| FaithWriters - February 2020
Our Year of Clear Vision
News & Information for the Write Brained Christian
Growing Christian Writers and Spreading the Gospel in over 230 Countries Devotional & Newest Member E-Books Included
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| | The Challenge Will Improve Your Writing! The following article was not a Challenge submission. But the writer does have experience in the Challenge. Every year at this time, this article is downloaded a large number of times by readers. We decided to post it.
God's Box of Chocolates--A Valentine's Day Devotional
by LauraLee Shaw
Everywhere I look near Valentine's Day, there's chocolate: boxes of chocolate in all the stores, chocolate on tv promising to be the only love you need, chocolate girl scout cookies--CHOCOLATE! I even saw chocolate Altoid breath mints in the grocery checkout aisle the other day! I think that's what led me to remember the famous quote from Forrest Gump: "Life is like a box of chocolates...you never know what you're gonna get." (I even remembered it with his accent.)
In reality, that phrase can be true in many ways. We wake up every morning completely unsure of what the day may hold for us. We've made our plans. Sometimes they even happen the way we make them. But we never know for sure, do we?
The days that come with caramel in the middle are my favorite. The ones with the strawberry goo are just so so--but the ones with coconut--YUCK! I'd rather go back to bed. Then there are the days where tragedy or difficult times come out of nowhere, and the chocolate sits in the pantry untouched...there's no sweetness to be had in those moments, it seems.
God knows that life, as it pertains to circumstances, is uncertain for us. That's why He comforts us and reminds us so many times that He is our constant companion, our steadfast friend, our consistently loving God and Savior. He doesn't keep promises the way we do:
"When people make promises, they guarantee them by appeal to some authority above them so that if there is any question that they'll make good on the promise, the authority will back them up. When God wanted to guarantee His promises, He gave His word, a rock-solid guarantee--God can't break His word. And because His word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable." (Heb. 6:16-18, the Message)
You see, no matter what chocolate we are "in the middle of" right now, He is there--with the certainty of His promise today as well as His hope of heaven in the future. Listen to how the verse above continues to encourage us: (vs.19-20)
"We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It's an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up His permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek."
I love the visual picture of grabbing on to Him with both hands as He runs ahead of me to the Father. That makes me able to get up today and praise Him for whatever comes my way. This faith, this confidence, this hope is our unbreakable spiritual lifeline--HIS love for us no matter what, when, how, or why. Let's binge on His priceless box of chocolates today...the sweetest and most satisfying of them all.
"Taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him." Psalm 34:8
LauraLee Shaw is a disciple of Jesus Christ disguised as a wife, mom, writer & speaker. Contact her and send her a comment on her article HERE. |
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CONGRATULATIONS - END OF QUARTER LEVEL WINNERS
OCTOBER TO DECEMBER 2019
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| | We can learn and improve our own writing by reading the winners.
While you are there, sow some good seed by leaving a comment.
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| | | Increase Sales With an Audio Book or Make a Nice Income From HomeRecently, I had an email exchange with Dave Walker, a longtime FaithWriters member. Dave's book, God in the ICU, has done very well. But, Dave was happily surprised to see a significant increase in sales due to the addition of an audio version. You can view Dave's book and listen to a small audio portion HERE. Dave's book was perfect for an audiobook. Dave did his narration, and for some, that might work out great. But there is an easier way and it is not that expensive. You can learn about it HERE. ACX is an Amazon company, on their site you can place your book up for narrator auditions. You then get offers from narrators who read a sample for you, posting it on ACX. You choose the one you like and make a deal. This is all done online. I recently had an audiobook done of Gravity on ACX, by a great narrator and believer named R.F. McCoy. You can hear a sample HERE. If you like R.F. McCoy's voice, make sure to request an audition from him. He was professional, diligent and on schedule. You can find his profile on ACX. It costs nothing to request auditions and you will probably get several. I paid Bob $500.00 and keep any profits myself after Amazon's cut. You can also offer to split profits and pay nothing if a narrator agrees. When your narration is complete and you have paid the bill, your book is automatically loaded for sale on Audible and other outlets. Everything is professional and that's what you want for your audiobook. Another thought for some readers is to apply to be a narrator. ACX will show you how to do this on their site. If you have a good voice, you could make a nice income from home. |
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Devotionals submitted from members publish on thousands of websites worldwide!
Great Multitude Daily Bible Devotional Receive it by email or place it on your website HERE
The Faith-Rest Life - Jennifer Woodley
‘Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.’ Hebrews 4:1 (NIV).
Just as God offered the Israelites the opportunity to enter into His rest, He offers us the same. The Israelites, however, rebelled by wrapping their hearts in unbelief and so they missed out on this calming place of rest that God invited them to enjoy.
God invites us to enter into His realm of rest by joining our faith with His Word. We ought to let God’s promises affect us so deeply that there is no room for doubt. Faith activates God’s promises to becoming real in our life, and then we experience the realm of confident rest.
There is a complete rest awaiting believers when we cease depending upon our own work and trust in our Savior’s work instead. Christ has secured our salvation, therefore we do not have to earn salvation by our own effort. Today can be our day of rest. Today we can experience this faith-rest life as we cease from our own works, and celebrate the finished work of Jesus at Calvary. Leaving behind our doubt and unbelief, let’s be eager to experience the joy of knowing God’s calming resting place that He has provided for us as we trust deeply in His Word, His promises for us and the sacrificial work of Christ at the cross.
‘Father, thank you for the work Jesus did to secure my salvation. Help me to live this faith-rest life that you offer as I believe in your life giving promises to me. Amen.’
Jennifer is a freelance writer traveling Australia with her husband. She enjoys encouraging others on their faith journey through writing and mentoring. Contact
Help us spread the good news of Jesus around the world. The FaithWriters devotional is on thousands of websites, 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.
The devotional appears on many unique websites around the world. Sites like the Kenmure Church of Scotland, Los Angeles Police Wives Association, Shields of Christ, Slavic Youth Fellowship, Go the Distance Radio Ministry, New Life Assembly, Holy Communion Lutheran Church, Metropolitan Baptist Church, ETBS South Africa, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Group Seven Technology , Nassau Tabernacle of Praise , Police Wives of America and Christian Hope Church U.K. |
| | Do This Today!
Do You Always Keep a Copy of Your Articles? We STRONGLY recommend you do this today and occasionally in the future as you add more articles
We appreciated your patience when FaithWriters was down for over two days a few 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 over 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. |
| | Love getting comments and critiques on your articles? We all do.
We are asking all members to commit to being a blessing by commenting on at least one Challenge entry per day? 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.
We also encourage you to comment on regular articles now and then. Think of the encouragement we can be if many of us commented on one article per week or even per day! Just look at the newest 200 titles and choose a few that draw your attention.
Reading the work of others and critiquing them on a regular basis, helps us grow as writers. Both parties benefit.
You Are Just One Comment Away From Being and Receiving a Great Blessing.
A special thank you to all our members who do leave comments on a regular basis. You will reap what you have sown. |
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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. |
| | Breath of Fresh Air Press - Next Mixed Blessing Book In the Works.
I have sent an email to the authors who have signed releases for #MixedBlessings 6 - Emotionally Challenged. This book is now being prepared. If you are in the list below and did not receive the email, please let me know so I can update your email address and resend the email:
Ann Grover
Ann Hair
Beth Muehlhausen
Brad Paulson
Cathy Baldwin
Christine Dunn
Cori Smelker
David Butler
Debbie Roome
Dee Yoder
Dianne Janak
Elizabeth Baize
Elizabeth Burton
George Parler
Glenn Hascall
Gregory Kane
Hope Horner
Jan Ross
Jennifer Klein
Joanne Sher
Helen Paynter
Kenneth Bridge
Kristen Hester
Laurie Walker
Linda Germain
Linda Watson Owen
Loren Lowery
Lynda Schab
Lynda Schultz
Marilee Alvey
Melanie Kerr
Patty Wysong
Rachel Burkum
RuthAnn Cornelson
Ruth Neilson
Sandra Petersen
Sharlyn Guthrie
Sheri Gordon
Stephanie Craig
Steve Clark
Venice Kichura
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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, feedback@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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| | | Article Comment Emails Not Getting to Your Gmail?
In the past, some members have had issues receiving notification emails when their Challenge or other articles receive a comment. We just did a test of the system and placed a Gmail test address in my profile. I then posted a comment
on one of my articles. I also did this test on a Challenge article for a member who said she was not getting the emails. In both tests, the email notification of the comment did come through to the Gmail address, but in both cases it went to the junk file in Gmail. So, FaithWriters automatic email system
is working to Gmail but may be going to your junk.
If you have not been receiving notifications of comments on your articles, post a test comment on one of your own articles and then check the junk tab on your Gmail. Be aware, my junk tab in Gmail showed there were no junk emails until I clicked on it and found the comment notification email from FaithWriters in there. If you find any emails from FaithWriters in your junk, move them to your inbox and hopefully next
time they will not go to junk. Make sure to check your junk on a regular basis and click on the other tabs just to check. Each time move them to your inbox. There is also a tab titled "view all email" that should be checked. Sometimes Gmail divides email up into different tabs, so check all the tabs once in awhile just in case. This is something you should check if you have Hotmail or others too. |
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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.
We have some great books for you to read for free!
Second: Choose a book. Here are three of many.
Sustainable Spirituality: Mantaining Faith in the Face of Adversity S. Richard Nelson
In this book you will:
•Learn the 3 critical areas of preparation.
•Discover the 3 pillars of spiritual sustainability.
•Realize the difference between religion and spirituality.
•Learn the 5 keys to develop personal sustainability practices.
•Examine 8 spiritual sustainability goals.
Forgetting the things behind
Nikola Dimitrov
Forgetting the things behind and stretching for the ones ahead is a healing book, based on Philippians 3:13. It is a practical revelation that has helped many people to always go forward, no matter what!
Find this book HERE
Living the Lifestyle of Faith and Power
Mark Thompson
God has given his children eternal life through the shed blood of his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. We did not earn this precious gift, and we did not deserve it. But God saved us because of his great love for us. But it did not end there.
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. |
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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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Support FaithWriters Spread of the Gospel
Fishers of Men in Over 230 Countries Together We Spread the Gospel On the Net
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.
We wish you many blessings in Christ and thank you for your support! Michael & Bea Edwards and everyone at FaithWriters
Free E-Book to build up your faith and help your friends and family members come to Christ. |
| | 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. |
| | 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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| | Please Change Your FaithWriters Password
If we are going to be online, we need to protect ourselves. It only takes a few minutes to change your most important passwords. Always use different passwords for each place you log in and keep them in a safe place. A great way to remember a password is with a sentence. For example, I am a 35 year old Christian writer. Using the first letter in each word plus the numerals and the period, the password is: Iaa35yoCw. Make up a sentence with your pets or kids names, or whatever sentence you can remember. Make sure to include a numeral or two, upper and lower case and a symbol like the example shows. Here are a couple more: 1) I live at 4533 Canyon, Wonderful, AZ. The password ends up being: Ila4533C,W,AZ. 2) I graduated from Alhambra high school in 1977. The password ends up being: IgfAhsi1977.
The world's system is placing all of their faith in the internet, even when they can see how vunerable it is. Thankfully, we know the only place where our faith belongs.
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Don't Skimp on the Editing Hire a FaithWriters Approved Editor Today!
Noel Mitaxa is an Aussie storyteller and one of several editors offering editing services. He has syndicated his weekly Good News column in Australian secular newspapers for over twenty years; a syndication that's recently expanded into Australia's armed services and to the USA and the UK.
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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
Biblical studies
Nimrod - the Easy Way to Be a Mighty One
John Townsend
Your Price: $4.49
How Nimrod rose to great power and drew to himself a great people, and so to hunt down those who were living before the Lord (Bible exposition).
Login to Buy!
Available in more formats from:
Amazon.com
Smashwords.com
Devotionals
Spiritual Journey: 40 Days of Encouragement, Reflection, & Self-Examination
Greg Nembhard
Your Price: $5.99
Spiritual Journey: 40 Days of Encouragement, Reflection, & Self-Examination by Greg Nembhard is an inspiring devotional that takes the reader on an important experience in his or her spiritual walk. Readers will walk away after finishing the book encouraged and refreshed.
from Amazon.com!
More Life Moments with Joy
Joy Bach
Your Price: $3.99
Everyday situations happen all around us. Hopefully, as you read More Life Moments with Joy, you will gain new insight into your life and your walk with Jesus.
from Amazon.com!
Non-Fiction
CHANGE YOUR HEART, CHANGE YOUR LIFE: Rewire the Brain for Positive Intuition Bringing Peace to Change the World
Nenita Shannon
Your Price: $2.99
Did you experience in a realm on a changing process of your conscious heart and mind in a higher level? If you haven't known this subject, here is a book that tells on awareness of this change from the old life morph to a newborn again in spirit.
from Amazon.com!
Business
Strategic Insights - Managing by the Book
Marvin Pirila
Your Price: $9.99
Long-term, lasting success is built on the foundation of moral behavior and actions that embody trust, respect, and confidence ─all traits influenced by Biblical teachings. A great leader, while operating from a solid foundation, demands weighted calculations and risks.
from Amazon.com!
Writing
Seeking Wisdom or Seeking A Sign: Becoming A Spirit Led Writer
Nenita Shannon
Your Price: $2.99
God is the centerpiece of relationship in a spirit led writing putting up together on a knowledge of history and prophecy. It happened in a long process of time in building a true and basic foundation of faith.
from Amazon.com!
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| | | | Thanks for your Membership and Support!
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