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Thursday, October 16, 2014

Literary Classics Award Winners

NEWS
For Immediate Release
October 15, 2014
Literary Classics
pr@clcawards.org

Literary Classics Announces Youth Media Top Book Winners

SOUTH DAKOTA - Literary Classics announced its 2014 selection of top books for children and young adults today.  Award recipients were selected from entries received from around the globe.  The Literary Classics selection committee is proud to recognize the following titles in children’s and young adult literature which exemplify the criteria set forth by the Literary Classics Awards committee.

A list of the 2014 recipients follows:

TOP HONORS BOOK AWARDS:
Enchanted Page Book Award for the most distinguished children’s storybook -  Scratch and Old Mouse, written by Kathryn England and illustrated by Kimberly Soderberg - Character Publishing

Eloquent Quill Book Award for one work of extraordinary youth fiction  -  Strange Metamorphosis, by P.C.R. Monk - Bloomtree Press

Lumen Award for Literary Excellence honoring the most notable work of  youth nonfiction  -  The Men Who Made the Yankees, by W. Nikola-Lisa - Gyroscope Books

Words on Wings Book Award for the most highly acclaimed young adult fiction work - Dew Angels, by Melanie Schwapp - Independent

BEST IN CATEGORY (GOLD)
Best Illustrator  - Morton Munson Built a Mansion, written and illustrated by Jeff Busch - Bongo Books
Best First Picture Book  -  Scratch and Old Mouse, Kathryn England - Character Publishing
Best First Chapter Book  -  Annie the Scientist, Daniel Johnson - Character Publishing
Best First Novel  -  ​Unveiling the Wizard’s Shroud, Eric Price - Muse It Up Publishing
Best Children’s Picture Book Series  -  Shelly’s Adventures (Shelly Goes to the Zoo, Shelly’s Outdoor Adventure), written by Kentrell Martin and illustrated by Marc Rodriguez - Shelly’s Adventures, L.L.C.
Best Chapter Book Series  -  1950s Adventure Series by C.A. Hartnell (Scary Spring, Sinister Summer, Ferocious Fall, Wild Winter) - Hawk Prints Publishing

PRESCHOOL/EARLY READER:
General Infant / Preschooler GOLD - Benjamin Jay was a Bully,  Emma Glover - Guardian Angel Publishing
General Infant / Preschooler SILVER - I Like Pink, by Vivian Zabel - 4RV Publishing
Picture Book / Preschooler GOLD - Even Poop Has a Purpose, Uncle Paul - PerBook Publishing L.L.C.
Picture Book / Preschooler SILVER - Without Me?,  Kayleen West - Wombat Books
General Early Reader GOLD - Deputy Dorkface, How Trutherton Got its Honesty Back, Kevin D Janison - Stephens Press
General Early Reader SILVER - A Creepy Nothingness Came Crawling, Gideon Maxim - Dot and Odd Press
Picture Book Early Reader GOLD - Odie the Stray Kitten, Kristen Mott - Author House
Picture Book Early Reader SILVER - CougaMongaMingaMan, Nancy Scalabroni - Mascot Books

PRE-TEEN / TWEEN
Fiction Chapter Book GOLD - Benton Believes, Kimberly Bugbee, M.S. - Character Publishing
Fiction Chapter Book SILVER - The Mysterious Mandolin, Aneta Cruz - Independent
Fantasy Pre-Teen GOLD - The Magician’s Doll, M.L. Roble - Independent
Fantasy Pre-Teen SILVER - Karmack, J.C. Whyte - Muse It Up Publishing
Mystery Pre-Teen GOLD - A Secret in Time, HY Hanna - Wisheart Press
Mystery Pre-Teen SILVER - The Charelton Locket, Ann Morgan Taylor - XLibris
Fiction Pre-Teen GOLD - Glimpse, Steven Whibley - Steven Whibley Books
Fiction Pre-Teen SILVER - Sons of the Sphinx, Cheryl Carpinello - Beyond Today Educator
Health /Self Esteem GOLD - Kaylee, the “What if?” Game, Christine Dzidrums - Creative Media
Health /Self Esteem SILVER - Not a Doctor Logan’s Divorce Book, Sydney Salter - Character Publishing

YOUNG ADULT
Fiction YA GOLD - ​Alchemy’s Daughter, Mary A. Osborne - Lake Street Press
Fiction YA SILVER - Sway, Jennifer Gibson - Black Opal Books
General Young Adult GOLD - Curse of the Crystal Kuatzin, Jan H. Landsberg - CreateSpace
General Young Adult SILVER - My Name is Rapunzel, ​K.C. Hilton - CreateSpace
Fantasy Fiction YA GOLD - Strange Metamorphosis, P.C.R. Monk  - CreateSpace
Fantasy Fiction YA SILVER - Firelight of Heaven, Lizbeth Klein - Wombat Books
Science Fiction YA GOLD - Protostar, Braxton A. Cosby - Winter Goose Publishing
Science Fiction YA SILVER - ​The Heir, Lynne Stringer - Wombat Books
Faith Based Young Adult GOLD - The King, Lorilyn Roberts - CreateSpace
Faith Based Young Adult SILVER - Motive Games, L.D. Taylor - Wombat Books
Historical Fiction GOLD - Alchemy’s Daughter, Mary A. Osborne - Lake Street Press
Historical Fiction SILVER - My Name is Luke, Jim Ruddle - Amika Press
NonFiction YA GOLD -  The Men Who Made the Yankees, W. Nikola-Lisa - Gyroscope Books
NonFiction YA SILVER - Once Upon a Road Trip, Angela N. Blount - Artifice Press

SPECIAL INTEREST (GOLD)
Rhyme Book -  ​If Chocolate Were Purple, Jen Barton - Flickerfawn
Self Esteem Preschool - Alex and the Rabbit, Monica Dumont - Independent
Gender Specific Picture Book - My Brother Is My Best Friend, Nicole Weaver - Guardian Angel Publishing
Interactive Book - Bubble Tubbie, Epiphany Schwarz - Black Catapult Publishing
Faith Based Early Reader - Sì Mama, Sì Papa, Nancy Scalabroni - Mascot Books
Holiday Book - The Santa Spy, Patrick Bates - Character Publishing
Educational Book - Cockroach Invasion, Dr. Sherry L. Meinberg - Archway Publishing
Environmental Issues - Cycle, Jay Amberg - Amika Press
Guide Book - What Do They Want from Me?, Kristina Kumar - Character Publishing
Gender Specific Young Adult - Hometown Heroines, Betty Boltè - ePublishing Works
Inspirational / Visionary - The Undecided, Robin Donaruma - ​Sunbury Press
Cultural Issues - Dew Angels, Melanie Schwapp - Independent

Literary Classics, an organization dedicated to furthering excellence in literature, takes great pride in its role to help promote classic literature which appeals to youth, while educating and encouraging positive values in the impressionable young minds of future generations.  Judging is based upon the criteria set forth by Literary Classics’ highly selective awards committee which honors books promoting character, vision, creativity and learning, through content which possesses key elements found in well-crafted literature.

The Literary Classics judging committee consists of experts with backgrounds in publishing, writing, editing, design, illustration, and book reviewing.   To learn more about Literary Classics, visit their website at www.literaryclassicsawards.com.


Sunday, October 12, 2014

Prisoners Help John 3:16 Authors With Heart-Felt Book Reviews

Steve Fox, a chaplain at Wakulla Correctional near Tallahassee, Florida, is coordinating a pilot program, 

Our Vision: Changing Lives to Ensure a Safer Florida, that allows prisoners to review books written by Christian authors.  


John 3:16 books delivered to Steve Fox for Wakulla Correctional in September 2014




The program not only helps the prisoners feel like they are contributing to society by writing book reviews, but the authors benefit from their insightful comments. 


I asked best-selling Aussie author Martin Roth if I could share his blog post about our new prisoner review opportunity for John 3:16 authors. 


Here is Martin Roth's thoughts after having several prisoners review his Christian thriller books.






Captive Reviews Shine a New Light

My first three novels were commercially published, but they received few reviews and have sold poorly, despite one being an Australian Christian Book of the Year finalist. So I decided I would self-publish my subsequent novels and promote them myself. I now have a total of 10 novels on the market.
Like every self-published author I am quite obsessive about getting reviews, especially on Amazon, as I know that these can make a difference to sales. I even have a spreadsheet on my computer and once a month I neurotically enter the number of Amazon reviews for each of my titles and the average rating (which is a pretty depressing thing to do, as your early reviews, mainly from friends and relatives, are glowing, whereas subsequent reviews inevitably include one-star and two-star dogs that gradually bring your averages down).
But now I suddenly find myself with a new stream of reviews that are among the most important and touching I have ever received. They put everything I have been doing in a new perspective. Amazon is no longer as important.
Maria Kannon - Smashwords Cover Jan 2013I am part of a group of Christian writers, the John 3:16 Marketing Network, whose 300+ members work to help promote one another’s writings. Though based in America, we are pretty international, with a globally diverse membership, including some here in Australia.
Recently the coordinator Lorilyn Roberts announced a new initiative, together with a Florida prison chaplain, Steve Fox, to take members’ books into prison to be read by the inmates, who would then write reviews, as part of a writing and job skills program.
I have recently received the first reviews of two of my thrillers, and they have thrilled me.
Here is Keith, reviewing “The Maria Kannon”:
I enjoyed the book, it had a good story and action. Also it didn’t drag with many pointless details, it just kept flowing.
And Lian (who describes himself as a Brother in Christ):
The main theme was that Christians should always act out of love, never vengeance. And at times some Christians must step up and do what is necessary to stop evil people from continuing evil….All in all a good read for an evening or weekend. I enjoyed it.
Of course, not all the reviews are positive. Here’s Robert:
The author has tried to twin the Japanese way of life and the Korean way of life into one simple life form, and it cannot be done. It is two wholly different life forms involved entirely upon God who in my opinion was not spoken of in a good manner….I have been to Japan myself and I have seen very little in the book to remind me of the Japanese people. I did not enjoy this book…
Coptic Martyr3But then, here’s William, reviewing “The Coptic Martyr of Cairo”:
The author seems to want to get across the importance of the persecution of the Christians around the world….This book was enjoyable. I had to rethink the way I see my faith according to a large view of what it is to be Christian.
Helping prisoners. Seeing people rethink their faith. Just what we as Christians should be doing. Thank you Keith and Lian and William and even Robert. Suddenly the mighty Amazon is no longer so important, as I view my writing endeavours in an altogether different light.

Sunday, October 5, 2014

John 3:16 Authors Donate Books to Orphans of Nepal Through Child Hope International





Christian Books to be Donated to the Orphans of Nepal
John 3:16 Authors and Child Hope International partner to donate Christian books to orphans

Contact: Lorilyn Roberts, 352-359-6941, AuthorLorilynRoberts@gmail.com  

GAINESVILLE, Fla., Oct. 4, 2014 /Christian Newswire/ -- Twenty years after award-winning author Lorilyn Roberts adopted her orphaned daughter from Nepal, she partners with Child Hope International to deliver Christian books to Nepal. 

"I lead the John 3:16 Marketing Network," says Roberts, "a network of 300-plus Christian authors. When Silas Khadka, the executive director of Child Hope International, shared with me how he wanted to bring Christian books to the children and young adults involved with Child Hope International, I knew I could make that happen." 

Child Hope International is a non-profit ministry that helps to find homes for orphaned and abandoned children in Nepal. The numbers are sobering, but progress is being made. 

There are two million orphaned or abandoned children, many of whom are at risk for premature death, being sold into slavery, or organ harvesting. There are 85 tribal groups that speak thirty different dialects and languages. Because many children still do not attend school, there is a 60% illiteracy rate, 80% among women. 

While the task is enormous, literacy is one way to help the children of Nepal—and CHI has been at the forefront of this effort for the last 15 years. All the children adopted by Nepali families in the 23 Child Hope International homes attend school. 

"Nepal has changed a lot in the last twenty years," says Silas "The kids learn English now, and these books will help them with their educational goals. Many of our children have graduated and are now teachers and nurses. One is even in medical school. But we need more books to enrich their learning and help them to mature as Christians."

"My daughter and I leave for Nepal soon," says Roberts. "I look forward to taking over 200 Christian books plus two donated kindles. God has saved these orphans from hopelessness to a hope that is eternal. Now we can bless them educationally with Christian books as well as enrich their lives for Jesus Christ." 

To learn more about the project or to donate, visit:
lorilynroberts.com/donate_christian_books_to_nepal.html 

CONTACT: Lorilyn Roberts, AuthorLorilynRoberts@gmail.com, 352-359-6941

Monday, September 29, 2014

Twenty Years Later - Lorilyn Roberts Returns to Nepal to Take Books To Orphans

This inspirational work of nonfiction follows a woman who turns her own shattered dreams into life-changing hope, relying on God's redemptive love to overcome impossible odds and adopt two destitute children from one of the world's most remote regions.

I (Lorilyn Roberts) will be traveling to Nepal soon to take books to orphans - children who have been rescued and adopted into Nepali homes sponsored by Child Hope International.

Please consider making a donation of $34.95 to help defray the costs. In return I will send you a signed copy of my best-selling memoir Children of Dreams.  

For the next three weeks, I will be publishing on my blog my adoption memoir, to encourage you to pray for Joy and me, for travel mercies, and for you to "taste" the country and experience what I felt when I was there before. God gave me my first of two "Children of Dreams" twenty years ago. I arrived home from Nepal on Mother's Day, May 8, 1994, with Manisha Hope.

The costs will be around $3,500 for Joy and me to travel and stay six days. Our time will be spent helping many of the kids with English and reading. About $1,500 has been donated so far. I am hoping more people will donate toward the trip so I don't have to spend the next several months paying off my credit card when I return. 

Imagine what the possibilities are with the two hundred plus Christian books we are taking (as well as two Kindles a member of the John 3:16 Marketing Network donated). These children are among the few, particularly the girls, to receive an education in Nepal. They are the future leaders, the future teachers, doctors, and nurses. Over two hundred abandoned children have been adopted in-country by Nepali families sponsored by Child Hope International. Today many are in college. One orphan sponsored by Child Hope International is now in medical school. 

I would especially appreciate your prayers. Donations can be made through Paypal.



If you would enjoy reading Children of Dreams as an ebook, in celebration of the trip, I'm offering a free coupon through Smashwords for the length of time Joy and I will be in Nepal. Joy is my younger daughter who I adopted from Vietnam. Manisha, who is 23, will be staying home and taking care of all of our animals. 

Here is the information to get your free copy of Children of Dreams in Nook or to read online. It is also available in Kindle on Amazon by clicking here.

Promotional price: $0.00
Coupon Code: XT77R
Expires: October 29, 2014    
 



From James 1:27:  Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.  

*~*~*~*

TO VISIT MORE SITES ON THE BLOG TOUR, CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW


Lorilyn Roberts
Sept. 8
Michelle D. Evans
Sept. 9
Cheryl Cowell
Sept. 10
Laura J. Davis
Sept. 11
Judy Lair
Sept. 12
Krystal Kuehn
Sept. 13
Violet James
Sept. 14
Emma Right
Sept. 15
Pearl Nsiah-Kumi
Sept. 16
Randy Kirk
Sept. 17
William Burt
Sept. 18
Kimberley Payne
Sept. 19
Cheryl Colwell
Sept. 20
D.K. Drake 
Sept. 21
Jill Richardson
Sept. 22
Dana Rongione
Sept. 23
Robin Johns Grant
Sept. 24
Elizabeth Paige
Sept. 25
L. Shoshana Rhodes
Sept. 26
Michelle D. Evans
Sept. 27
Sharon A. Lavy
Sept. 28
Lorilyn Roberts
Sept. 29
Dana Rongione
Sept.30
William Burt
Oct. 1
Laura J. Davis
Oct. 2
Kimberley Payne
Oct. 3
Emma Right
Oct. 4
Val Newton Knowles
Oct. 5
Elizabeth Paige
Oct. 6
Jilll Richardson
Oct. 7

Friday, September 26, 2014

A Taste of Friday with Judy Lair and From the Other Side of the Couch

From the Other Side of the Couch
A BIBLICAL COUNSELOR’S GUIDE TO RELATIONAL LIVING
Judy Lair, LPCC

About the Book:
From the time Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden, humankind has lived out of a rule-oriented, standardized framework. This strategy is great for getting tasks done, but significantly impacts the ability to do relationships well. Self-protection, anxiety, depression, bitterness, and resentment indicate a fear-based life. Learning how to love God, ourselves, and others requires a transformative process. Living a Relational lifestyle brings the happiness, contentment, and joy humans crave. Change is possible, and the reflective questions at the end of chapters help you personalize the journey. My Roadmap to Freedom shows how to walk through the valley of woundedness, liberate your feelings from captivity, wrestle inaccurate beliefs into submission, plant your flag on the mountain of truth, and learn how to live in godly freedom. Together, we will ask God to bring you context, clarity, compassion, and understanding about the pain and hurt you’ve experienced and their impact on your present life. I can tell you I absolutely, positively, completely believe in God’s heart for you and your healing—because I know His heart for me. This book welcomes you into my counseling office where I share the insights God has given to me on both sides of the couch.



About the Author:
Judy Lair is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and owner of Counselorplace Christian Counseling since 2002. She is the author of “From the Other Side of the Couch: A Biblical Counselor’s Guide to Relational Living.” Judy’s personal struggles with fear led to her healing journey. She now embraces a life grounded in God’s truth and freedom in Christ. Her vulnerable, godly approach helps people find courage to face the hurt and pain in their own life and move from fear to freedom. Sign up for blog posts at http://judylair.blogspot.com.


Connect with Judy:
Judy A. Lair, LPCC
Email: counselorplacecounseling-at-gmail.com
Twitter:  @JudyLair

Read an Excerpt:

Hello!

Welcome to my counseling office, let me know if I can get you a glass of
water or cup of coffee.  I’ll sit in my forest green arm chair next to the lamp
stand with photos of my son. You can curl up on the couch across from me.
If you’re cold, go ahead and grab the afghan my aunt Goldie made to cover
your lap. Now let’s talk.

Clients have asked me for years to write a book that sounds like the
conversations we have in my office every day. This is not your typical self-
help book with tips and tools to help you manage difficult situations. I do a
little bit of that, but mainly I focus on principles. Every counseling session
focuses on how transforming your heart, mind, and character leads to
healing and happiness. In this book you will read a lot about viewpoint,
because that makes a difference in getting clarity and seeing truth. We live
in a complicated world and the enemy loves to use confusion and doubt to
deceive. I strive to sit in God’s living room looking at life through his vantage
point and sharing that perspective with clients.

Every client that walks into my office and every person who picks up this
book is looking for hope. Hope that change is possible this time, wondering
if they are too broken to be fixed. What I can tell you is that I absolutely,
positively, completely believe in God’s heart for you and your healing --
because I now know His heart for me. God loves you with the same passion
I experience. The process I share shows you how to identify and wrestle with
the barriers that keep you from receiving and experiencing that same truth. I
invite you to be open to the concepts I share and have lots of discussions
with God about them. Whether you agree or disagree with me is not as
important as what you gain in the conversation process.

I’ve structured the book as if we’re talking in my office. First, I’ll introduce
myself. I expect that you, like me, are very particular about who you allow to
speak into your life. Every counselor has their own views on how relationship
dysfunction happens and how to address it. This view is based on their
training and personal experiences.  It’s important for clients to decide if the
counselor’s framework is the best vehicle to get them where they want to go.
For that reason, I purposefully share my background and the key life
experiences that form my beliefs. I’ve done my best to be transparent,
allowing you to get a feel for my heart, character, and motives.

Second, I’ll explain the general principles I rely on related to beliefs,
feelings, thoughts, actions, etc. Principles such as learning what it means to
love ourselves and others in a godly way, why we need to go back and open
up old painful scars, and how learning new skills such as grieving can draw
us closer to God and each other. After discussing the foundational principles,
I’ll introduce a counseling model I developed called the Roadmap to
Freedom. Walking out this journey takes you from a place of woundedness
to a life lived out of joy. Each chapter moves you step by step along in the
process. I’ve made this journey myself and am honored to walk alongside to
guide and encourage you.

*  *  *
Outcome-Based Model

One of the most detrimental counterfeits to the Relational system is the
Outcome-based model. It promises a direct correlation between working
hard and reaching goals. If I work 18 hours a day, 7 days a week, the
Outcome-based formula tells me I will receive all the benefits of the
“American Dream.” On its surface, striving to reach goals and benchmarks
appears to be helpful and motivating. That’s why this model is enticing. It’s
much more convenient to independently meet our own needs without relying
on God! The “health and wealth” theology uses this same formulaic
approach. If I pray and believe hard enough that God wants me to be blessed
in specific ways, then God has no choice but to make it happen.
In the Relational model, each person invests in helping one another grow
and prosper in loving God, themselves, and others. The Outcome-based
model preys on the fear that our legitimate needs will not be met and offers
a counterfeit solution to a manufactured problem. Just look at how products
are marketed. Instead of focusing on the qualities of a product and letting the
consumer decide what they need, commercials appeal to our emotional
vulnerabilities. We’re told there’s a direct correlation between wanting to be
loved, accepted, admired, etc. and a particular product. As I looked closer at
this model, I began asking probing questions. 

Where did these formulaic equations come from? Who’s actually
benefiting from me agreeing with them? Do they lead me closer to God
or farther away? 

What I uncovered was how humankind distorted the godly principle of
relational leadership. We replaced it with a system that could be used to
manipulate and control for selfish gain.

God’s leadership style is repeated throughout the Davidic Psalms: “His
love endures forever.” Leadership without sacrificial love eventually
becomes self-centered and punitive. The Bible shows how exasperating and
difficult it was for God to lead households and nations of stiff-necked,
stubborn, immature people. Trying to lead when you’re immature in loving
relationally is exhausting and potentially tempting.

Humankind decided to create a shortcut and instituted their own
leadership model. Most Outcome-based leaders tell us what goals are godly
and institute a set of rules and standards designed to reach those self-
determined one-size-fits-all goals. In this model, there’s always a set of
negative consequences for broken rules or unmet goals.

God gave us the Ten Commandments to show humankind the futility of
using rules to replace relationship. What God wants most is for us to draw
near to Him so He can draw near to us. Jesus cried over Jerusalem like a
mother hen cries over her missing baby chicks. Our worth and value can only
be understood through our soul connecting with our creator. When human
leadership creates a general set of standards, it leads us away from God’s
heart and we lose our personhood. 

Outcome-based systems connect value and worth directly to
achievements. In many homes, schools, churches, small groups, etc., you
must follow the rules or meet specified goals in order to receive approval and
be recognized as valuable, competent, or good. Not living up to those
expectations means letting people down, an unthinkable sin.

You can see this system play out from the first day a child attends school
and is asked to measure up on a standardized test. Who decides what facts
and theorems are necessary for a student to be “successful” in life? In church
and family households, often there are rigid rules to follow and mandated
behavior and belief expectations that must be followed. Oftentimes when the
system is questioned, the answer given is “because I said so” or the
questioner is scolded because their actions reflect badly on the institution or
family name. At work, there are sales goals, productivity expectations, time
limits, etc., all of which dictate the employee’s worth to the company. 
I’m not taking issue with setting up systems to encourage people to grow
individually and contribute to the community. The Bible talks a lot about
having a vision and pressing onward to run the race well. But when
humankind use their own standards to judge worth and value, we are putting
ourselves in the place of God.

There can be an internal and external tug-of-war when we’re conditioned
from childhood to connect our character, worth, and value to pleasing
someone or meeting goals set by someone else. If an authority figure we
respect uses guilt and shame to ensure compliance, we get a warped view
of what God expects from us. When Adam and Eve chose independence
over relationship with God, humankind learned how to deeply hurt each
other. Rather than focusing on ways to support, encourage, and care, people
became objects to use and manipulate for personal gain.

God’s leadership centers on modeling servant leadership, sacrifice, and
unconditional love. The God of the Old Testament was angered,
disappointed, and saddened by each human generation who didn’t respond
to this type of leadership. God wanted them to see how he personally cared
for them and understood their needs. 

The Israelites looked around, saw every other nation had a human king,
and asked God to appoint a king over them. In 1 Samuel 8, God warns Israel
through Samuel that a king would draft sons into the military and use their
land and energy to supply the military with food and weapons. Their
daughters would be expected to take care of the military, people would
become slaves, and everyone would be required to give a tenth of their crops
and animals to the king. Samuel begged them to consider the cost of
Outcome-based leadership, but the Israelites were adamant. 

But the people refused to listen to Samuel.  ‘No!’ they said.  ‘We want a
king over us.  Then we will be like all the other nations with a king to lead
us and to go out before us and fight our battles.’  (1 Samuel 8:19-20 NIV)
All of history shows God’s words to be true. Humans have created
hierarchical systems based on power, control, and authority which have
generally been used to provide a framework for the strong to make others
conform to their wishes. It also provides a rationalization to weigh the value
of an individual against survival of the system, usually languaged in some
magnanimous way. We’ve all heard mottos like, “The needs of the many
outweigh the needs of a few.” In the world’s system, there must always be a
choice. The saddest thing of all is that most of us believe there’s no other
way to live. But when we view life within a relational context, God gives both
sides an opportunity to learn, grow, and mature. No one ends up on the
losing end unless they choose, like the Israelites, to tell God no. Even in that
instance, God had a plan to bring them to repentance.

Cost of Living in an Outcome-Based System

Another one of my favorite movies is The Matrix because it beautifully
portrays this tug-of-war. Its basic premise is that the world known by most
humans is actually a simulation created by living machines to manipulate
and control humanity for their own benefit. Computer hacker Neo begins to
find and question computer anomalies and he’s recruited by a band of truth-
seekers. The most important scene in the movie is when Morpheus tells Neo
he has the choice to open his eyes to the simulation. Morpheus warns Neo
if he chooses to see the truth, he cannot go back to ignorance. Such an
immense decision reveals Neo’s character. Does he want to shut his eyes to
seeing the world in bondage and continue to do what is best for him or is he
motivated by truth, even if it means personal hardship and fighting against
oppression?

Neo chooses to take the truthful red pill and when he wakes up, he finds
himself attached to an electrical machine by an elaborate cable system. This
is what reality looked like for those humans who were enslaved in the dream
simulation. Reality was not as pretty as the dream world, but embracing it
showed strength and integrity. Neo makes it his life’s work to help the Zion
brotherhood bring truth to the world. The movie shows another man named
Cyber who decides he’s tired of living in reality and schemes to return to the
matrix so he can live a comfortable, pretend lifestyle. Like Judas, Cyber
betrays the Zion brotherhood to the enemy machines for his own benefit.

The price for embracing the Outcome-based system is a life of fear and
despair. Life is a never-ending worry cycle that you won’t measure up. Every
day you work feverishly to reach a goal set by someone else and when you
do, you work even harder to stay ahead of the curve. This cycle eventually
ends with you crashing in despair, wondering what makes life worthwhile. 
We keep insanely believing that doing the same things will bring about a
different result. Instead, we need to question the beliefs on which we base
our life efforts. In his book Happier, Tal Ben-Shahar, Ph.D. talks about
training with the Israeli national squash team when he was 16 years old. At
that time, he believed winning the championship was necessary for him to
feel fulfilled and fulfillment was essential for happiness. He did win and as he
savored the mountain-top happy feeling, the everyday emptiness came
flooding back.

I was befuddled and afraid.  The tears of joy shed only hours earlier
turned to tears of pain and helplessness.  For if I was not happy now,
when everything seemed to have worked out perfectly, what prospects
did I have of attaining lasting happiness?...But as the days and months
unfolded, I did not feel happier; in fact, I was growing even more desolate
as I began to see that simply substituting a new goal -- winning the world
championship, say --- would not in itself lead me to happiness. Ben-
Shahar, Happier, p. 4.

At some point, every person asks the question, “Is this all there is to life?”
We may ask it when we’re at the top of the mountain or in a deep pit from
which we never seem to climb out of -- but we all ask it. The Outcome-based,
logical strategy dangles the carrot, telling us to pull up our boots and to put
in extra effort and time. It promises if we work hard, we can achieve all our
dreams. Has that been true in your life? For me, all that hard work left me
burned out and exhausted.

For Christians, this strategy usually means we throw ourselves into church
and ministry. We desperately seek emotional highs during worship and
obsessively spend our time giving to others. But even these “good” things
leave us feeling exhausted, empty, incompetent, worthless, and desperate
for happiness and joy. In such a place, we are vulnerable to manipulation
and self-destruction. Rather than continuing to do more, why not re-evaluate
your life strategy?

My clients laugh at how I talk about loving my bed the way most women
love chocolate. Waking up in the morning, I relish the firmness of the
mattress and how my body feels rested and refreshed. I stretch like a
contented kitty and laughingly make invisible “snow angels” under the
sheets. It’s such a little, inconsequential thing in the big picture of life. But
such contentedness spurs me to prayers of thankfulness for how my life has
been transformed in only a few short years. Living an Outcome-based
lifestyle meant enduring never-ending fear, self-protection, bitterness, and
resentment. 

How do you know which system you are living in? Pray Psalm 51 and ask
God to show you if any of these Outcome-based themes are present in your
heart and mind on a regular basis:

·         Blaming others
·         Refusing to take responsibility for one’s own issues
·         Living in learned helplessness
·         Taking on the identity of a martyr
·         Giving up on life, living in despair and hopelessness
·         Attempting to fix others through manipulative techniques
·         Demanding obedience while denying personhood
·         Denying the role of emotions
·         Striving to be independent rather than interdependent
·         Living life as Martha instead of Mary
·         Choosing to prioritize ministry at the expense of relationships
·         Denying immaturities and defending them to others
·         Refusing to allow others to know you for fear of being hurt
·         Creating rules legislating worth, value and acceptance

I embrace being filled with the fullness of God and having the opportunity
to pour that out on my clients daily in my office. Where I once hated to wake
up in the morning because it would be another heavy, busy, demanding day
full of disappointment and despair, I now absolutely love my life. Yes, I have
hard days with frustrations and difficulties. However, I am committed to
knowing in my soul the truth of God’s heart. It’s a gut knowing that surpasses
head knowledge, giving me a godly viewpoint of life where I’m able to see
truth and move toward it in every area of my life. This Relational lifestyle
brings the happiness and joy every human being was created to desire.


REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1. What do you think God created humankind?
2. How does that belief shape your view of who God is and how he feels
about you?
3. Do you love yourself as well as you love others?
4. How do you process feeling like God is disappointed or upset with you?
5. What is your heart motivation when you ask God hard questions?
6. In what ways do you equate value and worth with following rules and
standards?
7. Which model do you primarily live out, Relational or Outcome-based?
8. How do you pursue happiness?
9. What Outcome-based themes are present in your life?

10. How does fear keep you from living a Relational life?

Friday, September 19, 2014

A Taste of Friday with Shoshana Rhodes and One Lamb Redeemed

One Lamb Redeemed
by Shoshana Goldberg



About the Book:

Have you ever wondered why you were born, what life is all about, what your destiny might be or if you even have one? Are you facing a giant such as cancer or betrayal in your life and wonder if you will survive? Do you have a call of God on your life and don’t know how to get from where you are to where you need to be? Have you ever asked yourself “What if”? “What if I had done that instead of this?” “Do I really have a future and a hope?” Even if you’ve given up on yourself, God has not! This book might just hold some answers especially for YOU!

This is the story of my life- really my journey with a supernatural God who was never put off by my faults and failures. It might answer some of the burning questions you have in your own life, or it may simply point you in the direction of your own journey with God. Either way, it is my prayer that you, the reader, will learn to walk with the most loving, powerful being in the universe, Adonai, the Lord of hosts, and find hope for your future!

Chapter excerpt:


Cancer

Cancer. It’s an ominous word filled with dread and fear, lots of fear. I’d heard this word spoken in times past over others. I knew from reading nursing journals and text books that one’s survival depended on the stage of the cancer and the rate of growth of the tumor(s). I read that once a person was cancer-free for 5 years they were considered to be “cured”. I also read that many persons were official “cancer survivors”.

Personally, I didn’t know anyone who had survived cancer. It didn’t seem to matter if they were young or old, male or female, rich or poor. They had all died. My Dad made it 10 months. His 36 year old sister was dying from cancer. In the years to come my Mom, another uncle, my sister-in-law, and many friends would succumb to this horrible plague.

I also knew that the available treatments for cancer in 1988 were as bad as the disease leaving its victims weak, nauseated, and debilitated. Many people I had talked to were so sick from the side effects they simply lost the will to live. They just wanted it to be over with.

My own story began before the actual diagnosis. I like to get alone with God in January of each year to hear from Him about the upcoming year. Some friends of mine had a retreat center that was snowed in. It was a perfect place to “hibernate” for the week! I spent that week in fasting and prayer. The Lord said nothing about the upheaval that was about to descend upon me.

He talked about faith. I looked out the window to the beautiful view of the mountains where I was. There were pine trees, snow and a small building on the adjacent mountainside. Suddenly, fog began to move in. It covered the mountain like a thick blanket within a matter of minutes. Then the Lord began to talk to me. He said “Daughter, what do you see”? I replied “Nothing but fog”. Then He inquired “What is really there”? I answered “A mountainside with trees, snow, and a small building”. He then said to me in that still, small, gentle voice that I’d grown to love: “Faith is like that. What you see is fog, but there is so much more that is really there. When I ask you to believe for something, you can’t see it yet, but I know what is real- what’s really there. If you can simply agree with My reality, when the time is right, I will clear the fog. Many times My people believe there is nothing there, so they go on their way and miss what I have for them.”

I was having some “female symptoms.” Nothing significant--I’d had female symptoms before. I usually went to the MD, got a prescription, and no more symptoms! This time was different. I went to the doctor and he referred me to a specialist. That’s when I got the dreaded diagnosis. It was no longer something that happened to other people. It had happened to me.

Visit the website for more information.

Shoshana would like to give print copies of her book to those who would review it for her. You can connect through the comment section on her website at this link.

About the Author:
Shoshana Rhodes has been a Prophetic Intercessor for almost 30 years and a Messianic Jewish believer in Yeshua (Jesus) for much longer! She has traveled the globe as a missionary and intercessor (well, at least the parts of the globe that contain Russia, Jamaica, and the Navajo Nation). She is a Registered Nurse, speaker, and teacher of intercession and spiritual warfare. She has also overcome cancer, financial hardship, and betrayal. She is now the author of the book One Lamb Redeemed (Pen name: Shoshana Goldberg) and is soon to release her second book The Quest for the Lost Foundation. To G-d be all the glory!