I’m delighted to welcome Jo Acharya to the blog today. Jo’s life and writing have been a great inspiration to me – Jo also lives with chronic illness similar to mine, and yet her writing is filled with great hope. I love Jo’s latest project, Living Well with God, a devotional/workbook aimed at adults with learning difficulties or lower levels of literacy. This is such a vital area Jo is addressing – as she says here, there are so many people who find reading difficult, and the usual devotionals and Bible study material can be too difficult. wordy or inaccessible. I’m thrilled that Jo is speaking into this with such great sensitivity and passion, and love the book she has produced – it looks fantastic and is packed full of simple, easy-read, clear explanations of gospel truth and inspiration. I think this will be a fantastic resource for many church groups speaking into their communities and for families to use as well. Here are a few pages to give you an idea of it:
Welcome, Jo! Tell us a little about yourself, your life, and your writing.
Sure! I live in West Sussex with my husband Dan and a friendly but intense tuxedo cat called Dillon. I was born with cystic fibrosis, a disease that affects every cell in my body and causes particular problems with chest infections. So, like you Liz, I’m no stranger to hospital stays and the unpredictability of living with a chronic illness. I was brought up in a Christian family in a lovely warm church where we were encouraged to read the Bible for ourselves and ‘work out our own faith’. It gave me the tools to wrestle with God and be open with him about my disappointments and fears, as well as growing closer in friendship with him. In my experience those two things often go together!
I’ve always been creative, I think it’s a big part of how God’s designed me. I spent most of my childhood writing stories, and my teen and young adult years writing and performing songs. I’ve always loved words in all kinds of forms, so perhaps it was inevitable that I’d end up writing books, though I didn’t really plan it that way!
A couple of years before the pandemic, I had an idea for a cross between a Bible devotional and a wellness journal, exploring God’s design for living well in a gentle and interactive way. It seemed like the kind of book lots of Christians could be blessed by – especially those feeling weary, or struggling in life or faith. I finished the first draft just as lockdown began, and all of a sudden that described pretty much all of us! ‘Refresh: A Wellness Devotional for the Whole Christian Life’ was finally published in January 2022, and includes some of Dan’s beautiful photographs. It still feels timely with so much uncertainty in the world right now.
What gave you the idea for your latest project, Living Well with God?
I’ve spent the last 18 years working with people with learning disabilities, first as a support worker and then as a music therapist. I also lead the Bible teaching in a church group for adults with additional needs. When I started in this role, I quickly discovered that there’s a real lack of faith and discipleship resources that are simple enough for early readers.
So when I completed ‘Refresh’, I immediately began adapting it simpler language, for people with learning difficulties and anyone who finds reading hard. This ‘easy read’ edition eventually became ‘Living Well With God’.
Can you tell us a bit about the book – who is it aimed at and what are
your hopes for it?
‘Living Well With God’ has the same structure, topics and content as ‘Refresh’, but it’s adapted to a 5-7 year old reading level. It’s also presented in an accessible way, with a clear, uncluttered layout to help with visual processing, and pictures to support understanding. It can be used as a devotional by individuals or as a teaching resource for groups.
During this project I’ve learned that it’s not just people with learning disabilities who suffer from the lack of accessible faith resources. Over 16% of adults in the UK have a reading age of 11 or lower, which of course makes it much more difficult for them to use mainstream Bible studies, devotionals and other Christian books. Unsurprisingly, low literacy often correlates with poverty, and over half of people in prison also struggle with reading.
If we want to introduce these people to the Gospel, we need to offer it in a way that’s easy for them to understand. So ‘Living Well With God’ is a great book for churches and Christian ministries to have on hand for anyone who might benefit from it. I’d love to see it help many Christians grow in their relationship with God.
What’s next for you with writing?
I’m working on two more books at the moment. The first is a kind of gift book, a collection of Bible reflections I originally wrote for social media along with some prayer activities and more photos from Dan. The working title is ‘Glimpsing Grace’ and it’ll be out in November
The other is another easy read book called ‘The Big Story of the Bible’ which explores God’s plan to fix the world from Genesis to Revelation. I’m hoping it will be helpful not just for people who find reading hard but for anyone who wants a simple, clear overview of how the whole Bible fits together. It’s a big project but I’m hoping it will be published around Easter next year.
Find Jo at her website: https://valleyofsprings.com/
