Jan. 9, 2023
I was privileged to invite Author Valerie Limmer for an interview to discuss her latest book Captive Set Free: How to Find Freedom Through Forgiving, and the inspiration behind it. Enjoy!
Captive Set Free is a guide on how to find freedom through forgiving for people who want to forgive but don't know where to start. It’s really an invitation to step out of being imprisoned by pain and toxicity, and into the free and abundant life that Jesus has to offer.
Sometimes, when we think about forgiveness,
it’s easy to become overwhelmed by our heavy feelings or spooling thoughts.
This book helps to cut through all of that with simple tips and tricks,
real-life examples, and opportunities for application.
If we are Christians, most of us have heard about the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, and so on), and the gifts of the Spirit (e.g., pastor, prophet, evangelist). The Holy Spirit also seems to also choose certain life themes for each of us. One person might learn a lot about what it means to be His child, another person might continually learn more and more about God fulfilling His promises, and another might learn about the ways God provides for us. One of my major life themes is forgiveness.
Over the course of my life, I’ve been badly
abused by half a dozen different people, starting in childhood. I started
writing this book when I was healing from some horrific abuse I’d experienced
as an adult. I realized that the things I was learning, the principles and
techniques I was applying in my own journey of forgiveness, might be useful to
people who might be struggling with the same issues. It’s a beautiful thing to
witness God redeeming the horrors we’ve experienced and transforming them into
something beautiful that can help other people.
Who is your target
audience, and why do you think this book will appeal to them?
Captive
Set Free is meant for anyone
who is hurting, especially for Christians.
As followers of Jesus, as recipients of His love and forgiveness
ourselves, we have access to an emotional and spiritual toolkit that can help
us apply the principles of forgiveness in a way that’s intensely powerful and
transformative. Jesus is not content to leave us hurting and broken. He is the
Gentle Healer, and through applying the principles we find in the Bible, we can
experience not only healing, but increased joy and trust, and a renewed sense
of our own belovedness in Christ.
I supposed Captive Set Free is appealing because it isn’t theoretical. It’s practical. It’s not written by a theologian. It’s written by someone who’s been in the trenches of abuse and despair. It’s conversational and vulnerable, and willing to tackle difficult topics because the truth isn’t something that has to be scary. It can be freeing. We can find freedom through forgiving. I want to journey with you through those dark places and show you the beauty that’s waiting on the other side.
What message do you wish
to pass across to your readers with this book?
Forgiving
someone who has hurt you is possible! Not only is it possible, but the journey
towards forgiveness will deepen you—both your faith, and your understanding of
the forgiveness that Jesus offers to you. Forgiveness requires courage and
endurance, but you don’t need to have it all at the start. Sometimes starting
with a prayer (“Jesus, please help me want to forgive”) is all we can
do, and God delights to honor this type of prayer. You will grow through the
process, and as you do, Jesus will unlock doors to joy and peace in your heart
that you might never have realized were there!
What was the hardest
thing about writing your latest book?
I
tend to be a very private person. Whenever I write, I try to be vulnerable
enough to be effective, but without feeling like an exhibitionist. However,
often God asks me to share more of myself than I might be comfortable with the
average person knowing. For me, this is really scary—especially when hearing
about all those internet trolls out there, or people who are super-critical.
But the verse that keeps drawing me back to trusting and obeying Jesus is:
But
as for me, the nearness of God is my good;
I
have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
That
I may tell of all Your works.(Psalm
73:28)
Jesus
is my refuge. I can trust Him, and I won’t hide away His good news of salvation
to protect myself.
As a writer, is there
anything you've learned about yourself while writing this book?
I’ve
enjoyed putting these life lessons on forgiveness onto paper. With a sense of
delight and awe, I've even found myself referring to my own book as a reference
manual for what is pure and honoring to God in the midst of some of my own
decision-making of late. I love that not only can we learn from other people in
the family of God, but sometimes (through reading our past journals) we can
learn from our younger selves when the way forward becomes painful and
confusing.
For your own reading, do
you prefer ebooks or traditional paper/hard back books, and why?
If
I had unlimited space, I would choose paper-based books every time. I’m a very
tactile person, and I love being able to read and re-read an old favorite,
physically underline and notate it, and know exactly where my favorite passages
are on the page.
That being said, my husband and I are missionaries in Japan. We have a 450 square foot apartment there, and there’s almost no room for books! So, we usually use e-books, simply because paper ones aren’t practical for our lifestyle.
What is your niche
genre, and if you were to write in a different genre, what would it be?
I
usually write Christian non-fiction books on topics related to spiritual growth.
However, if I were to write in a different genre, it would probably be historical
fiction or fantasy.
What books and authors
have most influenced you?
I
love the writings of Amy Carmichael, Beth Moore, and A.W. Tozer.
If I had to pick specific books, I would choose “The Pursuit of God” (Tozer), “Rose From Briar” (Carmichael), and “When Godly People Do Ungodly Things” (Moore). Also, I’ve found “Boundaries”, by Cloud and Townsend, to be transformative.
Do you have any more
books in the works?
Yes!
I can’t stop writing. I have ideas for abut 11 more books. My next one will be
on the armor of God. Right now that’s in second draft. After that, I’ve got two
more in first draft. One is a book specifically for missionaries, and the other
is about listening to God.
Do you read your book
reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
Sometimes
I read reviews, but I generally try not to. I don’t want to get sucked into investing
too much mental energy in what other people think of me or my work. Dealing
with bad reviews is like dealing with any other type of criticism. You try to
listen/read humbly, you resolve to forgive anything hurtful, you search it to
see if there’s
something true in the criticism that you should address and change in your life,
and then you give the rest to Jesus and don’t worry about it anymore.
Mention 3-5 fast (and/or
fun) facts about you that you'd like to share
I
can burp on command!
I
enjoy making Japanese wax food models as a hobby.
I
host my own Japanese-language cooking show on YouTube.
I’m
part of a neighborhood network of ladies that takes care of stray cats in
Okinawa, Japan, where I live.
I’m
always losing my phone. I have to use the “Find My Phone” app at least once a
day!
Last book read?
The Humans, by Matt Haig. I’ve only read one
other book by him, which was very good. This fictional story is about an alien
who’s come to earth and is inhabiting a human body. He doesn’t understand
anything about human culture or customs, and it’s ridiculously funny to see the
world through his eyes.
One book that changed
your life?
Boundaries, by Cloud and Townsend. I grew up in
an extremely abusive household, and this book helped me to develop my own
personhood, distinct from my parents. It helped me to understand that I wasn’t
responsible to keep my parents happy so they didn’t mistreat me, and that
although I had certain responsibilities to them as their daughter, I was
not responsible for their behavior or emotions. This was transformative
not only for me personally, but also for my marriage.
Your favorite
quote/saying to live by?
It’s a little quote from the Bible: “He must increase, I
must decrease.” (John 10:10)
Any advice to
new/aspiring authors?
The Japanese language is consistently rated one of the
top five most difficult languages in the world to learn. My language
teacher likes to encourage me, saying: “Drops of water can wear away stone.”
Find a regular time to write. It doesn’t have to be often;
it just has to be consistent. If you stick with it, you can accomplish amazing
things! I write on our day off, once a week for a couple of hours, and I’m able
to publish a new book every 5 years or so.
“Drops of water can wear away stone.”
I believe this is just as true for writing a book as for learning Japanese!
How can readers get in touch with or follow you (website, personal blog, social media handle, Goodreads)?
I have an author Facebook page, a website, and a blog with a variety of spiritual insights and stories from our ministry. Earlier, I mentioned that my husband and I are missionaries. Every two months, we send out a newsletter about what’s going on in our ministry, so you’d be welcome to sign up for that as well.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorvalerielimmer
Author Website: https://www.valerielimmer.com
Missionary Website: https://www.peterandvalerie.com
Blog: https://www.peterandvalerie.com/PartnersCorner/OurBlog
Newsletter signup: https://www.valerielimmer.com/Contact/
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