Seekerville Welcomes Artist-Author Tracy Sands

Tracy Sands (R) and Debby Giusti (L) at the
launch party for THE CHRISTIAN ALPHABET BOOK.

Debby Giusti here! 

I’m thrilled to welcome Tracy Sands to Seekerville today. Tracy is a talented artist who answered the Lord’s call to create something very special and became an author in the process. A faithful servant, Tracy has a huge heart for Jesus and for His children and is always ready to do as the Lord requests. I hope you’ll enjoy reading her story.

Tracy Sands taught art to elementary school children for ten years and often talks about the night that changed her life. “God gave me something I had never dreamed of having,” she said, her blue eyes twinkling and a warm smile spreading across her pretty face. “He gave me The Christian Alphabet.”

It all started in 1999 at a church choir performance. “I was sitting in the back pew, listening to the awesome Christian music, when an incredible urge to draw came over me. I had a pen, but no paper so I used the concert program, and in the white space, I sketched what the Lord was showing me. The ideas came so quickly that I felt like I would pop if I didn’t get everything down immediately."

What Tracy drew in church that night were alphabet characters made with Christian symbols. She continued to work on the project and completed the 26 works of art—one for each letter in the alphabet—in nine months. The letters contain almost 100 religious symbols, many dating back to Biblical times. With a Master's Degree in Art, Tracy ensured each symbol was authentic and has included a section in the book that explains each symbol's meaning and where it can be found in scripture.

“There are many layers to this unique alphabet," she said. "Every letter contains a special word that applies to our faith. A is for Always. B is for Believe. C is for Christ. In addition, each letter has an accompanying Bible verse, a prayer and a basic Christian lesson that includes activities for children. For example, G is for God and the lesson teaches why God created us and what our purpose is in life."

Soon after completing the alphabet, Tracy and her husband, Albert, started their family and were blessed with three boys, who are now 8, 10 and 12 years old. Although busy raising her children, Tracy was eager to share The Christian Alphabet with others and created personalized “Name Art” prints that she often gave as gifts. Later, she expanded her artwork to include bookmarks and note cards.

The boys help mom at her mall kiosk.

“I sold things out of my house or attended little craft shows around town and found that people were generally thirsty for God. Every year my business grew until it was almost too much for me to handle.” Two years ago, a family friend asked if he could help. "God sends us people when we need them, so I immediately said yes.”

Tracy and her husband (R) with business partner and
publisher Matthew Hilger and his wife (L).

Her business partner owns a small publishing company and encouraged Tracy to write THE CHRISTIAN ALPHABET BOOK. She spent months on the project and calls it a collaborative effort with the Lord in charge. “The book teaches about Jesus, Prayer, and the Bible in a visual, interactive way. Love, the dove, guides the reader and provides fun activities that reinforce each lesson. The overall message is to love God and love others, as Jesus taught us. Although written for children, the lessons are for all ages. No matter how old we are, we need to be reminded that Jesus always loves us and He promises us eternal life if we believe in Him and follow Him.”

The book combines three of Tracy’s passions: Jesus, teaching children about Jesus, and artwork about Jesus. “Along with my children, this book is my legacy, my life’s work, a labor of pure love. There is nothing more important than giving our kids a firm foundation of faith. This book does that. It teaches the basics of Christianity in a fun way."

Tracy with her proud parents (R) and brother and sister (L).
The sign around her brother's neck reads: Brother of the
Author and Illustrator.

Looking back, Tracy admits, “I'm an artist, not a writer. I created artwork that lends itself to book form. As a teacher, lesson plans were easy for me, but words were not. I had fears and doubts and struggled every time I sat down to write." To counter those fears, Tracy wrote the following ten points that she wanted to share with us today.

Ten things I learned while writing a book for God. 

1. It is scary putting yourself/your work out there for all to see (and criticize). Remember you are writing for the Lord, NOT for glory to come to you, but to God be the glory.

2. You will feel unworthy, often thinking, “I can’t do this, Lord, why did you call me?” Then, He reminds you that you can do it WITH His help. He will do it through you. You can relax and be the vessel for God to use to pour out His love.

3. You can fight off this fear and doubt, which is not from God, by writing on your knees. (I did this often by spreading out the books and papers on my bed, so that I could write as I knelt.)

4. Pray before writing. Pray as you write. Pray when you are finished.

5. When you don’t know what to write, pray more. Read you Bible. 

6. Ask people to pray for you. Ask a few holy people to help you when you are stuck on something. Pray with them too. (A friend gave me these words to help: “I will rip the fear from your heart and replace it with the surety of my love.” ~Jesus.) Talking about it helps you get things straight in your head so you can start writing again. Talking to God about it always helps. He may answer you with a Bible verse.

7. Keep a Bible handy at all times. Keep a Bible verse written out that helps you find peace and strength. (My verses changed, but a good one was “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” ~ Phil 4:13) Keep a tune in your head that fights off the fear and doubt. (My song was “Home,” by Philip Philips. “Don’t pay no mind to the demons. They fill you with fear.”)

8. Keep your ultimate/overall goal in mind and go back to it if you feel overwhelmed. Memorize a special Bible verse to go with it. My main verse was Romans 15:13. It is about “The God of hope who fills you with peace and believing…and being filled with the power of the Holy Spirit…”

9. God will provide the time to write and words to write--in HIS time. Be patient, faithful, and prayerful.

10. Perfection can be your enemy. You will never get it absolutely perfect. Only God is perfect. Typos will happen; there is always room for improvement. So relax. You are human; therefore, you are imperfect and trying to do your best for your Heavenly Father who loves you no matter what.

The musical team who produced The Christian Alphabet Song
available on The Christian Alphabet website.

When I asked Tracy about the future, she said, “God has already taken me farther than I ever dreamed of with this book, so only He knows. But I think Christian numbers might be a great sequel.”

I agree!

Tracy is giving away a copy of THE CHRISTIAN ALPHABET today. Leave a comment, share how the Lord inspires your writing and/or share what you’ve learned along the way to be entered in the drawing.

A second drawing will be for a copy of THE GENERAL'S SECRETARY (Debby Giusti's January release from Love Inspired Suspense) and a ceramic "Be still and know that I Am God" plaque.

Since we’re counting down the days until Christmas, the breakfast buffet includes Stollen from Germany, Panettone from Italy, and Cranberry Scones from Great Britain. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!
Debby Giusti and Tracy Sands

For more information or to order your copy of THE CHRISTIAN ALPHABET or THE CHRISTIAN ALPHABET SONG, go to www.TheChristianAlphabet.com

Tracy Sands is from Peachtree City, Georgia, where she lives with her husband, Albert, and their three sons. Tracy taught art and “church school” to all ages for many years. She now spends her time caring for her active family and working on The Christian Alphabet™.

THE GENERAL'S SECRETARY

By Debby Giusti

Trusting the Wrong Person Can Be Deadly...

Lillie Beaumont's dark past has just turned up on her porch--fatally wounded. The dying words of the man imprisoned for killing Lillie's mother suggest hidden secrets. Criminal Investigations Division special agent Dawson Timmons agrees. He has his own motive for seeking the truth, and it gives Lillie every reason to doubt him. But even as they reluctantly begin to face painful secrets together, Dawson fears that a murderer is waiting to strike again. And this time, Lillie is right in the line of fire...

THE GENERAL'S SECRETARY, by Debby Giusti, is available at Amazon.