved anything good in life. And that's the sad part about abortion. You know, we take these inner uh thoughts and ideas and we live that way. We live that way yeah.

Speaker 2: 19:41

And especially if you didn't have anybody to talk to about it. No Like literally it. No Like literally nobody, no one. I wonder. You know it makes me wonder. You know I'm always thinking and wondering and you know I wonder how many women out there who are, you know, potentially listening in, who have had an abortion, who've never talked to anybody about it before. What would you say to them?

Speaker 1: 20:48

oh well, I would love to talk to them. I would love to just give them a big hug and um be a friend yeah, I just love your heart.

Speaker 2: 21:02

Oh my gosh, like I can.

Speaker 1: 21:04

I can feel you like literally reaching out and hugging these women right now in fact, when I I I now stand in front of planned parenthood with a big sign and um, my sign on one side says need a hug and the other side says, uh, no, it says free hugs on one side and need a friend on the other. Because I believe that if we just could be a friend to somebody, that we could change, that.

Speaker 2: 21:34

We could change someone's life wow, and, and you know you're coming, you're coming at it with a posture of love.

Speaker 2: 21:43

Yes, right Would you say and I'm just kind of going to go here when it comes to people, here's another just kind of a little avenue for those who are taking a stand against abortion. We definitely have. There's different, you know things that I've seen out there on the streets. Right, how, how would you speak to somebody who's wanting to stop it? How would you help them posture themselves? What? What is going to help these women?

Speaker 1: 22:23

the women who want to have an abortion.

Speaker 1: 22:25

The ones who are like standing in the gap standing in the gap, the ones who want to help. Yeah, there are people who want to help. It's going to take every single person up. It's going to take every single one of us, because the harvest is so great and the workers are so few, and my is so great and the workers are so few and my um, the whole. My book, uh, write your story and launch your legacy. Um is geared towards forgiving ourselves. So what happened was, even though God forgave me when I was 52, it took another 20 years for me to forgive myself.

Speaker 1: 23:14

Wow, so you just recently, just recently, yeah, just recently, when I wrote my first book. So I have been through three different abortion Bible study recoveries, sessions and you know it's. I love my story, I absolutely love my story. The first Bible study was my first entree into showing up in person at a meeting like that and I remember, oh gosh, I was so timid but I went. It was a meeting at night and but it was during the summer, so it was broad daylight and it was in this little portable building on a church campus and I, I went there by myself and I I remember thinking, oh boy, I sure hope nobody sees me walking into this building, as if there was this big abortion recovery sign, you know, neon, flashing right. Oh my gosh, oh my.

Speaker 1: 24:23

And then the next years later, the next abortion recovery Bible study was held in someone's home and forgiven and set free by Linda Cochran, and I cried and I cried and I cried and I cried and I tell the story about how I wish I had caught all these tears in a bottle. It's like when I was going through repentance, I was crying and crying and crying and I wish I had caught those tears in a bottle and then I went to another abortion healing workshop and I went out of state to a weekend seminar retreat and I came away from there with such a sparkly clean heart and I came home and I wanted to clean my whole house because I wanted everything around me to be sparkly clean. And, uh, the, it was deeper still, deeper still out of tennessee and I, the um, I, the, the founder and CEO, karen Ellison, was asking a lot of us if we wanted to write our story and submit it to her because she was writing a book. And I said, sure, yeah. And I got home and guess what? I couldn't do it. There was still something in the way and I didn't know what it was, but I just could not submit my story. Something in the way and I didn't know what it was, but I just could not submit my story.

Speaker 1: 25:51

And about, I don't know well, in 2018, so it's probably about five or six years later um, I was asking God, um, is this all there is? You know, I was taking care of my elderly mother and my new husband I married again a third time and my daughter and her two children, and everything was seemingly good. But my question was okay, is this? It? Is this all there is, it's okay, this is good. And he said oh no, my child, I have more for you. And shortly thereafter yeah, shortly thereafter he sat me down one long weekend, very long weekend, and words started falling out of the sky. It was like manna falling from heaven and I just picked up my pen and I started writing. And I wrote non-stop for four or five days he just never let up, even in the night.

Speaker 1: 26:46

Oh my gosh, I'd get up out of bed and I'd run in the bathroom and I'd turn on the light and I'd write uh, because I didn't want to wake up my husband, and I'd write something down because I learned that if you don't write it down it's gone. You won't be able to remember it in the morning especially as we get older.

Speaker 1: 27:06

Yeah, yes, and so I'd get back into bed and bam, I'd get more words. So I'd get up out of bed and I'd go write some more, and this went on for four or five days and I you know, uh, I've just never had anything like that happen.

Speaker 1: 27:25

and uh, at the end of four or five days, I looked down and I had written a book and I thought, oh my goodness, I have my story. And God took me through this very gentle process of how to write my story. And when I got all done, I went out the next morning to where my husband was sitting in the dining room and I sat down and I said oh, I feel great. And he said you have forgiven yourself. You have forgiven yourself. And that was the last hurdle. I needed to find my voice to speak up and be all that God wants me to be. And the interesting thing is when this happens after something like abortion, when I look back over my life, I realize, okay, I can't make up for lost time, but I can go back and start over. And so I feel like I'm 18 again, my whole life ahead of me, and I'm excited. And there's nothing in the way. There are no secrets, there's nothing that I haven't shared, and I am. That's my message is I want to help people write their story. Uh, forgive themselves, get it all out there, look at the truth, share the truth, be okay with the truth and realize that God's got this and there's a lot of work to be done. So I'm excited to be here. I didn't realize I would ever be here, but I signed on.

Speaker 1: 29:13

I signed on early with God. When I first became a Christian I said okay, lord, I'll go wherever you want me to go, I'll do whatever you want me to do. I'll have whatever you want me to have. I'll say whatever you want me to say. I'm yours 100%. And he started by asking me to have. I'll say whatever you want me to say. Uh, I'm yours 100. And he started by asking me to do tiny little things. And he saw me get into action and he was so excited he went oh, my girl, here she is, she's moving, she's moving, she's ready so that he would just keep asking me to do bigger and bigger things, and, and here we are today, stepping into this giant conversation.

Speaker 1: 29:48

Yes, I'm happy to be here.

Speaker 2: 29:50

Oh, my gosh. Well, and it reminds me of. You know, don't despise the small beginning. So do you remember one of those first small steps he took?

Speaker 1: 30:00

First small steps. Yes, he said, he asked me to enter a Christian radio station contest. Oh, wow.

Speaker 1: 30:12

And this was early on, this was way back when I was going through that first Bible study and I heard the request. Definitely I knew exactly what he was talking about because I knew the radio station. I knew exactly what he was talking about because I knew the radio station, I knew the contest and I had about six weeks before the contest was over and I thought I have some time and I was hesitant, I was hesitant but I kept hearing it, kept hearing it. Finally he gave me the Christian radio station. Contest was think of a charity, think of something that you want to create as a charity and if you win you get five thousand dollars oh, wow and I thought, okay, all right, okay.

Speaker 1: 31:01

So then he told me exactly what he wanted me to enter. I said, okay, lord, okay, I was like so tentative, but I knew I was going to have to record something on my little phone, okay, and I didn't have remember back in the day when you had to have a sim card, yeah, to put in your phone to be able to record on it. And I didn't have that and I thought, oh gosh, I'm gonna have to go to the store and get one. And he saw me get in my car, drive to the store, get the little sim card, put it in, ask a friend to help me. I had to explain to her what I was doing.

Speaker 1: 31:36

This was all out of character for me. I, I love it, uh, and then, but the contest submission was okay, so this is interesting too. It was to go stand in front of a pregnancy center, a Planned Parenthood and I'm just now realizing this and offer to them, have a conversation, offer them $5,000 plus 5,000 friends, plus 5,000 prayers. And if they would, if they would receive that, then would they change their mind. So that was my mission. Okay, if I give you $5,000 and 5,000 friends and 5,000 prayers. Would you not go in to what you're you know? Will you not do what you're planning to do today?

Speaker 1: 32:27

Yeah and um, I had waited. I had waited quite a while before the contest, so the contest was almost up and, uh, I submitted it to the radio station and it got accepted to be on the on the radio station, and. But then the next process on the on the radio station, and. But then the next process was that you were supposed to tell all your friends to vote for you, and that's how they determined the winner. Well, I ran out of time to do all that. I started it, I did, I did start it, but I didn't win. But that was the very first thing that he asked me to do.

Speaker 2: 33:06

And more fives, but that was the very first thing that he asked me to do, and More fives. Yeah, oh, my gosh, so you had like your first airtime then.

Speaker 1: 33:19

Oh, you're right, I did.

Speaker 2: 33:21

And the radio station was open to sharing about this.

Speaker 1: 33:24

Uh-huh, that's right, that's right.

Speaker 2: 33:27

That's right they were. Were you able to share some of your story there as well?

Speaker 1: 33:34

No, uh-uh, okay, no, no, no. Then I went on here's another big one, you can see it was growing. But when I was yeah, when I was dating my third husband now I had met him in college, but I wasn't looking for an honorable man in college. But when I became a Christian, I realized, oh my gosh, I'm deserving of an honorable man and college. But when I became a christian, I realized, oh my gosh, I'm deserving of an honorable man, and I went looking for this gentleman and I couldn't find him.

Speaker 1: 34:14

Um, this was about 14 years ago and I thought, well, if god wants me to be with somebody, you know he'll deliver him to my front door. And so this is the time when I'm falling head over heels in love with Jesus. And I've got this cute little condo and I'm just, I'm happy as a bug. I'm falling in love with Jesus. And whoops, sorry, oh, you're good One's ringing, no problem, no problem. And this I was. I had a new um cell phone.

Speaker 1: 34:57

So back in the day, when facebook was just starting to come out, and I got a ding on my FaceTime Facebook and it was from this gentleman that I had been looking for and couldn't find. And I sat up in bed and I went this is the guy I was looking for. Well, it was the guy from college. I was apologizing to so many of my friends for being a jerk and that was part of the whole process that god was taking me through repentance and I knew I wanted to apologize to him because I had left college without saying goodbye and I, we started talking and he lived about four hours away and, uh, um, as we kept talking, I started thinking okay, lord, this is not the man for me. I wanted to be a pastor's wife. I wanted someone with a deeper commitment to Christ than I had.

Speaker 1: 35:59

And I kept thinking, okay, lord, no, this isn't the guy for me. And God kept saying let me handle it. Remember, he told me let me handle everything, right. And he kept saying let me handle it. And I kept saying no, no, no, he's not the guy. And I even went to church and prayed at the front of the church saying, oh gosh, I'm in this dilemma, I don't know what to do. You know, can you help me? This isn't the guy for me. And and I was sure right and he kept saying let me handle it. And I kept saying no. And then there are two points here I want to make. Yeah, one of them is wait a second. I'm arguing with God. Why did I never argue with Satan? Oh my goodness.

Speaker 2: 37:02

Whoa Say that again.

Speaker 1: 37:04

I was arguing with God and I realized, wait a second, I never argued with satan. Why, lord, have I not argued with satan? And I didn't get the answer to that until later, just before my book was coming out. The first book was coming out and I had to stop the presses and say wait a second. The reason I never argued with satan is because I was such a slave to sin. All I could say is yes, master oh oh, oh is right.

Speaker 1: 37:43

Wow, I was such a slave to sin. All I could say was yes, master.

Speaker 2: 37:50

Oh my goodness, that's a whole word right there, yeah.

Speaker 1: 37:56

And that's how Satan. That's how. That's how Satan works, unfortunately. And then the other point I wanted to make is that I kept saying no to God, this isn't the guy, this isn't the guy. And that went on for about six months. And one day we used to meet halfway in the middle of the state. So I'm on one side of the state and he's on the other side of the state and we meet halfway and have a picnic. And we met halfway one day and had a little picnic and, uh, he didn't mean to propose and I didn't mean to say yes, but we found ourselves happily engaged.

Speaker 2: 38:42

That is the cutest thing I've ever heard.

Speaker 1: 38:43

He didn't mean to propose, and I didn't mean to say yes, right, oh, my goodness. And we found ourselves happily engaged and we got married shortly thereafter and we have the most amazing wedding, most amazing marriage. I had no idea how joyful we would be and how perfect this union is and what a covenant is and what love is all about. And we just had our 13th wedding anniversary and, um, I'm just in awe. I'm just in awe.

Speaker 2: 39:18

yeah and wow so that was one of the bigger things Can. I take it back a second, though. Uh-huh. Yes, he didn't know he was going to propose. No, how does that work? Did he literally not know that he was going to ask you to marry him that day?

Speaker 1: 39:38

I don't think so, really. We were sitting at a picnic table and he was talking about how, when he was in college. And he was talking about how when he was in college, he didn't want to get anybody pregnant because he didn't have any money and he couldn't afford a wife and he had saved every penny he ever earned. And when we had that little picnic at the table, he said one of his things was well, you know what? I have money now and I think I can afford you, oh my gosh. And he was really bashful and he just said would you marry me?

Speaker 2: 40:21

And I said, yes, oh my gosh. So you had like no idea.

Speaker 1: 40:24

He didn't have a ring or anything. No, no, this you had like, no idea he didn't have a ring or anything.

Speaker 2: 40:28

No, no, no, this is a movie, linda. Do you remember what I said to you before we got started?

Speaker 1: 40:37

Yes, oh my goodness, oh, my goodness. So then he renewed his commitment to Christ and he became a deacon at our church and he talks about God and going to church and Jesus every chance he gets. We're both in Bible study, we're in small group. We went back to the church. We were looking for a church here where he lived, because I moved four hours away to be with him and we were looking for a church and we ended up going back to the church where he grew up in and we know that his mother is absolutely thrilled because guess what? He'd never been married and he was 65.

Speaker 2: 41:18

Yeah. Yeah, and so it really goes back to, you know, one of my favorite things to say, and I'm sure it's one of your favorite things to say as well as. Can you guess what it is?

Speaker 1: 41:29

no, it's never too late it's never too late, that's right, oh boy. Yes, yes, yes, yes, it's never too late.

Speaker 2: 41:37

I, I feel like there's many out there who you know have wild stories like us. You know, we've we've had wild stories that have taken us to maybe do things that in later stages in life and, um, I think one of my favorite things is hearing um, if people are doing the math, they can figure out what your age is based on what you've been sharing. Can you just declare your age?

Speaker 2: 42:10

I'm 77 yeah and I feel like I'm 18, starting all over again yeah, I mean, no wonder I was like hearing my spirit, like grow up in your child likeness this morning oh, that's right, that's it really goes along with, like linda's story here. Oh yeah, you're right, you're now like you're, like you know, freestyling as a teenager, you're almost. You know, you said you, you kind of fell into things going backwards and I I do if it's. I sense that he's really restoring. You know those years, if you guys know the verse um joel to like restoring the years the locust has eaten do you know?

Speaker 2: 42:59

that, that passage, yes, yes, that perfect. He's done such a work in your life. Well, could you tell us about, like sure you have, how many books that you released?

Speaker 1: 43:14

I have three published. I have two that I self-published and one that was picked up by redemption press. So my first book when I it was launched in 2020, I just relaunched it in December and launched a workbook as well, because the process that God took me through to get me to where I am today is in the book, and it's an eight-step well well, it's a 14 step process, but there are six steps that he had me go through before I could start writing my story so it was a cleansing.

Speaker 1: 43:54

It was this enormous cleansing, um, of being able to get to the bottom, to unload, offload, download, dump, erase, delete everything in our lives and get it out on paper so that we can see the truth. So we can see the truth and we can know the love then that's underneath all of that, that is just waiting, sitting there, waiting to come out. But we have this story that keeps us in jail and frozen and we can't. So many people I talk to they say, oh, I can't share my story, oh, no, I would never share my story. Oh, no, no, no, no, no. But you know what?

Speaker 1: 44:39

yeah there's so much in our story that is like gold. Yes, we, when we really look at it and take it apart and look at what the message is that god has created over our whole entire life and what it looks like really, in honesty, um, it's mind-blowing. It's like, oh my gosh, look at this. Yes, I can't believe it. So, finally, at one point, when I was a new christian and I was telling everybody in my family that I had I was a new christian and then I had two abortions and you know really spilling it out there, um, for the first time ever, um, my mom said, oh, honey, I never taught you about sex. Oh, oh my gosh.

Speaker 1: 45:32

She took it all upon herself and I said, no, mom, it's not your fault, yes, it is, it's my fault. I said, no, it's not, and I don't. I don't think we ever got to the end of that argument. But, um, when I started sharing the truth, guess what people started sharing the truth with me? Yeah, and I had no idea that the love was there. I just couldn't see it. I just couldn't see it. So another message of mine is that is to share the truth and be okay with the truth of our lives.

Speaker 2: 46:12

As you're talking, even I'm thinking back to what was the name of your poem.

Speaker 1: 46:18

A Dirty.

Speaker 2: 46:19

Bar of Soap, and I'm being reminded of Psalm 51.7 for you now, at this point, it's of Psalm 51, 7 for you now, at this point.

Speaker 1: 46:31

It's urge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean, wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes. Oh, that's beautiful. Yeah, I love that verse.

Speaker 2: 46:40

Yes, yes, it's so beautiful what he has done with your life, with your yes, with your surrender right, exactly, yeah, complete surrender, wow, and repentance.

Speaker 1: 46:56

You know, one of my favorite books is the Doctrine of Repentance by Thomas Watson. Oh, okay, oh, it was written, I think in the 1600s. Oh, it was written, I think in the 1600s. It's my absolute favorite book because of what repentance is all about, what it can do for us, what it's intended to do, how we must repent and what comes from repentance when we're truly sorry for who we've been and we never want to be that person ever again. Oh, it's just beautiful.

Speaker 2: 47:28

It's beautiful oh, I love how you just said that, like there's so much joy exploding through you, do you guys hear the joy that explodes through linda? I mean it's so beautiful, like what he has done through you truly. Um, would you tell us about so math again? First book, released when you were 72. Amazing Right, self-published, your first book, amazing, like. What was that process like? Would you kind of pull us back behind the curtain for a moment?

Speaker 1: 48:06

yeah, so uh, the book, um, as written by god, right I? My first thought was, oh, now what do I do? Who's gonna read this? What do I do? Yeah, um, I belong to the northwest christ Writers Association because, you know, when he told me to speak up and write, I thought, okay, well, I need to hang out with authors. So I've been with the Northwest Christian Writers Association, oh gosh, for oh, 40, 50 years. And I was just hanging out, right, I was just 40 or 50 years, yeah, when I first, when he first said speak up and write, be kind and gentle let me handle everything.

Speaker 1: 48:57

I joined toastmasters to learn how to speak, yeah, and it was there that so I. I learned that if you have to give a speech, you have to write a speech. So then I realized, okay, I, I'm a writer. I thought, oh my gosh, what I'm writing here is amazing. And then at the northwest christian Association I had met a woman and this is how God works, it's so amazing. At one of the meetings she had a book for sale and I was at her table and I was chit-chatting with her and I learned that she lives over by me on the other side of the state, and couldn't we maybe drive together to the meetings every month over in Seattle? Well, come to find out.

Speaker 1: 49:55

She's not only an author but she was a senior editor and God had me in the car with a senior editor long before I knew I was going to need an editor, and so I thought okay, lord, I see what you're up to here, so I have this book right. And um, I'm uh, I didn't really know what I had.

Speaker 1: 50:23

I didn't understand exactly what I had and I called Dory my editor friend and I said Dory, I have an idea for a book. And so we had a meeting and she said so, linda, what's on your mind? And I said well, I have this idea for a book. And I started talking, but the words that were coming out weren't my own and she was busy taking notes. And when I stopped talking and she started stopped writing, she said Linda, you've got a winner here. I said but, doryory, what did I say? I didn't know what I said and so holy ghost speaker holy ghost, holy ghost speaking.

Speaker 1: 51:13

So she said send me a rough draft. And I said, okay. So I went home and I started working on a rough draft and, um, this is when the word started falling from the sky and I forgot. I was supposed to send her a rough draft or an outline, so I sent it off to Dory as an outline. She said Linda, keep writing, keep writing, keep writing. So here I am writing this book and I'm thinking you know, okay, now what do I? I do? What do I do with this book? And the she. So she edited it for me. She said linda, this is amazing, this is ready.

Speaker 1: 51:57

Uh, I had hired on with a coach, a christian coach, and they were going to interview me one saturday morning about the book and I thought, well, this is interesting. So I'm pacing the floor the night before and I'm thinking, okay, what, what am I going to say? What am I going to say? I don't know what to say. Who's going to buy this book? You know who is this book for? And dory called me. She said linda, did you just see? Your book went number one on amazon. I said, what? No way, she goes. Yeah, go look, check it out. Well, the book went number one on Amazon before it was even announced, before it was even published. So this is how God works, yeah, and so then I was facing the floor Saying to God, god, what, what is going on, what are you doing? What are you doing what you know?

Speaker 1: 53:14

and so uh, I love this it's just, uh, it's hard to put it into words, it's hard to it's fun to go through all this with you because all of this has been happening in the background of my life. So it's good to go back and review everything because it's I'm amazed and honored to be used by God, and it's just so. Then let's see. So then I did a workbook to go with the first book, to help people through all these steps.

Speaker 2: 53:52

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 53:55

And the formatter. When we were getting ready to upload it, she was working on it. She said, Linda, there is nothing like this out there.

Speaker 2: 54:03

Oh, I love that.

Speaker 1: 54:04

And so it was just more confirmation. Um, because I didn't know, I didn't know, say it again, say it again, say it again. Yeah, say it again. I didn't know anything, know anything.

Speaker 2: 54:18

That is the perfect position to be in. You guys like when guests say that whoo yeah.

Speaker 1: 54:26

Beautiful.

Speaker 2: 54:28

And then to see what he can do through somebody who doesn't know anything. I want you guys to really catch this, because I think too often. We think we need to know everything before we do something.

Speaker 1: 54:44

Exactly.

Speaker 2: 54:54

How far does that get us? Yeah, yeah, we don't move, right? Yeah, sometimes you don't move if you feel like you need to know everything. You're not going to know everything exactly.

Speaker 1: 55:03

Wow, this is incredible goodness so then, so then, okay, so there's more. Yeah, are we? I love it? How are we doing? Okay, are we good?

Speaker 2: 55:16

okay, we'll roll for another like five minutes or so. How's that okay, okay?

Speaker 1: 55:21

so then, okay, so I I now know I'm a writer, right, yes, and I'm very competitive. And I saw this poetry contest and I was getting ready to go on vacation and the deadline was coming up and they wanted 45 pages of brand new poetry Never before written, I mean never before published, right. And I'm thinking I had just written a poem for my To before published, right, and I'm thinking I had just written a poem for my Toastmasters group and it kind of went over well, and I thought I'm going to do this. So I sat down at my computer and I'm writing away and I'm writing all these poems just for fun, total fun.

Speaker 1: 55:58

No rhyme or reason, no, nothing. I didn't even have a title for the book. But it was getting down to the last minute and I was writing my little heart out and I was writing all these poems and I was having so much fun, right. And guess what? I submitted it and it of course, I didn't get anything. I didn't get recognition or anything, nothing. It ended up being 25 poems, random, completely random poems. So I had these poems and I'm sitting on them.

Speaker 1: 56:30

Well, once you realize that you can submit something to a publisher, you kind of want to keep going. And so I thought Dory, who was my editor for the first book, she now works for Redemption Press and it's a Christianian publisher and I thought I'm going to submit these 25 poems to redemption press just for fun, right? So I sent them to redemption press, my very first publisher to to be involved with, and they wanted them. They took it, they wanted to send me a contract and I, I said wait a minute. I said you must take everybody and they said no, we don't. And I was shocked and they said they said okay, no, we love the poems. What, what, what, what do you think about writing five more and we'll make it a 30 day devotional, and then would you write a devotional to go with each poem? And I said sure. I said I didn't know anything about writing devotionals, but I knew my fourth book was going to be about devotion, so I said sure.

Speaker 2: 57:35

I didn't know anything again.

Speaker 1: 57:40

And so they said, well, send us five more poems. And I thought, wait a second. I was writing poetry when I was recovering from one of my abortion recovery Bible studies. I had written poetry and I thought, huh, I wonder where those poems are. I went looking for them. I had no idea where they were. Well, guess what? I found them. Guess how many there were.

Speaker 2: 58:05

I can gather, yep, there were. I can gather, yep, there were five.

Speaker 1: 58:12

And so, there I had, my new insight was okay, lord, I see what you're doing. This book will be about my abortion story and my redemption story, and it will be all poetry and devotional and um. That's when I realized, okay, lord, I'm stepping into this new conversation and I submitted them. Um, I worked with a, a coach, on how to write devotionals. Uh, redemption press had a coach, and so, um, and that book, um, just went number one as well in February and I am in awe, I'm still in awe, and now I'm writing my fourth book and um, I just um.

Speaker 1: 59:03

It's just hard to put into words.

Speaker 2: 59:05

Yeah, I can only imagine I mean to be sitting here and, like you said, kind of looking back over the years. I do feel like this is a really encouraging testimonial and also just a pivot point for somebody who's listening to even go back and look at their story, because I think sometimes you know, even myself right now I'm finding myself kind of in the hallway at times, like waiting for the next door, and it's like okay, we're in the wait, right, like some things, but we can look back over our story and see how he connected the dots that we could never in a million years put together right, no, never. I think this is a huge encouragement and you've been able to just see how he's interwoven so many things to go full circle and you can declare I am a writer, I am a speaker, a writer and a speaker, and to see the redemption that came out of something that you know really did start out with not the best start there, you know right.

Speaker 2: 1:00:17

He took you right back into that anointing, and it's so beautiful.

Speaker 1: 1:00:23

So one of the poems, kristen, is called um a dirty bar of soap. I recreated a poem with the same title, so that's in the book the dirty bar of soap you guys, oh isn't linda.

Speaker 2: 1:00:39

Just precious, that's the word I hear for over you. So you are just so precious. Um, as I'm gonna close up for today and we'll probably have to have you back on again at some point um, I always like to just think of like I'm always thinking of the one who's listening in. Um, as you're thinking of the one who's listening in today, um, I'd love for you to just kind of put in mind that person who's listening and share any words of encouragement or wisdom.

Speaker 2: 1:01:05

You'd feel that led to speak over them, and then would you pray us out today. Yes, I would love to.

Speaker 1: 1:01:12

Yes, there's a scripture in the Bible. I think it's in Jeremiah 30, verse 2. Take every word that I give you and put it in a book Wow put it in a book.

Speaker 1: 1:01:23

Wow. And the other one is Ezekiel 36, 26. I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And that's exactly what God did with my heart, and I remember I actually could feel my heart pumping and jumping around with joy in my heart. He healed my heart. Only he can do the work that he does so beautifully.

Speaker 1: 1:02:03

And, yes, I would love to pray a psalm Thank you, so beautifully. And yes, I would love to pray us out. Thank you, oh, dear heavenly father. Thank you for this divine appointment. Um, how you brought christine and I together and the purpose that you have for it, that we cannot see and can't even imagine. Um, thank you for her heart for you, thank you for her obeying your requests.

Speaker 1: 1:02:29

And look what happens when we do. We submit our whole entire lives to you and our stories. We submit our stories to you, lord, so that you can use them the way that you have always intended to use them. And every single person has a story, and I know that you will do the same type of work as each person steps out to tell the story that they don't want to tell and that they'll start to see it for what it really is. And it's all about truth and love and joy and forgiveness and sanctification and redemption and repentance and all the things that we, that we learn about, lord, through you, that we don't even know about until we say yes. So thank you, thank you God, thank you Holy spirit, thank you, jesus, for showing up hugely in our lives, especially all of us who are hurting, and that we can, we can have, we can we have something to say, yeah, so thank you. It's in the beautiful name of Jesus that we pray.

Speaker 2: 1:03:36

Amen, oh my gosh, oh gosh. Thank you so much for being a brave voice. Who's setting so many free? I am going to close with the anchoring verse May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you may abound in hope, and that is Romans 15, 13. So, linda, what is the best way for listeners to contact you? I'll be sure to add that to the show notes as well.

Speaker 1: 1:04:06

Oh sure, my email is info at lyndadmoorecom. Okay, and do you have a website as well? And my website is lyndadmoorecom. Linda D Moore, diaz and Disciple, I love that.

Speaker 2: 1:04:24

It's so good. Oh, everything's with intention, so beautiful. Well, I would love to have you back at another time and, listeners, I will be back with another episode next week. Thank you again, linda. You are amazing. Keep going, you are so welcome, thank you.