One of the opportunities I would love to explore with this newsletter is to introduce people and resources that you may not be familiar with. Today, I’m excited to spotlight Quina Aragon. I first had the pleasure of meeting Quina at a creatives’ conference where her thoughtfulness and talent were highlighted. She is deeply respected by friends of mine, and I thought it would be a pleasure to share her work with you. 

As an author, editor, and spoken word artist based in Orlando, Quina brings a unique perspective on faith and love through her children’s book trilogy and other works. In her new book, Love Has a Story: 100 Meditations on the Enduring Love of God, Quina invites us to explore God’s enduring love across time and in our personal journeys. She shares scenes from her own story through poetry, while encouraging us to consider how our lives are meant to be stories about God’s love too. 

In her own words, Love Has a Story “is biblical theology, meets personal story work, meets your local coffee shop poet or artist.” I chatted with Quina recently to learn more about her vision for this book.

Tell us about yourself, Quina.

I’m a Filipina-Puerto Rican-Jamaican child of immigrants who was raised in Orlando, Florida. I grew up as an athlete who loved to write, but I never had a knack for creative writing. When I first trusted in Christ in high school, I would journal my prayers and thoughts, and much to my surprise, out would come poetry. This gift still surprises me to this day, and I hope to steward it in a way that helps the Christian imagination. 

Why this book?

I wrote this book on God’s love in particular because God’s love has been one of the hardest realities for me to feel and truly know in my bones. Isn’t it so like God to take the areas of our deepest wounds and doubts and to make us proclaimers of the very truths we have wrestled with the most?

In many churches, spiritual formation has been reduced to the memorization and recitation of doctrinal propositions. In other spaces, it has been reduced to chasing emotional highs. In others, Jesus is merely a pass to heaven with no significant impact in our day-to-day lives.  

But what if the work of Christ was not merely to get us to heaven but to tell us a story about God’s love that would simultaneously dignify, challenge, and transform our own unique stories into beautifully diverse expressions of his love?

Love Has a Story is the intersection of three things: (1) a rich understanding of how the Bible’s stories make up one big story (biblical theology), (2) how the work of engaging our own personal stories (story work) is necessary for our transformative participation in the new creation, and (3) a welcome expression of authentic and artistic storytelling that helps create a safe space for vulnerability (poetry). 

Whom is this book for?

This book is for those with curious and aching hearts, wondering, What does the Bible, or Jesus’ story, have to do with me? What makes Scripture (or God) worth my time? Or even, What happened to that zeal for Christ I used to have? How do I reconnect with God after I feel I’ve drifted away? How in the world do I make time to be with God when my life is so busy?

How should readers approach this book?

This book flows as one story, so it can be read in either long or brief spurts. It can be read as a cohesive story in just a few sittings, or it can be broken down into 100 days of short readings. If you find yourself seeking deeper understanding and comfort, this story is for you.

Thank you, Quina, for sharing your talent and time with us. May the Lord bless your work. 

You can learn more about Quina Aragon at LoveHasAStory.com.