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Wildfire Marketing

Filed Under Communication, Faith and Values, Family and Friends, Generation Hex, Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, Poetry, Resources, Success, Time, Writing Inspiration, flow
Posted on July 24, 2008 @ 5:23 pm by admin 

If you need help with marketing your book or expanding your speaking ministry, I highly recommend that you e-mail Rob Eagar. Even better, meet with him in person! His ministry, Wildfire Marketing, will be instrumental in helping you shape and hone your message and focus your ministry for maximum impact. For more info and AWESOME free resources, including great articles and free e-newsletters, visit Wildfire Marketing’s website at http://www.startawildfire.com. You’ll love it! And please tell Rob I sent ya.

 

Blessings!

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Belonging…

Filed Under Communication, Faith and Values, Resources, Success, Writing Inspiration, flow
Posted on July 21, 2008 @ 11:20 am by admin 

Here’s an intriguing quote:

 

You must learn one thing.

The world was made to be free in.

Give up all the other worlds

Except the one to which you belong.

 

-David Whyte

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The Smallest in Christ

Filed Under Articles for Caregivers, Children, Communication, Faith and Values, Family and Friends, Food, Generation Hex, God\'s Plan for Marriage, Illness and Grief, Intercultural Marriage, Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, Parenting Your Parents with Grace, Poetry, Resources, Stress and Conflict, Success, Time, Writing Inspiration, flow
Posted on July 20, 2008 @ 4:11 pm by admin 

If I had to choose one Bible verse to characterize the cry of my heart and the attitude I want to have toward the Lord, I would pick Psalm 19:14: 

 

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

 

When everything is stripped away and I’m hunkered down at my desk with a messy stack of papers, books, a tall cup of Starbucks and a cat wedged between my monitor and my keyboard in a blissful state of ”desk sprawl,” I just want to be obedient, available, and willing to express the message that the Lord wants me to share with the world.  

 

Recently, I was reading a missions report from a Russian pastor. This humble, godly man risks his life to drive his car hundreds of miles over frozen lakes with NO ROADS and NO SIGNS to visit Christians in isolated villages in Siberia. Often, his car breaks through the ice and almost falls into the freezing water. It’s a true miracle that he makes it across that frozen taiga. Every few miles, he faces a life-threatening situation, and God rescues him. Over and over. At any moment, his life could end. And sometimes he does all of this to reach JUST ONE PERSON for the sake of Jesus Christ. Most amazing of all, at the bottom of the page, after describing these truly harrowing adventures, this man signed his name “The Smallest in Christ.”

 

Wow. Ouch. God, is my desire to be THE SMALLEST IN CHRIST? Do I consider it a privilege to be last so others can be first? As an author, (yes, even as a Christian author) I see that there’s a lot of positioning and placement done, lots of fuss and seeking after fame, lots of buzz about “who’s the next big name,” “who’s the next rising star.” 

 

I’m pretty sure that God is calling us to eliminate all of that and instead, to call on the Name that is above every name.

 

Like Christ, we have to be willing to give up any vestige of glory and allow ourselves to be THE SMALLEST IN CHRIST. Let’s make His name large. He must increase. We must decrease.     

 

Comments? Please share them here. Thank you! 

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Relevant quote for Generation Hex

Filed Under Communication, Faith and Values, Generation Hex, Resources, Success, Writing Inspiration
Posted on July 20, 2008 @ 11:23 am by admin 

“You don’t always have to chop with the sword of truth. You can point with it, too.”

– Anne Lamott

 

I love Anne Lamott’s quote, especially in light of our call to always be ready to provide a reason for the incredible hope that we have in Jesus Christ. Comments? Please post them below.

 

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My “Book Baby” Has Finally Arrived!

Filed Under Articles for Caregivers, Children, Communication, Faith and Values, Family and Friends, Food, Generation Hex, God\'s Plan for Marriage, Intercultural Marriage, Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, Parenting Your Parents with Grace, Poetry, Resources, Stress and Conflict, Success, Time, Writing Inspiration, flow
Posted on July 17, 2008 @ 11:32 pm by admin 

Other authors have told me that holding that first copy of your new book makes a writer feel a bit like a new mom holding a newborn in her arms - a fitting analogy. I don’t have any kids yet, but today, I received the FIRST copy of my latest book, Generation Hex. Wow! It’s amazing to have a year’s worth of research, blood, sweat and tears pay off and hold that slick, shiny tome in hand. Definitely a joyous, surreal moment!

 

Dillon Burroughs, my co-author, and I are planning an exciting “8/8/08 Book Launch” on, that’s right, AUGUST 8, 2008. We hope you will be willing to go online and buy a copy of the book on that date! It’s also the date when the Olympics starts, so please let that remind you. :) Gen Hex should be in stores by then, and the book is also available on www.christianbook.com, www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, and more.

 

Of course, we also encourage you to support your local Christian bookstore, so stop by and pick up one or two copies for yourself, friends, your pastor and youth pastor, teens or family members. In Generation Hex, we take a unique approach by creating open dialogue with Wiccans and New-Agers and interviewing many actual pagans in order to present a true and balanced perspective on Wicca, New Age and pagan spirituality. However, we also approach the book with solid theology and a conservative biblical foundation, rooted in Scripture. For the book, Dillon and I interviewed numerous practitioners of Wicca and other pagan faiths to discover what they really believe and how Christians can most effectively reach out to them with the gospel.

      

Publishers Weekly offers some fantastic reviews of newly released books. Here’s a cool one related to Generation Hex: http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6577725.html?industryid=47139

 

We’re asking YOU - our friends, family members, author pals, fabulous and wise intercultural couples, fun colleagues and website cohorts - to participate in a blog tour for Generation Hex, and we hope you’ll help us out!!! If you would like to be on the blog tour and receive a FREE copy of the book from Harvest House, please e-mail Marla at marla_alupoaicei@yahoo.com. Thanks! We appreciate you.

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Write Award-Winning Poems-Great Tips!

Filed Under Communication, Faith and Values, Family and Friends, Poetry, Resources, Stress and Conflict, Success, Time, Writing Inspiration
Posted on July 15, 2008 @ 9:46 pm by admin 

R U A Poet? Me, too. Here are some tips for those of you who are just starting out… and those who are already experts in your craft. One of the greatest things about being a writer - and one of the most freeing - is the fact that you’ll never be perfect, but you’ll always be getting better! Hope gets us through the day. Hope and hard work, and the ability to look at what we wrote today and realize that it may be just a little bit better than what we wrote yesterday.

 

Anyway, back to POETRY. These tips are guaranteed to improve your work significantly!

 

1. First of all, remember that in poetry, the NOUNS carry the weight. They convey the semantic force of your sentences. Nouns are the wheelbarrows that carry the blossoming flowers of your verbs. Use active verbs, but focus even more on using surprising and relevant nouns. (All of you prose writers know that in prose, the VERBS carry the weight.) To be a successful poet, you have to change your thinking about the way words work. 

 

2. Get a thesaurus or synonym finder and use it. As Mark Twain said, “The difference between the right word and the almost-right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.”

 

3. Read as much contemporary poetry as you can. Some of my fave modern poets are Louise Gluck, Li-Young Lee, Marianne Boruch, Kathleen Peirce, Linda Pastan, Mary Oliver, John Hodgen, and Robert Bly.

 

4. Don’t rhyme. If you must rhyme, write the poem in free verse first, and then go back and rhyme it.  Make the sense of the poem serve the rhyme, not the other way around. Use a rhyming dictionary to help you come up with good rhymes that aren’t forced.

 

5. Avoid connecting words. In a poem, you aren’t telling a story. Leave some elements to the imagination. Don’t explain why someone did something or qualify their acts, and don’t use time modifiers. For example, instead of saying (and I know this is totally random):

  

        Freedom is its own harvest

        because it knows what it wants.  

 

You would say:

 

        Freedom is its own harvest.

        It knows what it wants.

 

See the difference?

 

7. Take associative leaps. Don’t censor yourself too much. Once you know your subject, try putting together new combinations of words. Say, my subject is my desk, and on my desk are the following objects:

 

-paper with clouds printed on it

-speakers

-paper clips and binder clips

-a razor knife

-a cross carved of faux stone

-a can of dust remover

-a flashlight

-a book called “Wild Mind”

 

So, from the objects on my desk, I could use free association to come up with something like this: 

      My desk is a clean sheet of paper. The wild mind speaks

      like a razor in the clouds. A cross carved from dust.

      A stone, a flash, unbound.

 

Cheesy example, but you get the idea! And it really works. I hope these tips are useful to all you poets out there. 

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Generation Hex

Filed Under Articles for Caregivers, Children, Communication, Faith and Values, Family and Friends, Food, Generation Hex, God\'s Plan for Marriage, Illness and Grief, Intercultural Marriage, Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, Parenting Your Parents with Grace, Poetry, Resources, Stress and Conflict, Success, Time, Writing Inspiration, flow
Posted on July 12, 2008 @ 4:34 pm by admin 

Our culture is obsessed with power. Not convinced? Just turn on the TV. Go to the movies. Pick up a magazine. Grab any book on the bestseller list. Check out a popular blog. Every industry is capitalizing on people’s desire for more power, wealth and influence. 

 

Over the past few years, witchcraft, New Age and pagan religions have seeped into our culture. TV personalities, talk show hosts, and bestselling authors like Eckhart Tolle are taking people down the New Age path, yet most of their fans don’t even know that this is what’s happening.

 

Yet, as Christians, we also don’t want to overreact or panic. We shouldn’t attack those who are misled or those who are holding to other belief systems. Our goal is to create open dialogue, share the truth, and draw people in so they can discover the reason for our hope: our faith in Jesus Christ. Only He can offer us “the hope that does not disappoint.”

 

For our new book Generation Hex (See http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?isbn=9780736924016), Dillon Burroughs and I interviewed a wide variety of people involved in Wicca, witchcraft and the pagan movement in America. We discuss this disturbing, yet fascinating trend and share the causes for the recent spike of interest in pagan spirituality. Through intriguing and sometimes shocking first-person accounts and interviews, we answer questions like:

  • What is Wicca, anyway?
  • What do Wiccans, New Agers and Pagans really believe?
  • Are books and shows like Harry Potter, Charmed, Buffy, Sabrina, and others truly harmless for kids and teens?
  • What kinds of stereotypes do Christians normally have about Wiccans?
  • What types of spells do witches perform? 
  • What does the Bible say about witchcraft?
  • Can a person be both a Christian and a Wiccan or a witch?
  • What is a good way to bring up spiritual matters when I am talking with a person of a pagan faith?
  • How can I share the gospel with a Wiccan?
  • Do Wiccans worship Satan?
  • How can I tell if a person is a witch? 
  • What are the warning signs that one of my children or students may be involved in witchcraft?
  • Who was Jesus? Was He the Son of God, or was He a sorcerer or a witch? 

…and more! If you’re a parent, a student, a pastor, a teacher or anyone who cares about trends in contemporary spirituality, please visit your local Christian bookstore and snap up a copy of Generation Hex. We appreciate your support! We pray that you will be blessed and educated by the book.

    

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Notes on the Writing Life

Filed Under Articles for Caregivers, Children, Communication, Faith and Values, Family and Friends, Food, Generation Hex, God\'s Plan for Marriage, Illness and Grief, Intercultural Marriage, Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, Parenting Your Parents with Grace, Poetry, Resources, Stress and Conflict, Success, Time, Writing Inspiration, flow
Posted on July 11, 2008 @ 8:51 am by admin 

Natalie Goldberg’s writing uplifts me, inspires me, makes me laugh, and makes me think. In her book Wild Mind, she writes:

 

       I said to my friend, “Writing is so lonely.”

       He lifted his eyebrows. “Is there anything wrong with loneliness?” he asked.

       “No, I guess not,” I said.

       “Anything you do deeply is very lonely.”

       “Are you lonely?” I asked him.

       “Of course,” he answered. “But I do not let it toss me away. It is just loneliness.”

       So there you have it. There are days I think, how did I get into this writing? But here I am. And the truth is, I wanted it.*

 

Solitude and serenity are vital to the writer’s life… and to the spiritual life. Yet there are ways in which we can be alone without being lonely. We have the Holy Spirit guiding us, teaching us, accompanying us everywhere. I’m often alone, but I’m rarely lonely. In fact, I cherish my quiet time and use it to fuel up for the fun times I spend with my husband, family and friends.

 

How do alone time and solitude figure into your spiritual equation? 

 

*From Natalie Goldberg, Wild Mind, 129-130. 

 

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A Royal Dose of Perspective

Filed Under Articles for Caregivers, Children, Communication, Faith and Values, Family and Friends, Generation Hex, God\'s Plan for Marriage, Illness and Grief, Intercultural Marriage, Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, Parenting Your Parents with Grace, Poetry, Resources, Stress and Conflict, Success, Time, Writing Inspiration, flow
Posted on July 10, 2008 @ 4:16 pm by admin 

There I was, frantically scurrying to get my writing done, plus wash the dishes, do laundry, cook dinner, work out, and post on my website. I had just started a new job when I got called, of all things, for JURY DUTY. Now, for me, jury duty ranks right up there with getting a root canal or having my fingernails extracted one by one with pliers. NOT my idea of fun times.

 

But I went, thinking, “Oh, this will only take 1-2 hours, tops.” That’s what everyone had told me. Then I walked into a huge room at the Denton County Courthouse and I saw… about 300 people sitting there. Immediately, I thought, “Okay, maybe that’s going to be 3 hours…” PLUS the hour drive there and the hour drive back home.

 

So… they called my name. I was in a smaller group of 45 people who had been - yes, specially hand-selected by either the prosecution or the defense to be interviewed for possible selection for a felony trial. Yowza. And, you guessed it - I got picked. Yep, only twelve people out of 300, and it was yours truly up there for three days. I ended up missing one of my writing-from-home days, plus two full days of work at my brand new job.

 

Now, I had a choice here. I could either have a human perspective, which, to be perfectly honest said, “This sucks.” Or I could try to see this situation from God’s perspective. I knew absolutely that God wanted me there. But it was a bit tough to let go of my schedule. I was planning for an important conference and had so much to do. 

 

Suddenly, this question reverberated through my mind: “CAN I MULTIPLY YOUR TIME?”

 

Totally foreign concept. I knew that this had to be from God.

 

“What, Lord?”

 

“CAN I MULTIPLY YOUR TIME?”

 

Gulp. “Yes, I guess you can. You’re God, after all.”

 

So I chilled out after that. There’s a great Yiddish proverb that says, “Mann traoch, Gott lŠuch” (We plan, God laughs). So true.

 

I gave it my all. And being a juror ended up being serious business. As soon as I was picked, I saw why. It was a domestic violence case, and I ended up feeling so strongly about it. It felt shocking to be in a place where I was partly responsible for justice being served in the life of a battered wife and her children. Yet, as a follower of Christ, I also wanted to be balanced and gracious toward the defendant in hopes that God would change his life and help him to walk a better path.  

 

The trial turned out to be extremely eye-opening, rewarding, heartbreaking and touching, all at the same time. I met several amazing people and, in fact, I ended up being selected as the presiding juror. The Lord put words in my mouth and strength in my heart that I honestly did not know were there. It was truly Him speaking through me. I felt very pleased and relieved when we reached a unanimous decision after deliberating for only two hours. God multiplied my time, just as He had said He would. But I had to let Him.  

 

What’s got you in a tizzy today? God may be asking you, “CAN I MULTIPLY YOUR TIME?” You should let Him. He’s good at that.

 

Comments? Please post them below. Thanks!

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WIN A FREE NEW BOOK from Leap of Faith!

Filed Under Communication, Faith and Values, Family and Friends, Generation Hex, Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, Resources, Success, Time, Writing Inspiration, flow
Posted on July 5, 2008 @ 12:06 pm by admin 

Hi, friends! Good news: the Fab Leap of Faith FREE Book Drawing is back! And for each new friend you refer to Leap of Faith to enter the contest, you will receive one (1) additional entry to the FREE book drawing. You can’t beat that! At midnight on July 31, I will draw names for the winners of the following three books:

 

  • Life After Birth: What Even Your Friends Won’t Tell You about Motherhood by Kate Figes and Jean Zimmerman
  • The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian
  • Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper

 

If you want to enter the drawing for one of these books, please post a comment below or e-mail me at marla_alupoaicei@yahoo.com and let me know your full name and which book you want to win. Also, please forward my site link to your family and friends and let them know that they can sign up to win a FREE book from Leap of Faith. Thanks! 

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