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Since she found her love of writing, Rhonda Gould has always been interested in helping others.

She wrote “The Journey: Finding Healing Through Scripture from Life’s Hard Questions” with spiritual insight in mind.

Gould’s book was picked up by Joseph-Beth Booksellers and will be sold at their location in Lexington.

“It’s an application process. You have to apply and meet their standards, and then they choose”, she said. “It’s in the shop local section of Joseph-Beth right at the front.”

Gould is familiar with the Lexington area, as she works as an Outpatient Office Coordinator at The Ridge.

Gould wanted to connect to others with a central message centered around faith.

“The whole reason for the book is to [be brought] closer to God, [and] to have people know that they have a Father that loves them,” she said.

This aim has filled Gould with hope and purpose for her book’s message.

“My hope is that people will just draw closer to him,” she said.

In the text, Gould seeks to do this by asking pointed questions that often get to the fact of the matter.

However, it’s also geared toward guiding readers.

“It asks you pointed questions so that you can kind of think through the process and recognize some past other things that have brought up these same type of feelings,” she said.

Whether it’s because of the rejection of a job or some other struggle, self-help and realization are key.

Afterward, the process of deciding what steps to take next can begin.

Also, though biblical times were long ago, Gould hopes that others will understand that the encounters individuals faced were not so different from those that occur today amidst many challenges.

Accordingly, the education and insight gained help the reader move forward with their own story to engage others.

Gould uses some personal favorites among scripture verses to help guide and inform readers.

Among them are James 1: 5-6, John 4:14, Jeremiah 15:19, Isaiah 43:2, Jeremiah 29:11, and 1 John 4:19.

Verses and stories allow Gould an opportunity to convey how others have benefitted.

“There are people who have gone through [challenges], and God has used them in big ways,” she said. “Everybody’s journey is different.”

Responses have been positive.

“It’s made people stop and think…that’s what it’ll do if you start reflecting”, Gould said.

Plus, the future looks bright as Gould continues to show interest.

“My hopes [are] that people will just draw closer to [God],” Gould said. “I’ve got a couple other things in the works. One right now that I’m working on is another type of study journal workbook, and I’ve got a couple of personal-type books in mind that [I] probably in the next year will start working on.”