Got Hope?

I have a friend whose parent is going through some memory issues. I've actually known several folks who have dealt with their aging parents recently. Such an emotional and traumatic time.

My friend mentioned that her father had always said, "Life's hard, and then you die." He would laugh about it, make a joke. But as he's aged, she sees the bitterness he's always held.

That statement, made in jest, was his true outlook on life, and now that his filters are failing, his lifelong despair shows.

She has recently changed the statement: "Life is good, and then you get to go see Jesus!"

I guess it has more to do with what's on the inside than the circumstances of life. My friend's father worked hard, but played hard, laughed harder, and has an extensive legacy of children, grandchildren, and friends who love him dearly.

My friend's life is similar, with both blessings and difficulties. But while her father called life hard, she calls it good.

It's all in how you look at it. How you daily see life. If you focus in on all the bad, then life is going to be hard. If you search for the blessings, you'll find them.

Our God is in the details of life. He's there, crafting the circumstances to help you see Him and know that He is near. He's close during the storms, wanting to hold you through your fear and distress. He's also nearby during the celebrations, hoping you'll delight in His blessings and witness that they are from Him.

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13

About the Author

Marji Laine is the executive editor and director of Write Integrity Press. She also writes romantic suspense, mystery, and romance novels. Her stories are full of broken characters carried through extreme circumstances by their growing faith in the Lord. Full of hope and sincerity, Marji writes to encourage believers to remain strong in their daily faith to prepare for difficult times.

In her spare time, she directs a children's choir, sings alto in her church choir, and works with high school students on Sunday mornings. She also leads a high school/college Bible study and enjoys family game-night and watching Hallmark movies.

Our 2014 Word of the Year

Confession time. I didn't want a 2014 word. In 2011, I prayed for a word for the upcoming year, and the Lord gave me HOPE as our word. By mid-January, our family was hit with something so hard, so severe that it became a two-year ordeal, finally ending one week ago today. The journey was painful and unpleasant, and one I still have difficulty sharing, because it's not my story to tell. But through it all God reminded us not to give up HOPE. And during the past two years, I've developed a new set of eyes to see more clearly people who are suffering, and a new heart to understand and empathize with certain kinds of pain people live through on a daily basis. As much as we feel life needs to pause for a moment - to allow us to catch our breath - it doesn't. Life goes on, and so must we.

Our authors went through their own trials too, and the publishing companies began to grow.

At the end of 2012, I was eager to see the year go, so I eagerly prayed for a new word. This time the word was JOY. Again, by mid-January, we were being hit with other problems - some business, some personal, some health. And we're still dealing with them 11 months later. I shared some of the health problems I dealt with earlier this year - and although I had hoped the problems were gone when I wrote that post, they quickly returned.

But this year, we did have many moments of pure JOY and we learned, as James advised us, to count it ALL joy, through all the trials and tribulations. Definitely an easier task said than done, but we worked at it, and were reminded regularly that we needed to keep at it.

Our authors went through more trials of their own, and the publishing companies began to grow - and experience some difficult growing pains of their own.

So when December 1 rolled around this year, I began dreading the 2014 word. I even told a dear friend that I was AFRAID to pray for a new word because life seemed easier without one. (Yes, I'm a chicken.)

Yet God didn't let me off that easily. During the middle of the night - the same night I'd just told my friend I didn't want to pray for a word - God gave me the word. Not trusting myself - wondering if I'd forced the issue - I spent most of the next day praying, asking God to either delete that word or to confirm it as our word for 2014.

Confirm it He did. In the following 48 hours, that word came at me from every direction, from almost every possible source imaginable. So much of it in fact, I quit doubting, and began exploring. This word is used hundreds of times in the Bible. Biblegateway tells us it is used 309 times in the KJV, 346 times in the RSV, 263 times in the NIV, 275 times in the HCSB, and 277 times in the ESV.

But He quickly gave me the Scripture we're to focus on this year, and then confirmed it through a very unlikely source. Only God. Interestingly, the verse is almost identical in every single translation. That's rare.

As much as I dreaded the word, and as much as I know how positive and hopeful and joyous the other words were, and I'm still reeling, healing, and recovering from the years of those words, I'm once again excited about what the new year holds in store for all of us. I see the 2014 word almost as a challenge - something to DO, a proactive word, rather than an emotion or feeling. During this year, we'll seek manuscripts with this word/concept as the focus.

Last week, another friend shared a banner from Logos Bible Software on her FB page - and it had OUR verse on it. So I'm going to post it here to reveal our 2014 word. Thank you, Logos.

As dark as this world seems to be getting, in HIM there is NO DARKNESS at all. None. It is time to let our lights shine before men, shine into the darkness of this world as we abide in HIM. 

To God be the Glory!

Let's Play Bingo!

I decided to do a separate post for the Bingo Game, so all of the information and links wouldn't get lost. Each week, I'll add the new bingo cards to THIS post, and then bump it to the top on Wednesdays.

Here's how we play.

Each week, I'll post two Bingo cards - HOPE and JOY.

The HOPE card represents answers from WIP authors, the JOY card represents answers from PNP authors - and yes, some authors are on both cards!

First, download the cards (click HOPE and JOY for each card), then read that week's blog posts to find the clues. Under the clue, type (or write, if you can scan the document to email it) the AUTHOR'S NAME associated with that clue.

To show an example, I'll post a picture here.

You would read that weeks' posts and discover that CHAMPS ELYSEE was mentioned in J.A. Marx's answer on Tuesday's post, so you'd type/write J.A. MARX in that box.

I'm going to give another example and a hint for this week. On both cards this week, you'll find 40th Anniversary. We have TWO authors who mentioned favorite vacations then - one author, Marie Wells Coutu, writes for WIP and the other, Peggy Cunningham, writes for both PNP and WIP, so you'd put Marie's name on HOPE's card, and Peggy's name on JOY's card.

We'll make it easy for you - you can get ONE bingo - vertical, horizontal, or diagonal OR you can fill the whole card. If you fill the whole card, we'll put it in the bucket twice to give you an extra entry.

When you've filled out the card, e-mail it to me at magnificenthope [at] yahoo [dot] com with BINGO CARD - WEEK [#] in the subject line (replace the brackets and hash tag with the week number, please.) Deadline to submit cards is Wednesday of the following week, all during the contest. (Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. Eastern time - so deadline to submit cards for Week 1 is 6/12, Week 2 is 6/19, etc.) The cards have to be submitted weekly by deadline to qualify for weekly and grand prizes.

Starting on Friday of the 2nd week, we'll announce weekly winners from the previous week's entries. We'll draw winners from correct entries and give away some digital books. But that's not all.

At the end of the summer, all bingo cards submitted with correct answers, are eligible to win a unique grand prize - we'll use the winner's name (first and/or last, winner's choice) in one of our upcoming books!! (And no worries - we won't use your name in a negative way!) If you have a preference on genre and/or author, include that preference in the email, along with your contact information. We can't guaranteed that you'll get exactly what you want, but we'll do our best to make it happen.

Weekly winners announced on Fridays, beginning next week. Grand Prize winner announced the first week of September.



Read More:

Beach Party Bingo
Authors' Favorite Vacations - Part 1
Authors' Favorite Vacations - Part 2
Let's Play Bingo!
Authors' Favorite Vacations - Part 3

What's So Important About Hope?

Hope.

Hope!

Hope?

Since we started the Hope Tour, several folks have asked why I’m so focused on Hope. I’ve struggled with the right words to explain, but – at the halfway point in our tour – I realize I must try.

As a publisher, it’s my job to produce books. But I don’t want to just publish any book. I feel called to do more. So much more. This year, and for as many years as the Lord calls me to do it, my task is to solicit and produce books that offer hope.

Here are just a few of my reasons:

• The 20-something single mom grieving over the loss of her father and now summoning the courage to fight cancer for all she’s worth.
• The homeless man beat up by teen punks in my own neighborhood – and the other one spit upon by other teen punks in another town.
• The middle-aged divorced woman with thoughts of suicide.
• The elderly woman, once an independent career woman, now forced to depend on her relatives for daily survival and care.
• The retired couple forced to sell their only vehicle to keep a roof over their heads.
• A young man fighting for a better life for himself and his family, against enormous odds.
• A business executive faced with downsizing his company.
• A weary mom with bruised knees and wounded heart caused by years of dealing with wayward children.
• Widows and widowers who feel they are – or who really are – all alone in this world.
• Families dealing with mental illness, alcoholism, drug addiction. 
• An AIDS patient.
• Teenagers coping with dysfunctional families, gender crises, date rape, bullying, peer pressure, hormones, and more.
• Families who lose their babies due to birth defects, disease, SIDS, or crime.
• A man on death row. Guilty on all counts.
• The woman in line at the food bank – not wanting to be there, but with an empty fridge and even emptier pantry – she has no choice.
• A 30-something who is disillusioned by the religion of his parents, who hasn’t yet determined his own religion. He’s being swept off his feet by all the exciting New Age junk filling bookshelves by the millions.
• Fire victims who lost all their possessions and the roof over their heads.
• Storm victims forced to rebuild their homes, their lives.
• Children who go to bed hungry.
• Families on the verge of bankruptcy and those already in the midst of it, who have no clue what tomorrow brings.

As you’ve probably already guessed, the list is endless. Does your heart break for friends and family who are suffering? Mine does. So much so that almost daily, I retreat for awhile to cry out to Almighty God, asking prayer for so many. At times, I wake in the middle of the night, my heart burdened by the needs I discovered during the day.

I can’t solve the world’s problems. I can’t even solve my own family’s problems. Thankfully, I know Who can, but not everyone knows – and that’s where our books come in.

Solomon wrote,

“Pleasant words are a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones” (Proverbs 16:24 NASB).

Think on that. Our words can be sweet to the soul. And healing to the bones. In a dry, parched world, our words can bring comfort and relief.

Solomon also said,

“The right word at the right time

   is like a custom-made piece of jewelry ...” 

(Proverbs 25:11 The Message)

The right word at the right time. I've experienced God's hand many times when He placed the right word at just the right time into my own path. He can and will do the same with YOUR words for someone too. 

Our books NEED to give HOPE. The words YOU write may be the very words – perhaps the ONLY words – that a particular person may read that could change his or her life – or even impact the lives of children or grandchildren – forever. Your book could introduce someone to Jesus, or detail a situation for someone who faces the same circumstances – and until she read your book, she thought she was all alone.

Your words MATTER. Your words can give MAGNIFICENT, LIFE-GIVING, BONE-HEALING, SOUL-SOOTHING HOPE to a hopeless world. And I want to help make that happen.

The finalists are already hard at work on their manuscripts for the Books of Hope Contest. But we have two other contests still open. Have you submitted your entry for our “One Hope” contest? Or your Christmas-themed manuscript for our “Christmas Hope” contest? 

What are you waiting for? Someone needs to hear YOUR message of HOPE.

For anyone who's just joining us, follow along with the Hope Tour! We have a contest for readers, too - you could win a Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet, a $100 gift card, and a whole bunch of books!

Read more about Magnificent Hope's Journey:

• Week 7: Where in the World is Magnificent Hope? CONTEST
• Magnificent Hope Visits Kentucky Conference
• Week 6: Where in the World is Magnificent Hope? CONTEST
• Sheryl Holmes Shares Her Story with Magnificent Hope's Assistance
• Book Signings Aren't Just for Selling Books
• Books of Hope Contest Finalists Announced
• Tips to Help You Win Writing Contests
• Christmas Book Writing Contest
• Two New Writing Contests Announced
• Future Writers: Passing the Mantel
• Week 5: Where in the World is Magnificent Hope? CONTEST
• Dreams Can Come True by Ruth O'Neil
• Week 4: Where in the World is Magnificent Hope? CONTEST
• A Special Treat from Jennifer Fromke (and a huge hint for the Week 2 photo!)
• Week 3: Where in the World is Magnificent Hope? Pays Respect
• Magnificent Hope Encounters Dianne E. Butts at the CCWC
• Where in the World is Magnificent Hope? Contest - Week 2
• Magnificent Hope Arrives at the Colorado Christian Writers Conference with Elsi Dodge
• Magnificent Hope visits a Recording Studio with Zillah Williams
• Where in the World is Magnificent Hope? Contest - Week 1
• Books of Hope Manuscript Contest Announced
• Rides motorcycles with Dianne E. Butts

• The Shrimp Festival with Annie Keys

• The Power of a Book at the Healing Hands Youth Ranch with Tim and Tracy Ruckman