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Choosing to Cheat

Hubby went to a youth pastors' conference and came home with a book called CHOOSING TO CHEAT. 

Of all the books that could have been given to the youth pastors, this was the one they all received. Fitting book. What pastor and minister--male and female--doesn't need to read subtitled Who Wins When Work and Family Collide? 

Hubby was once interviewing at a church and was asked how he balances work and family. He said he is at home a minimum of four out of the seven nights. The youth-pastor-search-committee and the senior staff were shocked. That meant he only worked Sunday night, Wednesday, and an occasional Friday (or Saturday) when he went to youth school events.

The pastor explained how hubby needed to learn to combine work and family time so he could accomplish more of the ministry to which God had called him. For example, the pastor explained, when he would go on hospital visits, he would take his daughters with him that way he could "spend time" with his daughters AND visit someone in need. 

• How do you think that pastor's daughters felt about those visits? 
• Did they view them as 'quality time' with Dad?
• Dad giving us token time so that he feels like he is doing his best to be a doting father? (appeasing his conscience)

I don't want my kids to feel like they are second to my job."

In CHOOSING TO CHEAT, Andy Stanley writes:

For almost everyone, the word cheating has negative connotations, especially if you've ever been cheated. Students cheat in school. Adults cheat on their income taxes. Husbands cheat on their wives. Most of us have cheated in a card came or two.... When we cheat, we choose to give up one thing in hopes of gaining something else of greater value. Typically, this involves giving up an intangible virtue for a tangible reward. Students give up their integrity for the sake of a grade.... 

So when I talk about "choosing to cheat," I am referring to the decision to give up one thing in order to gain something else. This is something we do every day. We don't thin of it as cheating. Especially when we are making what most people would consider a good trade. Saying no to dessert for the sake of one's waistline would hardly be considered cheating. But isn't it true that when you say no to dessert, you have cheated your appetite? Both your appetite and your self-control cry out for your attention. To say yes to one is to say no to the other. Either your appetite or your self-control is going to be cheated out of what it demands. You can't have it both ways.

In light of this broader application of the term cheating, you are a cheater. Daily you make decisions to give up one thing in order to gain something else. This is especially true within the arena of your schedule. You face a variety of responsibilities and opportunities: work... family... hobbies... clubs... leagues... the list is endless. Each competes for your attention. Each competes for your most valuable resource, your time.

But to give each of these the time it demands or deserves would require more time than you have. So you cheat. You give up certain opportunities for the sake of others. You invest in some relationships, while neglecting others. You allocate your time the best that you can, knowing all the while that somebody is going to feel cheated.

Before I had finished reading the book's introduction, I understood why Thomas Nelson Publishers donated enough copies for every youth pastor and worker at the conference to get one.

I'm a cheater.

You're a cheater.

We know cheaters.

Cheat wisely.

Looking for a great Father's Day, Boss's Day, Clergy Appreciation Day gift?

CHOOSING TO CHEAT

by Andy Stanley

Thomas Nelson Publishers

ISBN 0785265244

re-released by Multnomah as WHEN WORK AND FAMILY COLLIDE

AMAZON ($39.29-$1.76)

BARNES&NOBLE ($39.99-$1.99)

CBD ($9.99)

EXCERPT

PODCAST / North Point Ministries / Andy Stanley - Choosing to Cheat 

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The Dreaded Rejection Letter

I was cleaning out my writing files and came across this link.

http://pubrants.blogspot.com/2006/02/whats-in-no-nothing.html

Too many unpublished authors give too much weight to a rejection letter. Sometimes a no is just a no. Or it's a not-right-for-me. Or it's a your-writing-needs-to-improve.

But no matter what the no means, why should we let it demoralize us? None of us deserve to be published. Good writing, perseverance, and a little luck usually pave the yellow brick road to OZ.

2014 Selah Award Winners (and Finalists)

BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS CHRISTIAN WRITERS CONFERENCE 2014

Ridgecrest, NC—

Alton Gansky, Director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, and Eva Marie Everson, BRMCWC Contest Director, announce the finalists in the 2014 Selah Awards, awarded to published authors each year during the “Blue Ridge” conference.

The Selah Awards are open industry wide and internationally to authors published by traditional and nontraditional publishing houses during the previous year. The awards were given during the awards banquet held on Wednesday evening, May 21, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The 2014 Book of the Year award is chosen by the contest director from the top scores/first place recipients.

This year, finalists were named in thirteen categories. They are (in alphabetical order according to the author’s last name, winners are noted in bold):

Children (Tie for Third)

Michelle Medlock Adams—God Knows You (Candy Cane Press)

Burton W. Cole—Bash and the Pirate Pig (B&H Kids)

Hannah C. Hall—God Bless You and Goodnight (Thomas Nelson)

Jill Roman Lord—If Jesus Came to Visit Me (Candy Cane Press)

Inspiration and Gift

Debora M. Coty—Fear, Faith, and a Fistful of Chocolate (Barbour Publishing)

Cynthia Howerter & La-Tan Roland Murphy—God’s Provision in Tough Times (Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas)

Rose Chandler Johnson—God, Me, and Sweet Iced Tea (Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas)

Christian Life

Jo Ann Fore—When A Woman Finds Her Voice (Leafwood Publishers)

Cynthia Ruchti—Ragged Hope (Abingdon Press)

Linda Evans Shepherd—Experiencing God’s Presence (Revell)

Bible Study

Nick Hawkes—The Bible on the Key Issues of Life (Wombat Books)

Beebe Kauffman—Isaiah: Setting Things Right (Lighthouse Bible Studies)

Erica Wiggenhorn—Moses: Every Life Proof of God’s Promises (Crossbooks)

Young Adult Nonfiction

Bethany Jett—The Cinderella Rule (Regal)

Kelly McIntosh (Gen. Ed)—God Hearts Me; Daily Devotions for a Girl’s Heart (Barbour Publishing)

Cyle Young—Belly Buttons & Broken Hearts (Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas)

Young Adult Fiction

Elaine Marie Cooper—Fields of the Fatherless (Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas)

Tessa Emily Hall—Purple Moon (Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas)

Eddie Jones—Dead Low Tide (Zonderkidz)

First Novel (Tie for Third)

Dianna T. Benson—The Hidden Son (Ellechor Publishing House)

Carole Brown—The Redemption of Caralynne Hayman (Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas)

Aaron D. Gansky—The Bargain (Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas)

Tessa Emily Hall—Purple Moon (Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas)

Fiction: Novella

Paula Mowery—Be the Blessing (Pelican Book Group)

Linda Wood Rondeau—A Christmas Prayer (Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas)

Gina Welborn—Mercy Mild (Barbour Publishing)

Fiction: Speculative

Ian Acheson—Angelguard (Lion Hudson)

Lisa Belcastro—Shenandoah Crossings (OakTara)

Lisa Belcastro—Shenandoah Nights (OakTara)

Fiction: Suspense

Richard L. Mabry, M.D.—Stress Test (Thomas Nelson)

Linnette R. Mullin—Finding Beth (CrossRiver Media Group)

Jordyn Redwood—Poison (Kregel)

Fiction: Historical

Vikki Kestell—Joy on This Mountain (Faith-Filled Fiction)

Ann Tatlock—Sweet Mercy (Bethany House Publishers)

Liz Tolsma—Snow on the Tulips (Thomas Nelson)

Fiction: Romance

Rachel Hauck—Once Upon a Prince (Zondervan)

Maureen Lang—All in Good Time (Tyndale Publishers)

Davalynn Spencer—The Rancher’s Second Chance (Love Inspired / Heartsong Presents)

Fiction: Contemporary Women

Normandie Fischer—Sailing Out of Darkness (WhiteFire Publishing)

Anita Higman—Winter in Full Bloom (Moody Publishers)

Cynthia Ruchti—When the Morning Glory Blooms (Abingdon Press)

The 2014 Selah Book of the Year was awarded to Michelle Medlock Adams for God Knows You (Candy Cane Press).

Thanks to the generous support of Crossbooks and LifeWay/Ridgecrest, the banquet was telecast live over the internet.

Dr. Seuss Quote

"Be who you are and say what you feel, 

the people who mind don't matter 

and the people who matter don't mind." 

~Dr. Seuss

Why Should I Go to the Doctor?

I hate being sick.

On one particular puny occasion, I woke up with a tingle in my throat and a runny nose, and by the end of the day, my head felt like it was stuck in the my washing machine’s spin cycle. Every body part minus my toes ached. When I realized I was too blah to even stop the kids from smacking each other around, I knew my optimism for healing was misplaced optimism. Off to the doctor I flew. I had an upper respiratory tract infection, URTI for short. That was me, Gina, the hurtie with the URTI. 

Why do we wait until we're miserable before we go to the doctor? Because we think we can solve our sickness on our own.

Every person goes through trials and tribulations. The easy solution is to take Job’s wife’s advice and “curse God and die.” Weakness isn’t admitting you need help. Weakness is suffering when someone or something is available to help you if you’d just ask.

Do you struggle with balancing family and/or job responsibilities with your desired time to _____? Do you batter envy and frustration over other people’s successes? Do you feel like you’re the only person in the world without _______?

Strength isn’t suffering through what you’re experiencing.

Strength is admitting your burdens, struggles, and failure and accepting the available help.

Now Jesus returns to prayer, an important and sometimes difficult topic. Here He gives the very essence of prayer. 

Just ask and it will be given to you; seek after it and you will find. 

Continue to knock and the door will be opened for you. 

All who ask receive. Those who seek, find what they seek. 

And he who knocks, will have the door opened. 

~Matthew 7:7-12a

Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference Selah Award Finalists

BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS CHRISTIAN WRITERS CONFERENCE 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Eva Marie Everson, Contest Director

E:mail: blueridgecwc@aol.com

May 7, 2014

Ridgecrest, NC—Alton Gansky, Director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, and Eva Marie Everson, BRMCWC Contest Director, announce the finalists in the 2014 Selah Awards, awarded to published authors each year during the “Blue Ridge” conference.

The Selah Awards are open industry wide and internationally to authors published by traditional and nontraditional publishing houses during the previous year. The awards will be given during the awards banquet held on Wednesday evening, May 21, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The 2014 Book of the Year award is chosen by the contest director from the top scores/first place recipients.

This year, finalists have been named in thirteen categories. They are (in alphabetical order according to the author’s last name):

Children (Tie for Third)

Michelle Medlock Adams—God Knows You (Candy Cane Press)

Burton W. Cole—Bash and the Pirate Pig (B&H Kids)

Hannah C. Hall—God Bless You and Goodnight (Thomas Nelson)

Jill Roman Lord—If Jesus Came to Visit Me (Candy Cane Press)

Inspiration and Gift

Debora M. Coty—Fear, Faith, and a Fistful of Chocolates (Barbour Publishing)

Cynthia Howerter & La-Tan Roland Murphy—God’s Provision in Tough Times (Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas)

Rose Chandler Johnson—God, Me, and Sweet Iced Tea (Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas)

Christian Life

Jo Ann Fore—When A Woman Finds Her Voice (Leafwood Publishers)

Cynthia Ruchti—Ragged Hope (Abingdon Press)

Linda Evans Shepherd—Finding God’s Presence (Revell)

Bible Study

Nick Hawkes—The Bible on the Key Issues of Life (Wombat Books)

Beebe Kauffman—Isaiah: Setting Things Right (Lighthouse Bible Studies)

Erica Wiggenhorn—Moses: Every Life Proof of God’s Promises (Crossbooks)

Young Adult Nonfiction

Bethany Jett—The Cinderella Rule (Regal)

Kelly McIntosh (Gen. Ed)—God Hearts Me; Daily Devotions for a Girl’s Heart (Barbour Publishing)

Cyle Young—Belly Buttons & Broken Hearts (Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas)

Young Adult Fiction

Elaine Marie Cooper—Fields of the Fatherless (Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas)

Tessa Emily Hall—Purple Moon (Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas)

Eddie Jones—Dead Low Tide (Zonderkidz)

First Novel (Tie for Third)

Dianna T. Benson—The Hidden Son (Ellechor Publishing House)

Carole Brown—The Redemption of Caralynne Hayman (Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas)

Aaron D. Gansky—The Bargain (Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas)

Tessa Emily Hall—Purple Moon (Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas)

Fiction: Novella

Paula Mowery—Be the Blessing (Pelican Book Group)

Linda Wood Rondeau—A Christmas Prayer (Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas)

Gina Welborn—Mercy Mild (Barbour Publishing)

Fiction: Speculative

Ian Acheson—Angelguard (Lion Hudson)

Lisa Belcastro—Shenandoah Crossings (OakTara)

Lisa Belcastro—Shenandoah Nights (OakTara)

Fiction: Suspense

Richard L. Mabry, M.D.—Stress Test (Thomas Nelson)

Linnette R. Mullin—Finding Beth (CrossRiver Media Group)

Jordyn Redwood—Poison (Kregel)

Fiction: Historical

Vikki Kestell—Joy on This Mountain (Faith-Filled Fiction)

Ann Tatlock—Sweet Mercy (Bethany House Publishers)

Liz Tolsma—Snow on the Tulips (Thomas Nelson)

Fiction: Romance

Rachel Hauck—Once Upon a Prince (Zondervan)

Maureen Lang—All in Good Time (Tyndale Publishers)

Davalynn Spencer—The Rancher’s Second Chance (Love Inspired / Heartsong Presents)

Fiction: Contemporary Women

Normandie Fischer—Sailing Out of Darkness (WhiteFire Publishing)

Anita Higman—Winter in Full Bloom (Moody Publishers)

Cynthia Ruchti—When the Morning Glory Blooms (Abingdon Press)

Thanks to the generous support of Crossbooks and LifeWay/Ridgecrest, the banquet will be telecast live over the internet. To access the live stream during the awards banquet, click on: http://ridgecrestconferencecenter.org/christian-writers-live#.U2k6Y_ldUuc.

For more information, you may email Eva Marie Everson at BlueRidgeCWC(at)aol(dot)com.