Today I’d like to welcome Joanne Kraft to my blog. It’s pure pleasure to interview Joanne, and I consider her a true friend. She and I met years ago when we roomed together at the Mount Hermon Writer’s Conference. She introduced me to Inspire Christian Writers, where I was part of a critique team for many years. Welcome Joanne.
What is your most recent published book or your most recent work in progress? (or ministry work)
First, I just have to say how much I love being a part of your summer series. Thanks for having me Jennifer!
I’ve been pretty busy lately raising kids, but when it comes to my ministry work it’s all about discipleship for me. I’ve invested in seeking out women to pour into, face to face. It’s been an amazing journey. I’m writing a book about that at the moment. It’s based on Titus 2 and Luke 1 where Mary runs to Elizabeth after the angel Gabriel has given her the news that she’s going to be the mom of Jesus.
Also, my ministry Grace & Truth Living is where my discipleship work is happening. I am leading a women’s tract at a national conference here in Nashville in October for Discipleship.org. We have five workshops with women in ministry doing just that—discipling women. I led it last year and had a blast. LOTS of ministry folks come from all over America and the world. There’s still time to grab a ticket and attend if your audience is interested!
This month, I’m working hard to get my podcast up and available for women desiring help with raising kids, being married, and all the things that go into being a woman after God’s heart. It will be on my Grace & Truth Living website and the title is “Her Better Life”. I can’t wait to connect with my readers and followers on a regular basis!
Oops, I almost forgot to answer your question. My most recent book is The Mean Mom’s Guide to Raising Great Kids. I’m so grateful for the ability to share my heart about parenting and discipling our kids through that book. I’ll be in Scottsdale, Arizona in a few weeks to speak to hundreds of women who are reading through The Mean Mom’s Guide this next year. I love meeting my readers in person!
What three things about you would surprise your readers?
I need to limit it to just three? Okay, well, the first thing might be that my truest ministry work is hospitality. When we moved from California to Tennessee we became a bed and breakfast for our friends and family—and even folks we didn’t know. I love to have company and I love to make them feel welcome.
Second thing that might surprise them is I have a dark sense of humor. My career was as a 911 police/fire dispatcher. So, I learned to laugh about hard things or be discouraged by them.
Third…I am incredibly patriotic. I was raised by a former U.S. Marine and watched my father put out his flag every morning before he left for work. I have a love for our military and get choked up when I hear Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” or any rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner.”
What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it? (or speaking obstacle or ministry obstacle…whichever fits for you)
What a great question. I have LOTS of obstacles. Unfortunately, I create most of them myself. My biggest writing obstacle would have to be not keeping a good schedule and sticking to it. I can have the attention span of a gnat. That’s terrible if you want to write a book to completion. People are my passion, so if my husband or kids, or even a neighbor interrupts my day, my focus is on their needs always before mine—to a fault.
What are your recommendations for a great summer read, and why?
I am going to probably surprise you here—I haven’t read anything to completion in a long, long time. I’ve been busy with other things. But, I have been pretty faithful to read through my chronological Bible this year. It’s sitting beside me right now. I lead a private Facebook Group where I’m encouraging women to read more of the Bible than they ever have before. But, if I could sit this summer and just read something? It would be nonfiction for sure!
Joanne Kraft is a mom of four and the author of The Mean Mom’s Guide to Raising Great Kids and Just Too Busy—Taking Your Family on a Radical Sabbatical. She’s a frequent guest on Focus on the Family, Family Life Today and CBN. Her articles have appeared in ParentLife, Today’s Christian Woman, In Touch, P31 Woman and more. Joanne and her husband, Paul, once lifelong Californians, moved their family to Tennessee in 2012. They’ve happily traded soy milk and arugula for sweet tea and biscuits.
The Mean Mom’s Guide to Raising Great Kids
Free Leader’s Guide for The Mean Mom’s Guide to Raising Great Kids
Facebook Private Group Reading the Bible
Amazon: Just too Busy—Taking Your Family on a Radical Sabbatical
Comments 1
Thanks for sharing