“Cast all you cares on Him for He careth for you.”
~I Peter 5:7~
Sometimes the simplest reminders are the best.
Have a great day, friends!
Archives For February 2012
UPDATE: A winner has been emailed!
You don’t have to be online for long to run across articles on marketing yourself, making money online, building a platform for your business, and finding or creating a community for support and encouragement. The folks I’m writing about today have mastered all of these areas, and we can learn a lot from them.
They are Christian wives and mothers, business women, writing mentors, talented authors, and bloggers at one of the most popular sites in the writing world. Several years ago, these women banded together to promote their books and services and encourage fellow Christians who might be interested in venturing out on a similar journey. They’re the ladies of Seekerville—Mary Connealy, Janet Dean, Debby Guisti, Audra Harders, Pam Hillman, Cara Lynn James, Myra Johnson, Glynna Kaye, SandraLeesmith, Julie Lessman, Ruth Logan Herne, Tina Radcliffe, and Missy Tippens.
What will you find at the Seekerville site?
- A wonderful example of online community. (If you leave a comment, one of the Seekers is sure to respond.)
- News about the latest in Christian fiction.
- Writing tips, how-to’s, contest updates, and encouragement.
- Free stuff—lots of opportunities to win free books.
- Favorite recipes.(Follow this link to the Yankee-Belle Cafe.)
What more could you want?
The Seekers are some of the most generous authors in the American Christian Fiction Writers. They and their guest bloggers shared information which spurred me on in my writing journey. But even if you’re not interested in books and/or writing, you can learn much about how to present yourself online from Seekerville. So head on over and visit the ladies today!
Now for a GIVEAWAY! The ladies of Seekerville write wonderful stories. However, because of time constraints and promises to the companies that offer free books in exchange for blog reviews, I have not reviewed many of their books on my site. I’d like to encourage you to check out their novels. So I’m offering a $10 Amazon email gift card to one lucky commenter.
Steps to enter the giveaway: (1) Visit the Seekerville site and view the “Our Books” slideshow in the sidebar. (2) Leave a comment telling me which books you’re most interested in reading. The contest will run until Saturday, March 3rd. Enjoy!
At the 2011 American Christian Fiction Writers Conference, I was fortunate enough to meet several of the Seekerville authors . . .
Author Julie Lessman, ACFW 2011
Author Debby Giusti, ACFW 2011
“What matters is not your outer appearance–
the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes–
but your inner disposition. Cultivate inner beauty,
the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in.
The holy women of old were beautiful before God that way.”
~I Peter 3~
My Top 5 Reasons to Pray: When Jesus was on earth, He taught his disciples to ask for everything from forgiveness to their daily bread. But if God knows what we need already, why do we have to ask? I’d like to answer that in the first part of a little series I’m calling my top 5 reasons to pray.
“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” ~Matthew 7:9-11~
Did you miss my book giveaway of Mornings with Jesus 2012? You can still enter at this link.
This week I’m linking up with Hear It on Sunday, Use It on Monday, Soli Deo Gloria, Women Living Well, Good Morning Girls, Thought-provoking Thursday, and Your Thriving Family.
UPDATE: A winner has been emailed!
“How does a man who is out of work celebrate when his friend gets a fantastic new job? How does a woman grieving a miscarriage attend a friend’s baby shower? How does someone crippled with pain wholeheartedly rejoice over another’s miraculous healing, without that whisper deep in the soul, ‘Lord, what about me?‘
As I confessed, ‘I don’t have it in me,’ the recognition filled me like a deep breath of peace. Of course, I didn’t have the power in myself, just as I didn’t have the power to forgive those who hurt me, or sing a song of praise through a throat raw with tears, or to serve day after day in small ways that seemed to offer no evidence of results. I can’t do any of it.
But Jesus can. And He lives in me.” ~by Sharon Hinck from Mornings with Jesus 2012~
This excerpt is just one example of the practical, encouraging words found in the devotional, Mornings with Jesus 2012. This particular reading caught my eye for two reasons. First, because I’ve corresponded with award-winning author and freelance editor Sharon Hinck. She’s a truly humble, godly woman, who has helped many of us sharpen our writing skills. Second, because I just finished my two-part blog “series” on whether or not God plays favorites—so Sharon’s words touched my heart. (You really need to buy the book and read the entire entry.)
Other reasons to buy the book: MWJ shares a verse, a reading on the character and teachings of Jesus, and a faith step to help apply the message for every day of the year, contributed by authors who are doubly qualified to compose such a book. They are talented writers who have received awards and acclaim for their professional efforts. And they are also wives, mothers, and daughters who have experienced the same struggles and trials common to us all. Their insights are sure to strengthen and inspire you. This book makes it easy to spend time with Jesus each morning!
Two ways you can get your hands on a copy: (1) Enter this drawing! I’m giving away my extra copy of Mornings with Jesus 2012. All you need to do is leave a comment on this post for a chance to win. (Contest ends Thursday, February 23.) (2) Or follow this link to purchase the book. (You may want to buy two, and share with a friend.) ***Thanks for Litfuse Publicity for sending a copy for me to review.
You can find the contributing authors at these links:
- Sharon Hinck, award-winning author of inspirational fantasy and women’s fiction.
- Camy Tang, youth group worker, Sunday worship leader, and inspirational romance author.
- Tricia Goyer, mentor for teen moms through MOPS and best-selling author of more than twenty-seven books.
- Judy Baer, inspirational author of more than seventy-five books.
- Gwen Ford Faulkenberry, author of two novels and three devotional books.
- Keri Wyatt Kent, author of Simple Compassion and Oxygen.
- Erin Keeley Marshall, author of Navigating Route 20-Something and The Daily God Book.
I’m linking this post with Thought-provoking Thursday, Your Thriving Family, and Finding Joy.
Beyond Molasses Creek by Nicole Seitz tells the story of two women, who live on opposite sides of the world, and the events which bring them together. The story is shared through dual viewpoints from the women, Ally and Sunila. For brave, optimistic Sunila, life means taking the risks necessary to leave Nepal and find a new life in the United States. While Ally’s journey involves an end to years of running when she returns home to Molasses Creek. In Sunila’s chapters, we follow a trail that leads to revelations about her future. In Ally’s, we delve into the secrets of her past and all her life could have been. For me, Ally’s story is a cautionary tale of how choices which begin as temporary fixes for pain or confusion can transform our lives into very sad journeys. I was glad when the threads of hope the author sprinkled throughout this novel eventually blossomed into a joyful ending.
Want more details? Here’s the book blurb: Having traveled to the ends of the earth as a flight attendant, Ally Green has finally returned to the Lowcountry to bury her father as well as the past. But Vesey Washington is still living across the creek, and theirs is a complicated relationship. He was once her best friend and also part of the reason she’s stayed away so long. When Ally discovers a message her father left behind asking her to quit running, it seems her past isn’t through with her yet.
As Ally’s wandering spirit wrestles with a deep longing to flee again, a young woman on the other side of the world escapes her life of slavery in the rock quarries of Nepal. A mysterious sketchbook leads Sunila Kunari to believe there’s more to her story than she’s ever been told, and she’s determined to follow the truth wherever it leads her. A deep current intertwines the lives of these three souls, and a destiny of freedom, faith, and friendship awaits them all on the banks of Molasses Creek.
***Thanks to Litfuse Publicity for sending me a copy to review. You can purchase Beyond Molasses Creek at this link.
About the author: Nicole Seitz is the author of several critically acclaimed novels – The Inheritance of Beauty, Saving Cicadas, A Hundred Years of Happiness, Trouble the Water, and The Spirit of Sweetgrass. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Journalism, and also has a degree in Illustration from Savannah College of Art & Design. Her paintings are featured on the covers of her books. Visit her at @NicoleSeitz, Facebook and www.nicoleseitz.com for more information.
PARTY and GIVEAWAY: Nicole is celebrating the release of Beyond Molasses Creek with a fabulous “Friendship” Facebook party! She’ll be giving away a ton of great stuff (KINDLE TOUCH, some of her own beautiful artwork, a Book Club Prize Pack (10 copies of the book for your small group/book club and a Live Skype Chat with Nicole), and more!
CLICK the button (below) to RSVP for the party – then join us on February 16th for a book chat, story sharing and prizes! Hope to see you there!
Save the Date! 2/16!
Lord,
I crawled across the barrenness
To You
With my empty cup,
Uncertain in asking
Any small drop of refreshment.
If only I had known You better,
I’d have come running
With a bucket.
~Poem by Nancy Spiegelberg~
“Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,
But whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.
Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water
Welling up to eternal life.’”
~Promise by Jesus from John 4:13&14~
This week, I’m linking with Soli Deo Gloria and Call Me Blessed.
Did you ever wonder if God plays favorites? Have you looked around at the blessings others received and worried that God had forgotten you? Click on the video below to hear some encouraging words concerning “God’s favorites.”
“God leaves the creature to stand up on its own legs—to carry out from the will alone duties which have lost all relish. It is during such trough periods, much more than during the peak periods, that [the Christian] is growing into the sort of creature He wants it to be. Hence the prayers offered in the state of dryness are those which please Him best . . . He wants them to learn to walk and must therefore take away His hand; and if only the will to walk is really there He is pleased even with their stumbles.” ~C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters~
See Does God play favorites, pt. I? at this link.
This week I’m linking up with Call Me Blessed, On Your Heart Tuesdays, Good Morning Girls, Thought-Provoking Thursday, and Weekend Link Up.
