The Story Behind Lemon Tree Revival
Lemon Tree Revival is the first of what will be a series of faith-based children’s books. It is 35 pages, written in poetic style, filled with GOD’s goodness and faithfulness. In this story, readers join Bardie, a young girl who loves to read under her lemon tree. After enduring a hard freeze, Bardie’s lemon tree dies. Rather than accept this loss, Bardie decides to pray for her lemon tree and has faith GOD will bring it back to life. This book is based on a true story and is intended to help a new generation of children believe GOD for the impossible.
To purchase a copy, please go to: https://a.co/d/hjaZiHj
The Story Behind The Story…
For years I attended a weekly prayer gathering at my friend, Barbara’s house. Outside of her front door stood a lemon tree I so often admired as I came and went. One winter, as is shared in the book, a hard freeze came and the lemon tree died. The leaves turned almost immediately, fell off the tree and last of all, the bark began to fall away. The tree was cut back down to the ground and only a short stob remained.
In the weeks and months following, I was so grieved as I would pass by where the tree had once stood. During one of the prayer meetings, something swept over me and one night when our prayer meeting had come to a close, just before we began to leave, I took a bottle of anointing oil out there and anointed that little stump. Some of the other ladies gathered round outside and we began to pray earnestly that it would live again. It was like this burst of faith began to arise on my insides for that little lemon tree.
Time went by and spring eventually came. One evening as I arrived for our weekly meeting, I noticed a new green shoot had come up beside the weary, little, old stump. I was so excited to see new life there! As I excitedly shared with my Mother that it had grown back, not wanting me to be disappointed, she said to me that because that was an off-shoot and not from the main stalk of the tree, that it would likely not produce fruit. Again, I felt something rise up inside of me and I thought, “No!” I began to pray over that little tree again that it would not only grow but it would produce more than it ever had before. GOD was able! And friend, that is exactly what happened. It grew… and grew… and grew… and did it ever produce! It put on so many lemons it was unreal.
What happened with that lemon tree inspired many of us to believe GOD for even the simplest of things. Truly, if it matters to us, it matters to GOD. As a friend shared with me today, just because something appears to be over doesn’t mean it is. Sometimes everything about that situation looks like it’s the end, but GOD says, “No, watch what I’m about to do!” All we have to do is just believe!
When GOD Gives You Lemons…
In 2020, shortly after my first book, Seasons With GOD, was published, I was driving to work and praying one morning, asking GOD, “What next?” I had spent 3 years focusing on it’s completion and now that it was finally done, it seemed like I had nothing else ahead of me. Within just a few minutes, the storyline and character for Lemon Tree Revival came flooding into my mind. As soon as I got to the parking lot at work, I parked the car and began writing as fast as I could. Every word, in poetic style, came within 15 minutes. That was 2 years ago. Nearing the end of 2022, I felt the push from the LORD to go ahead and complete the second book and today, January 10, 2023, it is available on Amazon.
Another aspect of this is how GOD used dear friends to bring this to fruition. I spent a few months trying to find an illustrator for this book to bring the characters to life. Nothing seemed to come together that I needed for this project. One day, a friend contacted me and said, “What do you think about taking real pictures and using them instead of illustrations?” I thought, “You know, that could work!” So, she gathered up her littles and her camera and off we went to do a photoshoot with the actual lemon tree this story was based on. Without Kristen’s help, and her tender ear toward the Holy Spirit’s leading, this book would not have been possible. I not only owe a great deal of thanks to her but also to her children and her husband for stepping up and becoming the characters for this book.
As I was nearing completion of Lemon Tree Revival, there were a few aspects I wanted to add in but wasn’t sure how. Someone suggested a program to use and immediately my mind went to another sweet friend of mine, Carmen. She graciously accepted my invitation to help with this project and within days, she added the final little artistic touches to the book I had been wanting. I owe her a “Thank You!” also for the last minute hours she put in to help me get this book finished.
To my friends Terry and Paul, who also love photography as much as I do and stepped in to help when I needed a headshot and some editing done, I also extend a huge “Thank You!”
Last of all, to Barbara “Bardie” Nuckolls… “Thank You!” It was her lemon tree this story was based on and from where the main character’s name was derived. We witnessed a miracle!
It is my prayer that many generations will find the faith to believe GOD for the extraordinary as a result of what GOD has done through this little tree’s life.