Dr. Collins Reveals New Book: Happy Thursday

(ABILENE, Texas)–At HSU, some professors pray at the beginning of class; others invite students to their homes for parties. Dr. Renee Collins, professor of educational studies and associate dean of the Irvin School of Education, encourages her students every week with an email devotional she calls “Happy Thursday.” After four years of sending these emails, Dr. Collins realized she had written enough to write a book. Last Thursday was a happy one indeed as Dr. Collins held a book reveal for her new release, Happy Thursday.

Thursday’s Book Reveal at the Library

In 2015, Dr. Collins taught an education capstone class for student teachers. The students would often be deflated and in need of encouragement, so Dr. Collins led a time where students could share personal struggles and ask for prayer. One student told her, “I need you to talk to me on Thursdays” to push through to the weekend.

Dr. Collins then began sending emails late Wednesday night to encourage her students in the morning. They would generally have a quote, a Bible verse, and an anecdote related to the two.

“We all need motivation to press on,” she said. “The whole point of the email was to be uplifting—to encourage people with hope and remind them of the goodness of God. I love encouraging and helping people see some glimmer of a silver lining.”

The email started with just a few students in Dr. Collins’ classes, but many other students, friends, and family members soon asked to be added to the list.

Dr. Collins outside the School of Education

Dr. Collins’ book will reach many people whom she has never met, but her emails were doing that long before she thought to publish. One of Dr. Collins’ students shared the emails with a fellow teacher whom Dr. Collins did not teach. The teacher shared the email with the staff on her school’s campus, impacting an entire school with encouragement.

Dr. Collins’ email list has grown to about 170 people, and others share it with their friends as well. After a few years of this, many of her recipients encouraged her to compile her emails and get them published. After much prayer, Dr. Collins decided to begin writing a book to build up even more people.

“I want to provoke a confirmation about who the Lord is for those who know him, but I also want to whet an appetite for people who have never known who Jesus is, that they would inquire to know more,” she said. “I hope the book reflects who Jesus is, but also welcome people to who he is.”

Book Cover

In addition to writing the content of the book, Dr. Collins also designed the front cover. The winding road represents the journey of life, which sometimes has detours. The person on the road is carrying a backpack full of fear, doubt, and worry, symbolic of the load people carry. The person’s hands extend to the sun, which represents surrender to the Son of God.

Dr. Collins is also working on a children’s book about a prairie dog who follows Dr. Collins and her husband on their military travels. The prairie dog will encounter other characters with flaws and help them overcome them. The book will teach kids lessons in character and virtue. Dr. Collins also wants to incorporate lessons about the ecosystems and habitats in each of the places the prairie dog travels.

Dr. Collins’ book is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.