On Saturday, May 18, Penny Renfroe, Whitesboro Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) Director, pastoral care pastor at OneChurch of Whitesboro and now local author, held a launch party to celebrate her first published book, “Threads of the Father: Weaving His Words into our Daily Lives”.
This daily devotional launched on May 7. Within 24 hours, it ranked at top 10 in Religious and Faith Books on Amazon.com.
At the party, as tears rolled down her face, Renfroe was able to take a figurative step back and think about all that had taken place.
She said she was overwhelmed with so much gratitude that God would use someone like her to do whatever it is that she is doing. She said she was also overcome with so much gratitude for the amount of people that have given her an immense amount of support throughout this process.
“I could never have imagined this whole scenario. Just to see people come in, I’m grateful for the way that they fed me in my life, and people who I know just literally encouraged me right into this process,” Renfroe said.
She said not many people take the opportunity to be able to express to others how much they care about an individual or even how a person may have impacted their life; it is a rare opportunity. Renfroe said she was so grateful to have this arena that gave her an open door to be able to do just that -- to express to others how much they truly mean to her and how they have impacted her life.
The launch party was held from 4-6 p.m. at OneChurch in Whitesboro, where all that attended were greeted by the Women’s Ministry Team along with some of Renfroe’s book launch team. Attendees were offered gifts of appreciation such as journals with pens, an array of sweets, treats and drinks and a table set up with rows of folded cards with words of encouragement and messages meant for anyone to read there or privately. There was also a team of ladies ready to pray with or for attendees if visitors would like.
Renfroe said this book publication has been a very long and carefully sought-out process with so much effort and time spent intently journaling since 2015. She felt like God opened a process to her when she began to ask Him what He wanted to say. She said she would look at words and had no memory of writing them down. Renfroe had a desire to document things through journaling because she wanted her family to have access to these thoughts in one place.
After having compiled over eight years of journaling thoughts, words and poetry from what she truly believes are all inspired by the Holy Spirit of God, she reached out to her friend Jill Hellwig, a business and author coach. Later, a team of individuals led her through a process where they read and discovered there was a book to be published. Initially she thought, if no one reads this but her grandkids, she would be satisfied and content. Renfroe said she wanted to leave something tangible in particular to her grandchildren, that she could say, “God is still speaking and you can hear; don’t be satisfied with less.”
“To see the response has just been incredible,” Renfroe said.
Dinina Sharber, Renfroe’s friend of over 20 years, said she has seen how involved Renfroe has been in the community and believes this will be reason enough for people to want to read her book.
“This book would give all kinds of people the ability to see the intimate relationship they can have with God and give them hope,” Sharber said.
Renfroe’s goal is for people to be encouraged when they open her book.
“I want people to know that there is a God who loves them and who is still speaking today, and that they can hear for themselves. Just to have that personal communion with God and to know that that’s possible,” Renfroe said.
“Threads of the Father: Weaving His Words into our Daily Lives” is available for purchase on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and Walmart.com.
