Hello, reading friends!

What I'm Meditating On: Belonging

⁴ Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,
extol him who rides on the clouds;
rejoice before him—his name is the Lord.
​⁵ A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling.
​⁶ God sets the lonely in families,
he leads out the prisoners with singing;
but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

—Psalm 68:4-6

King David may have written Psalm 68 early in his reign—after defeating his enemies and bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. He had spent years as a fugitive from King Saul, living under the constant threat of death. Yet God had preserved him and ultimately gave him the kingship, just as He had promised. In this psalm, David celebrates God's power and faithfulness in establishing His people in their home—the Promised Land.

David was no orphan, yet he must have known the loneliness of those years on the run. Even surrounded by loyal warriors, he spent many nights without a home of his own, never knowing when he might have to flee again. He knew something of what it meant to be displaced, vulnerable, and without a place to belong.

Psalm 68:6 says, "God sets the lonely in families." In its immediate context, the verse speaks of God's care for His people, Israel. But it also reflects a recurring truth throughout Scripture: God cares deeply about those who are alone, forgotten, and without a place to call home.

All of us have a longing, a desire to belong. We search for a place where we can be fully known and still fully loved—home. Yet love's deepest fulfillment is found in the God who welcomes us into His eternal family and home.

What I'm Working On

A Home For Rodney: A Short Story

I received feedback from my editor and I've begun laying out the story for distribution. It's the story of a young boy's journey through foster care: Will Rodney allow himself to trust another family—and will this family finally keep him.

Eight-year-old Rodney has been through enough to know that adults come and go—and that hoping too hard only makes the hurt worse. When he's about to be placed in yet another foster home, Rodney wants love more than anything, but his past won't let him reach for it. Torn between the family he desperately needs and the mother he refuses to forget, Rodney must find the courage to open a door he's terrified to walk through.

Here's the book cover.

Magazine Article: Stay In Your Lane

I've finished the article and preparing to send it to potential magazines for publication. In a nut shell: To reach your destination, you have to follow the rules of the road—or risk getting stopped. Stay In Your Lane is based on Colossians 2:6. It encourages readers to remain rooted and built up in Jesus Christ, rather than take an off ramp that leads them away from their loving, Father God.

What I’m Reading

As a member of Jerry Jenkin's course, Your Novel Blueprint, I received an advance copy (pre-publication version) of his upcoming novel, The Battle For Heaven And Earth, co-written with Mark M. Yarbrough, the sixth president of Dallas Theological Seminary and a professor in the Bible Exposition department. The Novel will be published on November 3, 2026 by Thomas Nelson Fiction.

It is available for pre-order at:

​Bible Gateway​

​Amazon (I'm not sure if this is only the link for Amazon Philippines)

​Barnes & Noble​

Here is the Thomas Nelson description:

Latest Release: Behold, All Things Are Become New—A Short Story

When his abusive father appears uninvited on his wedding day, a groom must choose between forgiveness and the bitterness that could poison his marriage.

The story explores themes of generational wounding, forgiveness, and inner healing. If you haven’t already, you can download the story here. Discussion questions are now included.

For Prayer

If you pray, please join me in the following:

• Pray for continued progress on the novel And Grace Will Lead Me Home.
• Pray for the final details to be completed before distribution of A Home For Rodney.
• Pray that I can find an appropriate magazine to publish Stay In Your Lane, and that it would encourage Christians to stay close to Jesus and avoid detours.

Contact Me

I'd love to hear from you. You can email me at: broks.d.h@gmail.com (just one "o" instead of two).

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If you enjoy this newsletter and know someone else who might like it, please feel free to pass it along. It helps an indie writer like me to reach more people who enjoy transformative fiction and inspirational reflections.

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​That's it for now. Thank you for a moment of your time.

David Harlen Brooks

Previous Posts

​Jesus Our Example: Forgiveness in the Midst of Pain—By forgiving others, Christians not only obey a command, but act in a way that reflects Jesus.

​God Forgives Us—And That Changes Everything—God's forgiveness is complete and transforming, moving us to forgive others.

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​Forgiveness Isn’t For Them, It’s For You—Discover how forgiveness brings freedom and healing—not for the offender, but for you.

​The Light of God—How God’s light, first spoken into a dark world, still brings clarity, hope, and transformation today through Christ.

​Out of the Mire—Psalm 40:1-3 reflects David’s trust in God deliverance and inspires others to recognize His glory.

​Mary Vs. The Taylor Swifts—You don't have to be famous to make an impact. God chooses faithful and available people.

​Goals: Hits and Misses in 2024—Two stories finished, one that didn't cross the finish line.

​God's Love Is...

​AI Takes on My Writing and My Top 3 Movies​

​Trust Your Heavenly Father—What I Learned About Trust in PE Class.

​Clay Pots—Common with Uncommon Results—God's surprising advertising strategy.