| FaithWriters - January 2019 News & Information for the Write Brained Christian"
Seek and Save the Lost Through Writing!
Devotional & Newest Member E-books Included |
| | | CONGRATULATIONS QUARTERLY CHALLENGE WINNERS |
| | | You Are Just One Comment Away From Being a Great Blessing
We all know how blessed we feel when other writers take the time to comment on our articles. Keeping this in mind, we are asking all members to commit to being a blessing by commenting on at least one Challenge entry per week? It just takes a few minutes, and there are some great entries to read every week.
Be a blessing today by clicking the links below and leaving at least one comment.
Reading the work of others and critiquing them on a regular basis, helps us grow as writers. Both parties benefit.
Thank you to all our members who do leave comments on a regular basis. You will reap what you have sown. |
| | The Challenge Will Improve Your Writing Dramatically!
Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters) Topic: Vanity (11/15/18) TITLE: Strength and Dignity By Allison Egley
Esther’s hand ran down her simple, pleated dress. Everything must be perfect, or she would be reprimanded by the elders. “How we dress and how we act are reflections on how we view God,” the elders always said. And so, the only acceptable standard was perfection. Organized and orderly.
She walked to the compound’s school, ready for another day of lessons. Esther wasn’t sure “lessons” was the right word, even. Lesson indicated learning. Interaction. Discussion. No, “lectures” was the better word, because there was no room for discussion. The only acceptable answers in school were all just a few words long. “Yes, sir.” “I understand.” “It is God’s will.” And answers longer than that were written on the board, so there was no room for deviation. She settled in to her desk. Feet on the floor. Pencil in hand. Sit up straight. Eyes on the elders.
“What,” Elder Nahum began, “does ‘vanity’ mean? Let’s all read it together.”
On cue, Esther and the other girls in her class started to read, in a unified, monotone voice. “Vanity is excessive pride in one’s appearance.”
“That’s right,” Elder Nahum continued. “And vanity is not something that should be in our lives, as members of The Holy Anointed. That is why we always dress modestly and make sure we are presenting ourselves properly to God. Because....”
“How we dress and how we act are reflections on how we view God,” the girls recited.
“Correct. That’s why we don’t go dressing like those in the outside world, and we don’t go gallivanting around, doing whatever we may please.”
Esther shifted in her seat, uneasy. She had a thought – a bit of a revelation, if you will, which was unusual. After so many years of being told what to do, what to say, how to act, and reciting the rules of The Holy Anointed, it was almost rare for her to have in independent thought. But... she had to know. Hesitantly, she raised her hand.
Elder Nahum raised his eyebrows. “Miss Esther? Do you have something to say that will benefit us? Has God given you a word?”
The other girls chuckled nervously. They all knew that God only gave words to the elders, and, on occasion, to the boys who were finishing their schooling, to see if they were fit to be the next elders. But girls? Girls never received a word from God.
“I... I have a question?” Before she lost her nerve, Esther pushed on. “Isn’t it vanity to think that the way we dress is the only way to dress? Isn’t that claiming we are better than others, and having pride in our appearance?” Esther braced for the hand across her face she knew was likely coming, but what happened next was worse...
Finish reading this winning entry and leave a comment HERE. Allison is a longtime member and one of our favorties. |
| | | Two Changes in the Challenge
1) Joanne Sher is Taking over Deb Porter
Deb will still be around but no longer involved with the operation and judging of the Challenge. Here is a message from Deb.
To my beloved Challengers, old and new, and to all FaithWriters members.
After almost sixteen wonderful years, my husband and I have experienced some fairly dramatic changes to our circumstances. Unexpected, but God-directed every step of the way. It is this change that has finally led me to make the very hard decision to step back from my role at FaithWriters.
Every step of this new direction in my life has been God-led, and I believe with all my heart that His hand will remain on FaithWriters during this transition too. I leave the Writing Challenge in the very capable hands of longtime FaithWriters member, Joanne Sher.
Due to my new workload (a consequence of those dramatically changed circumstances), I eventually realized that I had to let go of something—either my commitment to publish the Page Turner winners from the last few years, or my longtime commitment to FaithWriters. In the end, God made it clear that I needed to surrender my service to FaithWriters and trust Him to take care of it as it moves forward.
I leave with great love for Mike and Bea Edwards, the owners of FaithWriters, and for all the precious people I’ve been privileged to meet and serve over all these years. I will still be cheering you on as you write for God’s glory, and I will still be around, here and there, helping out when needed. I don’t think I could ever completely close the door on my time with FaithWriters.
God is good. For everything, there is a season. My season with FaithWriters has been a truly delightful and blessed one.
Aspiring writer, I encourage you to sow into your time at FaithWriters. This is your season to grow, and I know there is no better place for a Christian writer to be “seasoned” than right here.
You will always have a very special place in my heart.
Deb Porter
PS: If you would like to know more about the God-directed change that happened in my life, and that of my husband, you can hear about it in my message Living on a Prayer. https://soundcloud.com/new-horizons-5/living-on-a-prayer-1
2) Challenge Changing to Three Levels of Entry
Starting in 2019, the Challenge will offer only three levels of entry. To improve the experience for newer writers, we have combined Level 1 and Level 2. We believe that combining beginners with slightly better writers will improve the learning experience for both groups. The submission page has been updated to reflect this change. Levels 3 and 4 will remain the same. |
| | | Congratulations 12th Annual Page Turner Winner!
2018 Page Turner Champion—Highest Rated Entry Overall
The First World Problem of Clutter
Debbie Roome
One Page Turner Champion (the highest rated entry from either fiction or nonfiction categories) receives: 1. A cash prize of $400 (US); 2. The offer of traditional publication of their winning manuscript by Breath of Fresh Air Press (which includes editing of the manuscript, if the winner accepts the publishing contract from Breath of Fresh Air Press); and 3. Free publicity and marketing of their book on all FaithWriters' sites for twelve months following publication.
Runner Up—Fiction Winner
The Crevice
Annette Marie Griffin
Runner Up—Nonfiction Winner
Grace to Remain
Lori Othouse
Two Page Turner runners up (one from each of the two categories—fiction and nonfiction) will receive: 1. Two x one-hour mentoring sessions with Deb Porter through Finesse Writing and Editing Service/Breath of Fresh Air Press; 2. Consideration for possible publication by Breath of Fresh Air Press.
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| | Pray for Anna who recently accepted Jesus on FaithWriters
"Jesus is my Lord and Savior, please save us from witchcraft, sorcery, divination, polygamy, immorality, astral projection, pride, all sin iniquity fathers, false religion, false gods, show me your way, give me purity, holiness, give me Jesus true, save me from work of devil, and evil spirit, kingdom of darkness be destroyed, give me holiness, save us from Satan and his work, premature death, I need to serve Jesus, thank You Jesus, Amen." Anna S.
Thank you to all of our members whose membership fees allow us to stay online. Your support enables us to reach the lost in over 230 countries online. We regularly have people accept Jesus as their Savior on FaithWriters. |
| | | | The Challenge WILL Improve Your Writing!
NEVER MISS THAT PERFECT CHALLENGE TOPIC AGAIN. GO HERE and sign up in the right hand column for a weekly topic email. |
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Devotionals submitted from mem bers publish on thousands of websites worldwide!
Great Multitude Daily Bible Devotional Receive it by email or place it on your website HERE
What Lies Before Us - Karen Pourbabaee
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us.” Hebrews 12:1 NAB
Our race is put before us, not chosen. We are called to run it well, this Christian life. To stay the course and remain faithful to the end. This Hebrews verse is rich in imagery of the footraces of ancient Palestine, Greece, and the amphitheaters of Rome, surrounded by rows of spectators cheering runners on. They were racing for a prize, as are we.
While sharing the common race or journey of life in Christ, God does give each of us customized courses in our journey. What is your race? Have you discovered it yet? Are you training for it? The race demands discipline. Are you learning what you need to know about the path ahead? Seek wisdom in His Word. Listen for His voice.
Hebrews points out three ways to enhance this earthly marathon:
1. Remember the cloud of witnesses. You’re not alone. Look to the heroes of faith today and read about yesterday’s heroes in the Word. They persevered despite persecution, adversity, and trials of all kinds.
2. Throw off sin. It entangles and hinders your progress. Lay your burdens down. Cast your cares upon Jesus. (1 Peter 5:7)
3. Look to Jesus, the leader and perfecter of your faith. (Hebrews 12:2) He runs with you and sets the pace.
May we endure to a faithful end and say with Paul, “I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7)
Read more from Karen HERE.
Help us spread the good news of Jesus around the world. The FaithWriters devotional is on thousands of websites HERE , plus thousands go out by email and Twitter daily. They are also published about 90 days after FaithWriters on IDisciple HERE . Members are encouraged to submit an edited devotional for publication HERE. Submissions are a maximum of 300 words, helping you learn to write to topic and word count. You never know how your writing may inspire a brother or sister in Christ or impact a lost soul.
Watch this short video that will show you a few of the unique websites the devotional is currently on. Sites like the Church of Scotland and the Los Angeles police wives association. |
| | Do This Today!
Do You Always Keep a Copy of Your Articles? We STRONGLY recommend you do.
We appreciated your patience when FaithWriters was down for over two days a couple of months ago, due to issues with our service provider. The issue we experienced makes this message of even more importance. We do not want you to lose your articles. Therefore, we have been pushing this for a year and hope you have already taken advantage of it. You can download a copy of your articles in mass, with one click on the site.
We back up the site regularly but cannot give you a 100% guarantee of there safety. Things happen online as you know. Hackers are a big issue and some out there would like to take a Christian site down. If you log into the site and look in the middle left column of the My Account page under Update and Manage Your Profile/Account, you will see the following link on the website.
Click Here to Download a Copy of Your Articles in Mass
When you are logged into the site, click on that link on the website and a copy of your articles will be downloaded to your computer in a zip file. It will be fairly quick depending on your internet speed and number of articles. Save them to your computer or a thumb drive. While this should download all of your articles, sometimes a couple are missed for some unknown reason. Therefore, double check the downloaded articles by opening each one on your computer. If an important one is missed, you will need to manually copy it to your records from the site. Then going forward, make sure to keep a copy of each new article you post.
Make sure to do this today to protect your writing. Log in HERE. |
| | Platinum Member Books
Now Appear in Over 100 Site Ads
Promote your Christian book on FaithWriters, and you will help support our mission to grow Christian writers and spread the gospel in over 230 countries online. You will not find more exposure for your Christian book anywhere at this price.
Watch this short video HERE. |
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Support Fellow Christian Authors - Free Reads for Reviews
Read Great Christian Books for Free in Exchange for a Review
Many already have multiple five-star reviews on Amazon.
These are all free to read for you while others pay full price on Amazon. Plus you receive the bonus of helping a fellow believer and FaithWriters member. It takes reviews to sell books these days, and other members appreciate your help.
This Months Featured Free Read for Review
Radical New Covenant Bible Studies - Greater Freedom in Christ in One Month!
Michael Edwards
The purpose of these New Covenant Bible studies is to encourage the believer and remove all doubt from their heart of their Father’s love for them and their complete and total forgiveness in Christ.
Jesus often said, “Oh, you of little faith.” God desires that we live from faith to faith for our benefit, with no doubt, fear, worry or anxiety in between. It is only Satan who wants believers to doubt God’s love and complete and total forgiveness toward those who believe. He knows that if we doubt God’s forgiveness for our past, present, and future sins even a little, we will doubt God’s love for us. This will lead us to live in insecurity that manifests itself in acts of sin and the inability to love others as God loves us. We cannot love much and walk by the Spirit until we know for certain we have been forgiven totally (Luke 7:47). If we live in doubt, Satan wins in this life because he knows that love is the only thing that fulfills God’s law (Rom 13:8-10).
The truth is there is absolutely no condemnation under the New Covenant of grace and truth Jesus’s blood was shed to bring. If you are walking in fear, guilt, worry, repetitive sin or condemnation, you are displaying symptoms of unbelief to parts of the message of His righteousness and grace.
Download this book for free immediately by going HERE.
We have some great books for you to read for free!
There are several member books you can read for free in exchange for a review. Many already have multiple five-star reviews. One book is running just below five stars with over 200 reviews online, and it is listed in the top ten books of its two categories on Amazon. Another with over 40 reviews is running close to five stars and was honored as the book of the year by a major theological website. Another has over 30 reviews and is running almost five stars. Read one of these or one that has just joined the program and desperately needs reviews.
Go HERE to find other great books to read for FREE for a REVIEW.
Hurry and choose one while they are still free to read! The authors can take their books out of this program at any moment.
Have you written a book and need reviews? Learn about submitting your book to this program HERE. |
| | Another Great Way to Improve The Critique CircleFellow Members Need Your Help.
Providing comments and critiques for fellow members is of great encouragement to them. It is also the perfect way to improve your writing skill.
Tips on Giving Critiques
Critiquing the work of others requires balance. Being too nice will not help your fellow writers develop their work; being too harsh can crush a writer’s ego (particularly new writers, who tend to be shy about sharing their work). How can you achieve the right balance? Here are some tips:
Take care to point out both what works, and what doesn’t. If you’re new to critiquing, a good hint would be to point out one thing you like (a phrase, a description, an idea) for each thing that bothered you.
Whenever possible, be specific when pointing out things that you didn’t like (don’t just say “I didn’t like this part” or “I’d cut that,” say “I didn’t like this part because…” or “I’d cut that because…”).
Try to offer suggestions when you think a change is needed. Suggestions, even to the point of an offered rewording, can be very helpful; even if the suggestion isn’t exactly right for the author to use, he or she may get a good idea from it, or at least a better understanding of the point you are trying to make.
Be honest and direct, but in a polite and caring way. Holding back your feelings about a piece because you’re afraid to share your thoughts isn’t going to help anyone. Just be mindful of how you share your opinions!
We Also Need Your Article to Critique!
Members and paid editors provide the critiques in the circle. You can even submit your judged Challenge entries to the circle.
"I have a few, very few, trusted friends who will edit me with a scowl. Most people want you to feel good so they give you compliments about your writing, and these don’t help at all (except emotionally). Really, you need some grouches to edit your work." Philip Yancey in a FaithWriters interview.
This is a real chance to help others and receive some very constructive and private critiques of your writing.
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Support FaithWriters Spread of the Gospel
Fishers of Men in Over 230 Countries Together We Spread the Gospel on The Net
There is only one unforgivable sin, the sin of unbelief. Those who believe will trust God and are led to the safety of Jesus. Those who do not believe will be like those who did not enter the Ark and were lost.
The enemy is alive and rampant online with a word of unbelief. A message of hate for Christianity and Jesus. A message that is leading countless children to embrace unbelief. (Free book HERE you can review with your kids on the objective evidence for Christianity.)The number of atheist sites and organizations posting online is increasing rapidly. If you go no further in this message, at least go HERE and see for yourself the growing number of purveyors of unbelief online. Here is a short video we would like you to watch also.
Not all of us can go around the world as missionaries in person, but we can reach the world online. We can even reach many places missionaries cannot go in person. The world needs sites like FaithWriters, prepared Christian authors and as many Christian articles and books that point to Jesus as possible. The web especially needs your Bible studies, apologetic articles, calls to salvation, nonfiction and fiction articles and books leading people to Jesus. Together we attract lost people from all over the world who need Jesus along with believers who need their minds renewed and encouraged. God has given us a great opportunity to reach many people who may have never heard of Jesus. The image above marks the location of our visitors.
Numerous people from around the world have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior directly through FaithWriters. We contact every person who leaves an email address and provide them with more information. Sometimes we correspond with them several times. We even offer to place them in contact with another believer (FaithWriters member) in their country. Consider how much time people --- especially kids --- spend on the internet these days. Watch this two-minute video from Kimberly on how she found God on the internet
A few unedited emails from people who have accepted Jesus on the site.
1) This first one was from a person who hacked FaithWriters a few years ago. We feared the entire site might be lost. We prayed for our hackers and posted articles letting them know that their salvation was more important than the website. The shutdown of the site stopped and we received this message through our evangelism page. I am certain is was our hacker.
Type of prayer : first time prayer
Country : Algeria - Please leave a comment. : "I JESUS PRAY TODAY MAKE EVERYTHING BETTER I USED TO BE THIEF CRIMINAL IDENTITY SCAM BUT NOW LIFE IS BETTER UNDER JESUS CHRIST MY LORD SAVIOR."
Your work occupation : Other Religious background : Muslim
2) "Hi my name is Collin I live in Utah heber I know that we are n the last days and I want to be saved so please I need help I've been going to site to site I'm tired of going home from school a sinner I'm stressed with all my homework I cry more than ever sometimes I need Jesus." (This message was obviously from a young boy)
3) "I felt the the holyspirit lead me to you and that God's message of love drew me here."
4) "I want Jesus to be the number one in my life."
5) "I'm saved from sin and I've rededicated my life to HIM who owns me. I'm now free from lies, exam malpractice etc. Pray for me to believe that indeed "It is finished "
6) "I accepted Jesus as Lord and Need A Bible." (We sent Roger a Bible.)
7) "I have accepted Jesus and prayer not continue to commit sin any more." Matthew
8) Recently had a deputy police chief from a major city accept Jesus on the site. He is responsible for over 1,500 officers and staff and could be a big influence for Jesus. Please pray for J. Ramar.
9) "Jesus is my Lord and Savior, please save us from witchcraft, sorcery, divination, polygamy, immorality, astral projection, pride, all sin iniquity fathers, false religion, false gods, show me your way, give me purity, holiness, give me Jesus true, save me from work of devil, and evil spirit, kingdom of darkness be destroyed, give me holiness, save us from Satan and his work, premature death, I need to serve Jesus, thank You Jesus, Amen." Anna S.
For quite some time now, FaithWriters has been experiencing increasing expenses and declining income. The vast majority (99%) of our members are free, even though our membership is only pennies per day. Our main ongoing expenses come from administering the Challenge, other tools that help writers improve and site maintenance. We have increasing regular expenses and heftier one time expenses like converting our large site to a mobile responsive site. We always seem to have some type of technical issue cropping up that needs to be corrected too.
We need your help by upgrading! Go Gold at $5.95 or Platinum at $10.95 per month and help support the spread of the gospel and the growth of Christian writers on FaithWriters. As followers of Jesus, we are making a difference by publishing the truth of Jesus. Men and women from over 230 countries (View Countries Here) are drawn to the FaithWriters by the various articles on the end of our virtual fishing pole. Often our visitors are from closed countries to the message of Christ and they have no other way to learn about Jesus. They are able to learn from our evangelism site and the sister-sites to which we have provided links, including sites with in-depth information in their native language.
You can also upgrade and designate it as a payment to sponsor new writers. We have many people from around the world who do not have the funds to upgrade. In some countries, even if they do have the funds, no payment processor will handle online payments due to online corruption in their country.
Upgrade or sponsor a person HERE. Just click on Gold or Platinum. As a current member you just need to do the PayPal portion. You do not need to do a new profile. When we see your PayPal come through, we will credit your account. If you wish to sponsor a member, email us after you do the PayPal and tell us your payment was for this purpose. We need to keep telling people about Jesus! Will you help us?
We wish you many blessings in Christ and thank you for your support! Michael & Bea Edwards and everyone at FaithWriters
In supporting FaithWriters you gain access to more tools to improve your writing, foster the growth of new Christian writers and spread the gospel in over 230 countries online. All for pennies per day.
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| | We Always Respond to Emails
If you do not receive a timely response to an email, we did not receive your email, or you did not receive our reply. We are constantly battling overwhelming amounts of spam and sometimes emails we should receive end up in our spam by accident.
You should check your spam and make sure that writer-support@faithwriters.com,
bea@faithwriters.com and michael@faithwriters.com are on your email providers approved list.
If you have tried more than once and did not receive a reply, click on a contact link at the bottom of most FaithWriters pages and send us a message telling us of the issue. We will try and email you from another email provider.
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Don't Skimp on the Editing Hire a FaithWriters Approved Editor Today!
JOANNE SHER is one of several editors offering editing services.
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| | This Months FaithWriters Great Reads Selection
We have some excellent writers and many topics to choose from at FaithWriters. Bless your fellow members by reading one or more of their books. Just imagine how you would feel if they did the same for you. Many of these books have multiple five-star reviews on Amazon.
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Recently Added Books as Described by the Author
Fiction
The Encourager
Ken Kwok
Your Price: $3.99
The Encourager is an orphan by the name of "Him" (meaning humble) given to him by his adopted Chinese parents. God chose him and sends him to comfort people and renew their hope. Him is The Encourager of God. The 11 stories in this book were written from an explicit Christian viewpoint.
from Amazon.com!
Finding Her Heart
Donna Wittlif
Your Price: $2.99
Only true love can help Allison conquer Asperger's and loneliness. David says he loves her, but is he the one? She risks everything to find out. What she finds is more than she can imagine. A must-read for anyone who is looking for love.
from Amazon.com!
Non-Fiction
Insight
Ken Kwok
Your Price: $2.99
This book is a collection of some of my writings that I’d written in the past two and half decades. I call them ‘Insight” because each piece speaks to me spiritually and emotionally as if my soul is teaching me the profound lessons of being human experiencing this world.
from Amazon.com!
It Doesn't Hurt Anymore: Release the Past and Embrace Your Future
Dr. Arvis Murrell
Your Price: $16.95
Do you feel like your past follows you around? Maybe you had a painful childhood or experienced trauma later in life. You clearly see how your past holds you back, but you just can't seem to let go of it. Dr. Arvis Murrell understands your situation as she was once bound by a painful past.
from Amazon.com!
The Prayer
Laurie Staples
Your Price: $0.99
It is 1958 and high schoolers Brett and Janet are madly in love. One afternoon of unbridled passion results in an unwanted pregnancy. Not wanting Brett to give up his dream of attending college, Janet hides her pregnancy from him.
from Amazon.com!
Poetry
Gleams of Glory: Poems and Prose Poems
Lois Lewis
Your Price: $3.99
The sixty poems in this third collection of verse by poet Lois Lewis is a collage—a celebration of the spirit, of nature, and of life. Topics range from animals, birds, fish, and insects to flowers, trees, weather phenomena, and social issues such as genetic engineering, cryogenics, and World War 2.
from Amazon.com!
Meadows or Briars: God in the Midst of Our Pain
Carol Penhorwood
Your Price: $3.99
Invisible pain. Is there a purpose in it and a path through it? This book contains inspirational poetry for those touched by physical and emotional pain or suffering.
from Amazon.com!
Free Reads For Reviews
New Covenant Bible Studies
Michael Edwards
Your Price: $0.00
The purpose of these New Covenant Bible studies is to encourage the believer and remove all doubt from their heart of their Father’s love for them and their complete and total forgiveness in Christ. FREE READ for Review Seeking Reviews for Amazon and Here.
YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN. NOW WHAT?
james rondinone
Your Price: $9.99
This is a story about having found the treasure for my inner being, but with the dilemma, what should I do with it now that I have it? I think for many Christians who have found a life changing treasure they are at a loss as to how to proceed.
from Amazon.com!
Available in more formats from:
Smashwords.com
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