{"id":11952,"date":"2025-07-22T16:26:17","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T16:26:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/?p=11952"},"modified":"2025-07-22T16:28:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T16:28:08","slug":"take-heart-books-expands-into-a-brick-and-mortar-christian-bookstore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/22\/take-heart-books-expands-into-a-brick-and-mortar-christian-bookstore\/","title":{"rendered":"Take Heart Books expands into a brick-and-mortar Christian bookstore"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Isaiah 30:21<\/em>
\nWhether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, \u201cThis is the way; walk in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

When we seek God\u2014He will speak. How has God spoken to you? I know He has. Think on it, and give Him praise. Amen.
\nFor Stacy Duran, the Lord woke her from deep slumber with a single word: FORGIVEN, and like His whisper to his servant Elijah on the mountain, God started speaking and showing Stacy His purpose for her life. He showed her a vision of a boutique\u2014how it would look, and more importantly, WHO it would represent: JESUS.
\n\u201cThings just started happening. Like the building we purchased, and received the keys to, on Christmas Eve 2024. I still wasn\u2019t sure what it all meant, but I spent quiet time with God, and stayed obedient to everything He was showing me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Luke 12:48<\/em>
\nWhen someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.
\n\u201cGOD has blessed my husband and me with a beautiful family, beautiful home and successful businesses. And in our gratitude and humility, we always remember Luke 12:48.\u201d<\/p>\n

But God wasn\u2019t done yet; the boutique space wasn\u2019t enough. God decided that not just the one unit would be for His glory, but the whole plaza, which has several units. So in January 2025, Stacy gathered her faithful JESUS GIRLS to the building for prayer and dedication of the space to God. There they prayed and wrote scripture on the walls as they stood in awe of God\u2019s perfect plan for His Kingdom. The building is now called FORGIVEN PLAZA and it is the home to Forgiven Boutique\u2014a dazzling shop filled with beautiful items, to a Christian monthly market of local crafters, and to a Christian bookstore.
\nStacy Duran, an imperfect representative of our Perfect Jesus Christ, at FORGIVEN BOUTIQUE, appointed and anointed, I believe, because she loves God and loves people. When you shop at the grand opening on 8\/2\/25, you\u2019ll know her by her light for Jesus, and oh yes, she\u2019ll be the one saying, \u201cLet me tell you about forgiveness with my Jesus.\u201d
\nTake Heart Books has expanded into a brick-and-mortar Christian bookstore; it began as a remote Christian Publishing company of two\u2014Stella Soto-Crawford and Jesus, her Savior and Lord. Let me tell you how.
\nIt was May 2020, and as I sat in my parked car, I will never forget the knock on my driver\u2019s side window. I was waiting at the meet up spot for our family to begin a \u201cbirthday parade drive-by\u201d. It was during Covid, and yep, we did those types of parades for our loved ones.
\n\u201cHey you. Hi.\u201d My aunt Olga smiled at me through the car window.
\n\u201cHey aunt O.\u201d I smiled back.
\n\u201cThe Lord told me to ask you about something I need help with. God said, “Ask Stella.\u201d
\nHonestly, I was not regularly talking with God, but I knew my aunt did and she clung to her faith like a
\nlifeline, so I took her seriously.
\nShe was writing some essays, as well as her autobiography, and she didn’t know how to take it from a
\nword document to printed paperback. I didn\u2019t either, but I simply said, \u201cOk. Sure.\u201d
\nAnd just like that, we agreed to meet and discuss this task that God had given me through her.
\nGod led me, step-by-step, in the right direction and opened my understanding to the process of book
\nproduction, and in September of 2022 In His Hands: From Tragedies to Triumphs by Olga Soto, was
\npublished by Take Heart Books.
\nFor two years, I sat at the feet of Jesus proofreading her 4 books\u2014editing, reading scripture, pondering
\nher life\u2019s struggles and how with God she overcame. I also learned new software and was just in awe of
\nall that God had allowed me to learn and of His endless creativity that he would give me! I felt so
\nunworthy but was hungry for more time with Him so that meant I needed more projects and do you know
\nwhat? God provided. He sent more of His amazing faithful servants my way to help them share His Word!
\nTo date, I have worked with 7 wonderful authors all sharing the message and love of Jesus Christ, the
\nOvercomer.
\nFast forward. About a year ago, the Lord put in my heart a Christian bookstore. While I verbalized it to
\nmy husband, I didn\u2019t move on it. But I kept knowing that God was speaking to me about a bookstore.
\nThen Stacy Duran called.
\nWe had a whirlwind conversation about space available in FORGIVEN PLAZA, but it all came down to
\none word: OBEDIENCE. In her obedience, she followed God\u2019s gentle calling, in my obedience I walked
\nthrough doors that God had opened.
\nBut there is one more person that is very central to my story, and I believe Stacy’s, too.
\nMy mom, Sylvia Soto. I cannot begin to know her long suffering of wondering where, how or when God
\nwould activate her into her calling. Be sure of this: She loves God and always has, but her servant’s heart
\nwould not allow her to rest in His presence, until all in her presence were cared for and loved to their fill.
\nSo Mom did what most moms do\u2014she put her family first. But we cannot know what God has planned
\nfor us until we surrender everything to Him\u2014even those we love. When I approached Mom about a
\npartnership for the bookstore, she knew that this was an answer to a prayer she had buried deep in her
\nheart\u2014owning a store. You see? He is faithful! He doesn\u2019t forget us.
\nSometimes our faith can encourage others, like my aunt\u2019s did for me; like Stacy\u2019s did for my mom and me
\nand\u2014like we hope this testimony encourages your walk with God.
\nSo I leave you with this: Take Heart! Jesus IS the Overcomer and we can share in that inheritance when
\nwe put God first. Don\u2019t know how? Come to the grand opening at FORGIVEN Boutique and ask my
\nfriend, Stacy Duran, about FORGIVENESS through Jesus, and then come to the bookstore for a Jesus
\nbook. Before you know it, your faith will encourage the next, and so on. See you on 8\/2\/2025!
\nTo God be the Glory. Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2014 Isaiah 30:21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, \u201cThis is the way; walk in it.\u201d When we seek God\u2014He will speak. How has God spoken to you? I know He has. Think on it, and give Him praise. Amen. For Stacy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11953,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_rtcl_gb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"wf_post_folders":[267],"class_list":["post-11952","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"aioseo_notices":[],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/forgiven.jpg",700,549,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/forgiven.jpg",700,549,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/forgiven.jpg",700,549,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/forgiven-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/forgiven-300x235.jpg",300,235,true],"large":["https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/forgiven.jpg",640,502,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/forgiven.jpg",700,549,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/forgiven.jpg",700,549,false],"rtcl-gallery":["https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/forgiven-700x462.jpg",700,462,true],"rtcl-thumbnail":["https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/forgiven-320x240.jpg",320,240,true],"rtcl-gallery-thumbnail":["https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/forgiven-150x105.jpg",150,105,true],"psacp-medium":["https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/forgiven-500x500.jpg",500,500,true],"rpwe-thumbnail":["https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/forgiven-45x45.jpg",45,45,true]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"LaPrensa Newspaper","author_link":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/index.php\/author\/laprensa\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Articles<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"\u2014 Isaiah 30:21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, \u201cThis is the way; walk in it.\u201d When we seek God\u2014He will speak. How has God spoken to you? I know He has. Think on it, and give Him praise. Amen. For Stacy","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11952","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11952"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11952\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11956,"href":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11952\/revisions\/11956"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11952"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11952"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11952"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/laprensanewspaper.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=11952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}