11 min read ⭑

Mesu Andrews is a Christy Award-winning, best-selling author of biblical novels and devotional studies. Her deep love of biblical truth motivates her to create stories that touch readers’ hearts and minds. She’s fueled with the passion of bringing the Bible to life through story to transform lives with the reality of God’s Word.

In this interview, Mesu reveals what motivates her to create stories woven around biblical truths. She opens up about struggling with addictions and how balance has become a beautiful quest. She shares about the ways she finds a thread of redemption in almost every movie she watches, and she passes along the best advice she’s ever received about maximizing her daily time with the Lord.

QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT

There’s much more to food than palate and preference. How does a go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind the web bio?

My favorite hometown restaurant is a cultural experience — a fast-food Chinese place that plays country music, has Amish waitresses and serves the best egg drop soup in the world. Located in Nappanee, Indiana, Hubby and I first experienced Chiam’s at lunch on the day he was to interview for an associate pastor’s position. The church’s senior pastor drove us to the parking lot of a remodeled Arby’s from a bygone era. 

Seating options were limited: nine mismatched tables in the greenhouse window or six seats at the bar. We chose the dining tables since the bar faced a peek-through window into the steamy kitchen where the sweaty owners grilled food and barked Cantonese at each other. Country music played overhead, and a packed dining room almost drowned out the owners’ shouting. We found a small table with three empty seats and paper menus, stained with sweet ‘n’ sour sauce, neatly tucked behind the napkin dispenser. A smiley Amish waitress arrived to take our order. 

I was smitten, even before tasting the best egg drop soup in the world. Why smitten? Because this crowded little restaurant seemed like a thriving hub of acceptance. If this Amish tourist town could make space for country music, an Amish waitress, grumpy cooks and hungry pastors, maybe the church board could accept me — a very unconventional pastor’s wife. I didn’t want plastic Christianity or cookie-cutter religion. 

During our 14 years in Nappanee, we developed deep friendships — many over a meal at that same little restaurant. Even after we moved to Portland, Oregon, then to North Carolina, and back to northern Indiana, we’ve returned to Nappanee at least once a year to enjoy those enduring friendships and conversations that are as warm and comforting as that yummy egg drop soup.

QUESTION #2: REVEAL

We’ve all got quirky proclivities and out-of-the-way interests. So, what are yours? What so-called "nonspiritual" activities do you love and help you find spiritual renewal?

I love movies. My daughters love movies. Some of the movies we enjoy would not be acceptable to some Christians, but sometimes I need to sit back and be entertained. Stories are important and enjoyable to me (all kinds of stories), and I can find a thread of redemption in almost any movie.

When I used to have red hair, my elder daughter came to my house each month to do it, and we’d watch “Gladiator” every time. With the color application, processing and conditioning, we’d usually get through only the first half, but we always found a new aspect of the Gospel told through a certain scene. When we felt we’d done enough mining of treasure in the first half of the movie, the next month we began the movie in the middle and watched to the end — finding even more examples of God's original story in most scenes we watched together.

Our conversations ultimately were more about searching out the Great Storyteller in everything we watched than which movie we saw. Finding a redemption thread in any movie sends goosebumps all over me! Of course, I’m sad when the hero or heroine dies in the end, but, oftentimes, he or she represents the Christ-figure throughout. Most of the time, I’ll watch movies a second or third time simply to search out more examples of the hero’s sacrifices or biblical application that I missed in previous viewings. It’s one of the best ways I’ve ever found to unwind and refresh my soul.

QUESTION #3: CONFESS

Every superhero has a weakness. Every human, too. We're just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re broken and in this thing together. So what’s your kryptonite and how do you hide it?

I’ve always been an addict. In my family, the theme of life is, “If a little of a good thing is good, then I need more and more and more of that good thing to be satisfied.” Unfortunately, as most addicts discover, no amount of that thing we crave can ever satisfy.

It started with binging when I was a kid. I loved Kraft mac ‘n’ cheese and could eat a whole box by myself at age 12. I tasted vodka at age 15, and by 16 I drank Black Label Jack every day — alone, secretly, until I could drink no more.

At age 19, Jesus broke through the walls around my heart, and I’d finally found the greatest addiction ever. Once I learned Jesus was everywhere in the Bible, I started a quest to discover if that was true and read the Bread of Life as if I’d been starving my whole life — which I had been. However, even that addiction had consequences. Though we can never get too much of God or his Word, the way I went about sharing what I was learning wasn’t healthy. I likely drove more people away from Jesus than I drew toward him. 

Still struggling with food addiction, and craving the approval of others, I came to a tipping point in the late 90s when my health tanked. After a virus that just wouldn’t go away, I had to face the central issue — I needed balance in every area of my life. I still struggle to find balance. Fourteen-hour workdays would be my norm if I didn’t have a husband who gently reminds me there’s more to life than work. There's more to life than mac ‘n’ cheese. And it’s not up to me to wrestle everyone I love into God’s Kingdom. Balance. I’m a work in progress.

QUESTION #4: FIRE UP

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

We just talked about my work being an obsession, so now I get to tell you why I love it so much! My favorite projects involve writing about obscure women in the Old Testament. I figure if God cared enough to ensure they were mentioned, we should care enough to know more about them. So I’m currently writing a four-book series about King David’s brides named in 1 Samuel 3:25. These women birthed David’s first six sons during his seven-year reign in Hebron — before he and his men overtook Jerusalem. Only one woman in the list is well known: Abigail. The other five are mentioned only as David’s wives or as the mothers of sons without any more information in either Scripture or Jewish historical records. 

So how do I create an authentic biblical novel without the foundation, walls, floors and ceilings of a fictional home where readers want to live for 400 pages? I use a three-layered approach: a foundation of biblical truth, building blocks of historical facts & logical suppositions, and creative fiction as the mortar that pulls together the truth, facts and logical conclusions.

I don’t want folks to read my books instead of the Bible. My hope is that my novels will bring the text of a familiar biblical story off the page with color, culture and conversations that plant these real people from ancient times in your heart. Think about it this way: when Jesus wanted his audience to remember his teaching, what did he do? He told parables. My novels are simply lengthy parables that I hope will ignite your soul to know more!

QUESTION #5: 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?

With every single book I write, I somehow write myself into a corner from which there seems to be no way out. While writing “The Pharaoh’s Daughter,” research led me to believe the Pharaoh at the time of Moses’ birth would have likely been King Tut. There was one glaring issue: King Tut died as a teenager, far too young to have a daughter old enough to save the infant Moses from the Nile. 

Panicked, I announced to Hubby that we must give back the publisher’s money and break the contract. Then he panicked and suggested we sleep on it. I woke the next morning with a new thought, absolutely certain it was from the Lord. Did King Tut have a sister whom the Bible would have called “the Pharaoh’s daughter?” A little more research uncovered Tut’s two sisters, so I incorporated them into a more complex and riveting story.

In my current series, “King David’s Brides,” my publisher asked a valid question: How can you write a romance in which David convincingly loves all six wives? Stumped for weeks, I realized prayer was the only way to find an answer. Again, the Lord provided wisdom that I hope readers of “Brave: The Story of Ahinoam” find comforting. First, I use David’s psalms repeatedly in the novel to prove that a man capable of laying his heart bare before God and men (and women) is capable of a love most of us can’t understand. Second, In 1000 B.C. ancient Israel, a woman must either marry or sell herself to survive. David becomes each of these women’s protector and earthly savior. My job is to show readers how different each woman is and how David loves each one differently. I hope folks might even cheer for each woman as she finds her place in David’s heart and her role in his household.

QUESTION #6: inspire

Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied actions that open our hearts to the presence of God. So spill it, which spiritual practice is workin' best for you right now?

A few years back, I formed a group on the YouVersion Bible app to read the year-long plan, “Thru the Bible with Bible Project.” We read huge chunks of Scripture and, at the end of each day, wrote a short synopsis of the whole reading. I loved it for that season of my life — but seasons change. I began sensing a nudge to go deeper by reading smaller chunks of Scripture. 

Now, I read 1-3 verses each day, meditate until I sense a concept I can ponder all day, and then write that concept in a journal and, often, in the margins of my Bible. If marking my Bible, I circle specific words or phrases and make a note of what it meant to me that day. If journaling, I limit myself to half of a sheet of notebook paper. Those limitations require me to be concise and hone the concept into a clear and memorable nutshell that’s easily taken into my busy day. 

The best advice I ever heard about maximizing my daily quiet time came from a pastor’s wife, Jill Briscoe. She said (paraphrased), “When I sit down with my Bible, I tell the Lord, ‘I’m not leaving this chair until I hear from You, either in word or concept.’” That’s become my practice, too — a godly stubbornness — refusing to leave my chair until the Bread of Life gives me the day’s nourishment.

QUESTION #7: FOCUS

Our email subscribers get free ebooks featuring our favorite resources — lots of things that have truly impacted our faith lives. But you know about some really great stuff, too. What are some resources that have impacted you? 

Since most of my faith journey began before the internet world of podcasts, apps and online sermons, I’ll relay how my faith journey began and the major peaks of its hills and valleys. I consider myself a spiritual mutt — a Charismatic mom, a Quaker dad and grandparents ordained in the Wesleyan tradition. Scripture was a weapon in my household, and we used one or two verses at a time to spar and wound. 

When an old friend returned from college and proclaimed the Bible was one story from cover to cover, and the Crimson Thread of Jesus’ story began in Gen. 3:15, I thought he was crazy. Three weeks later, after showing me how God is the same throughout both the Old and New Testaments, he led me to a real relationship with the Lover of my soul. (Six months later, that man and I were married, and we remain married over 40 years later.)

The next high point in my faith journey came when our first pastor’s wife gave me an NIV Study Bible. She called every day so we could discuss what we’d read. To ensure I had something to share, I read all the study notes on every single verse. It. Was. Awesome! And I’ve found the notes on most study Bibles to be equally good!

Years later at another church, many of us were struggling with how to hear God. Four times in one year, Hubby and I led both groups and one-on-ones through the workbook edition of “Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God.” Almost 30 years later, I still remember life-changing quotes from that book.

When I was diagnosed with several chronic illnesses in the late 90s and early 2000s, I needed to know God was still with me in what felt like “the valley of death.” Hannah Hurnard’s “Hinds Feet on High Places” showed me Jesus’ love through an allegory that’s forever imprinted on my heart.

We all have things we cling to to survive (or thrive) in tough times. Name one resource you’ve found indispensable in this current season — and tell us what it's done for you.

For several years now, I’ve been using the “ESV Illuminated Bible Journal” during my quiet time. This is the Bible, ESV translation, divided into 66 separate paperback books. You can purchase each book of the Bible separately or in groupings of Old and New Testament. As I mentioned in an earlier question, I read 1-3 verses a day, meditating deeply on each word, who wrote the particular book of the Bible, what situation they were experiencing that prompted its writing, and how their emotions, experience and faith journey can inform what I’m going through today. 

On the left-hand page, the Scripture is printed in the ESV translation. The right-hand page usually has faintly dotted lines on a blank page for those who wish to journal, doodle or draw. Some right-hand pages include the text design of one of the verses on the opposite page to stir your creative juices.

Before my research and writing of “Brave,” I studied the Book of 1 Samuel and the psalms David wrote (according to BibleHub.com): Psalms 1-41, 51-71, 138-150. 1 Samuel covers the prophet Samuel’s miraculous birth, life and death. Then comes Saul’s story, followed by David’s, and it ends when David flees Saul to live in Gath — Philistine country. 1 Samuel helped me closely examine each man’s words, motives, human relationships and relationship with Yahweh. As I dive deep into biblical people’s thoughts, motives and emotions, they become more real to me.

Many of David’s psalms are titled with the particular event that prompted its content. The psalms show us David’s anger, joy, fear and praise — sometimes in a single song. They reveal “the man after God’s own heart” at a much deeper level than the narrative of 1 Samuel, and the right-hand pages are filled with favorite quotes from favorite psalms. My kids and grandkids are already fighting over who gets my ESV journals when I’m gone!

QUESTION #8: dream

God is 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?

First off, because I’m laying my heart bare in this interview, here’s the truth: I hate dreaming and goals and anything else that could spell F.A.I.L.U.R.E. if I actually write it down. 

But, here it goes…. I’m about to take a one-day intensive training on how to write children’s books. Why? Because I see a huge hole in the market for well-researched, attention-grabbing, biblical-fiction kids’ books. To be clear, there are lots of wonderful Christian kids’ books. What I write is biblical fiction — stories about stories in the Bible. When was the last time you saw a gripping, middle-grade chapter book about the Daughters of Zelophehad? Or Job’s wife? Or a hundred other men and women on the edges of famous Bible stories?

Listen, y’all, I’ve got grandkids who need to get excited about God’s Word! I want them to get excited about a fictional story that represents the Truth of the Bible and places the story within the biblical culture so they understand more when they can hardly wait to read their Bibles to see what the Truth really is! All eight of my grandkids are being raised with knowledge of the Bible — but so was I. The problem is they’re being taught a story here and a story there without the full picture of its whole story — as was I. So I want my grands — and all kids — to learn early in life that Jesus loves them from Genesis to Revelation! But I’ll need a little training to do it effectively. So if you’re a praying person, and if I ever come to mind, I’d sure appreciate it if you’d mention me to our Heavenly Father. Thanks, y’all!

Mesu Andrews was led into a real relationship with Jesus when a friend showed her how Jesus was the “Crimson Thread” woven throughout Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation.  Mesu’s love of the Word fuels her life and work. She meditates on a few verses every day until she finds a concept she can “ponder all day” and writes them in her journal or the margin of her Bible. What does Scripture study look like to you? Does Scripture meditation have a place in your daily life? How do you carry the Word with you throughout your day?

Mesu Andrews is a Christy Award-winning, best-selling author of biblical novels and devotional studies whose deep understanding of and love for God’s Word brings the Bible alive for readers. Her heritage as a “spiritual mutt” has given her a deep yearning to both understand and communicate biblical truths in powerful stories that touch the heart, challenge the mind and transform lives. Mesu lives in Indiana with her husband Roy, where she stays connected with her readers through newsie emails, blog posts and the social media we all love to hate.

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