Month: June 2017

Learning to Live

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Part of learning to deal with a chronic illness is learning to live. Part of learning to live is learning to let go.

Today’s Bible Verse

Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV), “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

What the Verse Means

The verses remind us we are to completely rely upon God’s wisdom, power, goodness, and upon his providence and promises, for direction and help in all of our life routine matters as well as dangers and big decisions.

Praying using the verses

  1. Heavenly Father, teach us how to give up expectations of life as we once knew them. Show us how to let go of the old “normal.”
  2. Lord, show us how to trust God with our future. Help us learn to live, to “Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” Help us accept the new “normal.”

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Strategies for Building Audience.

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Your strategies for building an audience is your road map to getting to your destination. What destination is that you ask? It is having a target group of people to potentially buy your books.

Five Recommendations:

  • Get a Website
  • Blog Regularly
  • Social Media Engagement
  • Create Videos
  • Create a Podcast

First Glance Looks Scary and Hard

A first glance you might think the five listed above are scary and hard. I won’t lie to you, they take work and commitment. The are learned skills or items that you can outsource (like website creation).

As we examine each in the next five sessions you’ll have your fears and dread lessened. You’ll see their value. You’ll get some ideas. Remember, you don’t have to do them all at once. You can take them one step at a time. We learn to crawl, then walk, and finally run.

Next time we will look at website creation.

Photo Source: Pixaby

 

God’s Presence

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Dealing with a chronic illness can be a lonely struggle. Sometimes you feel it is you against the world. As a Believer in Jesus Christ, you are not alone. God promises His presence will go with you.

Today’s Bible Verse:

Exodus 33:14 (KJV), “And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.”

What the Verse Means:

The verse tells us that God Himself will is pledging He will go with you. He is not delegating this task to another. We see it manifest in Exodus 13:21 with the fire and cloudy pillar. The rest promised is not only rest from the present anguish and troubles but in due time God will bring them to their resting-place and settled habitation, the Promised Land.

Pray Using the Verses:

  1. Heavenly Father, we pray to feel and experience the comfort of God’s presence.
  2. Help us, Lord, to experience and accept the promise of rest You give.
  3. Pray that your loved ones would experience God’s presence and rest.

Photo Source: Pixaby

Build an Audience

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Before publishing your book you need to build an audience. Gone are the days where the publisher will build your audience for you.

I can hear you thinking, why should I build an audience? You are also thinking, that sounds hard. I just want to write.

Two Reason Why You Need to Build an Audience.

  • Connect with the reader. Did you know most book sales happen because the reader has developed a connection with the author? Yes, a connection between reader and author is important.
  • You need an audience to sell your book to.

Who Is Your Audience?

  • The audience is the people who listen to what you have to say.
  • They have an interest in what you present.

Why Would They Listen to You?

  • These are your “nation” or “tribe.”
  • These are the people who listen to what you have to say.
  • These are the people you’ve built trust with.
  • These are the people who realize you are a subject matter expert or tell a great story in a genre in which they have interest.

Next time we will at several strategies to build an audience.

Photo Source: Pixaby

Star Nomad: Fallen Empire, Book 1 by Lindsay Buroker

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The Science Fiction & Fantasy Marketing Podcast was my introduction to author Lindsay Buroker. An episode of the podcast I was listening to mentioned she also wrote Science Fiction as well as Fantasy. I headed to Amazon to explore her science fiction books.

I did a quick reading of the first four paragraphs of chapter one of Star Nomad: Fallen Empire, Book 1 in the Emperor’s Edge series. I then purchased the book using the beautiful “buy with 1-click” Amazon command button.

I am now a fanboy of Lindsay Buroker’s science fiction writing.

The author has a great story. The memorable characters greeted me immediately. There is the Star Nomad’s captain, Alisa Marchenko. She has her engineering friend Mica who is also a heck of a mechanic. They find Alisa’s mother’s old ship to get off the desert planet they were stranded on after the war ended.

We learn that Alisa and Mica fought on the side of the Alliance. They soon meet an Imperial cyborg living in and guarding the Star Nomad. They negotiate with him to reach their common goal of getting off the planet and back to Alisa’s home world of  Perun and civilization.

We learn the consequences of what happens when an evil empire is overthrown without having a strong new government plan in order.

Additional players in the book are the previous Emperor, the Starseers, the Alliance, and the Mafia. The book cover the characters’ quest to Perun. It lays down a solid foundation for the remaining journey and possible future conflict between characters.

I have read book 2 and will review it soon. I am currently reading book 3 in the series. It looks like there are 8-books to date in the series.

Star Nomad is fun reading. It will make even give you the desire to do some grilling of bear meat. And yes, there are female science-fiction authors. Lindsay Buroker is of the top ten female science fiction authors of modern times according to World’s Edge Tavern.

Deliverance

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Learning to live with a chronic illness includes learning to face and live with trouble. The Bible does not flatter us with the false hope that goodness will secure us from trouble. Instead, the Bible warns us over and over to expect tribulation while we are in this body. Our afflictions come from all directions and at any time. They challenges are many but with Jesus Christ, we can face each day. There is no promise they will go away in this lifetime. However, the Lord will guide us through or lift us out of them.

Today’s Bible Verse:

Psalm 34:19 (KJV), “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”

What the verse means:

The Treasury of David explains it this way. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, etc. Be our troubles many in number, strange in nature, heavy in measure; yet God’s mercies are more numerous, his wisdom more wondrous, his power more miraculous; he will deliver us out of all. Thomas Adams.”

Praying using the verses:

1. Heavenly Father, we know the afflictions of the righteous are many.

2. Lord Jesus, we find some comfort in knowing hardships and trials are the norms.

3. We confess we don’t like them but trust in you.

3. God our Father, we give you thanks for the promise of deliverance.

Photo Source: Pixaby

Hope

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One of the hardest things about a chronic illness is its length. If it is not a terminal illness, you find yourself or family member facing its challenge daily. If it is a terminal illness, it may turn into a long goodbye.

Today’s Bible Verse:

Job 11:18 (KJV), “And thou shalt be secure because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.”

What the verse means:

Regardless of the length of the goodbye, for the Christian, there is hope in Jesus Christ.

Praying using the verses:

  1. Heavenly Father, we feel secure because there is hope.
  2. Because of the hope we have in you, we can rest in security.
  3. Pray for a good day of rest.

Photo Source: Pixaby

God’s Benevolent Activity and Gracious Will

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Learning to deal with a chronic illness includes accepting God’s benevolent activity and gracious will for the life of the Believer.

Today’s Bible Verse:

Numbers 6:24-26, “The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

What the verse means:

Each line of verse, with God as subject, is progressively longer (three, five, seven Hebrew words). God is the actor in all six clauses: bless, keep, make the face shine, be gracious, lift up countenance, and give peace. The six verbs together cover God’s benevolent activity from various angles and state God’s gracious will for the life of the people.

Praying using the verses:

1. Thank you, Lord, for your blessings that are poured out on our chronically ill loved one and our family.
2. Thank you, Lord, for keeping our chronically ill loved one. I thank you for the safety you provide in sheltering our chronically ill loved one from evil and illness.
3. Thank you, Lord, for smiling on our chronically ill loved one. We appreciate your benevolent disposition toward our chronically ill loved one and our family.
4. Thank you, Lord, for your graciousness toward our chronically ill loved one.
5. Thank Lord for turning your face toward our chronically ill loved one and the way it signifies your gracious movement toward them.
6. Thank you, Lord, for the peace you have given our chronically ill loved one and our family as they face their illness and treatment.

Picture Source: Pixaby

Why People Don’t Self-Publish

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There are three main reasons authors wanting to self-publish have for not self-publishing.

Uncertainty or Lack of Conviction.

  • You think:
    • I can’t do it.
    • No one will like or buy my book.
    • Others are the authority on this subject area.
    • Self-doubt: You can’t do this mindset.
  • You should think:
    • I have something to say.
    • I am qualified to write this.
    • If not me, who?
    • I can do this.

Fear

  • You think:
    • What if I fail?
    • What will others think?
    • What if I do this wrong?
    • I am going to look silly.
  • You should think:
    • If I touch one life, I have succeeded.
    • Others will hold me in high esteem for sharing my story.
    • My family and children will see I can do it.
    • This will be a fun adventure.

Paralysis

  • You think:
    • What if I start and don’t finish the book?
    • I don’t know how to do this.
    • I don’t have the technical skills.
    • It is too hard.
  • You should think:
    • I will have this finished by a certain date.
    • I can learn to do anything.
    • I know someone with or can learn the technical skills.
    • Nothing is too hard

Reflect on how you can write and publish your book. Set a date to finish the first draft. Go for it!

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Praise

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Learning to deal with a chronic illness includes praising God

Today’s Bible Verse:

Psalm 86:12, “I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.”

What the verse means:

We glorify God by praising him. Our end as the creation of God is to praise God. While nothing we do can add to God’s glory, when we praise Him it exalts Him in the eyes of others. When we praise God, we spread his fame and renown. Praising God is one of the highest and purest acts of religion. In has been said, in prayer we act like men; in praise, we act like angels

Praying using the verses:

1. Father in heaven we pray that we would continue to praise God with all our heart even our loved one faces their illness.

2. Our Lord and Savior Jesus we pray that we would glorify God’s name forevermore.

3. Jehovah God we pray we would focus on Your riches, not our troubles.

Photo Source: Pixaby