During a dark time, Amy Craighead got the song "Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho" stuck in her head.
Thinking about that song and reading the book of Joshua encouraged her to fight through the hard times. That experience inspired Craighead to fulfill a longtime dream and write a Bible study. "Courageous Faith: Claiming Your Promised Land Through the Book of Joshua," Craighead's first book, is available now on Amazon (bit.ly/amycraighead).
"I wouldn't say I picked (the book of Joshua), but it picked me," Craighead said. "I think people overlook how courageously he had to follow God, and he does some really hard things."
Her faith is central to her life, she said.
Craighead has also done hard things in pursuit of writing this book. She and her husband, Gabe, run Danamay Farms, a you-pick berry farm just outside Fulton. Until 2016, Craighead was co-running the farm, mothering the pair's two children and working a second job.
Writing a book on top of all that was not an easy task.
"There have been a lot of sacrifices," Craighead said. "I left my job in 2016 and I haven't gone back. My husband has been amazing."
Craighead said she did most of her writing while the children were at school.
"I had to be very intentional and devoted to it," she said.
But to write a Bible study, Craighead had to first learn how to study the Bible. She downloaded a biblical scholarship software called Logos. The volume of information it offered about everything from Hebrew linguistics to scholarly commentary was overwhelming.
"It stalled me out for two months, because I don't have a background in theology," Craighead said.
Eventually, she found her rhythm, studying a chunk of Joshua in the morning and writing about it in the afternoon. She also discovered her authorial voice.
"Someone told me, 'It's easy to read,'" she said. "That's what I want. I want it to be really relatable. I don't like reading with a dictionary at my side."
The Bible study is designed to be completed over the course of seven weeks, either solo or with a group. It's targeted primarily towards adult women. Craighead said it's packed with home-grown anecdotes from her own family and life.
A long-time attendee of Lighthouse Church in Kingdom City, she tested the study out with a group of women at the church.
"I was kinda expecting 10-15 ladies," she said. "We ended up with about 40."
It was a hit, she said.
Once the study was finished and tested, Craighead began looking into publishing options. Self-publishing turned out to be the best choice. One of the publishers she initially approached, Lifeway, liked her writing enough that it has since decided to publish six devotionals she's written in its "Journey" publication.
Those interested are welcome to join Craighead for an eight-week Bible study based on "Courageous Faith." The study kicks off 10 a.m. Oct. 10 at the Callaway Electric Cooperative.