Friday, September 21, 2018

From Wall to Book by Liz Holtzman

Liz Holtzman

Although writers have common experiences, some are still unique. Most of us have probably heard how blog articles have been turned into books. But, I’d never heard of anything similar to the path Liz Holtzman has taken to publication. This was truly a God-led journey, and I’ve been eager to share it with you. ~ Dawn


From Wall to Book

From wall to book, a journey of stepping out in faith. It started because I began meeting with sixth grade prayer committees in a small kitchen that was no longer being frequently used at our school.  I began to put the information I was teaching them about prayer on a white board.  As is so often true, one thing led to another and pretty soon the walls and cupboards were covered in prayers.

I began inviting teachers and parents to feel welcome to come and “pray the walls.”  Many times, individual ones would say to me, “You should publish a book.”  At first, I would smile and nod, dismissing the idea in my head, because after all I don’t know anything about publishing a book.  Slowly, it began to dawn on me that the Lord might be trying to tell me something.

So, I stood back and looked at the walls to consider what might be publishable.  One wall contained the scripture prayers for character traits I had written to coordinate with our efforts to encourage the development of godly character in our students.  I counted them up and there were 31, one for each day of a month.  Since I don’t believe in coincidences, I took a deep breath and prayed “Ok Lord, I’ll do some research on publishing a book.” 


Thus, began a journey that every step of the way has required me to step out of my comfort zone.  Each time I felt overwhelmed, God has faithfully provided a timely word of encouragement from someone, a solution to a problem, or the courage to stand firm and persevere. 

Sure enough, Proven Character: Praying for Our Children was born and along the way some precious memories. For instance, watching my current sixth grade prayer committee poring over the three book cover options, discussing which one best suited the content of the book and what changes they would make, if any.  

I experienced a special connection and time with cousins who provided me the professional quality photo for the back cover. 

Then, my first proof arrived at the same time the first-grade students I assist were finishing their books for the annual Young Authors and Artists Fair. We had quite a discussion and enjoyed discovering that my book and theirs all had the same parts: cover, title page, dedication, table of contents, introduction, content, and author pages. Our books required hard work and perseverance, but oh, the joy of sharing them at the end. 

The journey has taken me out of my comfort zone, but never out of God’s faithful provision each step of the way. From wall to book, from book to …? Now isn’t that an interesting question? The adventure continues …




We all want our children to become people of proven moral character who value and display wisdom, compassion, and courage.  We want them to have the moral courage to do what is right and walk with integrity. 

Comprised of scripture-inspired prayers for thirty-one character traits and a section of commentary and tips on how to pray powerfully and effectively, Proven Character: Praying for Our Children will give you a systematic way to pray for your children and students. 

Our children are worthy of our prayers.  Our prayers exert a powerful influence upon the spiritual environment in which children make their choices.  As you pray through these specific character traits – one for each day of the month – you will use the truths of God’s word, invite the Holy Spirit’s influence, and impact children’s lives for Christ.



Liz Holtzman is an educator, intercessor, and author. Her passion is to see students become all God intends, rooted and established in Christ. This desire guides her service as leader of several weekly prayer groups, mentor of a sixth-grade prayer committee, classroom assistant, and substitute teacher at a classical Christian school. Liz and her husband live in the Pacific Northwest and have two adult children.

Connect with Liz and learn more about her book by visiting: