DEVOTION: The Central Candle

Read the full story in Matthew 21:1-9

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"Let your light shine before men . . . " Matthew 5:16 ISV 

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The congregation sat around tables arranged to form a cross. On each corner stood a white candle, the flames dancing in the warm, Zimbabwean night. A large white candle held place of honor at the center of the cross, its flame representing Jesus, Light of the World. Gradually the story of Jesus’ last week unfolded through readings interspersed with hymns. After each reading, one person extinguished a flame.

I listened to how Jesus struggled emotionally in Gethsemane yet, "Not what I want, but what you want." (Matthew 26:39 GNB) As a candle flame flickered and died, I asked myself,  "Is that my attitude when I'm faced with a difficult decision? Do I write what God wants me to write, and not what I want to write? Am I truly yielded to my Heavenly Father?"

I listened to the story of the Last Supper. As another flame was extinguished, I shared with the congregation in the celebration of Holy Communion. I compared my situation with the confused disciples. I knew about the horrors of the crucifixion. But I also knew of the joys and relief of the resurrection.

With each reading, the light grew dimmer, and I saw how Jesus’ circle of supporters grew smaller. When He asked for prayer support, his three closest companions fell asleep. As he faced the mockery of a trial, Peter, the one on whom Jesus said the church would be built, denied even knowing him. As He was raised on that dreadful cross, the only one of his close disciples mentioned is John, who stood with His  mother.

At the end of the ordeal, even God, the Father, turned his back on His Son. The second-last light went out. Only one flame still burned: the large central candle.

Then, Jesus "breathed his last." (Luke 23:46 ISV). The final flame went out. Blackness engulfed the room.
Tension was palpable. Somehow the darkness made me more aware of the horrors of what had just happened. The Son of God--dead. Murdered. For me. For you. For each of us.

After 60 long seconds, one sole match flared. The rekindled light from the central candle broke through the darkness. Just one little light, but it chased away the immediate darkness. It reminded us that Jesus had never really died. His Spirit would never leave us.

As we silently left the church, we knew we would meet again on Sunday. Easter Sunday. The Day of Resurrection. This time the atmosphere would be different. This time we would celebrate. This time we would remember, "Jesus is Risen!"

Variations of this Tenebrae service will be held in many churches across the globe this coming week, as Christians of all denominations enact the growing darkness around our Lord as the crucifixion approached. But for us in today's world, at least we know that the cross is not the end. Easter is coming!

SHIRLEY CORDER lives near the beach in South Africa with her pastor husband. Her book, Strength Renewed: Meditations for your Journey through Breast Cancer is currently available for pre-order at a discounted price on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble (B&N.com). Shirley is also contributing author to nine books to date and hundreds of her inspirational and life-enrichment articles have been published internationally.  You can contact Shirley through her writing website, her Rise and Soar cancer site, or follow her on Twitter. 

TAKE TWO and music CD offer

Dreadful photo, but only one I have!

Right now I'm working on completing a stack of five minute radio segments. They need to be right on target without any waffle. They need to catch interest straight away as there's so much on air competition. How similar to our books. If we can't catch a reader in that first paragraph then our reader goes searching for something else.

It's doubly challenging when we want to give a true-blue Gospel message. I usually begin with something secular,e.g. personal or world problems etc. Then this leads into the Lord Jesus having the answer. I co-present this with my husband, so it's like a give and take conversation. Our voices need to sound warm showing we care. It's similar to our writing in that we need to understand our characters well enough to make them read as genuine, with all their strengths and weaknesses.

These are pilot programs, so with all the hours in research and recording, we have no guarantee they'll be accepted. Oh yes, how much like working on our beloved stories. We put so much time and effort into them and simply send them off in faith they'll be appreciated. For years we presented a fifteen minute program, but who has the time to listen in for that long nowadays? Therefore, our searching out this new format. We'd love you to pray with us that these short programs we've named TAKE TWO will be accepted with enthusiasm.

If you'd be interested in some middle-of-the-road Gospel music we'd be happy to send you our CD. These are all my original lyrics and music comprising solos, duets and some violin, written and recorded before I began writing my inspirational historical fiction.

Interesting how it all started with art, graduated to writing Gospel music, then radio plus writing fiction.

I only wish I could afford a maid. Oh ... dreaded housework!!! No, I do like to cook, but dusting and cleaning and so on, are only compensated by dreaming up fictional plots for novels and facts and faith for radio programs! This does sound like a confession but it helps to get it off one's chest by sharing with all you dear like-minded people.

Let's know your disguised email, if you'd like to receive my CD, and God bless you!

Conferences Across Borders: Amazing Awaits!

For this Canadian, writing conferences mean a border crossing, and often a flight once I get to the other side. But a couple of weeks ago I was blessed to attend the second annual Inland Northwest Christian Writers Conference in Spokane Valley, Washington, a 3-hour drive from home. The director, Jan Cline, is a wonderful woman who answered God's call to coordinate a conference, the likes of which she'd never done before 2011.

Jan Cline
An ACFW conference it is not, but the over all quality was already up from last year's excellent beginning, with two agents and a couple of publishing house representatives present.

Clint Kelly, communications specialist at Seattle Pacific University and author of many articles and a bunch of books, was keynote speaker. Along with his (flattened) rubber chicken, Gus, Clint provided lots of laughs as well as challenging us with the conference theme: Amazing Awaits. Isn't it interesting how humor can smooth the way for a challenging message?

Jim Rubart, author of several contemporary, slightly speculative novels and owner of a marketing firm, gave a workshop on ideas, while Angela Breidenbach talked about the pros and cons of both traditional and self publishing. Agent Blythe Daniel, veteran editor formerly of Thomas Nelson publishers, presented about building a platform before--or after--selling your work. Other workshop topics ranged from public speaking, social media basics, time management, devotional and article writing, self-editing, to building characters and more, from a variety of presenters.

A highlight for me took place immediately after the conference when several of us went out for Saturday night dinner. Angela invited John van Diest, who is a Christian publishing legend, to join us. What an honor to sit across the table from this man of God, who founded two American publishing houses (Multnomah and Vision Press) and now, well after the age at which most men retire, works two days a week as Associate Publisher for Tyndale.

Jim Rubart, Jessie Gunderson, Angela Breidenbach, John van Diest
John regaled us with stories about being one of ten Christian men from the USA and Canada who were invited to Russia during Mikhael Gorbachev's tenure. They were able to set up a stall at the Moscow Book Fair and give away 10,000 copies of the New Testament, translated into Russian from the original Greek, which had been donated by the ECPA (Evangelical Christian Publishers Association). His tales of the desperate spiritual hunger evident in the individuals he spoke with there challenged me deeply.

The trials of attending, such as gauging my travel time for the border's open hours and driving through torrential downpours in the dark, fade in the light of the many blessings from attending this regional conference. Creating and renewing friendships made every kilometer--or mile--of the drive worthwhile, even without hearing John's exploits.

If you have the chance to attend even a small conference near your home, consider the many ways it might be worth it. Value isn't measured only in publishing contracts or developing new writing skills. The people alone are worth the effort.

Have you ever had an unexpected blessing from a small conference? Tell us!

Habakkuk 2:2-3 (NLV): Then the Lord answered me and said, “Write down the special dream on stone so that one may read it in a hurry. For it is not yet time for it to come true. The time is coming in a hurry, and it will come true. If you think it is slow in coming, wait for it. For it will happen for sure, and it will not wait."

Valerie Comer's life on a small farm in western Canada provides the seed for stories of contemporary inspirational romance. Like many of her characters, Valerie and her family grow much of their own food and are active in the local food movement as well as their church. She only hopes her creations enjoy their happily ever afters as much as she does hers, shared with her husband, adult kids, and adorable granddaughter.

Her first published work, a novella, will be available in the collection Rainbow's End from Barbour Books in May 2012. Visit her website and blog to glimpse inside her world.

The Centrefold of the Gospel – The Cross!

It is nearly Good Friday followed by Resurrection Sunday.   My husband Ray has his devotions included here on our blog and I have invited him to share his thoughts here today.  He has just released this third book in his 31 Day Devotional Series and with Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday this coming weekend, we would like to give a copy away to someone, somewhere, in this world of ours to help him or her be "captured by the wisdom, power, grace and wonder of Calvary"- as the blurb on the back cover invites.

These devotional meditations take you to the heart of the Gospel. They will fill you with awe of God. They will cause you to bow before the Lord in adoration.

Ray writes:-

Recently Australian Television screened Islamists desecrating Australian and British war graves in Libya. The natural response of course was outrage and the question asked, “Why would they do such a thing?” Part of the answer was portrayed in the scene of a number of men hacking at the tall memorial in the shape of the cross. For followers of the Crescent the Cross is anathema. In their eyes the West is Christian and the Cross our standard.

In our Western Democracies Christendom is either being sold short even by some of its leaders or opposed by militant agnostics. What is their focus? The smothering or removal of the symbol and message of the Cross! No wonder the scriptures speak about the cross being a stumbling stone or an object of foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18-25).

I was motivated to write a devotional with the specific theme about the Cross. As a person convinced about its unchanging message, I was concerned that too many were tending to ignore the Cross’s crucial centrality to our faith. Most sermons or teaching major on the way God made the Cross of Christ our means of salvation. This wonderful truth should constantly overwhelm us and make us more devoted to our Lord. However there is so much more to what Jesus achieved on the Cross. From Genesis through to Revelation the shadow or reality of the cross, in symbol, implication or direct illustration confronts the honest reader who takes the Bible seriously.

In these devotions I’ve endeavoured to take you into the heart of God not simply for us, important as that is, but for the very honour of His Name and the redemption of creation. The cross is actually the cover, centrefold and back page of the Gospel. Without it the Church has no message and Humankind has no hope. We can talk about God being glorified, we can sing about the wonder of His grace but if that excludes the Cross we are in fact robbing the Lord God of His glory!

Once again the Church is being seduced into compromise. Wanting to be popular, relevant and non offensive there are those who want the Cross to be put into a cupboard and only mentioned on special occasions. Certain Denominations don’t want to upset Islam or atheists with a message of the crucified Son of God/Son of Man. Then they wonder why the Spirit of God writes over them ‘Ichabod!’

The Cross is the glory of God.

Therefore, ‘I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jews, then to the Gentiles. (Romans 1:16).

‘May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.’ (Galatians 6:14)

I may not wear a cross around my neck but it is over my heart. The cross is the badge of identity with Christ Jesus the Lord of Glory.

Ray (who enjoys the centrefold) Hawkins.

For years, Ray has been writing in various ways, including Bible studies, articles for church papers and also poetry - and beautiful love letters too! Since having his 31 Day Devotional meditation books published, he has become more and more involved in the "world" of writing that I have been now for over nineteen years.
It has been my real delight to share with him in the Christian writers' conferences held in Queensland the last couple of years. His Book One in this series was short-listed in the devotion book category of the CALEB awards while my Justice at Baragula went on to final. For details about all Ray's books click on  http://www.evenbeforepublishing.com/ 
Mary is multi-published in inspirational romance and her third book, Justice at Baragula, is available as an e-book as well as print from http://www.koorong.com/search/product/view.jhtml?code=9781921589515   
To learn more about Mary and Ray Hawkins, check out their website and blog from:  http://www.mary-hawkins.com/

Please leave a comment and you will be entered in the draw for a signed copy of Captured By Calvary - and please don't forget to check back to see if you are the winner and we then need your address details .  

GASP! The Season of Contests

The season of contests is upon us. There is nothing better than being nominated for an award, or even better, winning an award to boost your chances of publication or selling your books.

But what if year after year your submission as an unpublished author doesn’t even make it to the finals? Or your novels never recieve those glowing awards?

Just yesterday a friend said her submission wasn’t ready after she’d worked on it for months. She said she was going to pull out of the contest. This saddened me. I felt she wasn’t giving her submission a chance.

Because in my opinion, contests are not about winning.

I wrote back to my friend and suggested that by keeping her submission in the ring, she would at least receive back a solid critique. Judges in any contest are writers who have put many years into their own writing. Their comments are worth their weight in gold.

A few years ago I entered my debut novel, Shadowed in Silk, in the ACFW Genesis contest. I’d been writing for eight years by this time, and had enough rejections to make a collage to hang on my wall. But I entered the Genesis with the prayer that God would do only what He thought best for my writing career at this point in time.

Because after so many years with nothing to show for it but a tattered manuscript I thought maybe it was time to hang up my skates.

I made it to the finals that year, and then in September, Shadowed in Silk won the Gold. But winning that year was the shot in the arm that I needed to keep on writing. In spite of winning, it was another two years before Shadowed in Silk was published. But I learned something from that contest.

The issue is not about winning or losing.

The issue is that God doles out to each writer what they need at precisely that moment to direct their path or encourage them to keep on going.

Maybe you didn’t make it to the finals-of whatever contest you entered-last year. Maybe you enter the race year after year and suffer disappointment.

But I have found that if I enter a contest with the prayer that the Lord will give to each participant something that he or she needs in their writing career, I am usually blessed in an extraordinary way. I don’t win every contest I enter, but I trust in a God who is loving and fair to each of His children.

Don’t think of just winning. Think of how God can encourage you or refine your writing through the process. Don’t allow fear to stop you from running the race, and take pride in the entering.

And if we're obedient to Him, then whatever we do for Him we will ALL earn a very special Christy that we can lay at His feet one day.

I'm looking forward to that day . . . I'm gonna buff my award . . . and breathe on it . . . and shine it up with my sleeve, and then give it to Him with a silly grin. Because it's all about Him, not me.


Christine Lindsay’s historical inspirational novel SHADOWED IN SILK won the Gold Genesis in 2009 for Historical, and is the January 2012 pick for ACFW Book Club. The Pacific coast of Canada, about 200 miles north of Seattle, is Christine’s home. Like a lot of writers, her cat is her chief editor.


Drop by Christine's website, www.christinelindsay.com for a visit.

SUNDAY EDITION

Coming Up This Week

Monday

Christine Lindsay

Tuesday

Mary Hawkins - The Centrefold of the Gospel: The Cross!

Wednesday

Valerie Comer - Conferences Across Borders: Amazing Awaits!

Thursday

Rita Galieh: Take Two and Music CD offer

Friday Devotion

Shirley Corder: The Central Candle

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Contest News

Christine Lindsay's book, Shadowed in Silk, is a finalist in the Adventure/Epic category of 2011 Grace Awards - congratulations Christine!

Catherine West's book, Yesterday's Tomorrow, is a finalist in the Adventure/Epic category of 2011 Grace Awards - congratulations Cathy!

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New Book Releases

Sandra Orchard's romantic suspense set in Canada, Shades of Truth, is a March 2012 release from Love Inspired Suspense.

Jennifer Rogers Spinola's women's fiction book, Like Sweet Potato Pie, Book Two in the Southern Fried Sushi series, is a March 2012 release from Barbour.

Kathi Macias' book set in San Diego, CA and the Golden Triangle area of Thailand, Special Delivery, Book Two in her Freedom series involving human trafficking, is a March 2012 release from New Hope Publishers.

The first two chapters can be downloaded for FREE at the following link: http://www.newhopedigital.com/index.php/2012/03/download-2-chapters-of-special-delivery-human-trafficking-novel/

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Upcoming Book Releases

Marcia Laycock's novel set in Western Canada, A Tumbled Stone, will be an April 2012 release from Word Alive Press.

Valerie Comer's debut novella, Topaz Treasure, which is part of the Rainbow's End collection, will be a May 2012 release from Barbour.

Kathi Macias' book set in San Diego and Mexico, The Deliverer, Book Three in her Freedom series involving human trafficking, will be a Fall 2012 release from New Hope Publishers.

Sandra Orchard's romantic suspense set in Canada, Critical Condition, will be an October 2012 release from Love Inspired Suspense.

Jennifer Rogers Spinola's women's fiction book, 'Till Grits Do Us Part, Book Three in the Southern Fried Sushi series, will be a November 2012 release from Barbour.

To find more International Christian Fiction books, please visit our Recent Releases page, Backlist Titles page and our International Christian Fiction wiki.

DEVOTION: Which Jesus? by Kathi Macias

And Jesus answered and said to them:
“Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many (Matt. 24:4-5).
It seems that lately I’ve been running into people of various faiths and religions who claim they believe in Jesus. After a few moments of talking with them, however, it’s obvious that they aren’t talking about the same Jesus I know and love and serve.

Though Jesus in Matthew 24 was speaking specifically to the Jewish people, His warning to “take heed” that we not be deceived by Christ impersonators carries over to all cultures and eras, particularly today when “tolerance” of nearly anything and everything has become the most esteemed virtue, and absolute truth a disdained and rejected concept.

Whether a writer or speaker, a pastor or Sunday school teacher, a truck driver or bookkeeper, if we have been born again and know the true Jesus through relationship with His Holy Spirit who lives within us, we are called to the ministry of reconciliation—devoting our lives to proclaiming the Gospel and leading people back into relationship with God, as well as restored relationships with others. But we must beware of seeking unity of earthly relationships at any cost. Human effort and a false Jesus can never accomplish true or lasting unity.

In the name of tolerance we are asked to accept and even celebrate lifestyles, beliefs, and false religions that the Scriptures condemn. Many who promote this dangerous thinking also claim to believe in Jesus. But to what Jesus are they referring? Do they believe He is the one and only Son of God, the one and only way to the Father, the One who died on the cross for all their sins? Or do they believe He was simply a good man or a prophet or maybe even an angel? This is a crucial test, for belief in the wrong Jesus diminishes the work He did on the cross—and puts the onus back on us to somehow earn our own salvation.

As we go about the ministry of reconciliation to which all believers have been called, let’s be careful that even as we offer unconditional love to a lost and dying world, we don’t portray a Jesus who is anything less than who He is—truly God and truly Man, come to earth to die for our sins—all of them—once and for all.
In all that we do or say this day, may we proclaim that great truth with boldness and love. For when it comes to that truth—as ultimately it always does—there can be no compromise, not even for the sake of unity or tolerance.

Kathi Macias is a multi-award winning writer who has authored nearly 40 books and ghostwritten several others. A former newspaper columnist and string reporter, Kathi has taught creative and business writing in various venues and has been a guest on many radio and television programs. Kathi is a popular speaker at churches, women’s clubs and retreats, and writers’ conferences. She won the 2008 Member of the Year award from AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association) and was the 2011 Author of the Year from BooksandAuthors.net. Kathi “Easy Writer” Macias lives in Homeland, CA, with her husband.

The Hole in my Network

I lost a friend last week. One I'd never met, never even seen his face because he didn't like photos. But a real friend nonetheless. In these times, virtual relationships can be more significant than most face to face encounters. Walt was such a one. An accomplished writer, he never really believed it even though his list of published stories went on for miles. He wrote heroically for my projects Aquasynthesis and Avenir Eclectia, and loved to discover the world.

I still can't believe that he's not there, somehow, ready to chat at a moment's notice, to pass on some piece of crazy news he unearthed somewhere in his online travels. A valued member of my team and a fixture in my daily life, with missives winging back and forth across the oceans - both electronic and paper. A sense of humour much like my dad's, and I console myself that the two of them have surely met by now and are having a grand old time sharing jokes.

He's left a big gap in my network, that intangible thing whose nature I am ever wondering at. This web of people across the world, connected by cables and satellites and the community of the heart. A heart that now has a hole in it.

It's a strange kind of grief, distanced as it is, and I don't really know how to go about dealing with it. I guess I'll just have to wait it out, like any other trauma. Has any of you experienced the loss of an online friend? How did you get through it?

Bonus: here's a video that really made me realise a little of what kind of welcome would have awaited Walt when he got to the other side.

The Seasons of Novel Writing

It’s spring in my corner of the world. 

Buds burst forth in greens, whites, and cherry reds. Yellow daffodils open their petals and reach for the heavens. Each morning, I wake to a chorus of birds outside my window instead of the usual rhythmic beeping, or toddler cry. And every evening, the sun lingers just a little longer.

I love this season of new life and hope. It’s a glorious time of year.

Yet, as I pen these words, I know that many of you reside in different corners of the globe, and though I’m experiencing the newness of spring, you may be feeling winter’s grip.  At this very moment, you and I walk through very different seasons.

And isn’t that how it is in our writing lives as well? From the birth of a story idea and growth of a novel, to barren times of waiting and the joy of a book contract, we writers know the ebb and flow of the seasons. 

Some of you may be walking through the season of spring along with me. You’re new to novel writing, or you’ve stumbled upon a new story idea. You’re enthralled with the newness, the potential. Yet, your story is just a seedling. It needs tender care, careful watering, plenty of sunshine. And once it’s written, it needs weeding and pruning—ruthless editing. Overall, this season is a fabulous one ripe with possibilities.

Perhaps you’re in the thick of summer. Your novel is a full-fledged story complete with flowers and fruit. It’s a masterpiece, a beautiful work of art, and you’re thrilled. You’ve spent days toiling under sweltering sun, crafting the characters, weaving the plotline, developing dialogue. Can there be a more beautiful baby?  You’re ready to show your work to a critique partner or editor. They’re just going to love it.

Maybe you’ve taken the plunge and shown your work to a faithful critique partner who tells you your story has potential but yada, yada. The returned manuscript’s sidebar is peppered with comment boxes, and that paper is baptized in red ink. It’s the first time you realize your story isn’t perfect; in fact, its flaws are now evident as a rather large pimple, and you enter a season of winter. It’s a time of reworking, rewriting, rethinking everything. An icy chill grips your heart. Doubts assail. Do I have any talents at all? Do I have what it takes to be an author? You pray, seek out a friend's encouragement, and cry for awhile. But at the end of the day, you smooth out the wrinkles in your shirt and your story.

A few of you may be in the glorious harvest of fall. After much perseverance, hard work, and support from others, you’ve made the revisions. Your story now sparkles—it’s ripe for the plucking. An agent notices your work and then a publisher. You now hold a contract in your hand, or your book is about to release. It’s a glorious time of celebration.

Yet, I imagine, that even after obtaining an agent, or receiving a contract, you may still experience all the novel writing seasons anew. You may once again taste the newness of spring, the heat of summer, the chill of winter, and the joy of fall. And I’m certain I will too.

For now, I press on in this season of spring.

What season of writing are you experiencing? What season is it in your corner of the world?

Melanie N. Brasher is a full time mama of two boys and wife to an incredible husband who understands her bicultural background. She moonlights as a fiction and freelance writer, crafting stories and articles toward justice and change. She's a member of American Christian Fiction writers and a contributing blogger for Ungrind. Though she's an aspiring author, she'll never quit her day job.

Video Interview with Kathi Macias & Giveaway

Last month, I was able to chat all the way to California from Mozambique via Skype with ICFW own award-winning author Kathi Macias about her latest release, Special Delivery. This is the second book in her Freedom Series that deals with human trafficking.

Posted below is part two of my interview with Kathi. If you'd like to watch part one, you can visit my blog. You can also learn more about Kathi, her books, and how to help put an end to human trafficking on her website.



GIVEAWAY:

Kathi is generously offering a giveaway of Special Delivery on both blogs. So for this second interview, please leave a comment along with any questions you might have for Kathi. And don't forget to include your email address! Giveaway closes next Monday night at midnight PST.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Lisa

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LISA HARRIS is a Christy Award nominated author who has over twenty novels and novella collections in print. She and her husband, Scott, along with their three children, live near the Indian Ocean in Mozambique as missionaries. As a homeschooling mom, life can get hectic, but she sees her writing as an extension of her ministry which also includes running a non-profit organization The ECHO Project. To find out more about her books you can visit her website.
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

Book Review: Diamonds in the Dust by Shirley Mowat Tucker

by Narelle Atkins

Diamonds in the Dust (Athanatos Publishing Group, 2011) is Shirley Mowat Tucker’s powerful and extraordinary novel set in modern day South Africa.

Widowed and childless, Ida Morgan lives in her secure and comfortable home and struggles to rebuild her life after her husband’s brutal murder a few years earlier. She rescues a young girl from a plastic garbage bin floating in a swollen river and begins a life changing adventure that will challenge her attitude and beliefs concerning the plight of orphaned children.

A fast paced story ensues with a cast of characters who pulled at my heart strings and drew me into their incredible story of survival and hope against unspeakable evil and danger. The social fabric of South African society is exposed and the characters are inspired to leave their comfort zone and take action to right some of the wrongs in their community.

Diamonds in the Dust is a beautifully plotted page turner that I couldn’t put down and read within twenty-four hours. A captivating and honest story of forgiveness and redemption, I recommend this book to those looking for a compelling and thought provoking story that tackles tough social issues.

To learn more about Shirley and her publishing journey, please check out the following posts from October and December 2011 by Ruth Ann Dell:

Guest Blog by the Publisher of Shirley Tucker's "Diamonds in the Dust"

Interview with Shirley Tucker and Giveaway

To learn more about Diamonds in the Dust, please visit Shirley Tucker's website http://www.DiamondsInTheDust.net

Narelle Atkins writes contemporary inspirational romance. She resides in Canberra, Australia with her husband and children. She can also be found at the Christian Writers Downunder blog. To learn more about Narelle, please visit her website.

SUNDAY EDITION

Coming Up This Week

Monday

Narelle Atkins: Book Review - Diamonds in the Dust by Shirley Mowat Tucker

Tuesday

Lisa Harris: Video Interview with Kathi Macias and Giveaway

Wednesday

Melanie N. Brasher

Thursday

Grace Bridges: The Hole in my Network

Friday Devotion

Kathi Macias: Which Jesus?

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Contest Giveaway Winners

Linda and Jo are the winners of Tricia Goyer's book, Remembering You (Ruth Ann's post, March 6)

Congratulations to all our winners!

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Contest News

Christine Lindsay's book, Shadowed in Silk, is a finalist in the Adventure/Epic category of 2011 Grace Awards - congratulations Christine!

Catherine West's book, Yesterday's Tomorrow, is a finalist in the Adventure/Epic category of 2011 Grace Awards - congratulations Cathy!

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New Book Releases

Sandra Orchard's romantic suspense set in Canada, Shades of Truth, is a March 2012 release from Love Inspired Suspense.

Jennifer Rogers Spinola's women's fiction book, Like Sweet Potato Pie, Book Two in the Southern Fried Sushi series, is a March 2012 release from Barbour.

Kathi Macias' book set in San Diego, CA and the Golden Triangle area of Thailand, Special Delivery, Book Two in her Freedom series involving human trafficking, is a March 2012 release from New Hope Publishers.

The first two chapters can be downloaded for FREE at the following link: http://www.newhopedigital.com/index.php/2012/03/download-2-chapters-of-special-delivery-human-trafficking-novel/

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Upcoming Book Releases

Valerie Comer's debut novella, Topaz Treasure, which is part of the Rainbow's End collection, will be a May 2012 release from Barbour.

Kathi Macias' book set in San Diego and Mexico, The Deliverer, Book Three in her Freedom series involving human trafficking, will be a Fall 2012 release from New Hope Publishers.

Sandra Orchard's romantic suspense set in Canada, Critical Condition, will be an October 2012 release from Love Inspired Suspense.

Jennifer Rogers Spinola's women's fiction book, 'Till Grits Do Us Part, Book Three in the Southern Fried Sushi series, will be a November 2012 release from Barbour.

To find more International Christian Fiction books, please visit our Recent Releases page, Backlist Titles page and our International Christian Fiction wiki.

DEVOTION: Out of Sight by Shirley Corder

Nothing can be hidden from him to whom we must explain all that we have done. Hebrew 4:13 TLB


Sacha, my two-year-old grand-daughter, and her baby brother, Llewellyn, lived with their parents in Lesotho, a small African country located inside South Africa. One day their parents went to South Africa on a shopping expedition, and I had the children to myself for the day.

I put the baby down for a nap and sat Sacha on a pile of cushions on a chair at the dining-room table. I took out my collection of rubber stamps and ink pads and gave her some scrap paper and a few small stamps. Soon we were happily creating colorful designs.

Some time later, the baby started to cry. I moved everything out of Sacha's reach, leaving her with one stamp and one ink pad. I gave her a clean piece of paper.

“Make something special for Mommy and Daddy," I said. "Don't move until I get back, okay?'

Her red curls bounced as she nodded. Her forehead puckered and her tongue peeked out from between her lips as she concentrated on inking the stamp.

I changed the baby quickly and hurried back to the table with him in my arms. Sacha, her cheeks flushed, was scrambling back onto her chair.

"Sacha, what did you do?" I asked.

"Nuffing," she assured me. Then to be sure I understood, she added, "I didn't stamp under the table!"

I put the baby down and dropped to my knees. Sure enough, the underside of the table was brightly decorated with small red hearts.

Sacha watched me anxiously for a moment then said, "I did make something special for Mommy and Daddy."

I gathered her in my arms and explained it would have been much better if she'd done it on the paper. At the same time, I gave grateful thanks that she had done it under the table and not on the polished surface.

My little granddaughter didn't mean to confess, but had she not told me, she would probably have felt guilty because she knew the hearts were there, even if I didn't. Isn't that true of us? We think we can hide the things we've done that we shouldn't have, but we know they're there. And of course so does God. Sometimes it is good to tell others of the times when we've done something impulsive, something wrong.

As writers, there is often healing for others when we're able to say, "I did this, and it was wrong." Not only is confession good for us, but sometimes--and perhaps only sometimes--it can be encouraging for others.

SHIRLEY CORDER lives in South Africa with her husband, a hyperactive budgie called Sparky, and an ever expanding family of tropical fish. She is contributing author to nine books to date and hundreds of her inspirational and life-enrichment articles have been published internationally. Her book, Strength Renewed: Meditations for your Journey through Breast Cancer is due for release in the USA later this year. You can contact Shirley through her writing website, her Rise and Soar cancer site, or follow her on Twitter.

A helping hand

A few days ago, I received a brief email from a young friend who has written a book based on her experiences working with the Kurds in northern Iraq. It is the story of a brave Kurdish widow who survived Saddam Hussein’s terrible attacks and went on to forge a life for herself and her children.

Now this is her first book, so she turned to me for some advice. I was happy to help and in the end, edited it for her as well. This was a difficult journey, as our writing styles are almost opposite in many ways. In particular, she writes clearly and sparsely, using many short, simple sentences. I, on the other hand, often write long, convoluted ones that are probably quite daunting for some readers! So I tried to preserve her own writing style, but still help her towards preparing her book as best she could before submitting it for publication.

I suggested to her that she submit it first of all via the special ‘Manuscript Mondays’ and ‘Friday Pitches’ run by two large publishing houses here in Australia. But in her email, she told me a little sadly that her book had been unsuccessful in these.

‘So ... what’s the next step?’ she asked me bluntly in her email.

At first, I heaved a big sigh. I was busy editing my own first non-fiction work. I was tired. And I had other things to do. Perhaps I could get away with simply sending her some notes from a workshop I had presented on ‘Getting Published’ and leave it at that. But then I began to feel a little guilty. Some things in these notes would not apply in her case, I knew. She really needed a personal response from me, tailor-made to her situation. But was I prepared to put the time aside to do this?

Then as I sat trying to allow the more gracious side of me to come to the fore, I remembered clearly how I had felt when I was in the same place as my friend now is. I was so new to everything. I read books on publishing and on writing book proposals. I checked out articles on the net. I joined the New South Wales Writers’ Centre and attended various seminars there. I even joined American Christian Fiction Writers! I bought a copy of ‘The Australian Writers’ Marketplace’ and painstakingly went through every publisher listed to see if they would accept unsolicited and ‘unagented’ manuscripts from a first-time author. I engaged the services of a manuscript assessor—and so on and so on. And I remembered the feeling I had had when I had done all this and finally was offered a publishing contract. I decided I did not want another Australian Christian author to waste time unnecessarily as I had often done in seeking out all this information about publishing when I could easily pass my discoveries onto him or her.

I was duly chastened—and I suspect God had a hand in that. Over the next hour or so, I responded to her email, suggesting various steps she might take. And I sought to encourage her yet again not to give up. I believe she has written an important and moving story that deserves to be told and I hope and pray a publisher somewhere soon thinks likewise.

And today I will send her another email, because this morning I read the following in Isaiah 50:7-8:

Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame. He who vindicates me is near. ...

How privileged we are to have the Almighty, Sovereign Lord on our side, fighting our battles and reaching out to help us! Surely then, as God’s child and in the light of the amazing grace I have received, I can help out another author without grumbling?

I hope I have learnt my lesson well.  

Jo-Anne Berthelsen grew up in Brisbane and holds an Arts degree from Queensland University. She has also studied Education and Theology and has worked as a high school teacher and editor, as well as in local church ministry in Sydney. Jo-Anne loves communicating through both the written and spoken word and currently has four published novels – ‘Heléna’, ‘All the Days of My Life’, ‘Laura’, ‘Jenna’ and ‘Heléna’s Legacy’.  She is married to a retired minister and has three grown-up children and three grandchildren. For more information or to contact Jo-Anne, please visit her website, www.jo-anneberthelsen.com.

The Need for Many Stories

I plan to attend Calvin College's Festival of Faith and Writing in Grand Rapids, Michigan, next month. If you are one of our international readers, you probably can't be there. But if you are in the US, especially the Midwest, you should put it on your calendar for 2014 even if you can't make 2012. I recently blogged about how much I love this bi-annual gathering of writers, librarians, English teachers and enthusiastic readers.

Calvin College is a Christian Reformed school, but the Festival is not limited to evangelical participants. It welcomes anyone whose writing stimulates discussion about faith. The closing speaker this year will be Chimamanda Adichie, a Nigerian novelist and short story writer I first ran across in 2009 when a friend sent me a link to this video on YouTube.

Adichie, the daughter of Nigerian university professors, talks about "The Danger of a Single Story." She shares how as a child she read English books. Consequently the stories she wrote were about blue-eyed white children eating apples and playing in the snow. I have long been passionate about African children having stories about children just like themselves. That is one reason we at ICFW promote books with settings outside the US. Aussies have a right to read stories with bilbies in them instead of rabbits.

But Adichie brings out a different reason for these stories. It is not just the "natives" who need them. Those of us who read stories also need to hear more than one, or our perception of reality is distorted.

I recently gave a chapter to my American critique group that included a scene in a hospital in a South African township. "You haven't shown us how grungy the place is," someone commented. "Isn't the character's daughter concerned about the level of care?"

Now, when I lived in Mozambique during their civil war in the 1980s, the hospital didn't have aspirin. When we visited a sick seminary student, the sheets, although freshly washed, were ragged and blood-stained. It was winter, but several glass panes were missing from the window, and a cold wind blew through the ward. Believe me, I was very concerned about the level of care!

That was reality.

But it is NOT the reality of Tembisa Hosptial outside Johannesburg. After all, the first successful heart transplant was done in South Africa, not Minnesota. Tembisa Hospital may not have as many private rooms or all the sophisticated equipment of the ICU where my husband recovered from his heart attack last summer, but the wards are clean and neat and well-supplied. The nursing sisters are well-trained and competent.

Why did my reader assume that since the hospital is in a township, it must be grungy and inferior?

He didn't have enough stories. His perception of Africa is based on Somali refugee camps and the crimes of Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army--a single story of poverty and violence. Those stories are true, but they aren't the whole story of Africa.

(Note to self: include references to slick clean surfaces, antiseptic smells, and efficient nursing sisters in the hospital scene.)

No one story encompasses all of reality even in a limited place and time. For that reason we need LOTS of stories--lots of books set in Nigeria, Mozambique, South Africa; India, China, Vietnam. The people who live in those countries need stories with which they identify, but perhaps even more, we Americans need stories that tell us multiple truths about the world beyond our borders.

After 9/11 we wondered, why do they hate us? If we had read more stories of their world, we would better understand their helplessness before the weight of our giant economy, their resentment of our support for perceived injustice that passes from generation to generation.

Stories. So many stories we have never heard and therefore we cannot begin to understand. And if we don't understand, how can we expect them to understand when we speak of One who left his heavenly reality to walk among us, participate in our stories and transform our tragic endings into joy?

I read Chimamanda Adichie's novel Purple Hibiscus when I first heard her in 2009. Now I have ordered her book of short stories. I want to soak up everything she has to tell me before I hear her speak at Calvin. I want my heart to be open to listen to what this articulate African woman has to tell me about her story and to be stretched to take in many other stories so that I can better see the world through God's eyes and touch it for his kingdom.

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LeAnne Hardy has lived in six countries on four continents. Her books for children and young adults come out of her cross-cultural experiences and her passion to use story to convey spiritual truths in a form that will permeate lives. Find out more on her website.