About Marlene
A journey of faith and resilience — 51 years of marriage, 35 years in ministry, and a lifetime of stories written from the valley.
"Writing began not as a career, but as a lifeline — a way to find God's hand in the darkest seasons."
— Marlene Burling
From the Pastor's Wife
to the Author's Desk
For over five decades, Marlene Burling walked beside her husband James — not simply as a spouse, but as a faithful partner in every sense of the word. Together they shared 51 years of marriage and 35 years of active ministry, where Marlene's quiet presence shaped congregations, counseled families, and anchored a home built on unwavering faith.
Her voice first found its way into print through a small column called Marlene's Memo, published in church magazines. It was personal, warm, and rooted in the kind of hard-won wisdom that only comes from living — not just observing — the Christian life. Those early words were seeds of what would grow into a full body of written work.
When loss came — the passing of her beloved James, and then both of her in-laws in close succession — Marlene turned once again to writing. What began as "mini-devotions" shared on Facebook became her way of processing grief, holding onto hope, and reaching others walking through their own valleys. Her pain became her pulpit, and her words found hearts far beyond her congregation.
A Life Well Lived
A Union Rooted in Faith
Marlene wed James Burling, beginning a 51-year partnership built on shared devotion, mutual purpose, and an enduring love that would weather every season life brought their way.
35 Years Beside the Pulpit
As a pastor's wife, Marlene served the church not from the sidelines but as an integral part of its heartbeat — caring for families, fostering community, and embodying the grace she so often wrote about.
Marlene's Memo Is Born
Her writing voice emerged publicly through Marlene's Memo, a devotional column featured in church magazines. These reflections distilled years of lived faith into words that resonated far beyond the pew.
Writing from the Valley
Within a short and devastating period, Marlene lost her husband James and both of her in-laws. Rather than retreat into silence, she turned her grief into "mini-devotions" on Facebook — raw, honest words that became a lifeline for others in mourning.
Finding an Audience Online
What began as personal processing evolved into a steady online ministry. Marlene's Facebook devotions attracted a growing community of readers who found in her honesty the courage to face their own hardships with faith.
Five Books & Counting
Marlene's devotionals and children's books — born from a lifetime of faith and family — have found their way into homes, churches, and hearts across generations. Each title is a testament to the power of ordinary stories told with extraordinary grace.
Faith · Family · Story
51 Years of Marriage
At the center of Marlene's life was her partnership with James — a husband, a pastor, and her closest companion. Their half-century together was the soil from which every word she has written has grown.
Healing Through Words
After the loss of James and both in-laws in a short span of time, writing became Marlene's path through grief. Her "mini-devotions" began as personal healing and grew into a ministry of comfort and hope for thousands.
A Grandmother's Gift
As a mother, grandmother of ten, and great-grandmother of seven, Marlene writes for the generations that follow. Her children's books carry the same faith and warmth she poured into her family around the kitchen table.
A Grandmother's Heart
Marlene's role as a mother, grandmother of ten, and great-grandmother of seven is not simply biographical detail — it is the beating heart behind her children's writing. Every story she crafts for young readers carries the same warmth, wisdom, and wonder she has offered her own family across generations.
The intergenerational table — where stories are passed down, where faith is caught rather than taught — is the world Marlene writes from and writes for. Her books are heirlooms in the making, gifts to grandchildren not yet born.
"Serving alongside James for 35 years taught me that the most important sermons are not preached from a pulpit — they are lived in a home."
"The valley is not a place to stay, but it is a place where the most honest writing happens. Loss taught me that words can become a bridge back to hope."
"I write for my grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I want them to know that faith is not fragile — it holds, even when everything else lets go."
She writes not to be heard, but because she has something worth saying — and a lifetime of living to prove it.
Video Interviews
Watch Marlene in conversation — exploring faith, literature, and the stories that shape a life.