How to Create a New Habit & THE DAY I MET JESUS is Here!

Hi Friends,

Frank Viola here.

I'm so excited to share with you today!

As promised in my January update, I've discovered how to create a new habit. Experts say it takes 66 days to form a habit. However, getting started is the hardest part of the process.

I love books, and I own thousands of them. But I'm a very slow reader, so it takes me a long time to get through a book. This has always troubled me because I have so many books I want to read.

Well, I've increased my reading pace by creating a new habit. Here's how I did it.

I put 2 books on my night stand. Immediately after I awake each morning, I turn to the Lord and read a small portion of Scripture.

I then read 5 pages from each of the two books on my nightstand. I do this even before I drag my carcass out of bed.

Through this technique, I've been able to read books much faster. Sometimes I miss a day due to unexpected circumstances. But I follow this routine consistently. And the results have been awesome.

If you are a slow reader like me, give this a shot and let me know how it works.

The key-take away here is that if you want to create a new habit, you need to make a workable plan and begin.

Speaking of books, today my new book THE DAY I MET JESUS: THE REVEALING DIARIES OF FIVE WOMEN FROM THE GOSPELS releases.

Mary DeMuth, who I consider to be the top female Christian fiction writer of our time, was my co-author on the project.

So far, early readers have said that the book has touched them deeply, bringing many to tears. (I cried through some of the chapters myself.)

If you buy the book from Parable.com this week, you will get the book at only $6.97! (The retail is $13.99 - so this is a 50% discount.) Plus, you will receive a bunch of bonuses from Mary and me.

(If you live outside the USA, keep reading.)

Here's a description of the book followed by testimonials by other authors.

Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ met face-to-face with people just like you. Broken, imperfect, sometimes fearful and without hope. The Day I Met Jesus is a beautifully crafted narrative that chronicles the remarkable encounters of five women in the Gospels who were desperate to find wholeness, security, and purpose. Like all of us, these women struggled with the regrets of their pasts, the stresses of their presents, and the worries of their tomorrows.

Join Frank Viola and Mary DeMuth on a fascinating journey back in time as they retell the dramatic accounts of five women who met Jesus. Each narrative is told from each woman’s unique perspective, yet tightly grounded in the Gospel accounts and faithful to first-century history. Elegantly written and profoundly stirring, this book blends creative narrative with uncommon insight, spiritual depth, and practical application.

If you are someone who seeks a renewal of hope, faith, and love, The Day I Met Jesus will make your Bible come to life and usher you into a fresh encounter with your Lord.

--

Craig Keener, who I regard as being the best New Testament scholar of our time when it comes to the first century, was our historical adviser. Craig ensured that the fictionalized sections as well as the non-fiction sections were faithful to Scripture and first-century history.

Here are some early recommendations

“Elegant, stimulating, rewarding, this probe into Jesus’ relationship with women packages the best of biblical scholarship and theology in the spellbinding wraps of storytelling.”
Leonard Sweet

“In The Day I Met Jesus, Frank and Mary demonstrate lucid insight into the balanced, candid, focused, tender, and penetrating manner of our Master–Jesus the Christ. See again the Savior who was God and Man embodied to show and transform us by His unpretentious holiness, empowering authenticity–without scorn or condemnation, transmitting love’s purity, life’s vitality, and hope’s eternity. I commend the authors and this book to you: both will enrich and enlarge your thoughts and your life.”
Pastor Jack Hayford

“Jesus, from the very beginning, has been ‘good news for women.’ Perhaps that news has rarely been needed more clearly than in our day. One reads of His encounters with the women described in this book with a sense of wonder that these interactions took place two thousand years ago. He is good news for women still.”
John Ortberg

“What a treasure this diary-style book is! This impactful message focuses on five broken women in the Bible and their life-changing encounters with Jesus. The way Mary and Frank portray their stories will help any woman who has experienced heartbreak, loneliness, ​and rejection step right into the extravagant grace and love of Jesus.”
Lysa TerKeurst, New York Times bestselling author

 “The Day I Met Jesus is a refreshing look at five women in the Gospels, telling their stories in a way that brings them to life but at the same time based on careful research into the real world in which they lived. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and could not put it down. Through the eyes of women whose lives Jesus touched, this book invites us to see Jesus more deeply. It ministered to broken places in my own heart.”
Craig Keener, professor of New Testament, Asbury Theological Seminary

“Step into the first century, as your senses and imagination are engaged in Mary DeMuth’s masterful biblical narrative, deftly exploring the hearts and minds of five women who met the Savior. Then Frank Viola brings his own gifts to the page, opening the Scriptures to help us understand each account more fully. Together, their voices sing of the beauty of Christ and the redemption He offers. The Day I Met Jesus is truly a wonderful book.”
Liz Curtis Higgs, bestselling author of Bad Girls of the Bible

“We all long to lift the veil of history and catch a glimpse of the real story–the one that makes our hearts pound, our faith grow, and our lives change. That’s exactly what Frank Viola and Mary DeMuth offer in this compelling book. You will never look at Scripture or God’s work in your own heart the same way again after you close the final page.”
Holley Gerth

“Many Christians fail to experience the full power of the Bible’s stories because they never learned how to imaginatively ‘get inside’ the lives of biblical characters to make them come alive. I don’t know of any book that better helps readers do this than The Day I Met Jesus. Combining imaginative creativity, historical scholarship, and great story-telling, Viola and DeMuth help readers enter into the lives of five women in the Gospels to experience Jesus from their perspective. And by this means, they help readers deepen their own understanding of, and love for, Jesus. After reading this poignant and gripping book, you won’t view these five women, Jesus, or yourself the same way!”
Greg Boyd

“Through the stories of five unique women from the Gospels, Frank Viola and Mary DeMuth masterfully reveal the truth of Jesus in a riveting, breathtaking way. Each story captivatingly invites you on a journey through pain, rejection, and brokenness and leads you right into the heart of Jesus as He meets each woman in an intimately restorative and loving way, as only Jesus can. This book will minister to the broken places in your heart and leave you longing to know Jesus more deeply.”
Derwin L. Gray

“Mary and Frank provide a fresh look at biblical women that breathes life, color, and hue into these familiar stories. If you want to better understand the richness of biblical accounts in the context of first-century history, this is a book you won’t want to miss.”
Margaret Feinberg

“I thought I knew the women in these stories well, but in this beautiful book I met each one in a fresh, personal, and profound way. The life-changing grace and mercy Christ extended to these our sisters so long ago is here right now for you and for me.”
Sheila Walsh

Order your copy from Parable.com and get your exclusive bonuses.

Your bonuses will be sent from Alicia or Tiffany at parable.com via email 24-48 hours after you make your purchase. Keep an eye on your spam/junk folder or “Promotions” tab (if you use Gmail) if you don’t see it within 48 hours.

(If you live outside the USA and you can't afford Parable's shipping to your country, send an email to PTMIN@aol.com and put in the subject line "New Book & Your Country." So if you live in France, write to that email address -- DON'T reply here -- and put "New Book France" in the subject line. You'll receive instructions, so check your spam/junk folder.)

Thanks so much for supporting the book. I believe you'll love it!

     Gratefully,

     Frank

     Psalm 115:1

P.S. The special discount on The Day I Met Jesus and the complimentary bonuses ends soon. Get the book here so you don't miss the opportunity.

P.S.S. I'll be sending a follow-up update next week with a word that will inspire and encourage you.