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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Friday, July 20, 2012

A Few of Her Favorite Things ~ Author Vicki Tiede


Today, author Vicki Tiede gives us a glimpse into her ministry.

“These are a few of my favorite things …”

I love that song from “The Sound of Music.” More than once I’ve been known to rewrite the lyrics to highlight a few of my own favorite things.  Such lyrics are sure to include family, friends, reading, writing, speaking, teaching, and chocolate.

I Spy Magnificent Hope! Do you?
I recently made took a road trip with Magnificent Hope to Southwest Minnesota for a speaking engagement. Praise God for air-conditioning or I don’t think anyone would have shown up. Okay, that’s not true. I was pretty sure we’d have a fair turn out when the first group of women claimed their seats at 5:15, when the event didn’t begin until 6:30. I was still setting up my book table. Magnificent Hope  was perched next to a pile of books and more than a few women commented on her.

That night my message was called “Sweet Blessings ~ Lessons I’ve Learned from Friends and Chocolate.” What a great night! My favorite thing to do as a speaker is to take my listeners on an emotional roller coaster ride. I shared some solid truths from Ruth and Naomi’s story of friendship, I tossed in some sweet chocolate tales, shared a couple of stories that left many with tears brimming, and then in the next breath had those tears falling freely as we laughed until our sides hurt. (I love my job!)

At my book table, I was blessed to reconnect with my third grade teacher and my high school voice coach. I assured them that I was making good use of all that they taught me as an author, speaker, and homeschool mom. What a treat to see them both again. (Let’s just say that Mrs. Geisendorfer wasn’t surprised to hear that I was a speaker given that she said I talked too much in class as a third grader!)



In the next six months, my book table is going to take on a whole new look. In October, New Growth Press will be releasing my book, When Your Husband is Addicted to Pornography: Healing Your Wounded Heart. I wrote this book for the woman who has discovered that the person closest to her in the world, her life partner, is struggling with pornography. But now, although the shock might have worn off, she is still reeling–feeling shattered, betrayed, alone. Where does she turn? Who does she turn to? I remind her that no matter how she is feeling right now, she is not alone. She can turn to the God of all comfort and hope who promises to never leave her or forsake her.

When Your Husband Is Addicted to Pornography: Healing Your Wounded Heart is written to help her turn to God and away from despair. Healing comes as she learns to focus her eyes on Jesus and allow him to meet her needs rather than basing her hope and happiness on her husband’s choices. I guide her through this process by focusing on six important topics:

hope, surrender, trust, identity, brokenness, and forgiveness. Allowing God to meet her greatest needs is a long and learned process, but he promises to help her every step of the way.

Then, in January of 2013, Pix-N-Pens Publishing will release Parenting On Your Knees: Prayers and Practical Guidance for The Preschool Years. (I know … did you just get a small case of whiplash? From Pornography to Preschool Years? I think God has an incredible sense of humor, don’t you?) As a full-time mom, which is most important job and ministry, I’m passionate about praying for my kids. Parenting On Your Knees equips parents to pray specifically and parent purposefully through the unique season of parenting preschoolers.

For those of you who are wondering what my “brand” is as an author or speaker, I’ll give you a hint. My first solo book was Plug Me In and Let Me Charge Overnight: Keeping Your Holy Enthusiasm Up When Your Battery Runs Down. Clearly we can say, “Vicki’s brand is sponsored by the letter P.”

Ok, Ok, that’s not true either. Yes, I tend to have P in my titles so far, but that’s just a coincidence. Really, my passion is to open the Scriptures with women and relate life experiences in order to share God’s grace and faithfulness and to draw others into a lifelong pursuit of knowing Him. Yes, these are indeed a few of my favorite things.


About Vicki: Vicki Tiede is an inspiring Bible teacher, conference speaker, and author. Her passion is to open the Scriptures with women in order to share God's grace and enduring faithfulness. She transparently relates life experiences that resonate and draw others into a lifelong pursuit of knowing God.


Vicki's candor and humor are a delight to her audiences, who feel like they've met a new friend moments after she begins to share a glimpse into her life. She consistently points her audiences back to God's Word and presents fresh insights into the Scriptures.


Living in Rochester, Minnesota, Vicki is a wife, homeschooling mom, and the coordinator of women's ministries in her local church. Vicki holds Master's degrees in Ministry and in Education.


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Thursday, July 19, 2012

When Life Grows Difficult


Please help me welcome today's special guest, Jennifer Fromke.

Polyanna played the “glad game.” She would try to name things she could be glad about. I’m glad I’m not hungry. I’m glad the sun is shining today. Near the end, she gets to a place where it’s very difficult for her to play the game, because life has grown difficult.

How many people do you know who have reached that place in life? Physical pain, loss of a loved one, loss of a job, emotional turmoil, loss of trust, loss of respect, financial uncertainty, worry, stress, not to mention relationship trouble and that five pounds you can’t seem to lose? This world is like a boat tossed on a dark and stormy ocean, with no navigation system and the engine has failed. Waves crash over the deck every so often, making it slippery and unstable. If you’ve never heard about what’s waiting for us after the storm, you might find yourself lacking something big that sounds very simple. Hope.

I spoke with a friend today who looked at me with a lightbulb-moment expression on her face and said, “This conversation makes me want to get out there and work really hard to make this dream happen. I have such hope!”

I wondered what we said that gave her that hope. We talked about possible outcomes for the business she is just birthing now. We talked about goals that would launch the product into the world and provide work for local people who desperately need a job, as well as creating a legacy for her children. As each possibility crossed our lips, her eyes lit up with expectancy.

And that’s the key. What do you expect in the future? What do you think is waiting at the end of this dark and stormy wind-tossed night? Is life a big storm with no end in sight? Can we ever know for sure?

Yes, we can. I’ve studied the book of Revelation quite a bit over the years and there are some things certain. Jesus is coming back to earth. Men will be judged. Evil will be destroyed forever. God will make a NEW heaven and a NEW earth. Everyone who belongs to God will reign with Him forever sans evil. Everyone gets a chance to choose this outcome. To live forever with no evil. Only good . . . forever.

And let’s be clear about these things . . . if you believe in Scripture, then these things are guaranteed. You don’t have to wonder if they will come to pass or wish they will happen. You can count on them to happen. It’s like the anchor that holds a boat steady, keeping it safe throughout the storm. When the sun rises on a smooth watery plain, the light will reflect off the surface in beautiful shining rays and the harbor toward which the boat is headed comes into view. And what kept the boat safe during all the turmoil . . . the anchor . . . is what God gives us every day: Hope.

Do you go through life holding onto wishes that blow away like dandelion fluff? Or do you hold to something stronger, something immovable like . . . Hope?

A Familiar Shore is a story about a girl who finds herself tossed and torn in several directions. She has a dog named Anchor. I hope you’ll read the book and tell me what you think. You can find me online: www.jenniferfromke.com or www.facebook.com/jenniferfromke.












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Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Week 8: Where in the World is Magnificent Hope?

Our contest post this week is provided by author Vicki Tiede.



My home town annually welcomes 763,000 patients and their families to our world-renowned clinic. This clinic evolved from the frontier practice of the name sake and his two sons (pictured here with Magnificent Hope). The family moved here in 1864. In 1883, a tornado swept through our fair Midwest city and left in its wake many deaths and injuries.

Affectionately known by their first names, Dr. Charlie and Dr. Will helped coordinate the medical efforts along with nuns from the Sisters of St. Francis, a teaching order. The nuns were recruited as nurses. This partnership led Mother Alfred Moes to ask the Drs. to build St. Mary’s Hospital, the first general hospital in southeastern Minnesota.

More than 6 million people have been treated at our Clinic since its founding. Today it includes three clinics and four hospitals in three states, employing more than 40,000 physicians, scientists, nurses, and allied health workers. My husband Mike is a child psychologist in the building right behind the brothers.

If you watch the news, it is not uncommon to hear that someone famous has been treated at this clinic. I did a little research and here are a few of the dignitaries and celebrities  who have been here in the last few years: Iraqi President Jalal Talabani (May, 2011), King of Saudi Arabia (Nov, 2010), Dick Butkus and Ray Nitschke–football players, Danny Kaye, and President George H. Bush and Barbara Bush (2010). Yes, you can accuse me of name dropping now.

So, have you figured out where in the world Magnificent Hope has landed now?

I can tell you that she is sitting in the lap of one of the brothers who saw fit to develop a clinic that would offer magnificent hope to countless patients and their families.


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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Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Magnificent Hope Attends the Golden Scroll Banquet



Magnificent Hope attended the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA) conference with me, Dianne E. Butts, and my husband Hal July 13 – 15 in Orlando. AWSA always hosts its annual conference the weekend before the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) which is a trade show for Christian book and gift retailers hosted by the Christian Booksellers Association (CBA).

Linda Evans Shepherd (founder of AWSA and the Golden Scroll Awards)
with Mag Hope and Dianne at the AWSA conference Saturday July 14
Magnificent Hope sat in on workshops with Dianne taught by some of the top authors in the Christian marketplace, including Kathi Macias, Carol Lewis, and Linda Evans Shepherd. Speakers included Carol Kent and Wendy Lawton.

I got to introduce Magnificent Hope to some of the authors associated with my upcoming book, Grandparenting Through Obstacles. Contributor Paula Freeman attended the AWSA conference, as did endorsers Susan Titus Osborn and Janet Thompson.

Dianne holding the beautiful, framed Golden Scroll Finalist
certificate with Linda Evans Shepherd holding Deliver Me
after the Golden Scroll Banquet July 15
Maggie Hope and Hal got to meet a lot of Dianne’s friends like Cecil Murphey, Twila Belk, Bonnie Calhoun, and so many others it’s hard to name them all.

The Golden Scroll Banquet is held on Sunday afternoon and honors the top fiction and nonfiction books by AWSA authors as well as editors and publishers of the year nominated by AWSA members.

My book, Deliver Me, was a finalist for the nonfiction Golden Scroll Award along with Poppy Smith’s Why Can’t He Be More Like Me?, The Quilt of Life by Mary Tatem, and Dear God, Why Can’t I have a Baby? by Janet Thompson. Poppy Smith won the nonfiction award, and Mary Tatem won a brand new category for gift books. I was so honored to be on the same platform with these authors! And as a finalist, I was given the most beautiful gold and white framed certificate I have ever seen! My thanks to AWSA founder, Linda Evans Shepherd, and all those involved with AWSA and the Golden Scroll Awards. What an awesome afternoon it was for me!

But please don’t be disappointed that I didn’t win with Deliver Me. As Hal, Maggie, and I discussed afterwards, it was such a huge honor for me to even be among the four finalists that we’re not worried at all that we didn’t get the “win.” We heartily congratulate all the winners and wish them all the best with their wonderful books!

Following the awards at the banquet, we were inspired by a keynote talk by well-known Bible teacher and radio host June Hunt, who spoke on the topic of her new book, Hope for Your Heart: Finding Strength in Life’s Storms. Mrs. Hunt spoke about how HOPE is the anchor for our soul, and she brought many different types of anchors to show us. Magnificent Hope was especially taken by her talk about hope. We each received a copy of the book as a gift from the publisher, Crossway.
Finally, we enjoyed a beautiful song by recording artist Gwen E. Smith.

After the banquet at a dessert reception (with three different types of chocolate desserts!!!), I asked June Hunt to sign my copy of her book. Remarkably, she was interested in my book, Deliver Me! I had one copy left on the table, and so I asked her if she would like to have it and she said yes, she would like it for the pregnancy center she works with, so that was especially exciting for me!

Overall the AWSA conference and the Golden Scroll Awards banquet was a wonderful experience and I am so grateful that my husband, Hal, (the most handsome guy at the banquet!) could be here with me.

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’s fiction and nonfiction “Books of Hope” contest.


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Monday, July 16, 2012

Seven Authors Offer Hope to Concord Victims



Saturday, July 14th became a day for Hope in Concord, NC.  The Carolina Christian Writers, a local chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) held a multi-author book signing on Saturday. Seven authors banded together and decided to make it about more than just selling books. They asked people in attendance to purchase items to donate to the local battered women’s shelter in town.


Not only did people come to talk with authors, but they came to make a difference for women whose homes are not safe. The shelter has constant needs and this month in particular they really needed paper towels. Paper towels! How many of us buy paper towels any time we run out? Well, we decided to collect things like paper towels, cleaning products, and a few other specific needs the shelter gave us. We advertised ahead of time, so some people brought things from home. Since the event was held at Kmart, many visitors decided to add an item or two to their shopping cart that day. When all was said and done, we filled up the back of an SUV with items for the shelter.

(l-r) Jennifer Fromke, Magnificent Hope, Bethany Lebedz
The authors all had great opportunities to talk with fans, friends, and new acquaintances. The publicity from two separate newspaper write-ups was instrumental in bringing the people to the event. One visitor even brought a copy of the article she had clipped.

One fan who visited us was Bethany Lebedz - a Hope Tour follower and friend of Pix-n-Pens and Write Integrity Press. She managed a photo-op with none other than the famous Magnificent Hope!

Participating authors included Myra Johnson, Dora Hiers, Mary Annslee Urban, Jennifer Hudson Taylor, Lynnette Eason, Amy Clipston, and Jennifer Fromke. Lots of books were sold, but the contact with readers was the highlight.

The most rewarding part of the day was the huge smile on the face of the volunteer coordinator at the women’s shelter who helped unload that SUV. She couldn’t wait to get those supplies unpacked and in use at the shelter. We have great hope that our donation provided a much-needed boost for not only the women and children who will benefit from the donations, but also to the volunteers at the shelter. Just knowing that someone “out there” cares can bring hope even into a very dark place.

What are you doing this week to share a little hope?




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