Author plans book signing Saturday

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Join Missy Armstrong at Freedom Baptist Church in Mineola as she introduces and signs her newly published book on Saturday, Oct. 12, at 10 a.m.

In “Battle Scars to Beauty Marks,” Armstrong takes her readers on a journey of healing through an 18-week Bible study on dealing with life’s scars and making them beautiful.

Like a humble warrior bearing her wounds to inspire others, Armstrong opens up about her struggle with an abusive ex-husband, poor self-esteem and giving birth to her son as a single mom.

She was born and raised in Mineola and grew up in a family deeply rooted in Christian ministry. Her grandfather, Arlis Banks, was a well-known and respected preacher in the area. Her father, James Banks, was a youth minister and had a Christian band.

Even with the knowledge of Christ, she never felt good enough or strong enough, leading her to years of people pleasing and poor choices. As a young adult, Armstrong left home searching for something she says wasn’t out there for her to find. 

“I was trying to figure out who I was when I left. I spent years trying to please everyone else, not really knowing who I was but making everyone else happy. But I wasn’t trying to please God,” says Armstrong.

After ten years, she came home pregnant and single in 2010. She went back to church, and her relationship with God gave her a new peace.

Armstrong has been writing Bible studies for seven years, in addition to Easter and Christmas plays, five vacation Bible school programs and her personal blog. 

While working on a study for another group, she read 2 Corinthians 12:9, “But He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

The scripture resonated with her. For months, she read it over and over again, as it sank deeper into her soul. She realized that she had not been truthful with anyone, not even her husband of ten years, about what had really happened in her past. Based on that scripture, she began a 2-year journey of healing and writing. 

“Battle Scars to Beauty Marks” is a testimony of what God took her through to find peace from her past. She wants to use what may look ugly to help further God’s kingdom. The book is written from a woman’s point of view, but needs to be in the hands of anyone hurting.

“There’s a lot of people out there hurting. People sitting in church are hurting. People not in church are hurting. People are afraid to come to church because they’re hurting,” says Armstrong with tears in her eyes.

“A lot of things that cause us scars is not things that we did, but things that happened to us.” 

Armstrong knows that healing doesn’t happen in a day or overnight. 

“You can’t pray to be better and wake up the next day healed. Just like an addict, you have to daily make the decision to be better,” she says. 

Armstrong made many mistakes, but when she changed her focus, doors started opening to her. She still has hard times, but feels happier and more joyful than ever. She believes this book will change the reader’s focus and help them navigate the hard times also. It can be purchased on Amazon or at Barnes & Noble bookstores.

Armstrong isn’t taking a break from writing. In her next book, she will take readers through an in-depth study of Biblical characters from an adult’s point of view. 

“Like Disney movies, we water things down for children and skip over things. That’s good for kids because it introduces them to the Bible and stories, but there’s a lot of instructions that we could use for our lives,” says Armstrong.

Follow Missy Armstrong on her journey of writing, teaching and joyfully helping others at missyarmstrongauthor.wordpress.com.