Treadmill Talking by Barbara M. Britton

Life has been a little crazy in the Britton household. My family has returned home for a few months and I have been cooking, cleaning, and disinfecting every day. Not to mention, I recently finished a three-book series on the daughters of Zelophehad and the books have been released in record time.

Here I was writing about five sisters who had a strong faith in God, and it seemed like I was barely finding time to break into God’s Word and spend time with Him. Something had to change. In a world with so much uncertainty, I needed to grab hold of Jesus, my Savior, who is certain.

I love what Jesus says in John 15:5:

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (NIV)

How was I going to remain more with Jesus? I made some simple life changes to help me engage more with my Savior.

As a cancer survivor, I have to exercise regularly. I usually walk on a treadmill. My routine was to turn on the television while I walked. I decided to turn off the television (It’s repetitive anyway) and go through my list of prayer requests. If I wait until bedtime, I’m too tired to remember every request. This way, I have plenty of time to lift prayer requests before God. I have a running conversation—literally.

When I’m driving, I usually listen to Christian music. But I decided to turn off the radio at times and pray in the car. After my prayers are said, I crank up the music again.

One of the perks of being a Biblical fiction writer is that I am always in the Word of God. But when my son and I drove across country last summer, I discovered that listening to the Bible on audio really helped me glean more from Scripture. It was cool having the Bible read with a British accent.If the news of the day is making you nervous, plug in a Bible app and listen to God’s Word.

God gives us an abundant life, a life where He desires to interact with us. In “Claiming Canaan,” I gave Milcah a vineyard. I thought it may be controversial until I read how the Proverbs 31 Woman saved up money to plant a vineyard (Proverbs 31:16). What’s so special about a vineyard? It’s not only a picture of the verse in John above, but the fruit is sweet and can be used for many things. In my novel Hoglah makes raisin cakes, harvesters eat the grapes, and of course wine is made for celebrations. The beauty of God’s Creation can be seen in the rows of greenery.

So, if life seems a little uncertain, incorporate some “treadmill talking” to God and listen to his Word in a different accent. When we abide, we have a better stride (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself). May we all go forth with God like the daughters of Zelophehad.

Where are the daughters of Zelophehad in Scripture? Numbers 26:33, 27:1-11, 36:1-12 and Joshua 17:3-6

  Blurb for “Claiming Canaan:”

When the tribal elders make marriage a requirement for claiming her land, Milcah bat Zelophehad must find a betrothed straightaway. The only problem in finding a husband is that all her suitors were slain while conquering the land of Canaan. Men avoid her in order to stay alive.

After praying to God to send her a bold suitor, a man from her father's clan plummets from a tree right on top of her. Is this God answering prayer, or a foolish antic by Eli, the war-scarred brother from one of her clan's rival families?

Will settling in Canaan sort out Milcah's troubles, or have her woes just begun?

Barb’s bio:

Barbara M. Britton lives in Southeast Wisconsin and loves the snow—when it accumulates under three inches. She is published in Biblical fiction and enjoys bringing little-known Bible characters to light in her stories. Look for Barb to venture into Christian Historical fiction in 2020 with “Until June.” She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Romance Writers of America and Wisconsin Romance Writers of America. Barb has a nutrition degree from Baylor University but loves to dip healthy strawberries in chocolate.

Find out more about Barb and her books on www.barbarambritton.com, Twitter or Facebook.

You can find “Claiming Canaan” wherever books are sold: Amazon, B&N links.

Libraries can also order the series.