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The Shape of God's Voice: How Our Spiritual Ears Invite Us to Hear and Obey God
Not yet published
Expected 10 Nov 26An empowering guide to understanding the diverse and personal ways that God communicates with us all—regardless of physical abilities—from the founder of Deaf Motherhood and her twin hearing sister.
Like many twin sisters, Janet and Jennifer believed they knew everything about each other. But one day Janet, who is Deaf, shared that God speaks to her through visual words, which is completely different from how God speaks to Jennifer, who is hearing. In this unexpected conversation, God revealed to the sisters how He communicates in diverse and personal ways we are uniquely designed to spiritually hear, regardless of our physical abilities.
Through heartfelt and engaging narrative, Janet and Jennifer testify to how God’s Word is alive, unchanging, and known to all who attune their spiritual ears to the Holy Spirit. Each chapter examines a biblical truth revealed through American Sign Language alliteration—two signs made with the same handshape but different movements. These signs serve to amplify God’s voice and invite us to quiet the noise and live in deeper relationship with Him.
Friendly, relatable, and encouraging, The Shape of God's Voice will help you quiet the noise of the world, be still, and know God intimately. Because no matter your physicial abilities, whether you’re deaf or blind, your Creator wants to speak to you. Are you ready to listen?
Like many twin sisters, Janet and Jennifer believed they knew everything about each other. But one day Janet, who is Deaf, shared that God speaks to her through visual words, which is completely different from how God speaks to Jennifer, who is hearing. In this unexpected conversation, God revealed to the sisters how He communicates in diverse and personal ways we are uniquely designed to spiritually hear, regardless of our physical abilities.
Through heartfelt and engaging narrative, Janet and Jennifer testify to how God’s Word is alive, unchanging, and known to all who attune their spiritual ears to the Holy Spirit. Each chapter examines a biblical truth revealed through American Sign Language alliteration—two signs made with the same handshape but different movements. These signs serve to amplify God’s voice and invite us to quiet the noise and live in deeper relationship with Him.
Friendly, relatable, and encouraging, The Shape of God's Voice will help you quiet the noise of the world, be still, and know God intimately. Because no matter your physicial abilities, whether you’re deaf or blind, your Creator wants to speak to you. Are you ready to listen?
Audible Audio
Expected publication November 10, 2026
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Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of Thomas encountering the resurrected Christ. He would not totally trust the accounts of his friends that Christ was alive until he could see and touch the Christ. Jesus accommodated his need by appearing and inviting Thomas to see and touch the wounds and feel His corporeal form. Thomas expressed a need and Christ satisfied it. Janet Moreno, a deaf person, needs to “hear” God’s voice. God accommodates her with other sensory communications. This book gives many of those examples.
The focus of the book is on alliteration (similar, repetitive sounds or signs) found in biblical scriptures when transcribed through ASL (American Sign Language). The examples Janet and her sister, Jennifer (a hearing person), provide are amazing and feel inspired. When we understand how different translations of the Hebrew and Greek bring out the nuances of particular words, we deepen our understanding of what God is trying to say, Also, when reading or hearing scriptures in other languages we can pick up other deeper understandings as those languages enhance the Hebrew and Greek in ways English/American (even as definitions of words evolve over decades and centuries) cannot. The same experience can be found here. It did make me curious as to the development of ASL and whether followers of God created it.
It’s a happy circumstance that ASL is based on one formal and several “homegrown,” ad hoc signing systems (not even conventions until it was formalized). The French had a formal signing language brought to the US almost 200 years ago, but it was modified by American students who brought their own “home signs” used to communicate with family members, and a style of signing created in a community (Martha’s Vineyard) with a significant deaf population. That all this created powerful alliterations (related hand signs for two different words related in a single verse) might be described as a divine coincidence. The first example, Janet and Jenny give is “My sheep hear My voice….” (John 10.27). The right hand forms a scissors shape and slides along the left forearm as if it’s shearing a sheep. The same right hand figure then moves to the mouth to sign “voice.” The wow factor compounds when you see the illustrations in the book.
Janet and Jenny then write separately in each chapter as they share their understanding and experiences with the verses they sample in this book. Read carefully Janet’s writings for how she navigates the world, her family and others, and communicates with God and tries to “hear” God’s voice and His heart’s song when there is physiological silence. God responds in ways she can sense! Jenny describes growing up with and accompanying Janet and her own experiences listening for God’s voice in created silences and how those influence her hermeneutics (interpreting and relating to the scriptures).
We learn from the experiences of others whose life events are different from our own. This book will broaden every readers’ understanding of a subculture and a varied perspective on how to read scripture and hear/listen to God’s voice and act on it.
I’m appreciative of the publisher for providing an advanced copy.
The focus of the book is on alliteration (similar, repetitive sounds or signs) found in biblical scriptures when transcribed through ASL (American Sign Language). The examples Janet and her sister, Jennifer (a hearing person), provide are amazing and feel inspired. When we understand how different translations of the Hebrew and Greek bring out the nuances of particular words, we deepen our understanding of what God is trying to say, Also, when reading or hearing scriptures in other languages we can pick up other deeper understandings as those languages enhance the Hebrew and Greek in ways English/American (even as definitions of words evolve over decades and centuries) cannot. The same experience can be found here. It did make me curious as to the development of ASL and whether followers of God created it.
It’s a happy circumstance that ASL is based on one formal and several “homegrown,” ad hoc signing systems (not even conventions until it was formalized). The French had a formal signing language brought to the US almost 200 years ago, but it was modified by American students who brought their own “home signs” used to communicate with family members, and a style of signing created in a community (Martha’s Vineyard) with a significant deaf population. That all this created powerful alliterations (related hand signs for two different words related in a single verse) might be described as a divine coincidence. The first example, Janet and Jenny give is “My sheep hear My voice….” (John 10.27). The right hand forms a scissors shape and slides along the left forearm as if it’s shearing a sheep. The same right hand figure then moves to the mouth to sign “voice.” The wow factor compounds when you see the illustrations in the book.
Janet and Jenny then write separately in each chapter as they share their understanding and experiences with the verses they sample in this book. Read carefully Janet’s writings for how she navigates the world, her family and others, and communicates with God and tries to “hear” God’s voice and His heart’s song when there is physiological silence. God responds in ways she can sense! Jenny describes growing up with and accompanying Janet and her own experiences listening for God’s voice in created silences and how those influence her hermeneutics (interpreting and relating to the scriptures).
We learn from the experiences of others whose life events are different from our own. This book will broaden every readers’ understanding of a subculture and a varied perspective on how to read scripture and hear/listen to God’s voice and act on it.
I’m appreciative of the publisher for providing an advanced copy.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I am so glad that I got this ARC copy! The stories everyday life and very personal, sometimes moving me to tears. I love the idea of ASL words illustrated and how lots of them the perfectly illuminated the scripture in a new light. The twin sisters have different personalities and they are not afraid to expose their vulnerability and nuisances of family and social life, which I can often resonate. The deafness Janet endures causes her to be excluded in the rushing crowd but also to be intimate with God almost in an isolated space. This motivates me to slow down and quiet down and pay attention to Him more.
One thing I may not agree with the Janet and Jenny is that in Chapter 9 look up. One phrase was repeated several times: God allows it to happen. I agree that we need to have a deep trust in God. But emphasizing that God allows it to happen, tend to shift the responsibility of us. Let me explain: Jesus said the thief comes to steal kill and destroy but I have come to give you life and life abundantly. John 10:10. what if Jesus wants to do miracles in any situation through us (the Church, his body) to destroy the works of the devil? Just a thought to share. I do agree that being tuned in with God is such a great blessing!!
This is a book that I would go back and read it slowly over and over. There is so much in each chapter, it requires time to be chewed and regurgitated and absorbed. It is very different for someone to preach to you to be seeking God to hear his voice than to have a person lay out her heart with you and share with you personal life stories where she grows to intimately hear God and follow. Thank you Janet and Jenny!
One thing I may not agree with the Janet and Jenny is that in Chapter 9 look up. One phrase was repeated several times: God allows it to happen. I agree that we need to have a deep trust in God. But emphasizing that God allows it to happen, tend to shift the responsibility of us. Let me explain: Jesus said the thief comes to steal kill and destroy but I have come to give you life and life abundantly. John 10:10. what if Jesus wants to do miracles in any situation through us (the Church, his body) to destroy the works of the devil? Just a thought to share. I do agree that being tuned in with God is such a great blessing!!
This is a book that I would go back and read it slowly over and over. There is so much in each chapter, it requires time to be chewed and regurgitated and absorbed. It is very different for someone to preach to you to be seeking God to hear his voice than to have a person lay out her heart with you and share with you personal life stories where she grows to intimately hear God and follow. Thank you Janet and Jenny!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews