Sky-High View

The Life-Ready Woman: Thriving in a Do-It-All World

2011-02-21T23:34:00.011-05:00

About The Life Ready Woman:

Are you a ‘Doing it all’ or ‘Do what matters’ woman?

Whether a stay at home; or working mom, an airplane-hopping executive, an empty-nester caring for multiple generations or a single juggling high demands of career and personal life, today's fast-paced modern world leaves women gasping for balance. We as modern Christian women want to look to the Bible for guidance on how to manage our lives -- but because the world of women looks so different today than it did when the Bible was written, it is hard to find chapter and verse that seems to apply to our situation today.

Thankfully, God has given us exactly that timeless, unchanging guidance for how to find peace, clarity, and God's best for our lives once we know where to look! The Life Ready Woman: Thriving in a Do-It-All World, reveals a profound biblical roadmap for how each of us can find the abundant life we are longing for, rather than the stressful, torn, how-do-I-balance-it-all life we often feel like we are trying to keep up with today. Actually being a LifeReady Woman means that you are clear about your life, bold in your faith, and able to find God’s best for you, and the end result will be that you not only survive but thrive in our do-it-all world.

God has given every wonderfully unique woman different skills and abilities, different desires, and different temperaments -- and every woman around the planet and through the ages is certainly living in different circumstances. But no matter what a woman’s life looks like, the Bible says that God has an individual mission and plan that He’s carefully designed for each of us. And He wants us to find it. Starting January 2011, The Life Ready Woman and the Life Ready Woman Video Series will help every wonderfully unique woman to thrive as she identifies and courageously pursues God's unique design and callings for her. LifeReady Woman puts you on a roadmap to make decisions that will lead to relief, delight, and fulfillment instead of regret.

Life-Ready Woman Video

Visit other blogs on the Life-Ready Tour:

http://litfusegroup.com/Blog-Tours/life-ready-woman-by-shaunti-feldhahn.html )

About Shaunti Feldhahn:

Shaunti Feldhahn is a former Wall Street analyst, best-selling author of the book For Women Only, national speaker, and regular commentator in the media. She has been featured on The Today Show, PBS, TNT and Fox News- to name a few. You can learn more about her many activities by visiting her website Shaunti.com or get some great mom advice from her at MomLifeToday.com. She and her husband live with their two young children in Atlanta, Georgia and enjoy every minute of living at warp speed.

About MomLife Today:

At MomLife Today you will enjoy community with real moms experiencing every age and every stage of MomLife—right alongside you.

Moms need friends we can walk through life with, but more importantly we need friends who will encourage us and equip us in our role as moms in an honest and transparent way … and that’s just what you’ll find by becoming part of our MomLife Today community! We believe that every MOMent counts!

We admit it, being a mom 24/7 is not easy. Rather than lament the role of motherhood, however, we choose to embrace that role and learn from each other how to make it through each day with the right attitude. Come share the joys, sorrows, insanity, and special moments of motherhood with us as we live it and candidly write about it…we’ll have lots of fun along the way! Join us, and do tell… What’s happening in your MomLife Today? www.momlifetoday.com

This blogger received a complimentary review copy of the book, as well as one extra to give away in a drawing.

Catch-Up--Rolling Days 19-30 Prompts into One Post

2010-12-30T21:19:00.007-05:00

PROMPT 19: Healing. What healed you this year? Was it sudden, or a drip-by-drip evolution? How would you like to be healed in 2011?

Healing came when I could see the end of Steve's commitment in Nashville and the end of our financial obligations there. Answers to prayer! That chapter of our lives, which had its own blessings and lessons, ending the day of closing, December 14.

PROMPT 20: Beyond avoidance. What should you have done this year but didn't because you were too scared, worried, unsure, busy or otherwise deterred from doing? (Bonus: Will you do it?)

I should have hugged my kids more, told my hubby I loved him more, exercised more, written more, submitted more, decluttered more, helped others more, saved more, paid off more, called my parents more, visited my parents more, among other things. But as Scarlett so famously put it, "Tomorrow is another day."

PROMPT 21: Future self. Imagine yourself five years from now. What advice would you give your current self for the year ahead? (Bonus: Write a note to yourself 10 years ago. What would you tell your younger self?)

2011 Karen: What advice do you have for me, Karen of 2016?

2016 Karen: First of all, you know those art lessons you've always meant to take? Take them. Don't wait. And go to the Hunter more often. That's why you joined, Goofy.

2011: I'm listening...

2016: All the months you worried about money, and every month you had enough--why wouldn't that keep happening? God took care of you then, and He'll do it again.

2011: Anything else?

2016: Yes. All the stuff you think of when something catastrophic happens, remind yourself of those things every moment of every day you get a chance. Tell people you love them. Kiss and hug often. Take care of you and the people around you. Smile at everyone you meet. Never pass up an opportunity to help or to give, if you possibly can do it. Stop and watch the sunset. Take time to laugh and play. Talk to God throughout the day, and soak up His Word. Live, truly live.

2011: I feel so much better about this new year! See you in five.

PROMPT 22: Travel. How did you travel in 2010? How and/or where would you like to travel next year?

By air and by car. We saw Memphis, Lexington, Nashville, Knoxville, Disney World, and enjoyed the delights in our own backyard. We dined with Disney characters with our grandkids, imagined Graceland still inhabited by Elvis, and strolled across the Tennessee River to watch Pops in the Park on the Fourth of July.

Next year, Lord willing, we'll go to Phoenix for a convention. We'd love to revisit Disney. And New York City--I'd like to see the art museums there that I've only read about and perhaps row a boat in Central Park or see Shakespeare in the Park. And eat at that little place in Brooklyn under the bridge as the sun sets over Manhattan. Hey, I can dream, can't I?

And if somehow we should win a trip, Steve and I agree we should go somewhere impossibly expensive and exotic, say, Fiji.

PROMPT 23: New name. Let's meet again, for the first time. If you could introduce yourself to strangers by another name for just one day, what would it be and why?

I'm really comfortable with my name, and more than ever these days, with who I am. Why would I want to use another name. Although there are more beautiful names--my mother-in-law's, for example, Julia Elizabeth. Or the name my cousin Jenny and I both said we'd choose for our daughters--Laura. She did; I didn't. My daughter Emily's name is lovely and maybe a bit old-fashioned for such a contemporary young woman, but it still suits her, not me. So I think I'll pass.

PROMPT 24: Everything's OK. What was the best moment that could serve as proof that everything is going to be alright? And how will you incorporate that discovery into the year ahead?

Two, actually--when Steve moved home from Nashville for good last March, and when the condo closed on Dec. 14. Then I also remember my dad's oncologist friend, a contemporary, but not his own doctor, saying he believed my dad--with a clear CT scan over a year out from his diagnosis--had a cure from pancreatic cancer. I can call on those moments in 2011 to realize that there is nothing the Lord can't get us through.

PROMPT 25: Photo - a present to yourself. Sift through all the photos of you from the past year. Choose one that best captures you; either who you are, or who you strive to be. Find the shot of you that is worth a thousand words. Share the image, who shot it, where, and what it best reveals about you.

[See photo at top of post] Emily took this picture of me on Christmas Eve at my parents' house. My mom gave me a pair of vintage-looking ankle boots I'd asked for, and being with the folks I love so much made my smile for the photo genuine. The photo reveals that I love my family and derive a great sense of well-being from their support and affection. They have nourished my soul into the flower that blooms today.

PROMPT 26: Soul food. What did you eat this year that you will never forget? What went into your mouth & touched your soul?

Chattanooga Cupcakes--any flavor, but especially strawberry and peppermint-chocolate

Thanksgiving dinner--broccoli casserole, Bar-b-cutie smoked turkey and my dressing from Ma's recipe, cranberry gelatin salad, pumpkin pie

Bluegrass Grill's egg scramble with just the right mix of sausage and spinach

Marshmallow Peeps--make me feel like a child

Christmas sugar cookies--the recipe seems to improve over time

The Blue Plate's potato chip nachos and their splendid egg white omelette.

Fresh asparagus--always and forever a treat.

Hazelnut coffee--nectar of Heaven. That, and sweettea. Yeah, it's Southern and it's spoken as oneword.

PROMPT 27: Ordinary joy. Our most profound joy is often experienced during ordinary moments. What was one of your most joyful ordinary moments this year?

So many! So hard to choose one. Laughing at Emily making dinosaur talk as she cut out a misfit cookie for the Christmas batch. Walking with Steve to see the buffalo. Cracking up at Eric's quip as he tried to convince my dad to exchange gift cards with him. Browsing the Hunter's sculptures, paintings, and other art, and gazing at the river below the bluff. 2010 was a string of lights, beautiful moments one after the other.

PROMPT 28: Achieve. What’s the thing you most want to achieve next year? How do you imagine you’ll feel when you get it? Free? Happy? Complete? Blissful? Write that feeling down. Then, brainstorm 10 things you can do, or 10 new thoughts you can think, in order to experience that feeling today.

I'd love to have our finances where we want them. Yes, that would be a feeling of freedom!

10 Things to Experience the Feeling of Freedom TODAY:

Get rid of at least one thing every day.
Back up my computer with an external drive and perhaps online storage.
Let go of unnecessary tasks.
Do the most important, not the most urgent things, every day.
Start each day with the Lord.
Look in the mirror and say, "I love you just as you are, because God does!"
Smile often, especially at people who look as if they need it.
Give something to someone, whether I can "afford it" or not.
Capture and treasure the moment, so I'll know forever I didn't waste it.
Look at choices from an eternal perspective, and choose to do what's most likely to last.

PROMPT 29:

Defining moment. Describe a defining moment or series of events that has affected your life this year.

Steve moving home from three years of long-distance commuting.
Emily's multiple transitions, showing her resilience and coping skills.
Eric's acting successes.
Mom and Dad's triumphs respectively over stroke and pancreatic cancer.

PROMPT 30: Gift. This month, gifts and gift-giving can seem inescapable. What's the most memorable gift, tangible or emotional, you received this year?

The closing of our Nashville chapter. I have my husband home full-time, and I feel a freedom from the responsibilities of maintaining another home. It's a fantastic gift.

PROMPT 31: Core story. What central story is at the core of you, and how do you share it with the world? (Bonus: Consider your reflections from this month. Look through them to discover a thread you may not have noticed until today.)

My story: I grew up in a warm cocoon, surrounded by affection, books, art, laughter, and the knowledge that God loved me as I was. Then I was encouraged to burst out and be myself in the best way possible, empowered by His Spirit within and others' support without. I share this by seeking to give out what has been given me, and by writing about the safe, warm place all can know through Jesus Christ.

Yes, Yoda, Sometimes There Is "Try"

2010-12-20T13:42:00.004-05:00

Prompt: Try. What do you want to try next year? Is there something you wanted to try in 2010? What happened when you did / didn't go for it?

Bucket lists have become popular since the movie of that name debuted. As someone pointed out recently, if you spend too much time making out the list, you run out of time to attain it.

In 2010, I wanted to submit several stories to Chicken Soup for the Soul, and I did. None have yet been accepted, but I'll keep trying. I felt elated during the process of my stories being critiqued by my writing groups and revising the stories until I knew there was nothing in my power to make them any better.

In 2011, I might take an art class of some kind, something I haven't done since I was 10 or 11 but thoroughly enjoyed when I did. So why not?

What I learned about myself in 2010

2010-12-20T13:36:00.002-05:00

Prompt: Lesson learned. What was the best thing you learned about yourself this past year? And how will you apply that lesson going forward?

[Pretend I'm not attempting Prompts 17-20 all on the 20th!]

I learned that I have powers of influence I didn't have 20, 30, or 40 years ago. Youth, money, intelligence, and good looks aren't the ultimate persuasions. Conviction, moral courage, and sheer enthusiasm are. I will apply my influence wherever I think it can change people or the world for good and for eternity.

Changed by Friendship in 2010

2010-12-16T19:14:00.004-05:00

Prompt: Friendship. How has a friend changed you or your perspective on the world this year? Was this change gradual, or a sudden burst?

Rather than one, I'll choose three friends who've changed me this year, though one's related to me.

Marla has dealt with many hard things in her life, yet she carries on. She makes a deliberate effort to engage others, when her natural tendency from all the hurt she's experienced ought to make her hold them at arm's length. She's one of the brighter people I've known, well-read and always challenging my in-a-rut thinking. She listens with interest, as if I'm the only person who's ever interacted with her.

Amber stimulates my creativity. Sitting in the writers' group circle with her, I pick up the vibe of her electric personality. The words she writes and reads to us portrait a breathing entity, and no neutral colors exist in her palette. Enthusiasm infects me when I've been with her, and I find the words pouring out of my writing self as if she gave me her muse by osmosis.

Our son Eric, despite--or as he believes, because of--his Christian upbringing, draws my husband and me into conversations that prove nothing except his cynical, skeptical views of the Bible, Christians, and all things related. Especially in the past year, he's challenged us to consider anew why we believe what we believe. Eric reminds us that Christians shouldn't belittle the honest questions of nonbelievers and that the way we Christians come across--often as unthinking ignorant clods and hypocritical bigots--is much clearer to questioners like him than to those of us who act as if we have all the answers from here to eternity.

Many friends have affected me in the past year. But I can't name them all here and now. For knowing the trio I descibed, I'm a better me.

My Five-Minute Flashback on 2010

2010-12-15T14:13:00.008-05:00

Prompt: 5 minutes. Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010.

Christmas Vacation movie with all four of us watching together
My mom and dad healthy and recovered, respectively, from a stroke and pancreatic cancer
Having Steve back working here and selling the Nashville condo--finally!
Visits to the Hunter Museum of American Art and walking Bluffview and Walnut Street Bridge--with Steve and all by myself
Eric's roles acting in a drama, tap-dancing in The Drowsy Chaperone, recapping his Tiny Tim/Fritz roles in Nutcracker Christmas Carol, and getting his first screen credit for a feature film
Emily's transitions, which she's handled amazingly
God's provisions and answers for more than I could list
The laugh over my mom saying, when Huison and I told her not to lose any more weight or she might die, "At least I'll die skinny"
Many happy breakfasts at the Bluegrass Grill
Touring Graceland with the KT Key Club District
Playing Reindeer Games in goofy antler helmets at MainX24

Ah, too many great memories--five minutes isn't nearly enough. After the timer went off, I experienced a forehead-smacking moment when I realized I hadn't even mentioned the major Disney trip with kids and grandkids.

Day 14--2, 4, 6, 8, Who Do I Appreciate?

2010-12-14T16:09:00.003-05:00

Prompt: Appreciate. What's the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it?

In the past year, I have come to appreciate most the people in my life and the impact they have had on my growth as a person. Here's the simplistic version of the ones I appreciate and why:

From my parents, I've learned to seek ways to reach out to others.

From my husband, I've learned to look for the positive, especially in other people.

From my children, I've learned open-mindedness.

From my fellow writers, I've learned to relish creating and the creativity of others.

From my Sunday school class, I've learned to enjoy fellowship in a group of diverse personalities.

From my church choir, I've learned to pray for and inquire about my fellow church members, my brothers and sisters in Christ.

From the people who serve me at the bank, the grocery, the drugstore, the post office, the mechanic's, and all the other places I receive help, I've learned that helping others can be a courteous, joyful privilege.

I thank God for all of these folks, but I need to express it more. May I take this Christmas season--and other occasions as well--to thank each one for what they mean in my day and my life.

Day 13--Making Ideas Happen

2010-12-13T13:14:00.004-05:00

Prompt: Action. When it comes to aspirations, its not about ideas. It's about making ideas happen. What's your next step?

My writing goals for the year have gathered some dust. Before December 31, I have a chapbook manuscript and Chicken Soup for the Soul story to submit. I will begin revising this week, even if it's only a few minutes a day!

What will you do next to make your ideas happen?

Day 12--When Did I Feel the Most Integrated with My Body?

2010-12-12T17:04:00.004-05:00

Prompt: Body integration. This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn't mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present?

When I--briefly--returned to walking. When I wrote. When I laughed and shared long talks with family or friends. When I became absorbed in work that accomplished something visible and/or lasting. When I read a well-written, meaningful book. When I prayed, from my heart, any time of day--not only during a "quiet time/devotional." When the Word spoke directly to me, piercing me arrow-sharp with its truth of conviction or comfort.

What Are 11 Things My Life Doesn't Need in 2011?

2010-12-11T10:31:00.003-05:00

Prompt: 11 Things. What are 11 things your life doesn't need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?

1. Stuff and clutter--I learned this lesson from FlyLady about seven or eight years ago, but I need to get back in the habit of spending 10-15 minutes a day decluttering. If I don't use it, if I have duplicates, if it brings me down, if it doesn't make me smile--these are my main guidelines, again, thanks to FlyLady. I especially need this mantra after moving things back this week, smack in the middle of the holiday season, from my husband's place after his two and a half years of working out of town. The less stuff I have to take care of, the better I feel. Nothing like a trip to Goodwill or McKay to make me feel lighter in every way.

2. Regrets--Why didn't I start writing sooner? Why didn't I parent better in certain areas? Why didn't I save more and spend less? I need to make a clean break. Every day is a do-over.

3. Stress--I need to walk, to take care of the things I can, and to leave the rest to God. Most of the things I worry about never become a real threat. And it could almost always be worse.

4. Activities that are meaningless, to me anyway--at least in comparison to the ones I love most. When will I catch on to the fact that I can't do everything, give everything, and be everything? Why not follow my calling, my gifts, my passions, instead of thinking I need to seize every opportunity that drifts into sight? The world will be better off for me doing a few things I love well, rather than spreading myself into mediocrity.

5. Other people's guilt trips--see #4. They don't usually know what the Lord is leading ME to do. They don't do everything. And if they try to, why should I? I answer to Him, my family, and whatever my other current commitments may be.

6. Other people's drama--Sure, I can listen, offer advice, but no need to be swept into anger or self-pity while empathizing. In fact, I may need to be more honest with them, in a gentle way, of course.

7. Time-wasters--Too much time on Facebook, too much TV, too much time taking care of possessions that aren't even important enough to keep. See #1.

8. Items on the Bucket List that don't matter--I'll concentrate, instead, on a few that I've kept putting off, saying there isn't time or money. Life is short. I should make the time or money available if what I want to do is important enough.

9. Anything that keeps me from reading my Bible and praying each day--Doing this creates such a life-transforming difference in my attitude and actions each day. Often I let tasks take precedence before I start my day with this all-important communication with the Lord.

10. Anything that cuts into or distracts from precious time with family and friends--As Jim Croce sang in "Time in a Bottle," "There never seems to be enough time to do the things we wanna do, once we find them." The temptation to put a phone or computer between me and loved ones is great, but couldn't that wait while we eat, talk, watch a movie, or play a game together? If I need to maximize time, wouldn't it be better to do something mindless, like folding laundry, while we visit?

11. Whatever I need to leave in the past, meaning to accept change and transition as a fact and not necessarily an evil--In other words, if something special gets broken or a family member dies, I need to look for what's good and new afterwards. Often I find broken or lost items needed to be purged. And those who pass from us into the presence of the Lord are happy. We are grieving for their presence, not for them. We need to take comfort in our special memories and to form new memories and traditions, as well as stronger relationships with the loved ones we still have with us. We can learn the preciousness of life and love even as we still feel the pain of loss.

Looks like 2011 will be a great year in which to let go.

Reverb10 Day 10--Best Decision of 2010?

2010-12-10T11:43:00.002-05:00

Sorry, I fell behind due to moving and prepping food for the Sunday school class party. I'll try to do better!

Prompt for Day 10: Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out?

Nothing stands out, except perhaps my choice to volunteer as moderator for a new writing group for our local writers guild. I've enjoyed learning more about what memoir is, how to approach it, and what makes the people in our group tick.

One of my favorite meetings took place at a local coffee house, which was memorable in itself, but the incident that stood out was the visitor's story. A group member had brought her elderly mother, who decided prior to attending to write down her recent adventure. She shared with us how at a local patriotic celebration she had taken her first motorcycle ride. Her way of telling about it brought smiles all around.

As much as I love writing, I've learned that I love my fellow writers even more. So, yes, deciding to lead the memoir group was probably my best choice of 2010.

CONTEMPLATING A BRAND NEW YEAR WITH #REVERB 10--COMMUNITY

2010-12-07T08:53:00.005-05:00

On a whim, I just signed up to blog through the month of December, reflecting on 2010 and anticipating 2011.

Today's prompt:

December 7 – Community Prompt: Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011? (Author: Cali Harris)

One of my newest communities, one that's become dear to me, is the world of writers, especially Christian writers, both online and locally. The Writer's Digest Poetic Asides blog has become one of my favorite "meeting places" with other poets, and Facebook has brought so many writer friends into my life. For a year now, I've co-moderated a memoir group, while still attending a nonfiction group and a group for Christian market writers. We share ourselves through our writing and thus become intimately acquainted with one another's hopes, dreams, disappointments, backgrounds, and families.

Another community I discovered through a class where I represented our local writers guild is supporters of the arts, including artists and afficionados of art, like me. The creativity flows through the room like electricity in the air when I'm gathered with one or more of these kindred spirits.

After the serious medical crises of both my parents in 2009, and with our daughter moving away to work after college, community with family became even more precious this year. Our daughter came home for jury duty the other night, and we made a point of gathering the four of us, drawing our son from the cave of his room, to watch the zany holiday movie, Christmas Vacation.

More than ever, my church choir is another family to me. The caring we have for one another, as we share prayer requests, sing and perform musicals together, and when needed, take meals to members who are ill or recuperating from surgery, brings a warmth to my life I'd greatly miss if it weren't there. Our common bond in Jesus Christ brings sweet unity to a diverse group.

In 2011, I'd love to cultivate friends from the past. I have a mental list of people I'd like to take walks with or meet for coffee. I look at Elizabeth Edwards and the 21-year-old neighbor who recently died, and I remember with startling reality we don't know how long we have. It just hit me as I typed this: I want to connect, reconnect, and simplify in 2011.

FEELING SUICIDAL? Linda Evans' Message, Relevant for Those with Serious Blues

2010-12-06T19:22:00.004-05:00

Linda Evans has provided this material to bloggers free of charge. I hope and pray it will reach and help many--or even just one person.

Dear Friend,

I'm so sorry you’re going through a hard time. Good news, though—there

really is hope. Time will change your current situation. You’ll soon find that

these dark feelings are temporary. Peace and joy are available to you.

I'm not promising that you’ll never have losses, but the pain will pass as you

keep praying and seeking God. Keep your head high in this storm until the

sun shines again. Soon this dark period of your life will be behind you.

There is hope. Jeremiah 29:11-13 says,

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD,

“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give

you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come

and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me

and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Recommendations:

1. Go to other believers for encouragement.

Find a church home. Join a small Bible study in a home or church

setting. Surround yourself with others your age who seek God and

study His Word.

2. Listen to inspirational music.

You can find Christian music in your favorite style. Try your local

Christian radio station or one online.

3. Take time to read the Bible.

If you don't have a Bible, there are versions available on the Web

that you can download. Or ask your church for assistance.

4. Read the book, Purpose Driven Life.

This is a great Bible study and will give you a sense of direction

and purpose for your life so you feel plugged in.

5. Get help.

Call 9-1-1 or go to an emergency room if you fear you are no

longer able to prevent taking your life. Allow someone outside

your situation to intervene. Also, consider going for counseling.

Seek out a pastor or other professional who will listen, care, and

help you with your struggles.

You are in our prayers during this difficult season in your life.

Linda Evans Shepherd

www.GodTest.com

Suicide Helpline: 1-800-SUICIDE

Sometimes good things happen suddenly. It was New Year's Eve 2003 when I

considered all the people contemplating ending their life that very night. As a

person who has also experienced a dark night of the soul, I understood how a

crisis, circumstance or depression could create a state of hopelessness. It’s only

by the grace of God that I survived my dark night to live a life of joy.

Sometimes all it takes to survive a dark time is a little hope and encouragement

as well as a fresh perspective of God's love. That's when I decided to hook up

my interactive website, GodTest.com, with the suicidal lanes of the Internet.

That night 20 people came to Christ. By

Monday morning 100 people had escaped

suicide and found faith. Two weeks later, we

were at 12,000 hits and 2000 souls coming to

faith.

I soon added other features to the site. With

each improvement, we experienced greater

statistics. More than that, we received

personal reports to show the site served a

purpose. A depressed pastor wrote, "Thank

you. This was the worst ministry day of my life.

Your site helped me feel better."

A dad of a disabled child wrote, "You saved

two lives tonight. You see, I was going to kill

both myself and my child, but your story has

encouraged me. The two of us will live."

Since then, we have seen thousands of suicides prevented and over half a

million people have come to faith. Millions have found the encouragement they

need. We’ve recently redesigned the site and hope this will attract even more

people to the site and encourage them to draw close to God.

As the president of a tiny nonprofit, Right to the Heart, we are delighted to help

and encourage so many. Please visit the site, link to it from your online

presence, and spread the word.

Linda Evans Shepherd

www.GodTest.com

U.S. Suicide Statistics

(2005)

• 1.3% of all deaths are from

suicide.

• On average, one suicide

occurs every 16 minutes.

• Suicide is the second leading

cause of death for 25-34

year olds, as well as

college students.

• More people die from suicide

than from homicide.

• There were over 800,000

suicide attempts in 2005.

About

GodTest.com

Suicide Helpline: 1-800-SUICIDE

RED INK by Kathy Macias

2010-11-17T10:42:00.006-05:00

The widespread persecution of Christians in our time troubles me. This book makes it real and personal.
A young Chinese woman, Zhen-Li—raised to observe the party line, including its one-child-per-family doctrine—falls in love with and marries a Christian, and adopts his faith. Though the couple downplays their Christianity in an effort to survive, Zhen-Li’s family is appalled, and she and her husband are ostracized. When she becomes pregnant for the second time and refuses to have an abortion, the persecution begins in earnest. Zhen-Li’s parents, under pressure from the government, pay to have Zhen-Li kidnapped and the baby aborted.
It is then Zhen-Li decides she must live up to her name—"Truth"—and take a firm stand for her faith, regardless of the consequences, and so she begins to regularly teach children about Zhu Yesu ("Lord Jesus") and to distribute Christian literature every chance she gets.
Based loosely on the life of Christian magazine editor Li Ying, currently serving a ten-year prison sentence in China, the story of Yang Zhen-Li tells the desperate tale of her incarceration and separation from her family, as she continues to minister to other prisoners, and even to her guards.

About the Author
Kathi is a multi-award winning writer who has authored nearly 30 books and ghostwritten several others. A former newspaper columnist and string reporter, Kathi has taught creative and business writing in various venues and has been a guest on many radio and television programs. Kathi is a popular speaker at churches, women’s clubs and retreats, and writers’ conferences, and recently won the prestigious 2008 member of the year award from AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association) at the annual Golden Scrolls award banquet. Kathi “Easy Writer” Macias lives in Homeland, CA, with her husband, Al, where the two of them spend their free time riding their Harley.

What Makes a Hero? Review of Hero's Tribute*

2010-10-26T21:37:00.001-04:00

The book cover asks, “What makes a man a legend?” In this novel,the author proceeds to break down the legend of the late Michael Gavin and show his humanity. Told through the eyes of multiple characters, including the reporter who receives the strange assignment of giving Gavin’s eulogy, the story makes a sluggish start. Immediately in the opening, the reader learns of the death of the title’s hero, and may feel anticlimactic and bogged down in the details of various individual and group reactions to Gavin’s passing. However, the plot picks up momentum as Michael Gavin’s life unfolds through the research of Wes Watkins, one of the small town’s sports reporters.

Following the list he’s given, Wes takes off in search of both his news story and the assigned eulogy, determined to find out why he’s the chosen speaker for Gavin’s funeral. He uncovers secrets from Gavin’s past and begins to learn some truths about his own life. With a few surprising twists, Hero’s Tribute satisfied my hunger for a good story.

Only the most skillful authors pull off the multiple-viewpoint plot well. William Faulkner and Jodi Picoult come to mind. Garrison does it better in some places than others, especially when he’s giving the back story of the various people whose lives were most deeply affected by Gavin. The mystery he injected into Michael and Watkins as his chosen eulogist kept my interest, and by the close of the book, I was not disappointed.

The genre could be considered inspirational fiction, but the book does not so much focus on Christian themes as incorporate principles generally upheld in our culture. The actions, words, and thoughts of the characters portray values, rather than preaching them. An impatient reader may not endure, but for the one who does, Hero’s Tribute is worth the persistent read.

*The reviewer received a free review copy.

Guest Post by Author Lorilyn Roberts: Monster Inside My Daughter

2010-08-21T21:25:00.008-04:00

Animal Planet found this story so gripping, they’ve included it on their show, Monsters Inside Me.

Animal Planet’s “Monsters Inside Me” airs on Wednesday, August 25, 10-11pm EST, or check the archives at http://animal.discovery.com/tv/monsters-inside-me/ . Help us get the word out about this important issue.

“I feel a pulse,” one of the medics said.

The paramedics worked feverishly on Manisha to make sure she was still alive. My beautiful seven-year-old daughter from Nepal lay on the floor unconscious at the O’Connell Center of the University of Florida.

“Has she ever had a seizure?” another one asked.

“No, no,” I said in bewilderment. Manisha rolled over and vomited.

One emotion consumed me: Fear. The enormity of single parenting hit me like lightening.

I cried out, “Where are you, God? I feel so alone.”

After hooking up stabilizing IVs, Manisha was whisked off in an ambulance to Shands Teaching Hospital. I found a pay phone and called my mother. Her first comment was, “Do you know what day this is?”

I remembered—September 19. Four years to the day and almost to the hour, my father had died of a brain tumor. It was about 5:00 p.m. My shattered world continued to close in on me. A short time later my worst fears were confirmed.

“There is something on the CAT scan. We have a called a neurologist,” I heard the nurse say.

“No, no, no,” every cell in my body cried out. “God, you can’t let this happen. Not again!”

But God was silent. The next nine days of hospitalization were filled with tests—MRI, gallium scan, spinal tap, TB test, HIV test, numerous blood draws, and too many questions and not enough answers by doctors doing their daily rounds with medical students in tow. Manisha had what in medical parlance is called a “zebra.”

As the days passed in the hospital, I asked God for two things that humanly speaking seemed impossible. I prayed first that the doctors would not have to do surgery. I couldn’t bear the thought of seeing Manisha’s beautiful thick, curly black hair shaved off. The ugly scars of surgery still lingered in my mind from my dad’s brain surgery. And I prayed that whatever was in Manisha’s head would not be cancerous. I had asked God to heal my father of a brain tumor and he died. Could I trust God for Manisha’s healing?

It was critical that the doctor’s make the correct diagnosis. The wrong treatment could kill her. Did she have a malignant brain tumor or a worm inside her head? Manisha had been adopted by me from Nepal at the age of three—old enough to be exposed to the extreme poverty of Nepal and lack of clean drinking water. 57.1 percent of the water in Nepal is considered unsatisfactory for human consumption, contaminated with feces.

Manisha’s condition turned out to be caused by a tapeworm infection of the brain—the most common parasitic infection of the nervous system. The larvae can travel anywhere in the body—the muscles, brain, eye, and other structures. The condition, known as neurocysticercosis, is still relatively rare in this country, but is appearing more on the radar as part of the differential diagnosis for seizures.

Thankfully, twelve years later, Manisha is a healthy, well-adjusted 19-year-old finishing her A.A. degree at Santa Fe College—six months ahead of schedule.

Why did God allow this nightmare to happen? I don’t know why God allows the hard things in our lives, but I do know God never wastes anything. I hope writing about neurocysticercosis today will bring awareness to this very preventable disease. International adoptive parents and travelers to the developing world should seek appropriate medical care upon returning to the U.S. if they have been exposed to poor sanitary conditions or contaminated water.

In spite of the trials of single parenting, the years following that dreadful day of September 19, 1994, have been filled with life and joy. Manisha soon will be leaving home to make her own way in the world, and I reflect on her middle name Hope—with God, there is always hope, and for that I am thankful.

The book, Children of Dreams tells the complete story, available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and your local bookstores. For more on Manisha’s story, be sure to watch Animal Planet’s “Monsters Inside Me” on August 25, 10-11pm EST, or check the archives at http://animal.discovery.com/tv/monsters-inside-me/ .

Lorilyn Roberts graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Alabama and is currently working on her Master of Arts in Creative Writing from Perelandra College. As a Certified Court Reporter, Lorilyn has made contributions to the National Court Reporters Association Journal. She provides real-time broadcast captioning for television. Lorilyn’s first book, The Donkey and the King, is a beautifully illustrated children's book. She also co-leads Word Weavers in Gainesville, FL. When not writing, taking graduate classes, or closed captioning for television/web, Lorilyn homeschools her younger daughter, Joy.

Enter a drawing for a free copy of Children of Dreams on Lorilyn’s website and blog. The drawing will be on September 1, 2010. Go to the website for details.

Website address: http://www.lorilynroberts.com/blog.html

Blog address: http://lorilynroberts.blogspot.com/

Permission was granted to use this material as free content on this site,as long as used in its entirety, including the bio and links at the end.

(Read & Eventually Win) STUFF CHRISTIANS LIKE--An Irreverent Tongue-In Cheek Serious Look at Faith, Church, & Being Christian...

2010-06-25T13:10:00.007-04:00

... in a World Where Joel Osteen Barely Coexists with Ernest Angley and Mega Churches with Country One-rooms

I knew I had a winner to review when:

1) I read the two paragraphs of the intro to friends and already Jonathan had us giggling and recognizing--unfortunately--our American Christian culture:

If you buy this book, God will make you rich.
I was going to say, "If you read this book," but I'm pretty sure people who get it at the library
won't receive the same amount of awesomeness as people who buy it.

2) Some of our other friends sat around and read aloud the titles from Stuff Christians Like, while we all guffawed.

3) Our household religious critic and self-proclaimed skeptic, a 25-year-old male, pilfered the book from the kitchen and I had to insist he return it long enough for me to get this post out.

With essay titles like "Sending More Hate Mail Than Satanists" and "Waiting Until a Co-worker Is Away from His Desk to Drop off Some Christian Propaganda," I've smiled my way through the book. But the messages are clear, as Acuff pokes subtle fun at himself and the rest of the Churched. Agnostics and Atheists will laugh along, as all the things they ever suspected us believers of thinking, saying, or doing are revealed in these pages.

If you don't want to be convicted about hypocrisy, impatience, lack of discipline, laziness, judgmental attitudes, misplaced zeal, Christian infighting, and other common sins of regular Christians, don't read this book. Wrapped in Jonathan's blunt humor, the convicting parts sneak up on you.

You can eventually win this book--hey, my son and I have to fight over it first--about which I will post details later.

Don't wait for my family to read it--buy your own copy of Stuff Christians Like.

Follow Jonathan on Facebook .

Follow Jonathan on Twitter

Check out what other participating bloggers have to say about Stuff

Follow Jonathan's Stuff Christians Like blog

This blogger was not harmed physically or psychologically in receiving this book free of charge for review purposes.

SCARS & STILETTOS: Harmony Shakes off the Dust of Her Former Life

2010-06-19T14:25:00.004-04:00

A STRANGE IMPULSE
Any self-respecting Christian woman would hesitate to stop at a strip club to write and leave on the employees' cars postcards telling exotic dancers they are loved and inviting them to church. Much less Harmony Dust. At the very club where she used to perform. After all, it's taken her years to learn that God cares about her and has a better plan for her life. To brush this close to the old ways of viewing herself and of meeting her financial and emotional needs makes Harmony shudder. She too once did not value herself enough to let go of an unhealthy relationship or to hold on to her modesty. She didn't know before what she knows now--that God's love and power are enough to see her through any crisis.

Scars and Stilettos shares in the form of Harmony's story the message that, in God's eyes, we are all worth saving. From the distant relationship with her career-minded father who lived across the country to the unstable relationships with her mother and her childhood friend who became her unfaithful live-in boyfriend, Harmony traces the choices she made, the consequences of those choices, and finally, the redemption of her choices.

For Harmony, disappointment, especially in people, has been a way of life. Parents. Her long-time love, Derrick. A professor whose opinion she trusted. Through a chance meeting, she makes a new friend who shows her a hope that doesn't disappoint.

Seeing the sex trade industry through Harmony's eyes enabled me to envision how easy it is to believe that a few weeks or months of involvement will not turn into an extended lifestyle. How easy it becomes after a few times to do things never before considered as a way of making money, because the bills go unpaid and no one will step in to help. How easy it is to feel so desperate about losing someone when there is no other way to love or be loved. And when a way out appears, how her One True Love leads Harmony back to the place she so longed to escape. Who else can understand the trapped, shamed life like someone who's been there?

Harmony relays her story with passion and compassion--passion for the Lord Who gave her a chance and a reason to change, and compassion for any women who believe they're not worthy of love and respect, especially those locked into the stripper's lonely life. Who should read this book? Anyone who's given up hope--of changing, of being accepted, of finding a reason to go on. And anyone who knows people who need hope.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Fear of being abandoned keeps nineteen-year-old Harmony Dust trapped in an abusive and cruel relationship. She thinks she has hit bottom-tens of thousands of dollars in debt, struggling to get by, and so controlled by her boyfriend that she doesn't protest when he begins openly sleeping around. Things can't get worse . . . until someone tells her how much money she can make as an exotic dancer. For the next three years, Harmony lives a double life as Monique, a dancer in a fully-nude strip club.

Scars and Stilettos is Harmony's stark, honest, and ultimately hopeful story of how God found her in that dark, noisy place and led her out. She has since married, completed an MA in social welfare, and now leads Treasures, an organization helping women in the sex trade discover their true worth. "Harmony wrote her story so that you and your friends may get help out of whatever dark tunnel you find yourself in. . . . once you start this book, you will not be able to put it down and you will want to get a copy for every person you know." --Holly Wagner, from the preface

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Harmony Dust is founder of Treasures, a nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles that reaches out to women in the sex industry to show them they are loved, valued, and purposed. Find out more about Treasures, Harmony, and her book at www.IAmATreasure.com or http://www.ScarsandStilettos.com. Check out Harmony's Press Page for magazine articles and videos about her work with women in the sex-trade industry.

FOLLOW THE SCARS AND STILETTOS BLOG TOUR

This reviewer received a free copy of the book, which will be given away in a random drawing to a commenter on this post.

Anglophile's Delight--London Letters

2010-05-25T10:11:00.001-04:00

Enjoy the travel talk and commentary, as well as the links to photos of various sites. Links at the foot of each of six letters lead to those that precede and follow the current page.

http://www.booksandculture.com/articles/webexclusives/2010/may/londonletters.html?paging=off

Posted via email from Phillips Ponderings

On Tax Day, the Unborn Pay a Price

2010-04-15T18:13:00.001-04:00

http://www.suzyb.org/blog/_archives/2010/4/15/4505922.html

Posted via email from Phillips Ponderings

Know Much about History? Chattanooga Department Store History, That Is

2010-04-14T10:31:00.001-04:00

Any long-time Chattanooga area people know much about the old department stores Loveman's and Miller Brothers? If so, let me hear from you.

Posted via email from Phillips Ponderings

TO CELEBRATE APRIL, POETRY MONTH, CRUISE BY THE POEM-A-DAY EXTRAVAGANZAS

2010-04-13T08:33:00.003-04:00

Two fun ways--actually, three--to celebrate National Poetry Month:

1) Visit Knopf's Poetry Month/Poem-a-day website to read daily the works of published poets, even sign up to receive the poems in your inbox throughout April.

2) Read the prompts and poems of the 3rd Annual PAD (Poem-A-Day) Challenge at the Writer's Digest Poetic Asides blog. Especially during this challenge, the poets who participate become like family, and the wondrous constructions that arise from the prompts demonstrate the endless creativity of the human mind.

3) Start posting your own poems there in the comments. Unless you catch up, you won't qualify for judging of the Top 50 Poems, but you can still enjoy participating, perhaps even drawing comments from your fellow poets. Especially during this challenge, the poets who participate become like family.

Warning: this whole process of reading and posting poems is addictive, and the evil codes that prevent robots often must be re-entered repeatedly for your poem to show up.

*Congrats to Haven Conner, who won my review copy of Found Art by Leeana Tankersley.

Extending the Book Drawing Deadline

2010-03-30T01:48:00.001-04:00

No one's posted a comment on my blog tour for FOUND ART. So I'm extending the deadline to midnight, Friday, April 2. Leave a comment on the following post, with an email or blog/website address:

FOUND ART by Leeana Tankersley

Posted via email from Phillips Ponderings

Win the book FOUND ART. Here's how:

2010-03-26T17:06:00.001-04:00

Leave a comment between now and midnight Monday, March 29 on the Found Art blog tour post. Click here.

Posted via email from Phillips Ponderings

FOUND ART by Leeana Tankersley***

2010-03-18T18:22:00.009-04:00

After reading Leeana's book themed on dramatic growth in her life in a one-year period living in a foreign country as a newlywed married to a Navy SEAL, I thought about what my own found art might be. What would the objects I chose represent?

My only available objects were what I gathered in the hotel room while at a convention with my husband , so I arranged what was already on the table beside me as I worked on my laptop:

The ever-present writer's cup of coffee, now cold. This represents something that brings me pleasure and comfort while I'm typing away. God gives us so many small joys that we often take for granted.
Bath and Body Works Aromatherapy Orange Ginger body lotion--one of the best fragrances ever, stocked by this hotel. The sweet pungent aroma of being alive and especially, alive to God and alive for others.
A note with the passcode to the wireless internet here and a reminder to pick up waters for the convention speaker. A quote I had post-it-noted to my laptop. This tells me how intrinsic writing is to my life--I must have pen and paper at all times, for lists, thoughts, quotes, ideas.
The quote itself: You don't have to get it right, you just have to get it going/done--Mike Litman. I'm a procrastinator and an inconsistent perfectionist. I added the "done" part to this man's thought, knowing how much I need this push to get started and finished with the projects God drops like friendly, messy packages in my path.
A card for a free Starbucks beverage, given to me by the friendly maintenance man who promptly replaced a burnt-out bulb on our hotel room desk. Life is full of surprises, and when they're good ones, I need to rejoice and give thanks. Like when I learned today that my dad's CT showed no cancer, which means he probably has a cure.
A pen. I've already covered this, concerning writing, above.
The notebook with all my computer passwords. The cap to my flashdrive, which is usually attached to my laptop. These are my lifelines, which go everywhere the computer goes (which is usually wherever I go). But if there were a fire, there's no question I'd get people and pets out first. I must choose my priorities and not just recite but live them.
My cell phone. I smile, knowing if I'd refused to start texting several years ago, I wouldn't be as connected to our young adult children as I am today. And I admit, the Facebook messages and wall posts are kind of fun, too. But I don't even need it to talk to the Father. He's always in the "service area" and safe to message while I'm driving.

As Leeana did, I learned about myself while reflecting on these objects of "found art." And like her, I've come a long way and still have a long way to go. And that makes me smile.

*************************************************************************

Imagine getting engaged after you've dated someone seven weeks. Then imagine marrying on his next leave from the Navy and immediately moving to join him in--Bahrain (a country near Iraq and Afghanistan in the Middle East). Thus began Leeana Tankersley's journey into marriage and life in a foreign world of Muslim prayer calls and women clad in abayas. At first she held back from the strange new place, but later she learned to embrace it and allow it to change her, externally and internally.

Loosely told in chronological order, Leeana's story unfolds themed by objects that represent significant places, people, and events from her first year of marriage. She tells how she begins to reconcile hurts in her past she thought dead and buried with the joy of being with her husband. From a Navy SEAL trident to a braid of fringe from a Persian rug, Leeana demonstrates the found art in her life and the significance it takes on in who she is now and who she will be in the future.

Tankersley's reflections made me pause to consider my own journey. I could empathize with the pain and delight in what life had brought her way.

Purchase the book at Amazon

Leeana's website

Other Blog Tour Stops

***Stay tuned for a giveaway of my copy of Found Art, provided by the publisher for reviewing purposes.

We have a winner!

2010-03-13T19:05:00.001-05:00

With hubby doing drawing honors, we learned Joyce Teal won All Things Hidden by Tricia Goyer. Thanks to all who stopped by to read the review

Posted via email from Phillips Ponderings

ALL THINGS HIDDEN--Tricia Goyer's Latest Addition to the Home to Heather Creek Series

2010-03-05T10:08:00.006-05:00

Take one grandmother, Charlotte, who's raising three lively grandchildren--a high schooler, a middle schooler, and an elementary student. Add a family mystery that's lain hidden in the church basement for generations. Stir in grandson Sam, who wishes grandparents Charlotte and Bob wouldn't pry about his new female friend. Toss in granddaughter Emily, who wonders why she had to be paired with a foreign exchange student for a history project. Salt with younger brother Christopher, who longs to turn the "history mystery" his grandma's discovered into an ace reporter's assignment.

These branches of the story converge into a family struggle between unique individuality and harmonic unity. For Charlotte, the quest becomes personal as she seeks to regain honor for her ancestors. Her great-grandfather was accused of theft from the church where she is a member, and his name has never been cleared. How the author blends the ingredients of the story of this family creates the recipe for a great light read true to Christian family values.

WIN THIS BOOK!

Comment on this post between now and Friday, March 12, midnight Eastern time. Be sure to leave email address so I can contact the winner.

BUY THIS BOOK:

Order the book series here: http://www.guideposts.com/heathercreek/

Or to order just this book (rather than the whole series)

call Customer Service (1-800-431-2344).

Will this request receive a response?

2010-02-24T20:16:00.001-05:00

Letter from Minority Leader Boehner to President Obama:

http://gopleader.gov/UploadedFiles/Letter_to_Obama_on_Stupak_Amendment.pdf?msource=c4alerts

Karen H. Phillips, Freelance Writer

kphillipso@aol.com
http://sky-highview.blogspot.com/
http://diagnosisadventuregordontakesoncancer.blogspot.com/

Honorable Mention, Writer's Digest 77th Annual Competition,
Feature Article

Finalist, Legacies Writing Contest, 2008
http://www.carnegieliteracy.org/writers.htm

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Posted via email from Phillips Ponderings

Obama's Promise--and How We Can Hold Him to It

2010-02-23T13:26:00.001-05:00

He told us taxpayers would not fund abortions, even under health care reform. What's happened since that promise, and what we should do to guarantee it:

http://blog.aulaction.org/2010/02/23/six-questions-to-ask-president-obama-at-the-health-care-summit/

Posted via email from Phillips Ponderings

Congrats to Ginny Minninger, who wins the drawing for Mary E. DeMuth's THIN PLACES

2010-02-21T23:07:00.001-05:00

Read about the book, link to the author, and more.

Posted via email from Phillips Ponderings

One of the many joys of living in our neighborhood...

2010-02-19T17:35:00.001-05:00

Not everywhere can you drive down the street and see a pony tethered right in front of a house. At first I thought the horse was another escapee from the ranch at the end of the road. Then I spotted the blue line around the tree weighted by a cinder block. Made my day. That and the spring-preview weather.

Karen H. Phillips, Freelance Writer

kphillipso@aol.com
http://sky-highview.blogspot.com/
http://diagnosisadventuregordontakesoncancer.blogspot.com/

Honorable Mention, Writer's Digest 77th Annual Competition,
Feature Article

Finalist, Legacies Writing Contest, 2008
http://www.carnegieliteracy.org/writers.htm

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Posted via email from Phillips Ponderings

Be a Fan of Life

2010-02-15T00:10:00.001-05:00

Pro-life? Become a fan of Susan B Anthony List and support pro-life women in politics:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Susan-B-Anthony-List/53674651369?ref=ts"

Posted via email from Phillips Ponderings

Our Thin Place--Hope Deferred

2010-02-12T19:43:00.004-05:00

At the office of the agency, in the arms of our friend, my doctor, nestled a fair-skinned blue-eyed boy. Every hope and prayer for the preceding five years was about to culminate in this thin place.

What a road my husband and I had ridden to get to this moment, marred with speed bumps, potholes, and barricades. I wondered for six years after college whether I’d ever marry. Was that part of God’s plan for me?

Then I met the new pharmacist, Steve, in our neighborhood drugstore. Our romance smoothed out after I overcame my baggage from a broken engagement, and I realized, as Steve had all along, that we were a near-perfect complement to each other.

After we'd been married a year, since I was twenty-eight, we thought this might be the time the Lord wanted us to start our family. However, this journey, too, was littered with obstacles. An infection from my childhood had caused scarring that would make it difficult for me to conceive a baby. As we filled out adoption applications, we saw doctors. I took fertility medication that permanently thinned my not-so-thick hair. Still, we knew God had a plan.

Two laparoscopies and many doctor’s visits later, a pregnancy test confirmed our hopes. For three months, we were never surer of God’s answer nor had so many friends and family danced with joy for us. Then we lost the baby. And I found Jeremiah 29:11.

The hope deferred rested in our friend’s arms. We took our adopted son home, light-hearted, a family at last.

WIN MARY E. DEMUTH'S MEMOIR, THIN PLACES

2010-02-12T00:50:00.001-05:00

WIN MARY E. DEMUTH'S MEMOIR, THIN PLACES

Sky-High View

Posted via email from Phillips Ponderings

Thin Places, Thick Cords--Mary E. DeMuth Unfurls the God-Touched Places of Her Life

2010-02-08T23:45:00.012-05:00

Mary E. DeMuth draws me to her with a thick cord of kinship in her memoir, Thin Places.* No, I haven't experienced all the same events in my life, but all of us have struggled with acceptance, frailty, disappointment. In overlapping circles of phases of her lifestory, Mary topically narrates her journey to and with Jesus.

In the opening chapter, "Studebaker," we meet Jim, Mary's dad, and learn the hurt of her life's father-shaped hole. It will be years before she--and many of us readers--will understand the love of a Father who will never, never leave us.

"Snapshot" reveals the terrible days of Mary's childhood that still cause her to wonder why and how such things could have happened to her. Yet she looks back and spies mercy and grace in some of the circumstances.

I first misread the chapter title, "Like Me," to mean "similar to me." Mary's need for approval resembles so many of us humans, wanting to please others. I love the way she ends this section, comparing Atticus Finch to Jesus, the "balcony folks" to those we've touched with Jesus' love, cheering us on.

"Narcissism" treads on my toes, speaking of a clean heart and dirty hands, reminding me how little like Mother Teresa I am, how I want the head-turning attention and not the hard work of being a real in-the-trenches believer.

In these and every other chapter, Mary taps me on the shoulder, with soberness, with lightness, to whisper and shout that I'm a mess, yet I'm loved, redeemed, and fit for whatever He calls me to do. Read it. Rejoice. And go and do likewise.

***************************************************************************

Every two minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted, and of the millions of sexual abuse and rape victims, 15 percent are under the age of 12, according to a 2007 study by the U.S.

Department of Justice. Critically acclaimed author Mary DeMuth is among the millions of adults who are victims of childhood rape and are living with the emotional scars of the haunting abuse.

DeMuth bravely shares her painful story in her new memoir, Thin Places (February, 2010).

Repeatedly raped by two neighborhood boys at a young age, DeMuth details her traumatic and

disturbing childhood in the memoir. Raised in a broken home, she lost her biological father when

she was ten and was stripped of her innocence growing up in an unstable environment where

drugs were commonplace.

But Thin Places is about hope and healing more than it is about the traumatic events of

DeMuth's childhood. According to DeMuth, thin places are "snatches of time, moments really,

when we sense God intersecting our world in tangible, unmistakable ways." When she

encountered the true love of Jesus at a Young Life camp in high school, DeMuth's life-trajectory

changed. God reassembled the pieces of her emotionally fragile self, which initiated true healing

and peace.

Follow the Thin Places Blog Tour:

List of all participating bloggers

*A review copy was provided to me at no cost. I will give this away in a drawing.

Contact Congress - Susan B. Anthony List

2010-02-04T20:35:00.001-05:00

via capwiz.com

Learn why Dawn Johnsen's nomination to the Office of Legal Counsel is pro-abortion.

Posted via web from Phillips Ponderings

Help Free Gao Zhisheng

2010-02-04T11:31:00.001-05:00

via freegao.com

Gao Zhisheng defended human rights in China, before authorities took him into custody 365 days ago. You and I can bring him the justice he sought for so many Chinese citizens.

Posted via web from Phillips Ponderings

Organize "Stand and Deliver," a citizen summit focused on education. | Pepsi Refresh Everything

2010-02-03T22:57:00.001-05:00

via refresheverything.com

Our own Create Here of Chattanooga Stand fame seeks the Pepsi funding to fuel "Stand and Deliver."

Posted via web from Phillips Ponderings

The Happiness Project: What Was Your New Year's Resolution? Are You Keeping It?

2010-02-02T12:28:00.001-05:00

via happiness-project.com

My favorite blog. Happiness is contagious, and this blog promotes attaining it in a meaningful way.

Posted via web from Phillips Ponderings

Creative Decluttering

2010-02-01T23:36:00.001-05:00

Over the past few days I've recorded on a notepad the events from my wall calendars--yes, even boring appointments--from 2005 through 2009. The calendars can go safely to the trash, since I know I've written down everything. Lots easier to store the notepad than the drawer where the calendars resided and made the drawer stick.

A small step toward order, but one less thing to weigh down my brain.

Posted via email from Phillips Ponderings

HAITI--RESOLUTIONS TAKE PRIORITIES INTO ACCOUNT

2010-01-27T21:22:00.001-05:00

Give to Haiti relief for free (paid by sponsors) daily by clicking on various associated sites at The Hunger Site. This will provide for medical supplies,

food, and pet rescue, among other things.

http://www.thehungersite.com/tpc/ERH_012710_THS

Karen H. Phillips, Freelance Writer

kphillipso@aol.com
http://sky-highview.blogspot.com/
http://diagnosisadventuregordontakesoncancer.blogspot.com/

Honorable Mention, Writer's Digest 77th Annual Competition,
Feature Article

Finalist, Legacies Writing Contest, 2008
http://www.carnegieliteracy.org/writers.htm

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Posted via email from Phillips Ponderings

Pray for Our President Before, During, and After the State of the Union Address

2010-01-26T14:10:00.001-05:00

"He will not turn away, when God's people pray." -- from a song by Wayne Watson

Our President will deliver the State of the Union address on Wednesday, January 27.

You can watch live and also pray live, with some suggested guidelines, at this page:

Presidential Prayer Team's State of Union Prayer

Karen H. Phillips, Freelance Writer

kphillipso@aol.com
http://sky-highview.blogspot.com/
http://diagnosisadventuregordontakesoncancer.blogspot.com/

Honorable Mention, Writer's Digest 77th Annual Competition,
Feature Article

Finalist, Legacies Writing Contest, 2008
http://www.carnegieliteracy.org/writers.htm

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Posted via email from Phillips Ponderings

UNWRITTEN BUT ASSUMED RESOLUTIONS

2010-01-26T13:04:00.001-05:00

A lesson I learned well in 2009, when I could have lost both my parents--my dad to pancreatic cancer and my mom to a stroke. But the Lord spared them, and more than ever, I want to make the time count with the ones I love. We all have 24-7 and, despite how we often view the time, we do have choices as how to spend it. I refer you to the wise Jim Croce, who wrote in his song, "Time in a Bottle,"

If I could put time in a bottle, the first thing that I'd like to do, is to save every day till eternity passes away, just to spend them with you...
Cause there never seems to be enough time to do the things we wanna do, once we find them...

What other important things am I putting off in the tyranny of the urgent?

Time with the Lord in the Word and prayer?
Time pursuing the dreams and gifts He's given me?
Time to look around me and enjoy the beauty of His world?
Time to write a note, prepare a meal, drop by to visit someone who needs it?
Time to read a good book or listen to a friend?

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from Phillips Ponderings

Writer’s Digest - 7 Tips to Land The Perfect Title for Your Novel

2010-01-26T00:44:00.001-05:00

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Simple but profound helps to choose the best title for your work.

Posted via web from Phillips Ponderings

Writers Gifts, T-shirts, Stickers and more - CafePress

2010-01-25T19:51:00.003-05:00

via shop.cafepress.com

So much fun stuff here *sigh* and so long till my birthday...

Posted via web from Phillips Ponderings

Fun stuff for writers to buy, use, and flaunt

2010-01-25T19:51:00.001-05:00

http://shop.cafepress.com/writers?page=1

Karen H. Phillips, Freelance Writer

kphillipso@aol.com
http://sky-highview.blogspot.com/
http://diagnosisadventuregordontakesoncancer.blogspot.com/

Honorable Mention, Writer's Digest 77th Annual Competition,
Feature Article

Finalist, Legacies Writing Contest, 2008
http://www.carnegieliteracy.org/writers.htm

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Posted via email from Phillips Ponderings

Another Technological First for Me

2010-01-25T18:20:00.001-05:00

Here I go, posting by Posterous. When it works right, technology is a beautiful thing. I'm getting giddy, just learning how to use this!

Karen H. Phillips, Freelance Writer

kphillipso@aol.com
http://sky-highview.blogspot.com/
http://diagnosisadventuregordontakesoncancer.blogspot.com/

Honorable Mention, Writer's Digest 77th Annual Competition,
Feature Article

Finalist, Legacies Writing Contest, 2008
http://www.carnegieliteracy.org/writers.htm

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Posted via email from karenhphillips's posterous

Resolutions Are Like Gophers; Work on One, and Another Rears Its Ugly Head

2010-01-24T02:09:00.008-05:00

I know. Not so great with the bedtime resolve tonight. But Mark Twain said, "Why not go out on a limb? That's where the fruit is." So, knowing hubby would be back in town tomorrow--today, considering the time--I reworked my resume, wrote a cover email, and applied for a writing opp. You never know.

In the meantime, I haven't let my desk go to seed again. Aren't you proud of me? I also purged the remaining files in the wall slots and started on the ones in the basket at my feet. (See photos.) Don't look for perfection; that's not my aim.

I found a sneaky way to purge and have devotional time simultaneously--reading through old conference notes. No idea why I saved all those. For years. Most of those folks are published (perhaps even in Heaven), so it's not like I'm going to write a book based on the material. But the Lord is reminding me of things I thought I learned well long ago.

REALLY got some unplanned cleaning done when I lost a picture card loaded with otherwise unsaved photos. After prayer and many hours, it turned up. Thank You, Lord! Now it has a home, and I'll try to add a few to my computer each day/week.

Desk Declutter Day 4 (Monday)--File Purge

2010-01-19T10:09:00.005-05:00

In a flash of genius, last night I sat on the sofa and watched "Chuck" with hubby while I sorted out the file folders that hang in wall sorters above my desk. Why not be comfy and sociable while I'm decluttering?

As I sorted, I met these and other questions:

Did I really need the last two plan booklets on our son's health insurance, when we'd gone to a higher deductible to save on premiums?

Why was I saving my daughter's airline ticket from her study abroad program? Not OUR memorabilia.

When would our son again use a CD of the 2006-2007 Student Handbook for his college?

Before decluttering and sorting files, I removed all the paper for printing and separated it into recycled and clean, adding to baskets I'd started on the bottom shelf of my kitchen island. At the end of the evening--even catching enough of "24" to grasp the plot--I had three empty folders and a readily accessible filing area.

Today or tomorrow I'll hit the top section of the wall sorter.

Day 3 Desk Declutter--Not Done, But Well Begun

2010-01-15T11:22:00.002-05:00

Far from decluttered, but I'm getting there. Figured you wouldn't want such proof as an inside shot of the kitchen garbage can.

Benefits thus far:

Sheer relief
I now have a basket--and space for it--to keep my small notebooks, flash drives, grocery receipt for survey, etc.
Found things I thought I'd lost forever
My mind feels physically cleared of dust and cobwebs
I feel motivated to forge ahead, but another day--life calls me

Anyone been working on your own declutter project and have progress, however small, to share?

Day 2 Desk Declutter--Can You Spot Bare Surfaces?

2010-01-14T14:48:00.002-05:00

I zoomed in, because I wanted to focus on what's missing, rather than the clutter still present.

Amazing. My mind already feels clearer. I feel relief, that I've dealt with all the matters piled on either side of my computer.

If this keeps up, I may find the freedom to do some real writing! How is everyone else's desk or other small flaming hot-spot coming?

For serious--but fun--declutter therapy, go to Flylady.net .

Clean-Off-My-Desk Week

2010-01-13T10:30:00.004-05:00

It's already improved from yesterday. Though you can't tell by looking if you didn't see it when.

Okay. So it's pretty bad--so bad I didn't even notice until I REALLY looked at it this morning. This may be more of a one-week project than a one-dayer.

How about before and after pix? I'll post the new one in the next week. (Can't believe I'm allowing you to hold me accountable, much less showing the world my messy desk.)

Progress. Miniscule, But Nonetheless, Progress.

2010-01-11T11:35:00.006-05:00

As I review my written and unwritten resolutions, I see the healthy lifestyle goals didn't get a lot of attention over the weekend. This is when it would be easy to say, "Aw, phooey. Why bother trying at all?" This is the time to say, "Get back up there and ride this bronco."

What can I do do make it easier on myself to eat healthier, eat less, and exercise more?

keep only good stuff in the house
choose salads, grilled chicken and fish, etc., when we go out
set the timer for brief exercise sessions and do one morning and/or afternoon

As for writing, I need more specific targets, perhaps different areas I work on different days of the week. This requires a thought-out plan, but quickly, before I quagmire.

Spiritually, I need to concentrate on praying more specifically for family members and friends. I need to focus on my reading and studying and pray over it, in order to let it soak in and then apply what I learn.

As for decluttering, there's enough there to work on for hours a day, but that's too overwhelming. 10-15 minutes at a time is plenty. Hot spots such as my desk and the kitchen island are improving but still need work.

Progress. No matter how atomically small. That's what resolutions and goals are about.

Takin' Care a Business

2010-01-07T22:23:00.002-05:00

Not a day for concentrating on resolutions. We left town early for my hubby's business meetings. Then I spent a good part of the afternoon and evening on the writers guild newsletter--if you don't count the time I broke for lunch, answered texts from our kids, and visited with hubby during his break.

I consider it God's sense of humor in teaching me patience and persistence in that each week, I face some new issue or challenge and have to learn a new skill or technique to deal with the newsletter. It's teaching me so much, not only about writing, editing, using Constant Contact, and working with people and their submitted material.

But I was writing. I was taking care of priorities. So a productive day, with no regrets.

Now back to the National Championship Game. I'll not get into all the sports metaphors for dogged determination, teamwork, and what-have-you (though I'm a sucker for them). Go Bama! (Steve's a Dawg fan, and I'm a Vol fan. But we love our SEC.)

It Was Procrastination, I Know (to the tune of "Fascination")

2010-01-06T00:23:00.002-05:00

I intended all along to submit the chapbook manuscript for the Poetic Asides blog November Poem-A-Day Poetry Challenge. However, the previous year, I let the joyous busyness of December prevent me from selecting and revising the poems to send. Still, I couldn't find/make the time in 2009 during what turned out to be our "funnest" Christmas season ever.

Last weekend found us packing away the tree and wrapping paraphernalia. That left me with Monday and Tuesday. So I began, determined to hone 30 poems into a chapbook manuscript. Maybe it's not perfect. Maybe it's drivel. But I did it. For the VERY FIRST TIME EV-ER.

This is what resolutions are about. The old saw, "If you aim at nothing, you will surely hit it." Who knew, forty years ago, I would ever have the nerve to even try such a feat? I learned late in life, but at least I learned, that even simplistic tiny goals are better than none.

So did I write today? You bet. Revising is part of the process. And blogging counts, too.

Did I spend time with the Lord today? Yes, about what my goal was.

Did I eat perfectly? Nope. But I did cook a healthy dinner and kept my portions down.

And I discovered the Stage and Screen Channel on the kitchen TV. The cats are absolutely bumfuzzled when I dance around the island waving their feathery toy like Auntie Mame's stole or Ariel's treasures. Hey, it counts as exercise.

I haven't completely put off the things I should do! Some success = success.

Baby Steps on a Cold Winter's Day

2010-01-04T16:05:00.005-05:00

It didn't snow today, but it's not getting past twenty-something, so a frosty pic seemed appropro. For the South, this is hibernating weather. What does that have to do with resolutions and keeping them?

It would be easy to vegetate near our new radiant heater and play on the computer. I could polish off the Christmas cookies or make a big dent in the dark chocolate I received as gifts. And I admit, I didn't blog yesterday, we ate unhealthy holiday food for dinner, and I slept in this morning.

However, making changes in my life is not about punishing myself when I don't strictly stick to my goals. It's about baby steps. Making one little change at a time.

One thing I like about today is going through some memorabilia my hubby found during our Saturday purge. I started a box (leftover from gifts) for each of the kids and told our son he might try sifting through and picking out one to three items he treasures most. Then when we come to another container of oldies but goodies, he can do the same with that. I read somewhere long ago to keep only one receptacle for memories. Then sort it each year, saving only a few items and discarding the rest. You keep the most meaningful objects and don't take up valuable real estate in your home. And it's easy to find and get out from time to time and remember what's important to you.

Samples of what we found: a letter, full of funny misspellings. our daughter wrote in second grade to our son; our son's drawings based on the movie, The Mask; tickets to Knott's Berry Farm and postcards of Hollywood.

This reminds me we need to get a scanner so we can lose the numerous boxes of photos that I will never get into scrapbooks. If I put these on CDs or DVDs, think what space we'll gain. I can do it one picture, one box at a time.

Do you have a place to store a few special memories?

Declutter Day (and a How-to Link)

2010-01-02T21:16:00.005-05:00

Take No Prisoners

As hubby and I put away the Christmas wrapping paper, ribbons, and bags, we found areas we badly needed to declutter. I'm pretty sure all the boxes, trash bags, and two garbage bins will NOT make it out in one stop from our garbage service. However, here's what we accomplished:

Organized and at least partially cleaned out the cabinet in the garage hallway and the passage itself, so we can get to the contents easily, some for Christmas wrapping, some for the fans we use to keep the house cooler in summer, others framed photos from my late mother-in-law and from hubby's former office (current one wouldn't accommodate many).
Got rid of contents of several work and Key Club boxes and threw out some empties we didn't know were taking up valuable real estate
Cleared a better pathway to get the rest of the wrap paraphernalia to the main part of the garage.
Cleaned out hubby's office area (he did this, with a few consultations on what to purge)
Lost some of the ancient extension cords glutting the tiny pantry in our kitchen and a hopelessly long ethernet cable (not to mention several adapter cords for who-knows-what electronic gizmos)
Brought the bins back into the house to undecorate--WITHOUT the cats' help--the tree Sunday afternoon
Bagged giveaway items for Goodwill and listed them by category
Dragged up most of the offal to the curb for Monday pickup

The best part of starting this at year's beginning? We're inspired to do even more.

What have you decluttered so far in 2010?

How to Declutter

A Fresh Page

2010-01-01T14:24:00.004-05:00

Don't you love a clean piece of paper or reading the first page of a compelling book? I breathe the fresh air today of the first day of 2010, just as clean, every bit as original and inspiring.

I reread my list of resolutions, knowing as I pull the last of the sugar cookies from the last batch of dough out of the oven, the healthy eating won't begin until the weekend ends and we have eaten or tossed the last of the holiday food. But my mind mulls the possibilities of Monday morning, when all the bad stuff hopefully cruises down the street in the garbage truck, and I pull an apple from the refrigerator bin and climb on the elliptical trainer first thing.

New routines. Instead of jumping into email and Facebook, I exercise and pray and read Scripture. No email till I've done those things, plus a healthy breakfast and my beginning 10 minutes of writing.

See, I'm picturing the changes that will begin and snowball and make me better, happier, healthier, and more productive. Changes that will affect not only my life, but the lives of others.

Ready to turn to the first page with me? I've already done my 10 minutes of writing!

Resolution, Revolution

2009-12-31T23:43:00.002-05:00

I'm going to hold myself accountable in 2010 by blogging about my resolutions. No need to be legalistic, but here's what I'd like to do:

Healthy lifestyle--start by 1) eating less--back to measuring portions and calories

2) eating nutritiously--get the junk out of the house and change one bad habit at a time

3) exercise 10-15 minutes daily--elliptical trainer, walk, dance with the cats, whatever!

Writing: Either 1) write 10 minutes a day

2) write 100 words a day

Spiritual: Spend 10-15 minutes daily reading the Word and praying

Household: Spend 10-15 minutes daily decluttering

Lord, give me the strength. Friends, hold me to it!

The Book of Your Heart by Virginia Smith

2009-12-16T23:03:00.001-05:00

Viriginia Smith's January 2010 release of Third Times a Charm, is the sought after conclusion of her Sister to Sister series.

Putting up the Christmas tree at my house is a very special event. I relish the ritual of hanging the ornaments I’ve collected over the years. Each one holds a memory. The shiny silver bell engraved with our wedding date. The brightly painted teddy bear with the year of my daughter’s birth painted on his hat. The skiing Santa I bought on our first ski trip. As I lift each treasure carefully out of the box where it has lain hidden from view all year, a precious memory emerges from deep within my heart and finds a place on my tree.

I imagine stories are like those ornaments, each one a treasure nestled within the heart of a writer, waiting to be brought out and displayed. Perhaps that’s how we first recognize that we are writers: fictitious people walk and talk and breathe within us, and we burn with the desire to show them to others. A story unfolds with startling clarity in our minds, and we know—just know—that we won’t have a moment’s peace until we’ve set it down on paper and shared it.

That burning desire is exactly what enables us to tell a story that stirs the imaginations of others. It is our passion for the story and the characters that causes us to spend hours striving for the precise word or the perfect phrase to relay the vivid images in our heads. For some, the stories conceived in our hearts burst from us full-grown; others hold a story inside, nurturing it in the deep places until it ripens into the thing of beauty we’ve envisioned.

Many years ago, a story bloomed in my heart. It was full of adventure and love, and infused with hope—truly, a thing of beauty. I wrote the first draft feverishly, the words pouring onto the page as the plot unfolded in my mind. The characters were so real, their struggles painful and vivid. I studied the craft, intent on telling my tale with artistry. With each new skill I learned, I revised and polished until the story sparkled. If ever a story was born from the heart, it was that one.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find an editor who shared my passion. Whether due to my lack of skill or the uncertainties of the market for that genre, the story of my heart was rejected over and over. I mourned. I raged. I cried out to God, “Why did You give me this story if You don’t intend me to tell it?” After my rage died, I revised and polished the manuscript again. Finally, when there was not a single word that hadn’t been scrubbed until it shone, I gave up. After all, if there was no place for the story of my heart in the publishing world, maybe there was no place for me there either.

That’s when I heard God’s whisper: Do you think I have only one story to give?

A few days later, a character waltzed into my mind and began telling me about her life. She became real to me, as real as the characters in my first story. I discovered that there was room in my heart for her, too. In fact, this new tale took on a glimmer and shine all its own. I employed the skills I’d honed on my first, and eventually, God placed a published book in my hands.

And then He said: I have more stories to give you.

Can you imagine anything sadder than a Christmas tree with only a single ornament? Or a life with only a single precious memory? Or a heart with only a single story?

I am convinced that good stories are born in the heart of God, a heart immense and overflowing with creativity. He carefully selects an author for each one and bestows a precious gift – straight from His heart to ours. We write it and polish it and, when the story has become as beautiful as we can make it, we must hang it on the tree and reach into the box for another treasure.

AUTHOR BIO:

Virginia Smith is the author of a dozen Christian novels including Stuck in the Middle, a finalist for the 2009 ACFW Book of the Year award, and A Taste of Murder, a finalist for the 2009 Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. Her newest,Third Time’s a Charm, the third and final book in her Sister-to-Sister Series, will hit bookstore shelves in January. Learn more about Ginny and her books atwww.VirginiaSmith.org.

Check Out Ginny's Big Prize Bonanza Giveaway, Going On Now!

http://www.virginiasmith.org/readerfun.html

Kay Marshall Strom on Cooking and Walking

2009-12-01T19:15:00.013-05:00

LEMON CHICKEN SOUP -- SENEGAL, WEST AFRICA

from author Kay Marshall Strom

This warm mellow soup from Senegal, West Africa can easily incorporate any extra turkey you have on hand. Just substitute it for the chicken.

You will need:

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon curry powder

2 teaspoons flour

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup diced chicken or turkey

1 cup yogurt

juice of 1/2 fresh lemon

fresh chives, washed and snipped

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the curry powder and flour and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Gradually blend in the chicken broth and bring to a boil, continuing to stir. Add diced chicken or turkey.

Remove the kettle from the heat and cool the soup slightly. Gradually stir in the yogurt, a small amount at a time. Squeeze the juice from the lemon half and add the juice to the soup.

Garnish each bowl of soup with a dash of fresh chives.

******************************************************************

The Women at the Well
Kay Marshall Strom

In Senegal, West Africa, I sat beside the community well, because that’s where the village women gathered. Out of the dusty wasteland they came, from every direction, their babies tied to their backs and their water containers balanced on their heads. They were glad to rest beside the well, for they had to walk many miles to get there. The average woman in the world, we are told, walks seven miles a day in her quest for water. When you factor in those of us who only walk to the kitchen to turn on the faucet, you can see that some must trek much farther than seven miles!

At the well, the women have a chance to catch up with the goings-on in neighboring villages, to air their complaints with one another, and to share their own news. And so I sat by the well with Obei and Helene, two Christian women in a country 98 percent Muslim, and waited to meet the women as they came for water.

And come they did.

A young woman came, sobbing over her baby son who was burning with fever. We prayed together in Jesus’ name that her baby would be healed.

A girl came and whispered her wish to learn to read, but said she could not because the walk to the well and back took her all day. Obei offered to teach her a little every day when she came for water. She started with: “For God so loved the world….”

A woman came with terror in her eyes and confided that her daughter must surely be a witch. Helene prayed for the girl, but also for the mother. “Do not believe what others tell you,” she warned the distraught mother. “Believe in the power of God.”

And Songa came. Obei and Helene had prayed with her before in Jesus’ name, and Songa had seen a miracle as her seriously ill son was healed. Now she too, was a follower of Christ. “My husband ordered me to renounce Jesus,” Songa told us. “When I would not, he threw me out of the house, but he kept my children. Please, please… pray for my little ones. Pray that they too will know the God of mercy and love.”

This holiday season, I am thankful for the women at the well in Senegal—all three of them, for Songa has joined the other two. I’m thankful for the lives they are touching in the name of Jesus. Most of all, I am thankful for the Living Water that flows freely for every one of us.

*************************************************************

Author Kay Marshall Strom has two great loves: writing and helping others achieve their own writing potential. Kay has written thirty-six published books, numerous magazine articles, and two screenplays. While mostly a nonfiction writer, the first book of her historical novel trilogy Grace in Africa has met with acclaim.

Kay speaks at seminars, retreats, writers’ conferences, and special events throughout the country and around the world. She is in wide demand as an instructor and keynote speaker at major writing conferences. She also enjoys speaking aboard cruise ships in exchange for exotic cruise destinations. Learn more about Kay at her website.

A Slow Burn

2009-10-06T17:32:00.004-04:00

I didn't find complete resolution in the pages. I didn't find the happy ending I longed for. But I found Emory's end of herself--with the hope that her life after Daisy and other losses can resurrect into something meaningful and beautiful.

Emory Chance is a broken, bitter, disappointed woman. Her only escape from her miserable childhood has been drugs. Now that Daisy, her innocent daughter, has been murdered, Emory is left with the guilt of being an inadequate mother.

She fears she is doomed

to live her life in regret, shadowed by the same failures her mother thrust on her.

A man more like Jesus than anyone she's ever known, Hixon accepts her and woos her without condition of her returning his attentions. Ouisie Pepper continues to be her friend, even when Emory's terrible secret regarding the Peppers is uncovered. Emory's greatest problem is that she can't receive the acceptance and forgiveness she's offered. Too late, she comprehends the best offer she ever got. And the mercy and peace surrounding her newest loss brings Emory her first glimmer of hope.

--Karen H. Phillips

The Mutual Sacrifice

In recent months, my father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and underwent major surgery. After he'd recuperated enough to undergo chemotherapy, my mother began the arduous process of cooking from scratch the healthiest foods she could find and accompanying him to every doctor's appointment and every chemo treatment. She put aside her own needs to make sure every need of his was met.

Often, the physical and emotional stress made my dad irritable. Mom took this in stride, only once showing some anger in return. His attitude and behavior hurt her feelings, but she continued to do all she did out of love.

A few weeks after my dad had finished his chemotherapy, my mom suffered a major stroke. Suddenly my dad was the caregiver. As Mom recovered, he didn't always exhibited a noble attitude about this role, but he did faithfully execute tasks he knows little about--grocery shopping, caring for their dog, banking, running errands. He has been especially fastidious about questioning her doctors and following up on all her medication dosages, daily counting out her supplements and prescriptions meds.

I know their unselfish care of each other is one of the major factors today in my parents' recovered health.

writing page

Links for A Slow Burn and Mary E. DeMuth:

A Slow Burn on Amazon

Mary DeMuth’s Website

Mary DeMuth’s Blog

A Slow Burn Book Trailer

Mary DeMuth’s Facebook Profile

Follow Mary DeMuth on Twitter

List of all participating bloggers

The A Slow Burn Flickr Group

Cecil Murphey's WHEN GOD TURNS OFF THE LIGHTS

2009-10-01T09:59:00.004-04:00

What to Do When the Lights Go Out

by Cec Murphey

If you sincerely desire to follow Jesus Christ, life won't always be easy. Many times the Bible promises victory, and you may need to remind yourself that there can be no victory without struggling and overcoming obstacles.

In my book, I used the image of God turning out the lights because that was how I perceived the situation. I felt as if I walked in darkness for 18 months. We all interact differently with God, and my experience won't be the same as yours. Even so, most serious Christians have times when God seems to turn away or stops listening. And we feel alone.

Perhaps it's like the time the Israelites cried out to God for many years because of the Egyptian oppression. "God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant promise...and knew it was time to act" (Exodus 2:24 NLT). God hadn't forgotten, of course, but from their perspective, that's how it must have seemed. It may seem like that to you if you're going through your own form of darkness.

Here are a few suggestions to help you:

1. Ask God this simple question: "Have I knocked out the lights by my failures? Have I sinned against you? After you ask the question, listen. Give God the opportunity to speak to you.

2. Don't see this as divine punishment (unless God shows you it is), but consider the silence an act of divine love to move you forward. This is God's method to teach you and stretch you.

3. Avoid asking why. You don't need reasons and explanations--and you probably won't get them anyway. Instead, remind yourself that this temporary darkness is to prepare you for greater light.

4. Say as little as possible to your friends. Most friends will want to "fix" you or heal you and they can't. They may offer advice (often not helpful) or make you feel worse ("Are you sure everything is right between you and God?").

5. Stay with the "means of grace." That is, don't neglect worship with other believers even if you feel empty. Read your Bible even if you can't find anything meaningful.

I chose to read Lamentations and Psalms (several times, especially Lamentations) because they expressed some of the pain and despair I felt.

6. If you don't have a daily prayer time, start one. Perhaps something as short as three minutes--and do it daily. Talk honestly to God. It's all right to get angry. (Read the Psalms if you're hesitant.)

7. Remind yourself, "I am in God's hands. This is where I belong and I'll stay in the blackout until I'm ready to move forward."

8. Pray these words daily: "But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults" (Psalm 19:12 TNIV). Some versions say "secret sins." These are failures and sins of which you may not yet be aware. One of the purposes of your darkness may be to bring those hidden problems to light.

9. Ask God, "What do you want me to learn from this experience?" You may not get an answer, but it's still a good question. Continue to ask--even after the lights go back on again. If you're open, you will learn more about yourself and also about God.

10. As you receive "light" about yourself while walking in darkness, remind yourself, God has always known and still loves me.

Mixed Bag of Feelings

2009-09-08T10:18:00.002-04:00

Over the Labor Day weekend we helped our daughter move to another city, to her first apartment and career job. We were proud, happy for her, and a bit sad for us.

Emily, thanks for the memories of your growing-up years and all the ones we expect to make with you in the future.

Memories:

Emily goes to the door of each neighbor's house selling candy for elementary school. Her broad smile and friendly chatter make it impossible to refuse her.
She hesitates to sign up for the swim team at age seven, though she took to the water at two and a half. Seven years later, as she ends her swimming career to take up high school volleyball, basketball, and tennis, she has a box full of ribbons and medals from local, regional, and state meets. She's still in touch with some of her former teammates.
Around kindergarten or first grade, our little runaway packs a suitcase and flees to the neighbors who are grandparental to her. She's home by dinnertime.
In fifth grade she wins the Good Citizen Award, because the teacher alone noticed how she befriended a child whom no one else would.
In middle school, she cries and grieves, as we do, over the loss of her friend Hannah.
On road trips, battles ensue between Emily and her brother, but the sweet moments in between make it all worthwhile. They get along well these days.
Freshman year of college is nightmarish, at best. We feel like ogres driving away from the dorm. I purposely save my tears for later. Emily begrudgingly returns her sophomore year, engaging in campus life and embracing every worthwhile activity she can squeeze in. She graduates with an early childhood education degree.
After a summer of prayer, interviews, and agonizing, a job offer presents itself. Everything happens fast, from the Monday interview, the Thursday job offer and acceptance, the Friday-Saturday apartment hunt, the following Friday lease-signing, to the Sunday afternoon move.

Hopeful Future Memories:

More fun vacations together
Wedding
First house
Grandchildren
More mother and daughter time

Thank You, Lord, for blessing us with Emily. Now go with her, as You have everywhere else, as she teaches these children You've entrusted to her care and as she learns to live on her own. Teach her to follow You as her students will follow her. We commit her to you, in Jesus's name.

Amen

EUNA LEE AND LAURA LING ARE FREE: BUT WHAT ABOUT NORTH KOREANS WHO ARE NOT?

2009-08-05T12:04:00.004-04:00

As I witnessed Euna Lee and Laura Ling's tearful reunions with their families today, I couldn't help but think of those left behind--the North Koreans who are persecuted, imprisoned, tortured, and executed for their political and religious beliefs and actions. Lee and Ling and their families are a mini-portrait of the heartbreak that occurs daily in countries where freedoms, including religious freedom, are restricted by the government.

North Korea remains Number 1 on Open Doors' World Watch List for countries where religious persecution threatens the native peoples. Open Doors seeks to aid Christian believers in countries where they are severely oppressed for their beliefs. Here is the page on their website where

http://www.opendoorsusa.org/content/view/961 .

Voice of the Martyrs, another organization dedicated to serving persecuted Christians, also lists North Korea among many nations where worship of God is restricted or even forbidden.

http://www.persecution.com/public/restrictednations.aspx?clickfrom=bWFpbl9tZW51

Browse these websites and learn about the countries where people are suffering, sacrificing, and even dying for what they believe.

It's not enough that we feel sympathy toward these people--we need to pray, to educate ourselves about what's happening in North Korea and other restrictive nations, and to pepper our legislators and other influential people with emails and phone calls to seek relief for the suffering on the basis of their human rights.

What can I do about this today?

Cecil Murphey's WHEN SOMEONE YOU LOVE HAS CANCER

2009-07-28T12:17:00.006-04:00

Cecil Murphey is many things to many people--Bible teacher, counselor, ghost-writer, author, mentor, friend. Now he shares from a deeply personal

experience to help others walking the same valley he's walked--cancer of a loved one.

When Someone You Love Has Cancer
Author: Cecil Murphey
Harvest House Publishers
ISBN: 978-0-7369-2428-3

Retail: $10.99

(Enter a drawing to win this book by leaving a comment--see sidebar of blog for details)
A Word from The Man Behind the Words

When Shirley walked in from the garage, she didn't have to say a word: I read the diagnosis in her eyes. I grabbed her and held her tightly for several seconds. When I released her, she didn't cry. The unshed tears glistened, but that was all.

I felt emotionally paralyzed and helpless, and I couldn't understand my reaction. After all, I was a professional. As a former pastor and volunteer hospital chaplain I had been around many cancer patients. I'd seen people at their lowest and most vulnerable. As a writing instructor, I helped one woman write her cancer-survival book. Shirley and I had been caregivers for Shirley's older sister for months before she died of colon cancer.

All of that happened before cancer became personal to me--before my wife learned she needed a mastectomy. To make it worse, Shirley was in the high-risk category because most of her blood relatives had died of some form of cancer. Years earlier, she had jokingly said, "In our family we grow things."

In the days after the diagnosis and before her surgery, I went to a local bookstore and to the public library. I found dozens of accounts, usually by women, about their battle and survival. I pushed aside the novels that ended in a person's death. A few books contained medical or technical information. I searched on-line and garnered useful information--but I found nothing that spoke to me on how to cope with the possible loss of the person I loved most in this world.

Our story ends happily: Shirley has started her tenth year as a cancer survivor. Not only am I grateful, but I remember my pain and confusion during those days. That concerns me enough to reach out to others who also feel helpless as they watch a loved one face the serious diagnosis of cancer.

That's why I wrote When Someone You Love Has Cancer. I want to encourage relatives and friends and also to offer practical suggestions as they stay at the side of those they love.

The appendix offers specific things for them to do and not to do--and much of that information came about because of the way people reacted around us.

It's a terrible situation for anyone to have cancer; it's a heavy burden for us who deeply love those with cancer.

by Cecil Murphey

**************************************************************************************************************************************************

About the Book:

The World Health Organization reported that by the year 2010 cancer will be the number one killer worldwide. More than 12.4 million people in the world suffer from cancer. 7.6 million people are expected to die from some form of cancer. That's a lot of people, but the number of loved ones of cancer sufferers is far greater. What do they do when a special person in their life is diagnosed with this devastating disease?

Murphey brings his experiences as a loved one and many years of wisdom gained from being a pastor and hospital chaplain to his newest book When Someone You Love Has Cancer: Comfort and Encouragement for Caregivers and Loved Ones (Harvest House Publishers). His honest I've-been-there admissions and practical helps are combined with artist Michal Sparks' soothing watercolor paintings.

Readers of When Someone You Love Has Cancer will receive:

Inspiration to seek peace and understanding in their loved one's situation
Help in learning the importance of active listening
Guidance in exploring their own feelings of confusion and unrest
Suggestions on how to handle anxiety and apprehension
Honest answers to questions dealing with emotions, exhaustion, and helplessness
Spirit-lifting thoughts for celebrating the gift of life in the midst of troubles

Murphey explains why this is a much-needed book: "Most books about cancer address survivors. I want to speak to the mates, families, and friends who love those with cancer. I offer a number of simple, practical things people can do for those with cancer."

Interview Questions

1. The first sentence of your book reads, "I felt helpless." Tell us about that feeling.

Because her doctor put Shirley into the high-risk category, I felt helpless. To me, helpless means hating the situation, wanting to make it better, but admitting there was nothing I could do for her.

2. On that same page you also write, "One thing welearned: God was with us and strengthened us through the many weeks of uncertainty and pain." How did you get from feeling helpless to that assurance?

Shirley and I sat down one day and I put my arm around her. "The only way I know how I can handle this," I said, "is to talk about it." Shirley knows that's my way of working through puzzling issues. "Let's consider every possibility." If her surgeon decided she did not have breast cancer, how would we react? We talked of our reaction if he said, "There is a tumor and it's obviously benign. Finally, I was able to say, with tears in my eyes, "How do we react if he says the cancer is advanced and you have only a short time to live?" By the time we talked answered that question, I was crying. Shirley had tears in her eyes, but remained quite calm. "I'm ready to go whenever God wants to take me," she said. She is too honest not to have meant those words. As I searched her face, I saw calmness and peace. I held her tightly and we prayed together. After that I felt calm. Since then, one of the first things I do when I awaken is to thank God that Shirley and I have at least one more day together.

3. When most people hear the word cancer applied to someone they love, they have strong emotional reactions. What are some of them? What was your reaction when your wife was diagnosed with breast cancer?

As a pastor, a volunteer chaplain, and a friend I've encountered virtually every emotional reaction. Some refuse to accept what they hear. Some go inward and are unable to talk. Others start making telephone calls to talk to friends.

Me? I went numb, absolutely numb. That was my old way of dealing with overwhelming emotions. I heard everything but I couldn't feel anything. It took me almost two weeks before I was able to feel--and to face the possibility that the person I loved most in the world might die.

4. "What can I do for my loved one with cancer?" That's a good question for us to ask ourselves. How can we be supportive and helpful?

Many think they need to do big things; they don't. Express your concern and your love.

Be available to talk when the other person needs it--and be even more willing to be silent if your loved one doesn't want to talk. Don't ask what you can do; do what you see needs doing. To express loving support in your own way (and we all express love differently) is the best gift you can offer.

5. Why do you urge people not to say, "I know exactly how you feel"?

No one knows how you feel. They may remember how they felt at a certain time. Even if they did know, what help is that to the person with cancer? It's like saying, "Stop feeling sorry for yourself. I know what it's like and I'm fine now."

Instead, focus on how the loved one feels. Let him or her tell you.

6. Those with cancer suffer physically and spiritually. You mention God's silence as a form of spiritual suffering. They pray and don't seem to sense God. What can you do to help them?

God is sometimes silent but that doesn't mean God is absent. In my upcoming book, When God Turns off the Lights, I tell what it was like for me when God stopped communicating for about 18 months.

I didn't like it and I was angry. I didn't doubt God's existence, but I didn't understand the silence. I read Psalms and Lamentations in various translations. I prayed and I did everything I could, but nothing changed.

After a couple of months, I realized that I needed to accept the situation and wait for God to turn on the lights again. Each day I quoted Psalm 13:1: "O Lord,how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way?" (NLT)

I learned many invaluable lessons about myself--and I could have learned them only in the darkness. When God turns off the lights (and the sounds) I finally realized that instead of God being angry, it was God's loving way to draw me closer.

7. Guilt troubles many friends and loved ones of caregivers because they feel they failed or didn't do enough. What can you say to help them?

We probably fail our loved ones in some ways. No one is perfect. If you feel that kind of guilt, I suggest 3 things:

(1) Tell the loved one and ask forgiveness.

(2) Talk to God and ask God to forgive you and give you strength not to repeat your failures.

(3) Forgive yourself. And one way to do that is to say, "At the time, I thought I did the right thing. I was wrong and I forgive myself."

8. Do you have some final words of wisdom for those giving care to a loved one with cancer?

Be available. You can't take away the cancer but you can alleviate the sense of aloneness. Don't ever try to explain the reason the person has cancer. We don't know the reason and even if we did, would it really help the other person?

Be careful about what you say. Too often visitors and friends speak from their own discomfort and forget about the pain of the one with cancer. Don't tell them about your cancer or other disease; don't tell them horror stories about others. Above all, don't give them false words of comfort. Be natural. Be yourself. Behave as loving as you can.

About the Author:

Cecil Murphey is an international speaker and bestselling author who has written more than 100 books, including the New York Times bestseller 90 Minutes in Heaven (with Don Piper). No stranger himself to loss and grieving, Cecil has served as a pastor and hospital chaplain for many years, and through his ministry and books he has brought hope and encouragement to countless people around the world. For more information, visit http://www.themanbehindthewords.com/.

Something Extra!

Cec designed the appendix to be the most practical part of the book. He's witnessed too many situations where genuinely caring people had no idea what to do, so he has tried to givea few general guidelines.

1. Before you offer help. Learn about the disease before you visit. Determine to accept their feelings, no matter how negative. Pray for your loved one before you visit. Don't throw religious slogans at them, such as, "This is God's will" or "God knew you were strong enough to handle this."

2. What you can do now. As the first question, don't ask, "How are you?" Instead, ask, "Do you feel like talking." Don't offer advice. Be willing to sit in silence. If you need to cry, do so. Be natural. If appropriate, hug your loved one. Human touch is powerful.

3. Long-term caregiving. The overarching principle is to let the seriousness of the disease determine the amount of time and commitment you offer. This can be a time for you to help them spiritually. Think about tangible things you can do that say you care. Plan celebrations for every anniversary of being cancer free.

Ask them reflective questions such as:

What have you discovered about yourself through this experience?
What have you learned about relationships?
How has your faith in God changed?

Celebrating Dads and Grandads

2009-06-20T18:50:00.005-04:00

The one and only real dad of mine recently completed chemotherapy treatments for pancreatic cancer. At 80, he's a trooper--still working part-time and constantly on the quest for something to eat. He's probably the one I inherited my sense of adventure from, and he's still vitally interested in all the ongoings in the world, be it news, financial, cultural, or culinary (NOT that he cooks, my mom's area of expertise). He cultivated my thirst for travel by planning the most extraordinary sightseeing vacations for our family. His faith in the Lord has not wavered as he's faced the diagnosis of his cancer, the difficult surgery and recovery, and the grueling routine of chemo. I am probably my dad's second greatest admirer, the first being my mom (even when he exhibits curmudgeonly behavior, which happens more often than he'd like to admit).

My grandfathers were great dads in their own ways. Dad's dad served as county court clerk, inspiring and encouraging my dad to work hard and fulfill his dream of becoming a doctor. "Pop" worried about me reading too much, afraid it would warp me.

Mom's dad was a gentle man, very handy and most attentive to my grandmother, my mom (an only child), and my brother and me. "Grangie" was always creating new ways for us to play, learn, and enjoy ourselves at his home, such as hanging the amazing "Tarzan" rope swing in their gigantic willow tree, pointing out the crawdads in their holes in the wet side yard, and driving us to the airport simply to watch planes land and take off.

My great-grandad, Papa, (Mom's grandad) who lived with "Ma and Grangie," brought my brother and me surprises from Woolworth's 5 and 10 when we spent the night on Fridays. He served as a local mail carrier for years. I remember clearly the ride he gave us in the back of his musty truck with a wooden tailgate and heavy canvas flap. After he retired, Papa took the bus downtown frequently to visit various businesses where he knew everyone and loved to talk politics with them.

I met David Phillips while dating his son, Steve. From the time Steve and I became engaged, David and Steve's mom accepted me as their daughter. He made everyone feel welcome, shooing them into the house with a grin and the words, "Get in this house." A handy fellow, he repaired lawn mowers as a hobby and built bookshelves into the wall in our son's room--still standing--as well as various toys for our kids, even a sandbox and a wooden structure with a ladder, monkey bars, and a slide. His pleasant disposition made David one of the easiest people to be around I've ever known, and that part of him definitely rubbed off on his son.

A young woman named Cherie came into our life through Key Club, the high school service organization for which my husband volunteers. At a transitional time in her life, she lived with us and became like a daughter to Steve and me and like a big sister to our young children. The man she married, Tim, ironically shares our last name. We know he's a great dad by the unspoiled and unselfish behavior of their four children, who adore him and follow in his footsteps as he follows Jesus.

No matter how mad they might get at their parents at times, our kids know they have the best of all possible dads. Steve is the voice of reason and the sense of humor in our home. He points out the pros, cons, and possible consequences of every important choice, maintaining an even temper no matter how he may feel about the situation. The kids still indulge him by laughing at--and shaking their heads over-- his corny old jokes. He's the Sunday School teacher example, but with a mischievous streak--for example, the time we sought a lost tooth for a visiting child in our pool area and he couldn't resist the sight of my kneeling figure to push me in with a splash. I see the respect Eric and Emily hold for him, yet no one can make them burst into such irreverent laughter. I praise God for giving me Steve to be the father of our children.

Thank you, Lord, for the dads in my life, the ones I've mentioned and the others too numerous to name, for the positive influence in making me the woman I am today. Guys, I couldn't have done it without you!

GET INSPIRED

2009-04-15T13:23:00.003-04:00

Sometimes we writers need a kick-in-the-pants inspiration, and I can't think of any better than art.

Here's a site where artists using various media post weekly on various themes. You could view their works as writing prompts for a freewriting exercise. Or perhaps you might search for something to fill in a gap regarding a character, an emotion, a setting, or even a plot twist. Or just let the visual richness work on your creativity while you take a break from writing and let the writer's block flow out of you.

http://www.illustrationfriday.com/

Moody Radio's Midday Connection celebrates Arts Week through Friday. Check out the archived broadcasts from Monday through Wednesday on everything from scrapbooking/memory-journaling to poetry, as well as helpful links regarding these topics. The poetry lesson today made me feel--heavenly--as if I were back in my English lit major classes!

http://middayconnection.org

Let the creative juices flow!

The Truth about the Lie and the Book Drawing Winner

2009-03-17T23:23:00.005-04:00

Which one is the lie about me? (Scroll down to find out who won the book drawing.)

1) Every year, I spend a long weekend with several hundred high school students.
Just got home from the Kentucky-Tennessee District Key Club Convention, where hubby and I enjoyed around 430 enthusiastic high school students. (See my Facebook album if you don't believe me.)

2) I have two cats named Siegfreid and Roy.
Nope. Cyrano and Roxanne. Cute and rascally.

3) Our son Eric once played a featured role in a Lifetime movie, The Price of a Broken Heart.
He was in 7th grade, and I got to hang out on the set with him in the Atlanta area, along with Laura Innes (E.R.), Brett Rice (Water Boy), Parker Ingall (Empty Nest), and Timothy Carhart (Ghostbusters & Motocrossed). Eric still has a notebook with the autographed script and photos with the cast.

The winner of my Daisy Chain Blog Tour book drawing is...Ta-da--Joyce Teal! Send me a Facebook message with your mailing address, and I'll get that out to you.

Daisy Chain Secrets: Two Truths & One Lie

2009-03-11T18:07:00.003-04:00

Which one is the lie about me?

1) Every year, I spend a long weekend with several hundred high school students.

2) I have two cats named Siegfreid and Roy.

3) My son once played a featured role in a Lifetime movie.

Hazard a guess below in the Comments. The truth will out on Monday, March 16!

Win Mary DeMuth's Daisy Chain: Book One, Defiance Texas Trilogy

2009-03-08T22:19:00.022-04:00

Memorable characters reminiscent of those in To Kill a Mockingbird populate a sleepy Texas town. Defiance doesn't seem like the place for secrets. But it is. Fourteen year old Jed has his secrets. His best friend Daisy has hers. Slowly the secrets surface--of Hixon, the man called a prophet, Bald Muriel, Jed's father Hap, and Jed's sensitive but withdrawn mother, of Daisy's mother, Miss Emory.

As Jed struggles with the disappearance of Daisy, he also wrestles with what happens in his supposedly ideal family, whose true life lies hidden from the eyes of the community. Can a God Who's supposed to be all-powerful and all-knowing really answer his prayers? Can he ever become strong enough to stand up for himself and for others who are vulnerable? And where is Daisy, his confidante?

To win this book, leave a comment on this post between March 9 and 16.

To learn more about Daisy Chain and Mary DeMuth:

Daisy Chain (Amazon)

Mary DeMuth’s Website

Mary DeMuth’s Blog

Mary DeMuth’s Facebook Profile

Follow Mary DeMuth on Twitter

List of all participating bloggers (Direct links to blogs)

The Digital Dirt Road

2009-03-04T13:05:00.005-05:00

Five Days on the Digital Dirt Road

A reporter spent five days in North Carolina -- "a textile-industry hub that has been hit hard by the economic downturn -- documenting the challenges facing rural communities without high-speed access. Right now, more than 14.3 million rural homes across the country -- 61 percent -- are not connected to high-speed Internet. "

I had no idea this was a problem for so many people in a "civilized" country. For writers like Brook Townes and me, lack of high-speed internet puts us and our calling back into the last century. Let me know what you think of the people and circumstances described in these video reports.

This report will be showcased at the InternetforEveryone.org town hall meeting on the future of the Internet in Durham, N.C., on March 7.

Peppermint Hot Cocoa and Warm Friends on a Rainy Night

2008-12-17T19:44:00.002-05:00

Does that sound cozy? Well, it was. Our Christian Market Writers group met last night at Starbucks, which seemed fitting during Christmas season. Five of us gathered in a corner in cushy armchairs and sipped our tea or cocoa or latte as we listened to one another's writing. We interjected suggestions and ahhed over the especially good stuff. Our fearless leader had even brought Christmas quizzes and sweet-treat prizes to end the evening.

Every time I remember to thank God for bringing me back to writing, I am most grateful for my Christian writer friends. They have so warmed my insides, that when I'm with them, the rainiest, darkest night can't dampen my spirits.

GIVE JOY WITH HANDS OF HOPE

2008-12-05T20:09:00.008-05:00

Give the gift of life this Christmas.

Hands of Hope, a charity of Women Helping Women A World Away, is announcing that their Holiday Gift Cards are available for purchase. These cards provide food, income and water for impoverished women and children in Zambia, Uganda, and Southern Sudan. They can be purchased on the Hands of Hope website http://www.handsofhopeonline.org/ for $15.00, $30.00 and $50.00. Purchasing these cards will provide goats, chickens or wells to help change lives. What could be a more meaningful gift for holiday giving for family, friends, and customer appreciation?

Hands of Hope helps mobilize communities to respond to the needs of women and children
around the world. With an ever-expanding support base in the Chicago area, Hands of Hope
works to raise community awareness regarding poverty and HIV/AIDS in Africa and its relevance globally. We are confident in the integrity of the channels we have established so that
contributions provide the highest possible impact for the most critical needs.

A Chicken Card will purchase a gift of twelve chicks and be given to an impoverished family in
Africa. As the flock multiplies, a struggling family will be given the hope to survive. Your gift will
help those in need for generations to come.

A Goat Card represents an actual goat being purchased for a needy family. Beyond providing
much needed milk, a few goats can quickly become a herd, providing sustenance and additional
income that can make the difference between whether a child goes to school or not.

A Well Card will go toward funding a well in the Western Province of Zambia. Statistics show that nearly half of all people in developing countries suffer from health related problems caused by unsafe water. In addition, African women and children spend several hours every day collecting water.

Links: http://www.handsofhopeonline.org/
The cards: http://www.handsofhopeonline.org/goat.asp
Purchase cards: http://www.handsofhopeonline.org/goat.asp#purchase
How HOH got their start: http://www.handsofhopeonline.org/history.asp
Current Projects: http://www.handsofhopeonline.org/ourwork.asp

Contact at Hands of Hope:

VickyWauterlek, Hands of Hope
VWAU@aol.com, 847-381-7367

Be a Light! FACES IN THE CROWD Tells How

2008-11-25T22:01:00.007-05:00

Veteran Missionary & Author, Scroll down
Donna Thomas to see how

you can
win this
book

Faces in the Crowd 208 pgs.
Publisher:
New Hope Publishers
ISBN-10:159669257
ISBN-13: 9781596692053
Retail: $12.99

When I opened this book, I thought, "Uh-huh, another book on evangelism." Was I ever wrong! Donna brings a fresh enthusiasm to sharing Christ to these pragmatic pages.

Here's a summary:

America continues to remain a melting pot for various internationals to call home. For hundreds of years we have opened our arms to a population of multicultural religions and spiritual preferences. In spite of our welcoming borders, our churches have struggled to effectively reach many of these multicultural groups for Christ.

Donna Thomas, a veteran missionary, writes a practical how-to book on the subject, seasoning the book with anecdotes of personal conversations she has enjoyed with different faces in the crowd. Along with the heartwarming stories, each chapter includes things to consider and action steps to help apply each lesson. Donna tackles the tough subject of finding, reaching and effectively sharing Christ's love with international neighbors. These easy-to-implement personal evangelism tools equip readers with the basic know-how and stirs up the desire to share the gospel of Jesus with others. Donna teaches by example how to start a conversation, build a meaningful relationship, share gospel truths in a cross-cultural context, and incorporate the Lord into ongoing conversations. More than that, she stimulates Christians to develop an all-inclusive love and passion for faces of all colors and people of all cultures.

About the Author:

Donna Thomas has the unusual experience of speaking and training leaders in countries as far away as China, Egypt, and India. In addition, she now has four books published and in the hands of Christian families and leaders. Pulling stories out of her, you will find that she has earned the label of: teacher, co-founder of a church, cofounder of a missions agency, co-founder of short-term missions (then an unknown opportunity) taking over 6,000 participants, pilot and manager of a 40-passenger plane, partner with twelve key international Christian leaders, funded the first church built in China in 1984 after the Communist Revolution, and has helped Christians in seventy-six countries.

What Others Are Saying:

Did you ever find yourself at a loss on how to reach out to the people of other cultures and religions in your neighborhood or workplace? If so, Donna Thomas's Faces in the Crowd is the resource you need. With colorful stories of average people making a cross-cultural connection, supplemented with action ideas you can use, Donna guides the reader on how to have an impact on the global village--from where you live right now.

--Paul Borthwick, senior consultant, author: Stop Witnessing...and Start Loving, Six Dangerous Questions, Development Associates International

Interview Questions:

1. What is the take-away value that you hope readers will gain from reading Faces in the Crowd?

I want them see how easy it is to get rid of fear, to accept their calling to obey the Great Commission and to enjoy every bit of it.

2. You share many anecdotes in the book of ways you started conversations with others to build relationships that lead to the opportunity to share the gospel. Can you tell our audience about one of these anecdotes?

Yes, just today I was in the Apple phone store with a problem on my phone. The young man that was helping me had a badge with the name Matt. I said, "I'll remember you Matt because that is the first book in the New Testament." He replied that his parents used that name because it is a Bible name. We went on to talk about his purpose in life, what he wants to do in the next 60 years (since he is 22 years old) and since he is a Christian, how he wants to make a difference in this world for the Lord.

Here's an example of a conversation starter I had with an international. I saw this fellow's name badge and it was Alpha. So I asked him, "where is Omega?" That made him want to talk with me and we have become friends because of further conversations. Now he has been to my house and I've been to his home several times. He is a Muslim from Guinea but is interested in Christian teachings, etc.

3. Why do you think Christians are so fearful of sharing about Jesus Christ with others? What can we do to overcome these fears?

We are taught in our culture not to talk about religion or politics. We are also taught to just mind your own business and leave others alone. When we tell them how Peter lost his fear and share how they can lose theirs, they are open. Give them the story of Phillip and the Eunuch and show them how the Lord used him. Also instill in them that we don't have to be successful, but we do have to be obedient. Jesus wasn't always "successful" with those he talked with. Many turned and walked away but he gave them an opportunity to know him. We give the gift of opportunities.

4. Faces in the Crowd has a very international emphasis to it, in that you discuss our need to be more aware of reaching culturally and ethnically different neighbors. What are some pointers you can give about doing this?

Start looking to see how many internationals you can see. Ask for the Lord to let you see the multitude of people through his eyes. Just start looking for them. Allow your curiosity to discover what country they are from. The interesting thing is that they would certainly like to have an American friend. When you give them a little attention they immediately give you all of theirs. They are lonesome...a foreigner in a foreign land. You can offer friendship.

5. When we look into the faces in the crowd and only see our differences, what commonality can we find to open the door to conversation with someone of another race or religion? Is there a way to ask them questions to learn more about their culture without it seeming like we are judging them?

They would love to tell you about their family and they want you to tell them about yours too. They would love to tell you about their homeland. They would love to tell you about their religion and you can tell them about yours too. It is a two way conversation. Just be open to begin a friendship. It can later enable you to talk about what Jesus means to you.

6. How can we know when others we are talking to about the gospel are ready to receive Christ into their lives and make a deliberate choice to live for Him? When we see these indicators, what's the next step?

You don't preach to them, you tell them what Jesus means to you. You tell them about some of your difficult times and how the Lord has helped you. You ask them about any difficult times they have right now so you both can pray to the Lord for him to help you in this circumstance. Address their needs. When we show them the Lord can help them, they want to meet that Lord.

7. Tell us about Donna Thomas. What makes you tick?

Oh my, I see these people and I wonder if they know Jesus, what their purpose is in life, and where they will spend eternity. Why should I have the joy of going to heaven when they don't know the way to get there? I feel sorry for them and I also feel sorry for Christians that don't care for others. Some Christians only see a physical need but don't recognize spiritual needs.

8. What are your passions? What is a normal day like for you?

Every morning I ask "Okay Father, what do you have in store for me today?" Then in all I do, I look to see the people I think Jesus wants me to see, whether they are a server in a restaurant, a repair man at my house, a lonely looking person at another table or in a waiting area. If Jesus was with me, who would he see, what would he say, what would he do, what does he want me to do?

Tonight I am going back to Abuelos restaurant because of the relationships I have there with several of the waiters. I walk a mile or two in my neighborhood for exercise and now I have friends to walk with that don't really know the Lord. I get emails from around the globe asking me for prayer, for advice, and assurance. From Peru, Honduras, Mexico, Laos, China, India, Russia, etc. I am working with 12 internationals right now and I hope to find mentors for them as I cannot be with them as much as they need. So do I quit finding more internationals to talk to or do I find Christians that will come along side them and help them grow? I know a former Hindu from India who is now a Christian, who needs a mentor. It isn't easy to find mentors because many people just say they don't have time. Where are the Christians, the disciples in this day and age?

9. Give us a sneak peak into your life!

Also I have a wonderful family, 3 sons and 10 grandkids and all are Christian. Last night I got great grandson #2. Yea!

I am also the American grandmother to the children of many of these internationals. Some that I have met in my obedience to the Lord and some that are overseas and I have worked with their parents for 20 plus years. What an honor. I am the American grandmother to 7 India children, 2 Chinese, 3 Mexican, 2 Nicaraguan, and these are adults now. Here in the U.S. to a student from Saudi Arabia, a child whose parents are from Guinea, and a child whose parents are from Senegal.

I retired 10 years ago from my position as president of a missions organization and am now writing books, speaking around the country, and am a consultant. But I am as busy as ever, even at 80 years old. Someday I hope to slow down but so far the Lord has me very busy. Oh yes, on my 80th birthday my kids gave a party and there were 150 people that showed up from 17 countries and California, Alabama, Texas, Colorado, Ohio, Kansas, and more. Before it ended there were 8 birthday parties. Now that was a celebration. Wow!

Win Donna's book, Faces in the Crowd.

Leave a comment on this post by December 16, 12 a.m. EST.
Be sure to give an email or website where you can be reached.

I'm Hosting Title Trakk's Cool Contest with Great Giveaways

2008-11-12T22:30:00.003-05:00

Welcome to the 1st ever
TitleTrakk.com Blog Tour!

This week we're chatting about:

The Fantastic Fall Giveaway Contest!

Just in time for the holidays, you could win over $335 worth of books, cds and dvds!

THE POWER OF ONE--YOUR VOTE

2008-10-23T13:10:00.003-04:00

Does one person really matter? Can one person bring change? Watch this video,
and see what you think:

http://www.onenewsnow.com/valuesvoters.aspx

BOOK TOUR: LOVE STARTS WITH ELLE BY RACHEL HAUCK

2008-10-16T22:38:00.015-04:00

I picked up Love Starts with Elle, expecting a light romantic read. I got romance, but so much more. Depth, spiritual truth, human frailty, creative gifts, and the power of God to heal and revive the human spirit.

Watch the trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_rX2Io4RjQ&eurl=http://www.rachelhauck.com/

About the book:

Elle's living the dream-but is it her dream or his?

Elle loves life in Beaufort, South Carolina-lazy summer days on the sand bar, coastal bonfires, and dinners with friends sharing a lifetime of memories. And she's found her niche as the owner of a successful art gallery too. Life is good.

Then the dynamic pastor of her small town church sweeps her off her feet. She's never known a man like Jeremiah-one who breathes in confidence and exhales all doubt. When he proposes in the setting sunlight, Elle hands him her heart on a silver platter.

But Jeremiah's just accepted a large pastorate in a different state. If she's serious about their relationship, Elle will take "the call," too, leaving behind the people and place she loves so dearly. Elle's friendship with her new tenant, widower Heath McCord, and his young daughter make things even more complicated.

Is love transferrable across the miles? And can you take it with you when you go?

Buy the book:

http://www.amazon.com/Love-Starts-Elle-Rachel-Hauck/dp/1595543384?&camp!2361&creative83841&linkCode=wss&tag=sprightly-20

Follow the Blog Tour! Schedule link:

http://www.rachelhauck.com/2008/10/love-starts-with-elle-blog-tour.html

About the author:

Rachel Hauck is the author of ten, going on eleven novels, and has recently become an "acclaimed" author. (Yeah, funny how that happened. Some dude found her lottery stub stuck to the bottom of his shoe and tried to "acclaim" her. But her husband refused to pay out.)

Since then, she's gone on to become a best selling author of Sweet Caroline.

Living in central Florida with her husband of sixteen and a half years, one sweet little dog and one ornery cat, Rachel is a graduate of Ohio State University and a huge Buckeye football fan. One day she hopes to stand on the sidelines next to Coach Tressel as a famed, acclaimed best selling OSU alumni, beloved for her work in literature and letters. (She's written at least a couple hundred letters in her life time.)

Her current release, Love Starts With Elle (July 2008, Thomas Nelson) is set in the South Carolina lowcountry, and earned 4.5 Stars and Top Pick from Romantic Times Book Club.

Look for her next release next spring, The Sweet By and By, the first book in the Born To Fly series with award winning country artist, Sara Evans.

Of the writing journey, Rachel says, "I'm humbled by the amazing things God is doing in my life. I love what I do, and am so privileged to work with Thomas Nelson fiction and am excited to see what God has in store for all of His authors and writers. Just keep praying and writing!"

Visit her blog and website at http://www.rachelhauck.com/

Truth Is Ruder--and Funnier--Than Fiction: Actual Text Message Transcript

2008-10-03T16:43:00.003-04:00

First I get this message.

From: xxx-xxx-xxxx

This is my new number.

Hmmm, I think, I don't recognize this number and the sender has not identified himself or herself in any way. So even if I knew the person with the NEW number, I wouldn't know who was texting.

So I reply.

To: xxx-xxx-xxxx

Don't know u

Soon I hear back.

From: xxx-xxx-xxxx

This is ishia from class.

OK, this has got to be a wrong number. I have never known anyone, live or online, named Ishia. The last class I took that wasn't a Bible study, a teacher's inservice, or a writing workshop was in 1974.

I don't mean to be smart, but since they insist I know them, I reply. I'm feeling a bit froggy. After all, it IS my birthday.

To: xxx-xxx-xxxx

What class? I'm not in school. I'm 57!

Ishia gets testy and either thinks I'm the intended friend, just messing with her (assuming she's a she) or else can't muster up the etiquette to say, "Sorry, I must have the wrong number."

From: xxx-xxx-xxxx

Whatever

Apparently it was MY fault she texted MY number. I'll try not to let that happen again.

BOOK TOUR: JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL by Stuart Migdon

2008-09-26T13:02:00.022-04:00

Here's a devotional from an author who understands the meaning of giving up the right to drive our lives, in order to put the wheel in the hands of the One Who cares most whether we travel well and arrive safely.

The practical biblical instruction found in Stuart Migdon's book, Jesus Take the Wheel takes readers on a two-month journey that will literally transform the way they live their lives. Rich insights from the author's own life mix with wisdom gleaned from the pages of Scripture to make reading this book an adventure that will be looked forward to each day. In the face of life's many uncertainties and struggles, the message of real hope that Jesus Take the Wheel brings, is one that will benefit everyone.

Jesus Take the Wheel is a valuable resource for spiritual growth and discipleship. Through applying the biblical principles and truths contained throughout its pages, readers will begin to discover that what has been impossible alone, is very possible with God at the wheel of their lives. Each day's reading is followed by an application aimed at applying the day's biblical truths and principles to the real circumstances of life.

While many in our world today know that they need and want change, they often fail to allow Jesus to have His rightful place in their lives simply because they don't know where to start. In Jesus Take the Wheel, readers are given an easy and practical plan to follow each day that will teach them what they need to do in order to begin letting Jesus be the One in the driver's seat.

About the Author: Stuart Migdon

Stuart Migdon was raised in Reformed Judaism. He married and became a father at the age of 18. With no money and no one to help, he quickly determined he had to take control of his own life. He developed a "don't quit" attitude and set out to beat the odds that were already stacking up against him. While working a full time job to support his family, he also managed to graduate college in four years, and to do it with high honors. That same stubborn persistence propelled him to become a CPA and later a successful insurance agent. With a commitment to hard work and excellence, Stuart continued to achieve every goal that he set for his life. However, all the success in the world could not fill the emptiness that was growing within him.

In 1991, things began to change. He came to know Jesus as His Messiah and felt a strong desire to live a life that would really be pleasing to God--a life he somehow knew was radically different than the one he had been living. With every ounce of his being, he was now determined to live that life.

Since then, Stuart has become an avid student of the Bible. Over the last five years, his thirst for more has led him into a detailed study of God's Word, and specifically the lives of the Bible's two central figures, Jesus and Moses. During this time he also began to realize that what had been driving him in his own study was more than just a personal quest for knowledge, it was actually a calling from the Lord. As a result, he began a new adventure as an author, and in 2008 published his first book,Jesus Take the Wheel: 7 Keys to a Transformed Life with God.

Today, Stuart is a successful Christian businessman and serves as an elder and biblical counselor at Calvary Chapel Old Bridge in New Jersey. Stuart's growing understanding of his own need to let Jesus take the wheel of his life has equipped him for the many situations he faces in ministry today. In every area, he challenges those he encounters to begin living a transformed life by letting Jesus have His rightful place behind the wheel of their lives.

Stuart and his wife Jeanne have two adult children, Jennifer and Jason, and one grandson.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Jesus+Take+the+Wheel+by+Stuart+Migdon&x=12&y=4

Jesus Take the Wheel by Stuart Migdon

Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: WinePress Publishing Group (July 1, 2008)
$24.99
ISBN-10: 1579219322
ISBN-13: 978-1579219321

PRAY FOR HAYDEN

2008-09-17T23:50:00.004-04:00

Hayden

Once again, a little boy named Hayden will undergo traumatic surgery on a chordoma, a tumor at the base of his brainstem and the top of his spine. On Thursday, September 18 he travels with his family to Arkansas, to be prepped by a surgical team expert at these procedures. Surgery is scheduled for first thing next Wednesday morning, September 24.

After Hayden recovers from surgery, he'll spend eight weeks undergoing radiation treatments in Boston. After the first surgery, two years ago, he had great difficulty swallowing, not to mention other complications, and experienced a long difficult recovery.

Hayden's grandad serves as Minister of Music at our church. His grandmom sings in our choir. Their dedication to the Lord and love for His people are only equalled by their commitment to their family. Tomorrow they depart to support their daughter, her husband, their other grandson, and Hayden. We covet for this family the prayers of anyone whom the Lord leads to this site or to Hayden's.

Learn about Hayden's family, their prayer requests, and his condition:

http://hayden-johnson.blogspot.com/

Reaching out to Men Who've Been Molested

2008-09-07T18:50:00.007-04:00

He ghostwrites incredible stories about amazing people.He ministers to caregivers. He mentors writers. He's even published cozy mysteries. And now he's reaching out to men who have experienced the unspeakable.

Cec Murphey, co-author of the New York bestseller, 90 Minutes in Heaven, has started a blog for men who at some time in their lives have been sexually molested. At last, there is someone who will listen and care.

Click here for Shattering the Silence:

http://shatteringthesilence.wordpress.com/