About the Book

Book: But In Mount Zion (Companion Study for Knowing Obadiah) Author:April W. Gardner Genre: Bible Study for Women Release date: October, 2023 But in Mount Zion is a companion study for the commentary Knowing Obadiah. This workbook offers an interactive and reflective experience for readers to engage with the commentary and dive deeper into the book of Obadiah. Through thought-provoking questions, exercises, and group discussion prompts, the workbook provides readers and teachers the tools to apply the lessons from Obadiah to their own lives. It also includes suggestions for further study, making it an excellent resource for Bible study groups or individual study. Whether you’re a seasoned Bible scholar or a new believer, this set will help you deepen your understanding of Obadiah and its message.

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About the Author

APRIL W GARDNER is an indie author whose great passion is historical romance with themes of Native American and Southeastern U.S. culture. Copyeditor, mother of two grown children, and non-trad college student, April lives in South Texas with her husband and two German Shepherds. In no particular order, April dreams of owning a horse, learning a third language, and visiting all the national parks.

More from April

How close are you to your Bible? I don’t mean the distance from you to the nightstand where it’s resting. Or the amount of warm-and-fuzzy you feel toward it. Or the number of heartfelt notes you’ve scribbled sideways into the margins. I mean, how close is your connection to the Bible’s people and places? Are you here in the twenty-first century while it’s there in some unknown BC year? Are you here in your comfy chair re-reading old Bible stories while prophets and priests are there battling against idolatry, while apostles and saints are there suffering for Jesus? Or are you here and there, backside in a plush chair but feet planted in the hot sands of the Negev, body existing in the twenty-first century, but heart and mind connected to every message and mission given in Scripture? The story of the Bible isn’t a three-act play: Old Testament characters and plot, New Testament characters and plot, present-day characters and plot. From Genesis 1 to today, it’s all the same act. We are all players in God’s Great Story. If we’re Christians saved by Christ’s sacrificial death, we’re all joined by the same Scarlet Thread. From Adam through Joshua, Obadiah, Esther, Lydia, Stephen, and all the rest to you and me. It’s my hope that as you go deeper into the study of Obadiah, its origins, prophecy, and fulfillment, that you’ll place yourself at the center of its Before-Christ settings, that you’ll feel Esau’s grief, Jerusalem’s terror, and Judah’s righteous anger, and that you’ll look to God’s stage where His Story is playing out and say to yourself, “These are my people. This is my story. I am a player.” So. Let’s get playing.

Interview with the Author

Many authors say that they have always been a writer. When did you come to realize this?

I have not always been a writer. When I was young, my parents despaired of my education. I have dyslexia and dyscalculia, so I absolutely hated anything to do with letters and books for a very long time. It wasn’t until my senior year of high school that I discovered the joy of crafting fiction.

Was there a special someone, such as a teacher, parent, or other relative, who encouraged you to pursue writing?

My sister, Jennifer, has probably been my greatest vocal encourager. She believes in everything I write and supports me without reserve. There’s also my #1 fan, Grace, who has stuck with me from that first awful manuscript (the one that will never see the light of day).

What does a typical writing day look like? Are you structured or informal in your writing schedule?

I am a highly disciplined and structured writer. My goal sheet has places for checkmarks, and I adore filling them in.

Can you tell us a little about what inspired your book?

My personal goal to learn more about the minor prophets was what drove this book from concept to completion. Obadiah is small, so I began there. What started as a goal to simply understand what Obadiah is about ended as a three-book series that offers Obadiah to readers in three different formats: fiction, commentary, study.

Readers always want to know what is next for an author. Do you have any works in progress you can share about?

I do! Inspired by this same series, my next biblical fiction is coming at the end of 2024. It’s called A Light Undimmed, and it’s set during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. Here’s the tagline: Pawned to the besieging Butcher of Babylon, one Hebrew noblewoman determines to shine with Yahweh’s light while bargaining for the lives of innocents in doomed Jerusalem.