By Atalissa Wells
Life is too generous in doling out heartache. Often, it can feel like we’re constantly getting knocked down. But the important thing is how we get back up. And who helps us along the way.
For Eau Claire native Stephanie Nesja, God serves as her primary pillar of support through difficult times. Her faith journey is the subject of her debut book, Unfaltering Flame: A Linked Essay Collection, which follows her experiences after the passing of a close friend, Dave, the death of her aunt, Kathy, a mission trip to Honduras, and her father and stepmother’s divorce. Through each of these life moments, Nesja comments on her faith, the small mustard seed that remained with her during those tough moments and eventually blossomed. “I always had that faith but after my Aunt Kathy I felt my faith growing and growing,” Nesja says. “Every day God teaches me something new.”
This book began as a thesis for her master’s program at UW-Eau Claire. Through the help of her mentors, UWEC professors Molly Patterson and B.J. Hollars, she complied a collection of four essays, all centered around the same theme of reaffirming faith despite dark times. “The whole book is a lot of vulnerability,” Nesja says, “It’s about grief in so many different forms and figuring out the big Who Am I question.”
Unfaltering Flame is a testament to God’s strength during hardships. Throughout the book, Nesja comments on her struggles with faith; grappling with a lack of understanding on why bad things happen, dealing with grief and feeling lost, but despite it all, she circles back to God. Nesja’s hope for this book is that it “reaches people in a way that’s relatable and in a way to show God’s love.” In the book, she honors God, highlighting how she wrestled with her faith but acknowledges that His strength and love is what got her through it all.
Reflecting on the finished product, Nesja acknowledges that the process of writing her book was not an easy one. “The reality of it…writing brought everything back in vivid detail so I, in a way, kind of re-grieved through them,” she says. “Even though it was cathartic it was still very difficult.”
By using her writing to process her own grief, Nesja is able to share her story with the world. “There is hope. We all go through hardships. When Dave died, I was questioning my faith, but God never left me,” Nesja says. “I was angry but there is hope and there’s joy and it’s such a deep feeling when you find God and have Him in your heart like that, that’s the feeling I want everyone to feel.”
As the book’s release date approaches, Nesja looks forward to sharing her story and how God worked through the good and the bad moments in her life. “It’s emotional but it’s a heartwarming story,” Nesja says. “I want everyone to find hope in it.” Nesja’s book is being self-published through Amazon. The book is categorized as a nonfiction collection of essays with a Christianity theme.
The book will be available for purchase on April 28th at the Local Store, Drewmark Boutique, Jacob’s Well Church Bookstore, and Amazon. The local stores are selling the books at a discount, so support Eau Claire area local businesses. There will also be a book launch party on April 29th in the Renew Church basement from 2 pm – 5 pm with a special reading from Stephanie Nesja herself beginning at 2:45. Support this local author and look for Unfaltering Flame, available April 28th!