When God prompted Bobbie Penn to write a Christian allegory inspired by garden birds, she had no idea how the project would help her navigate one of the most painful seasons of her life. Here, she shares how birdsong, faith and the healing power of creativity inspired her first novel, The Song of the Overcomer.
Photo by Doncoombez on Unsplash
I don’t know about you, but I have always loved garden birds … and the older I get, the more that love intensifies. But it’s not the startling shades you catch in their plumage, the soft roundness of their tiny bodies, or even the beauty of their melodies which really capture my heart: it’s their sheer determination. No matter how dim, wet, cold – or hot – it gets, some of those little birds never give up singing. Bright, cheerful songs too.
To me, it seems as if God has delighted to create a source of perpetual worship in this world, the joyful notes of which – until he returns – will never cease. Robins are the first birds to start the dawn chorus; they sing through the night, and will even sing through the winter.
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I think the Lord used my affection for these humble and relentless worshippers when he planted in me the idea for a Christian allegory based upon them.
I think the Lord used my affection for these humble and relentless worshippers when he planted in me the idea for a Christian allegory based upon them. Just as they sing through the physical darkness, so each of us is called to praise God through the darkest places in our souls. And so, The Song of the Overcomer was birthed.
That was over five years ago, and after that I began to realise just how strikingly the appearance and behaviour of different garden birds could be thought to mirror certain ministries and personalities in the church. In good ways – and in bad. And God showed me that the novel’s allegory would offer inspiration and hope to the believer… but also that it would expose deception.
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In writing the story, I was keen for the symbolism and imagery created by the birds’ lives to touch the reader’s heart in a way which religious discussion rarely can. I guess that was the reason Christ taught in parables. That meant revealing the strengths and weaknesses of different birds’ characters without needing to enter into a theological analysis: to remain really rooted in scripture and truth, but to let the metaphors do the work in the reader’s heart.
I found this no easy task, but the Holy Spirit gave me some wonderful ideas: from Magpie – who is greedy for shiny things – preaching a wrongful prosperity doctrine, to Crossbill – with his twisted beak – distorting the truth with his false prophetic words. The small songbirds were those standing for the truth, our hero Robin’s breast blazing with his heart on fire for his Lord.
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This was my first book, and I wondered how I would find the time and energy to put it together
This was my first book, and I wondered how I would find the time and energy to put it together. Indeed, I felt his call to begin writing just at one of my very lowest times of life. It had been a season of deep grief and trauma after the unexpected ending of my marriage. But perhaps, like me, you’ve noticed how the Lord often seems to choose the very last moment that we would select for a challenging endeavour? I think in my case he used my weakness and vulnerability to draw me close to him – to lean wholly on him, instead of relying on my own resources. Also, a new creative passion was welling up out of the healing anguish in my heart. The first step felt overwhelming but, like so many seemingly impossible projects in life, God’s grace gave me all I needed, as soon as I started to put pen to paper.
And another change in my life came too, along with the writing: early rising! You can hear the dawn chorus all year round, but spring is glorious. Maybe you’re already a devotee. If not, I cannot recommend highly enough the sheer elation of finding a dense patch of trees, an hour before sunrise, on a still, clear spring morning. For me, it’s in the hedge-lined fields beside the river near my house. First, skylarks’ melodies rise and fall through the grey mist above the grass; then, as the first lambent rays nudge the skyline, robins and blackbirds start the crescendo. Countless feathered friends spill from the trees and bounce across the towpath, as if the world is too small for them. And God’s joy is everywhere.
Song of the Overcomer was released on 5 November 2026. All the proceeds are going to Grace Orphanage in the Congo - run by Widows and Orphans International Fund. www.thesongoftheovercomer.org
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