About the Book
Book: Figs in Bloom
Author: Bobi Gentry Goodwin
Genre: Bible Study Curriculum for Girls Small Group Leaders/Parents
Release Date: June, 2023
The Bible is rich with families, communities, songs, poems, principles, and power. It allows the reader to learn of God and His ultimate plan for His people through the coming of Jesus Christ. Stories of heroism, courage, perseverance, and pain fill its pages and are often displayed through the lives of Biblical characters.
The FIGS in Bloom Bible Study and Group Curriculum seeks to foster independence, growth, and spirituality in God’s precious girls by highlighting Bible personalities. FIGS is comprised of twelve lessons complete with Bible study, teacher tactics, scripture memorization, group games, journal writing prompts, and more. Biblical stories of hope, uniqueness, sacrifice, and love seek to encourage each student to blossom and take God with them as they learn to navigate the twists and turns of life.
Click here to get your copy!
About the Author
Bobi Gentry Goodwin is a native San Franciscan. The Bay Area was where she first discovered her love for people and their stories. She has held a passion for writing since early childhood and as a Clinical Social Worker and Psychotherapist, her mission field has been working with women and children. Bobi is a spiritual growth enthusiast that writes inspirational fiction, Bible Studies, and blog articles. She has been a contributing writer to Chicken Soup for the Soul and her story “Gentrified” was featured in the anthology Art in the Time of Unbearable Crisis. She is a wife, mother of two, licensed minister, and an avid member of her local church. She hosts the Finding Forever Podcast and in her free time enjoys dancing, walking, and spending time with her fur baby.
More from Bobi
Parenting a teenager is hard work! Finding ways to communicate with a teen can feel like finding a safe place to step into a field of landmines. One wrong word, one wrong look, and one wrong directive can lead to a literal explosion. With so much on their minds as they navigate hormones, social groupings, social media, and academics. How can parents find the space to sit them down and share the Word of God?
As a parent of two teenage daughters, many times I felt stumped. I couldn’t even get my words to move them, let alone God’s. But I knew His Word was exactly what they needed. What He says about them is much more valuable than anything I could offer, and that is how FIGS was birthed. FIGS in BLOOM is a Bible study guide centered around a social group approach to learning God’s Word in a non-threatening way. It is centered on a socialization approach that invites kids into a community grounded in food, fun, and fellowship.
FIGS served as a template to pull my teenage girls close while so many things sought to pull them apart. Hosting meetings in my home surrounded by my teenage girl and her friends allowed deep seeds to be planted in me and them. I learned, they learned. I laughed, and they laughed. I prayed, and they prayed. And I am certain that in the end, God got all the Glory!
Interview with the Author
If you could invite one person to dinner, who would it be and what would you cook?
Dinner is my favorite meal. Sitting around a table surrounded by good company simply fills my heart. During my journey throughout adulthood, I have hosted people I enjoy as well as people who leave me disappointed. Some dinners I have forgotten and others have stayed with me my lifetime. The most memorable conversations have often come from senior women who fill my heart and head with knowledge and warmth and if I could invite anyone to sit down to dinner, I would send the invitation to Marian Shields Robinson.
Marian Shields Robinson is the mother of Michelle Obama. She doesn’t give formal speeches, long interviews, or host parties but the impact of her parenting has changed the way some people look at conflict management. Mrs. Robinson presents with as a woman with tremendous wisdom and invaluable lived experiences, that I would love to glean from.
Mrs. Robinson appears to navigate life changes with tenacity and grace. She raised two children in a small rental on the South Side of Chicago who appear to love and respect each other. These same children profess their respect and honor for her every chance they get. She was the wife of a community organizer and leader who served his constituents with honor and grace. She served her husband and family while her husband battled a disabling disease and death. And she held her head high while malicious people compared her only daughter to a farm animal. I often see her hidden in the background of incredibly distinguished photographs, but I am sure she deserves to be out front and has one good story to tell.
I would not cook, but order out. My best meatloaf just doesn’t seem to be an appropriate entrée for this matriarch.
Does writing energize or exhaust you?
Writing seems to both energize and exhaust me. I love writing. I love ideas. I love a finished project, but sometimes the process just doesn’t progress smoothly. Writer block is real. Nothing is worse than sitting at a computer when you have no more words, dialogue, or ideas. And rewrites and revisions are simply the worst for me.
The ability to discern both has been the most important aspect to me. When I am exhausted, I will not write well. I am going to take shortcuts and my frustrations come out in my writing. Likewise, when I am energized taking time to harness that energy and creativity in a constructive way is equally important.
As a writer, it has been important for me to get to know my habits and tendencies and how they can be impacted by my energy or the surrounding energy. It has been imperative for me to pick up on my social writing cues and use these as markers to help guide me in the process of creation. Jesus rested on the seventh day, sometimes I have to remind myself to do the same.
How did writing this book grow you spiritually?
Spiritual growth for me is always ongoing. Whether I am writing, studying, praying, parenting, or worshiping. The Lord is always showing me something. A new way to look at a passage of scripture. A new understanding of how He is showing up in my life. A newness in seeking Him.
I am a huge believer that He will waste nothing, so even when I am not hearing directly from Him; He is growing me. When I think back on seasons of my accelerated spiritual growth and seasons of slow growth, one thing has always been consistent and that is God himself. I can depend on Him to grow me no matter what season I am in. If I am looking to Him, He is always shepherding me.
Writing this book grew me in multiple ways. One way, in particular, is that it grew me in my exploration of Bible personalities and their humanity. They became way more than characters in a story to me; they became multi-dimensional. And I found that the more time I spent with them, thinking about them, visualizing them, studying them, trying to understand them, the more facets I saw of myself. And as I saw myself come to life in them, my love for them, their humanity, and their contributions to the life of the believer grew.
What do you like to do when you are not writing??
The water that forms in my eyes, the ripple of my belly, and the gasp for air that follows a good laugh for me is priceless. Laughter is my medicine. I work hard, parent hard, and serve hard, so I love to laugh hard too. And I laugh the most when I get to spend uninterrupted time with my children and family. We watch Marvel movies, poke fun at each others’ music, send baffling memes, and have sleepovers in each other’s rooms. The ability to lean into a good joke, a comedian, or even a funny face seems to bring air to every room. And that is one room I love to hang out in.
I also enjoy a good documentary now and then, but I watch these alone most often. No one in my family wants to watch a documentary on octopus except me.
Share something your readers wouldn’t know about you?
I love life and laughter very much because I have experienced a lot of pain and illness in my life. Readers and even personal friends do now know the extent of the many health battles I have walked through.
I was born with a growth and by the time I was 13; I had experienced two invasive surgeries. In high school, I became significantly ill on two separate occasions with an undiagnosed illness that lasted for months, and in my adulthood, my body experienced multiple health problems and an additional surgery. My body has been through it. There is a running joke in my family that if anyone is going to have an adverse health reaction, it is me.
The ability to battle illness and surgeries has heightened my awareness of the value of good health and enjoying life. Because of all my illnesses, I have made it a point to live out loud and try to enjoy myself and the blessings God has given me to the fullest.
Blog Stops
Splashes of Joy, November 17 (Author Interview)
Locks, Hooks and Books, November 18
Blossoms and Blessings, November 19 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake, November 19
Texas Book-aholic, November 20
Artistic Nobody, November 21 (Author Interview)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 22
Back Porch Reads, November 23 (Author Interview)
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 24
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, November 25 (Author Interview)
amandainpa, November 25
Cover Lover Book Review, November 26
Guild Master, November 27 (Author Interview)
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 28
A Reader’s Brain , November 29 (Author Interview)
JESUS in the EVERYDAY, November 30
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Bobi is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon Gift Card and a copy of Figs in Bloom!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/28eee/figs-in-bloom-celebration-tour-giveaway