About Christy Brunke

Welcome, friends! I’m blessed to be a mom, a pastor’s wife, and the bestselling author of the fictional book, Snow out of Season. But my greatest claim to fame comes from being a child of the King. Because of that, I’m passionate about my family, unborn children, and God-written love stories. Though I used to live in China, now I love serving in ministry here in Maryland. Praying you’ll be blessed as you read my blogs, my story, and my award-winning novel!

The Covered Deep by Brandy Vallance

Posted on November 21, 2015 by Christy Brunke

The Covered Deep award-winning novel by Brandy Vallance

Are you waiting for your true love to arrive, but the years keep passing with no sign of him on the horizon? What if he came, but with a heavy price tag attached?

As I anticipate soon holding my published book—compliments of Jerry Jenkins’ Operation First Novel contest—I wanted to look back at the previous year’s winner, Brandy Vallance.

In The Covered Deep, Vallance takes us on a thrilling adventure from post-Civil War Ohio to London and, eventually, Palestine.

Synopsis

Unlike many girls in her small Appalachian town, Bianca Marshall dreams of something—and someone—more. In addition to being brilliant, devastatingly handsome, and a “more than capable kisser,” her soul mate must adore her, quote both Shakespeare and the Bible, and be “a foreigner, possibly a disgruntled duke.” After reading through her list, Bianca deems it “perfectly reasonable.”

Later that day, her father, a fellow dreamer, comes home with a newspaper advertisement about an essay contest. Sir Adrian Hartwith, a distinguished member of the British aristocracy, is offering four winners a tour of the Holy Land. Applicants need only complete an acronym and share their goals, hobbies, and spiritual beliefs as well as a regret from their past.

Much to her surprise, Bianca is chosen and embarks on an all-expenses-paid trip across the ocean. At the British museum, she meets Sir Adrian and the other three winners. She immediately starts falling for Paul Emerson, a historian who seems to satisfy every longing on her list.

Then the fourth member of their party is introduced—a stunningly beautiful widow who makes Paul’s face turn white. Secrets are slowly revealed as they journey from Europe through Palestine, exposing the sinister motives of their host.

My Thoughts

Brandy Vallance, award-wining author of The Covered Deep

Brandy Vallance, award-winning author of The Covered Deep

This beautifully-written romance addresses a common issue in an uncommon—even ingenious—way, all the while managing to engage not only my heart, mind, and senses, but my funny bone as well.

Though the beginning is wonderfully-reminiscent of Pride & Prejudice, the theme goes much deeper than the beloved classic. With poetic prose, memorable characters, and a unique plot, The Covered Deep will resonate long after you turn the last page.

I would recommend this novel to historical fiction fans, women awaiting their knights in shining armor, and readers who enjoy edgy inspirational romances like Francine Rivers’s Redeeming Love.

Want to learn more about The Covered Deep and its author? Check out my interview with Brandy Vallance!

Gabriel Network 5K: Running for Their Lives

Posted on November 7, 2015 by Christy Brunke

My husband, Mark, and I recently finished our first 5K, helping to raise $15,000 for women facing crisis pregnancies. This was the fifth annual 5K hosted by the Gabriel Network, a faith-based community of churches, businesses, and individuals that has helped thousands of women in D.C. and Maryland.

The Gabriel Network's mission hope for women

Photo courtesy of http://liveactionnews.org/

Gabriel Network: For Pregnant Women in Crisis

“We are the ‘What Now?’ organization after a mother chooses motherhood and embraces life,” said former board president Johanna Coughlin.

Through the Gabriel Network (GN), women struggling with unexpected pregnancies can receive free counseling, baby products, and even transitional housing. To raise support for these things, GN hosts several annual fundraisers. From galas and crab feasts to golf tournaments and 5Ks, they’re committed to raising the necessary resources to support women who choose life.

Last month, a forecast hurricane threatened to sabotage this year’s 5K, but volunteers and supporters encouraged people to pray. By the start of the event, the rain had stopped, but it was still damp and chilly at 50 degrees. Under an overcast sky, 47 of us ran 3.1 miles on a lovely trail around Lake Elkhorn in Columbia, MD.

The Gabriel Network 5K

Photo by Paula Sampugnaro.

“I just recently started running, and this was my second 5K race,” said Columbia resident Tracey Cyr. “I really enjoyed participating . . . because I felt that I was supporting a great organization. Before the race began, when the director asked the runners to pray for the moms and babies, it made me feel that God put me there for a reason.”

A few parents pushed their toddlers in strollers while some older kids and teens jogged the course on their own.

“I love the Gabriel Network’s mission and what they do to show the love of Christ to women in need,” said 15-year-old Megan Tatum. “As a high schooler, sometimes it’s hard for me to know what I can do against issues like abortion. I’m too young to vote, and I don’t have a steady income…. This 5k was an opportunity for me to not only donate money, but set aside time to pray.”

Stephen Wallace executive director of the Gabriel Network

Photo by Paula Sampugnaro.

Though some of us walked part of the trail, seeing it as an opportunity to meet like-minded people, most jogged, and some ran to win. Ifeanyi Ezeh, another Columbia resident, finished first at 21 minutes and 20.9 seconds.

“This 5K was even more successful than last year’s,” said GN’s Executive Director, Stephen Wallace. “Our volunteer committee led by Tiffany Farley planned a great event, and our generous sponsors really came through. I think the threat of the weather kept a number of runners at home, but even with that the spirit of the runners was strong. There were a lot of smiles and even more prayers for our moms.”

Ways You Can Help

Want to help, but weren’t able to participate in the 5K? You can still donate online, volunteer, or partner with your church to adopt a woman in need. Discover all the ways you can serve—or be served—at GabrielNetwork.org.

Big Dreamers with Down Syndrome

Posted on October 31, 2015 by Christy Brunke

In honor of Down Syndrome Awareness Month and the role Trisomy 21 plays in my novel, today I’d like to highlight some big dreamers with Down syndrome.

Actors

Big Dreamers with Down Syndrome actor Chris Burke

Photo courtesy of: http://tvlistings.zap2it.com.

If you grew up watching Life Goes On, like I did, you probably remember Corky, a boy with Down syndrome. Chris Burke, who also has Down syndrome, played this character.

When Burke was born, his parents were told to put him in an institution. Instead, they raised him themselves, nurturing his gifts and encouraging his dream of becoming an actor.

After his first professional role in the made-for-TV movie Desperate, ABC executives were so blown away by his performance, they created Life Goes On with Corky as the starring role. But Burke’s success didn’t end there. He’s since appeared on many films, miniseries, and TV shows. He even played Taylor in Touched by an Angel and co-starred in the movie Jonathan: The Boy Nobody Wanted.

Burke’s success opened the door for other entertainers with Down syndrome. They include Lauren Potter (Glee), Jamie Brewer (American Horror Story), and Luke Zimmerman (The Secret Life of an American Teenager).

Artists

Big Dreamers with Down Syndrome painter Bernadette Resha

Bernadette Resha. Photo courtesy of: http://www.chattanoogan.com.

People with Down syndrome have also made their mark on the art world. Painter Bernadette Resha has been interviewed on NBC, PBS, and Prime Time Country, her work displayed in galleries across the country.

Big Dreamers with Down Syndrome artist Michael Johnson

Michael Johnson. Photo courtesy of https://sentinel63.wordpress.com.

Canadian Jane Cameron’s designs were developed into tapestries commissioned by Mirabel Airport, Reader’s Digest Canada, and the office of the Prime Minister.

Folk artist Michael Johnson paints animals and nature scenes similar to the work of Edward Hicks and Henry Rousseau.

In 2002, he won the American Veterinary Medical Association’s national art contest. In 2010, he was chosen out of over a thousand professional artists to display his watercolors at ArtPrize, an international art competition.

Musicians

While art has allowed Johnson, Resha, and Cameron to find a voice, Yizhou Hu finds his self-expression in music. Born in China in 1978, “ZhouZhou” grew up attending orchestra rehearsals with his cellist father.

One day, a documentary filmmaker noticed ZhouZhou copying the conductor’s movements. His assistant jokingly invited ZhouZhou to conduct the song. When he did, he left the orchestra stunned at his performance. ZhouZhou has since become an internationally-esteemed conductor. He’s even lead the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and China’s National Symphony Orchestra.

Sujeet Dasai a married musician with Down syndrome

Sujeet Dasai. Photo courtesy of: http://romesentinel.com/

Born a little closer to home, in Syracuse, New York, Sujeet Desai has also achieved international success. He plays seven instruments and has traveled to thirty states and eleven countries doing solo performances.

In 2006, he married Carrie Bergeron, a motivational speaker who also has Down syndrome. “There were two dreams in my life,” Desai told a crowd before his wedding day.¹ “One was to become a professional musician. The other was to find a beautiful girl and get married.”²

Today, Desai has realized both dreams.

I hope you’ve enjoyed these short bios of some big dreamers with Down syndrome! Do you know someone special with Down syndrome? Share in the comments below!

Marni Pyke, “Down syndrome doesn’t wither couple’s dreams,” Daily Herald, http://sujeet.com/daily_herald.html. ↩
Marni Pyke, “Down syndrome doesn’t wither couple’s dreams,” Daily Herald, http://sujeet.com/daily_herald.html. ↩

Adopting Faith Hill, the Girl They Always Wanted

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Christy Brunke

Faith Hill. Photo courtesy of: http://www.portwallpaper.com

In 1967, six years before Roe v. Wade legalized abortion and make it more accessible for the average woman, an unmarried girl named Paula got pregnant.

When the baby was only three days old, a Christian couple named Ted and Edna Perry adopted her.

Unlike Paul and Clara Jobs—the adoptive parents of Steve Jobs—the Perrys already had two biological sons in elementary school. But they wanted a girl.

Unfortunately . . . or, rather, providentially . . . the Perrys discovered they couldn’t have any more children. So, they chose to raise Paula’s little one as their own. They named her Audrey Faith Perry, pointing to the trust in God they’d needed for the adoption.

“I . . . had a pretty amazing childhood,” the woman we now know as Faith Hill told Larry King in a 2006 interview.¹ “My mom and my dad and my brothers, they are amazing.”¹

She enjoyed a “very stable, good Christian, God-fearing home.”¹

Becoming a Legendary Singer and Songwriter

“Her parents led a simple life and encouraged her music,” Robin Roberts said on ABC News.⁴

After first singing publicly at the age of seven, Faith went on to become a legendary singer and songwriter, selling over 40 million records. She’s won five Grammy Awards, six American Music Awards, and fifteen Academy of Country Music Awards.

Photo courtesy of: http://www.nfl.com

Because Faith’s father had to drop out of school in fourth grade to help feed his twelve siblings, she also founded the Faith Hill Family Literacy Project. Through book drives she’s held at her concerts, she’s donated over a million books to schools, shelters, and libraries.

Finding Her Birth Mother

Like Steve Jobs, Faith Hill always knew she was adopted, but, unlike him, she eventually wanted to find her birth parents. “I was adopted into this incredible home, a loving, positive environment, yet I had this yearning….”⁵

In 1990, while feeling lost as she chased stardom in Nashville, Faith began searching for her biological mother. Three years later, she found the woman who gave her life. “I just stared at her . . . I’d never seen anyone that looked anything like me. It was the awe of seeing someone you came from. It fills something.”⁶

Faith later told Robin Roberts, “It was all by divine intervention that it happened.”⁷

“I have a lot of respect for my birth mother and no feelings of anger . . . I know she must have had a lot of love for me to want to give me what she felt was a better chance.”⁶

“How thankful I am that she was able to give me the opportunity that I had,” Faith said on Larry King Live.⁹ “I was placed into an incredible home that . . . is responsible for the way I am today and the backbone that I have in order to do this for a living.”⁹

Faith Hill with her husband Tim McGraw on Larry King Live. Photo courtesy of: http://www.spokeo.com

Do you have an adoption story? Share it below!

Faith Hill, CNN Larry King Live, Interview with Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, transcript, aired April 21, 2006, http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/21/lkl.01.html. ↩
Faith Hill, CNN Larry King Live, Interview with Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, transcript, aired April 21, 2006, http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/21/lkl.01.html. ↩
Faith Hill, CNN Larry King Live, Interview with Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, transcript, aired April 21, 2006, http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/21/lkl.01.html. ↩
Robin Roberts, ABC News, Part 1 of “In the Spotlight with Robin Roberts”: Faith Hill on Fears and Fame, video, 8:12, aired November 9, 2011, http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/InTheSpotlight. ↩
Leah Ginsberg, “Faith Renewed,” Good Housekeeping, (2007): http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/inspirational-stories/interviews/a15246/faith-hill-renewed-apr04/. ↩
Leah Ginsberg, “Faith Renewed,” Good Housekeeping, (2007): http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/inspirational-stories/interviews/a15246/faith-hill-renewed-apr04/. ↩
Faith Hill, ABC News, Part 1 of “In the Spotlight with Robin Roberts:” Faith Hill on Fears and Fame, video, 8:12, 11/09/2011, http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/InTheSpotlight. ↩
Leah Ginsberg, “Faith Renewed,” Good Housekeeping, (2007): http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/inspirational-stories/interviews/a15246/faith-hill-renewed-apr04/. ↩
Faith Hill, CNN Larry King Live, Interview with Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, transcript, aired April 21, 2006, http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/21/lkl.01.html. ↩
Faith Hill, CNN Larry King Live, Interview with Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, transcript, aired April 21, 2006, http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/21/lkl.01.html. ↩

Three People Who Passed On Steve Jobs

Posted on October 10, 2015 by Christy Brunke

Steve Jobs. Photo courtesy of techvark.com.

You probably know Steve Jobs co-founded Apple, Inc. and helped design the Macintosh as well as the iPod, iPad, and iPhone. Perhaps you know he was one of the primary pioneers of personal computers. You might even know he headed Pixar Animation Studios.

But did you know he was adopted?

Photo courtesy of ingender.com.

In 1954, Joanne Schieble, an unmarried grad student, got pregnant.

Abortion was illegal, raising a baby on your own was frowned upon, and her Catholic parents forbid her to marry her Muslim boyfriend, so she headed to San Francisco where she planned to place the child for adoption.

However, when Joanne gave birth to a baby boy, the wealthy, well-educated couple she’d chosen to raise her child decided they wanted a girl instead.

Meanwhile, a blue-collar couple named Paul and Clara Jobs had been married for nine years, but had been unable to have a child. After Clara had an ectopic pregnancy, they decided to explore adoption. Not long afterward, the baby boy was placed with them, and they named him Steven Paul Jobs.

However, when Joanne discovered the couple hadn’t completed high school, she refused to sign the adoption papers. After all, her one stipulation was that his parents be college graduates. Weeks later, Paul and Clara signed a pledge to start saving for Steven’s college education, and Joanne finally relented.

Clara later told Steve’s high school girlfriend she was “too frightened to love [Steve] for the first six months of his life . . . I was scared they were going to take him away from me.” ¹

Passing on Passion and Perfection

Paul, a machinist who rebuilt cars for extra money, hoped to pass along his love for mechanics to his son as well as conscientious craftsmanship. “He loved doing things right,” Jobs told his official biographer Walter Isaacson. ² “He even cared about the look of the parts you couldn’t see.” ² He also “showed me the rudiments of electronics, and I got very interested in that.” ²

The garage where Steve Jobs learned and worked

The garage where Jobs worked alongside his dad and later built the first Apple computers. Photo courtesy of http://mashable.com.

From early on, Jobs knew he was adopted. “My parents were very open with me about that,” he told Isaacson.² “Knowing I was adopted may have made me feel more independent, but I have never felt abandoned. I’ve always felt special. My parents made me feel special.”²

When people implied Paul and Clara weren’t his real parents, Jobs always bristled. “They were my parents 1,000%.”⁷

“He felt he had been really blessed by having the two of them as parents,” said Steve’s widow, Laurene Jobs.⁸

Isaacson describes him as the “creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.”²

Because his birth mother chose to give him life, and his adoptive parents a home, Steve Jobs went on to change history. But what if this world-changer had never been born? How different would our lives be today?

little girl Faith Hill Perry playing the guitar

Photo courtesy of: http://people.com

In my next blog, I tell the story of another celebrity who was adopted. Follow the link to read, “Adopting Faith Hill, the Girl They Always Wanted.”

Chrisann Brennan, The Bite in the Apple: A Memoir of My Life with Steve Jobs (St. Martin’s Press, 2013). ↩
Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs (Simon & Schuster, 2011). ↩
Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs (Simon & Schuster, 2011). ↩
Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs (Simon & Schuster, 2011). ↩
Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs (Simon & Schuster, 2011). ↩
Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs (Simon & Schuster, 2011). ↩
Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs (Simon & Schuster, 2011). ↩
Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli, Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader (Crown Business, 2015). ↩
Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs (Simon & Schuster, 2011). ↩