Author: Andrea Herzer
Located in: Texas
Submitted: December 15, 2022
Tell us a little about yourself. Having spent the last twenty years with multiple illnesses - including Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and non-Hodgkins lymphoma - Andrea Herzer is intimately acquainted with the hardships that accompany debilitating health issues. Navigating life while undergoing infusions, chemotherapy, more than 100 medical procedures, and all the complications in-between has given her deep compassion for others who also suffer.
Andrea's writing has been featured in multiple devotional series on iBelieve.com and Crosswalk.com. You can also find Andrea's work in Guideposts™ upcoming book In God's Time. She is passionate about building others up in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ to help them embrace a truly abundant life.
Andrea grew up in Florida and is a beach girl at heart, but for now she is content to use the therapy pool in her Texas backyard. Andrea and her remarkable husband Mark are blessed with three grown children, each of whom is their favorite child. You can learn more about Andrea on andreaherzer.com
What was your motivation behind this project? I started writing Incurable Faith after living almost a decade with debilitating health issues. After visiting a support group for people with chronic pain, I was deeply impacted by their stories of hopelessness, loneliness, and despair. I'd found such comfort and hope in my relationship with Jesus and experienced firsthand the strengthening power of praise. So, I began writing devotions with the intent of making a free booklet for the chronic pain support group. When the group disbanded a few months later, I continued to write with the goal of encouraging others who suffer.
After another decade of increasing health issues, I had filled enough journals for two or three books! But I was too timid to make my writing public until I was diagnosed with advanced-stage aggressive cancer. In the hospital ICU, nearly dying from a port infection during chemotherapy, I pleaded with God, â"Please do not let me die. I never finished my book!" Incurable Faith's publishing date is June 20, 2023, exactly seven years to the day I was released from the hospital.
Going through cancer helped clarify my calling and strengthened my resolve to help others who suffer from health issues. Although my cancer relapsed, I'm incredibly grateful that God gave me the perseverance and opportunity to finish Incurable Faith.
What do you hope folks will gain from this project? My prayer is for Incurable Faith to impart comfort, strength, and hope that deepens the faith of those who suffer. Countless people suffer from chronic pain or illness or the fears that come with a life-threatening diagnosis. They need real gospel hope to help them cope. In Incurable Faith, I weave together my personal narrative with scriptural truth to teach readers how to use biblical tools to build a beautiful life amidst health issues - and to know that they are not alone.
Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists? I'll read anything by these trusted and beloved authors: Elisabeth Elliott, David Jeremiah, Max Lucado, Pricilla Shirer, and Philip Yancey.
I've learned to navigate suffering and disappointment from: Amy Carmichael, Carol Kent, Corrie ten Boom, Joni Eareckson Tada, and Jay and Katherine Wolf.
Authors who inspire my faith through deep reflection: Matthew Henry, Tim Keller, C.S. Lewis.
What worship music do I swim with on my waterproof iPod? Music by CeCe Winans, Elevation Worship, Andy Mineo, and Mosaic Worship.
What music fills my heart with joy? Anything by Travis Greene, Kari Jobe, Bryan and Katie Torwalt, Hymns by Joey + Rory, and any song my son plays on the guitar.
Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know: My idea of a perfect day would be waking in Hawaii with my husband and children, drinking Kona coffee and fresh squeezed OJ while I read my Bible and write, then heading out to our favorite beach to snorkel together. I love to discover God's undersea creation while listening to gospel music on my waterproof audio device. Floating in saltwater eases my pain and exploring marvelous marine life with my family delights my soul.
I'm an avid reader, and my early years were spent reading series after series: C.S. Lewis' Narnia series, Louisa May Alcott's Little Women series, Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie series, and every historical biography series in my elementary school's library. My favorite books are non-fiction, autobiographies, and biographies. I don't typically re-read most books, but I have been reading my most beloved book, the Bible, every day for over thirty years. I'm a closet Bible study nerd, so I become unduly excited when learning from Greek and Hebrew words studies in Strong's Concordance.
Sign up at andreaherzer.com for Say Hello to Encouragement, my free monthly newsletter with devotions, book recommendations, Scripture-filled prayer, and book updates. I love to encourage readers in biblical truth by including free gifts, like my Simple Scripture Studies: a week of topical verses with questions for further reflection.
