Brief Description:
"Inspired by best-selling author Janette Oke and the Hallmark Channel original TV series When calls the heart, these forty devotions from Hope Valley are about finding moments of grace, joy, and beauty amid the unexpected circumstances of life...Each chapter contains a quote from one of your favorite citizens, a scripture verse, a devotional reflection, a prayer, and questions to help you think a little deeper about what's on your own heart"--P. [4] of cover.
Biographical Note:
BRIAN BIRD is executive producer and co-creator of the Hallmark Channel original series When Calls the Heart. In his three decades in Hollywood, he has written or produced two dozen films, including most recently, The Case for Christ, Captive and Not Easily Broken, and more than 250 episodes of such shows as Touched By An Angel, Step By Step and Evening Shade.
His films have garnered awards from the New York Independent Film Festival, New York Festivals, Heartland Film Festival, the Movie Guide Awards, the Telly Awards and the Christopher Awards.
He has spoken widely on the intersection of the arts and the church, and his professional blog, BrianBird.net, serves as a lively exchange in the best practices of storytelling. Beyond Bird's professional achievements, he considers his top productions to date his thirty-six-year marriage to wife, Patty, and his five children.
Known for her "encouragement with a Southern drawl", MICHELLE COX is a speaker and an award-winning, best-selling author. She is a member of the blog team for Guideposts, and her "Life with a Southern Grandmother" column runs twice each week at Guideposts.org.
She has written for Focus on the Family, FoxNews.com, Christian Cinema, WHOA Magazine for Women, Leading Hearts Magazine, and the website of Fox News radio host Todd Starnes. Michelle is the creator of the Just 18 Summers(R) brand of parenting products and resources, and has been a guest on numerous television and radio programs, including Hannity and Focus on the Family. She and her husband, Paul, have been married for forty-three years, and have three sons and six perfect grandchildren.
Review Quotes:
The great virtues and enduring promises in Scripture are what Hope Valley and When Calls the Heart are all about. Brian Bird and Michelle Cox are now sharing those "God moments" with all of us in When God Calls the Heart. I love this devotional!
- Lee Strobel, best-selling author of The Case for Christ
I am a devoted fan of the television series When Calls the Heart, so I know for a fact that anyone who loves this series as much as I do will want this exceptional book for their personal collection. It offers not only daily inspiration but poignant moments to ponder as well as sweet reminders of favorite scenes from a beloved cast of characters.
- Beverly Lewis, New York Times best-selling author
Review Quotes:
So proud of my partner Brian Bird and co-author Michelle Cox for these beautiful little booster shots of hope in When God Calls the Heart. If you are feeling cynical about the world right now, this book will cure you!
- Michael Landon, Jr., executive producer and co-creator of When Calls the Heart and the Love Comes Softly series
A lovely devotional. The perfect companion for the many fans of When Calls the Heart.
- Francine Rivers, New York Times best-selling author
Review Quotes:
Hearties are going to find encouragement and inspiration tucked away in the pages of this Hope Valley treasure!
- Todd Starnes, best-selling author and host of The Todd Starnes Show on Fox News Radio
This book of devotionals is a delight. Brian Bird and Michelle Cox have succeeded in capturing the spirit that resonates through all of Janette Oke's stories. The thoughtful and caring nature that impacts readers around the globe shines from these pages. Highly recommended.
- Davis Bunn, internationally best-selling author
Review Quotes:
The art of storytelling, when used for the purpose of revealing timeless and life-changing truths, brings an effortless and welcomed transformation that both realigns and reinvigorates the soul. It's like a melody specifically honed for readers, as if they are the only ones meant to be touched. Such is what I have found in When God Calls the Heart.
- Camy "Cameron" Arnett, minister and entrepreneur, and cohost and producer of The Christian View; CamyArnett.com
If you consider yourself a "Heartie" or not, When God Calls the Heart is an exquisitely crafted devotional that will bring out the rich resolve in each of us. Brian Bird and my dear friend Michelle Cox have extracted the very best out of this well-loved story and have written a devotional that will transport you right to the heart of Hope Valley. You will renew your warm friendship with Elizabeth, learn from the wisdom of Abigail Stanton, long to be a mother to little Cody, and laugh in good-natured frustration at Rosemary Coulter. When God Calls the Heart is a devotional that makes time travel possible, prayer more meaningful, and the principles of God jump right off the page.
- Carol McLeod, best-selling author and speaker; author of Let There Be Joy!
Review Quotes:
We all have favorite settings and characters that remain in our hearts even after the stories are finished. With this book, we do not have to say goodbye to the gentle wisdom and heartfelt faith that makes When Calls the Heart such an amazing phenomenon. The applications found in this devotional are rock solid and the takeaways profound.
- Edie Melson, award-winning author and blogger, director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference
When God Calls the Heart is an invitation for God to open your heart and your eyes to how He works in the everyday and to be filled with excitement for when, where, and how He is using you!
- Erica Wiggenhorn, speaker and author of An Unexplainable Life: Recovering the Wonder and Devotion of the Early Church and The Unexplainable Church: Rediscovering the Mission of the Early Believers
Review Quotes:
I had not quite jumped on the bandwagon when everyone around me started celebrating the television series When Calls the Heart. And I admit that in spite of the fact that Brian Bird is one of the folks I am proud to call friend. Then, one day I tuned in to season 1, episode 1. Several episodes later, I penned a quick note to Brian that roughly said, I'm hooked, and I may never get back to work. Now, another dear friend, Michelle Cox, has joined forces with Brian to write this book of devotions. The words are beautifully penned, and the messages are clear and poignant. Even not-yet-Hearties will want this book as an addition to their daily reading.
- Eva Marie Everson, award-winning speaker and best-selling author, including The One True Love of Alice-Ann
A growing army of fans--the Hearties--have come to love the world of When Calls the Heart. Now let the show's co-creator, Brian Bird, along with inspirational writer Michelle Cox, introduce you to a spiritual world behind the TV series. Their daily readings will remind you to slow down, look up, and reach out to the One who gave us our hearts in the first place--and who wants to keep them close to His.
- Mark Mittelberg, best-selling author of Confident Faith and The Case for Christ Devotional (with Lee Strobel)
Publisher Marketing:
Follow Your Heart to Hope Valley
Inspired by best-selling author Janette Oke and the Hallmark Channel original TV series When Calls the Heart, these forty devotions from Hope Valley are about finding moments of grace, joy, and beauty amid the unexpected circumstances of life.
In this collection, Brian Bird, executive producer and co-creator of When Calls the Heart, and Michelle Cox illuminate the "God-moments" from the fictional, 1910 mining town of Hope Valley. The stories of faith, hope, and love from each episode will inspire and encourage you with wonderful virtues and relatable life lessons.
Each chapter contains a quote from one of your favorite citizens, a Scripture verse, a devotional reflection, a prayer, and questions to help you think a little deeper about what's on your own heart.
As Elizabeth Thatcher learned when she headed West to fulfill her dream of becoming a teacher, when God calls the heart, you can expect an adventure!
