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Archive for the ‘Publishing journey’ Category

Are Your Words Bearing Fruit?

Posted in Pondering Biblical Truth, Publishing journey, Writer's Life on February 3, 2015| Leave a Comment »

mjb Dec 2014Are Your Words Bearing Fruit?

Today is bitter cold – a day to think warm thoughts about the bulbs I planted in the fall. If spring isn’t late, in about six weeks they will begin to push through the soil that is now frozen. Really, that isn’t very long except when you’re waiting. 🙂

Before I share an excerpt from my book, Write His Answer – A Bible Study for Christian Writers, here’s a great opportunity for those of you who live in Colorado. My friend, Cec Murphey, has borne much fruit through his writing and speaking.

 Cec Murphey will be in the Colorado Springs area for an interview on Wednesday, March 11. He’ll also speak for the Denver ACFW chapter on Monday night, March 9. Cec would like to fill the gaps in his schedule with speaking opportunities. He’s willing to be in the area for several days. Do you know of a church that might like to invite him in to preach and teach? Are you part of a recovery group/college/or other organization that might be interested in hearing from him? Cec’s years as a pastor, hospital chaplain, missionary, educator, caregiver, and professional writer, along with his life experiences, qualify him to speak on many topics and to diverse audiences. He has plenty of energy and enjoys meeting and ministering to people. Audience size is not an issue. For more info about Cec, visit www.cecilmurphey.com. Contact Twila Belk (twilabelk@mchsi.com) with questions.

Now . . .  here’s Chapter 17, “Bearing Fruit.”

It is a bitter cold February day. As I sit at my computer and look out the window, I can’t help but daydream. A winter storm has encrusted the trees and bushes with a thick layer of ice that glistens in the bright sunshine. Spring seems a long way off. Wistfully I dream of golden daffodils and fragrant lilacs.

My thoughts wander to the vegetable seeds I planted yesterday in window boxes on my toasty radiator. Although they are weeks from sprouting, I’m already thinking how good it will be to have fresh, homegrown tomatoes, peppers, and cauliflower. The ringing of the phone brings me back to the present and, after a brief conversation, back to this blank screen. “Lord, what do you want to say through me?” I ask.

“Bear fruit,” I feel Him speak to my heart.

I sigh. For all my hard work this past month, I don’t feel I have borne much fruit. January’s mail was slow to bring acceptances or checks.

 “I feel as if I’ve plowed and planted my garden, but nothing is growing,” I complain. “It’s not that I mind the hard work, Lord. But when am I going to see the fruit of my labors?”

“Have you forgotten what I taught you about abiding?”

I open my Bible to John 15:4 and read: “Take care to live in me, and let me live in you. For a branch can’t produce fruit when severed from the vine. Nor can you be fruitful apart from me.”

I think back over the past weeks and the many excuses I’ve made to shortchange my quiet time with the Lord. It’s no wonder my writing is not bearing fruit. I have been trying to do it in my strength instead of His. Again the Lord reminds me that my relationship with Him is more important than anything I can do for Him. Then, in a new way, I also see the kind of fruit He longs for me to bear. Far more important than powerful prose or beautiful poetry is the fruit of Christlikeness.

“But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control,” I read from Galatians 5:22-23 (TLB). I have to admit that sometimes this fruit is sadly lacking in my life.

Love for the Lord and my readers is not always my motivating force. Too often I am caught up in the ego trip of seeing my name in bigger and better magazines. When editors do not accept my work, I do not feel very loving towards them.

My joy is lost when I push myself to get manuscripts in the mail and measure my fruitfulness by the number of acceptances I receive in return. My peace is destroyed when I take my focus off the Lord and put it on myself -on my goals, my needs, my feelings.

My patience wears thin when things don’t happen as quickly as I want and feel they should. Instead of waiting on God and his perfect timing, I become discouraged and irritable. I say unkind things to the people I love, especially to my children, when they interrupt me when I’m trying to write.

Goodness makes me think of Paul’s words about Jesus: “He went around doing good” (Acts 10:38). Am I “doing good” through what I write? Using Lee Roddy’s acrostic, BERT, do my words really Benefit my readers? Do they Enrich them? Are they Relevant and Timely?

Faithfulness. The Bible assures me that “the one who calls [me] is faithful” (1 Thess. 5:24, NIV). Therefore, I do not have to become consumed by the dollars and hours part of my writing-by the little I earn for the long hours I work. Instead, I can choose to trust His promise to supply all my needs (Phil. 4:19) and to remain faithful to my call to write His answer.

Gentleness, I learn as I look at the original Greek meaning of the word, is not just the way I treat others. The NIV Interlinear Greek-English New Testament translates it as “meekness.”Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words says, “It consists not in a person’s ‘outward’ behaviour only; nor yet in his relations to his fellow-men. . . . It is that temper of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting.” In other words, instead of almost demanding that God “bless” my ministry, I must surrender my desires to Him. I need to follow Jesus’ example and remember how He took on “the very nature of a servant, . . . humbled himself and became obedient to death” (Phil. 2:7-8, NIV).

 Self-control makes me think of discipline and my need to take control of the hours in each day, as well as my thoughts, feelings, and actions which often defeat me. I can choose to dwell on the positives and not procrastinate. Most of all, I can choose to relinquish control of my life to the Lord every day and trust Him to work in me and through me.

 “Yes, I am the Vine; you are the branches,” I feel Him speak to me again through his Word. “Whoever lives in me and I in him shall produce a large crop of fruit” (John 15:5). He doesn’t say when, but He also doesn’t say maybe. Instead, He gives me the conditions. I must deliberately choose to abide in Him and submit wholeheartedly to His pruning of my motives and goals. I must take care to stay close to Him-to let Him live in me. Only then will my life and my words bear fruit.

Responding to God’s Call to Write

 Prayerfully consider whether or not love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are evident in your life. Then read Jeremiah 17:7-8; John 15:1-8; and Galatians 5:22-23, asking the Lord to show you how He wants you to grow in Him. Write His answer in the space below.


Write His Answer by Marlene Bagnull
is a “must-have” resource for any writer.
It offers the perfect balance of practical tools,
personal honesty, and insightful passages
of Scripture. I was inspired by her wisdom
and challenged to answer God’s call
to write in authentic, life-changing ways.
Write His Answer will help you solidify your calling
and get to the root of insecurities may writers face.

Angela Donadio
Recording Artist, Blogger, and Upcoming Author
http://www.angeladonadio.com

For 24 years
Write His Answer has encouraged writers.
This new edition of 176 pages includes updated resources.
Autographed copy available for only $10.
Click here.
E-book available on Amazon.

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Connecting the Dots

Posted in Called to write, Get your book in print, Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference, Publishing journey on November 20, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Rhyner Adoption Book

 

Connecting the Dots
From Wannabe to Published Author

by Christine Rhyner

How many of us remember as children taking our yellow wooden pencils to paper and playing “Connect the Dots?”

We began with a single line, then another that might take us in a different direction, then a third that could be quite long, and a fourth, just a tiny inch. We would zig-zag our way across the page until we found ourselves staring at a kite or a butterfly and think, “Cool.”

I have discovered that a walk with the Lord is much like this. In Ecclesiastes 3:11 it is written, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” Though we cannot see the bigger picture God does when we set out on a journey, we must take that first step of faith, that first pencil stroke to move along a path that we believe will lead us to something “cool.”

In print & ebook

In print and ebook

I never realized that finding a blurb about the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writer’s Conference in a trade magazine would lead me to becoming a published author. That ad led me to Founder, Marlene Bagnull’s website where I found “Write His Answer.” What a treasure! While publishing magazine and website articles as a fairly new Christian I had struggled to understand the passion God had placed within me to write, how to approach this calling on my life and how to move forward in my desire to do so for Him and from Him. I immediately bought the book and found just what I needed—a Bible study for Christian writers. I never knew such a resource existed!

Right away I registered for the next GPCWC. There I found the blessing of hundreds of others just like me, with the same focus, passion and calling–to connect with and learn from. I had never felt such a sense of belonging, acceptance and encouragement. I was at home!

I knew that I wanted to write a book sharing my testimony about my
God who had determined to make me a mother through international Adoptedadoption. It was during perhaps the third summer I attended the conference that God decided the timing for such a book was right. I had learned a lot, grown as a writer and explored various ways of communicating my story. Then, it just happened. While on the ride home back to NY, my entire book outline just poured out of me onto paper while my husband drove. I saw the dots starting to connect!

After returning home, I set to work sharpening my book’s theme and message. As I wrote chapters I also worked on a proposal. After I sent off this proposal to an editor who had taught at the conference and graciously offered to review it for me (an amazing benefit of the GPCWC in that professionals will actually offer to follow up with you on projects), it was clear that my proposal was a mess. But I had already purchased W. Terry Whalin’s “Book Proposals That Sell” at the conference. Why wasn’t I using it?

After carefully following Terry’s direction and advice, my pencil took a detour and I re-wrote a proposal that garnered three positive responses and a contract within a few months!

But the picture, as any author will tell you, wasn’t quite complete. I now needed an editor to help me polish my first manuscript submission to a publisher. Back to Marlene’s website I went. What I thought was a random pick of an editor to hire was actually God’s way of connecting another dot. This editor was a staff member of my publisher’s, able to give me insight into their expectations and navigate my way through the process! Additionally, she is a godly, professional, faithful woman, always quick to respond to my many questions and concerns.

After a few more months of hard work and re-writes the dots were finally connected! In fact, I saw a butterfly. One that had finally emerged from its long night captive in a cocoon, now beautiful and free to fly forth with a message of a mighty God’s blessing, grace and forgiveness before and after an adoption journey.

Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 goes on to say, I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God.”

As authors, we need that sense of purpose God has intended for our work. We can delight in it if we remember that God has called us to do it, that the fruit of our labor is a gift from Him and that this is how we serve Him. Understanding and focusing our purpose and calling is what Marlene brings to authors with “Write His Answer” and her tireless efforts at running the GPCWC for decades. The dedicated, godly and professional people I’ve mentioned above are the kind she offers year after year for our benefit and instruction.

Were it not for a blurb in a writing magazine for the GPCWC I may not have seen How much did you pay for her? Forgiving the Words That Hurt Adoptive Families come to fruition.

How is God connecting your dots on your journey?

For more about my book, view my trailer at:

http://youtu.be/WhoehU5wH0E

Available now through www.clcpublications.com, www.amazon.com, www.christianbookdistributors.com and soon to be available in Barnes & Noble bookstores.

Interested in adoption? Check out my website at www.christinerhyner.com, or drop by my Facebook author page at www.Facebook.com/ChristineRhynerauthor

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Grow Your Writing Ministry

Posted in Called to write, Overcoming distractions, Overcoming self-doubts, Publishing journey, Writer's Life, Writing Opportunities on May 25, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Possible And Impossible Keys Show Optimism And Positivity“With God everything is possible.” Mark 10:27 TLB

I’ve been part of Christian publishing for about thirty-five years. In the early days I used a Selectric typewriter and submitted (and resubmitted) my manuscripts via the USPS. It took six to eighteen months for accepted manuscripts to get in print. (I’ve sold over 1,0o0 articles, stories, poems, and devotionals and have had nine books published.)

Today it sometimes still takes many long months and even years to get our work in print, but computers and the Internet have definitely speeded up the rest of  the process – God’s provision, I believe, because of the critical need to write and publish His answer while there is still time. Now we literally can reach the world from our desktop through blogs and websites and the publication of our work in online magazines or as eBooks or POD books.

It’s an awesome time to be a writer, but one thing has not changed. In order to impact the lives of our readers, we need to write with excellence.

I have given my Write His Answer Seminar over 50 times, coast to coast. God has used it to launch hundreds of writing ministries and to grow the ministries of those who are already writing for publication.

Friday evening, June 6, and Saturday, June 7 from 8:30 – 5:00 I will present this seminar at Faith Discovery Church, 33 Brass castle Road, Washington, NJ. If you’re planning to come to the July 29 – August 2 Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference, the Write His Answer Seminar is great preparation for meeting with agents and editors. If distance or your schedule prohibits you from coming, the seminar is available on CD. You can order the entire seminar or portions from my online bookstore for writers at http://writehisanswer.com/bookstore.

Here are some of the topics I cover:

  • How to get started in the ministry of writing. Personal and spiritual preparation.
  • An overview of the Christian market and the best opportunities.
  • The ministry potential of self-publishing and writing for the secular market.
  • How to turn your personal experiences into print. Seven essential elements of a personal experience story and pitfalls to avoid.
  • How to find, capture, organize, evaluate, and sharpen your ideas.
  • Using a Writer’s Check-off List.
  • Making a good impression on an editor.
  • Writing effective query and cover letters.
  • Knowing your rights and the editor’s rights.
  • An overview of the needs of the Christian market and best opportunities.
  • How to write devotionals, articles, fiction, profiles, fillers, humor, and poetry that will sell and touch lives.
  • How to pass the “So what?” test.
  • How to effectively market your work and use a market analysis chart.
  • How to overcome procrastination.
  • How to deal with the D’s (disappointment, doubt, and discouragement) and rise above rejection.
  • The importance of prayerfully setting specific and measurable goals.

Each session has a biblical focus and is hemmed in by prayer. Friday evening includes a critique session where portions of as many manuscripts as possible will be read. Even if you do not have a manuscript to be critiqued, you will learn principles you can apply to your own writing.

It’s not too late to register. Go to www.jewellutt.com and click on “Events: Calling All Writers” for more information.

Father, for such a time as this I know You are calling and equipping an army of writers to “write Your answer.” I praise You that you are able to do “far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of – infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes” (Eph. 3:20 TLB).

Thank you for your outstanding seminar!
The feedback has been tremendous in terms of your expertise,
your helpfulness, and your love for our Lord.
People especially enjoyed the frequent times of prayer.
You are a blessing wherever you go.
Dr. Mary Ann L. Diorio, Founder
The New Jersey Society of Christian Writers

 

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In Dry Times

Posted in Called to write, Overcoming self-doubts, Pondering Biblical Truth, Publishing journey, Writer's Life on September 21, 2013| 2 Comments »

I love the fall! Well, not the crisp mornings and evenings when it’s too cold to sit on my back porch. But still I do love this season of harvest, the roadside stands bursting with apples and pumpkins, and the beauty of the falling leaves that my grandkids rake into piles and then scatter as they jump into them.

What I don’t love is the times when my creativity feels as dry as the leaves that crunch under my feet.

Father, thank You for reminding me of this chapter from Write His Answer that I wrote years ago. Help me and all who read this to follow Your drought emergency instructions.

Next weekend, September 27-28, I’ll be teaching my Write His Answer Seminar in Cheshire, CT. I know it will be a time of refreshment and renewal for all of us. Please come if you can or order the CDs.

Write His Answer cover

But O my soul, don’t be discouraged.
Don’t be upset. Expect God to act!
For I know that I shall again
have plenty of reason
to praise him for all that he will do.
Psalm 42:11

“I’ll never run out of ideas,” I’ve often said. With a file drawer full of notes and manuscripts in various stages of completion, I felt certain that periods of dryness, or writer’s block, which I heard other writers complain about, would not affect me. But then something happened that was far worse. I felt empty inside!

The Evil One began to fill me with doubts. “You so often fail to live as a Christian,” he whispered in my ear. “How can you expect to help others? You’re nothing but a hypocrite. You have no business trying to be a writer.”

Every time I sat down at my desk, I got a tension headache. Increas­ingly I began to dread facing the work I had always loved to do. “Maybe it is time to quit,” I said to my husband one evening. “I’m willing to work hard and to face rejection, but if I don’t have anything to share . . .”

Paul put his arms around me. “You’ll feel inspired again. I know you will.”

“But what if God doesn’t want me to write anymore?”

The phone rang. It was an editor asking me to write a series of devotionals. My heart pounded with excitement. An assignment on a Sunday evening from an editor, right after I had questioned my call.  It couldn’t be a coincidence! I thanked God for showing me that my writing ministry wasn’t over.

With new enthusiasm I sat down at my typewriter the next morning, but still I felt empty. Ideas wouldn’t flow. I turned to the discouraging task of resubmitting manuscripts. As I plodded along, the whispers grew more intense. “You’re a failure. You don’t have what it takes. God can’t use you.”

I couldn’t get to sleep that night. I tried praying, but God seemed distant. Suddenly I remembered something Lee Roddy told me when I was struggling to complete my first book. “You’re listening to the wrong voice, Marlene,” he said.

The burden began to lift as I thought of Lee’s words and the Scriptures that point to Satan as the father of lies. He is the Christian writer’s great adversary. He is intent on destroying our writing ministries, our homes, our lives.

“But God,” I prayed, “it’s sometimes so hard to discern your voice. The enemy’s whispers seem so true. I do fail to respond to situations in Christlike ways—to practice what I preach. It’s easy to believe those failures make me unworthy to share your Word.”

“Condemnation is the work of the Evil One,” God reminded me. “My Spirit brings conviction of sin and the strength to overcome him. I know you’re not perfect. None of the people I use are perfect. They are willing people. Are you still willing, Child?”

“Oh yes, Lord,” I said as I fervently prayed that I would again expe­rience the anointing of his Spirit. “Please speak to me so that I can write the words you want me to write.”

The next day my writer’s block lifted. Sentences began to flow—not in perfect form or structure—but then that never has been my experience. I always spend a lot of time rewriting and editing. But, praise God, I again had words to rewrite and edit!

Since then I’ve experienced other times of dryness. They seem almost cyclical, like the droughts that periodically occur in nature. I know God allows these times in my life to teach me valuable lessons about the importance of letting my roots grow down into him (Col. 2:7). And so, I endeavor to follow his drought emergency instruc­tions in James 4:6-10:

1. Humble yourself before the Lord and ask him to remove any false pride (v. 6). Affirm anew that he is the Source of your creativity.

2. “Submit yourselves, then, to God” (v. 7 niv). The NIV Interlinear Greek-English New Testament reads: “Be ye subject therefore to God.” The Greek word for “subject,” hupotasso, is “primarily a military term, to rank under” according to Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words. We need to remember that God is not our buddy or our errand boy. Rather, “all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church” (Col. 1:16-18 NIV).

3. “Resist the devil” (v. 7 NIV). Put on the helmet of salvation (Eph. 6:17) to protect your mind from the Evil One’s accusations. Pick up the shield of faith to “extinguish all the flaming arrows of the Evil One” (Eph. 6:16 NIV).

4. “Come near to God” (v. 8 NIV). Whether you feel his presence or not, spend an increased amount of time in prayer and in his Word. To stop your mind from wandering, pray aloud or write down your prayers. You might also want to read Scripture aloud. Grab hold of the promise: “Forever, O Lord, your Word stands firm in heaven. Your faithfulness extends to every generation, like the earth you created; it endures by your decree, for everything serves your plans” (Ps. 119:89-91).

5. “Grieve, mourn and wail” (v. 9 NIV) over the ways you fail the Lord. Ask him to make you a cleansed vessel through which his power can flow.

6. “Realize your worthlessness before the Lord” and allow him to “lift you up, encourage and help you” (v. 10).

I praise God for the way “he lifted me out of the pit of despair, out from the bog and the mire, and set my feet on a hard, firm path and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, of praises to our God. Now many will hear of the glorious things he did for me, and stand in awe before the Lord, and put their trust in him” (Ps. 40:2-3).


Responding to God’s Call to Write

Expand on the drought emergency instructions by using a concor­dance to find additional Scriptures for these key words and phrases:

Humility

Submission

Resist the Evil One

Draw near to God

Repentance

Forgiveness

__________________

Unless otherwise noted Scripture is from The Living Bible.

From Write His Answer—A Bible Study for Writers. Copyright © 1990, 1999 Marlene Bagnull. With space for journaling, Write His Answer will not only encourage you, it will become a record of your writing journey. Copies can be order from me securely online and at a discount. Click here for excerpts and ordering info.

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Wrong date, free book, and more

Posted in Called to write, Publishing journey, Writer's Life on September 13, 2013| 1 Comment »

I goofed in yesterday’s blog. The West Branch Christian Writers Conference in Jersey Shore, PA (not far from Williamsport), is October 19 not October 9. This conference offers a lot at a very reasonable price.

I also failed to mention that the Vine and Vessels Christian Writers Conference where I’m keynoting on October 19 is in Seaford, DE.

And I’m sorry I forgot to add to the list:
October 18-20 – New England Christian Writers Retreat, Plainfield, NH. Click here for the brochure for this special event.

Free Book – Lori Hynson, GPCWC Writer of the Year and author of SuperGal vs. God is offering her book FREE on Kindle starting today and ENDING Sunday! It’s a great read! Go to www.amazon.com and type in SuperGal vs. God to download the book. If you don’t have a Kindle, there is an app on the same page that allows you to download to your smartphone or other device. PLEASE DOWNLOAD, even if you already have the print book. You would be doing my friend, Lori, and yourself, a HUGE favor! After reading, if you’d take a couple of minutes to write a review on Amazon it would be much appreciated.

GPCWC’s Pacesetter Award went to Vicki Chandler, author of Heart Eyes – Beth and the Bullies. This beautifully illustrated story shows children how they can make a difference. It includes follow-up questions adults can use to guide discussions about how to prevent bullying. Vicki has a burden for children who are ignored or bullied. She says, “I know that everyone wants to be included. Everyone has something they wish everyone knew about them. Maybe it’s the hurt they feel. Maybe it’s the talent they’d like to share. Everyone has feelings, hopes, and dreams. My big dream is that children across the nation will begin to choose their friends in different ways. Children will not be popular simply because they are pretty, rich, smart, or just the right size. Everyone will be included. Even those who look differently, speak different languages, have a disability…Their differences will be celebrated. Their hidden talents will be discovered. That will happen if more children see others with their heart eyes.” I HIGHLY recommend this book. For more info and a link to order either the paperback or ebook go to http://hearteyes.net.

Rise and Shine Movement – Carolyn Ruch is “an author, speaker, writer, and mom on a mission — to educate and encourage adults to talk to the children they love about sexual abuse. Because sometimes the only thing between you and protecting your kids from Childhood Sexual Abuse is a conversation.” Her website includes a wonderful FREE video of her picture book that every parent and grandparent needs to share along with help for “beginning the conversation.” Please join the movement. We can and must make a difference!

Father, thank You for Lori, Vicki, and Carolyn and so many others who have committed to “write Your Answer.” Keep us all on the growing edge spiritually and professionally through Your Word and through the opportunities to fellowship with and learn from other writers. Bless us as we seek to serve You every day this fall.

 

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Opportunites for writers this fall

Posted in Publishing journey, Writer's Life on September 12, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Some of you are probably heading to the ACFW conference in Indianapolis. (Father, thank You for all You have done and are doing through ACFW’s ministry. Bless this year’s conference in Ephesians 3:20 ways.)

For those who don’t write fiction or who do but are unable to go, here are some other opportunities for you this fall.

September 19 – Greater Philly Christian Writers Fellowship begins our 31st year of ministry. We are now meeting in my Lansdale home about five minutes from the Lansdale exit of the NE ext. of the PA Turnpike. We will meet monthly from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm. For directions, more info, and dates click here.

Lansdale Critique Group (women only) – This group meets every other Thursday evening also in my home. If you’re seriously pursuing a writing ministry and are looking for a small group to hold you accountable to “finish what you started”(2 Cor. 8:10 TLB), call me at 484-991-8581.

September 27-28 – Write His Answer Seminar – Cheshire, CT – I’ve given this seminar over 50 times around the nation and have seen Father use it in Ephesians 3:20 ways. The seminar includes two Bible studies, five workshops, and a critique session. For more info click here.  The nominal registration fee increases by $10 after September 21. If you don’t live in the northeast, I want to encourage you to order the CDs and approximately 40 handouts. Click here for more info.

September 28 – Lancaster Christian Writers – LCWF’s Fall Kickoff with Christian publisher Dean Drawbaugh teaching a three hour clinic, “The BookSeller: Nine Qualities that Generate Book Sales.” Click here for more info.

October 11-12 – East Metro Atlanta Christian Writers Conference – Along with Cec Murphey I’ll be keynoting at this conference and teaching two workshops. Click here for info.

October 19 – Vine & Vessels Christian Writers Conference, Seaford, DE – I’ll also be keynoting at this conference and teaching two workshops. Click here for more info.

Also October 19 – West Branch Christian Writers Conference in Jersey Shore, PA – Jeff Gerke is keynoting. Jeff has served on the faculty of the Philly conference and frequently is part of the Colorado conference since he lives in Colorado Springs. He’s a great teacher and writer. For more info and to register click here.

CDs and MP3s from the July 31 – August 3 Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference are available. Click here for the link to the order form. The entire conference of 54 workshops, 37 continuing sessions, 5 keynotes, 4 panels, Teens Write, Pastors Write, and the Thursday Specials (“Prepare for Persecution,” “A Culture in Peril,” and “Compassion, Justice, Advocacy”) – more than 100 hours of instruction – can be ordered as MP3 files on two DVDs for only $159 postage paid. CDs of individual workshops are also available.

CDs from May 2013 Colorado Christian Writers Conference also available. Click here for the link to the order form.

Father, You know how quickly fall becomes packed with so much to do. In the midst of all our busyness please teach us to be still and to listen for Your direction. Show us how to fit writing Your answer into our hectic lifestyles. Help us to believe, to really believe, that  You can use the words we write to make a difference in the lives of our readers.

 

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An elk fell on my head and other news from Write His Answer Ministries

Posted in Called to write, Colorado Christian Writers Conference, Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference, Publishing journey, Writer's Life on August 18, 2013| 1 Comment »

elk that bit me 

It’s true! An elk really did fall on my head. He lost two legs and his left antler.  And me?  I could have lost my eye if he had fallen just an inch or two lower on my head. Instead Rob Cook’s son had the opportunity to play doctor and use an ace bandage to hold a bag of ice on my head. And my husband has had to look at the growing black and blue mark on my forehead and around my eye this past week.

How did it happen? The same as so many events in our lives.  It was not something I saw coming. It was an accident. I sat down in a dining room chair and shoved it back against my hutch where Mr. Elk had safely resided out of the reach of my grandkids for the past 3-1/2 years. The hutch moved and he fell – onto my head. 

Father, thank You that I was not seriously injured. Thank You that he did not fall on Cindy Watkins and Margie Vawter who spent a lot of time in that same chair pre and post conference. And thank You that my laptop was not on the table when it happened.

It would be all too easy to view this as a conference battle scar and to allow the evil one to steal my joy. But I am choosing to “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you [for me] in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess. 5:16-18 NIV).

Directing the conference(s) has not gotten any easier through 30 years of ministry, but the joys have certainly multiplied beyond what I could have ever asked or expected in the beginning (Eph. 3:20).

What about you and your ministry of written words and spoken words as Yolanda Powell reminded us in her powerful keynote at GPCWC? Do you view rejection as an “injury,” or do you choose to “keep your eyes on Jesus” realizing that He never promised it would be easy to serve Him? Do you learn from your experiences submitting your work to editors or, ideally, first to your critique group? Are you teachable and willing to rewrite your manuscript until it is the best it can be? Or will you keep making the same mistakes because you refuse to listen to advice?  Hopefully my husband can repair my elk, but I’ve learned my lesson. Mr. Elk is never again going to sit up high where he can fall on me or anyone else.

As you continue on your journey to publication, I want to encourage you to check out the Write His Answer bookstore and to order CDs from both the Colorado and Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference. The entire Greater Philly conference (over 100 hours of workshops, continuing classes, keynotes, and panels) are available as MP3 files on two DVDs for only $159, postage paid.

If you live in New England, I want to encourage you to come to the “Write His Answer” Seminar I’ll be teaching in Cheshire, CT, September 27-28.

Most of all I want to encourage you to keep on “writing His answer” for men and women, boys and girls who need to know Him.

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The story behind Christian Devotions Ministries and their mission to launch writing careers

Posted in Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference, Publishing journey on July 23, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Eddie Jones Apr 2013 

Audio Interview with Eddie Jones
by Donna Brennan

Click here to listen to the interview.

Eddie Jones is an author, speaker, and publisher. He is a co-founder of Christian Devotions Ministries and is always looking for someone who can write good devotions.

At the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writer’s Conference on July 31 – August 3 Eddie will teach a workshop about working with a small press and another workshop on Thursday during Teens Write. And, of course, he’ll be taking pitches for devotions and books.

I sat down with Eddie on the deck of the main conference building at the Colorado Christian Writer’s Conference in Estes Park and got him to answer a few questions. As we sat taking in the view, Eddie spoke about the various websites that comprise Christian Devotions Ministries and how each one got started. He also shared how Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas got started, and a bit about what kinds of books they’re looking for.

It was a beautiful day although a bit windy. I was able to filter out most of the noise from the wind, but I wasn’t able to filter out the giggles and footsteps of a happy child playing on the deck. Still, I think what Eddie has to say is so interesting you’ll barely notice much of the background noise.
____________

It’s not too late to register for the conference and to request an appointment with Eddie.

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Struggling with the Deadly Ds? – Trust the Lord!

Posted in God's promises, Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference, Overcoming self-doubts, Publishing journey on July 10, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Faith rocks2

“Early in the morning
before the sun is up,
I am praying
and pointing out
how much I trust in you.”

Psalm 119:47 TLB

 

Some of you know that it took five years and rejection slips from 42 editors before the first book I wrote was accepted for publication. Before that I struggled for several years to finish the manuscript. Self-doubts, and to be honest, God-doubts had me close to giving up many, many times.

The “deadly Ds” – disappointment, doubt, discouragement, even despair – were my frequent companions. What kept me keeping on?

  • Promises such as Galatians 6:9: “Let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up” (TLB).
  • The very first words I ever felt the Lord speak to my heart: “Child, I never said it would be easy to follow Me, but I have promised always to be with you.”
  • My husband who has never told me to go get a “real” job even during times when things were really rough financially.
  • My pastor who paid my way to my first writers’ conference and held me accountable afterwards to use what I learned.
  • Friends who year after year babysat my three children so I could go to the St. Davids Christian Writers Conference.
  • The network of writing friends who encouraged me, and Gayle Roper and Anne Sirna who mentored me.

Yes, it took many long, discouraging years but that first book did get in print. The rest – seven other books, the Greater Philly and Colorado Christian Writers Conferences that I direct, the 70 conference faculties I’ve been honored to serve on, and my day-long writing seminars that I’ve given around the country over 50 times – are the fruit of abiding in Him and trusting Him to do what I could never do in my own strength.

The key really is trust, especially when the deadly Ds threaten to derail me. I’m learning that I am free to trust or to doubt, but when I do not trust, I grieve the Lord.

I want to encourage you not to give up and to make registering for the July 31 – August 3 Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference a priority. Lodging is available on campus for only $39 a night if you share a room (a great way to make a new writing friend although you can book a single room for $59 a night). I need to get a room count to Cairn University by July 15 as well as a count for meals. So don’t procrastinate! You can still register after that, but the cost for meals will increase and I can’t guarantee a bed for your head.

  • If the evil one is bombarding you with the deadly Ds, trust the Lord.
  • If the logistics of childcare for your kids seem impossible, trust Him.
  • If you can’t see how to fit the conference in during a summer packed with activity and demands on your time, trust Him.
  • If you need more encouragement to overcome your self- doubts, click here.
  • If financially it seems impossible, trust Him. Be bold. Ask family, friends, or your church to help. Apply for a scholarship or email me to request time payments.

The next 15 registrants will receive an additional free one-on-one appointment with a faculty member of your choice. (We do ask you to give us several choices since appointments are booked on a first-come basis.)

Come one day and get two appointments,
two days and get three appointments,
and three days (with an additional bonus appointment) get FIVE appointments.

Wednesday is a pre-conference day with 18 early bird workshops and an exciting evening session where various faculty will encourage you to “Write His Answer to Issues that Concern You,” but it is not counted toward your appointments. Perhaps one of those appointments will open the door to publication as it did for me.

Father God, thank You that You know the plans You have for us and our writing – and that they are good plans. Help us to trust You when we face the deadly Ds. Thank You for all the incredible people You have brought into my life these past 30 years of directing GPCWC and for all You have done and all You will do as I trust You.

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Writing His Heart, Righting Mine

Posted in Called to write, Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference, Publishing journey, Writer's Life on July 8, 2013| Leave a Comment »

WHAPLogo2 for FBGuest blog from 2012 GPCWC Conferee
Marianne E. Parker, RN  

Cold air blasts as I sit in the dark corner.  Six twenty-one shines in the corner of my computer screen.  I quietly type, trying not to waken my daughter.  Ideas swim in my head like young children enjoying the pool outside my hotel window.  I am still.  Still.  Still small voice; come to me Lord.  Be glorified today.

Gratitude enters as I ready for the final day of this year’s Greater Philadelphia Christian Writer’s Conference: Write His Answer.  Habakkuk 2:2 (TLB), “Write my answer on a billboard, loud and clear, so that others may read it and rush to tell others” undergirds the bridge Marlene Bagnull co-labored in love over twenty-nine years ago as conference founder and director.    I imagine her prayer this morning; “To God, be the glory.”

Marlene and all who have been called to come alongside her have accomplished their mission: “Encouraging & Equipping you to write about a God who is real, who is reachable & who changes lives.”

Jim Watkins shared during the Friday opening session that 10,000 hours are required to become proficient in any field.  So, I pulled out my phone started to calculate.  Hmm.  I would like to be proficient in 1 year (remember, I’m a beginner) so 10,000 divided by 365 is the realization that I need 27 hours a day to make that happen. OK then, I start multiplying.  Three hours commitment a day multiplied by 365 equals ten years.  I look up and say to myself,

“OK God, do what only You can whenever You want”.

Personal perspective and heavenly perspective met that day.  Your team also gifted me with healing perspective.  I may not yet know how to write a magazine article or a novel, but I can offer an honorable thank you.  So, from the bottom of my broken heart (that story is not yet ready to tell-thank you Sue Cameron), I so appreciate that you all have heard the voice of our loving Father, walked with His Son and stepped out with His Spirit.  You are blessing many.  Continue saying; “Yes, Lord”.  We need your gifts, talents, leadership and fine example.

It will be my privilege and expectation to see you again next year, if not sooner.

Sincerely,

Marianne E. Parker, RN
(Gratitude and redemption writer)
_________________

Thanks much, Marianne, for sharing your heart. It’s not too later to register for the July 31 – August 3, 2013, Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference. If you want to stay on campus, however, you need to register by July 15. Same with meals in the campus dining hall. After July 15 and until July 24 meals can still be ordered but they will cost 50 cents more a meal. After July 24, you’ll have to eat off campus – not ideal because of the fellowship we share around the tables I the dining hall.

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