About the Book

Book: Increase Your Bloom Ability: Devotions for Unleashing Your Most Flourishing Self

Author: Cheri Strange

Genre: Christian Living / Devotional for Women / Prayer Books

Release Date: May 7, 2025

ARE YOU READY TO BLOOM?

Do you feel stuck in your spiritual growth, unsure if God can truly bring beauty and purpose to your life? You’re not alone. Cheri Strange knows the ache of feeling spiritually barren, but she’s discovered the secret to living a profoundly fruitful life—and she’s ready to share it with you.

In Increase Your Bloom Ability, Cheri blends biblical truth with practical encouragement to help you:

Embrace God’s call to flourish, even in hard seasons
Stay rooted in Christ to live abundantly
Trust God’s plan to cultivate spiritual fruit in you
Take simple steps to grow your faith and accelerate your bloom

Your life was meant to thrive. Step into the vibrant, fruit life Gd created you for—starting today.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Cheri Strange is an award-winning author, speaker, and digital creator. She is passionate about helping women grow spiritually and flourish in their faith. With a Ph.D. and twenty years of ministry experience, she shares practical wisdom and biblical truth that meets women right where they are. Through her books, resources, YouVersion Bible plans, and digital art, Cheri inspires thousands to desire more of God in everyday life. She and her husband, Chad, live in Houston, Texas, with their eight children, and one bonus son.

More from Cheri

Have you ever wondered why, even as devoted followers of Jesus, your spiritual growth sometimes feels stalled? Why the abundant, fruit-filled life God promises can feel just out of reach? I’ve asked these questions of my own heart—and what I discovered in Scripture inspired me to write Increase Your Bloom Ability.

The Bible makes it clear: spiritual fruitfulness isn’t reserved for the gifted or the theologically trained—it’s for every believer (John 15:8). Yet many of us feel stuck, questioning whether we’re doing enough or if real growth is even possible. I dug into Scripture to uncover truths that can help unlock a life that truly bears fruit.

This devotional is the culmination of years of teaching, study, and personal reflection. I wanted to create something that equips you to experience more of God’s promises for your life. Inspired by Andrew Peterson’s words in Adorning the Dark, where he describes his ministry as “telling the truth as beautifully as he can,” I sought to do the same in this book.

I illustrated Increase Your Bloom Ability myself, filling it with over 200 pages of floral artwork—an offering of beauty alongside truth. My hope is that these pages will speak to your soul and draw you into a more vibrant, fruitful walk with Jesus.

My mission is simple: to help you experience a life of profound spiritual growth, one that blooms and flourishes as God intended. Through Scripture, reflection, and the visual beauty of this devotional, I pray you are encouraged, equipped, and inspired to embrace your calling and take intentional steps toward greater fruitfulness.

Interview with the Author

What does success as an author look like to you?

In Christian publishing, God’s definition of success and ours rarely match. Yes, authors want to sell books and know their work is meaningful—but that isn’t a secure anchor for me.

A friend once asked, after hearing the parts of writing and speaking that stretch me, “Then why do you do it?” Her question lingered. Because at this point, success isn’t only about why I began—it’s about why I continue.

When I look back, I see how hesitant I was to step into this calling. Jeremiah felt the same. Yet over time, the Word of God became “a fire shut up in his bones”—something he could not keep in (Jeremiah 20:9). His life became what Eugene Peterson later described as “a long obedience in the same direction.”

That, to me, is success.

What inspired this book?

My inspiration came from John 15—especially verse 8: “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples.” I wanted to understand what Jesus meant for ordinary Christians like me. That curiosity drew me deeper into what Jesus was saying about the relationship God intends for every believer and how it connects to His purpose for our lives.

Over time, that study became a YouVersion plan, and then a message women’s groups kept requesting. What ultimately drove me to write the devotional was the steady, expressed need from women across the years to have this message in their hands—to read, to ponder, and to pray through in their own faith journeys.

Which author influenced the you most?

Hands down, Charles H. Spurgeon has influenced me the most. Given the option, I prefer reading dead people. Dead people who have finished well. Naturally, these have been vetted. There is no question about the character or behaviors of those who have gone into Glory. No scandals will arise and no funds will turn up missing from their charge. Of course, they are not without missteps and regretful choices, but I’m never going to feel remorse for naming a pet or a person after someone like Charles Hadley Spurgeon.

His writing moves me. The ability he has to reach his audiences inspires me. His grasp of the English language, his knowledge of the world around him, and his passion for meeting the needs set before him impassion me. But the greatest reason for Spurgeon’s influence on my life is because of the times God has used his writings to speak to me in the deep places.

Some people grab the ice cream and Oreos when they are sad or stressed. Others sleep their sorrows away. I reach for dusty old volumes written by a century’s old has-been preacher. It has proven to offer both music and salve to my soul.

What are you reading right now?

On my desk are three: 21 Servants of Sovereign Joy, John Piper; C H Spurgeon’s Forgotten Prayer Meeting Addresses, and Hunt for Red October, Tom Clancy (shared with me by my new son-in-law).

What is your most well-loved and well-used house appliance?

As a mom of eight young adults, I’ve had my fair share of intimate relationships with household appliances. I’ve cooked more food, cleaned more spills, scrubbed more toilets, and washed more laundry than most women ever hope to. I appreciate a good gas stove, and I could wax eloquent about vacuum options—but my favorite and most-used appliance is, without question, my dishwasher.

You cannot fathom how many pink cups six daughters can cycle through in a single day—or how many dirty dishes appear when feeding a household of ten. And you certainly can’t imagine the strength one dishwasher needs to survive that kind of workload until you’ve replaced yours… repeatedly.

Our current model, a Bosch we picked up at the Dent and Scratch store because it was stainless and on sale, turned out to be a diamond in the rough. It has washed and sanitized thousands of loads—yes, thousands. We had a long stretch where it ran twice a day. It has never needed repairs, and although we have a backup dishwasher in the basement (it came with the house), we’ve rarely needed it.

In a home of this size, reliability is priceless. My Bosch has earned my unwavering loyalty.