Heart of a Warrior - A Legacy of Determination
By Shelly Thompson
Release Date October 2025
Preorder Available June 2025
Determined.
Naomi said to them, “Each of you go back to your mother’s home. May the Lord show kindness to you as you have shown to the dead and to me.” May the Lord grant each of you rest in the house of a new husband.” She kissed them, and they wept loudly. Ruth 1:8,9
One departed and went home to her family. One stayed to be with her mother-in-law who had no family. One did what was comfortable. One did what was scary. One had the assurance of a better future. One had the assurance of an unknown future.
But, one was…determined.
Ruth refused to leave her mother-in-law. Even though Naomi was bitter after the loss of her husband and both of her sons. Ruth was determined to stay. They were in a time of great famine, political uncertainty, and corrupt religious leaders. Yet, Ruth was determined. Ruth must have felt grief, childless, husbandless, no finances, and no place to stay. Yet, she was determined.
There was another One who was determined. God.
He was determined to walk with her, go before her, look out for her, and reward her. Like her Father in heaven, she mirrored His determination.
In my first book ‘Heart of a Warrior – A Legacy of Faith’, you met me as a young girl growing up on the big hill on 5th Street. I introduced you to the wonderful faithful women (the Aunt Bea’s of Mayberry as they were affectionally called), and my mother (Esther), and my grandmother (Millie McKeever) who became the village of faithful warrior’s watching over me and my sister as my mom battled years of serious illness. My foundation of faith was built on that hill. A hill that my great grandparents also lived on. A place where God was talked about, the Word was lived out through actions, prayer was lifted daily, joy and grief were felt and shared, friends became family, handwritten recipes were passed from house to house, coffee was always brewing, and porches were always welcoming…those faithful Warrior’s took two little girls under their wings and loved us…
…like Ruth loved Naomi. They were determined to give of their time and share their faith with two little girls. They were not alone, my parents and grandparents were right there with them. My Dad spent a lot of his time at the hospital with my mom…and my grandparents and those faithful women, mostly widows, of 5th Street…were determined to share their homes, love, and faith with us.
I have grown up since the first book. I’ve now raised three daughters of my own. I’ve watched them speak their first words, lose their first tooth, go through the doors of the elementary school for the first time, succeed and fail at things, cry over dates, cry over hurt words said to them, argued with them, disciplined them, prayed over them, watched them graduate from high school and college, have their own children, discover their own path God has set before them in this life…and it hasn’t always been easy. In fact…sometimes, it has been a hard road filled with uncertainty, tears, anger, and much prayer…answered and unanswered even as I write this. There have also been the best days of my life shared with these people God has given me.
The young girl on 5th Street has now become the older (and hopefully wiser) faithful Warrior. I am now the mother and grandmother like the sweet Warrior’s on 5th Street. The last chapter in Heart of a Warrior –- A Legacy of Faith finds me saying a temporary farewell to my mother as she begins her eternity in heaven. I still miss her. Grief may lessen, but it is always with you. A season of grief will make time more precious and worldly things less valuable.
I’ve watched our society change and our culture give the advice much like Naomi gave her daughter-in-laws, take the easy road. Her intention is well meaning. We do not know what happened to her daughter-in-law Orpah, but we do know what happened to Ruth. We do know Ruth made a hard choice. She faced many obstacles. But, her determination overruled any fear she might have had.
I want the kind of determination that rose so greatly in Ruth…she claimed God as her own God, and His people as her own people, vowing only to let death separate her from her mother-in-law (Ruth 1:16,17). She refused in her heart not to back down even in a culture that didn’t really honor widows. Why?
We find in Ruth 1:18 she was determined to go with Naomi. She was determined, all in and unrelenting, to do whatever it took…to do the right thing and to honor her vow to God in a culture that did not.
We are there.
Our culture has slipped so far, it does not honor God. I made a vow on the hill on 5th Street to honor God. I have not always done a stellar job at that. After leaving the safety of the big hill on 5th Street, with those wonderful faithful Warrior's, there were times when life got very hard. Like Naomi, sometimes my heart became bitter…but God who is faithful, never left me.
Even though I did not always honor my vow to God…He STILL always honored His vow to me never leaving or forsaking me. Deuteronomy 31:6
God has been determined to save me, no matter what. I am determined to serve God, no matter what.
What happens if we live our lives determined? Determined to pray without ceasing. Determined to trust God for all things. Determined to be filled with joy despite circumstances. Determined to share the gospel no matter the cost. Determined to listen for that still small voice. Determined to move in obedience without delay. Determined to make time for the word every single day. Determined to surrender…all that we have, and all that we are…our plans, our hopes, our dreams, our children, and our grandchildren…to almighty God. The One who raises people from the dead. The One who hung the stars. The one who gave us His one and only Son.
Determined. To live life God’s way. On God’s terms. Like Ruth…forsaking all else, but the call of God.
How would our lives look and the lives of our legacy if we lived with determination…on our knees, in church pews, in the Word…determined to have all that God promises for us and our legacy.
…and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call. Acts 2:38, 39. Let us be determined to receive the promise for us and for those who are far off…generations of our legacy we may never meet until heaven.
In the last chapter of Ruth, we learn she married, Boaz, a man who loved her deeply. He provided and cared for her and her mother-in-law. Ruth and Boaz have a son, Obed. We see Naomi, once bitter over the loss of her husband and sons, sitting in the center of town with baby Obed on her lap as the women of the city praise God for all He has done for Naomi. She is no longer bitter, but beside herself with joy of all that God provided.
Ruth who had no family at the beginning, is recorded in the Bible in the lineage of Jesus. Determined.
Asking God for more than I can ask or imagine for all who read the words on these pages (Ephesians 3:20). I am determined to live faithful to God first. I hope this book inspires and encourages you to join me.
Let's do all that we can to ensure our legacy is in the lineage of heaven. Determined, Shelly
Naomi said to them, “Each of you go back to your mother’s home. May the Lord show kindness to you as you have shown to the dead and to me.” May the Lord grant each of you rest in the house of a new husband.” She kissed them, and they wept loudly. Ruth 1:8,9
One departed and went home to her family. One stayed to be with her mother-in-law who had no family. One did what was comfortable. One did what was scary. One had the assurance of a better future. One had the assurance of an unknown future.
But, one was…determined.
Ruth refused to leave her mother-in-law. Even though Naomi was bitter after the loss of her husband and both of her sons. Ruth was determined to stay. They were in a time of great famine, political uncertainty, and corrupt religious leaders. Yet, Ruth was determined. Ruth must have felt grief, childless, husbandless, no finances, and no place to stay. Yet, she was determined.
There was another One who was determined. God.
He was determined to walk with her, go before her, look out for her, and reward her. Like her Father in heaven, she mirrored His determination.
In my first book ‘Heart of a Warrior – A Legacy of Faith’, you met me as a young girl growing up on the big hill on 5th Street. I introduced you to the wonderful faithful women (the Aunt Bea’s of Mayberry as they were affectionally called), and my mother (Esther), and my grandmother (Millie McKeever) who became the village of faithful warrior’s watching over me and my sister as my mom battled years of serious illness. My foundation of faith was built on that hill. A hill that my great grandparents also lived on. A place where God was talked about, the Word was lived out through actions, prayer was lifted daily, joy and grief were felt and shared, friends became family, handwritten recipes were passed from house to house, coffee was always brewing, and porches were always welcoming…those faithful Warrior’s took two little girls under their wings and loved us…
…like Ruth loved Naomi. They were determined to give of their time and share their faith with two little girls. They were not alone, my parents and grandparents were right there with them. My Dad spent a lot of his time at the hospital with my mom…and my grandparents and those faithful women, mostly widows, of 5th Street…were determined to share their homes, love, and faith with us.
I have grown up since the first book. I’ve now raised three daughters of my own. I’ve watched them speak their first words, lose their first tooth, go through the doors of the elementary school for the first time, succeed and fail at things, cry over dates, cry over hurt words said to them, argued with them, disciplined them, prayed over them, watched them graduate from high school and college, have their own children, discover their own path God has set before them in this life…and it hasn’t always been easy. In fact…sometimes, it has been a hard road filled with uncertainty, tears, anger, and much prayer…answered and unanswered even as I write this. There have also been the best days of my life shared with these people God has given me.
The young girl on 5th Street has now become the older (and hopefully wiser) faithful Warrior. I am now the mother and grandmother like the sweet Warrior’s on 5th Street. The last chapter in Heart of a Warrior –- A Legacy of Faith finds me saying a temporary farewell to my mother as she begins her eternity in heaven. I still miss her. Grief may lessen, but it is always with you. A season of grief will make time more precious and worldly things less valuable.
I’ve watched our society change and our culture give the advice much like Naomi gave her daughter-in-laws, take the easy road. Her intention is well meaning. We do not know what happened to her daughter-in-law Orpah, but we do know what happened to Ruth. We do know Ruth made a hard choice. She faced many obstacles. But, her determination overruled any fear she might have had.
I want the kind of determination that rose so greatly in Ruth…she claimed God as her own God, and His people as her own people, vowing only to let death separate her from her mother-in-law (Ruth 1:16,17). She refused in her heart not to back down even in a culture that didn’t really honor widows. Why?
We find in Ruth 1:18 she was determined to go with Naomi. She was determined, all in and unrelenting, to do whatever it took…to do the right thing and to honor her vow to God in a culture that did not.
We are there.
Our culture has slipped so far, it does not honor God. I made a vow on the hill on 5th Street to honor God. I have not always done a stellar job at that. After leaving the safety of the big hill on 5th Street, with those wonderful faithful Warrior's, there were times when life got very hard. Like Naomi, sometimes my heart became bitter…but God who is faithful, never left me.
Even though I did not always honor my vow to God…He STILL always honored His vow to me never leaving or forsaking me. Deuteronomy 31:6
God has been determined to save me, no matter what. I am determined to serve God, no matter what.
What happens if we live our lives determined? Determined to pray without ceasing. Determined to trust God for all things. Determined to be filled with joy despite circumstances. Determined to share the gospel no matter the cost. Determined to listen for that still small voice. Determined to move in obedience without delay. Determined to make time for the word every single day. Determined to surrender…all that we have, and all that we are…our plans, our hopes, our dreams, our children, and our grandchildren…to almighty God. The One who raises people from the dead. The One who hung the stars. The one who gave us His one and only Son.
Determined. To live life God’s way. On God’s terms. Like Ruth…forsaking all else, but the call of God.
How would our lives look and the lives of our legacy if we lived with determination…on our knees, in church pews, in the Word…determined to have all that God promises for us and our legacy.
…and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call. Acts 2:38, 39. Let us be determined to receive the promise for us and for those who are far off…generations of our legacy we may never meet until heaven.
In the last chapter of Ruth, we learn she married, Boaz, a man who loved her deeply. He provided and cared for her and her mother-in-law. Ruth and Boaz have a son, Obed. We see Naomi, once bitter over the loss of her husband and sons, sitting in the center of town with baby Obed on her lap as the women of the city praise God for all He has done for Naomi. She is no longer bitter, but beside herself with joy of all that God provided.
Ruth who had no family at the beginning, is recorded in the Bible in the lineage of Jesus. Determined.
Asking God for more than I can ask or imagine for all who read the words on these pages (Ephesians 3:20). I am determined to live faithful to God first. I hope this book inspires and encourages you to join me.
Let's do all that we can to ensure our legacy is in the lineage of heaven. Determined, Shelly
Where it all started. The House on 5th Street.
The photo is Shelly Thompson in the backyard of the house on 5th Street where she grew up and writes about. In the background of the photo is the back porch where Shelly, her parents, grandparents, and neighbors spent a lot of time. Shelly is holding a small Bible on the way to Sunday School. Her parents taught her early in life the importance of God and helped build a foundation of faith. We can see those small steps of faith taken as a child in the words she writes now.
Shelly's book 'Heart of a Warrior - A Legacy of Faith' can be found by clicking here. Now, in it's 7th printing, it has become popular for both personal reading and group studies.
There is also an online 'Heart of A Warrior' Women's Bible Study that she leads each Monday night at 8:15 in a closed Facebook group. There are currently over 300 women from across the United States that are part of that Bible Study family. You can join the group by clicking here.
There is also a line of pure soy candles that tell the story of 5th Street passing the flame of faith from one generation to the next. you can learn more about The 5th Street Candle Collection by clicking here.
Shelly's book 'Heart of a Warrior - A Legacy of Faith' can be found by clicking here. Now, in it's 7th printing, it has become popular for both personal reading and group studies.
There is also an online 'Heart of A Warrior' Women's Bible Study that she leads each Monday night at 8:15 in a closed Facebook group. There are currently over 300 women from across the United States that are part of that Bible Study family. You can join the group by clicking here.
There is also a line of pure soy candles that tell the story of 5th Street passing the flame of faith from one generation to the next. you can learn more about The 5th Street Candle Collection by clicking here.