Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young is an award-winning author, sought-after speaker, mentor to leaders, writing coach and Bible teacher. She is passionate about helping people chase God’s glory on life’s unexpected trails and flourish in their God-given callings. Dorina has published more than 20 children’s books. Her most recent books are “Kailani’s Gift,” “Chasing God’s Glory” and a devotional journal, “Breathing Through Grief.”

In this interview, Dorina takes time to highlight both the joy and deep sorrow she’s walked through over the years. She shares her excitement over cooking clubs and trail running, and she opens up about finding her way through a cloud of grief after the death of her husband and learning to dream again with God. She reveals how her family practices the core values of remembrance and celebration and discusses how surrender is the road to creative partnership with the Holy Spirit.

QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT

The meals we enjoy are about so much more than the food we eat. So, how does a “go-to” meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind your web bio?

Cooking has always been a place of creativity, community and comfort for me. I grew up in the kitchen stirring sauces with my mama, kneading dough with my Italian Nana, and rolling lumpia egg rolls with my Filipino grandma.

As an adult, I have gathered many friends and family members in my kitchen to cook together. When I was a young married girl, I hosted a Cooking Club in my home for almost eight years. It all started because one of my friends told me she didn’t know how to boil water. Another friend loved to cook and asked if we could swap recipes. I looked around me and realized there were a host of women longing to learn and get in the kitchen together.

Our Cooking Club was born. We would meet monthly. I would choose a theme and some core recipes. People would bring ingredients. The ladies would cook, and the guys would clean. We tackled time-intensive projects like homemade gnocchi and rosemary focaccia bread. We discovered new cuisines like Ethiopian key wat and Hawaiian sweet potato casserole. We created Pumpkin Party soup using farmer’s market abundance.

Through the years, we all started having babies, and the Cooking Club grew to well over 40 people coming each month. We naturally took a break when my husband and I took an assignment working full-time for a non-profit organization in Haiti. I still look back on those gatherings with fond memories. Maybe one day we will revive Cooking Club when we are empty nesters. My true joy in this season is traveling to my friends’ kitchens and realizing all of them are good, confident cooks, creating meaningful meals for their families. I believe there’s so much to learn when we gather together to get our hands messy, employ our creativity and share stories around food and faith.

We give ourselves permission to exhale by gathering at local restaurants and trying new dishes. I recently savored a meal at my favorite local restaurant called Heirloom. I love how the chefs meld together flavors from local Central California ingredients and highlight different ethnic cuisines. Even more, I love gathering with my diverse group of friends and pressing in like Jesus did to ask poignant questions, weep together and celebrate life’s unexpected victories.

QUESTION #2: REVEAL

We’ve all got quirky proclivities and out-of-the-way interests. So, what are yours? What so-called “nonspiritual” activity do you love engaging in that also helps you find essential spiritual renewal?

The other morning, I went for a trail run at one of my favorite spots in Central California. I was mesmerized anew by the waves of golden grasses undulating over the hills, the cerulean blue of the sky and the branches of the trees stretching in a dance toward heaven. Water lapped at the shore below. My trail shoes connected with the earth, tracing the sapphire edges of Millerton Lake.

I’ve been a runner all my life — running 10ks with my dad when I was a kid, racing hurdles and relays in high school, chasing half-marathons as an adult — but I have never experienced anything quite like the challenge of that trail run.

I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but trail running has taught me to rest. You are probably thinking that running is not resting. There’s something about running free on a winding trail with God’s glory unfolding all around me. When I’m running, my heart stills and leans in to hear God speak. I can cry out in lament. I can bring God my questions. He meets me in the cadence of breath and through his creation.

I’ve been running trails with my friends for more than a decade now. These runs have become a spiritual practice. I love The Message version of Matthew 11:28-30. Jesus says, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me, and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me — watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me, and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

These verses echo God’s desire for us to “come,” “get away,” “walk with,” and “keep company” with him. He desires “real rest” for us, not the rest that makes you feel like you need a vacation from your vacation when you return home. He provides a more in-depth, restorative rest. This is the rest I experience when I go for a trail run.

QUESTION #3: FIRE UP

Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your current obsession? And why should it be ours?

My heart is to open up new worlds to people through my words. My latest release is a Bible study on the book of Ruth called “Redeemer: God’s Lovingkindness in the Book of Ruth.” This is an intensely personal project because of the way Ruth intersects with my own story of grief and loss. The story of Ruth is usually viewed through a Hallmark-tinted lens: girl suffers hardship, girl overcomes hardship, boy meets girl, they fall in love and then everyone lives happily ever after. But there’s so much more to Ruth’s story! This study invites readers to view the book of Ruth through a different lens — one that helps us recognize how this story proclaims God’s heart for the vulnerable, including widows, orphans, immigrants, refugees and the poor. As Ruth’s story unfolds, we discover that God is the main character and that he is the true Redeemer, for Ruth and for us today. God’s hesed is his lovingkindness is for all of us — not just a select few who are “blessed.” He sees us in our sorrow and has good plans for each of us.

My work as a writer in many genres is anchored in a core belief that each one of us is designed to flourish in our God-given gifts and callings. When I write picture books for kids, devotionals for adults, Bible studies for women and even when I am podcasting, I am looking for ways to help people discover God’s glory.

QUESTION #4: BOOST

Cashiers, CEOs, contractors, or customer service reps, we all need grace flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it’s God when it happens?

As a writer and speaker, I consider my work to be in partnership with the Holy Spirit. This connection is what invigorates and inspires me. I always pray over my projects or messages before, during preparation and upon publication and delivery. But more than a generic prayer, I ask the Holy Spirit to infuse me with inspiration throughout the process. I often find that inspiration shows up when I’m walking or running in my neighborhood, through deep conversations with trusted friends, in something I’m reading or eating, and even during the night. Sometimes I’ll go to sleep at night or lie down for an afternoon nap feeling stuck on a project or phrase or plot point, and then I’ll wake up with a fresh idea that feels like a profound gift downloaded from the Holy Spirit during that resting period. I believe this is not a mere creative burst; it’s partnership that comes alive when I surrender.

QUESTION #5: inspire

Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied habits that open our hearts to the presence of God. So, let us in. Which spiritual practice is working best for you in this season?

Celebration is a core value for me and a regular practice in our family. I believe that marking the moment matters, and celebrating small beginnings, long journeys and big wins is important. This helps us to stay present and awake to the work God is doing in our lives.

Remembrance is an important theme throughout the Bible. I think about how the Israelites back then and even Jews today take time for many feasts and days of remembrance. In the Old Testament, the Israelites remember God’s faithfulness at many key crossroads. Throughout the book of Deuteronomy, there is a call to remember the words and deeds of God. Deuteronomy 16:1-8 describes the Festival of Passover. The exodus and deliverance of Israel by God from Egypt is central to this remembering.

In our family, we pause to celebrate and rest at the end of the week for Shabbat. We take time to gather with friends annually for my husband’s “heaveniversary.” We host special dinners for birthdays, graduations, book launches and new babies. We call out God’s work in our lives and praise the One who created us and delights in us.

QUESTION #6: FOCUS

Looking backward, considering the full sweep of your unique faith journey and all you encountered along the way, what top three resources stand out to you? What changed reality and your heart?

“One Thousand Gifts” by Ann Voskamp is a book that changed my life. I found myself in a wintry, difficult season and Ann helped train me through practical and poetic invitations to lift my eyes and thank God for the gifts around me. What I learned through her book truly has shaped my outlook on life and how I intentionally chase after God’s glory today.

“Tell Her Story” is a more recent book by Nijay Gupta that opened my eyes to the stories of some of the women who helped to contribute and grow the early church. This rich history is something that often gets overlooked. I have a passion for telling the stories of the women in the Bible and raising up the next generation of female disciples of Christ. This book empowered and inspired me in that call.

Redbud Writers Guild is a non-profit organization for Christian women writers and communicators from a diversity of backgrounds. I’m deeply grateful for this sisterhood and the creative work of the women who are part of it. Writing can sometimes feel isolating and rigorous in a different way. These women help me on the journey. I love our in-person and online gatherings! I believe we all need a table where we feel safe, where we can bring our authentic selves, and where we can feast on the glory of God together. Redbud is that place for me!

We all have things we cling to to survive or even thrive in our fast-paced, techno-driven world. How have you been successful in harnessing technology to aid in your spiritual growth?

In this season, I am practicing meditation on scripture. I use an app called Lectio 365 each morning to help me listen, read and meditate on passages that help usher me through my day. In a chaotic world, it's easy to get sucked right into the news, social media notifications and my to-do list. This practice helps me to wake up slowly with the Bible anchoring me and preparing me for the day ahead. Sometimes I listen to the scriptures and prayers for a mid-day pause or before-bed reaction. I’m naturally an activator — prone to moving quickly — but this practice gives me permission to go slowly and pace myself. I love to study scripture as a student and prepare messages as a teacher, but meditating on scripture is different. It brings a peace that surpasses understanding. I feel connected with God as my Father, Shepherd and Friend in this way.

QUESTION #7: dream

Gods continually stirring new things in each of us. So, give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?

When I was younger, I used to play piano. The piano is one of those instruments that needs to be tuned periodically. I remember watching (or rather listening) to a man tune our piano one time. He used a lever or “hammer” to turn the tuning pins inside the piano, which increases or decreases the tension of the strings.

A good piano tuning is two things: accurate (in tune) and stable (stays in tune). After my husband’s death 10 years ago, I started to pray for God to tune my heart to the new plans he had for the girls and me. I surrendered to the Master Tuner and let him lead me in an accurate direction. He was the only one who could provide stability for my heart without my husband.

In the darkness of grief, I reached out for God. Each morning I woke up before my children and poured over his Word on the big red couch in our front room. I felt like I needed these words to breathe. I prayed for God to give me strength and manna just for that day, to help me hear the new song he was composing just for me. Some days I stumbled over the notes. Other days I started to hear a few measures of music, and I found myself humming a tune. This was the work he was doing to tune me on the inside. God grew courage and faith in me in that season of waiting and dependence.

Now in this season, I’m living the next chapter and exploring the new dreams God is tuning my heart to pursue. My husband, Shawn, and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage next January. We have some big travel plans for this year. I’m also chasing a new dream — working on a middle-grade novel. I’ve published children's picture books, devotionals, non-fiction and a podcast, but a novel is a whole new beast. I’m equal parts terrified and thrilled, finding my way in a new genre. God’s also stirring a new Bible study idea and some other creative projects I can’t quite reveal yet.

Dorina shares how important remembrance is to her family and how scripture shows God’s desire for us to remember His faithfulness. How often do we take time to think through the ways God has been faithful to us? Sometimes, when we’re facing difficulties, it’s easy to forget the ways he has loved us, redeemed us, provided for us and protected us throughout our lives. Take some time to pray and ask him to show you the ways he has been faithful to his word in your life. Write down specific instances and ask him to help cultivate a rhythm of returning to the list regularly to remember his goodness.

Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young