Suzanne Woods Fisher

Thursday on Amish Wisdom: Hutterite Cookbook Author Judy Walter

2012-01-25T12:14:00.000-08:00

Tune in on Thursday at 4:00 pm Central! To listen in - go here and just click on the player in the top right corner.

Don't miss this week's show. I'll be speaking with cookbook author Judy Walter. Her cookbook, At Home in the Kitchen: Mennonite, Hutterite and Amish-Style Cooking, reflects Judy’s enjoyment of cooking and preparing wholesome meals. Each recipe, throughout the wide range of food categories, comes with clear step‑by-step instructions using simple ingredients. Be sure to tune in on Thursday, January 26th at 4PM Central.

Judy has generously offered to give away three copies of her cookbook. Just leave a comment {HERE} to be entered. Winners will be notified next week via email!

More about Judy: The prairies and an amazing grain farm in southern Alberta were home to Judy Walter. In thepattern of Hutterite communities, a central kitchen was the scene of old-fashioned good eating, as delicious and abundant as anyone could wish for. Three times a day the big bell pealed out the sound that signalled the call to the kitchen where the food was waiting.

Years of observing and helping with food preparations gave Judy the opportunity to explore her own bent in the kitchen. She had the experience of being involved in cooking large amounts of food as well as paring down to making meals in her own kitchen. Many guests passed through her doors, leaving with memories of delicious meals or snacks shared around her kitchen nook.

Check out Judy's blog for recipes along with tips and tricks from At Home in the Kitchen.

More about At Home in the Kitchen: At Home in the Kitchen is a 7"x10" spiral bound book with full-color laminated covers. There are 8 color pages illustrating a sampling of the recipes as well as celebrating the beauty of Alberta. Along with colorful photos, you will find heart warming anecdotes and personal experiences that enliven the pages of this beautiful cookbook. With over 300 recipes its sure to be a favorite.

Unbroken: A Talk with Louis Zamberini

2012-01-24T18:29:00.000-08:00

Have you read the bestselling book "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand? It's a story about the life of Louis Zamberini, a 94-year-old Olympian and World War II hero. He spoke at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church last weekend and I had the great privilege of hearing him (along with thousands of others!). He's just amazing. Funny, irreverent, a survivor, and a committed Christian. But the Christian part came later to him--after returning home from three grueling years in a Japanese P.O.W. camp. Well, you can find out for yourself by listening to the video:
Louis Zamberini

Here's a little info about his life:

Growing up in California in the 1920s, Louie was a hellraiser, stealing everything edible that he could carry, staging elaborate pranks, getting in fistfights, and bedeviling the local police. But as a teenager, he emerged as one of the greatest runners America had ever seen, competing at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where he put on a sensational performance, crossed paths with Hitler, and stole a German flag right off the Reich Chancellery. He was preparing for the 1940 Olympics, and closing in on the fabled four-minute mile, when World War II began. Louie joined the Army Air Corps, becoming a bombardier. Stationed on Oahu, he survived harrowing combat, including an epic air battle that ended when his plane crash-landed, some six hundred holes in its fuselage and half the crew seriously wounded.

On a May afternoon in 1943, Louie took off on a search mission for a lost plane. Somewhere over the Pacific, the engines on his bomber failed. The plane plummeted into the sea, leaving Louie and two other men stranded on a tiny raft. Drifting for weeks and thousands of miles, they endured starvation and desperate thirst, sharks that leapt aboard the raft, trying to drag them off, a machine-gun attack from a Japanese bomber, and a typhoon with waves some forty feet high. At last, they spotted an island. As they rowed toward it, unbeknownst to them, a Japanese military boat was lurking nearby. Louie’s journey had only just begun.

Old Man Winter

2012-01-23T07:58:00.000-08:00

Why winter chose to show up on this last weekend is a mystery! My dad's memorial service was on Saturday.

My daughter, grandbaby, sister and niece were stuck in Seattle's Worst Blizzard of the Century. My college son was stuck in Chicago with a normal Midwest blizzard. The Seattle crew finally rented a 4 wheel drive jeep at 1am and hit I-5 for a fourteen hour drive. (My determined sister was NOT going to miss our father's service.) My son was never able to get here. My dad's 91-year-old brother made it from Boston, but just barely. His plane was delayed for hours because of the weather in San Francisco on Friday night! The poor dear arrived after midnight (three a.m. his time).

But...by 11 am on Saturday, we were all gathered at a little chapel. My mom chose to have a family-only service for a couple of reasons--mainly, because Dad's Alzheimer's had taken such a toll on everyone. We needed time together as a family to minimize that decade of AD and maximize Dad's life in its entirety.

A beautiful little chapel in Los Altos

My dad loved to take pix. The beautiful flowers were chosen and arranged by my friend, Nyna.

A few minutes before the service.

Little Blake added comic relief.

And that's just what happened! A wonderful hour of Dad's favorite hymns (led by my niece), his favorite Scripture read by the sons and grandsons, and a poignant, "Heaven-focused" message by the minister. As my niece sang "The Lord's Prayer," the sun broke through the clouds and lightened the chapel.

Afterwards, we had lunch together at my brother's home and shared memories of Dad. My husband wrapped it up with a prayer, thanking God for Dad's long life.

Add caption

Catered by Draeger's!

My brother Tom's three children

My sister, Wendy, and me

My older brother, Dave, and me holding Blake

Believe it or not...we all watched my son Tad's basketball game (live streaming) in Illinois!

My mom on left, my son Gary in the middle, my Uncle Ed on the right

My sister's daughters, Heather and Hilary

My younger brother, Tom, with his daughter, Kelly

My niece Heather with my daughter Meredith

Dad would have been so pleased. He always did have a knack for bringing a little sunshine to winter.

Thursday on Amish Wisdom: Organizing and Simplifying with Cindi Ferrini and Kathryn Bechen!

2012-01-18T13:00:00.000-08:00

Tune in on Thursday at 4:00 pm Central! To listen in - go here and just click on the player in the top right corner.

I'm excited to chat with this week's guests. We've all heard (and probably experienced) the results of being unorganized and too busy (it's usually the "being too busy" that leads to my being unorganized!). Our first guest this week, Kathryn Bechen, author of Small Space Organizing, will be sharing ideas and tips for being organized and talking about why that even matters! Then during the second half of the show we'll hear from Cindi Ferrini. Her recent book, Balancing the Active Life, offers some advice on avoiding the pitfalls of our hurry, hurry culture. Stress, fatigue, disconnected families, ruined relationships and so much more. She'll be sharing tips on how to balance all that God's called us to. Be sure to tune in on Thursday at 4PM Central!

Both ladies are giving away a copy of their books. Leave a comment below for a chance to win one.
Winner's will be notified next week via email.

More about Kathryn: Kathryn Bechen is an award-winning lifestyle writer specializing in home decorating andorganizing, how-to, weddings, and travel. She is the author of several lifestyle e-books, and her feature articles have been published in national and regional magazines such as Cottage Style, Small Room Decorating, Country Almanac, and San Diego Style Weddings. Kathryn's new home-related book, published by Baker Publishing Group, is scheduled to release to bookstores everywhere, and online book outlets, in early 2012. Kathryn lives in sunny San Diego, CA, USA, with her husband and business partner of many years, Steve Bechen. For more information please visit her blog and website at www.KathrynBechenINK.com.

More about Small Space Organizing:

With a few tricks up your sleeve, small can be the new big!

While we may admire the spacious rooms in large homes we see in magazines or on TV, let's face it: most of us don't live in rambling estates. Instead, we live in homes, apartments, or condos with small rooms and even smaller closets. But you can enjoy an organized, beauty-filled life no matter what the size of your space. In this practical book, you'll learn how to

perform a room-by-room audit of your space to see if it's functioning at its best
make the most of existing storage space and find clever ways to add more
find creative ways to arrange furnishings and accessories that maximize space and bring harmony and style to the home
live graciously in a small space with others (especially those who aren't organized!)

Whether you're an empty nester who's downsizing, a newlywed setting up your first nest, or someone who just needs some creative new ideas, you'll love these strategies, tips, and solutions to maximize space and enhance your quality of life.

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Answers and Winners from The Keeper #Facebook Party!

2012-01-17T18:19:00.000-08:00

First the answers from the trivia contest:

1. What time of day did Rome travel with his bees?

During the night.

2. Why then?

The bees are quiet at night. They get active as the sun warms the hives.

3. Why do some bees stay close to the entrance of the hive?

They guard the hive.

4. Can bees survive cold winters?

Yes! That’s what the honey is for. Think of it as a bee’s pantry.

5. What is the year-round temperature inside of a beehive?

Roughly 94 degrees. A wonder!

AND BONUS Super Duper Trivia Questions

1. What kind of bees did Rome have? Why was that type of bee significant to Rome?

His mother had raised brown bees. They were the only things he kept from his family farm in Ohio.

2. What does Suzanne’s husband, Steve, love to do in his spare time?

Make amazingly good vanilla ice cream! (He makes other flavors, too, but he’s VERY determined to make the world’s best vanilla ice cream. He says that you can hide flaws in other flavors, but not vanilla. It’s too pure.)

Here is the list of every one who won something at the party tonight:

Thank you all so much for coming to tonight's party, following along on the blog tour and entering to win the iPad! I saw so many new faces tonight. And of course, it was lovely seeing the familiar faces of old friends!

If you are a winner please email Christen at Litfuse with your mailing address!

Congratulations to Dawn Little Crawford! You've won a copy of The Keeper!

Congratulations to Kathleen E. Belongia! You've won a copy of The Keeper!

Congratulations to Stacie K. Beach! You've won an advance copy of The Keeper and some Beeswax Candles!

Congratulations to Angela Vaughn! You've won a copy of The Keeper and a Starbucks Gift Certificate!

Congratulations to Jodi Frasier! You've won a copy of The Keeper!

Congratulations to Melinda K. Busch! You've won a copy of The Keeper!

Congratulations to Jennifer Rote! You've won a copy of The Keeper and some Lancaster Honey!

Congratulations to Serena M. Barnett! You've won a copy of The Keeper and a Starbucks Gift Certificate!

Congratulations to Sara Martin! You've won a copy of The Keeper!

Congratulations to Lindy Enlow! You've won a copy of The Keeper!

Congratulations to Mandy Bentley! You've won a copy of The Keeper for posting your photo on my wall!

Congratulations to Lori G. Drake! You've won a copy of The Keeper for posting your photo on my wall!

Congrats to Sasha Wade trivia contest winner ! You won a copy of The Keeper and a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com!

Congrats to the SUPER DUPER trivia contest winner Allyson Langworth! You won a Book Club Prize pack and some Lancaster Honey! You'll receive 10 copies of The Keeper for your small group or book club and a LIVE chat with Suzanne (done via Skype, Video or Phone!) You'll also receive a trio of Lancaster honey!

And here is the iPad Giveaway winner:

Congrats to Nancy Steward from Florida! You were with winner of The Keeper iPad2 Giveaway! Send your mailing address to amy@litfusegroup.com and we'll get your iPad2 on the way to you!

For Lexophiles

2012-01-16T09:50:00.000-08:00

1.   A bicycle can't stand alone; it is two tired.
2.   A will is a dead giveaway.
3.   Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.
4.   A backward poet writes inverse.
5.   A chicken crossing the road: poultry in motion.
6.   When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.
7.   The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine was fully recovered.
8.   You are stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.
9.   He broke into song because he couldn't find the key.
10. A calendar's days are numbered.
11. A boiled egg is hard to beat.
12. He had a photographic memory which was never developed.
13. The short fortuneteller who escaped from prison: a small medium at large.
14. Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end.
15. When you've seen one shopping center you've seen a mall.
16. If you jump off a Paris bridge, you are in Seine.
17. When she saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought she'd dye.
18. Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.
19. Acupuncture: a jab well done.
20. Marathon runners with bad shoes suffer the agony of de feet.
21. The roundest knight at king Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.
22. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.
23. She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.
24. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a weapon of math disruption.
25. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.
26. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.
27 Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.
28. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.
29. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
30. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.
31. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the Grass.'
32. A small boy swallowed some coins and went to the hospital. When his mother telephoned to ask how he was, a nurse said, 'No change yet.'
33. The soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.

Thursday on Amish Wisdom: Conquering Your Fears!

2012-01-11T11:00:00.000-08:00

Tune in on Thursday at 4:00 pm Central! To listen in - go here and just click on the player in the top right corner.

This week on Amish Wisdom we've got two guests who will help you start 2012 right. The first half hour we'll hear from Deborah Pegues about taming your fears. Whether it’s failing finances, rocky relationships, or the angst of aging, the spirit of fear is paralyzing people from living out the lives God intended them to fulfill. What can be done? Are we destined to be slaves to our fears? Deborah will help answer those questions and more. Then during the second half hour we'll hear from Saundra Dalton-Smith. Saundra is a practicing physician who shows women how to break free from fear, insecurity, and other lies they tell themselves and into a life of health and balance in her new book, Set Free to Live Free. She'll be sharing her tips for freeing ourselves from some of the mental ties we bind ourselves with: perfection, envy, image, balance, control, emotions, and limits.

Both Deborah and Saundra have copies of their book to giveaway - leave a comment {HERE} (with your email address) for a chance to win one. Two winners (one for each book) will be selected next week and notified next week via email.

More about Deborah: Deborah Smith Pegues is a dynamic, high-energy motivational speaker, CPA, and certifiedbehavior specialist who delivers sage advice on gaining relational, financial, and emotional freedom. Her books include 30 Days to Taming Your Tongue, 30 Days to Taming Your Finances, 30 Days to Taming Your Stress, Confronting Without Offending, and more. Her advice has appeared in several national magazines. Pegues has also made radio and television appearances on shows produced by FamilyNet, Salem Radio Network, Moody Broadcasting Network, and more.

For more about Deborah and her other books, visit http://www.confrontingissues.com.

More about 30 Days to Taming Your Fears: Deborah Smith Pegues, behavioral specialist and bestselling author of 30 days to Taming Your Tongue (more than 500,000 copies sold), sheds light on rational and irrational fears and offers readers a path of hope and assurance.

With her trademark clarity and practical wisdom, Deborah addresses spiritual, relational, physical safety, financial, and emotional fears with godly principles and straightforward helps. Each step of the way, she gives readers power over fear by helping them understand:

the foundation of their fears
God’s perspective on their specific anxiety, fear, or phobia
how to respond to fear triggers with information, awareness, and confidence
ways to embrace healthy fears and to resist unhealthy ones
how neutralizing their fears maximizes their life

This will be an invaluable resource for anyone walking the minefield of constant apprehensions who is ready to exchange fear for the peace which passes all understanding.

More about Saundra: Saundra Dalton-Smith is a physician, teacher, wife, and mother who is passionate about helping women overcome the mental barriers that prevent them from living free in Christ. She combines the knowledge and compassion of her medical training with biblical principles to offer those bound by insecurity, anxiety, fear, and doubt a prescription for living free. To learn more about Saundra visit www.setfreetolivefreebook.com. Read more at http://www.drdaltonsmith.com/about.aspx.

More about Set Free to Live Free: A Physician Shows How Our Physical Health Is Impacted By Spiritual and MentalChoices

Discover the seven lies women believe about themselves and how they can overcome them

Author Saundra Dalton-Smith, a practicing physician, shows women how to break free from fear, insecurity, and other lies they tell themselves into a life of health and balance in Set Free to Live Free (ISBN: 978-0-8007-1993-7, May 2011, $12.99). Smith shares with readers how one patient reshaped her practice and approach to medicine. One day, a patient entered her office, and as Smith listened, she recognized she would need to work closely with this patient if she was to get better. She could not simply offer the latest medications, but would instead need to walk with the patient and help her become free from the lies that had impacted her physical health. Readers will journey with this patient and others as Smith shares how their triumphs became her motivation to see others free.

Imagine life with unlimited possibility, where fear, misconceptions, and insecurities don't have the power to rob us of our potential or our dreams. Many women have trouble seeing this vision, because they are bound by mental ties that keep them from living free. In Set Free to Live Free, Smith will show women how to break free from seven mental ties that hold them back: perfection, envy, image, balance, control, emotions, and limits. She encourages women to embrace spontaneity, be transparent, nurture their bodies, and cultivate a balanced life through compassionate and inspirational writing.

A study guide is provided at the end of the book outlining each chapter with discussion questions.

Catchin' Up

2012-01-11T08:39:00.000-08:00

Hi there!

Sorry it's been so quiet on the blog front lately...my dad's passing has taken a lot of the "whoosh" factor out of life.

And what energy I do have is going to "The Keeper." It's just released and is getting some very strategic thumbs up. Over 50 reviews already on Amazon!

Litfuse Publicity is doing a wonderful blog tour for "The Keeper," including an iPad contest (yahoo!), prizes and giveaways. You can join in the fun by clicking here. And mark your calendar for the Facebook party on Tuesday, Jan. 17th, 8pm EST. If you haven't been to a Facebook party before, give it a try! It's a lot of fun. I'll be there!

Today, I'm blogging over at Novel Rocket. I wrote a piece about the purpose of waiting in a writer's life (in anybody's life!). Pop over and check it out!

Last thing, I'm sending out a newsy newsletter later this week and would love to include you. You can sign up here.

Happy Wednesday!

Thursday on Amish Wisdom: A Dozen Ways to Make 2012 Matter with @LisaWingate and @JudyChristie

2012-01-04T07:30:00.000-08:00

Tune in on Thursday at 4:00 pm Central! To listen in - go here and just click on the player in the top right corner.

Start the year out right with this week's Amish Wisdom. Authos Lisa Wingate and Judy Christie will be chatting about how to make changes this year ... changes that matter.

For a chance to win a copy of both Lisa's and Judy's books, leave a comment {HERE}. Winner will be announced next week via email.

More about Lisa: Lisa Wingate is an award-winning journalist, magazine columnist, popular inspirational speaker andanational bestselling author. Lisa is one of a select group of authors to find success in both the Christian and general markets in mainstream fiction. Her works have been featured by the National Reader's Club of America, AOL Book Picks, Doubleday Book Club, the Literary Guild, American Profiles, Crossings Book Club, Women’s World Magazine, Family Circle Magazine, and have been short-listed for various awards, including the American Christian Fiction Writer’s Book of the Year Award, which her book Never Say Never won in 2011. Lisa also spends time on the road as a motivational speaker. Via internet, she shares with readers as far away as India, where her book, Tending Roses, has been used to promote women's literacy, and as close to home as Tulsa, Oklahoma, where the county library system has used Tending Roses to help volunteers teach adults to read. Recently, the group Americans for More Civility, a kindness watchdog organization, selected Lisa for the National Civies Award, which celebrates public figures who work to promote greater kindness and civility in American life. www.lisawingate.com.

More about Blue Moon Bay: Heather Hampton returns to Moses Lake, Texas, to help facilitate the sale of a family farm as part of a planned industrial plant that will provide the area with much-needed jobs. Heather's future fiance has brokered the deal, and Heather is in line to do her first large-scale architectural design--if the deal goes through.

But the currents of Moses Lake have a way of taking visitors on unexpected journeys. What was intended to be a quick trip suddenly morphs into Valentine's week--with her old high school crush, Blaine Underhill, the handsome banker who just happens to be opposing Heather's project. Spending the holiday in an ex-funeral parlor seems like a nightmare, but as Heather connects with Blaine and reconnects with her uncle's aging Mennonite housekeeper, Ruth, she slowly finds herself being drawn into the family and the lakeside hometown she thought she'd left behind for good.

More about Judy: Judy Christie is an author and consultant who lives in Northwest Louisiana.
She writes inspirational fiction and nonfiction. Her popular Green series chronicles the goings-on in the small Louisiana town of Green and is part of Abingdon Press’s new inspirational fiction line.

Judy is also the author of the popular Hurry Less, Worry Less nonfiction series, published by Abingdon Press.

Wreath, published in October 2011, is Judy’s first young adult book. Look for it and a free download on her books page!

Judy was a journalist for many years and is a frequent speaker at retreats and workshops. She works with clients around the country on how to slow down and enjoy each day more and how to set and meet goals. www.judychristie.com

More about Hurry Less, Worry Less: Live a More Meaningful and Joyful Life
Hectic. Rushed. Noisy. Exhausted. We live in a world where we know these words all too well. Is it even possible to live at a slower pace?

Judy Christie assures us that, with God’s help, it is possible to learn to live with less hurry and worry, to recover the joy of living. Hurry Less, Worry Less offers practical ideas and strategies to help you begin your own path toward change.

Crucial steps include:
Determining what your ideal life would look like
Creating a new road map for your life
Letting go of your worries and trusting in God
Cutting down on the “noise” in your life and listening for guidance
Discovering God’s will for your life
Making a commitment to persist in your journey

My Last Conversation with Dad

2012-01-03T12:07:00.000-08:00

By now, most of you know that my dad passed away on the morning of January 1st, 2012.

Another friend, whose mother passed away this last summer from Alzheimer's, wrote that he believed his mother was singing away in Heaven, and now she remembered all the words.

My friend Deb wrote that the thing about Alzheimer's was that you lose a parent twice--first to the disease, second to the grave.

All so true.

When I told my friend Kim, her first response was: "The first blessing of the new year. Your dad is HOME."

I am so grateful for my dad, for so many reasons. And grateful to God that Dad is released from a ravaging illness that had cost him so much. Grateful that I will see him again, fully restored. "First off, you must not carry on over them like people who have nothing to look forward to, as if the grave were the last word. Since Jesus died and broke loose from the grave, God will most certainly bring back to life those who died in Jesus"(1 Thessalonians 4:13, the Message).

So, Dad, I'm looking forward to our next conversation. I love you!

"Good Morning" from God

2012-01-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

“Good Morning”
From God

I am the Lord your God.

Today I will be handling all of your problems. Please remember that I do not need your help.

If the devil happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, DO NOT attempt to resolve it. Kindly put it in the SFJTD (Something for Jesus to Do) box. It will be addressed in MY time, not yours.

Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold on to it or attempt to remove it. Holding on or removal will delay the resolution of your problem.

If it is a situation that you think you are capable of handling, please consult me in prayer to be sure that it is the proper resolution.

Because I do not sleep nor do I slumber, there is no need for you to lose any sleep. Rest, my child.
If you need to contact me, I am only a prayer away.

Love Eternally,
The Lord your God

P.S. Please pass this on to all my other kids.

Thursday on Amish Wisdom: Marlene Miller

2011-12-28T08:31:00.000-08:00

Tune in on Thursday at 4:00 pm Central! To listen in - go here and just click on the player in the top right corner.

I hope you are enjoying time with friends and family this week. I sure am! This week's show is an encore presentation of an interview with Marlene from earlier this year. Marlene is an Old Order Amish woman who has published an eBook, Grace Leads Me Home. The book is Marlene's memoirs of her life and a true delight to read. Don't miss this show.

More about Marlene: Marlene C. Miller has been a member of the Old Order Amish Church for 44 years and lives with her husband of 48 years on their farm in eastern Ohio, surrounded by her 9 loving children, 40 grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren.

More about Grace Leads Me Home: When a small-town Ohio girl met an Amish boy ice skating at the local pond, she had no idea all God had in store for her from this chance encounter. All Marlene knew was how gracefully he slid across the ice and how gently he tightened her laces. Her curious and inquisitive nature was calmed by his patient, sensible answers. With problems at home, Marlene poured herself into band, cheerleading, singing, and twirling. But the true peace she was seeking was not found until one life-changing moment with God at her kitchen sink. The inner change was reflected outwardly as she embraced the Amish way of life. Her heart found its home in this closely-knit community. With only her love of her husband, a love of animals, and her desire to learn, Marlene joined her husband in farming the beautiful rolling hills of Ohio and raising a large, active family. She soon found that a life of faith is not alsways full of mountain-top experiences. But through the joys and successes, the hardships and anguish to come, Marlene held tight to God, trusting His grace to lead her home.

Purchase a copy here.

The Best and the Hardest Christmas

2011-12-26T11:51:00.000-08:00

Isn't it strange how life can be both exquisitely sweet and bitterly painful at the very same time? Maybe that's where the word bittersweet originated.

Knowing that this will (most likely) be my father's last Christmas on earth made the day especially poignant. The songs at church on Christmas Eve touched me in a different way--hearing the words about angels and our Heavenly home, viewing the birth of our Savior from the eyes of Eternity--they will never seem like simple Christmas carols again.

We spent a wonderful time together as a family yesterday--opening gifts, having our traditional breakfast meal. There was even time for a long walk in the afternoon sunshine. Late in the day we visited Dad at the facility, and friends, I have to tell you, it was gut wrenching. I can't even describe how sad it was--the terrible quality of his life right now is just...heartbreaking. (Don't misunderstand--he's well cared for and he's well loved.) But he can't talk, can't recognize anyone, can't sit up in a chair, can't feed himself...well, you get the picture. It was the first time I really felt the suffering of Alzheimer's disease. Suffering for him, suffering for the rest of us. Such a hard, hard thing to bear.

Afterwards, we had dinner at my brother's home and played a fun game--such a tonic. Good food, loving family, lots of laughter.

Then we came home to receive a phone call that my uncle had passed away (my dad's college roommate. Dad had brought Uncle Tom home for a holiday and introduced him to his sister. Magic happened!). Uncle Tom's passing wasn't a surprise--he had been very ill.

I'm praying the Lord will take Dad "Home" soon, to be reunited with those he loved who had passed before him. "Precious in His sight is the Homecoming of His saints" (Psalm 116:15).

It's hard to know why my dad has had to face a slow death via AD, but I do know that God is with him, right alongside him in the midst of this long road Home. "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:20).

Emmanuel. God is with us. Amen and amen!

12 Pearls of Christmas | Jesus -- The Reason For the Season

2011-12-25T05:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!

Merry Christmas from all of us at Pearl Girls™! We hope you enjoyed these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from the authors who were so kind to donate their time and talents! If you missed a few posts, I hope you'll be able go back through and read them on this blog over the next few days. If you'd like to keep up with Pearl Girls and our new book project, Mother of Pearl, coming this spring, just click this link and sign up for our newsletter (lower left sidebar).

Also, just a reminder that today is the last day for the pearl necklace and earrings giveaway! Enter now by filling out this {form}. The winner will on 1/1 at the Pearl Girls blog.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

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Jesus -- The Reason For the Season
By: Rachel Hauck

Through the narrow scope of 2000 years, Mary, the mother of Jesus, appears to be one lucky woman. Chosen by God to give birth to His son, the Savior of the world? All right, Mary, way to go.

“Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you,” Gabriel said.

How many of us would like a declaration like that? Highly favored. The Lord is with you. But Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

The angel told her, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Mary’s seems confident and resolved when she responds, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”

She’d just been told the Holy Spirit will come upon her, that God’s power will overshadow her, that she’d become with child even though she wasn’t married, and she said, “I’m the Lord’s servant. Let your words be true.”

I find this amazing! A young woman. Ancient Bethlehem. Unwed mother. They stoned women for such things in her day. But Mary believed in God. And submitted to His will. He gave her the Holy Spirit – the same Holy Spirit given to us. If He gave her confidence, He will give us confidence. Even though, like Mary, our situation seems impossible.

Listen to Mary’s song later on in the first chapter of Luke.

“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me Holy is his name…”

Conceiving a child out of wedlock, by Divine intervention. Not a girl’s every day existence. Yet she had a Yes in her heart to God. She rejoiced. She boldly said, “Generations will remember me!”

How we struggle to trust God with our children. Our finances. Our emotional well-being. We worry. We fret. And wonder why we have no peace.

Christmas is the season where words like joy, peace and love are bantered around like Christmas candy. Let’s not take them as just words, but as truth. Let’s be like Mary and embrace God’s favor on our lives. Boldly declare "He’s done great things for me!”

Out of the grit of our own souls, we can reach His heart, and feel Him reaching for ours. No matter the pain of our past, present or future, God is there for us. He is able. Best of all, He is willing. “My soul glorifies the Lord this Christmas!”

***

Rachel Hauck is an award winning, best selling author who believes God has done great things for her. She lives in Central Florida with her husband and ornery pets. Her next release is Love Lifted Me with multi-platinum country artist Sara Evans, January 2012. Then in April, look for The Wedding Dress. www.rachelhauck.com.

12 Pearls of Christmas | The Panhandler's Breath

2011-12-24T05:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!

Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.

AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form} and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

***

The Panhandler's Breath
By Robin Dance

He slipped in sideways between the closing elevator doors, as if he were late to a meeting; he pressed the "5" without looking. Instead of suit and tie, though, baggy pants and faded navy hung on his tall, slim frame...and his stealth entry stiffened the hairs on the back of my neck.

I had noticed him a few seconds earlier, just after we had parted a sea of clamorous teens. He was smiling, grandfatherly, standing maybe 30 feet away where the electric shuttle picks up.

I had no idea he had been watching us, studying us, predator patiently awaiting his next prey.

The four of us were sealed in a four- by six-foot metal tomb. Tomb--that thought really scampered across my mind. I wondered if he had a knife in his pocket. I wanted to protect my son. Fight or flight pumped adrenaline but there was no where to run.

Extreme and ridiculous, these thoughts - and more - flashed through my mind. The Stranger began speaking.

"Yessir, I see you're a family man with your wife and your son here..." and he nodded in my and my son’s direction.

"...you see I'm homeless and all I've got..." and on queue, he reached into his left pocket and pulled out two old pennies blackened with age. Two cents to his name?! It was all too contrived, too practiced, and I didn't believe a word he was saying.

It was then I smelled it ~ the small space lent itself to that ~ and I doubted my doubt.

His breath.

It wasn't the scent of alcohol. His eyes weren't red, his voice didn't waver; his wizened face matched his graying hair.

His breath was morning's, zoo breath, the pet name I'd given to the scent inhaled when kissing my children awake when they were little.

He needed to brush his teeth. I wondered how long it had been since he brushed his teeth.

The elevator door opened and I handed him my leftover pizza as my son and I brushed past him. My husband handed him a bill and the Stranger thanked and God blessed him.

The elevator door closed behind us. Conflicted, I was relieved.

We got in the car and blurted first reaction--

"I didn't believe a word he said."

"That made me nervous."

"I wonder if he'll really eat the pizza."

In the quiet, we were left to our own thoughts, contemplating the right thing to do. At the end of the day, this is what I decided: It doesn't matter whether or not his story is true; for an old man to resort to begging, he has to be desperate. The money my husband gave him will never be missed. It was a reminder we've been entrusted with much and given much. Materially, yes, but more so spiritually. Loved, chosen, forgiven, redeemed, graced, lavished--every spiritual blessing. E v e r y.

There's a part of me that wishes I would have been brave enough to ask the man his story, made sure he knew he was loved...and bought him a tooth brush.

Later, it occurred to me he could have been an angel. Doesn’t that mean generosity, kindness and hospitality is always the right response? Then it's not about you or the stranger or the circumstance, it's about a simple, God-glorifying response.

Had we entertained an angel unaware? We'll never know.

But it wouldn't be the first time the Breath of Heaven smelled like a zoo.

***

In a decades-old, scandalous affair with her husband, Robin also confesses mad crushes on her three teens. As Southern as sugar-shocked tea, she’s a recovering people pleaser who advocates talking to strangers. A memoirist, Compassion International Blogger, and Maker-upper of words, Robin writes for her own site, PENSIEVE, and also for (in)courage by DaySpring (a subsidiary of Hallmark) and Simple Mom. She loves to get to know readers through their blog comments and on Twitter and Pinterest. www.pensieve.me

12 Pearls of Christmas | Inside Out Christmas

2011-12-23T05:00:00.000-08:00

***

Inside Out Christmas
by Debora M. Coty

My veterinarian friend, Dr. Katie, tells the story about the December when a woman brought a very sick black lab into her clinic. The dog was only ten months old, so she was really just a big puppy, but she’d been vomiting incessantly and her worried owner didn’t know what was wrong.

“Why don’t you go on home?” Dr. Katie told the owner. “I’ll need to run tests for about four hours. We’ll give you a call when we’re finished.”

Dr. Katie’s assistant took x-rays and hung them on the light panel for Dr. Katie to examine. Hmm. Something looked a little peculiar. Dr. Katie called her assistant over.

“Is it just me, or does that look like a … a camel to you?” she asked incredulously.

“Matter of fact, it does,” replied the astute assistant. “And look, there’s an angel here, a shepherd there, and down there in the colon, it’s Baby Jesus!”

At that moment the phone rang. It was the dog’s distraught owner. “I can’t believe this! I just got home and glanced at the coffee table where I put my manger scene yesterday. There’s nothing there but an empty stable!”

As I thought about this quite literal technique for internalizing the true meaning of Christmas, it occurred to me that sometimes I have the opposite problem. With all the bustling busyness, my inner joy in celebration of my savior’s birth never really makes it to the outside.

Oh, I have plenty of glittery, festive evidences of the holiday in decorations, baking galore, and gifts under my tree. But those things are for show. They’re merely the pretty wrappings, not the gift itself.

Can people really see the core-deep joy that radiates within me when I think of the true gift that Papa God sent the world in his son, Jesus? Is my immeasurable gratitude for eternal life evident as I dash through this hectic season?

I’m afraid all too often, the answer is no.

I’m just too preoccupied to allow my outside to reflect my inside so that nonbelievers recognize that I rejoice because of the hope that is within me. My joy is obscured by the mounds of clutter. Gratefulness is sucked out of my soul by the vacuum called urgency.

“But let the godly rejoice. Let them be glad in God’s presence. Let them be filled with joy” (Psalm 68:3, NLT).

This verse has become my prayer this Christmas season – that I would make the time to give priority to rejoicing, being glad in God’s presence, and letting my inner joy show for those who may be silently desperate to know the giver of true joy.

Yep, there’s a better way to internalize the gift of Christmas than the black lab technique. We can lodge the Little Lord Jesus in our hearts rather than our colons.

***

Debora M. Coty is a humorist, inspirational speaker, and award-winning author of twelve books, including Too Blessed to be Stressed, and coming in March, More Beauty, Less Beast: Transforming Your Inner Ogre. Debora would love to swap Christmas hugs with you at www.DeboraCoty.com.

12 Pearls of Christmas | Simple or Sparkle?

2011-12-22T05:00:00.000-08:00

***

Simple or Sparkle?
by Tracey Eyster

It’s a simple ornament made of thin cheap metal and it looks quite out of place on our CHRISTmas tree. But each year I lovingly and safely nestle it amongst its expensive and sparkly peers, without a care as to how unglamorous it appears.

Many of our CHRISTmas ornaments have a story and an uncanny way of welling up emotion in me, but this certain one causes an intense stir.

You see the ornament is engraved with the name of my grandmother, Sara, and was given to me by my mother, who ordered it from Hospice, after Grandmama’s death. Yes, the months leading up to her death carry memories of a frail and failing grandmama, but that ornament carries my thoughts to sweet CHRISTmas memories of the past.

CHRISTmas Eve dinners in her home, laughing, singing, gathering and celebrating a year filled with blessings as we remembered the birth of our Savior. CHRISTmas mornings, she was always there participating with glee, in our raucous CHRISTmas happiness. Her gifts were always bank envelopes gently tucked into the pine needles of our CHRISTmas tree, fresh cut from the property she grew up on.

All memories of my Grandmama make my heart swell. You see she was my Jesus with skin on. She lived her life full of joy, serving others and approached life selflessly with an attitude of, “What can I do for you?”

Just months before she left us, even as the Alzheimer’s was robbing her mind she shared her love of Jesus with a sweet little old lady friend, who came to know the Lord – a divine appointment. The very next day that little old lady silently slipped away to meet in person the One Sara introduced her to just the day before.

At the time I wept, realizing that regardless of our own frailties and failings, God can still use those of us who are willing to do His work and are well practiced at hearing His voice...no matter our lack of sparkle in comparison to others.

A simple life lived for Him, a simple ornament in memory of Sara...a simple truth for you to ponder.

***

Tracey Eyster wife, mom, relationship gatherer and Creator/Editor of FamilyLife’s MomLife Today is a media savvy mom making a difference where moms are, on-line. Through speaking, writing and video interviews Tracey is passionate about encouraging, equipping and advising moms on every facet of momlife. Her first book, Be The Mom will be released August 2012. You can connect with Tracey at www.momlifetoday.com, her personal site www.traceyster.com or www.twitter/momblog.com.

Thursday on Amish Wisdom: Amish Cooking with Georgia Varozza

2011-12-21T12:00:00.000-08:00

Tune in on Thursday at 4:00 pm Central! To listen in - go here and just click on the player in the top right corner.

If you like to eat - don't miss this week's show. Georgia Varozza will be joining me for a lively (and delicious) discussion about Amish Cooking! Yum.

You'll have a chance to win Georgia's cook book. Leave a comment {HERE} for your chance to win. Winner will be notified next week via email.

More about Georgia Varozza:

Georgia Varozza, the author and general editor of The Homestyle Amish Kitchen Cookbook, has worked in the publishing field for more than 20 years as a journalist, editor, and writer. As a certified Master Food Preserver, she has taught many people in her community how to safely preserve their family's foods. Georgia's family comes from a Plain background, and many of the recipes she shares are family favorites.

About her cookbook: The Homestyle Amish Kitchen Cookbook: Plainly Delicious Recipes from the Simple Life
Just about everyone is fascinated by the Amish—their simple, family-centered lifestyle, colorful quilts, and hearty, homemade meals. Straight from the heart of Amish country, this celebration of hearth and home will delight readers with the pleasures of the family table as they take a peek at the Amish way of life—a life filled with the self-reliance and peace of mind that many of us long for.

Readers will appreciate the scores of tasty, easy-to-prepare recipes such as Scrapple, Graham “Nuts” Cereal, Potato Rivvel Soup, Amish Dressing, and Snitz Pie. At the same time they’ll learn a bit about the Amish, savor interesting tidbits from the “Amish Kitchen Wisdom” sections, find out just how much food it takes to feed the large number of folks attending preaching services, barn raisings, weddings, and work frolics, and much more.

The Homestyle Amish Kitchen Cookbook is filled with good, old-fashioned family meal ideas to help bring the simple life home!

Winners of the Warm Winter Memories!

2011-12-21T07:00:00.000-08:00

First off I want to say thank you so much for sharing your beautiful winter memories with me! I really enjoyed reading each and every one of them. You made it so hard for me to choose just one so I decided to choose four winners for the Warm Winter Memories Giveaway!!

Congratulations to:

Melanie said...

I remember getting up early one Christmas morning when I first started living alone after my divorce. It was a cold, but sunny morning and I decided to take myself for a walk around the neighborhood to keep from feeling lonely. Being Christmas, most of the neighborhood left their lighted displays on and from within houses I could hear kids laughing and having a good time. From some houses I could smell breakfast being made and the smell of woodsmoke from the many fireplaces being lit. It was a calming, beautiful time and I realized I was going to be ok alone through the winter.

Heather! said...

When I was a teenager there was a bad storm one year. It happened right before Christmas, on the 23rd of December. Several inches of snow fell, ice formed and power lines went down for miles around. It was obviously a VERY inconvenient time for such an event, but what could we do? The only way my family had to keep warm was to build a fire in our woodburner, which was downstairs in our basement-cum-family room. Since that was the warmest place in the house, we all slept down there that night, and to keep boredom at bay we played games until it was time to sleep. We spent the whole night in sleeping bags, warmed by the fire, giggling and playing and having a great time--something a teenager doesn't often appreciate with her family. It is one of the best family memories I have!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Lynn K. said...

My favorite winter memory happened in the winter on 1985. My beautiful daughter Kelly was 4 1/2 years old; she had been struggling to learn to walk (she has Downs Syndrome - many people with that have low muscle tone). The therapists at her school had been working very hard with her to help her walk. One day, just before the Christmas break, Kelly actually started walking down the hallway. Word spread throughout the school & the teachers & staff throughout the school threw their doors open to watch & cheer her on. I wasn't actually there to see the very first steps she took all on her own, but every time I think of all the dedicated teachers & therapists cheering her on, it gives me goosebumps. Kelly learning to walk at that time of year, was truly the best gift I ever could have received.

Virginia said...

As a school girl, a California winter meant being taken out of school on a Wednesday to make one-day ski trips with Mom, Dad, and my sister. One year, my parents shared a rental ski cabin for a week with another family – an extravagance for us. Before we arrived, a recent storm had dropped over four feet of snow making the Sierras look like a postcard wonderland. Little did we know the true implications of such beauty. We barely found the cabin hiding behind snow drifts. My mom wanted to turn back. My dad and I coaxed her to wait in the car with my little sister as we put on our skis to pack down a path in the snow. “We can do this Mom. Dad and I can make a path to the cabin.” What was magical from a distance proved to create a frustrating effort of falling, sinking, lifting, and flailing of legs and skis. Dad and I worked as a team, each encouraging the other when the snow seemed to overcome us. We spent almost two hours to make a narrow path of about fifty feet. The rest of the week of skiing in perfect Sierra powder is a blur in my memory now. It's working with Dad to create that path for our family that endures. Now that he is 84, those opportunities to work together are fewer, but the bonding memories are stronger.

Congratulations again! Please e-mail your address to Christen and we'll get your prizes out to you!

May you have a very Merry Christmas this year!

12 Pearls of Christmas | Enjoy the Ride!

2011-12-21T05:00:00.000-08:00

***

Enjoy the Ride!
Susan May Warren

We sit poised on the top of a cliff, a near drop off before us, that falls to a rushing river. In the middle, a bridge of snow and ice hints at our destination. My husband guns the snowmobile engine. “Ready?”

Ready? For a face plant into a tree, maybe reconstructive surgery? To feel my stomach ripped from my body as we plummet down the mountain? Let’s do it!

We live on five acres of woods in northern Minnesota that butts up to a national forest. Hence, our backyard is about a hundred thousand acres. Aside from harboring deer, lynx, fox, cougar and bear, it also makes excellent snowmobile terrain. And not long ago, Mrs. Claus gave her Santa a snowmobile for two.

I love snowmobiling. Flying over the snow, catching air over drifts. I love to drive, to be at the helm of the beast as I weave around trees and over hill and dale, my husband sitting behind me. I also love riding behind my husband as he drives, feeling those powerful arms as he’s muscling the snowmobile into the wilds. We follow unknown trails, driven by a Magellan spirit, hoping that we have enough gas to get us back to civilization. I love hanging on, simply trusting him, knowing that wherever he’s taking me, he’s going first.

But there are times, when I see where he’s taking me, and I just have to bury my head in his back. Like straight down a cliff.

However, my heart cheers, despite the terror as we gun it down the hill, over the river, up the opposite side. And, if we hadn’t let ourselves go, we would have never discovered the beauty of a winter river, a hidden jewel buried deep in the forest. Nor the exhilaration of facing the challenge together.

Further on, we find an enchanted forest of towering white pine. Catch a view of Lake Superior, discover an old cabin in the woods.

It occurs to me that snowmobiling is much like my spiritual life. Occasionally, I drive, and it’s me setting our course, weaving through the trees, getting us hopelessly lost. But when God takes the “wheel” and I hang on, trusting Him for the speed and destination, I see the scenery. I trust him to keep me safe. I trust him to bring me home, where there is an eternal supply of hot chocolate.

As Christmas season becomes more hectic, what if I let God drive? Maybe everything doesn’t have to be perfect, and maybe I don’t have to control every tradition, every holiday nuance. What if I just held on for the ride?

I’ll bet I’ll still get there, and I might even enjoy the scenery along the way.

How have you let go, and “enjoyed” the scenery of this hectic, exhilarating Christmas season?

Merry Christmas!

***

Susan May Warren is the RITA award-winning author of thirty novels with Tyndale, Barbour, Steeple Hill and Summerside Press. A four-time Christy award finalist, a two-time RITA Finalist, she’s also a multi-winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice award, and the ACFW Carol Award. A seasoned women’s events speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!. She is also the founder of www.MyBookTherapy.com, a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice.

12 Pearls of Christmas | Family Traditions: A Glimpse into Christmas Future

2011-12-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!

Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.

AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form} and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

***

Family Traditions: A Glimpse into Christmas Future
by Tricia Goyer

Have you ever thought about family traditions? As I helped my 1-year-old place ornaments on the Christmas tree this year I imagined her doing the same thing with her children—and maybe even grandchildren—one day. Traditions are beliefs and customs handed down through generations. By sharing meaningful moments with your kids you're sending yourself into the future. How amazing is that?

Sharing family traditions cause us to slow down from the busy, adult world for a while. We ignore the laundry to set out the nativity set with our kids. We set aside time in our schedules to drive around and look at Christmas lights.

Holiday traditions aren't only fun, they also help strength family bonds. Through traditions kids trust in the security of family unit. They think, “This is our family and this is what I do.” Of course, the most important thing to share isn't just what we do ... but why. Why do we put out a nativity? To remind us the real meaning of the season—Jesus coming to earth. What do the Christmas lights represent displayed on homes and on trees? They represent the Light of the World, Jesus.

Using traditions to bond our families and share our faith isn't new. I love these two Scriptures that talk about that very thing.

Exodus 12:25 says, “When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony.”

Psalm 78:4 says, “We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.”

What are you're traditions? Here are a few of ours:
Baking a Birthday cake for Jesus
Buying a new ornament every year for each child
Acting out the Christmas story (with props!)
Praying together before opening presents

What are your traditions? Write a list and appreciate them in a new way this year. Then ask, “If I could add one new tradition this holiday season, what would it be?” I'd love to hear what you choose! It also makes me smile to think of your children's grandchildren doing the same.

***

Tricia Goyer is a CBA best-selling author and the winner of two American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year Awards (Night Song and Dawn of a Thousand Nights). She co-wrote 3:16 Teen Edition with Max Lucado and contributed to the Women of Faith Study Bible. Also a noted marriage and parenting writer, she lives with her husband and children in Arkansas. www.triciagoyer.com

12 Pearls of Christmas | Let The Baby Grow Up This Christmas

2011-12-19T05:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!

Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.

AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form} and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

***

Let The Baby Grow Up This Christmas
By Shellie Tomlinson

When I was a little girl, Christmas seemed to take forever to make its way back to our little house on the end of a dirt road called Bull Run in northeast Louisiana. We kids started counting down the days before the leaves ever began turning. Sure, the adults said it came once a year but I wasn't so sure. Once Santa Claus left our humble abode it seemed like light years before he found his way back to the Delta.

That was a child's perspective. I imagine it hasn't changed all that much for today's kids. On the other hand, I'm operating under a completely different time frame these days. It seems like it was just yesterday when I pulled the boxes down from the attic and began pulling out the nativity scene, the miniature lights, and the keepsake ornaments. And now, just that fast-- Christmas Day is right around the corner. Soon the tree will be striped naked and the piled up presents will all be distributed. After a few more day it'll be hard to remember who got what from whom, and once again, I'll start packing all the decorations away for another year.

I was thinking about how bare and cold the house always looks after the holidays when I realized that, sadly, this scene would play itself out in many hearts as well. A lot of people will have had expectations that weren't filled and many of those same souls will be left with hurts that don't seem to heal. Unless this year is remarkably different from past seasons, my bet is, the New Year will bring magazines full of articles on combating depression and the talk shows will have experts on offering ways to fill the long days ahead and cure the winter blues.

I'm no expert, dear readers, but I'd like to offer you a suggestion that will go far beyond the creature comforts of a nice warm bath or a delicious bowl of hot soup. Your heart doesn't have to be bare and naked after the holidays. Do you want to know the real secret? It's simple, really. Don't pack up Christ with Christmas! As beautiful and special as the Christmas story is, it's only a part of heaven's miracle. The Christ child grew into a man and the man became a Savior.

This year, may we be determined to let the babe from Bethlehem live on in our hearts. If we'll allow Him to become the Messiah He was born to be, the joy of Christmas can be ours all year long.

***

Shellie Rushing Tomlinson is an author, speaker, and radio host from Louisiana. Her latest release Sue Ellen's Girl Ain't Fat, She Just Weighs Heavy was endorsed by Jeff Foxworthy as "laugh out loud funny!" You can find Shellie's weekly southern features, podcasts, video chats and more at http://www.allthingssouthern.com/ Make sure to get by the blog and read about the Super Christmas Giveaway Shellie is hosting for her readers and secure your chance to win a Mort Kunstler print valued between $700 and $1400. www.allthingssouthern.com

12 Pearls of Christmas | The Snowflake Party

2011-12-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!

Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.

AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form} and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

***

The Snowflake Party
By Deborah Raney

The first snow of winter hasn’t fallen yet, but in our kitchen tonight we’re doing a pretty good imitation. The whole family is circled around the huge old oak table. The snip, snip, snip of scissors is background music as tiny scraps of white paper float down, making our floor look like a giant brownie sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Tonight has turned out to be the night for our annual Snowflake Party, a tradition that began when our children were toddlers. There has never been a date blocked out in red on our calendar, but one day we wake up and the brisk autumn air has turned bitter cold. Naked tree branches trace their stark calligraphy on a dull grey sky and we need a taste of the joyful promises of Christmas and snow. It’s the perfect time for a party.

On such a day, one of the kids will fly in the back door, fresh home from school, and declare “Hey, Mom! Tonight would be a good night for the Snowflake Party!” First we round up every pair of scissors in the house. This is one time when sharing is not a virtue. While the kids search for scissors, I cut white paper into squares and fold them caddy-corner multiple times. The resulting triangles are artfully arranged in a basket, awaiting the beginning of the party.

Later, while the supper dishes dry on the counter, I recruit a volunteer to help me stir up a big pot of hot cocoa. For the next hour it will warm on the back burner, tantalizing us with its aroma.

Now the fun begins with careful cutting and snipping, shaping plain white paper into intricate works of art. Each snowflake we create seems as unique and spectacular as the genuine variety created by God himself. As each masterpiece is unfolded, collective oohs and aahs go up.

When the last dregs of our creative juices are drained, Dad oversees the vacuum patrol while I pour cocoa into generous mugs. We spread our handiwork on the floor around us and sit, quietly admiring our work while we dunk marshmallows and sip rich chocolate.

With empty mugs piled up in the sink, it’s time for the judging to begin. There will be awards for ‘prettiest’, ‘most unusual’, and as many other categories as we need for everyone to be a winner. Dad is the judge because he studied art in college. He also usually wins one of the top prizes––because he studied art in college.

Snowflakes deemed runners-up might be pasted in scrapbooks or hung on the refrigerator. A few even “melt” into the trash that very night. But the winners are taped proudly to the picture windows in the living room for passersby to enjoy while they long for the day when genuine snowflakes will color the world clean and white.

Our oldest daughter went away to college last September. She called just after Thanksgiving to tell me that her dorm window was covered with snowflakes. No, not the real thing, but the ones she remembers from her childhood––paper ones that she spent an entire evening cutting and snipping while sipping hot cocoa.

That’s the neat thing about traditions: They go with us no matter how far from home we travel.

***

DEBORAH RANEY's first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title. Her books have since won the RITA Award, ACFW Carol Award, HOLT Medallion, National Readers' Choice Award, Silver Angel, and have twice been Christy Award finalists. After All, third in her Hanover Falls Novels series will release next spring from Howard/Simon & Schuster. Deb and her husband, Ken Raney, enjoy small-town life in Kansas. Their four children are grown now and having snowflake parties with their own children––and they all live much too far away. Visit Deb on the web at www.deborahraney.com.

12 Pearls of Christmas | Why I Decorate for Christmas

2011-12-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas

Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.

AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form} and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

***

Why I Decorate for Christmas
By Elizabeth Goldsmith Musser

An old cassette tape of Christmas carols—received in a package twenty years ago when we had first arrived in France as missionaries—fills our den with delightful piano music as I place one more ornament on the already over-laden Christmas tree. This one is a little white wooden rabbit with pink ears that move back and forth. It actually doesn’t look much like a Christmas ornament, but I bought it for our baby Andrew when my husband Paul was in seminary, and I was working for less than minimum wage in the library. This ornament was literally all I could afford.

As I hang it on the tree today, I get goose bumps and then a rush of warmth. And that’s why I decorate for Christmas. Not to impress but to remember. I remember those lean, lean years, and God’s faithful provision for us.

There are the cross-stitched ornaments I made our first year in Montpellier—for the boys (for by now we had two sons) and Paul and me. How I ever had time to do that, I don’t know. I remember our puny little tree—the kind they sold in France back then—in a pot so that it could be replanted later. We perched that tiny tree on a small table out of baby Christopher’s reach. I guess I watered it too much, because about halfway through December, it started smelling and then stinking, and it rotted there on Christmas Day!

I smile with these memories.

I look at the other ornaments on the tree. Many were purchased—one for each boy—when we attended conferences around Europe, and that makes me smile too. Getting to travel on a missionary’s budget to exotic places! There are the waxed red bear and red baby carriage from Wales, the brightly painted clay sun and moon from Portugal, the blue and white porcelain windmill and wooden shoes from Holland, the hand-blown glass Snoopys sitting on gondolas from Venice, and the delicately decorated eggs from Prague.

Other ornaments include the little pinkish shiny ball ornament with Paul’s name written in glitter—I think he made it when he was about six , and the little red velvet bows, bought at Michael’s after Christmas one year for a dollar. They bring a unifying theme to the tree. I say this, smiling, because our tree is, and has always been throughout the years, a hodge-podge of our life. And I like it that way. I don’t think I could ever have a ‘theme’ tree. Mine is a ‘memory’ tree.

The music plays softly in the background and I smile through tears, remembering God’s incredible faithfulness to call and keep us here in France for so many years. Heart-breakingly hard years, overwhelmingly joyful years—the same years, the same amazing God, our keeper.

Before we left for the mission field, I memorized Psalm 121 in English and in French, and over the years I have held on tight to those last beautiful words of the psalm: The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever. (NASB)

Of course He will. He is God with us.

We decorate to remember Christmases past, our lives, our legacy, and mostly, for those of us who have embraced Christ, we decorate to honor and praise Him for coming to us—Emmanuel! We make our homes ready to receive the Christ Child, with soft music and candles burning and the sweet flickering of angel wings on an over-laden evergreen.

***

ELIZABETH GOLDSMITH MUSSER, an Atlanta native and the bestselling author of The Swan House, is a novelist who writes what she calls ‘entertainment with a soul.’ For over twenty years, Elizabeth and her husband, Paul, have been involved in missions work with International Teams. They presently live near Lyon, France. The Mussers have two sons and a daughter-in-law. The Sweetest Thing (Bethany House, 2011) is Elizabeth’s eighth novel. To learn more about Elizabeth and her books, and to find discussion questions as well as photos of sites mentioned in the stories, please visit www.elizabethmusser.com and her Facebook Fan Page. www.elizabethmusser.com

12 Pearls of Christmas | Where is Comfort and Joy Found?

2011-12-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!

Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved writer's (Tricia Goyer, Babbie Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.

AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form} and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

***

Where is Comfort and Joy Found?
By Sandy Ralya

The year 2006 ushered unwelcome emotions into my life. My husband was unhappy in his job, two of my grown children were making poor choices, my mother-in-law was showing signs of Alzheimer’s, extended-family issues were surfacing, and I was writing a book. Things only got worse. Much worse.

Early in 2007, I was asked to represent the mentoring ministry for wives I founded, Beautiful Womanhood, and lead a women’s conference in Uganda, Africa. My husband wasn’t sure if traveling to Africa was a good idea, so we committed it to prayer. While we were listening for an answer, I sensed God asking me to fast from spending, except for groceries, for thirty days. Sometimes you know that you’ve heard God’s voice because you’d never have come up with those words on your own. This was one of those times. I’d never heard of a fast from spending. Tom needed no convincing that a fast from spending came directly from the mouth of God. He still gets excited just thinking about it!

During the fast, it became clear I had used spending as a way to gain a comfort fix. When I was spending money, I felt carefree and lighthearted. Instead of dwelling on the unpleasantness in my life, I was thinking of my purchases and how they would bring me pleasure. Not until I stopped spending did I realize how short-lived the fix really was. During the fast, when I felt the urge to spend—to anesthetize my pain—I pictured myself running into the arms of Jesus, the Great Comforter. Oh, what comfort I received!

One night, I told good friends my experience of gaining comfort through the power of the Holy Spirit rather than money. I exclaimed that I had never felt so comforted. One friend then told us about a dream he’d had shortly after hearing about the invitation from Uganda. After the dream, he had awoken and recorded the following thoughts:

“. . . this is for Sandy. Christ’s redemption of women is beautiful. Beautiful Womanhood is a result of redemptive wholeness. The visuals the ministry uses on the books, etc., are like a piece of beautifully veneered furniture. There is something going on with the ministry to the brokenness of abused women. In Uganda, there are hurting, abused women, and something is connecting their need and Beautiful Womanhood. Though there is nothing wrong with veneer, it is only the topping—the covering, and without good structure it is shallow and will not hold up. It is time to add a new depth to the ministry.”

Then these verses came to my friend’s mind:

All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of every mercy and the God who comforts us. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. You can be sure that the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 NL

When my friend was finished sharing, everyone in the room broke down in tears, praising God for His work in my life. I’d learned to listen and God had spoken. I’d obeyed, and He’d acted. When He acted, I was changed.

Needless to say, I packed my bags and experienced some of the best days of my life in Uganda—offering God’s comfort to His troubled women.

***

Sandy and her husband Tom have been married since 1980 and live near Grand Rapids, Michigan. They have three adult children and a growing number of grandchildren. When not writing and speaking, Sandy enjoys shopping at yard sales for vintage clothing, cooking, travelling, and drinking really good coffee (black is best) with her husband. For more information, contact Sandy at sandy@beautifulwomanhood.com. Subscribe to Sandy’s blog at www.beautifulwomanhood.com/blog. Find Sandy on Facebook at Beautiful Womanhood. Follow Sandy on Twitter @MentoringWives.

12 Pearls of Christmas | Advent

2011-12-15T05:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!

Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.

AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form} and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

***

AdventBy Sibella Giorello

Consider the bride's walk down the aisle. We all know where that woman in the white is going but somehow waiting for her to arrive at the altar is an essential part of the ceremony. In fact, the waiting is so essential that even cheapskate Vegas chapels include wedding marches.

Why?

Because the wait adds meaning to the moment.

At Christmas time, we tend to forget this essential truth about anticipation. We're lost to shopping malls and checklists, rushing toward December 25th so quickly that we forget the quiet joy of the month's other 24 days -- and then we wonder why we feel so empty on the 26th, amid ribbons and wrapping paper and our best intentions.

Because the wait adds meaning to the moment.

And that is why Advent is so important to Christmas.

I'm as guilty as the next harried person. This Advent was particularly tricky because just six hours before it started, I was still trying to finish a 110,000-word novel that was written over the course of the year -- written while homeschooling my kids, keeping my hubby happy, and generally making sure the house didn't fall down around us.

It's an understatement to say my free time is limited. But waiting adds meaning, and Advent is crucial to Christmas, so I've devised several Advent traditions that are simple, powerful and easy to keep even amid the seasonal rush.

When my kids outgrew the simple Advent calendars around age 7, I stole an idea from my writer friend Shelly Ngo (as T.S. Eliot said, "Mediocre writers borrow. Great writers steal." Indulge me.)

Here's how it goes: Find 24 great Christmas books, wrap them individually and place then under the tree. On the first day of Advent, take turns picking which book to open. When we did this, we would cuddle under a blanket and read aloud -- oh, the wonder, the magic! We savored "The Polar Express," howled with "How Murray Saved Christmas," and fell silent at the end of "The Tale of The Three Trees" (note: some of the picture books I chose were not explicitly about Christmas but they always echoed the message that Jesus came to earth to save us from ourselves and to love us beyond our wildest imagination. In that category, Angela Hunt's retelling of The Three Trees definitely hits the Yuletide bull's eye).

This Advent tradition lasted for about five years. It gave us rich daily discussions about the season's real meaning, without being religious or legalistic, and it increased family couch time. But like the lift-the-flap calendars, my kids outgrew the picture books.

Because the wait adds meaning, and Advent is crucial, I prayed for another way to celebrate anticipation of Christmas. By the grace of God, last year I found an enormous Advent calendar on clearance at Pottery Barn. Made of burlap, it has large pockets big enough to hold some serious bounty.

But my husband and I didn't want the kids focusing only on the materialist stuff for Advent -- we already fight that on Christmas day. We decided to fill the daily pockets with simple necessities and small gift cards. We also printed out the nativity story from Luke 2:1-21 in a large-sized font and cut each verse out. From Day 1 to Day 21, there is one verse to read aloud. The kids memorize it, then get to open their present (again, on alternating days for each person). Then we tape the verse to the wall in order. By Day 22, all the verses are on the wall, in order, and the kids now try to recite the entire nativity story from memory. That's not as difficult as it sounds because they've been memorizing one verse each day. Still, the entire recitation -- verbatim -- usually requires Day 23 and Day 24. Whoever does memorize the entire thing -- without mistakes -- earns a bonus gift of $25.

Does that sounds extravagant?

It is.

Because we want our kids to understand that God came down and humbled himself and taught us about love right before He suffered and died on behalf of the undeserving -- which is every one of us.

"That's" extravagant.

And in the waiting, we find even more meaning.

***

Sibella Giorello writes the Raleigh Harmon mystery series which won the Christy Award with its first book "The Stones Cry Out." She lives in Washington state with her husband and children, and often wishes there were 36 hours in a day.

Thursday on Amish Wisdom: Amy Clipston

2011-12-14T09:00:00.001-08:00

Tune in on Thursday at 4:00 pm Central! To listen in - go here and just click on the player in the top right corner.

This week we're welcoming Amy Clipston back to Amish Wisdom. We'll catch up on all the news, talk about her latest holiday book, Noami's Gift, and find out what Amy has in store for 2012. (Amy was supposed to be on last week's show, but there was a scheduling snafu on our end.)

For a chance to win a copy of Amy's book, leave a comment here. Winner will be notified via email next week and we'll try to get it to you before Christmas.

More about Amy: Amy Clipston is the author of the bestselling Kauffman Amish Bakery novels. She has a degree incommunications from Virginia Wesleyan College and currently works for the city of Charlotte, North Carolina. Amy lives with her husband, two sons, and four spoiled-rotten cats. Visit www.amyclipston.com.

More about Noami's Gift: Naomi's Gift re-introduces twenty-four-year-old Naomi King, who has been burned twice by love and has all but given up on marriage and children. As Christmas approaches-a time of family, faith, and hope for many others-Naomi is more certain than ever her life will be spent as an old maid, helping with the family's quilting business and taking care of her eight siblings. Then she meets Caleb, a young widower with a 7-year-old daughter, and her world is once again turned upside-down.

The Making of Naomi's Gift
My dear friend Lauran deserves the credit for this book! Lauran loved the character of Naomi King in A Promise of Hope and A Place of Peace. When I began brainstorming a concept for the book, Lauran insisted more than once that Naomi needed her own story so that she could find her true love. I’m so thankful for Lauran’s input that I dedicated the book to her.

12 Pearls of Christmas | A Christmas of Kindness

2011-12-14T05:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!

Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.

AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form} and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

***

A Christmas of Kindness
By Suzanne Woods Fisher

"You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving." Amish proverb

I do it every year.

I plan for a simpler, less stressful Christmas season and, every year, by Christmas Eve I'm exhausted! After our delicious and very-time-consuming-to-make traditional Swedish meal to honor my husband¹s relatives (think: Vikings), it's time to head to church. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but the last few Christmas Eve's, I have sent my husband and kids head off without me. The pull to spend an hour of quiet in the house feels as strong as a magnet.

It's odd. My children are young adults now. Wouldn't you think that Christmas would be simpler? Instead, it's just the opposite. Jugging schedules to share the grandbaby with the in-laws, trying to include our elderly parents at the best time of day for them, dancing carefully around recently divorced family members whose children are impacted by the shards of broken relationships.

The thing is: you can simplify your to-do list, but you can't really simplify people. We are just a complicated bunch.

Here's where I borrow a lesson about simplicity from the Amish. It's easy to get distracted with the buggies and the bonnets and the beards, but there's so much more to learn from these gentle people if you're willing to look a little deeper.

Yes, they live with less "stuff" and that does make for a simpler, less cluttered life. But it's the reason behind it that is so compelling to me: they seek to create margin in their life. Not just empty spacebut space that is available to nourish family, community, and faith. Their Christmas is far less elaborate than yours or mine, but what they do fill it with is oh so right.

Christmas comes quietly on an Amish farmhouse. There is no outward sign of the holiday as we know it: no bright decorations, no big tree in the living room corner. A few modest gifts are waiting for children at their breakfast place settings, covered by a dishtowel. Waiting first for Dad to read the story of Christ's birth from the book of Luke. Waiting until after a special breakfast has been enjoyed. Waiting until Mom and Dad give the signal that the time has come for gifts.

Later, if Christmas doesn't fall on a Sunday, extended family and friends will gather for another big meal. If time and weather permits, the late afternoon will be filled with ice skating or sledding. And more food! Always, always an abundance of good food. Faith, family, and community. That is the focus of an Amish Christmas.

And it's also how the story begins for A Lancaster County Christmas, as a young family prepares for Christmas. A winter storm blows a non-Amish couple, Jaime and C.J. Fitzpatrick, off-course and into the Riehl farmhouse. An unlikely and tentative friendship develops, until the one thing Mattie and Sol hold most dear disappears and then. Ah, but you¹ll just have to read the story to find out what happens next. Without giving anything away, I will say that I want to create a Mattie-inspired margin this Christmas season. Mattie knew inconveniences and interruptions that come in the form of people (big ones and little ones!) are ordained by God. And blessed by God.

Creating margin probably means that I won't get Christmas cards out until the end of January, and my house won't be uber-decorated. After all, something has to give. But it will mean I make time for a leisurely visit with my dad at his Alzheimer's facility. And time to volunteer in the church nursery for a holiday-crowded event. And time to invite a new neighbor over for coffee. Hopefully, it will mean that my energy won't get diverted by a frantic, self-imposed agenda. Only by God's agendathe essence of true simplicity.

And that includes taking time to worship Christ's coming at the Christmas Eve service. You can hold me accountable! This year, I will be there.

***

Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of The Choice, The Waiting, The Search, and The Keeper, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace. Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, W. D. Benedict, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Suzanne is a Christy Award nominee and is the host of an internet radio show called Amish Wisdom and her work has appeared in many magazines. She lives in California. www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.

Warm Winter Memories (Thanks to my readers!)

2011-12-10T08:30:00.000-08:00

You have read my books for two years now and every fiction book (including A Lancaster County Christmas) has hit a bestseller list. So let me say thanks with a California-made giveaway to sweeten your holiday.

Remembering…

I took a train on a snowy winter day. For just one moment, as the train chugged along the tracks, the sun broke through the gray skies and lit up the landscape. It was exquisitely beautiful. Trees glistened with icicles, fence rails were encrusted with icy snow. I wished I had a camera. Then again, maybe the memory is even better.

Now it's your turn. What is a favorite winter memory for you?

Leave a comment on this post with your special recollection, between Dec. 10-17th, and you’ll be entered into a giveaway for a box of See’s truffles! I'll also throw in a non-California-made Starbucks coffee card (to help fuel your holiday to-do list).

Appreciate you. Merry Christmas!

Author Spotlight: Dan Walsh

2011-12-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

###

Share a little bit about yourself. Married with kids? Empty nester? Do you work full-time and write when you can squeeze it in?

Before I share a little about myself, let me start off by thanking you, Suzanne, for inviting me to spend some time with you and your readers. And congratulations on your success with A Lancaster County Christmas. My wife loved it and now that I’ve gotten it back from her friend, I’m reading it too.

I’ve been married to the only woman I’ve ever loved for 35 years. Cindi is my best friend (no one else even comes close). We have two married children and this past year we’re so happy to welcome our first grandson to the family. In September, 2010 I retired from being a pastor after 25 years to write fulltime.

And share something about your writing. What’s your genre(s), your areas of interest…

If your readers haven’t read any of my books yet, most magazine and blog reviewers compare my writing to Nicholas Sparks (that happens quite a lot actually). And my Christmas books are often compared to Richard Paul Evans (bestselling author of The Christmas Box and more recently Lost December).

As far as genre, my first 3 novels are definitely historical fiction with a strong romantic thread. But Remembering Christmas is set in 1980 (not sure if that’s far enough back to be considered historical). I have 2 more novels coming out in 2012. The Discovery starts off in the present then goes back to the 1940’s. But The Reunion, due out next Sept, is contemporary.

I’ve been told by my agent and editor that my “brand” isn’t so much a time period I write about, but the way I write. Relationally-driven stories that pack a strong emotional punch. But my books will always have a strong dose of romance and, hopefully, inspire us to put our hope more fully in the Lord.

How did you get started writing? Did you have a dream of being a published author?

I’ve wanted to write novels since the 11th grade when Mrs. Connie Longnecker, my composition teacher, took me aside to tell me she thought I could be a writer someday if I really wanted to.

After you started writing seriously--how long was it before you were published?

After experiencing a call to pastor in my early twenties, I put aside my writing dreams. They resurfaced temporarily in the mid-90’s, which is when I got the idea for my first novel, The Unfinished Gift. But that turned out to be a premature leap (a long story), so I set it aside again until 2007.

Cindi suggested I take out that book and finish it. Both of us really felt a green light from the Lord, so I did. I finished the book that summer. Two of the first three agents I contacted wanted to represent me. I signed with one, Karen Solem of Spencerhill Associates. She had the contract with Revell in 2-3 months (that book wound up winning 2 ACFW Carol Awards last year).

Even though things simmered for many years, it does seem like it all came together very fast once I finally got in sync with God’s timing.

Aside from a cup of good, strong coffee, what helps you get all of your “brain cylinders” firing so you can write well? Do you have any favorite places and routines when you write? How many hours a day do you spend writing?

I normally start every day with a lengthy quiet time (prayer, reading my Bible and sometimes a helpful book). This is my anchor for facing the day, not just my writing. Since we live in Florida, I love to write outside. Here’s a picture of where I often write. It’s under an awning out by our pool. If you look closely, you can see Darcy, my little writing buddy, under the table. We’ve lived in the same house for over 26 years, so we’ve been able to add on to it over time. It’s in a nice quiet neighborhood, with a private backyard.

After my quiet time, I’ll get caught up on my emails, spend an hour or so on Facebook and other social networking sites, then I’ll write for the next 4-6 hours.

What has been the biggest help to you in the journey to publication? Writers’ conferences? Writing groups? Your mom as your first draft reader?

Probably the encouragement of others, mostly some important women in my life. Starting with that 11th grade teacher, then my mom, then (and now, the strongest voice in my writing life) my wife Cindi. I didn’t actually go to a writer’s conference or even attend a writing group until after my first novel was already published.

Is the “writer’s life” what you thought it would be?

Not at all. Guess I had bought into the Hollywood stereotype of published writers getting huge advances, then retiring to a quiet lakeside cabin to write in peace, as their novels glide effortlessly to the bestseller’s list.

That has not been my story, starting with the money. It is now enough for us to live on, for which I’m grateful (I’ve learned the majority of authors don’t earn enough to do this fulltime). But, so far, it’s not been near enough to consider buying that lakeside cabin.

And though my readership is growing, and I’ve won some wonderful awards, my books have yet to “glide” onto either the CBA or ECPA bestsellers lists yet (of course, any help your readers could provide would be greatly appreciated).

What are your biggest distractions?

Probably social networking. Emails, blogging, Facebook, Twitter and, actually doing things like this (giving interviews). Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy these kinds of things. That’s the problem. Because I do, I can easily spend so much time on them, I don’t have enough time left in the day to write.

What do you least like about being a writer? Most like?

Probably not knowing how to make the best use of my social networking time. There are so many things I could do, and that list seems to get bigger not smaller as time goes by. What do I like the most? Ah…the writing. I LOVE to write. I wondered after doing this for several years as my “spare time hobby” if I’d grow tired of doing it once I went fulltime. The answer, happily, is NO. I still love the time I get to spend writing the most.

What is the role and importance of an agent?

I would be lost without my agent, Karen Solem. She not only knows and connects me with the best people on the business side of things, she cares for me as a friend and looks after my interests as a writer better than I could for myself. She handles all the contract/legal side of things and helps me understand what all the big words mean. I know for a fact I would not be able to write fulltime now apart from the work she’s done on my behalf.

What advice would you give to new writers?

Involve the Lord in all you do. Jesus told us that God knows the number of hairs we have on our heads. I believe He said this to help us realize God cares about every detail in our lives. That certainly includes something as important as our writing. Keep fueling your love of writing by feeding your love of reading. Read good books. Read them first as a reader, then go back and read them as a writer, trying to understand what makes them work so well. Read good books about writing and―this is very important―get comfortable listening to input and advice.

Pretend I’m a customer at a bookstore looking for a good book. Give me a one or two sentence promo to convince me to buy your book.

Only because you asked…

“Want to buy a book you will hate to put down once you start, one whose characters will grip your heart and not let you go till the last page? Do you like books with endings so good they make you cry? Then here, you’ve got to read Remembering Christmas!”

What’s on the book horizon for you?

My two new novels coming out in 2012, The Discovery and The Reunion (I loved writing these books). I’ve just recently written the first 10 chapters of my first novel with Dr. Gary Smalley (who co-wrote the hugely successful Redemption series with Karen Kingsbury). It’s been wonderful getting to know Gary on a personal level, not to mention how much his books have helped me. I’m drawing from several of them as I write this new series with him.

Last question, how can readers find you and your books?

They can visit my website at www.danwalshbooks.com. Also I’d like to invite them to visit me on Facebook and “Like” my Author page there. I go there every day, sometimes several times a day. It’s www.facebook.com/DanWalshBooks.

Thank you for sharing your writing life with my bleaders! (blog + readers = bleaders)

It’s been my pleasure, Suzanne. And please let your readers know they can feel free to comment or ask me any other questions they might have in the Comments section.

Grab Your Camera Winners!

2011-12-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the following winners of the "Grab Your Camera and Head to Barnes" contest!!

The winner of the $25 Gift Certificate to Barnes & Noble is:

Scott Fowler

And the winner of the $50 Gift Certificate to Barnes & Noble for posting her picture on Facebook is:

Diana Cross Mills

Congratulations to the winners! Please e-mail Christen your addresses so we can get your gift certificate out to you!

There's still time to order A Lancaster County Christmas before Christmas!! It's a great present for any reader in your life and it's only $7.99 at Amazon today!

Blessed!

2011-12-03T11:24:00.001-08:00

I received some wonderful news this week--"A Lancaster County Christmas" hit the ECPA December top 20 Fiction list! And I heard that it hit the #6 spot for the week ending on November 16th. It's also in the top 20 CBD fiction bestsellers.

Blessed. I am just so blessed!

If you're out shopping this weekend, don't forget the Barnes and Noble gift card giveaway! There's only a few days left in that contest. Snap a pix of "Lancaster County Christmas" (it's on the special Christmas gift book table) and send it to me to be entered into a $25 BN GC giveaway. If you purchase the book and post it on FB, you'll be entered into a $50 BN GC giveaway!

I'll be sending out a newsletter next week announcing an AWESOME new contest to celebrate the release of "The Keeper." Hope you'll consider signing up! CBD, always first out of the gate, will be releasing "Keeper" on December 15th. So if you need another Christmas gift for someone special (or for yourself!), go there! It will start trickling into bookstores soon. Got the word that the book is in the warehouse!

This is from a reader who won an advanced reader copy of it: Received and read your new book "The Keeper." Oh Suzanne I loved it! I can't wait until the next in the series comes out! You made every character in that book a 'main' character. I felt like I got to know each of them personally. It was not just one book, it was a book inside a book...seemed there was always something going on at every turn of the page. To Suzanne's fans...Come January 1st...this is a must read book! Loved it!

Blessed. I am blessed.

Author Spotlight: L.K. Malone

2011-12-02T06:30:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Author Spotlight! Each week will feature a different author. We'll get the scoop behind their writing life and dish a little. The authors will also be giving away a copy of their latest book. FUN.

The winner from last week's Author Spotlight with Elisabeth Gifford is LadyDi! Please email my assistant Amy with your mailing address. (amy@litfusegroup.com)

This week L.K. Malone is in the Spotlight! To win a copy of her new YA fiction book, The Mirror of N'de, leave a comment on this post! Be sure to read to the bottom - L.K. Malone is giving away a $50 Amazon.com gift certificate during her virtual book tour for The Mirror of N'de!

Share a little bit about yourself. Married with kids? Empty nester?

I am blessed with an extended family, which includes a wonderful mom and stepmom, half a dozen half-and-step-sibs, two lovely young women I met through the Denver Kids mentoring program, and a small bestiary of finned, feathered, and furred creatures.

Do you work full-time and write when you can squeeze it in?

Sadly, yes, and it's a difficult squeeze. Too often, by the end of a hard work day or week, I'm too brain fried to be very effective at writing.

And share something about your writing. What’s your genre(s), your areas of interest . . .

I read about anything I can get my hands on, and my writing interests are just as varied. My first writing credit was a feature article for the Rocky Mountain News. Then I published a short story in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. Years later, Kregel Publications accepted Divided Loyalties, which is a romance/political thriller. The Mirror of N'de, my new release, is a young adult fantasy.

How did you get started writing? Did you have a dream of being a published author?

I can't remember a time when I didn't have a story going through my head. When I was very young and I was sent to bed before I was tired, I used to script episodes of my favorite TV shows in my mind. But the desire to be a published author came later in life after I realized that my original dreams of being in music or theater required more talent and dedication than I actually possessed.

After you started writing seriously, how long was it before you were published?

I'm still not sure I'm a serious writer. I write mostly to please myself—it's how I work through problems and how I entertain myself. And I've produced reams of dreck that will never see the light of day. On those few occasions when I've turned out something that I thought might be worth sharing, it's usually been accepted for publication.

Aside from a cup of good, strong coffee, what helps you get all of your “brain cylinders” firing so you can write well? Do you have any favorite places and routines when you write? How many hours a day do you spend writing?

Oh, if only I could be so disciplined! Seriously, the only way I know to write is to glue the seat of my pants to the chair and peck at the keyboard until something makes sense. I know I'm writing effectively if I start to visualize the scene as if I'm either living it or seeing it played out on a movie screen. There doesn't seem to be any particular formula for getting into that zone. Some days I can peck all day and have nothing to show at the end of the day. Other days I force myself to quit writing in the wee hours of the morning with the story still churning through my brain.

What has been the biggest help to you in the journey to publication? Writers’ conferences? Writing groups? Your mom as your first draft reader?

I'm a huge advocate of critique groups. Some years ago I hosted a writer's workshop in my house. Nowadays I'm an avid member of critiquecircle.com. If I have a project going that isn't just for me, I need feedback from other writers to help me stay objective and see the bigger picture. I also need help from more detail-oriented people to catch the little nit-picky things that I'll miss, no matter how many times I proofread.

Is the “writer’s life” what you thought it would be?

No. I can't speak for the lives of all types of writers (playwrights, script writers, etc.), but the novelist's life is nothing like I imagined. I used to have this idea it would be something like what you see on the TV show Castle. But that's not reality. I read somewhere that the average published novel makes its author about $5,000. And here's the real shocker: I saw a blog by an author who got a book on the bestseller list, who cleared all of $24,000 her first year. Most novelists will never quit their day jobs, or will need to take on commercial writing projects (copy editing, etc.) to pay the bills.

What are your biggest distractions?

TV (when I get home at night, I really just want to veg). Reading (same thing). Family and friends (when I'm in writing mode, I feel terribly guilty at the way I neglect the folks I love).

What do you least like about being a writer? Most like?

Jessamyn West is quoted as saying that, “Writing is a solitary occupation. Family, friends, and society are the natural enemies of the writer. He must be alone, uninterrupted, and slightly savage if he is to sustain and complete an undertaking.” What I like least about writing is the fact that I have to choose between spending time with the people I love and the passion that gives meaning to my life. It's nearly impossible to find balance, especially as some members of my family become more needful of my time and help.

What I most like is when inspiration hits, and the plot elements and characters are just jumping off the screen at me. There's nothing like the feeling that I've created something wonderful, even if two days later I reread it and decide that it's really not as good as I thought.

What is the role and importance of an agent?

I've never had one, so I don't know. I did run my last contract past an attorney/agent, and I think she recommended some changes that were worthwhile, so I think there's something to be said for at least gaining the counsel of people who have more experience in the business.

What advice would you give to new writers?

If writing isn't the way God speaks to you, it won't be the way he works through you. If it isn't the passion of your life, it's probably because it's a work of the flesh. The wildly successful novelists like J.K. Rowling, Tim LaHaye, and Stephen King who rake in lots of money for their work are basically the Powerball winners of the fiction-writing world, and even their work wouldn't be so popular if they weren't writing for the love of it. So write because you love it or don't bother.

Pretend I’m a customer at a bookstore looking for a good book. Give me a one or two sentence promo to convince me to buy your book.

The Mirror of N'de is a sometimes funny, sometimes frightening story of magic, mystery, betrayal, and grace. If I've accomplished what I set out to do, it's also the kind of book that readers of all ages will return to, to mine up all the little hidden puns and spiritual messages tucked away behind the story.

What’s on the book horizon for you?

There's a sequel to The Mirror of N'de, though at this point there's no guarantee it will find a place on bookstore shelves. Beyond that, I have no clue. I guess we'll see where God leads.

Last question, how can readers find you and your books?

I am on Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter @ElKayMalone. Divided Loyalties is still available through online booksellers, and The Mirror of N'de just released to stores this month!

Thank you for sharing your writing life with my bleaders! (blog + readers = bleaders)

Bleaders—I love it.
Thanks for giving me this opportunity!
-L-

Tell your friends!

Tweet or post about The Mirror of N'de and you could win $50 to Amazon.com.

To enter all you have to do is send a tweet (using @litfuse) about The Mirror of N'de or share about it on Facebook!

If you tweet we'll capture your entry when you use @litfuse. If you share it on Facebook or your blog, just email us and let us know (ckrumm@litfusegroup.com). Easy.

Not sure what to tweet/post? Here's an idea:

TWEET THIS: New YA fantasy - The Mirror of N'de - compelling narrative and creative characters! @litfuse RT for $50 to @amazon http://ow.ly/7AWGT

FACEBOOK THIS: Don’t miss this debut YA fantasy story: Crafting powerful narrative and creative characters, author L. K. Malone spins a compelling tale that combines exciting entertainment and the Christian story. In The Mirror of N’de, readers will empathize with the desires of an oppressed people, will anger at the affliction of a cruel adversary, and ultimately rejoice with the revelation of a Savior. Share this for a chance at $50 to Amazon.com http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/text/13440685

We're In the Christmas Spirit!

2011-12-01T11:13:00.001-08:00

A slight change today! To kick off the Christmas season, Judy Christie is going to pop in on the second half of "Amish Wisdom" to talk about her book, "Hurry Less, Worry Less at Christmas." Judy is running a special gift promotion today, plus she's offering a copy of her book to some lucky person who leaves a comment. Don't miss today's show! 5pm EST, toginet.com www.toginet.com/shows/amishwisdom. And if you have to miss it, just go to the site and click and listen or download it as a podcast, at your convenience!

Thursday on Amish Wisdom: Noah Coleman from Amish Photo

2011-11-30T10:30:00.000-08:00

Tune in on Thursday at 4:00 pm Central! To listen in - go here and just click on the player in the top right corner.

I've been looking forward to this interview for weeks. Noah Coleman is the son of Bill Coleman of Amish Photo. If you've read my Christian Post articles, seen my book covers or spent any time at my blog then you've seen Bill's gorgeous work. His eye is unmatched. Today Noah will be talking about how he helps his father, now in his 80's, and what's new and coming soon to AmishPhoto.com. Don't miss Thursday's show!

More about Amish Photo:
Bill Coleman is an internationally acclaimed photographer of the Amish. The photographic legacy he deems his Amish Odyssey is four decades long, a goodly number of years to document the lives and landscapes of the Old Order Amish sect in a hidden valley somewhere in Pennsylvania. But forty years is scantly time to portray a people whose ancestors immigrated to the area in the 18th century.

The Amish have a love affair with life and simplicity, with preserving ages of innocence and respect, with teaching responsibility and the joys of tradition. These very private people are reluctant to reveal themselves to outsiders.
Bill, albeit knowing he will always be an outsider has, charmingly, respectfully cajoled his way into the hearts and homes of a number of Amish families willing to allow him to document their lives from birth to death, generation after generation. His determination to keep their location secret, their lives private, equals their determination to maintain their way of life.

His photographs, often images of a precise scene taken at each season of the year and of cherubic children as they mature, holds a continuity of life and lifestyle beholden to the past, yet treasured for the future. In a sect where tradition and the ethic of hard work, respect of elders and love of children intertwine.

Bill creates beautifully powerful images. The past is present in every nuanced curve of the land. His photographs are intimate portraits of a place and a people who live in the simplicity of the past as the realities of the 21st century encroach upon their future.

Bill’s photos touch one’s senses beyond the gift of sight. They reveal the laughter of the youngsters, the chill of a snowy field, the aroma of a fresh baked apple pie, the touch of little girls clutching their baby dolls, and the mellifluous hammering of a barn raising. Beyond the physical senses are those of place, of humor, of past, and present thriving harmoniously. He portrays the whimsy of children at play with equal respect to the seriousness of Sunday worship.

On many days, from sunrise to sunset, Bill aims his camera at what he calls the “symphony of forms that created the valley…the lights, colors and textures of the fields, the farmlands, and the faces.” In describing his passion for preserving the gentle nature of this Amish sect, he confides, “I wish they knew how much I love them.” Look at his photos and you will have no questions about his love.

For more information and to see some his amazing work, please visit: www.amishphoto.com

24 Days of Thanksgiving - Prize Winners

2011-11-28T15:38:00.001-08:00

Thank you so much for helping me to spread the word about my new book, The Keeper! Below are the winners of the 24 Days of Thanksgiving prizes!

If you see your name, please e-mail Christen your mailing address and we'll ship out your prize this week!

Winners of the advance reader copy of The Keeper:

Day 1: Angie Adair
Day 2: Irene Hartwig
Day 3: Shirley Bessmer
Day 4: Anna Marie Decarlo
Day 5: Kathleen Brown
Day 6: Donita Corman
Day 7: Andrea Ricks
Day 8: Debbie Mosley
Day 9: Amber Horton
Day 10: Jodie Moore
Day 11: Abbie Tireman
Day 12: Jennifer Short
Day 13: Martha Bales
Day 14: Nicole Elliott
Day 15: Cheryl Baranski
Day 16: Tammy Greer
Day 17: Katherine Cross
Day 18: Lauren Boughner
Day 19: Linda Dietz
Day 20: Paula Osborne
Day 21: Judy Burgi
Day 22: Harriet Strawn
Day 23. Mardi Moye
Day 24: Linda McFarland

Winners of the signed copy of A Lancaster Country Christmas and Amish Values for Your Family:

1. Tracy DeLuca
2. Beth Titus
3. Kim Perland
4. Saundra McKenzie
5. Lisa Gaska
6. Victoria Mulligan
7. Jason Pederson
8. Judy Burgi
9. Karen Korb
10. Laura Hilton

Winners of the signed advance copy of The Keeper (to be sent in late December), A Lancaster County Christmas and Amish Values for Your Family:

1. Crystal Fulcher
2. Sue Brandes
3. Diana Flowers
4. Sandra Trenholm
5. Virgina Rush

The GRAND PRIZE winner who will recieve a copy of all three books as well as a Amish Barn Star from Annie's Amish Barn Stars:

Allison Moyer

Congratulations to all our winners. Again, please e-mail Christen with your mailing address and we'll get your prize in the mail this week! If you didn't win a copy of the books, you can purchase or pre-order them here!

Seven Ways to Subtly Influence Others by Kevin Eikenberry

2011-11-28T08:01:00.001-08:00

This is re-posted from Kevin Eikenberry's "Leadership Learning" blog. It's a story he wrote that is worth reading and remembering during this busy month, when our to-do lists can get tyrannical.

It had been a long day of work and travel, and it was going to get longer.

Due to weather issues around the country, flights across the eastern half of the U.S. were delayed and canceled. It was snowing heavily in Denver, where I had just landed to find my connecting flight canceled. I quickly found my way to the end of the long line of other harried travelers who were trying to figure out how to get to their destinations.

It wasn’t a picture of serenity.

As I got closer to the front of the line, I watched the ticket agents behind the desk take one complaint after another. I noticed how normally sane travelers were angry, screaming, and generally blaming these ticket agents for their issues as if those agents could change the weather or magically make a plane appear.

I decided I would take a different approach. Yes, I was tired and I was frustrated, yet screaming didn’t seem like a kind —or particularly effective —approach to the situation. As I thought about what my approach would be, I overheard the person directly in front of me. It would be hard not to, because he was outlining everything that this airline had done wrong and why he would never fly this airline again, and apparently it was all the fault of this agent. He was headed to the same place I was.
Nancy, the ticket agent, was pleasant and remained calm in the face of the unrelenting grief the passenger was sending her way. And then I heard her response: “I’m sorry, sir, but the next seat I have is on the flight first thing tomorrow morning. I truly apologize.”

His response was less than pleasant as she gave him the news and his new ticket (along with some travel vouchers).

I was next.

“Hi Nancy,” I said, smiling. “I’ll tell you that I don’t envy you on a day like today. You should be paid double for the extra effort and having to put up with angry and frustrated people.”

She smiled as I continued.

“I’m going to make this easy. I’m not going to hold you accountable for the weather, OK? Plus, I’m going where that last guy is going, so you won’t have to do too much, assuming there is another seat on that morning flight.”

Smiling back at me, she asked, “Indianapolis, right?”

I nodded.

“Just a second,” she said as she focused on her monitor, fingers flying. She kept typing and looking, and looking again. After a couple of minutes, she looked up at me and smiled as she handed me a ticket.

“Here you go, Mr. Eikenberry, it’s not for tomorrow. The flight leaves in 45 minutes. I have a first class seat for you.”

I took the ticket, and shook her hand, looking her in the eye. “Thanks, Nancy,” I said, “I really appreciate it —and so does my family.”

We had to sit on the runway for a couple of hours before we could take off, so I didn’t get home until the wee hours of the morning. As we were preparing to leave, the pilot said that we were the last plane leaving Denver that night. The snow was closing the airport and the other planes in line were going back to the terminal.

The next flights left two days later.

I have no idea whether that first class seat was available when Nancy was talking to the man in front of me; the seat could have just opened up. All I know is that Nancy, while she couldn’t control the snow, could control who got seats.

This simple story highlights seven stunningly simple things you can do to have greater influence and impact every day. Let me share them with you now.

Use a person’s name. Anytime you have a chance to use someone’s name, do it. Someone’s name is sweetest sound in the world to them. Learn names, remember names, and use them.

Acknowledge people. Let people know that you notice what they are doing. Simple acknowledgment is sometimes more valuable even than agreement. In many situations, you may not agree with someone, but you can always acknowledge them and their opinion.

Be interested in them. Most passengers, when they got to the front of the line, began venting about their needs. I had those same needs and concerns, and yet I focused on Nancy. Be interested in other people and they will, in return, become more interested in you and your needs.

Say please and thank you. These are some of the first words our parents try to teach us to use. You know why? Because they are important —and they work.

Be kind. This is another lesson you learned at a young age. Sometimes it is hard to be kind, especially if you are angry or frustrated. It is even more important when it is more of a challenge.

Smile. Have you ever noticed that when you smile, people tend to smile back? And, further, have you noticed that when you are smiling you automatically feel better? A smile takes no time, virtually no effort and is free, plus it is a fantastic positive influencer.

Assume the best. I believed Nancy was doing the best she could. I had been watching her for several minutes and she was efficient and pleasant even in the face of the verbal onslaught she was receiving. When you assume the best in others, you give them a valuable gift.

Zig Ziglar’s most famous quotation seems like an appropriate way to close this piece. He wrote, “You can get everything in life that you want, if you will help enough other people get what they want.”

Look back at this list of seven simple things you can do. None of them are about you; they are all about the other person. If you want to have greater influence, be more other focused — because in the end, influence is always about the other person.

Source: Leadership Learning with Kevin Eikenberry

Everyday Gratitude

2011-11-24T07:00:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is underrated. It's one of those rare holidays that is generally pretty low key, hasn't been commercialized, and a day to give thanks and be grateful.

Of course, for some it's a day to watch football, eat too much, and spend time with friends and family (which you might be grateful for or not!).

What I love about this holiday is that it is an important reminder to practice gratitude every day.

All kinds of studies have found that those who have an ongoing tendency to be grateful experience better physical and psychological health and well being. They tend to be more optimistic, sociable, and engaged in life. They are less susceptible to depression, anxiety, anger, and others negative emotions that can lead to health damaging behaviors and functioning.

Being grateful is just...good for you.

I start my day thanking God for giving me another day and try my best to remind myself that whatever I get day-to-day is gift and blessing. I have so much to be grateful for. We all do.

It doesn't mean that there aren't problems in our lives or some situations that will never be fixed--but there is definitely something, or someone, to be grateful for every single day.

So, as we come to Thanksgiving 2011, what are you grateful for? I'm grateful for you!

24 Days of Thanksgiving -- Day 23

2011-11-23T11:30:00.000-08:00

If you're just tuning in go here for the details of the 24 Days of Thanksgiving contest I'm running this month!

The Keeper's official release date is January 2nd, but it’s available now to pre-order. Thank you all for helping me spread the word by posting the video trailer on your blog and social networking sites.

The First winners are:

Day 1: Angie Adair

Day 2: Irene Hartwig

Day 3: Shirley Bessmer

Day 4: Anna Marie Decarlo

Day 5: Kathleen Brown

Day 6: Donita Corman

Day 7: Andrea Ricks

Day 8: Debbie Mosley

Day 9: Amber Horton

Day 10: Jodie Moore

Day 11: Abbie Tireman

Day 12: Jennifer Short

Day 13: Martha Bales

Day 14: Nicole Elliott

Day 15: Cheryl Baranski

Day 16: Tammy Greer

Day 17: Katherine Cross

Day 18: Lauren Boughner

Day 19: Linda Dietz

Day 20: Paula Osborne

Day 21: Judy Burgi

Day 22: Harriet Strawn

Day 23. Mardi Moye

Email Christen your mailing address and we'll ship out your advanced reader copy of The Keeper this week. And everyone will be entered to win one of the grand prizes.

This week on Amish Wisdom: Beverly Lewis

2011-11-23T08:45:00.000-08:00

Tune in on Thursday at 4:00 pm Central! To listen in - go here and just click on the player in the top right corner.

This week I'll be playing an encore of my interview with Beverly from earlier this year. If you have a moment or two on Thanksgiving (while you're cooking maybe?) tune in and hear Beverly talk about the Amish and her books.

Her stories have been published in eleven languages worldwide. A keen interest in her mother's Plain heritage has inspired Beverly to write many Amish-related novels, beginning with The Shunning, which has sold more than one million copies and was recently made into an Original Hallmark Channel movie. Beverly lives with her husband, David, in Colorado. Visit her Web site at www.beverlylewis.com for more information.

More about Beverly: Beverly Marie Jones (Lewis) was born in the heart of Amish country—Lancaster, Pennsylvania. At the tender age of nine, she began writing short stories and poetry. Prior to that, she made up lyrics to the "little fingers" piano pieces she learned, at the age of five.

"My mother saved everything I wrote, even the stories I dreamed up during my grade school years," Bev says. One such tale is semi-autobiographical, about a young girl whose parents can no longer afford to give her piano lessons. The manuscript was 77 pages long and titled "She Shall Have Music," penned under the shade of a lone willow tree. "Reading, writing, and playing piano have been top three on my list of favorite things," she says.

Not until her own children were well into middle school did Bev seek to publish her work, first in magazines such as Highlights for Children, Dolphin Log, and Guideposts for Kids. Her first book followed in 1993—Mountain Bikes and Garbanzo Beans—presently retitled Big Bad Beans (book #22 in the popular Cul-de-Sac Kids series of chapter books—see list of Bev's children's books).

Beverly's first venture into adult fiction is the best-selling trilogy, The Heritage of Lancaster County, including The Shunning, a suspenseful saga of Katie Lapp, a young Amish woman drawn to the modern world by secrets from her past. The book is loosely based on the author's maternal grandmother, Ada Ranck Buchwalter, who left her Old Order Mennonite upbringing to marry a Bible College student. One Amish-country newspaper claimed Beverly's work to be "a primer on Lancaster County folklore" and offers "an insider's view of Amish life."

Asked if she is surprised by the popularity of her work, Lewis says, "The sales response for my work is astonishing, but even more heartwarming are thousands of letters a year pouring in from readers." Fans describe how her books have "touched a nerve, creating a curiosity about the Old Ways of the Amish... a yearning for a simpler life and return to traditional values in the mainstream society, where an impersonal, high-tech lifestyle reigns paramount," she explains. Bev still takes time out of her busy schedule to answer her readers' letters.

Booksellers across the country, and around the world, have spread the word of Bev's tender tales of Plain country life. A clerk in a Virginia bookstore wrote, "Beverly's books have a compelling freshness and spark. You just don't run across writing like that every day. I hope she'll keep writing stories about the Plain people for a long, long time."

A member of the National League of American Pen Women, as well as a Distinguished Alumnus of Evangel University, Lewis has written over 80 books for children, youth, and adults, many of them award-winning. She and her husband, David, make their home in Colorado, where they enjoy hiking, biking, and spending time with their family. They are also avid musicians and fiction "book worms."

Conversations with Dad

2011-11-22T17:51:00.001-08:00

A week ago, we moved my dad to a skilled nursing facility. My mom and brother took Dad over to the new place while I packed up a suitcase with Dad's clothes in it.

A simple task.

But it wasn't simple at all. It caught me by surprise--there was no sign of Dad's personality anymore. He used to collect stuff, even when he wasn't ill. His desktop was a jumble of sentiments. No longer. No papers in the drawers, no church bulletins, no little pictures, pens, odds and ends. Just clothes and a toothbrush and a razor.

Dad has declined significantly in the last six months--doesn't recognize anyone, doesn't talk, doesn't have any interest in anything. He's in severe stages. Alzheimer's Disease is so slow and gradual that you adjust to it. But every now and then, it catches my heart. Dad is still here, but he's gone.

As I left the facility where Dad has been for the last few years, I drove up from the parking garage and hadn't realized I had left the radio on. It picked up the signal as I emerged into the daylight...and then came a gift from God, a reminder that He was right there, in the midst. "Emmanuel, God is with us."

"Rise" by Shawn McDonald is a beautiful song--but it will forever be seared into my memory as just the song I needed as I drove over to Dad's skilled nursing center. The lyrics were oh-so-perfect:

"Rise"

[Chorus]
Yes I will rise
Out of these ashes rise
From this trouble I have found
And this rubble on the ground
I will rise
Cause He Who is in me
Is greater than I will ever be
And I will rise

Sometimes my heart is on the ground
And hope is nowhere to be found
Love is a figment I once knew
And yet I hold on to what I know is true

[Chorus]
Yes I will rise
Out of these ashes rise
From this trouble I have found
And this rubble on the ground
I will rise
Cause He Who is in me
Is greater than I will ever be
And I will rise

Well I keep on coming to this place
That I don't know quite how to face
So I lay down my life in hopes to die
That somehow I might rise

[Chorus]
Yes I will rise
Out of these ashes rise
From this trouble I have found
And this rubble on the ground
I will rise
Cause He Who is in me
Is greater than I will ever be
And I will rise

24 Days of Thanksgiving -- Day 22

2011-11-22T11:30:00.000-08:00

If you're just tuning in go here for the details of the 24 Days of Thanksgiving contest I'm running this month!

The Keeper's official release date is January 2nd, but it’s available now to pre-order. Thank you all for helping me spread the word by posting the video trailer on your blog and social networking sites.

The First winners are:

Day 1: Angie Adair

Day 2: Irene Hartwig

Day 3: Shirley Bessmer

Day 4: Anna Marie Decarlo

Day 5: Kathleen Brown

Day 6: Donita Corman

Day 7: Andrea Ricks

Day 8: Debbie Mosley

Day 9: Amber Horton

Day 10: Jodie Moore

Day 11: Abbie Tireman

Day 12: Jennifer Short

Day 13: Martha Bales

Day 14: Nicole Elliott

Day 15: Cheryl Baranski

Day 16: Tammy Greer

Day 17: Katherine Cross

Day 18: Lauren Boughner

Day 19: Linda Dietz

Day 20: Paula Osborne

Day 21: Judy Burgi

Day 22: Harriet Strawn

Email Christen your mailing address and we'll ship out your advanced reader copy of The Keeper this week. And everyone will be entered to win one of the grand prizes.

24 Days of Thanksgiving -- Day 21

2011-11-21T11:30:00.000-08:00

If you're just tuning in go here for the details of the 24 Days of Thanksgiving contest I'm running this month!

The Keeper's official release date is January 2nd, but it’s available now to pre-order. Thank you all for helping me spread the word by posting the video trailer on your blog and social networking sites.

The First winners are:

Day 1: Angie Adair

Day 2: Irene Hartwig

Day 3: Shirley Bessmer

Day 4: Anna Marie Decarlo

Day 5: Kathleen Brown

Day 6: Donita Corman

Day 7: Andrea Ricks

Day 8: Debbie Mosley

Day 9: Amber Horton

Day 10: Jodie Moore

Day 11: Abbie Tireman

Day 12: Jennifer Short

Day 13: Martha Bales

Day 14: Nicole Elliott

Day 15: Cheryl Baranski

Day 16: Tammy Greer

Day 17: Katherine Cross

Day 18: Lauren Boughner

Day 19: Linda Dietz

Day 20: Paula Osborne

Day 21: Judy Burgi

Email Christen your mailing address and we'll ship out your advanced reader copy of The Keeper this week. And everyone will be entered to win one of the grand prizes.

24 Days of Thanksgiving -- Day 20

2011-11-20T11:30:00.000-08:00

If you're just tuning in go here for the details of the 24 Days of Thanksgiving contest I'm running this month!

The Keeper's official release date is January 2nd, but it’s available now to pre-order. Thank you all for helping me spread the word by posting the video trailer on your blog and social networking sites.

The First winners are:

Day 1: Angie Adair

Day 2: Irene Hartwig

Day 3: Shirley Bessmer

Day 4: Anna Marie Decarlo

Day 5: Kathleen Brown

Day 6: Donita Corman

Day 7: Andrea Ricks

Day 8: Debbie Mosley

Day 9: Amber Horton

Day 10: Jodie Moore

Day 11: Abbie Tireman

Day 12: Jennifer Short

Day 13: Martha Bales

Day 14: Nicole Elliott

Day 15: Cheryl Baranski

Day 16: Tammy Greer

Day 17: Katherine Cross

Day 18: Lauren Boughner

Day 19: Linda Dietz

Day 20: Paula Osborne

Email Christen your mailing address and we'll ship out your advanced reader copy of The Keeper this week. And everyone will be entered to win one of the grand prizes.

24 Days of Thanksgiving -- Day 18

2011-11-18T11:30:00.000-08:00

If you're just tuning in go here for the details of the 24 Days of Thanksgiving contest I'm running this month!

The Keeper's official release date is January 2nd, but it’s available now to pre-order. Thank you all for helping me spread the word by posting the video trailer on your blog and social networking sites.

The First winners are:

Day 1: Angie Adair

Day 2: Irene Hartwig

Day 3: Shirley Bessmer

Day 4: Anna Marie Decarlo

Day 5: Kathleen Brown

Day 6: Donita Corman

Day 7: Andrea Ricks

Day 8: Debbie Mosley

Day 9: Amber Horton

Day 10: Jodie Moore

Day 11: Abbie Tireman

Day 12: Jennifer Short

Day 13: Martha Bales

Day 14: Nicole Elliott

Day 15: Cheryl Baranski

Day 16: Tammy Greer

Day 17: Katherine Cross

Day 18: Lauren Boughner

Email Christen your mailing address and we'll ship out your advanced reader copy of The Keeper this week. And everyone will be entered to win one of the grand prizes.

Author Spotlight: Elisabeth Gifford

2011-11-18T07:00:00.000-08:00

And share something about your writing. What’s your genre(s), your areas of interest…

I did articles on dyslexia but following two writing courses published poetry and a short story in Riptide. Then a friend commissioned the biography of Dr. Joyce Hill and Robin Hill in China, a couple who rescue abandoned babies. I was delighted to be asked to write their story, THE HOUSE OF HOPE.

How did you get started writing? Did you have a dream of being a published author?

A friend recommended THE ARTIST’S WAY by Julia Cameron to help get over those initial self doubts. I began to give some time to writing. Then, about five years ago I took a diploma in creative writing at Oxford and recently completed a masters at Royal Holloway University in London. I still meet up with my group from the course to workshop.

After you started writing seriously--how long was it before you were published?
It’s hard to say since I have always written in a way, but at the end of the diploma I published poetry and short stories, and this year the autobiography of the Hills.

Aside from a cup of good, strong coffee, what helps you get all of your “brain cylinders” firing so you can write well? Do you have any favorite places and routines when you write? How many hours a day do you spend writing?

I work best in the morning, but carry on with editing until the afternoon. I try and get enough sleep – which means enough exercise – and I can’t really drink and write! I do a pretty uncensored first draft and let the ‘voice’ of a character speak, and then I re-read and edit, often many times. But I don’t like to be too tight to begin with or you miss what your character might have to say. In THE HOUSE OF HOPE, I kept as close to the Hill’s voices as I could. I have various places round the house where I write, and try not to get hung up on where I am as it can become an excuse not to get on. Anywhere quiet where I can be comfortable will work. Sometimes, I have to have a desk, especially when there’s a lot of notes to look at.

What has been the biggest help to you in the journey to publication? Writers’ conferences? Writing groups? Your mom as your first draft reader?

I still meet up with a group from my course and we workshop each other’s writing. It’s challenging but very instructive seeing what works and what isn’t playing. Also I recommend Sol Stein’s books on writing and editing.

The Hill's

Is the “writer’s life” what you thought it would be?

I spent three summers in China interviewing, writing the book, and promoting it. It was a fantastic experience and I fell in love with China and the children in the home. I really enjoyed the writing and used a lot of what I had learned in creative writing to see how to pick out the stories from the interviews. It was very different from writing fiction however in that I had to make sure I only included what was factual and kept to a style that was straight forward and not opinionated. The stories of how the Hills rescued a thousand dying babies over a decade and in fact saved over half of those children – many of them now adopted to the US- needed no embellishments from me. It really taught me to trust the story.

What are your biggest distractions?

Certainly I found having children at home made things more challenging as I was also working more at the time, but now my main issue is in keeping up enough concentrated energy to work on the writing for long stretches. That’s where exercise and sleep come in.

What was one of the best moments in your career and what was one of the worst?

I was so privileged to do the interviews in China and to meet amazing people like the Hills and also Steven and Mary Beth Chapman who work closely alongside them. The Chapman's shared their story of Maria’s death and how they came to name the new 142 bed home in her memory. And above all- I got to meet those babies – though it was hard trying to understand how their parents could have felt that they had no option but to abandon their own child.

When it comes to the actual writing, it can be hard to realize you have a lot more work to do on a text, and it’s always more than you thought, but if you get through that the editing is very fulfilling.

What do you least like about being a writer? Most like?

I really love writing and get less hung up about not producing something perfect the first time. It’s all about pushing through till something is finished. I have so many projects I want to do, and want to get on with them!

What is the role and importance of an agent?

When I finished THE HOUSE OF HOPE, I researched the publishers and took it direct to Monarch at Lion Hudson- who accepted it the same day! Because it was a specific sort of book, an agent would have not really helped. Usually however, you do need an agent to approach publishers.

What advice would you give to new writers?

If you are starting out on the writing journey, then keep learning about your craft, keep working at it and don’t forget that there are many different kinds of writing.

Robin, Joyce and Elisabeth

Pretend I’m a customer at a bookstore looking for a good book. Give me a one or two sentence promo to convince me to buy your book.

THE HOUSE OF HOPE is a riveting true story of how a wealthy expatriate couple in China gave up everything to care for dying babies. Dr. Joyce Hill and her husband Robin now take care of 300 babies at any one time and work closely with Chinese authorities as an NGO. It is was very hard and shocking to hear about these children but in China there is great fear of child death as a curse on the family. I think reading this book will give people a window onto a hidden situation. People who have read it so far do say they could not put the book down.

What’s on the book horizon for you?

I have just completed a novel called DARWIN AND THE MERMAID, which has had some interest from agents, so I’m really hoping it will also get published. I’ll let you know.

Last question, how can readers find you and your books?

The best place to get THE HOUSE OF HOPE by Elisabeth Gifford is through the Book Depository online, the link can be found on the book’s website www.thehouseofhopebook.com and all profits go to Robin and Joyce Hill. You can also ‘like’ the book on www.Facebook.com/thehouseofhope

Thank you for sharing your writing life with my bleaders! (blog + readers = bleaders)

24 Days of Thanksgiving -- Day 17

2011-11-17T11:17:00.001-08:00

If you're just tuning in go here for the details of the 24 Days of Thanksgiving contest I'm running this month!

The Keeper's official release date is January 2nd, but it’s available now to pre-order. Thank you all for helping me spread the word by posting the video trailer on your blog and social networking sites.

The First winners are:

Day 1: Angie Adair

Day 2: Irene Hartwig

Day 3: Shirley Bessmer

Day 4: Anna Marie Decarlo

Day 5: Kathleen Brown

Day 6: Donita Corman

Day 7: Andrea Ricks

Day 8: Debbie Mosley

Day 9: Amber Horton

Day 10: Jodie Moore

Day 11: Abbie Tireman

Day 12: Jennifer Short

Day 13: Martha Bales

Day 14: Nicole Elliott

Day 15: Cheryl Baranski

Day 16: Tammy Greer

Day 17: Katherine Cross

Email Christen your mailing address and we'll ship out your advanced reader copy of The Keeper this week. And everyone will be entered to win one of the grand prizes.

Thursday on Amish Wisdom: Battling Stress and Busyness with Cindi Ferrini and Joanne Kraft!

2011-11-16T11:00:00.000-08:00

Tune in on Thursday at 4:00 pm Central! To listen in - go here and just click on the player in the top right corner.

I'm excited to chat with this week's guests. We've all heard (and probably experienced) the results of being too busy. Stress, fatigue, disconnected families, ruined relationships and so much more. Thursday we'll be talking to two authors who's recent books offer some advice on avoiding the pitfalls of our hurry, hurry culture. The first half hour we'll hear from Cindi Ferrini. Her book, Balancing the Active Life, looks at how to balance all that God's called us to. Then during the second half of the show we'll be hearing from Joanne Kraft who took her family on a Radical Sabbatical.

Both ladies are giving away a copy of their books. Leave a comment {HERE} for a chance to win one. Winner's will be notified next week via email.

More about Cindi: Cindi enjoys speaking on topics that will encourage men and women to make a difference in their sphere of influence by being all they can be for the Lord, their families, and themselves. Joe and Cindi are on the speaking team for Family Life Ministries, a marriage-focused ministry founded by Dr. Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ.

Joe (a dentist) and Cindi have enjoyed ministry together as they direct the City Focus Ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ in the Northeast Ohio area as associate staff since 1989. They helped to bring the Billy Graham Crusade to Cleveland in 1994 and served as trained counselors, supervisors and leaders. They were also responsible for the direction of distributing over 32,000 pieces of material to inquirers that came forward throughout the crusade. The Billy Graham Association asked them to establish follow-up in the NE Ohio area because of the discipleship ministry they already had in place. They have also served as City Ministry Directors of the FamilyLife conferences in Cleveland (NE Ohio) from 1990-2001 with expansion to Akron in 2000 and an Urban Familylife Conference in Youngstown, OH, in October of 2001! Joe and Cindi now speak nationally for the Familylife Marriage Conferences. For more info, please visit http://www.cindiferrini.com

More about Balancing the Active Life: If you struggle to get organized, Cindi's your new friend who understands...

[She] will enable you to develop a more balanced life. -Susan Alexander Yates, speaker and author
...concrete ways to move ahead toward a balanced life. -Joy Downs, speaker and co-author

Balancing a pyramid of seven people on a tightrope cable only 5/8-inch thick, the Great Wallendas showed the world their astonishing skills. They performed their balancing act 35-100 feet high over dens of lions! How many times did they nearly lose their balance?

Though you might not be surrounded by lions, who is to say that your life isn't just as stressful with your own set of acrobatic and balancing acts?

'How we spend our time is the life we live,' says Cindi Ferrini of Creative Management Fundamentals.

Join author and balancer Cindi Ferrini as she presents her 13-week interactive Bible study that addresses the question: 'Does being a Christian mean we automatically have a balanced life?'

Everyone gets carried away with work, family, ministry, and life opportunities available to us. And sometimes we neglect the areas that God is calling us to and that are best for us. Through this study, you'll learn to balance your priorities, set and achieve goals, and discipline and organize yourself in a variety of areas.

Just as the Wallendas learned the excitement of being in balance and walking the tight rope, you too can take the challenge of learning what it takes to Balance the Active Life!

More about Joanne Kraft: Joanne Kraft is a recovering too-busy mom and the author of Just Too Busy—Taking YourFamily on a Radical Sabbatical. She’s a mom who writes and a sought-after speaker. Joanne’s articles have been published by In Touch, Thriving Family, ParentLife, Today’s Christian Woman, and P31 Woman. She’s appeared on CBN News, Focus on the Family’s afternoon show—Your Family Live, Sacramento & Co., and The Harvest Show.

She makes her home in the Sierra Nevada Foothills of Northern California with her husband Paul, their four children, and a beagle with a slight weight problem.
Find out more at www.joannekraft.com.

More about Radical Sabbatical:

Just Too Busy: Taking Your Family on a Radical Sabbatical

Just Too Busy is the true story of the Kraft family s head-on collision with busyness and the twelve-month experiment that changed their lives. When their children could recite the dollar value meals at McDonalds faster than their times-tables, they knew something was very wrong. So, instead of continuing their bad habits and fitting more into their schedules, they took a year off from all activities and learned how to be a family again.

In this book, readers will laugh their way to learning the ten tell-tale signs that they are too busy and discover the symptoms for a common disorder known to moms today: A.D.D. (Activity Denial Disorder). Families will find simple ways to guard themselves from the temptation of constant distraction.

24 Days of Thanksgiving -- Day 16

2011-11-16T09:52:00.001-08:00

If you're just tuning in go here for the details of the 24 Days of Thanksgiving contest I'm running this month!

The Keeper's official release date is January 2nd, but it’s available now to pre-order. Thank you all for helping me spread the word by posting the video trailer on your blog and social networking sites.

The First winners are:

Day 1: Angie Adair

Day 2: Irene Hartwig

Day 3: Shirley Bessmer

Day 4: Anna Marie Decarlo

Day 5: Kathleen Brown

Day 6: Donita Corman

Day 7: Andrea Ricks

Day 8: Debbie Mosley

Day 9: Amber Horton

Day 10: Jodie Moore

Day 11: Abbie Tireman

Day 12: Jennifer Short

Day 13: Martha Bales

Day 14: Nicole Elliott

Day 15: Cheryl Baranski

Day 16: Tammy Greer

Email Christen your mailing address and we'll ship out your advanced reader copy of The Keeper this week. And everyone will be entered to win one of the grand prizes.

24 Days of Thanksgiving -- Day 15

2011-11-15T09:24:00.001-08:00

If you're just tuning in go here for the details of the 24 Days of Thanksgiving contest I'm running this month!

The Keeper's official release date is January 2nd, but it’s available now to pre-order. Thank you all for helping me spread the word by posting the video trailer on your blog and social networking sites.

The First winners are:

Day 1: Angie Adair

Day 2: Irene Hartwig

Day 3: Shirley Bessmer

Day 4: Anna Marie Decarlo

Day 5: Kathleen Brown

Day 6: Donita Corman

Day 7: Andrea Ricks

Day 8: Debbie Mosley

Day 9: Amber Horton

Day 10: Jodie Moore

Day 11: Abbie Tireman

Day 12: Jennifer Short

Day 13: Martha Bales

Day 14: Nicole Elliott

Day 15: Cheryl Baranski

Email Christen your mailing address and we'll ship out your advanced reader copy of The Keeper this week. And everyone will be entered to win one of the grand prizes.

24 Days of Thanksgiving -- Day 14

2011-11-14T11:30:00.000-08:00

If you're just tuning in go here for the details of the 24 Days of Thanksgiving contest I'm running this month!

The Keeper's official release date is January 2nd, but it’s available now to pre-order. Thank you all for helping me spread the word by posting the video trailer on your blog and social networking sites.

The First winners are:

Day 1: Angie Adair

Day 2: Irene Hartwig

Day 3: Shirley Bessmer

Day 4: Anna Marie Decarlo

Day 5: Kathleen Brown

Day 6: Donita Corman

Day 7: Andrea Ricks

Day 8: Debbie Mosley

Day 9: Amber Horton

Day 10: Jodie Moore

Day 11: Abbie Tireman

Day 12: Jennifer Short

Day 13: Martha Bales

Day 14: Nicole Elliott

Email Christen your mailing address and we'll ship out your advanced reader copy of The Keeper this week. And everyone will be entered to win one of the grand prizes.

Grab Your Camera and Head to Barnes & Noble!

2011-11-14T07:00:00.001-08:00

Christmas is just around the corner...

I'm celebrating the sight of A Lancaster County Christmas on the holiday table at your local Barnes & Noble!

So celebrate with me!

Spot A Lancaster County Christmas at B&N and snap a photo -- you could win a gift certificate to B&N!

Here's how:

Go to any B&N store, take a photo of A Lancaster County Christmas on the Christmas book table, and send me the photo (via email) and I'll enter you into a giveaway for a $25 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble.

Easy!

Want more?

Post the pix on Facebook or Twitter and you'll be entered into a $50 gift certificate. (Just leave a comment here that you posted it and when.) On December 9th, we'll announce the winners on my blog.

Make it Personal! If you buy a copy of the book for yourself or a friend, send me your address and I'll mail you a signed bookplate.

Start your cameras...

(Contest ends 12/8. If you are at B&N and don't have your camera with you - just leave a comment here and let me know which B&N and the date. I'll include you in the $25 BN giveaway.)

$11m...Easy Come, Easy Go

2011-11-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

This story happened a year ago, but it is such an inspiration. This elderly Canadian couple won $11 million in the lottery...and gave it all away! I take my hat off to them...

Can you imagine receiving such a windfall and giving it away? What would you do with $11m that arrived out of the blue? I'm not really sure what I would do. I have to admit...I'd probably take my entire family on a special vacation...before I would think of giving it away.

So impressed with this couple. They've got the importance stuff figured out.

24 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 13

2011-11-13T10:10:00.001-08:00

If you're just tuning in go here for the details of the 24 Days of Thanksgiving contest I'm running this month!

The Keeper's official release date is January 2nd, but it’s available now to pre-order. Thank you all for helping me spread the word by posting the video trailer on your blog and social networking sites.

The First winners are:

Day 1: Angie Adair

Day 2: Irene Hartwig

Day 3: Shirley Bessmer

Day 4: Anna Marie Decarlo

Day 5: Kathleen Brown

Day 6: Donita Corman

Day 7: Andrea Ricks

Day 8: Debbie Mosley

Day 9: Amber Horton

Day 10: Jodie Moore

Day 11: Abbie Tireman

Day 12: Jennifer Short

Day 13: Martha Bales

Email Christen your mailing address and we'll ship out your advanced reader copy of The Keeper this week. And everyone will be entered to win one of the grand prizes.

Adopt a Building

2011-11-13T08:00:00.000-08:00

Faith-based communities are fascinating to me. At their best, they reflect the heart of Christ in action. At its core, it's the church, the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.

Here's a story of an amazing community that is making a difference. It's called Adopt a Building and is led by Francis Chan:

The Tenderloin district of San Francisco is one square mile. There are 37,000 people in that one square mile living in 586 apartment buildings. And San Francisco City Impact wants to plant a church in every single one of those apartments.

Francis Chan, author of Crazy Love and former pastor of Cornerstone Community Church, is working with the new initiative, called Adopt a Building. SFCI provides food, clothing and housing for those in the San Francisco area. Christian Huang, operations director for the new initiative, told The Christian Post that Adopt a Building is filling a need in the community that wasn’t being met before. It was the “missing component of City Impact,” he said.

The idea is simple. First they pick a building and get a prayer team together to start praying for residents in the building. Then a “grace team” is assembled to knock on the doors of every residence in the building.

Those on the grace team ask residents if there is anything they need: food, school supplies, prayer. In a video about the ministry Francis Chan says grace team members are really there to say, “We don’t want anything from you, we just want to give.”

After the grace team has a list of needs from residents they will come back the next week to deliver what they requested. In doing so, the teams continue the dialogue that they started the week before with those in the apartment.

In an interview in Christian Post, Chan said that in the initial stages of the ministry, the idea is to start making connections, to ask people if they want to learn more about God and read the Bible. The end goal is to find leaders in the apartment that can begin pastoring a church in the apartment building.

To read more about Adopt a Building in the Christian Post, click here.

Do you have a story of a faith-based community that is making a difference? I'd love to hear about it.

24 Days of Thanksgiving -- Day 12

2011-11-12T21:48:00.001-08:00

If you're just tuning in go here for the details of the 24 Days of Thanksgiving contest I'm running this month!

The Keeper's official release date is January 2nd, but it’s available now to pre-order. Thank you all for helping me spread the word by posting the video trailer on your blog and social networking sites.

The First winners are:

Day 1: Angie Adair

Day 2: Irene Hartwig

Day 3: Shirley Bessmer

Day 4: Anna Marie Decarlo

Day 5: Kathleen Brown

Day 6: Donita Corman

Day 7: Andrea Ricks

Day 8: Debbie Mosley

Day 9: Amber Horton

Day 10: Jodie Moore

Day 11: Abbie Tireman

Day 12: Jennifer Short

Email Christen your mailing address and we'll ship out your advanced reader copy of The Keeper this week. And everyone will be entered to win one of the grand prizes.

24 Days of Thanksgiving -- Day 11

2011-11-11T11:00:00.000-08:00

If you're just tuning in go here for the details of the 24 Days of Thanksgiving contest I'm running this month!

The Keeper's official release date is January 2nd, but it’s available now to pre-order. Thank you all for helping me spread the word by posting the video trailer on your blog and social networking sites.

The First winners are:

Day 1: Angie Adair

Day 2: Irene Hartwig

Day 3: Shirley Bessmer

Day 4: Anna Marie Decarlo

Day 5: Kathleen Brown

Day 6: Donita Corman

Day 7: Andrea Ricks

Day 8: Debbie Mosley

Day 9: Amber Horton

Day 10: Jodie Moore

Day 11: Abbie Tireman

Email Christen your mailing address and we'll ship out your advanced reader copy of The Keeper this week. And everyone will be entered to win one of the grand prizes.

Author Spotlight: Erin Healy

2011-11-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Author Spotlight! Each week will feature a different author. We'll get the scoop behind their writing life and dish a little. The authors will also be giving away a copy of their latest book. FUN.

The winner from last week's Author Spotlight with Tamera Alexander is Rosemary Foley! Please email my assistant Amy with your mailing address. (amy@litfusegroup.com)

This week Erin Healy is in the Spotlight! To win a copy of Erin's latest book, The Baker's Wife, leave a comment on this post!

Share a little bit about yourself. Married with kids? Empty nester? Do you work full-time and write when you can squeeze it in?

I’m a freelance fiction editor by profession, specializing in the developmental stages of novel writing. I work full time from home around the schedules of my husband and kids—a preschooler and a teen—and I devote about six months of the year to editing and six to writing.

And share something about your writing. What’s your genre(s), your areas of interest…

I write contemporary supernatural suspense novels that are character- and theme-driven. They feature strong female protagonists confronted by high-stakes dilemmas. My characters’ spiritual experiences bridge the earthly and heavenly realities of their lives and lead them to new understandings about God.

How did you get started writing? Did you have a dream of being a published author?

I came to writing via my editorial relationship with Ted Dekker, who invited me to write a couple novels with him. It was very backdoor, I know. But every meaningful effort in my life has involved writing of one type or another. I can’t say that I had a dream to publish as much as I had a skill worth nurturing. At least that how I’m trying to think of it: God gave me a gift that I mean not to waste.

Aside from a cup of good, strong coffee, what helps you get all of your “brain cylinders” firing so you can write well? Do you have any favorite places and routines when you write? How many hours a day do you spend writing?

My brain requires a clean work space—clutter in my environment is like litter in my mind—and long hot showers, which is where I do most of my reflecting. As much as I love music, I need silence for writing, and about four hours a day.

Is the “writer’s life” what you thought it would be?

The day-to-day routines are pretty much as I expected, and not so different from my editorial life. But the emotional layers have caught me off guard. After writing six novels, I expected to feel more confidence about my creative choices. Instead each book is like a newborn child with its own unique personality, joys, and issues. I expected isolation to nurture my creativity—I’m an introvert—and have been most surprised by how much I want feedback and interaction with others.

What are your biggest distractions?

Social media—not because I’m addicted but because there’s so much management required. Research—because there is no such thing as a rabbit trail that doesn’t seem interesting. Children—mainly my own. Family drama—we all have it don’t we? I guess that it seems like I’ve had more than my share (starting with a surprise pregnancy) since launching my writing career four years ago.

What was one of the best moments in your career and what was one of the worst?

Best (because it was funniest): When one of my teenage daughter’s friends secretly complained to his mother: “It’s not fair—her mom is famous.” Worst: I personally asked an author I know and respect to read one of my books for endorsement. When he decided the book wasn’t up to par, he didn’t say this to me. Instead he called my publisher to suggest they delay publication so I could rewrite.

What do you least like about being a writer? Most like?

Least: How hard it is to effectively translate the vision in my mind into language the reader can also “see.” Most: The sense of accomplishment for having created something good.

What advice would you give to new writers?

Adopt an attitude of humility about your creative work. Humility will keep you teachable, will cultivate self-discipline, and will go a long way toward making your work truly great.

Pretend I’m a customer at a bookstore looking for a good book. Give me a one or two sentence promo to convince me to buy your book.

The Baker’s Wife combines fast-paced suspense with real thematic depth for Christian readers. In this story a woman with a supernatural ability to feel the pain of others must use her gift to save her family and rescue her enemy.

Last question, how can readers find you and your books?

A complete list of my books—plus summaries, free sample chapters, and reader comments—is at erinhealy.com/books. I love to interact with readers on Facebook at erinhealybooks, and I am venturing into the Twitter waters these days (up to my ankles now) @erinhealybooks. I’m also still unfamous enough that I answer all my own e-mails at erin@erinhealy.com. Write me a note and I’ll write one to you!

Thank you for sharing your writing life with my bleaders! (blog + readers = bleaders)

Thank you, Suzanne! It’s so fun to reconnect with you in this venue. God bless and keep you (and all your bleaders).

24 Days of Thanksgiving

2011-11-10T11:24:00.001-08:00

If you're just tuning in go here for the details of the 24 Days of Thanksgiving contest I'm running this month!

The Keeper's official release date is January 2nd, but it’s available now to pre-order. Thank you all for helping me spread the word by posting the video trailer on your blog and social networking sites.

The First winners are:

Day 1: Angie Adair

Day 2: Irene Hartwig

Day 3: Shirley Bessmer

Day 4: Anna Marie Decarlo

Day 5: Kathleen Brown

Day 6: Donita Corman

Day 7: Andrea Ricks

Day 8: Debbie Mosley

Day 9: Amber Horton

Day 10: Jodie Moore

Email Christen your mailing address and we'll ship out your advanced reader copy of The Keeper this week. And everyone will be entered to win one of the grand prizes.

Thursday on Amish Wisdom: Leeann Miller

2011-11-10T08:45:00.001-08:00

Tune in on Thursday at 4:00 pm Central! To listen in - go here and just click on the player in the top right corner.

This week TV personality, columnist and B&B owner Lee Ann Miller, will be back on the show. She'll be catching us up on all the exciting things that have happened in her life this past year and talking about some things near and dear to her heart.

More about Leeann: Twenty Years ago she met, dated, and married an Amish man within 28 days. “Big D” and Leeann live in Ohio’s Amish Country with their two teenage sons.

They also have a Bed & Breakfast called the Miller Haus. Leeann is a regular cooking guest on several FOX & abc affiliates in our region and represents the brand ‘Taste of Home’, and is a field editor for their magazine.

She loves to bake, cook, & extend hospitality. She believes in truth, mistakes, love, failures, dreams, goals, wit, & grinding the best coffee beans you can find!

For more about Lee Ann, please visit her website.

So be sure to tune in at 4:00 PM Central on Thursday!

24 Days of Thanksgiving -- Day 9

2011-11-09T09:30:00.000-08:00

24 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 8

2011-11-08T11:15:00.000-08:00

Petticoat Row

2011-11-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

This is old news for most of you, but this new series was announced in Publisher's Marketplace the other day:

Just announced today: new book deal for Suzanne Woods Fisher - PETTICOAT ROW, in the early 19th century, Nantucket Island was the whaling capital of the world; Quakers had settled and civilized much of Nantucket, introducing the Christian faith to the island, and bringing with them a belief in equality for all - race and gender; most of the men of Nantucket left the island on lengthy whaling voyages, leaving behind the women to manage homes and businesses; the women of Nantucket shaped their world to cope with their responsibilities, houses were built close together to form a sense of community and Centre Street was commonly known as "Petticoat Row" because the women ran the shops on that street during their husband's absences. 3 book series.

Jethro Coffin house. Oldest house in Nantucket (though some would say that Auld Lang Syne in Sconset is the oldest.

The Old Mill. Still grinding away!

Sankaty Lighthouse

This, I thought, would be a delightful writing studio.

Everyone needs to be photographed under this.

Used to be a horse drinking fountain. See the cobblestones? My mom has a pix of this taken from a visit to Nantucket in the 30s! Oh why oh why didn't my grandparents buy land back then?!

View of the harbor, taken from a Widow's Walk at my B&B.

Another pix taken from the Widow's Walk. That's the peak of the Congregational Church's steeple.

Do you have a place that you love? The kind of place where, if you were told you had a few weeks to live, you'd pack a bag and head there. That's what Nantucket is like for me.

24 Days of Thanksgiving -- Day 7

2011-11-07T08:54:00.000-08:00

Wow - the contest is off with a bang! If you're just tuning in go here for the details of the 24 Days of Thanksgiving contest I'm running this month!

The Keeper's official release date is January 2nd, but it’s available now to pre-order. Thank you all for helping me spread the word by posting the video trailer on your blog and social networking sites.

The First winners are:

Day 1: Angie Adair

Day 2: Irene Hartwig

Day 3: Shirley Bessmer

Day 4: Anna Marie Decarlo

Day 5: Kathleen Brown

Day 6: Donita Corman

Day 7: Jenny Blake

Email Amy your mailing address and we'll ship out your advanced reader copy of The Keeper this week. And everyone will be entered to win one of the grand prizes.

One Thousand Gifts

2011-11-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

I finished Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts a week or so ago.

This is the perfect book to read during this season of giving thanks. Her book is about gratitude, and I don't think we can ever be reminded enough of its importance.

Ann has a blog, A Holy Experience, that is just...profound. I read that her blog receives 30,000 to 40,000 hits a week. A week! And One Thousand Gifts has hit the NY Times bestseller list.

It makes me wonder if Ann Voskamp is ever not profound! She definitely has the soul of a poet. Do you think poets are profound even at breakfast? Before coffee?

Anyway, I am gung ho about this book right now. Really inspiring.

24 Days of Thanksgiving -- Day 6

2011-11-06T13:36:00.000-08:00

Wow - the contest is off with a bang! If you're just tuning in go here for the details of the 24 Days of Thanksgiving contest I'm running this month!

The Keeper's official release date is January 2nd, but it’s available now to pre-order. Thank you all for helping me spread the word by posting the video trailer on your blog and social networking sites.

The First winners are:

Day 1: Angie Adair

Day 2: Irene Hartwig

Day 3: Shirley Bessmer

Day 4: Anna Marie Decarlo

Day 5: Kathleen Brown

Day 6: Donita Corman

Email Amy your mailing address and we'll ship out your advanced reader copy of The Keeper this week. And everyone will be entered to win one of the grand prizes.

24 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 5

2011-11-05T08:28:00.000-07:00

Wow - the contest is off with a bang! If you're just tuning in go here for the details of the 24 Days of Thanksgiving contest I'm running this month!

The Keeper's official release date is January 2nd, but it’s available now to pre-order. Thank you all for helping me spread the word by posting the video trailer on your blog and social networking sites.

The First winners are:

Day 1: Angie Adair

Day 2: Irene Hartwig

Day 3: Shirley Bessmer

Day 4: Anna Marie Decarlo

Day 5: Kathleen Brown

Email Amy your mailing address and we'll ship out your advanced reader copy of The Keeper this week. And everyone will be entered to win one of the grand prizes.

24 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 4

2011-11-04T11:30:00.000-07:00

Wow - the contest is off with a bang! If you're just tuning in go here for the details of the 24 Days of Thanksgiving contest I'm running this month!

The Keeper's official release date is January 2nd, but it’s available now to pre-order. Thank you all for helping me spread the word by posting the video trailer on your blog and social networking sites.

The First winners are:

Day 1: Angie Adair

Day 2: Irene Hartwig

Day 3: Shirley Bessmer

Day 4: Anna Marie Decarlo

Email Amy your mailing address and we'll ship out your advanced reader copy of The Keeper this week. And everyone will be entered to win one of the grand prizes.

Author Spotlight: Tamera Alexander (and a Kindle Fire Giveaway!)

2011-11-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Author Spotlight! Each week will feature a different author. We'll get the scoop behind their writing life and dish a little. The authors will also be giving away a copy of their latest book. FUN.

The winner from last week's Author Spotlight with Glynnis Whitwer is patedsch1! Please email my assistant Amy with your mailing address. (amy@litfusegroup.com)

This week Tamera Alexander is in the Spotlight! To win a copy of Tamera's new Belmont Mansion book, A Lasting Impression, leave a comment on this post!

Share a little bit about yourself. Married with kids? Empty nester? Do you work full-time and write when you can squeeze it in?

I’m a wife and mother, and it’s the best part of my life. Joe and I have been married for going on 27 years, and we have two fabulous kids. Kelsey (24) and Kurt (22) who both live here in Nashville. Kurt had said something funny and we were all trying not to laugh, but obviously not trying hard enough. And that’s Jack, our little silky terrier. He’s a part of our family too.

And regarding writing, after several years of working outside the home and then writing from 10PM to 2AM, I’m now a full time writer. And I’m grateful for my job!

And share something about your writing. What’s your genre(s), your areas of interest…

I write historical fiction. I’ve written eight published novels to date. Seven are set in the Colorado Territory and Rocky Mountains, with the eighth (A Lasting Impression, just released) set in the stunning Belmont Mansion in Nashville, TN, circa 1853. I love history, and graveyards, and old letters and diaries, and Southern antebellum mansions.

How did you get started writing? Did you have a dream of being a published author?

I first considered writing a novel in 1999. But I need to go back a bit farther to really get to the “seed” of where all this started for me. In 1995, my mother-in-law, Claudette Harris Alexander, shared a book with me, one she thought I would really enjoy. I was busy and let time go by without reading it. She asked me again if I’d read it. Several times. I said no, but that I would. The best laid plans

Very unexpectedly, Claudette died that same year from a brain aneurysm. Weeks passed, and as I was cleaning bookshelves downstairs, I happened across that little volume and immediately sat down and read it. Claudette was right! I felt an immediate connection with the thread of hope woven through that gentle love story—Love Comes Softly, by Janette Oke, originally published by Bethany House Publishers in 1979. That sent me searching for more inspirational fiction published not only by Bethany House, but elsewhere in the Christian Booksellers Association market (CBA). I devoured it, and developed a strong interest then in historical fiction.

A few years later my husband and I were driving back to Colorado from Texas late one night. I finished a novel, turned to him and said (only joking at the time), “I think I could write one of those.” Without blinking, he said, “Well, do it.” Competitive at heart, I nodded and said, “Okay.”

My first novel made it to the review board at Bethany House Publishers in 2000, after which I received a very nice rejection letter. Writing that first story was a learning experience for me that I took to heart. I then determined to set about seriously studying the craft of writing.

After you started writing seriously--how long was it before you were published?

In October 2004, Bethany House offered me my first contract, a three-book deal to write historical fiction (Rekindled, Revealed, and Remembered). Then another three book series (From a Distance, Beyond This Moment, and Within My Heart). The Inheritance—the first historical for the WOMEN OF FAITH fiction line with Thomas Nelson—released in March 2009.

And now I’m writing Southern fiction, and loving it!

Aside from a cup of good, strong coffee, what helps you get all of your “brain cylinders” firing so you can write well? Do you have any favorite places and routines when you write? How many hours a day do you spend writing?

Walking helps tremendously, followed by an iced latte, of course. My main computer is a laptop so I’m mobile and write all over the house. I usually spend about 5-6 hours a day writing, then another 2 or 3 with email, marketing and promotion, social networking, etc…

What has been the biggest help to you in the journey to publication? Writers’ conferences? Writing groups?

Writers who’ve come alongside me to mentor me… I’ll be forever grateful to Deborah Raney for sharing her knowledge and experience with me, and actually dedicated this latest release, A Lasting Impression, to her. (Love and appreciate you, Deb!) I was also incredible blessed to “somehow” get included in a group of writers who meet each summer to plot and pray and play together. These women have made all the difference in my writing, and my life. American Christian Fiction Writers was also very instrumental in my early writing journey. I was part of the original ACFW Crit Group 5 (a loving shout out to Lisa Harris, Jeanne Marie Leach, Deborah Vogts, and Elizabeth Goddard!).

Is the “writer’s life” what you thought it would be?

Not at all. I thought (at the outset) that writing each book would get easier, but it’s proven to be just the opposite for me. It’s gotten harder. Much harder. The more you know, the more you realize you have to learn. One of the most unexpected blessings, and the most precious to me, are the connections I’ve made with readers. Their letters and emails about how these stories have touched their lives and encouraged them in their faith journeys have been such an encouragement. They make all the difference.

What are your biggest distractions?

Email and social networking.

What was one of the best moments in your career and what was one of the worst?

Having my mom with me in 2007 when I won my first RITA, then having both her and Dad with me in 2008 when I won my first Christy. Mom went home to be the Lord in 2009 after a brief battle with gallbladder cancer, so I’m especially grateful that she was able to see some of the “tangible” affirmations from my writing. It meant a great deal to her. And again, winning those awards was very meaningful, but sharing them with my parents and having them with me at ICRS and them “seeing a slice of my writing world and meet my writing buddies,” that was incredibly special.

I haven’t had one “worst” moment that I can think of, but “a” worst moment is when I’ve been late with manuscripts. Life happens, I know, and we have to roll with the punches. But still, it’s not a good feeling. I’m so appreciative of the extra time Bethany House gave me to write Within My Heart after Mom passed away. They were very understanding.

What do you least like about being a writer? Most like?

The long solitary hours of writing. And the long solitary hours of writing. It’s a catch 22. I love getting lost in that story world with the characters, but it can also be lonely at times. I’m very social.

What is the role and importance of an agent?

I wouldn’t dare attempt to navigate the publishing waters without an agent. There are all sorts of roles for an agent but I wanted a career builder. Someone who would not just “work a deal” but who would help me build a career and become a better writer. I found that and so much more in Natasha Kern.

What advice would you give to new writers?

Write, write, write. Read, read, read. And surrender your writing journey to the Lord and to his will for your life. Easier said than done, I realize. But what joy is found when you’re centered in the middle of God’s will.

Then I also share my list of favorite writing resources:
• The Moral Premise by Stan Williams
• Stein on Writing by Sol Stein
• How to Grow a Novel by Sol Stein
• Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell
• Getting Into Character by Brandilyn Collins
• Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass
• Word Painting by Rebecca McClanahan
• Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave
• Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Pretend I’m a customer at a bookstore looking for a good book. Give me a one or two sentence promo to convince me to buy your newest release, A Lasting Impression.

A fake. A forger. That’s what Claire Laurent knows she is, which is why she can’t fathom working in the home of the richest woman in Nashville, let alone America. But when Claire meets Sutton Monroe––Mrs. Acklen’s far too handsome and equally as discerning personal attorney––Claire’s certain the first impression she made with him…will be her last.

What’s on the book horizon for you?

I’m already at work on another Southern historical, and loving it! My next book will be out Fall 2012.

Last question, how can readers find you and your books?

Author Website: www.tameraalexander.com
Author Blog: www.tameraalexander.blogspot.com
Author Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tamera.alexander
Author Twitter: http://twitter.com/tameraalexander

Thank you for sharing your writing life with my bleaders! (blog + readers = bleaders)

Kindle Fire Giveaway and Facebook Party from Tamera Alexander!

While Tamera and her book, A Lasting Impression, are traveling across the country virtually (with a few international stops as well!), she will be hosting a Kindle Fire Giveaway (11/4 - 11/15) and preparing for a lavish Southern-Style Facebook Party (11/15) (dripping with hospitality, of course). She will be giving away Southern Food Baskets, books, and an array of other fabulous freebies! Don't miss a minute of the fun. Swoon!

Read what the reviewers are saying here.

One grand prize winner will receive:

A Brand New Kindle Fire (shipped as soon as it releases)
A copy of A Lasting Impression and 3 other special books Tamera wants you to have (for Kindle)

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends at noon on November 15th. Winner will be announced at A Lasting Impression Facebook Party on the 15th. Tamera will be wrapping up the A Lasting Impression celebration with an author chat and giving away Southern Food Baskets (Loveless Cafe Food Baskets, books, Amazon & Starbucks gift certificates, and copies of Christy Jordan's Southern Plate cookbook), six gift certificates to Starbucks and Amazon.com, and copies of A Lasting Impression! So grab your copy of A Lasting Impression (it's okay if you don't have one yet- you might win one!) and join Tamera on the evening of November 15th for an author chat, a trivia contest (How much do you know about the 1860's?) and lots of Southern-inspired giveaways (complete listing here).

Don't miss a moment of the fun. RSVP today and tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER. Hope to see you on the 15th!

24 Days of Thanksgiving - Day 3

2011-11-03T09:42:00.000-07:00

Wow - the contest is off with a bang! If you're just tuning in go here for the details of the 24 Days of Thanksgiving contest I'm running this month!

The Keeper's official release date is January 2nd, but it’s available now to pre-order. Thank you all for helping me spread the word by posting the video trailer on your blog and social networking sites.

The First winners are:

Day 1: Angie Adair

Day 2: Irene Hartwig

Day 3: Shirley Bessmer

Email Amy your mailing address and we'll ship out your advanced reader copy of The Keeper this week. And everyone will be entered to win one of the grand prizes.

24 Days of Thanksgiving Day 2

2011-11-02T14:30:00.000-07:00

Wow - the contest is off with a bang! If you're just tuning in go here for the details of the 24 Days of Thanksgiving contest I'm running this month!

The Keeper's official release date is January 2nd, but it’s available now to pre-order. Thank you all for helping me spread the word by posting the video trailer on your blog and social networking sites.

The First winners are:

Day 1: Angie Adair

Day 2: Irene Hartwig

Email Amy your mailing address and we'll ship out your advanced reader copy of The Keeper this week. And everyone will be entered to win one of the grand prizes.

Thursday on Amish Wisdom: I Am Hutterite - Mary Ann Kirkby

2011-11-02T06:30:00.000-07:00

Tune in on Thursday at 4:00 pm Central! To listen in - go here and just click on the player in the top right corner.

I'm so excited to have author Mary-Ann Kirkby back on the show this Thursday. We'll be hearing more about her fascinating book, I Am Hutterite and talk a bit more about what inspired her to write it.

About Mary-Ann: Mary-Ann Kirkby was born on a Canadian Hutterite colony near Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. One of nine children, Kirkby was raised in the Hutterite tradition, similar in some respects, to that of the Amish or Mennonites. At age10 her life was turned upside down when her parents abruptly left behind the comfort and security of the colony and relocated their family to a lonely farm house in the “English” world. The transition to a startling fast-paced society was overwhelming for a young Mary-Ann as she clashed head on with popular culture.

Growing up in the isolated self-sustaining Hutterite community of Fairholme Colony, Kirkby had little contact with the outside world. A primarily agricultural community dominated by male leadership, Kirkby’s childhood dreams included a happy marriage with healthy children, good food, strong friendships and a deep devotion to her unique way of life. Those dreams where shattered when her parents packed up their large family and moved to a new world, full of unknowns.

Thrust into a foreign universe that she didn’t understand, Kirkby worked hard to adapt to a new way of life and a new identity by abandoning the culture that had defined her. She struggled to reinvent herself by denying her Hutterite heritage in an attempt to avoid the stigma and cruelty associated with being different.

A graduate of the National Broadcasting Institute Kirkby made her way into the world of journalism as a news anchor and reporter. She was the senior reporter responsible for aboriginal issues at CTV in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan and worked in Ottawa for several years as a freelance journalist and as Media Relations Consultant for the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations. The recipient of two Can-Pro Awards, Kirkby has made a career of telling other people’s stories. She is gifted singer, a sought after speaker and member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers.

Finally embracing her role as a daughter of two cultures Kirkby has used her talents to chronicle her own life story. Her first book, “I Am Hutterite,” was published in Canada in 2007 and will be released in the U.S. by Thomas Nelson Publishing in May 2010. The book has garnered rave reviews as readers react to the Kirkby’s honest and compelling story told in her charming style. “I Am Hutterite” won the Saskatchewan Book Award for Best Non-Fiction in 2007.

About her fascinating book: Mary-Ann Kirkby revisits a hidden past and weaves it into her ground-breaking memoir “I Am Hutterite: The Fascinating True Story of a Young Woman’s Journey to Reclaim Her Heritage.” This compelling story will keep you glued to every page vicariously reliving the memories of Kirkby as a young child, now a storyteller in her own right as an award-winning author and news reporter. She was awarded the Saskatchewan Book Award for Best Non-Fiction and received notable acclaim in the first edition of “I Am Hutterite,” published for the Canadian audience in 2007. With outstanding reviews and affection from readers who were awed by her courageous story, she has partnered with Thomas Nelson Publishers to bring her book to the United States. Releasing in the U.S. in May 2010, Kirkby’s memoir will resonate with anyone who has ever experienced a desire to fit in. But perhaps those who will enjoy this book best are those eager to peel away their own defenses and embrace the simple truth that beneath every human exterior beats a heart longing for understanding and acceptance. For more information, please visit: http://www.polkadotpress.ca/

Help me introduce The Keeper!

2011-11-01T07:35:00.000-07:00

Help me introduce The Keeper!

I’m so excited to announce the first book in my new Stoney Ridge series, The Keeper! The official release date is January 2nd, but it’s available now to pre-order. Would you like to help me spread the word? I’d love for you to post The Keeper video trailer on Facebook, twitter, Google+, blog or website … and in exchange I’ll send you a thank you gift! (details below!)

Welcome to Stoney Ridge …:

More about The Keeper:

Julia Lapp has planned on marrying Paul Fisher since she was a girl. Now twenty-one, she looks forward to their wedding with giddy anticipation. When Paul tells her he wants to postpone the wedding--again--she knows who is to blame. Perpetual bachelor and spreader of cold feet, Roman Troyer, the Bee Man.

Roamin' Roman travels through the Amish communities of Ohio and Pennsylvania with his hives full of bees, renting them out to farmers in need of pollinators. He relishes his nomadic life, which keeps him from thinking about all he has lost. He especially enjoys bringing his bees to Stoney Ridge each year. But with Julia on a mission to punish him for inspiring Paul's cold feet, the Lapp farm is looking decidedly less pleasant.

Can Julia secure the future she's always dreamed of? Or does God have something else in mind?

Would you help me spread the word about The Keeper?

I’d love for you to post The Keeper video trailer on Facebook, twitter, Google+, blog or website … You may enter once per platform (once on Facebook, once on your blog, once on twitter, etc…).

Here is how to do that:

Pick up a custom embed code at this link: http://youtu.be/FqZVG_rNHM8 and embed the code into the HTML screen of your blog/website. Or link to the video here: http://youtu.be/FqZVG_rNHM8. Or just click SHARE when you’re at YouTube and post it straight to your Facebook wall, blog or Twitter.

After you post it, please click this link to fill out the entry form.

But wait! There’s more...

Everyone who participates will be entered into a drawing to receive:

24 people will receive a signed, advanced reader copy of The Keeper (One winner will be announced each day on my blog.)

10 people will receive a signed copy of A Lancaster County Christmas and Amish Values for Your Family

5 people will receive a copy of The Keeper (to be sent in January), plus a A Lancaster County Christmas and Amish Values for Your Family

…ONE lucky person will receive all three books and an Amish Barn Star from Annie’s Amish Barn Stars!

All you have to do to enter is share the video and go here to fill out the entry form.

How fun is that?!

Again – if you need help or have questions please email amy@litfusegroup.com. Winners will be announced on 11/28!

Home Sweet Home

2011-11-01T07:32:00.000-07:00

Gosh, it's good to be home!

I've been out of town for two weeks and am wading through mail and my lengthy to-do list--will post some pix of my trip to Nantucket soon.

In the meantime, I'm guest blogging today over at Amish Crossings--pop over and leave a comment.

Author Spotlight: Glynnis Whitwer

2011-10-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Author Spotlight! Each week will feature a different author. We'll get the scoop behind their writing life and dish a little. The authors will also be giving away a copy of their latest book. FUN.

The winner from last week's Author Spotlight with Deeanne Gist is Marla! Please email my assistant Amy with your mailing address. (amy@litfusegroup.com)

This week Glynnis Whitwer is in the Spotlight! To win a copy of Glynnis book, I Used to Be So Organized, leave a comment on this post! Also, if you missed my interview with Glynnis earlier this month - you can listen here or find it here on iTunes as a free download.

Share a little bit about yourself. Married with kids? Empty nester? Do you work full-time and write when you can squeeze it in?

I’ve been married to my husband Tod for 28 years. We have five children, ages 14 to 20. Our family is unique in that we have three biological children – all boys ages 16, 18 and 20. Then God added two little girls to our family 6 years ago and they are 14 and 16 now.

And share something about your writing. What’s your genre(s), your areas of interest…

I have a degree in journalism and public relations, but I never did pursue reporting. I wrote professional marketing and PR copy for 10 years until God called me to Proverbs 31 Ministries. Since then, I’ve focused on devotional and non-fiction.

How did you get started writing? Did you have a dream of being a published author?

I always loved to write, but not stories or journals like most people. I loved school reports. Weird, huh? I was voted outstanding English student one year at my junior college, which confirmed my love of writing to communicate and educate. I never dreamed of being a published author until my friend Lysa TerKeurst got published. Then God started planting a seed in me.

After you started writing seriously--how long was it before you were published?

I first started writing devotions for Proverbs 31 Ministries. Our subscriber list grew quickly, so it wasn’t long before we had 10,000 daily readers. We now have over 500,000, so God has blessed that endeavor. But for my own writing, it took three years to find a publisher for my first book. And in that time, God expanded my knowledge base so it was a good wait.

Aside from a cup of good, strong coffee, what helps you get all of your “brain cylinders” firing so you can write well? Do you have any favorite places and routines when you write? How many hours a day do you spend writing?

I have to eliminate distractions when I’m home. No music, tv or children around. Thankfully, I work at home so I have most of the day when my children are at school. But my best writing happens when I go somewhere else … like Starbucks or Barnes and Noble. Just being in another environment allows my mind to stop worrying about my emails, laundry or the doggies who just beg me to stop and love on them.

What has been the biggest help to you in the journey to publication? Writers’ conferences? Writing groups? Your mom as your first draft reader?

The biggest help with my first book was my writing group. Each member added a unique perspective that helped me see my writing from new eyes. Since then, the biggest help has been dissecting what doesn’t work in the many articles I see as an editor. I pick apart bad writing, identify what they did wrong, then try and rework it.

Is the “writer’s life” what you thought it would be?

Well, I don’t think I really live the “writer’s life.” I consider myself an atypical writer … I’ve never kept a diary, I don’t journal and I don’t think I would “die” if I don’t write. I’m much more passionate about the message than the process of writing. So for me, writing is just a vehicle to communicate God’s truths.

What are your biggest distractions?

In addition to writing, I’m also an editor. So my biggest distractions from my own writing is work.

What was one of the best moments in your career and what was one of the worst?

The best moment happened this summer when a woman came up to me at She Speaks (the P31 writer’s and speaker’s conference) and told me my latest book changed her life. This book is “I Used to Be So Organized” but it’s more than just an organization book, as I deal with spiritual principles as well. That really blessed me. The worst moment was also one of the best. The first time I submitted to an agent she rejected me and said, “You are good, but you aren’t outstanding.” That hurt, but it motivated me to pursue a greater level of excellence.

What do you least like about being a writer? Most like?

I don’t like it when I don’t have any ideas. That’s a horrible feeling. My favorite thing is when God floods me with inspiration.

What advice would you give to new writers?

My advice to new writers is to learn the craft of writing, starting with the basics, such as sentence and paragraph construction. Start with the smallest parts of writing and build on that. I like books on writing or any kind of seminar or conference. The more you can educate yourself the better.

Pretend I’m a customer at a bookstore looking for a good book. Give me a one or two sentence promo to convince me to buy your book.

Do you want a more organized and peaceful life, but can’t get it together? “I Used to Be So Organized” will help you understand the reasons why and give you a plan for regaining control.

What’s on the book horizon for you?

I’m working on two new ideas, and I’m not sure which one I’ll present first. One involves taking old fashioned homemaking and time management principles and applying them to our lives today. The other involved helping people be free from clutter.

Last question, how can readers find you and your books?

I love referring people to Proverbs 31 first, since all proceeds from my book sales benefit the ministry. But then, I’m also available on Amazon or any other book site.

Thank you for sharing your writing life with my bleaders! (blog + readers = bleaders)

Thursday on Amish Wisdom: Finding more fun in your daily life with guest host Judy Christie and author Janice Thompson

2011-10-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

Tune in on Thursday at 4:00 pm Central! To listen in - go here and just click on the player in the top right corner.

Don't miss Thursday's show. The wonderful Judy Christie will be guest hosting again (thanks Judy!). Her guest this week is talented author, Janice Thompson. They will be talking about humor writing. The role humor plays in reaching the reader’s heart. Should be a jovial chat.

For a chance to win a copy of Janice's Hello Hollywood and Judy Christie's latest book, Rally Round Green, just leave a comment {HERE}. Winner will be notified next week via email

More about Janice: Award-winning author Janice Thompson also writes under the pseudonym Janice Hanna. She got her start in the industry writing screenplays and musical comedies for the stage. Janice has published over seventy books for the Christian market, crossing genre lines to write cozy mysteries, historicals, romances, nonfiction books, devotionals, children’s books and more. In addition, she enjoys public speaking, and mentoring young writers. Janice formerly served as Vice-President of CAN (Christian Authors Network) and was named the 2008 Mentor of the year for ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers). She was thrilled to be named the 2010 Barbour/Heartsong Author of the Year, with three books on the top ten list for that house. Janice is active in her local writing group, where she regularly teaches on the craft of writing. Her online course, “Becoming a Successful Freelance Writer” (www.freelancewritingcourses.com) has been helpful to many who want to earn a living with their writing. Janice is passionate about her faith and does all she can to share the joy of the Lord with others, which is why she particularly enjoys writing. She lives in Spring, Texas, where she leads a rich life with her family, a host of writing friends, and two mischievous dachshunds. She does her best to keep the Lord at the center of it all. You can find out more about Janice at www.janiceathompson.com or www.freelancewritingcourses.com.

More about Hello Hollywood:
When it comes to love, one thing’s for sure–it doesn’t follow a script!  

Athena Pappas is the head writer on Stars Collide, one of the most popular sitcoms in television history. But when Vegas comedian Stephen Cosse is brought in to beef up the show’s suddenly sagging ratings, she starts to worry about her job. Sparks fly as the competition–and attraction–between the two writers heats up. Athena has never had a problem writing the romances of her characters. So why is her own love life so hard to script? With humor and a Hollywood-insider viewpoint, Hello, Hollywood! delivers lots of laughs as Athena and Stephen discover that not being in control of the plot of their lives might just be the best thing that ever happened to them.

About the co-host - Judy Christie:

Judy Christie is an author and consultant who lives in Northwest Louisiana. She writes inspirational fiction and nonfiction. Her popular Green series chronicles the goings-on in the small Louisiana town of Green and is part of Abindgon Press’s new inspirational fiction line. The third book in the Green series, The Glory of Green, released Spring 2011. It follows Gone to Green, her first novel, published in 2009, and Goodness Gracious Green, which came out in 2010. Judy is also the author of the popular Hurry Less, Worry Lessnonfiction series, published by Abingdon Press: Hurry Less, Worry Less for Families; Hurry Less, Worry Less at Work; Hurry Less, Worry Less: 10 Strategies for Living the Life You Long For; Hurry Less, Worry Less at Christmastime. Judy was a journalist for many years and is a frequent speaker at retreats and workshops. She works with clients around the country on how to slow down and enjoy each day more and how to set and meet goals. Please visit Judy's website for more, www.judychristie.com.

Look for Judy's latest book, Rally Round Green.

"A tender tale filled with community, friendship, and love. Judy Christie creates characters you'll want to know and places you'll want to be. Don't miss your chance to rally round with the Gang from Green!" -- Lisa Wingate, National Bestselling Author of Larkspur Cove and Dandelion Summer

10 Things I Love About Florida

2011-10-24T07:30:00.000-07:00

Here's what I loved about Florida...

1) The diversity of people. Everyone is from somewhere else.

2) The beautiful views. Each time you turn a corner, you see the ocean.

3) The birds. This place is a birdwatcher's paradise!

4) The prices. It was delightful to pay $1 to cross a huge bridge instead of $5 like you do in San Francisco.

5) The customer service. This state's got it figured out! They could teach seminars on how to treat visitors so they want to return.

6) The sand on the the beaches. I've heard people talk about the white sand of Florida--like sugar. I thought it was more like powdered sugar. So soft!

7) The sunsets. Amazing!

8) The weather. Hard to beat an October day in Florida.

9) The food. Dee-Lish!

10) The new and old friends I met. That was the best part of Florida. The very best.

Tonight! LifeWay at Brandon, Florida

2011-10-22T15:48:00.000-07:00

I'll be signing books at Brandon LifeWay Christian Store tonight! Would love to meet you, if you're in the area. 7pm!Here's the addy: Brandon Lifeway Christian StoreThe Plaza at Brandon Town Center169 Brandon Town Center Drive Brandon, Florida 33511

Today: Tampa LifeWay

2011-10-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

Today, I am zooming over to Tampa for a book signing at 11 - 1. Please come if you can! Important info:Tampa LifeWay Christian Store At the Plaza at Citrus Park12689 Citrus Plaza Drive, Tampa, Florida 33625