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Impacting Our World Through the Power of Prayer
Donna Brennan interviews CCWC & GPCWC faculty member
Craig von BuseckIt’s easy to become fearful, angry, or cynical when watching the news. It can make us want to retreat from the larger world or to stop watching the news altogether. But Craig von Buseck, Director of Ministry for CBN.com and one of the Keynoters at the May 16-19 Colorado Christian Writers Conference and August 1-4 Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference, offers us another option: intercessory prayer.
Important conference updates: The price increases for the Colorado conference April 15, the same day online registration opens for the Philly conference.
As he shows in his new book Praying the News: Your Prayers are More Powerful Than You Know, co-authored with Wendy Girffith of CBN News, prayer can change people, transform communities, and solve problems facing our world. By praying to impact headlines, we impact more than just the way the news is reported -we impact the actual events that make up those headlines.
I contacted Craig to ask him questions about his book and his Keynote Address, “Praying the News.” Here are his answers.
Question: What do you mean by “praying the news”?
We live at a time in history when it is critical for the Church to learn to be led by the Spirit in prayer. God wants to raise up a company of intercessors to pray the news – which is to watch, read, or listen to the news, then to intercede for God’s will to be done in the issues we face today. God desires for His people to be so in tune with His Spirit that we are actually praying His will in advance of world events. By cooperating with God in prayer, we are actually helping to shape those events in the spirit realm. God is seeking prayer warriors who will agree with Him in faith to make an impact on the course of history through their intercession by walking in the Spirit. The apostle Paul wrote of the privilege and importance of the believer to live in the Spirit in Romans 8: “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” (Romans 8:14, NASB)
Far too often, the Church has been reactionary in our prayers. A tragedy or a disaster happens and believers react with ‘catch-up prayers.’ But we serve the God who sees the end from the beginning. He desires for us to become so in-tune with His Spirit that we are praying His perfect will in a circumstance before it ever occurs in the natural. But this sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit only comes by maintaining a daily, intimate relationship with our Father and our Lord.
Question: I’m just one person. Can my prayers really make that much of a difference in political decisions, crime levels, and major weather events?
Yes, they can! As we say in the subtitle of the book, “your prayers are more powerful than you know.” Scripture says, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results” (James 5:16, NLT.) Throughout the book we give numerous examples, both from Scripture and from modern times, where individuals prayed fervently in faith and they saw the headlines change as a result.
Question: If I pray for one kind of result and my neighbor across the street prays for a different result, aren’t our prayers just canceling each other out?
All prayer comes under the sovereignty of God. We don’t dictate to God. Instead, we pray as Jesus taught us: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done.” When we take an issue to God in prayer we leave it in His hands and He decides to answer that prayer in His way and in His timing.
Question: What are some important components of intercessory prayer? Does your book suggest concrete ways to do this?
As we put the First Commandment first; to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength – He then empowers us by His Spirit to fulfill the Second Commandment; to love our neighbor (and our city, our nation, and this world) by being led by the Spirit in intercession.
Judson Cornwall writes of the importance of Spirit-led intercession that flows from us as a result of abiding in God. “There are times when we desperately need to know more than what God is doing and saying. We need to know God, for He works according to His nature and will, and only an understanding of that nature and will enables us to be involved with Him before His actions are demonstrated. We do not need to have great knowledge of God to know what God is saying if He is saying it publicly, but if God chooses to withhold communicated knowledge and yet we know the heart of God, there will be an intuitive or spiritual understanding that gives us knowledge out of relationship with God, not too unlike the understanding that develops between a husband and wife who have lived in a loving relationship for many years.”
It is this kind of heart that God is seeking in His people today – a heart that cries, “I want to know You, God. And I want to serve You, my Lord.” By walking in this type of love relationship with God, we position ourselves to be used by God on the earth. This is especially true in the realm of intercessory prayer.
Question: If I’m not a pastor or a prophet, what authority or right do I have to pray these intercessory prayers and expect results?
God has chosen to use every individual in the Church as His tool to communicate His love to the world. The apostle Paul speaks of our role as individual ministers of reconciliation and God’s ambassadors: “…who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:18-20, NASB).
That is why we pray, “Thy kingdom come.” By doing so, we are placing ourselves in agreement with God’s plan for the earth. By praying the news, we stand up in the Spirit and declare, “thy will be done” in every issue that we face. C. S. Lewis referred to this kind of intercessory prayer as being “God’s fellow-worker” in the world. When we enter into the ministry of praying the news, we become “God’s fellow-worker” in this ministry of reconciliation. Lewis explains that to enter into intercession is to go from being a suitor – one who prays on his own behalf – to being a true servant of the Lord. “…the vast majority of the time, Jesus, who is our example, plays the part of the servant, interceding for others.”
This intercession is part of the Priesthood ministry of Jesus that continues to this day: “But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them”(Hebrews 7:24-25, NKJV). God invites us to join with him in this ministry of reconciliation. And we too have a role to play as priests before God – standing as representatives of fallen man, crying out to heaven for mercy.
Question: Can I “Pray the News” from the privacy of my own home? Or does it sometimes require something more?
Scripture directs us to “…pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17, NASB). Does this mean that we have to stop all human activity and just pray all the time? No, the Apostle Paul is encouraging us to always be ready to pray when the Holy Spirit moves on our heart to do so. The Bible says, “Your ears will hear a word behind you, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right or to the left” (Isaiah 30:21, NASB). That is how the Holy Spirit leads us in prayer. So it doesn’t matter where you pray – just be obedient to intercede as the Holy Spirit directs you, and you will see God move as a result.
Question: In your recent book, Netcasters: Using the Internet to Make Fishers of Men, you talk about ways to reach others for Christ through the internet. Can some of these same methods be used to find fellow prayer warriors to join together in prayer?
Absolutely. The Internet has become a 21st century Roman road. But it is also a worldwide marketplace, a theater, front porch and backyard fence, and an office water cooler. The World Wide Web can be like an electronic train terminal connecting you to intercessors around the world and providing the crucial means for people to agree together in prayer.
One of the most powerful aspects of praying the news is the power of agreement in intercession. Jesus declared, “If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you” (Matt. 18:19, NLT). As people watch or read the same news story around the world, then pray for God’s will to be done in that situation, tremendous spiritual power is released. The Internet can aid in this process, first by bringing awareness to news stories, both through traditional news outlets and through person-to-person contact, then as a communication platform allowing people to agree in prayer.
Question: Of course we all know stories of how prayer impacted events in Biblical times, but what are some examples of ways prayer has made a difference in newsworthy events in recent years?
During one of the darkest moments during World War Two, in May of 1940, the Nazis had trapped 400,000 British and French troops between the cliffs and the sea at Dunkirk on France’s north coast. If those troops had been killed or captured, Britain would have fallen to the Germans. All of Europe would have been under the iron rule of the Nazis before the United States even entered into World War Two. At this critical time, God raised up a man named Rees Howells of the Bible College of Wales to lead intercession in Britain. Howells took the initiative to organize nightly intercessory prayer meetings with his students. He instructed them: “God will not do a bit more through you than you have faith for. … You are more responsible for this victory today than those men on the battlefield.” He added, “I feel tonight that whatever the Nazis do, they cannot escape the Holy Spirit.” Soon prayer meetings were being held across Great Britain in response to Howells’ leadership.
Howell’s group poured their hearts out to God for hours every day, and soon much of the nation joined in. Parliament recognized the need for God’s intervention and called for a national day of prayer. Suddenly there was a change in the course of the war. Instead of wiping out the troops as he could have, Hitler held his army back, content to bomb Dunkirk instead. During that time, ships, yachts, and even rowboats evacuated 338,000 troops across the English Channel – as the water remained miraculously calm. Hitler’s behavior made no military sense. It was clear that God intervened in response to the prayers of believers.
We also share a more recent story in the book of how God changed the town of Manchester, Kentucky, as a result of united prayer. Community leaders had enough of their city being overrun by drug dealers, so they called for the people of the community to come together to march through town to intercede. On that day, several thousand citizens marched in prayer, singing hymns and praise songs. In what many believe was the key to the success of that march, pastors from every denomination stopped in the city’s park and repented. They asked God to forgive them for being more concerned about their buildings and programs than the Kingdom of God and the people. “Lord,” one minister prayed, “as pastors, as churches, as Christians and citizens, we have too long hid our heads in the sand and not stood up to the evil and the poison of drugs in this county and this community.”
The moment the pastors and people repented, something in the Spirit broke in Manchester, Kentucky that changed that community forever. Drug arrests went up by 300 percent in the first year. Drug dealers started getting saved and coming to church. Corrupt politicians were arrested or voted out of office. The story of Manchester aired on The 700 Club, inspiring other towns with the same problems to hold their own marches. Thousands of people e-mailed, called, or literally showed up at Community Church in Manchester saying, “This is where I heard I can find hope.” Suddenly, the town that had been hopeless was giving hope.
We share many more stories of people who prayed the news like this and literally saw the headlines change.
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Craig will also be teaching a continuing session on Narrative Nonfiction at the Colorado Christian Writers conference. This exciting new genre lets your true story read like a novel. This is the style Craig used when writing his upcoming narrative biography on Holocaust survivor, Nina Morecki.
Archive for the ‘Colorado Christian Writers Conference’ Category
The Doctor Is In: Help For Your Nonfiction Book Proposal
Posted in Colorado Christian Writers Conference, Marketing, Publishing journey, Writing Nonfiction Book Proposals, Writing Nonfiction Books on April 9, 2012| 1 Comment »
How can you make your book proposal stand out—in a positive way—from the many that agents and editors receive on a daily basis? What makes your book unique? Who’s your target audience, and how do you plan to reach it?
Marti Pieper, a professional writer, editor, and book doctor, can help you increase your nonfiction book proposal’s appeal to agents and editors along with its chances of finding a publishing home. Marti uses her years of writing and editing experience to help you discover common errors and suggests practical ways to improve them. She’ll also help you identify your book’s unique selling point and target audience, enabling you to enhance your book proposal by positioning your book in the marketplace.
May 17-19 Marti will share this information at the Colorado Christian Writer’s Conference, where she’ll present one of the three clinics offered. I caught up with Marti and asked her a few questions about herself and her nonfiction book proposal clinic, “Book Doctor: Take Your Nonfiction From Good to Great.”
Question: You call yourself a book doctor. What exactly does a book doctor do?
The book doctor title came my way after more than one experience where an author or agent asked me to apply my writing and editing skills to a manuscript or proposal and move it toward publication. A book doctor, like a medical doctor, assesses the patient (manuscript and/or proposal), formulates appropriate treatment based on the diagnosis, and carries out that treatment until the patient no longer requires care. In my case, this has included everything from complete or partial reorganization to ghostwriting to content editing. I like to say I take proposals and manuscripts from good to great. That’s what I hope our Book Doctor Clinic achieves as well.
Question: At what point in writing a nonfiction book should we start writing the proposal?
Writing a great proposal helps you write a fantastic book. That explains why I think authors should write the proposal early in their writing process, perhaps before they have written a word of the manuscript. The effort and organization required to complete the proposal-writing process gives authors the deep knowledge of their material required to produce a great book.
Question: When should we contact an agent or editor?
First-time authors will want to have their proposals finished before they contact these professionals. However, a writer’s conference affords the unique opportunity to meet with agents or editors at an earlier point. If you can bring a finished proposal to the conference, do so. Whether or not the agent or editor has time to read it, you’ll know your material better and speak more confidently about it if you’ve submitted to the discipline of completing your proposal. If you can’t complete your proposal before the conference, bring a pitch sheet (summary sheet that contains basic information about the proposed manuscript and its author) to refer to during conference appointments. And of course, sign up for the Book Doctor clinic where we’ll work together to help your proposal shine.
Question: How important is it that we know our target audience before we write the proposal? What about before we write the book?
Knowing our target audience is key to developing both the proposal and the book. We write to meet the felt needs of our readers, and if we don’t know who our readers are, we’ll have a tough time meeting those needs.
Question: The clinic description says we’ll learn ways to identify our unique selling point. Will the clinic also show us how to present that selling point in our proposal?
Yes, we’ll cover that as we go through the various elements of a nonfiction proposal. The clinic outline will flex somewhat depending on the needs of the individuals and manuscripts submitted, but the basic elements should remain the same.
Question: Will the clinic help us come up with a marketing plan to include in our book proposal?
We’ll discuss marketing but I doubt we’ll have time to develop specific plans. I’m glad the conference offers great teaching by Rob Eagar and others who can help us improve our marketing efforts. Again, the clinic will flex depending on the number, needs, and interests of those who attend. (NOTE: Those chosen to participate in the clinic will still attend the six hour continuing session of their choice including Rob Eagar’s “Marketing for the Promotionally Challenged Author,” “Narrative Nonfiction” with Craig von Buseck who is Ministries Director at CBN.com, “Gift Books and Devotional Writing” with Karen Moore, “Please NO Pat Answers” with a team of three authors, or “Changing Paradigms of Publishing” with Dave Lambert. Those who do not choose to apply for the clinic or who are not accepted can choose six workshops from the 42 offered including six workshops in each of the following tracks: Nonfiction, Writer’s Life, Craft, Get Publishing, Marketing, and Specialty.)
Question: Can you give a few examples of common errors you’ve seen in nonfiction book manuscripts and proposals?
I have to save some of my secrets for the conference, Donna, but here are a few: limited or lofty appeal, lack of focus, and trying to develop a book when you only have enough material for an article. The clinic environment is a unique setting that allows us to learn from each other and allow God to use us together to produce better proposals and, in the end, better products. I’m excited about the opportunity to mentor writers in this interactive, instructive environment. Thanks for your questions, Donna, and I’ll see you at the CCWC!
Thanks, Donna and Marti, for a great interview. Clinic applications must be received via email no later than April 16. Click here for more info and the application.
Speaking of Promoting Your Book or Ministry . . .
Posted in Colorado Christian Writers Conference, Marketing, Platform building on April 4, 2012| 3 Comments »
Donna Brennan interviews
CCWC faculty member Roy Hanschke
Just writing a great book isn’t enough. You need to promote it, and at the same time promote yourself. One way to do that is with public appearances, presentations, and radio interviews.
Yet where can we learn to not only put together a great presentation, but to deliver it at the right pace, voice, and volume?
Help is on the way in the form of a Speakers’ Clinic at the Colorado Christian Writers Conference this May at the Estes Park Center. Roy Hanschke, a Christian radio personality and speaker, has trained and coached beginning and seasoned speakers for over 15 years.
Roy’s style of teaching is simple, practical, and effective. He can help you focus in on your ministry’s main message and teach you how to present it. He’ll show you how to organize one of your talks to maximize time and effectiveness and how to deliver that talk with power and pizazz.
And you’ll have the opportunity to test what you learn right in class, gathering feedback from Roy and from your peers who will be learning right alongside you.
I asked Roy for more information about the Speakers’ Clinic. Here’s what he had to say.
Question: Why would both fiction and nonfiction authors need to be able to give an effective talk or presentation?
Whether you’re a fiction or non-fiction author, you have a message. Take every opportunity you can get to communicate that message to others whether it’s through a radio/TV interview or a talk to a group of people.
Question: What do you mean when you talk about “voice personality?” Why is that important?
Everyone’s voice has a personality of its own. As we all know, we really can’t change our personality but we can consciously use it to more effectively impact others. The same is true of our voice. You can train it to bring out the best in your personality.
Question: Can someone really be taught to improve their speaking voice?
Yes. You don’t actually change your voice as much as the way you use it. It’s like learning a musical instrument. A saxophone is always a saxophone but the way you use it can engage your listeners or make them leave the concert early. There are principles, effects and exercises to improve the effectiveness of your vocal delivery.
Question: If we want our ministry to reach lots of people, why is it important to identify our focus? Can we have more than one focus?
One problem with presentations that falter is that they have more than one main focus. I believe a great presentation has one focus with several supporting points. An audience can leave a well presented talk that contains many great points and say, “That was great, but I don’t remember what she/he was trying to get across.” Furthermore, when you identify your focus, you have a better chance of deciding whether or not that’s what you want to say and if it’s powerful enough to move your audience.
Question: Will you be showing us how to give radio interviews? Is that something that’s hard to do?
I have 25 years of experience in conducting interviews, listening to interviews and being interviewed. From that I’ve developed a set of principles that can help you relax, communicate your message and make the listener feel glad he/she listened to you. We’ll make it simple and fun.
Question: What if we tend to get tongue-tied or choke up when we speak to a group? Will your clinic teach us ways to overcome that and give an effective message despite our fear?
Managing your fear as a speaker is a big part of what we work on. It’s really a result of everything we work on in the clinic. There are, however, a few secrets to “saving the moment” when fear attacks.
Question: I know I’m sometimes told I should slow down when I’m speaking, even when I think I’m already doing that. Will your clinic help us to tell if we’re talking too rapidly, or too softly, or doing something else wrong?
More than that, it will help every speaker, no matter what their typical pace and style, to follow effective patterns of success without giving up who they are. We’ll work on becoming aware of our personality styles and our habits and learn to control them rather than be controlled by them.
Question: Will you show us tips or tricks to prevent us from skipping any parts of our talk or important points we want to make? How do we not lose our place without reading from the page?
If your talk isn’t “rememberable” to you, it certainly won’t be to the listeners. Yes, there are tips and tricks and so much more. It has a lot to do with the way you structure your talk.
Question: What if we still don’t entirely “get it” by the end of the clinic, or we don’t feel secure enough in our “delivery”? Will we be able to contact you afterward for more help?
Sure. I’m happy to answer questions by email or phone anytime and I am available to coach you personally by phone, SKYPE, email and in person (in the front range of Colorado). My goal is to maximize your improvement while minimizing the expense to you.
Thanks, Donna, for this great interview. And thank you, Roy, for all you are doing to help writers speak their message. Applications for Roy’s clinic are due April 16. You’ll find more info and a link to the application at www.writehisanswer.com/Colorado/clinics.htm.
Great Resource for Fiction Writers
Posted in Colorado Christian Writers Conference, Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference, Writing Fiction on April 3, 2012| Leave a Comment »
CCWC and GPCWC Appointment Coordinator, Bonnie Calhoun, is a bundle of energy and helpfulness. Monthly she publishes Christian Fiction Online Magazine, an amazing resource. The April issue features an interview with Robert Liparulo who will teach a continuing session on “Writing Suspense and Thrillers” at the May 16-19 Colorado and August 1-4 Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference. Robert is the best-selling author of five thrillers for adults and the six-book Dreamhouse Kings series for young adults. Frank Peretti calls Robert’s latest release, The 13th Tribe, “a great read!”
I hope you’ll also check out Bonnie’s “Publisher’s Choice” article, “Getting Unstuck,” by yours truly.”n it I highlight some of the opportunities at this year’s CCWC:
- A time away
- A time to learn
- A time to connect with editors and agents (Bonnie will assist full-time conferees in signing up for not one, two, or three appointments with faculty members, but FOUR one-on-one 15-minute appointments!)
- A time to fellowship
- A time to grow your marketability
- A time to go deeper through the Lightbox Method Retreat
- And so much more . . .
In appreciation for Bonnie’s ministry to writers I’m offering two 50% off scholarships to readers of her Christian Fiction Online Magazine (CFOM). The deadline for applying is April 14. Click here for more info and an application.
Help for “Promotionally Challenged Authors”
Posted in Colorado Christian Writers Conference, Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference, Platform building, Promotion, Publishing journey on March 29, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Help for “Promotionally Challenged Authors”
plus $100 of essential resources when you pre-order
faculty member, Rob Eagar’s new book Sell Your Book Like Wildfire
The days when all you had to do was write a great book and wait for the royalty checks to arrive are long past. Now, an author needs to be not just a great writer (a major challenge in itself) but also a great marketer. Whether we write fiction or nonfiction, we need that allusive “platform” and the ability to sell books – lots of books – if we want a publisher to seriously consider our manuscript. If we choose to self-publish, a viable alternative for many, we still need to be able to sell our book.
It’s a real challenge for most authors. We’re writers not necessarily marketers. That’s certainly true for me. Although I know how to “Spread the Word through Effective Promotion” (a workshop I’ve taught many times that is available on CD), I confess that I quit Girl Scouts because of the stress of having to sell cookies. The bottom line is I HATE sales!
So what can I do – can you do – if your lack of marketing skills is what’s standing in the way of landing a contract or selling the book(s) you’ve chosen to self-publish?
Thanks to my good friend, Cec Murphey, and his recommendation and introduction, both the Colorado and Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference is blessed to have Rob Eagar from Wildfire Marketing teaching a continuing session on “Marketing for the Promotionally Challenged Author.” Rob will challenge us to “get over our insecurities and transform our apprehension about marketing into positive action.” He will cover:
- How to build a memorable brand
- Grow your author platform
- Increase your book sales
- Effectively use social networking
- Make your message standout from the crowd
- Create effective newsletters that produce speaking inquiries
- Generate more books
- Turn media interviews into book sales
- Amplify your author platform, and more!
Through Wildfire Marketing Rob has trained and worked with over 400 authors including New York Times bestsellers Dr. Gary Chapman, Lysa TerKeurst, and Wanda Brunstetter. And you can get a head start on preparing to present your marketing plan to editors at the conference through Rob’s new book, Sell your Book Like Wildfire, releasing June 7 from Writers Digest Books.
More great news! If you pre-order Rob’s new book between now and April 1st, he will include these special bonuses:
- You get my book at 33% off the book’s list price of $16.99. Pay only $11.25 and save $5.74!
- You get free shipping. I’ll ship the book to you in June at no charge. You save $2.50!
- You get my “Marketing Plan Template for Authors” download for free – a $20 value!
- You get my “Bestseller Website Tutorial” download for free – a $25 value!
- You get my mp3 audio download “O Reader, Where Art Thou?” a 1-hour teaching session, which explains how to find your book’s target audience – for free – a $59 value!
To recap, you pay only $11.25, and you’ll receive Rob’s new 288-page book in June at a 33% discount with free shipping. Plus, you get over $100 of essential teaching resources for authors. All you have to do is pre-order by April 1st at: www.startawildfire.com/books
I intend to take advantage of Rob’s generous offer and hope you will, too.
Father, You know how difficult marketing is for many of us. We believe in You and the message You have entrusted to us but, as Rob says, we “lack confidence to share our book’s message with dignity and excitement.” Thank You for providing the help we need through Rob’s new book and what He will be teaching at CCWC and GPCWC. And thank You for Your mighty power that is at work within us enabling us to do what we could never do in our own strength.
Dianne E. Butts – A Testimony of 23 years coming to CCWC
Posted in Colorado Christian Writers Conference, Publishing journey on March 27, 2012| 10 Comments »
This will be Dianne Butts’ 24th year at CCWC.
I asked her to share why she keeps coming back.
My first year coming to the Colorado Christian Writers Conference was 1989, and I’ve come every year since.
In 1989 my husband and I lived in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. I worked at a beer distributor, a job I really enjoyed. But my knowledge and understanding of Jesus was growing and I longed to share what I was learning of Him. It hadn’t been that long since I came to know Him and I knew there were many people who were like me, who would want to know Him if someone would just make the introduction. I wanted to be that someone for them. But how could I reach them? I tried to be a good witness to the two other ladies I worked with, but I wanted to reach more.
I often thought about one high school teacher who encouraged me to write. I’d never wanted to be a writer, never had that dream like so many other writers I know now. But this teacher had seen some silly teen-angst poem I had written and she took an interest. She took me to the library and introduced me to the Writer’s Market. She taught me how to format my manuscript and what a SASE was, and together we sent that poem off to three markets. We got rejections from two. I remember one rejection letter had scrawled across it in handwriting, “This sounds like a Hallmark card.” That wasn’t a compliment. We never heard from the third market.
And that’s all I knew about writing. But I kept thinking if I could write something—maybe an article, though I really wanted to write a novel—and get it published, I could reach many more people for Jesus than I could just trying to be a good witness in my daily life around town. I visited Steamboat’s library. I found the Writer’s Market. It didn’t have many Christian markets in it. I wondered if Christian markets would publish anything I wrote anyway, since I had no training or education in Biblical studies.
One day on the Christian radio station that was rebroadcast into Steamboat Springs, I heard a lady interviewed. Debbie Barker talked about a Christian writer’s conference that spring in Thornton, a suburb of Denver. I couldn’t believe it! A conference for Christian writers?! I asked my husband who said yes. I took a day off work to go. I signed up for the “beginning writers” workshop. I couldn’t believe how many people were in that room! I found an empty seat and sat among them feeling totally inadequate, and yet I took notes as fast as I could, absorbed as much as I could, and laughed at the cartoons about writing the instructor, Marlene Bagnull, kept putting up on the overhead projector.
During an afternoon session, a fire alarm sounded. Nobody moved. Mrs. Bagnull said she didn’t really think there was a fire, said something about the devil didn’t want us learning what we were learning, stopped in mid-sentence and prayed, and then continued on with the workshop shouting over the alarm. The alarm eventually quit. I went home with so much information ringing in my ears I hardly knew where to start, but at least now I knew what to do.
It took a few years before I got my first publication in 1991 in The Lookout, and I’ve been writing ever since—first part time while I worked part time after we moved from Steamboat, then full time after we moved again and jobs were scarce. I now have more than 325 published articles including articles published in Great Britain, Bulgaria, Poland, Canada, and Korea. I’ve contributed to 19 books and have written two of my own—the first, Dear America, published by Marlene’s Ampelos Press, and the other, Deliver Me, out just last year.
We’ve moved many times around Colorado following my husband’s job, so it has been the Colorado Christian Writer’s Conference and the friends I’ve made there that have been the constant in my life.
It was my hope and prayer that my writing would go where I could not, to reach people I otherwise would not. But my writing has taken me places I never dreamed of. Talk about Ephesians 3:20!
I think it was in 2000 when a woman named Barbara Nicolosi came to the conference to talk to us Christian writers about writing for Hollywood. You mean screenplays and stuff? I didn’t know the first thing about that kind of writing. But I found myself sitting in all Barbara’s workshops. And I’ve sat in on every screenwriting workshop since, including Ted Baehr’s in 2010. (I plan to sit in his class again this year.) In 2010 I applied to Barbara’s school, Act One, and attended the writer’s seminar that summer in Hollywood.
In February 2011 some of my Act One classmates came to my house in Colorado and we made a film for the 168 Film Project. I learned a ton. I learned so much, in fact, that I decided to form my own team for this year, and in February 2012 I headed up my own film team. (That makes me the Producer, along with my supportive husband, Hal.) I also wrote the script and directed the actors and the entire project. Our 10-minute film, The Choice, isn’t in the running for any awards at the 168 Film Festival coming up March 30-31 but our film is still going to screen the evening of Saturday, March 30, at the Hope Theatre in San Fernando. The Choice is based on a true story in my book Deliver Me: Hope, Help, & Healing through True Stories of Unplanned Pregnancy.
While our film may not be a “winner” in the eyes of the 168 judges, I am very proud of the film we made. I know our short 10-minute film is going to have a ministry of its own beyond the 168 Film Project because this film is going to reach people I otherwise couldn’t or wouldn’t reach with the message of forgiveness and salvation in Christ Jesus.
Last week we made a movie trailer which you can see here: The Choice – Trailer
I am so very grateful for all the training and opportunities the conference has brought me. I haven’t yet seen the fulfillment of my dream to publish a novel. And I have a dozen other nonfiction books I want to write and hope to publish with a traditional publisher. But the Lord is opening doors in film I never dreamed of and I will follow Him and “ride that wave” as far as I can just to see where it goes. Because for me, it’s not about “winning.” It’s all about taking the message of Jesus, His forgiveness, and salvation in Him to as many people as I possibly can.
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In 1997 Debbie Barker turned the Colorado Christian Writers Conference over to me, Marlene Bagnull. I’ve known Dianne since she first came to CCWC in 1989, and I’m very proud of her. She has earned a spot on CCWC’s faculty every other year. I highly recommend her monthly e-zine for writers. It’s packed with helpful information for beginning and intermediate writers. To sign up for a free subscription go to http://www.dianneebutts.com
Going Beyond
Posted in Colorado Christian Writers Conference, Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference on March 21, 2012| Leave a Comment »
An unsolicited endorsement for the Colorado and Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference posted on Marti Pieper’s Read. Write. Pray. blog March 20, 2012.
“Then the Lord said to me, ‘Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others’” (Habakkuk 2:2).
My dear friend, Marlene Bagnull, takes this verse as the theme of her writing life. Along the way, she’s published several books and hundreds of articles and devotions. She’s served her family, which includes a husband, three grown children, and three active grandchildren. And through the years, she’s grown her roots deep in God.
This devotion to her Father, I’m convinced, is what sets Marlene’s two conferences—one in the heart of the rugged Rocky Mountains, the other cradled in the countryside near Philadelphia—apart. Yes, you can find authors, editors, and agents (more than 60 on each faculty) at both events. Yes, you’ll receive top-notch instruction in almost any area of writing. And yes, you’ll connect with writers of many genres, various experiences, and great expertise.
But God’s Spirit pervades these events in a way I can only trace back to Marlene’s unique walk with God. Who else but a surrendered servant would break into prayer as she makes conference announcements? Who else would choose faculty not on the basis of renown but of ministry capacity? And who else would focus each conference on an issue she believes writers need to address?
You see, Marlene’s conferences go beyond helping writers achieve publication. She uses these events to equip writers to use their words to change the world. Keynote speakers address issues that matter and suggest ways writers’ messages can connect.
I’ve served on several conference faculties, but I’ve never had my call to write renewed and reaffirmed in the ways I have at the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference (GPCWC) and, in a few more weeks, as I will during my first visit to the Colorado Christian Writers Conference. I’ve wept. I’ve prayed. I’ve been reminded to listen to His voice about what and how I write.
Last year at the GPCWC, I taught Writer WannaBe, a continuing workshop for new writers. This year, I have the privilege of teaching Book Doctor, a nonfiction book proposal clinic, at the CCWC along with a workshop that’s become my personal favorite, Master the Memoir. I’ll also represent SUSIE Magazine, the only print Christian magazine targeted exclusively toward girls ages 11-19.
Do you have an interest in writing? Do you believe God wants to use your words to make an impact? Check out either or both of these conferences. Scholarships are available and registration deadlines loom.
Does God have an appointment for you at the CCWC or GPWC this year? Don’t miss His invitation to write His answer.
Posted March 20, 2012, by Marti Pieper
Bear Fruit
Posted in Called to write, Colorado Christian Writers Conference, God's promises, Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference, Publishing journey on March 17, 2012| Leave a Comment »
It’s a beautiful spring day here on the east coast. Okay, I know it’s not yet officially spring, but it sure looks and feels like spring! My daffodils are in bloom, and the buds on my fruit trees are almost ready to burst.
They’re calling this the winter that wasn’t. I confess I missed the snowstorms we had the past two years. The out-of-doors has looked brown and barren with no snow glistening on the ground and coating my bushes and trees. But even in the dead of winter, faith assured me that spring was coming.
Faith is certainly essential for writers as we wonder if anyone will want to read what we write or if we can even finish what we started. Maybe we have a completed manuscript but so far no agent or editor has shown any interest. Or maybe we already have a book in print but sales have been dismal. We wonder if our work will ever bear fruit.
About fifteen years ago I met Tim Shoemaker at the Write to Publish Conference in Illinois. He had a passion to write fiction for boys but still had a lot to learn. Still, I saw something in him and in his writing. As I talked and prayed with this young man, I knew his dream was going to come true. Since then we’ve kept in touch and I’ve watched his gift with words grow. I rejoiced when he found publishers for his nonfiction devotional books for boys. And then, just this week, I held in my hands Code of Silence, a hardback novel for boys published by Zonderkidz and the first of a trilogy.
Tim’s writing is bearing fruit because he didn’t give up. He’s worked at his craft and then began teaching it to others at the Colorado and Greater Philly Christian Writers conference where he’s served on faculty since 2005. This year Tim is teaching a continuing session at both conferences on “Take Your Fiction to the Gym.” “Consider yourself a beginner or an advanced beginner when it comes to fiction?” Tim asks. “Here’s your chance to take your writing to the gym. You’ll get the tools, tips, and techniques to strengthen your writing to compete in the real world of publishing. We’ll look at Plot, Characterization, Point-of-View, Show-Don’t-Tell, Scenes, Beginnings, Middles, Ends, Conflict, Dialogue, and other areas to help take your fiction writing to the next level. Lace up your gym shoes . . . this is one workout you’ll enjoy!”
I’ve also asked Tim to give the closing keynote, “Finding His Answer,” at both conferences. “Finding His answer in the ups and downs of life is all about realizing He has a plan, that it is good, that we can trust Him, and that there are things we must do,” Tim says. “We must learn our craft and be the real deal as Christians.”
If you’re discouraged, I hope you’ll take heart from Tim’s story and that you’ll make it a priority to attend one or more writers’ conferences this year. The fellowship with other writers, opportunity to show your work to agents and editors, and classes taught by those who know the craft of writing and marketing can make a huge difference in helping you to get your work in print.
Because of the glitches with online registration that, PTL, are now fixed, I’ve extended early registration for the May 16-19 Colorado Christian Writer Conference through March 19. Online registration for the August 1-4 Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference will hopefully open April 15 with the brochure off press by May 1. For info on other conferences I encourage you to check the 2012 Christian Writers Market Guide. It is available through my Write His Answer bookstore at 20% off the $24.99 retail price plus $3.50 shipping. The bookstore has numerous other writing how-to books. Shipping is free for orders $35 and over.
Thank You, Father, for the promise of springtime. Help us to bear fruit for You through the lives we live and the words we write.
P.S. Click here for a free Bible study on “Bearing Fruit.”
Crisis of Confidence?
Posted in Called to write, Colorado Christian Writers Conference, God's promises, Overcoming self-doubts on March 15, 2012| 1 Comment »
Have you experienced a “crisis of confidence” lately? Do you feel overwhelmed and inadequate to accomplish what you know God is calling you to do and to write? Is the evil one no longer whispering, but shouting, that you can’t do it?
Today I needed to re-read the words I wrote over 20 years ago in my book Write His Answer – A Bible Study for Christian Writers that has been in print since 1990.
“The cure for a crisis of confidence is to reexamine in what or, more importantly, in whom we have placed our confidence. ‘I know the one in whom I trust,’ Paul wrote to Timothy (2 Tim. 1:12 TLB). That’s the key. It’s not self-confidence, but God-confidence.”
The challenges of converting the conference website from FrontPage to Expression Web are daunting. Of course everything is taking much too long and I’m getting farther and farther behind. Time pressures and problems are buddies and last night they invited another “p” word – panic – to join them as an unexplained glitch caused online registration to stop working the day before early registration was supposed to end. (It’s been extended through Saturday, March 17.)
I’m so grateful the Lord wasn’t sleeping and that He nudged a friend to pray and to email needed encouragement.
“Our Father is the mover of mountains and the God of the impossible. All this opposition is proof of what will happen on those Rocky Mountains in May! It will be beyond our wildest expectations. Have faith in what is unseen.”
And so . . . I’m fixing my eyes on the Mountain Mover and pressing on to prepare for this year’s CCWC. I know it’s going to be a life-changing conference. Today, as I worked on the Book Editors, Periodical Editors, and Agents & Others pages I praised God for the faculty He has provided. I hope you’ll check out their bios, what they’ll be doing at the conference, and their editorial needs that are finally posted. This year’s CCWC offers so many exciting opportunities for beginning as well as advanced writers. Even more important, I KNOW Father is going to meet us on the mountain.
Online registration is working again. If you tried to register within the last 24 hours and couldn’t, be sure to refresh the page. Scholarship applications are also online. In addition to three $100 Vickie Baker Memorial Scholarships and partial scholarships, my dear friend, Cec Murphey, is offering TEN full registration scholarships. Have confidence in God. If He is calling you to this year’s CCWC, no obstacle is too big for Him to enable you to overcome.
Thank You, Father!
Deadlines!
Posted in Colorado Christian Writers Conference, God's promises, Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference, Overcoming distractions on March 7, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Deadlines! When I worked in an editorial office years ago, the race to meet deadlines was exciting. Of course, no sooner had one deadline been met then there were others looming, but I found that exhilarating rather than stressful. Oh to be young again and to be able to “leap tall buildings” (and meet deadlines) “in a single bound.”
Today I’m older (no kidding!) and hopefully wiser. Deadlines are no longer exciting even though I have a computer (actually two) to supposedly make me more productive and efficient. Sadly, I often find that working with computers adds more stress to the work Father has called me to do. I don’t have patience for the learning curve that comes with new software or the unexpected challenges of installing a new computer with a different operating system.
Like me you probably have a love/hate relationship with your computer. You wonder why, especially when you’re pressed for time, your computer crashes along with the latest unsaved copy of what you were working on.
What do you do when time pressures keep building and you have no control over the obstacles that keep slowing you down?
That’s where I’ve been for the last two weeks with trying to convert my old FrontPage conference website to Expression Web. I’ve written but am unable to upload the Teens Write and Lightbox Method Retreat info. The clinic and scholarship applications are also ready to go but can’t be uploaded. Other pages have a bunch of navigation buttons across the top but the pages appear blank. They aren’t. Scroll down. To say the least, I am frustrated! And daily I’m falling behind where I need to be with work not just for the Colorado conference but for the Greater Philly conference August 1-4.
I’m reminded of PBPWMGIFWMY from Bill Gothard’s Basic Youth Conflicts Seminar. “Please be patient with me, God isn’t finished with me yet.”
If you’ve emailed me and I haven’t yet answered, please be patient. If you’ve tried to access conference info online, please be patient. If you’ve registered and are worried about signing up for your appointments, relax. Appointments are booked in the order that you register for the conference – not in the order that you send us your requests on the form that is not yet available. And if you’ve not yet registered for the conference, the good news is that there still are 26 more openings for a free fifth appointment if you register for all three days.
But the best good news in the midst of the deadlines we all face is that Immanuel, God is with us. “Even when we are too weak to have any faith left, he remains faithful to us and will help us, for he cannot disown us who are part of himself, and he will always carry out his promises to us” (2 Tim. 2:13 TLB). He calls us, He calls me, to come to Him and He will give us rest (Matt 11:28).
Father, thank You that You are with us and that we can trust You to give us Your peace that passes understanding when deadlines press in on us that we feel helpless to meet. Thank You for Your promise that the joy of the Lord will be our strength!
Write His Answer 