Showing posts with label Hope Tour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hope Tour. Show all posts

Friday, July 27, 2012

Week 9: Where in the World is Magnificent Hope? Contest


Magnificent Hope went to worship with Dianne and Hal Butts recently, but I bet you can’t guess where. Here are some photos and hints.



We started our day with worship on the steps of a replica of the Temple in Jerusalem (which, of course, does not exist at this point in history). In this first photo you can see the singers on the steps of the Temple leading us, and boy could they sing! It was wonderful. We continued to see these same singers in live patriotic dramas and biblical reenactments throughout the day.





In this next photo, here’s me, Maggie Hope, and my husband Hal in front of, well, can you see what it is? Yeah, I mean that big boat with the giraffes in it.



Next we took a tour of the city of Jerusalem as it was in Jesus’ day or in the years following His death and resurrection. The gate in front of the Temple is the Eastern gate which is currently bricked over (in real life, that is). There is also a Muslim graveyard now in front of this gate because the Muslims know this is the gate where Jesus will enter through when He returns and the graveyard is designed to keep Him from it. Jews are not to touch a grave, so the Muslims believe this will stop the Jewish Messiah from being able to enter through the gate. If you look really closely about half way across the area to the right and towards the back of the model, you can see the three holes in a hill that look like a skull. This is “the place of the skull” many believe was Golgotha where the crucifixion took place.




Here’s me, Magnificent, and Hal in front of an exact replica of “The Jesus Boat,” a boat from the actual time Jesus walked the earth that has been excavated in Israel. I wrote an article “Finding God in the Jesus Boat” which has a lot more information and a photo of the real boat (which is in Israel. Hal, Magnificent Hope, and I are not!)



In these last two photos, Hal, Magnificent Hope, and I stand in front of the stage set of the Temple and many other biblical scenes. Suddenly Jesus graciously appeared and posed with me for a photo op! Maggie Hope disappeared and I had no idea why she didn’t get in the photo. Later we found her flat on the floor and I learned she was just so awed by Jesus’ appearance that she fainted.



Thanks, Jesus, for Your kindness and mercy on all of us, and for the truly magnificent hope we have, because of You!

Can you guess where we are?




So, readers, can you guess where Magnificent Hope is this week? 

Answer the question correctly to be entered to win a Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet.

Here's how to play:


Each week, we’ll post a photo of Magnificent Hope near a landmark. If you know “Where in the World is Magnificent Hope?” send us an e-mail with the subject line CONTEST WEEK 1, CONTEST WEEK 2, CONTEST WEEK 3, etc. The person with the MOST correct entries and bonus entries at the end of the contest will win their choice of either a Kindle Fire or a Nook Tablet, a $100 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card (depending on which reader your choose), and a copy of all our WIP and PNP books published any time during this year!

Bonus entries may be earned three ways:
  1.  By “liking” all three Facebook pages – Write Integrity, Pix-N-Pens, and Magnificent Hope – just be sure to let us know you liked us in your first contest entry, and we’ll add the bonus points.
  2. Bonus entries will also be given for anyone submitting by e-mail one or more photos taken with Magnificent Hope AND at least one of our books anywhere on her journey. One photo per location, please. (For example, if you bump into Magnificent Hope at a Jennifer Fromke event in North Carolina and take ten photos with her at that same event, only one photo will count. But if you bump into Magnificent Hope at Jennifer’s event, and then again at an event with Dianne E. Butts, you can take photos both places and get two bonus entries!) Send your photos in .jpeg format, attached to an email, and we may use them in blog posts or perhaps even a book.
  3. Telling your family and friends about Magnificent Hope, Hope Tour 2012, and our books and authors – through Facebook, Twitter, blog posts, interviews with our authors or Magnificent Hope, or other ways. One share per week gets you an extra entry, so send us your links by e-mail so we can tally your points.

(If you have trouble using the links, the e-mail address to send entries to is: magnificenthope [at] yahoo [dot] com.)

For those of you coming on board in the middle of the contest, you can go back and enter the previous weeks whenever you wish. Just find the "Where in the World is Magnificent Hope?" contest links in the list below and submit your best guess for each week. 



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Bio: Dianne E. Butts and Renee Gray-Wilburn co-authored Grandparenting through Obstacles: Overcoming Family Obstacles to Reach Your Grandchildren for Christ, releasing from Pix-N-Pens Publishing August 17, 2012. Dianne is a double-finalist in Write Integrity Press’ fiction and nonfiction “Books of Hope” contest. Her latest book, Deliver Me, is a Nonfiction Book of the Year with Christian Small Publishers Association and was a finalist for a Golden Scroll Nonfiction book of the Year from Advanced Writers and Speakers Association.


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Thursday, July 26, 2012

Celebrate Recovery Offers a Safe Place to Share Struggles


Please welcome one of Hope Tour's charter sponsors, author Naty Matos, as our guest blogger today.

Every time someone hears the words Celebrate Recovery their mind goes to the most known addictions like alcohol, drugs or sex.  Although those life issues are addressed at this program there is so much more to it. 

Many Christians struggle with different issues and fear revealing their struggles for fear of judgment. There tends to be the erroneous conception that once you have achieved salvation the fact that you struggle with habits and hang-ups is lack of prayer or faith.  Nothing can be farther from the truth. 

Celebrate Recovery was created by Pastor Rick Warren out of his own need to recover from hang-ups himself. He’s the Pastor of Saddleback Church in Orange County, CA. He struggled with the fact that secular 12 steps were resistant to the notion of Jesus as their higher power. He found that the 8 principles to live were found in the Beatitudes and that there was basis for the 12 steps of recovery in the Scriptures. He then designed the program around that. 

Celebrate Recovery provides hope to believers that there’s a safe place where they can share their struggles without judgment.  The attendees find support from fellow Christians who are further along in the process and others that are at the same level of progress. A great sense of accountability is encouraged. We all know that we act better when we are being watched, but it’s not forced, it’s actually solicited and welcomed by the participants. 

The program allows the participants to dig deep into their pasts. They are able to share hurts that have impacted most of their lives and many times address behaviors for the first time in their lives. They finally experience the freedom of not being held back from their past. They experience acceptance, live and love without condemnation, which ultimately helps them grow in their relationship with God. 

As stated at the beginning of this article, the program addresses more than the known addictions.  Issues like divorce, grief, depression, codependency, anxiety, anger, food addiction, just to name a few, are addressed through this program. It's Bible-based and I’ve had the opportunity to see it work miracles in many lives. I’ve seen marriages being restored, parents and children improving their relationships, and broken people being healed and finding true joy for the first time. 

There are thousands of chapters of Celebrate Recovery around the world and they can be found at www.celebraterecovery.com.




About the Author: Naty Matos was born in the city of New York. She grew up in the beautiful Island of Puerto Rico and now lives in the city of Atlanta.

She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Clinical Psychology with a Minor in Mass Media Communications and a Master's Degree in Mental Health Counseling.

Naty writes Christian fiction and non-fiction. She maintains a blog on Christian Living Topics at The Rising Muse. 


The Road Home

He was finally coming. He told Desiree that once her task was complete, he would be there to pick her up. And they could finally be together forever. Desiree was finally going to be with the one she loved. But what did she need to do? And how was she going to figure out what it was?

Desiree’s life has been less than perfect.  All she wanted was to find true love. To everyone on the outside she was beautiful, fun loving, and the life of the party.  On the inside Desiree is afraid.  Her fear of rejection places her in situations that will alter her life forever and possible tear her family apart. She has the love and support of a good friend, but more importantly she has her prayers. As Desiree makes changes in her own life, she slowly realizes that her dreams are within her reach.  Journey with Desiree as she reflects on her life, through both good and bad times and discover what is really preventing her from having the ultimate dream.  True love!!!



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Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Magnificent Hope Shares Hope with Homeless Shelter



Today's post comes from Magnificent Hope herself.

Last Saturday I was privileged to help make dinner for the North Strand Housing Shelter near Myrtle Beach. I joined some ladies from North Strand Community Church to make yummy lasagna. We arrived with the hot pans of pasta and lots of bread and salad. One of the ladies added a big Mississippi mud pie. After serving the residents of the shelter we joined them in enjoying the feast. Later I shared a devotional about God’s magnificent hope with them.


I’m going to admit that I was a little intimidated by the idea of hanging out with the residents. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was told they would be mostly men. I envisioned little ol’ me surrounded by big tough men, trying to think of something to say. Men need hope too, but sharing it with them is a little outside my comfort zone.

But I was wrong. The people in the shelter are just like everyone else I know; they’re just going through a hard time right now. It’s a ranch style house away from the city and has a yard for the residents to enjoy, as well as lots of space inside. The day we came the residents included women as well as men and one delightful baby. They were friendly and welcomed us into their home. But we didn’t get to meet all the residents because many of them were working or in class. The shelter offers people a place to live until they can earn enough to rent a place of their own.

The residents are in tough circumstances and need hope, but it was clear that Jesus lives in the shelter with them. During the devotional I shared some stories of hope, reading from two books: Towdah: A Cancer Survivor’s Song of Hope and Love Letters from the Heart. I closed with the scripture passage from Romans 8 about God’s amazing love. When we prayed many of them had specific requests to lay before the King.

It was truly a blessing to share with these precious people and I invite you to join me in praying for God’s provision for all their needs.



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Tuesday, July 24, 2012

What Can You Do to Offer Hope?


Please welcome today's guest blogger, Dora Hiers of the Carolina Christian Writers.

Hope …

Believing and trusting in a positive outcome. Anticipation for something great.

Hope means something different to each individual. To a football player, hope is scoring a winning touchdown. To a small child, it may mean garnering the praise of a parent. To a young mother, hope means that her child will grow healthy and strong. To a newly married couple, it may represent a long life together. To a cancer patient, hope takes wings for healing. To a person who has just lost their job, hope means finding another one before their savings runs out.

But, what about a battered woman, a victim of an endless cycle of spousal abuse? Sometimes the abuse is physical, but it could also be psychological, financial, or even sexual. What hope does she have? For her, hope seems forever lost, unattainable, always just out of reach.

Did you know:

  • Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women in the United States - greater than car accidents and muggings combined.
  • A woman is battered every 15 seconds in the United States.
  • Between 85%-95% of domestic violence victims are women.
  • The health related costs of domestic violence exceed $5.8 billion each year.
  • Approximately 1 in 3 adolescent girls in the United States is a victim of physical, emotional or verbal abuse in a dating relationship
  • On average 3 to 4 women are killed every day by their husbands or partners.

(Stats taken from: CVAN: What is Domestic Violence?)

Abused women can find refuge, a place of hope. Cabarrus Victims Assistance Networks (CVAN) provides a safe shelter for battered women. In 2011, CVAN provided safety, shelter and support to almost 1,400 battered women and their children.

To a resident of CVAN, hope means a safe and comfortable environment for a mother and her children, one where she doesn’t continually have to look over her shoulder, where she can get her first good night’s sleep, without worry or fear. It’s a place to release the guilt and break free from the pattern of coercive control. It’s a place where the sound of yelling or the impact of a fist fades over time. Hope is finding confidence, empowerment, and a renewal of identity. It’s a place where she’ll find support, encouragement, and legal advocacy. Where she’ll hear the sound of her children’s laughter again.

On Saturday, July 14, the Carolina Christian Writers (CCW), a local chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers, came together at the K-Mart in Concord to provide a glimmer of hope for the residents of CVAN. Seven authors sold and signed books, but CCW’s primary purpose was to bring awareness and inform people about CVAN. A list of CVAN’s needs, simple everyday items like paper towels and cleaning products, was distributed. Shoppers purchased enough items to fill the back of an SUV, and others donated funds to supplement CVAN’s needs.

Abuse is not limited to racial, social or economic borders. What if one of these battered women was your sister, your daughter’s best friend, or even your neighbor? What could you do to offer hope?

“Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.” ~Psalm 31:24 NIV

For more information on CVAN, click here. 24-Hour Hotline • 704.788.2826
For more information on Carolina Christian Writers, click here.

About the Author: After a successful auditing career, Dora Hiers left the corporate world to be a stay-at-home mom to her two sons. When her youngest son didn’t want her hanging out at school with him anymore, Dora started writing heart racing, God-gracing books. Dora belongs to the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and the Carolina Christian Writers. Her first inspirational romance, Journey’s End, released with White Rose Publishing in 2011, and her second, Journey’s Edge released in March 2012. White Rose also contracted her third book in the Marshals of Journey Creek series, Journey’s Embrace, and her first short romance, Small Town Treasure. Dora and her husband make their home in Kannapolis, North Carolina. 



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Monday, July 23, 2012

"Here I Am - Use Me, Use My Story" ~ Sheryl Holmes

Please help me welcome today's guest blogger, Sheryl Holmes.




Towdah, pronounced tow (as in the truck) + duh (as in no kidding), is a written testimony of the goodness and graciousness of God.  Towdah: A Cancer Survivor’s Song of Hope is the story that God gave me to share with those willing to read and listen.

I stand in Praise, thanking my Father for how He works.  Mysterious in His ways, He aligns His plans to unfold.  I am awed and compelled to continually say, Here I am, use me – use my story, Towdah,  for your purposes.

People “near,” have both told me and written to me saying, once they started to read, they just couldn’t put it down and had to read it all in one sitting.  A fellow worshipper said, my mother endured cancer, but died from it, and now I am able to understand on a deeper level what she must have gone through…

A woman from “afar,” wrote and relayed she was blessed by the transparency of the spiritual struggle connected to such a journey.

I am often asked, “So, how’s your book doing?”   It is a ponderous question to try and answer as an author; do I measure the answer based upon how many books have been sold?  I think not.  I must base it upon how many hearts have been softened and touched by the honesty of the testimony; and that I will never truly know.  I know only that my book is doing as well as God wants it to be doing.

He opened all the doors for me and clearly directed me and enabled me to have this work published.   I cannot believe that He would do all that if He did not have a plan for it to reach many.  My Father, God will certainly place Towdah into the right hands to promote, pass-on, read, and spread it far and wide in order to foster Praise and direct people to the one true source of Hope.  I am not concerned as to “how well” my book will do because it will do as well as it is intended to do according to the purposes of my Lord.


In the beginning, I thought to myself, Wow, I wrote a book – cool – end of story.  Now I realize it is not the end … it is just the beginning; it is the beginning of a new adventure my Father has given me.  Where He is leading me, or how far He is leading me, I have no idea.  I am just following and willing to go through the open doors!

I invite you to come visit me on my NEW website - Always a Song of Hope.

About the author: Sheryl Holmes, a daughter of the King, enjoys a loving marriage with her husband of twenty-six years. She is a devoted mother of nine, currently home educating five of her children. Sheryl serves as an active member of Dwight Chapel’s Christ Community Church, in Belchertown, Massachusetts. You can purchase Towdah: A Cancer Survivor's Song of Hope on Amazon, Kindle, Barnes & Noble, Nook or request from your favorite bookstore.



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