Publishing Secrets

Latoya Washington: Let God Guide Your Pen

Episode Summary

Have you ever experienced a “stripping away”? While many of us expect that giving our lives over to God will result in smoother sailing, this week’s Publishing Secrets guest, Latoya Washington, found the opposite to be true. In her own words, “all hell broke loose” as soon as she re-dedicated her life to the Lord. From losing everything in a flood to an assault that sent her into a spiral of self-blame, Latoya went through a period of nonstop loss and trauma. But her story didn’t end there – Latoya poured out her heart in poetry, and now she uses her writing to offer hope to others who have suffered like she did. Listen and be inspired by Latoya’s story of hope, healing, and trusting God when all seems lost.

Episode Notes

In this episode, you’ll also hear:

• How Latoya’s love for writing letters transformed into poetry when she found it hard to express her emotions to people around her
• Why Latoya says she has no regrets about losing everything and having to start all over
• Latoya’s experience of learning to heal from trauma through therapy and self-forgiveness
• Why Latoya says her biggest challenge was letting go of her poems – and how she learned to trust and let go
• Latoya’s advice on trusting God’s calling when you can’t see how things will turn out

BIO:

Latoya Washington was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, raised by her biological mother Veeta Bonner and stepfather Jimmie Bonner. As a child, she would write short stories, poems and would use words to encourage her peers. Whenever she faced a roadblock or obstacle, she would use a pen and paper to help her persevere. After experiencing abuse, homelessness, rejection, loss and near death, she used each experience to encourage others through her writings. God began to deposit words not only for short stories, but blessed her creativity to write songs, sermons, plays and children's stories. 

Latoya continues to write and allows the Lord to guide her pen. Latoya hopes each poem in this book shows how the love of God helped her to push through the vicissitudes of life, though each circumstance tried to smother and choke the seeds of love that God deposited in her. She continued to blossom and rise above the ashes, remaining genuine and unique, as a concrete rose. Broken Vessels will reveal the deep places of the author’s heart and how every struggle was used to help her endure. Latoya shows how Christ’s love and correction helped to bring her complete healing and wholeness. God purified, refined, and defined her into a willing, broken, and open vessel!

Latoya Washington currently resides in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania with her loving husband, David Washington. They run a small t-shirt business, "RhemaCreationz" that incorporates scripture with modern fashion. After working a combined fifteen years of serving local youth in the Harrisburg and Philadelphia community, the couple came together to build the brand, RhemaCreationz. RhemaCreationz is a brand designed to equip, motivate, encourage, and exalt others with the Word of God by incorporating scripture to creatively express God’s will and plan for his people. Creative expressions of faith with apparel, music, books and much more!

GET CONNECTED:

Website: https://www.rhemacreationz.com/product-page/broken-vessels-poetry-book

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