Have a Blessed Thanksgiving.
Give thanks to the Lord for He is good.
What are you thankful for this year?
There are no regular monthly meetings in November and December. WS Critique group will meet in November but not in December. Be sure and check out the Christmas Mystery Party details for December 7th. (Posted separately from this post.) Regular monthly meetings will resume in January on the fourth Thursday.
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Have a Blessed Thanksgiving.
Give thanks to the Lord for He is good.
What are you thankful for this year?
There are no regular monthly meetings in November and December. WS Critique group will meet in November but not in December. Be sure and check out the Christmas Mystery Party details for December 7th. (Posted separately from this post.) Regular monthly meetings will resume in January on the fourth Thursday.
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“The Christmas Mystery”
Annual Wordsowers’ Christmas Party
Saturday, December 7th from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
(Zoom will not be provided.)
Location:
*Omaha Christian Center
4215 N. 92nd Street
Omaha, NE 68138
You and one guest are invited to join us in discovering “The Christmas Mystery” at our annual Wordsowers’ Christmas party. We’ll enjoy a potluck brunch, short devotional, a mystery game and a “Mystery Gift Exchange.” There will be door prizes.
For the potluck brunch, egg and potato dishes will be provided. You’re asked to bring a side dish to compliment the meal such as fruit, finger foods, and pastries. (Gluten-free options will be available.)
If you’d like to participate in the “Mystery Gift Exhange,” please don’t get too serious with your gift (the funnier the better). We challenge you to find that “perfect” gift from a local thrift store. Please keep the gifts under $10.00.
We need to hear from you. Be sure to email your RSVP to Debbie Crom by Monday, December 2nd, at debbie_crom@yahoo.com or text her at 402-238-2188. Let her know if you’re bringing a guest and what dish you’ll provide for the brunch. (Or you can RSVP to the newsletter’s email.)
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Parking: Park in the lot on the south side of the church and enter through the main doors. Follow the signs to the fellowship hall.
Due to inclement weather we are cancelling Wordsowers January meeting tonight. The snow/rain is supposed to continue throughout the day off and on and with temperatures going below freezing, the roads could get bad and we have people who drive from a bit outside of Omaha. We want everyone to stay safe!
We will resume our meetings in February.
We miss you all. Stay safe and warm!
It is fall time and change is in the air.
A new leadership team is forming. Are you ready to meet them? Stay connected via newsletter, website, and FB page to hear the upcoming announcement about our new team and their plans moving into 2020 and beyond.
In the meantime, as you have opportunity, communicate to Kat Crawford, Jeanie Jacobson and Teresa Tierney your many thanks for all they have done over the years to lead Wordsowers locally and through the annual conference.
As the new leadership makes plans, the Annual Wordsowers Writers Conference has been put into hiatus for 2020. Be sure and come to our monthly meetings and critique groups to continue growing in your craft and to stay connected to other writers.
Today we have Jennifer Slattery sharing with us today.
Sometimes we forget we’re called. When pressure comes or ministry events don’t turn out as we hoped or expected, we tend to make much of ourselves and little of Jesus. Only when we, like Paul, can say, in the depths of our hearts, “I am a slave of Christ,” can we rise above outward successes and failures and the ever-shifting opinions of man.
I have a dear friend who’s an equally humble and gifted writer. She’s never signed with a publisher or seen her name in a byline of a national magazine. But she writes truth with the transparency, and grace of one chosen and empowered by the Risen Lord. However, she doesn’t often remember this. She tends to allow her insecurities and doubts to overshadow God’s authoritative voice.
When this occurs, I remind her that she’s called, chosen, lavished with grace, and given everything she needs to fulfill all God has planned. Whenever I introduce her, I especially love stating her role as a writer, after which she’ll drop her gaze and sputter something about me being too kind.
I’m not. I’m simply calling out the truth. She became a writer the moment she took her first steps of obedience, regardless of the words penned on a page. The same holds true for every speaker and ministry leader commissioned by Christ. Our calling isn’t dependent on the size of our readership or how many Instagram followers we have. It’s determined by the will and pleasure of our Sovereign Lord.
I love how the apostle Paul introduced himself in his letters. He almost always began by asserting who he was in Christ. He told them, and likely himself, that he was “called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God” (1 Cor. 1:1).
We are as well.
We are called: summoned by God Himself and gifted with salvation.
We are apostles: messengers sent on mission, commissioned by Christ to represent Him to a broken and hurting world.
We’re called by theléma, God’s preferred will. His preferred not decretive will. In other words, this is something we accept or reject. We submit or rebel.
It’s possible to waste the life and talents God has given us. It’s possible to be so set on a particular direction or opportunity, we completely miss the amazing things God has in store. It’s possible to stand on the fringe of the abundant, filled to overflowing life Jesus promised without experiencing the full joy and depth of it. When we choose surrender, however, no matter what we encounter, no matter the opened and closed doors, we find deep intimacy with Christ, our true prize, and therefore realize we have every reason to rejoice.
To lead, write, and speak well, with the power and authority granted us by Jesus Christ, we must anchor ourselves in God’s love and grace and fully commit to His call, regardless of where He leads.
Identity, not just who we are, but who we think we are, determines behavior.
So remember and hold tight to this:
You are called.
You are sent.
You are empowered.
.
Jennifer Slattery is a writer and international speaker who has addressed women’s groups, church groups, Bible studies, and other writers across the nation. She maintains a devotional blog found at Jennifer Slattery Lives Out Loud and on Crosswalk. She has a passion for helping women discover, embrace, and live out who they are in Christ. As the founder of Wholly Love Ministries, she and her team partner with churches to facilitate events designed to help women rest in their true worth and live with maximum impact. Connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. When not writing, reading, or editing, Jennifer loves going on mall dates with her adult daughter and coffee dates with her hilariously fun husband. Contact her HERE to book her for your next women’s event.
Hometown Healing:
She’s home again, but not for long…
Unless this cowboy recaptures her heart
Returning home with a baby in tow, Paige Cordell’s determined her stay is only temporary. But to earn enough money to leave, she needs a job—and her only option is working at her first love’s dinner theater. With attraction once again unfurling between her and Jed Gilbertson, can the man who once broke her heart convince her to stay for good?
Buy your copy HERE.
We had lots of fun at the 2019 Wordsowers Christian Writers Conference. Here are a few pictures from the event. Thank you all for joining us!
The Wordsower’s 2019 conference is over. Are you sad? Glad? In between? Dear writing friends, trust me there is still more to do!
Thank you: Take the time to use your writing skills and say thank you to the conference organizers, who spent countless hours on many details for you to have a great time. You’ll find their addresses in this newsletter. Many countless hours of preparation have gone into this conference. If it blessed you, then bless them!
Follow up: Perhaps you had meetings with individuals (agents, editors). Make sure that you have developed a system to follow up with them about things you talked about, or some clarification you’d like to receive. And, if they have given you some deadline for materials they are needing, make sure you have that date identified.
Blog: If you have a blog, please consider writing about the conference and inserting the link from this year’s event. It’s a great reminder to you about the wonderful time you had and also an encouragement to other why may be on the fence about attending an event.
Social Media: If you have pictures or great comments from the conference, please post on social media! Use the hashtag #Wordsowers2019
Receipts: The conference fee and related expenses might be a deduction for you. Make sure to save all your receipts and mileage information. And consult your tax advisor for further information!
Save: Consider setting up a system to save a tiny amount every month so that the next time the conference rolls around, you’ll already have the money saved, and perhaps even have some extra to spend at the bookstore!
Write: You may have many new opportunities, or not as many as you would like. In either case, continue writing. Remember, you were called to create!
Anne Rauth grew up in a small town in Northwest Missouri, with a high school graduating class of only 44. After high school, Anne received her MBA from the University of Kansas and immediately went to work at Hallmark Cards in their Advertising and Hallmark Hall of Fame division.
She belongs to the Heart of America Christian Writer’s Network and has led sessions at their annual conference. This year, Anne taught the workshops Don’t Monkey around with Mailchimp and Email Marketing.
Connect with Anne on her website and find out more about what she does.
Charles Christian is the managing editor for both Grace & Peace and Holiness Today magazines. He served as a Nazarene pastor for more than twenty-five years.
He taught systematic and moral theology at a variety of colleges, universities, and seminaries, Including the Nazarene Theological Seminary and Nazarene Bible College. He continues to teach as an adjunct professor of theology at MidAmerica Nazarene University.
Charles will be teaching the workshops Writing an Article and Academic vs. Popular Writing. Visit the workshop page for more information.
Charles will also be available to schedule a one-on-one with and talk to about
Did a parent or grandparent say something to you that you have remembered for a lifetime? My grandmother, who lived to be 93, always said that I should not fear growing old, because it beats the alternative!
What or who inspired you to become an author or singer or preacher?I had many friends, relatives (including my parents and grandparents), and even teachers who would tell me throughout my life that God may call me to be a preacher. They saw some things that would take me years to see for myself!
What is your favorite hobby? How does it help or influence your writing? I have been a musician most all of my life (I play several musical instruments). My own love for music is fueled in part by musicians who write their own songs, so I became interested in song writing at about the same time I became interested in other forms of writing.
Catch up with Charles at the conference and visit with him about what you have to offer Grace and Peace or Holiness Today.
Jackie Mahr is the host of Share His Light Ministries on AM 660 KCRO, and a senior account executive at Walnut radio in Omaha. With years in the business, Jackie is passionate about working with individuals and businesses to develop marketing ideas for the unique market of Christian radio, KCRO and KOTK, and Boomer Radio in Omaha and The Mix and Big Dog in Fremont.
Jackie will be teaching the workshop Giving your work a Voice Through Radio Marketing. Visit the workshop page to learn more.
Do you set goals for the new year? If so, does it help you produce more? Yes, I love setting goals ~ I’m ‘carrot’ driven! Love to challenge myself to do/be more!
What fills your basement and why? (basement is my garage)Toys, lots of toys! Golf cart, corvette, beach floats, bicycle, lawn chairs.
What is your favorite hobby? How does it help or influence your writing?I read every morning for an hour or so – mainly bible, devotionals, Christian living books, journal. It helps me put together my To Do list for the day as stuff pops up. Ie: call that friend, finish that proposal.
How do you deal with writer’s block? Pray!
Do you have a favorite scripture, if so, how has it helped you? 1 John 2 – Beloved, I wish above all things that you would prosper and be in good health even as your soul prospers! – (I could preach that all day!)
Do you read for relaxation? If so, what authors do you keep close by?I read nonfiction, devotionals and Christian living. Bill Johnson, Max Lucado
Pam Morgan Pam Morgan is a Christian speaker, author, and recording artist who has appeared on various radio and television shows, including Oprah. She and her singer/songwriter husband, Phil, have released fifteen gospel CDs and travel nationwide, inspiring audiences from Alaska to the Caribbean. Although Pam enjoys photography, scrapbooking, teaching women’s Bible study, French Vanilla coffee, and (of course) chocolate, she says nothing compares to her two favorite pastimes: sharing the hope of Christ and spending time with her beloved husband and their two young adult daughters, Kayla and Alisha, at home in Lee’s Summit, Missouri.
Pam will be leading the workshop Speak Up You Have a Great Book! Visit the workshop page to learn more.
Pam Morgan: Did a parent or grandparent say something to you that you have remembered for a lifetime? When my oldest daughter was a day old, I thought I might have to send her back. We had hardly slept all night. With a bottle in her grip, Mom scooped my crying baby out of my arms, sent me to bed and said, “Pam, don’t wish away these days. You will blink, and she’ll graduate high school.” I tried to cherish each moment, but without my permission, time flew and now my nest is empty. Both of my daughters are out of the house. Don’t get me wrong – I am super proud of my girls (who are now successful young women), and I love the freedom their launch into life has returned. But waves of nostalgia tinged with sadness sweep over me now and then when I see a young mom chasing her kiddos at church or trying to quiet them in the grocery store. Life truly is a vapor. Someone else once said, “the days are long, but the years are short.” Let’s make them count.
What fills your basement and why? Christmas decorations!! Ok, they don’t fill the entire basement, but most of our storage space. I love the beauty and hope of the Christmas season and how the lights, ornaments, and decorations hold memories of moments with those I love. My sister (now in heaven) shared my affinity for the season (her house always a wonderland of glitter and garland), and when she passed away I acquired a bunch of her stuff. Thankfully, my sweet husband lugs (most of) it out and back into the basement every year!
Do you have a favorite scripture, if so, how has it helped you? It is extremely difficult to zone in on ONE favorite scripture…there are so many. So I will focus on the one I usually list when I autograph my books and the one included in my email signature: Isaiah 40:31 – …those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.I could probably write a book about how this one verse has helped me, but to be brief, it reminds me that hoping in the the Almighty, all-powerful, Alpha and Omega Yahweh, the great “I AM” will, not might, it WILL renew my strength. I struggle with weakness daily. If we are honest, we all do. It’s part of living with sin in a fallen world. But this promises that placing my hope in the proper place (specifically, in the lovingkindness of a gracious and merciful God) WILL bring everything I need to do whatever He calls me to do, whether that be soaring, running or walking physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. I need that assurance!
Visit Phil and Pam’s website to discover more about their music and ministry.
Phil Morgan along with his wife Pam have traveled the country in full-time music ministry since 1996, appearing on various radio and television programs including Oprah, Montel, and the 700 Club. Phil has written two books and hundreds of songs, plus a weekly email devotion than highlights his humorous and creative way of expressing Biblical truth. Most recently, Phil has accepted a staff writing position with Valley Songs, the publishing division of Chapel Valley Music in Nashville
Phil will be leading the workshop Song Painting. Visit the workshop page to learn more.
Phil Morgan: Do you remember a gift you received that seemed so useless and nonsensical and you didn’t know how to express your gratitude? How did you handle the situation? Years ago at a concert someone left a gift for us on the piano bench. It was a plaster head of Jesus with a light bulb below, but the face was concave as if Jesus had stuck his face in wet plaster and left an impression. We appreciated the gesture, but it looked a little hokey, like a crushed velvet picture of Elvis. When we took it home, I was wondering what to do with it and decided to at least plug it in before we filed it away in the basement. When the light came on, Jesus’s head popped out in 3D and his eyes appeared to follow as you moved around the room. Way COOL!!! That was a huge reminder for me not to take everything at face value, but look for what is hidden inside. When Jesus shines, his light can transform the goofy into the glorious, so there’s hope for me yet! By the way, that Jesus lamp sits proudly in my office and is still shining today.
What is your favorite hobby? How does it help or influence your writing? I’ve recently taken up woodworking. It helps me in two ways. One, it is a completely different creative outlet from writing and gets me out of my office (or prison as it feels some days). Second, it teaches me patience. There are no shortcuts to creating a thing of beauty. The most crucial and monotonous step is the sanding, but if hurried or skipped the results are never spectacular. The same goes with editing and rewriting, it’s not fun, but so necessary to craft a masterpiece. To see some of my humble efforts, check out my flickr page .
Do you have anything posted around your writing desk–a reminder of why you sit at a computer for hours on end? I have a black piece of construction paper my daughter gave me years ago. In big, silver sharpie letters she wrote “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58” Amen to that!
Visit Phil and Pam’s website to discover more about their music and ministry.