New Bible Study by Mindy Ferguson: Eyewitness to Majesty

“… I don’t know what you’re talking about …” (Matt. 26:70).

Denial. Betrayal.

Nothing hurts quite like the betrayal of someone you love and trust?

But what if you were the one who had betrayed your closest friend? You turned your back on him in his darkest hour of need.

Jesus had a friend like that–Peter.

I grieved with Peter as I read the account of his betrayal of Jesus? (Matt. 26:69-75) I wondered, Would I betray my closest friend if I thought my life was at risk? What guilt! Would he ever forgive me?

Mindy Ferguson addresses even more of my questions about Peter’s life and his relationship with Jesus in her new Bible study. Eyewitness to Majesty: Abandoning Self for Christ – Peter. 

Through the Eyewitness to Majesty Bible study, we walk along with Peter as an eyewitness to the life of Christ. I found the Apostle Peter’s story and perspective encouraging. The former-fisherman and zealous follower of Jesus is mentioned more times in the four gospels than anyone other than Jesus himself. Peter was praised more than any other disciple. He was also rebuked more than any other disciple. His imperfections make him lovable and his victories give us hope. The apostle Peter’s relationship with Jesus reminds us that we serve a merciful, loving God who uses imperfect vessels to accomplish His divine tasks. (Mindy Ferguson)

If you want to dig deeper into God’s Word, check out Mindy Ferguson’s new book, Eyewitness to Majesty: Abandoning Self for Christ – Peter. 

Mindy Ferguson is a national retreat and conference speaker who passionately encourages women to live for Christ. She is the President and founder of Fruitful Word Ministries and the author of three books, including Bible Reflections for Women, in the Hugs series published by Simon & Schuster-Christian.

Mindy is a frequent guest on radio programs and has contributed to national magazines such as Christianity Today’s Kyria.com and P31 Woman magazine. Her writings have appeared in popular books such as Chicken Soup for the Mother of Preschooler’s Soul and the One Year Life Verse Devotional. Mindy is currently writing the Eyewitness Bible Study series, published by AMG Publishers. Her newest Bible study, Eyewitness to Majesty, is now available. Watch for information about her next study, Eyewitness to Glory, which will be available later this year.

Mindy enjoys serving on the Women’s Ministry leadership for her home church, working as treasurer for her family’s business, and she finds great joy spending time with her husband of twenty-five years and their two adult children.

Leave a comment on this blog post by March 15, for your chance to win a FREE copy of Mindy Ferguson’s new Bible study, Eyewitness to Majesty: Abandoning Self for Christ – Peter. 

FTC Disclosure: Special thanks to Fruitful Word Ministries for a review copy of Mindy Ferguson’s Eyewitness to Majesty: Abandoning Self for Christ – Peter. 

Karen Jordan encourages others to “tell the stories that matter most.” Find links to her writing workshops, speaking topics, and other online connections www.karenbarnesjordan.com.

Amberly by Mary Elizabeth Hall

Author Mary Elizabeth Hall wrote our guest post today. Mary’s debut novel Amberly was released in August 2012, and is available in all the usual places. Amberly is the first of a series called Crestmere. Visit Mary’s website Writing to Inspire at maryelizabethhall.com. You can read her blog or follow her on Twitter, Facebook, or Goodreads. 

The story behind Amberly has been in my mind for more than 35 years. The characters grew up with me, and I know them as well as I know my own family. Two years ago, I realized with horror that I was forgetting snappy little pieces of dialogue, so I started writing. A conversation grew into a scene, which blossomed into a chapter. I sent it to a few friends, and they begged me for more! So I wrote out the full story between July and October of 2010 – whew! Then my family took a trip out west, and I brought along some books on how to write fiction. I realized I had some revising to do, so I joined critique groups, attended writer conferences, and began editing other people’s stories. I found I love editing as much as writing because I’m passionate about stories.Here’s a little bit about Amberly.

Amberly: A Romantic Adventure (with Touches of Humor)

Snatched by coldblooded enemies as a declaration of war, Ellie Williamston finds herself caught in a deadly snare—miles from home and lost in the wilderness. Her heart is drawn to the handsome guardsman who rescues her, but then is torn when he challenges her political ideals—and then reveals something that will make her choice even more difficult.

Marsten longs for a God-fearing wife, but cannot marry the lady he desires. The sassy young schoolteacher he rescues catches his eye, yet he fears she’ll turn out to be like the beautiful women who’ve broken his trust in the past.

Journey with them through the spectacular but treacherous Aspian Mountains while they evade enemy pursuit and wrestle through the challenges of wilderness and budding love, only to run headlong into Ellie’s family—and a whole new onslaught of foes.

“AN UNFORGETTABLE JOURNEY…THE CHARACTERS COME ALIVE IN A RIVETING STORY WOVEN WITH RICHLY CRAFTED LANGUAGE” (Michael K. Brown, Atlanta Writers’ Club).

“MARY WEAVES MAGIC WITH WORDS. ROMANTIC, FUNNY, BIGGER-THAN-LIFE CHARACTERS TAKE YOU ON A WHIRLWIND JOURNEY TO A PERFECT ENDING” (Dianne Price, Author of Seahedge, Shadowtide, and Proud Captive).

“VERY ENJOYABLE TO READ!” (Jane Simerman, American Christian Fiction Writers)

Interviews with Author Mary Elizabeth Hall

• New Authors Fellowship - “Interview: Mary Elizabeth Hall, author of Amberly”
• Paris Mom (Author Kristy L. Cambron) – “Fan Fridays: Mary Elizabeth Hall”

Reviews for Amberly

• Goodreads
• Amazon.com
• Barnes and Noble

Order Amberly

• Amazon.com 
• Barnes and Noble
• Fiction Addiction

Sneak a preview - Amberly: Chapter One

Grand Prize Drawing – Leave a comment below (before Dec. 15) for a chance to win an autographed copy of Amberly!

Mary Elizabeth Hall home educates her three daughters at home in sunny South Carolina. They laugh about how they can’t roast marshmallows without experimenting to see how various snack foods burn on a stick. They’re also the only family they know with an 8-foot handmade catapult in their basement. Mary’s prayer is that her husband will dispose of it someday before he dies.

With degrees from Cornell and Syracuse, Mary has a professional background in human services and program management, but she’s found that her true passion is for writing and editing. She’s published community research and has done revision writing for Sonlight Curriculum. Her debut novel Amberly was released in August, and is available in all the usual places. Amberly is the first of a series called Crestmere. Mary’s short story “Healer” was recently released in 2011 in Fables for Japan, an anthology to benefit Japan’s tsunami victims, available at www.fables4japan.com.

Mary enjoys inspiring people to love the Lord and prays that all she writes will honor Him. When she’s not teaching, grading, scrubbing, folding, or chasing (and occasionally writing), she enjoys drawing and photography, teaching guitar, and helping lead worship. Visit Mary’s website Writing to Inspire at maryelizabethhall.com. You can read her blog or follow her on Twitter, Facebook, or Goodreads.

What to Wear

Fashion Favor. A friend approached me for a favor. She was scheduled as the featured speaker at a large women’s event and she didn’t know what to wear. She wondered if I’d be willing to help her.

Another friend, whose husband was running for U.S. Congress, asked if I’d help her shop for some clothes to wear to several events in Washington, D.C. A couple of summers before, she and I had enjoyed helping her granddaughter shop for outfits to wear when she attended the Presidential Inauguration.

There is a reason women seek out my advice. I’ve spent more than seven years in the fashion industry. I’ve learned the secrets of accessorizing, and tips to help women look ten pounds thinner and ten years younger. I’ve attended seminars on fashion trends and hot colors. All of it is fun for me, but I never really thought about how helpful my fashion training might be to writers until I attended a CLASSeminar. This was professional speaker training which included teaching us how to project a professional-looking image. I found the speaking a challenge, but the image part was a cake-walk for me. I didn’t realize that was not the case for everyone until my writing friends who began speaking also began coming to me for help.

What should you wear to a speaking engagement if you’re the featured speaker?

1. Dress one step up from your audience in terms of formality. If they’re in jeans and t-shirts, you should wear khakis and a nice pull-over. If they’re going corporate-casual, you should, too, but jazz up your outfit with a tweed pencil skirt. Add a great pair of boots and a snazzy scarf or a sparkly jacket.
2. Remember that jewelry pulls your outfit together. Wear at least 3 coordinating items. (Earrings count as one.) This will make you look like you knew what you were doing when you got dressed. Don’t be afraid to stack mis-matched bracelets. This adds a “cool-ness” factor. And go for a statement watch. I know, you use your phone to tell time, but who wants to pull out her phone while speaking? And we can’t rely on the venue to provide a clock on the wall.
3. If you wear a skirt, make sure it ends in the middle of your knee-cap. Any longer makes you look frumpy (unless you wear sky-high heals) and any shorter is, well, too short. Your knee is the thinnest part of your leg above the ankle, so that is what you want to accent.
4. If you wear pants, they should not break over the front of your shoe. You want them to form a straight, long line. The hem should end a half-inch above the floor in the back. This will require a heel on your shoe, but will give you a long, tall, lean look.
5. Put a little extra effort into your hairstyle and make-up. Yes, do wear at least some make-up. If you don’t like the feel, try tinted moisturizer. Add a bit of eye shadow and mascera and you’ll be amazed at the difference. Keep your hair under control, if it is long, with a pony tail. Add a jeweled clip to the hair band and enjoy the compliments.
6. Finally, wow the audience with your confidence and knowledge of your subject. You look great, so relax and share what God has given you to say.

Kathryn Graves writes “On the Other Side of Comfortable.” She can also be found at www.KathrynGraves.blogspot.com and www.KathrynGraves.wordpress.com.

HALT! And Rise Above Your Biggest Writing Challenges

This is a guest post by Kristen Clark, a speaker and writer, and contributing editor for the online His Witness Ministries and New Beginnings Marriage Ministry. Her articles have appeared in numerous journals and magazines, while her inspirational stories have been published by Chicken Soup for the Soul.  She lives in Texas with her husband, Lawrence.

 

I love keeping busy with writing activities and exercises, but recently found myself putting pen to paper with a less than grateful attitude; the craft I once cherished and delighted in had turned into a source of tremendous frustration.  The reason: I had taken on too much and couldn’t keep up with it all.

Every opportunity felt like an unbearable chore.  I struggled frequently with writer’s block.  I was easily overwhelmed by simple submission guidelines.  I reeled against the practice of re-writes.  I floundered with openings and compelling closings.  My spelling and grammar became an embarrassment.  I missed critical deadlines.  I cried at rejection letters. I created endless excuses for not attending a myriad of writer’s conferences.  My attitude about writing in general had hit rock bottom.

Thankfully, I discovered a tool that helps me maintain a positive attitude through most situations.  The HALT method suggests pausing long enough to assess if I am Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired.  If I am hungry, I make time for a meal or quick snack. If I am angry, I take a few extra minutes to detach from my stressful situation; I breathe, relax, stretch my limbs, count to ten, pray, and emotionally regroup. If I am tired, I withdraw for a nap and some quiet time in an effort to recharge my battery.  If I am lonely and feeling secluded, I lift my spirits by visiting a neighbor or friend.

Zig Ziglar once said, “Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.”   He was right.  In fact, research conducted in the last ten years successfully links positive emotions (including gratitude) to the ability to more successfully face life’s challenges. Using the HALT method, I can more easily maintain a positive attitude, if not gratitude, and do my best at what I love most - writing!

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances;

 for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thess. 5:16-18 NIV)

How to you maintain a positive attitude?

Image/MicrosoftClipArt

Typical Writing Day: Tips and Quotes

“Take chances, make mistakes, get messy” (Miss Frizzle, Magic School Bus).

I’ve always lived up to Miss Frizzle’s teachings, even before I became a writer. I still have mud on my face at times, and my clothes get twisted on occasion. And at times, I wander off to a place that I never intended to go. Good? Bad? Ugly? Yes, all of those.

My typical day as a writer includes many distractions–that seems to be my biggest hurdle. Goals, deadlines, and “to do” lists help. But I’m not even going to try to impress you with some regimented schedule. Anyway, I write nonfiction, not fiction.

Take chances. I take chances with my writing every day. Some work, but many don’t.

Benzilla

Make mistakes. I think mistakes should be included as part of the writing process. After a lot of  brainstorming, research, thinking, and re-thinking, my first drafts usually look like my youngest grandson, Ben (fondly referred to as Benzilla), attacked them with a red pen.

Get messy. Yes, I’m still messy. Maybe Benzilla takes after his Nonnie. You think?

My mother would NOT be proud of my office space. At times, I can still hear her fussing at me to get organized. But when that happens, I just close the door and take my laptop to my screened-in front porch. I would post a picture of my office, but that would be too humiliating at this point.

I love how author Donald Miller describes a typical day as a writer.

Writers don’t make any money at all. We make about a dollar. It is terrible. But then again we don’t work either. We sit around in our underwear until noon then go downstairs and make coffee, fry some eggs, read the paper, read part of a book, smell the book, wonder if perhaps we ourselves should work on our book, smell the book again, throw the book across the room because we are quite jealous that any other person wrote a book, feel terribly guilty about throwing the schmuck’s book across the room because we secretly wonder if God in heaven noticed our evil jealousy, or worse, our laziness. We then lie across the couch facedown and mumble to God to forgive us because we are secretly afraid He is going to dry up all our words because we envied another man’s stupid words. And for this, as I said, we are paid a dollar. We are worth so much more. (Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz).

What is your favorite quote or tip for writers? 

Writing Retreat

Getaway. Over the last weekend, I spent a couple of days with two writing friends. We live in three different states, and it had been several years since we were all together. So, we caught up on each others’ lives, sat around on comfy furniture in an amazing home by the shores of Beaver Lake, Arkansas, and brainstormed and wrote while deer played on the lawn.

Productive Results. I came away refreshed. Energized. And exhausted because I stayed up too late at night. I developed (with the help of my friends) a to-do list that will rev up my writing career. We decided on a brand for my writing, which you’ll see at the bottom of this page. I feel like I have a handle on where I’m going and how to get there.

Friendships. These women are the steady constants in my life. They prayed with me through my cancer battle and gently pulled me forward when I meandered and hem-hawed. They are my tech support and soft landing-place. Spending time with them seemed like a slice of heaven.

View from the Deck

I don’t live near many other writers. Hanging out with those who understand my writing compulsion and idiosyncracies is not something I can do very often. And although I have other writing friends in other locales, these women are the ones to whom I am closest.

Writers are Unique. My experience last weekend speaks to the value of spending time with like-minded friends. Those of us who create are a different sort. I do hang out with a couple of artists who are dear friends and live in my city. That’s almost as helpful because they also create. But it boosts my productivity to be with writers. They spur me to keep on writing and submitting. We collaborate and network. And laugh and eat cookies, washed down with chai tea.

Thank you, Karen and Anita, for being my friends. Thank you, Dick and Doris Kelsey, for opening your home and for feeding us. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for speaking so powerfully to us and leading us and creating this triple cord which cannot be broken.

Kathryn Graves  lives “On the Other Side of Comfortable”

Photos/Deer, Karen Jordan/Lake View, Anita Brooks

Struggling with Telling Your Story?

Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story …
(Ps. 107:2).

Struggling with telling your story? I am!

Plan a spiritual retreat. Last week, I wrote an article for the WordServe Water Cooler about taking time out to change the flat tires of life. So, as I face another writing crisis, I remembered my own advice–I took a break for a spiritual check-up. I didn’t go anywhere, I just forced myself to stop and take time to deal with my struggle.

“Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God … above everything” (Psalm 46:10 MSG).

Enlist prayer support. Then, I sent out a prayer request to a few friends.

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” (James 5:16 NLT).

Embrace the power of praise. “But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24 NLT).

Sometimes God uses a song to change my perspective. And as I drove away from my home to find a place to retreat from the internet and to get spiritual direction, I listened to a song on the radio that spoke the words of encouragement that I needed at that moment.

Seems like all I can see was the struggle
Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past
Bound up in shackles of all my failures
Wondering how long is this gonna last …
(“Reedeemed” Big Daddy Weave)

So, I wanted to share this song with you, since some of you may be struggling with telling your stories, too.

Photo/KarenJordan
YourTube/EncounterWorshipVids (“Reedeemed” Big Daddy Weave)

Are you struggling with telling your story?

Related articles

• Writing Life: Taking Time Out (wordservewatercooler.com)
• Four Ways to Untangle Your Writing Life (wordservewatercooler.com)
• Writing Life: Facing a Spiritual Battle (wordservewatercooler.com)

Pam Sims: Staggering Thought

Staggering–that is my word for the week.

It seems as though writing efforts are often staggering. There is trying to find the time to get those thoughts down on paper, or maybe just trying to get some thoughts to even put down on paper! Between the 40-hour work week, taking care of my family, the deadlines, and the proposals–all of this can be staggering in terms of feeling overwhelmed.

For the past few weeks, I have been working almost continuously on two things–writing for my blog and preparing my book proposal. Writing for my blog takes a lot of effort, coming up with not just good information, but helpful and encouraging information–information that will empower, encourage and enlighten the reader.

It is a task that I do not take lightly. No writer who writes in the Christian market should and most don’t.  The scriptures tell us that we are to “rightly divide the word of truth.”

This brings my writing at times almost to a complete stop. How can I do this? What if my words aren’t theologically sound? What is the basis of my writing?  Who am I to write such things?  Who will read them and how will it impact their lives?

 Staggering thoughts!!

When I begin to write there are times I do it because I feel a sense of obligation to the readers, those who will take the time to stop what they are doing for a few minutes and read my post. I want to keep them engaged, connected, and coming back again and again. If I know that there is a chance that one person may be encouraged to walk in a “manner that is worthy of the calling of Christ,” then I must be prepared spiritually for the possibility that those 500 or so words will change someone’s life.

Staggering thought.

However, my sense of obligation is not to the readers, but to my Heavenly Father. He is the reason for my having anything to say.

When my children were young and they did something I thought was extraordinary, or outstanding, I wanted everyone to know just how wonderful they were. Not just because they were my children, but because I thought what they had accomplished, or who they were, was worthy of the world knowing such great people.

We have the same opportunity to share with the world just what we think and feel about God. We can bombard people with constant twitter updates. We can blog daily and post to Facebook multiple times a day. But the message has to be one that will resonate with the one person who will take the time to read it.

I have to ask myself, What makes my message worth reading? Why do I do what I do?

It’s about the message, not the messenger.

As writers we know that a great story cannot be told unless we can tell a great story. God gives us the story, and He gives us the ability to tell it in a such a way that it will touch hearts and lives for His glory.

It is a staggering thought to know that God wants to use me to tell His story!

Pam  Sims - Writer, Speaker and Singer ~ Practicinghispresenceministry.wordpress.com ~ @PamSimsWrites (Twitter)

Pam Sims and her husband Jim make their home in Conway where Pam serves on staff at Second Baptist Church.  She is the author of Making Designing Women out of Desperate Housewives. Pam loves to sing and is passionate about music as a vital part of worship.  She is active in the Women’s Ministry of Second Baptist Church and loves to see women using the gifts God has given them to become all God wants them to be.  She is the founder of Women of the Word Ministry, a traveling conferenece team, and Practicing His Presence Ministries.

Do your writing efforts seem staggering at times? How do you handle those moments?

Photo1/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Photo2/PamSims

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• Five Ways to Handle Stress in Your Writing Process  (wordservewatercooler.wordpress.com)
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A Lesson from the Waiting Room

The LORD said to (Elijah), “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there ….” (1 Kings 19:15)

One minute Elijah was running from his enemy, hiding in a cave, and crying out to the Lord. And the next moment, God was sending him on his way to his next assignment.

Can you relate to Elijah in this story? I can.

Waiting rooms. That seems to be the way life goes in most waiting rooms. You arrive in a state of panic. And you may sit, paralyzed by fear, for hours, days, weeks, or even years.

Then, one day, it’s over. It ends as fast as it started. And you’re on the road to the next life-changing event—maybe a crisis or even a new adventure or challenge, like another job, relationship, or location.

That’s where I am right now—going forward to the next phase of my life, just like Elijah. All of a sudden, I’m being called out of my safe, little hideaway, and I’m on the road to the next adventure.

Road to recovery. I’ve been hiding out in my cave for awhile now—fearful of any new commitments or change, crying out to the Lord for guidance, and waiting for clear direction for my future. And new direction requires making many decisions, leaving my cave, and traveling down a new road.

Maybe it’s best that life works this way after the waiting room. The winds of life pick you up and move you forward. And the sudden rush of the wind leaves you with no quality time to spend over-analyzing the situation.

Gratitude. But I do want to take a moment to express my gratitude for my new adventure and for the lessons that I learned in my cave.

I don’t want to re-live this last waiting room experience, but I did learn some tremendous truths in the process. And although I still battle some of the same old enemies of my mind, I know I’ve become an overcomer now, not just a survivor.

Photos/Dan Jordan

What lessons have you learned in the waiting rooms of life? 

Karen Jordan writes creative nonfiction about her faith, family, and writing. She also encourages others to “tell the stories that matter most” in her writing workshops, her blog, BLESSED Legacy Stories, and her website (www.karenjordan.net).

Related articles

• Hiding (storywritingstudio.wordpress.com)
• Angry? Consider Forgiveness (blog.karenjordan.net)

The Ups and Downs of Blog Hosting

The week was intense. I planned to travel away from my computer for the next two weeks. The previous weeks were some of the busiest of my life. I sat staring at the screen, wondering why I ever made a commitment to write five blog posts each week. It seemed like such a good idea at the time. Had I been able to see into the future, I might have decided to wait until the fall to start them. But that plan would have been foiled when my son proposed to his girlfriend and they planned a fall wedding.

God stepped in. What-if’s don’t get the job done, so I took a walk outside to clear my mind. In the middle of my walk, the Lord spoke to me by bringing a scripture to mind. “My God shall supply all your need, according to His riches in glory, by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 Then He gave me two ideas to write about. I needed two more blog entries in order to have all my posts qued up for my time away.

I remembered why. The reason I made a commitment to regular posts on my blogs is so readers can count on me. They know they can find a devotion on Mondays and Thursdays as we read through the Bible together, and that on Tuesdays and Fridays a post on surviving suffering will offer encouragement. I don’t know what others may be facing on any given day, or how they may depend on what they read in my blogs. I can’t let them down.

Focus on the future. Editors look for writers who can show a following and a regular blog is one way to accomplish that. Blogs help establish a platform for a writer. Publishers want to know they can get more than one project from a writer when they decide to offer a contract. A platform gives the publisher an idea of what they can expect. It seems that most publishers won’t even consider a writer who doesn’t have a proven record of some kind.

Keep proper perspective. But blogs are not the golden egg. Rob Eager, of Wildfire Marketing, cautions against using blog and newsletter readership as the only barometer for success. As we all know, blogs and newsletters do not of themselves generate an income. His point is that success from a publisher’s viewpoint needs to be seen in terms of dollars. If a writer offers a quality product that meets a need, consumers will spend money for spin-off products from the book. Income will be generated and the business of publishing will succeed.

Take the plunge. Blogging has definite advantages. It helps a writer get their message out without depending on a publisher. But it also requires the ultimate level of commitment. Consider carefully what you are about to undertake if you think you want to host a blog, and spend much time in prayer. If you are still certain God is directing you to go forward, the blessing you get back from what you write will make the sacrifice worth every computer key with the letter worn off.

Kathryn writes on Mondays and Thursdays at www.KathrynGraves.blogspot.com and on Tuesdays and Fridays at www.KathrynGraves.wordpress.com.

Photo/Kathryn Graves