Meet God the Father in a Personal Way

You know that God is your Father because you’ve been told so. He created you and is the First Person of the Holy Trinity. Jesus spoke about him throughout the Gospels. But, do you really know him? Do you feel as though you have a special place in his heart?

Evangelist Terry Modica has a new book that will lead you into a deep, lasting relationship with the heavenly Father and help you to truly feel that you are his special child – in just 30 days! Terry’s new book is 30 Days to the Father’s Heart and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to do an author Q&A with her for my blog.

Who is Terry Modica?

Terry and her husband, Ralph, founded Good News Ministries (gnm.org) in 1995. She serves in this ministry as Executive Director and is a prolific writer, podcast host, international speaker, and retreat director. She has a theology degree and two certificates in Lay Pastoral Ministry and is the author of the popular daily Good News Reflections on the readings from Catholic Mass. Terry has been in active Catholic evangelization and faith-building ministry since she became a Catholic in 1977.

What is Good News Ministries?

Good News Ministries of Tampa Bay, Inc., was founded in 1995 to enliven Catholics in the love of God the Father, the salvation of Jesus Christ, and the holy life that comes from the Holy Spirit, and to know the traditional teachings of the Catholic Church as the guardian of their souls. With her husband, Ralph’s assistance, and a team of staff and volunteers, Terry accomplishes this by using technologies that make the Faith accessible to everyone, including people around the world who don’t have a parish to go to or parish programs available to nurture their faith.

How did the idea for 30 Days to the Father’s Heart develop?

Although I knew Jesus Christ as a close friend since early childhood, I didn’t meet God the Father in a personal way until my early adult years. Then it struck me how little I trusted God because I had been projecting onto him the imperfections and limitations of my human father and other authority figures. Getting to know the Divine Father, as he really is, proved to be a challenge. Over the next 40 years, I developed a close relationship with God, experiencing him as my doting Daddy, through inner healing, bible study, and prayer.

Four years ago (2018), I felt strongly urged by the Holy Spirit to share the wisdom and healing I had gained. In my ministry, I heard from countless people whose sufferings could be eased and even healed if only they understood how much God the Father truly cares about them. So I made it my goal to help people experience the wonderfulness of the True Father.

How long did it take from concept to publication?

Four years, which included taking time away from my everyday ministry working going on writing retreats.

What interesting story or stories do you have about the writing of the book?

While writing the first draft, I set up the website 30daystothefathersheart.com and opened it up to anyone interested in giving me feedback. As I wrote each chapter and posted it, website members commented, told me what they’d like to know more about, and shared their stories for illustrating the points made. This greatly influenced the final version of the book.

How is the book organized?

Each chapter is a “day” of a journey farther and deeper into a close Daddy-child relationship. The first twelve days focus on meeting the real Abba Father. The next nine days help readers discover what they mean to Abba Father. The rest of the book focuses on the victory of Abba’s Fatherhood for our lives and for the world.

How is the book best used?

It’s a private inner reflection as if I’m with you serving as your spiritual director. It’s not meant to be rushed through in one month. Readers need to take time to reflect and internalize how to use their reading. Each chapter (or “day) includes spiritual exercises that are very important to the process.

What do you hope readers will gain from your book?

In each person’s heart are wounds that come from instinctively expecting human parents to be as good as the Divine Father. Disappointment (at least) and abuse (at worst) have damaged our relationship with God. Furthermore, fatherhood has been greatly undermined in our society. As people lose respect for human fatherhood, they also lose respect for God’s fatherhood, leading to an increase of sin and estrangement from God.

This 30-day journey into the love of God the Father is helping readers heal from the father wounds that came from the imperfections of their parents and other authority figures. They are experiencing God the Father as the Perfect Father they need. By learning from the examples of true-life stories, applying the scriptures to their own life, and doing the spiritual exercises that put into practice what each day presents, they are successfully overcoming common misconceptions that interfere with their faith in God. And they are generating new insights that are forever changing how they experience God the Father’s love.

The purpose of the book is to help readers discover how much God the Father cares about them — it’s way more than they imagine! It helps readers embrace their true selves as the Father’s beloved child and become fully what he designed them to be. And it empowers them to heal from the dissatisfactions and disappointments that happen in every relationship by opening up to God’s perfect love.

What are your hopes for the future of 30 Days to the Father’s Heart?

The more hands this book gets into, the more healed our Church will become. It’s a key element of evangelizing the world which has been robbed of true fatherhood.

What other books have you published?

My Soul Shall Be Healed (a study guide on Pope Saint John Paul’s writings about the Eucharist)

9-Day Consecration to St. Joseph

FORGIVEN: A Meditation on the Passion of Christ

RADICAL LOVE: Reflections for Couples

Victor: The Novel

Overcoming the Power of the Occult

Daily Prayers with the Saints

The Trail of Roses: A Lenten Journey

Daily Prayers with the Saints

You can find out more about Terry’s work and ministry as well as all her books at Good News Ministries.