New Contest Celebrating New Release!

I'm thrilled to announce the April release of The Bible Promise Book: Too Blessed to be Stressed Edition.

Want to know what Papa God has to say about specific issues like how to deal with difficult people, relentless worry, and coping with loss? This adorable little book features over 100 scriptures related to inspiring themes and excerpts from my book, Too Blessed to be Stressed. 

Yep, oodles and oodles of Bible verses related to things we women struggle with every single day. (Including tons of additional scriptures not included in the original book.) 

You'll find yourself pulling this scripture reference off your shelf again and again when a problem arises and you need answers.

Or you just can't remember where that particular verse is in the Bible.

Or you'd like to support a friend going through a hard time with an uplifting promise straight from Papa God.

To celebrate the release of my bouncing literary baby*, I'm giving away ten copies! To be included in the drawing, all you need to do is complete this sentence: 

"My favorite Bible promise from Papa God is ..."

In other words, tell me your favorite Bible verse that contains a promise.

E-mail me your answer at gracenotes@deboracoty.com and not only will you be eligible to win a free book when I draw the winners on April 30 (you'll have them in time for Mother's Day!), your name and promise fave will appear right here on this blog in early May. If you're not already subscribed to my blog, be sure to subscribe now (look to your right for the subscription box) so you won't miss it!

Thanks, dear friend, for sharing in my joy and awe of another amazing grace note from our Papa! I hope to hear from you soon.



*This is the fourth of six babies birthed by my book Too Blessed to be Stressed (all available at www.Amazon.com):
The 2014 TBTBS Planner
The TBTBS Perpetual Calendar
TBTBS Spanish Edition
The TBTBS Promise Book  

And next up:
The TBTBS 2015 Planner  (releasing this July)
TBTBS Journal (releasing this Sept)

 


 

Bringing Home the Bacon

Swiss Olympic Gold Medal Prize

You, I'm sure, were as amused as I when it was made public that for representing his country so well at Sochi, Swiss cross-country double gold medalist Daris Cologna received a pig. Yep, a cute little pink porker.

In the publicity photos, Daris appeared very pleased. He was quite gracious to his benefactors, smiled broadly and promptly named his prize Sochi.

This while Russian athletes each received $120k cash + a $146k Mercedes SUV for a gold medal, $76k cash + $99k Mercedes for silver, and $52K cash + $59k Mercedes for bronze.

Americans didn't fare so badly either, receiving $25k for gold, $15k for silver, and $10k for bronze. No luxury vehicles, though. Not even a Vespa.

But Daris got a pig. And then he hit the slopes to begin practicing for the next Olympics.

Why does he do it? What drives him to continue grueling training when the reward is so meager?

Hmm. Why do you do it? Why do you continue that specific activity - you know, the one that eats (like a pig) all your time, attention and energy - although the pay-out is miniscule?

We all have them. Projects/jobs/dreams that we pursue week after week, month after month, sometimes for years on end, that we just can't let go. The activity isn't particularly lucrative; in fact sometimes quite the opposite - it drains our piggy banks dry. The return for our investment may not be in dollars; it may an intangible benefit like improving yourself, satisfaction for a job well done, knowing that you helped someone, or maybe even proving something to someone.

Whatever the motivation, it's there, it's strong and it keeps us going.

Writing is like that for me. I write despite the money, not because of it. Contrary to what most people think, Christian writers do not get rich. Most can't afford to quit their day jobs. I recently went to a book signing for a hugely known, award-winning, bestselling author of over 100 books (several hit the New York Times bestselling list) who confessed to recently starting a photography business to make ends meet.

The other authors in the room (including myself) all nodded in complete understanding like a conveyor belt full of bobble-head dolls.

Yet I keep writing. Book #14 is due to come out this fall and since 6 o'clock this morning (and yesterday and all the days before that), I've been parked in front of my monitor developing CCCB (Computer Chair Cauliflower Buns).

Why? Because I can't not write. Because what's most important to me is to produce the fruit of my passion and follow my life calling. Whether it brings home the bacon or not.

I might just call my next book Sochi as a reminder that some things in life are worth buns of dough instead of buns of steel. Just because.

What's your little pink pig?


 

Open My Eyes and Close My Mouth

Deb and Chuck doing what they do best

I love to eat out, don't you?

Nothing better than kicking back and enjoying the food someone else has prepared in pans that you don't have to scrub served on plates you don't have to wash and put away.

But I recently heard a story about a dining out near-tragedy that made me quiver in my boots.

My friend, Laura, attended a church affiliated  planning meeting of fifteen people, including her husband and herself, at a local pancake house. The speaker stood at one of the clustered tables set for four and began speaking while the food was served.

Laura was seated at a table with her husband and another couple. My friend had only taken a couple of bites when she suddenly began choking. She struggled for the next ten minutes, holding her throat (the universal sign for choking) keeling over, turning purple, gasping for air, gurgling and coughing up food and water.

One of the people seated at her table was the group's trained "CPR" person, but he never noticed Laura's predicament. He was her husband. Although he was right across the table from her, he never saw or heard a thing.

As Laura choked, the speaker was standing right behind her and kept right on speaking as if nothing was wrong. In fact, for inexplicable reasons, only one person in the entire group saw what was happening to her. He later said he had never seen anyone go through something like that and it thoroughly upset him.

But he never tried to get anyone's attention while she was struggling.

I wonder if this thoroughly upset guy would've just apathetically sat by while she died right in front of him. Why on earth he never attempted the Heimlich - or alerted someone else to - is a sad testimonial to the passivity of mankind. Or just plain laziness.  

Laura's husband and the other attendees were stunned when they learned of her horrible experience right beneath their noses. Laura could find no explanation except Satan's wickedness as to why an entire roomful of Christians were somehow blinded to her "attack" and she had been kept in total isolation while suffering in plain sight.

Besides avoiding pancake houses, my takeaway from this story is that I vow to be more aware of those around me. I pray for Papa God to open my eyes to needs of others that should be evident ... if only I'm looking for them. Because I never, ever, ever want to be so blinded that I don't see someone suffering in plain sight.