REFLECTIONS ON OUR APPEARANCE ON ANIMAL PLANET

Having never been on television, it was a unique experience to see myself and my family on the screen. I looked way too old on high-definition TV (do I look that way in person?) At least the analog televisions didn’t show every wrinkle. Now I know why people spend so much time on make-up. Yeah, I know, vanity, vanity! They should have sent one of those miracle workers along with the cameramen and interviewers. I heard comments from my kids like, "That doesn't look like you." What is that supposed to mean?

There were also some scenes needed that weren't shot in Gainesville. I did a double-take when another woman appeared on the screen impersonating me. Where did she come from? And a lot of events were omitted for the sake of brevity. Really, I am not that paranoid about headaches—except my father and aunt died of a brain tumor. If you know that bit of information, my initial concern about Manisha’s head hurting makes more sense.

But I am thankful for the opportunity that Animal Planet gave my family to share the story and disseminate the information about the pork tapeworm in the brain. It is the most common parasitic infection of the nervous system in the developing world. Six percent of the population in Asia, Africa, and South America are infected. More knowledge about this condition will help doctors and the public to be aware of and prevent this sometimes fatal malady.

I also appreciate the time and effort of all those who were involved in Manisha's care, the filming of the show, and who helped to bless us with a successful outcome. I want to thank the family with the eight-year-old adopted daughter from Nepal who played Manisha in the reenactments. She was a real trooper. I want to thank Joy for allowing us to use her bedroom for Manisha's interview. And lastly, I want to thank Manisha for being willing to share her story on national television. Not every teenager has the guts to do that!

This whole experience has touched each of us in significant ways. Hopefully, you have vicariously shared in this journey on “Monsters Inside Me” and in my book Children of Dreams. May God receive the glory for His healing touch on Manisha.

If you want to read the full story, as they say, usually the book is better than the movie, please check out my book Children of Dreams, available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and your local bookstores. I am also available for interviews and speaking engagements within the Gainesville area (and maybe outside the area if I have the time).

If you missed the airing yesterday, “Shape Shifters” will be shown again on Animal Planet on August 31st at 8pm and 11pm. When it’s available on the Discovery website, I will post a link to the episode here.

My thought for the day: Life is too short–may we focus on the moment since that’s all we have and give it our best. No complaining allowed. Try it. And then thank God He gave you one more day. Life is a gift—share it.

MANY LESSONS FOR A LIFE WORTH LIVING: Devotional by Lorilyn Roberts

Every summer we have a nesting pair of birds set up residence in the birdhouse in our backyard. For many years, it was a purple martin house, though purple martins never used it. Great crested flycatchers found it and returned year after year. We knew they had arrived when we heard them in the trees. If they thought I was watching, they would fly away. Toward the end of the summer when the babies had fledged, the squirrels would move in and stay. When I took it down I found one large hole in the middle. The squirrels had remodeled the interior and the flycatchers had enjoyed a mansion for a home. 

I replaced it with a bluebird house in early spring last year. I wasn’t sure if we would attract any bluebirds. When I saw a scout checking it out a few weeks later, I thought we might get lucky. After all, the birdhouse is located on prime real estate, what I would consider Park Place on a Monopoly board. It has a bird’s eye view of our pool; the canopy of honeysuckles, red tips, cassia, and water oak; and a small flower garden of shrimp plants, milkweed, pentas, and philodendrons.

This spring, I took a peek inside the house. I knew I should buy a new one. The base it rested on was warped and it was only secured by a plastic bag tie, but I was busy and soon forgot about it.

The bluebirds arrived and began rebuilding their nest. I watched as they carried leaves, moss, and twigs into the hole. A few weeks later, the faint sounds of babies could be heard. I was excited once again to watch the back and forth ritual of the parents feeding them. However, when a few days passed and I didn't hear or see them, I became concerned. Did a predator get to them? I looked around the front yard to make sure I didn't see a dead bluebird.

I gave up the search when I saw the mother and father working on the nest again. They appeared to be undertaking a rebuilding project. Something had gone awry and they had started over.

Several days later I went out for my daily swim. When I glanced at the wooden house, I was greeted by two beady eyes staring out of the dark hole. They were much too big to be a bluebird’s. Surprised, I examined the front of it and noticed the hole had been enlarged. It was big enough for one determined squirrel to squeeze into, though it was a tight fit. She was scrunched down as she stared out. She had usurped the bluebirds and now considered it her home.

It would have been comical if I had not seen the birds bringing in nesting material the day before. But what could I do? I got in the pool distracted and concerned. Was the squirrel sitting on the eggs, or worse, smothering the babies?

After a while, I watched the male and female fly over to their nest. At the last minute, they halted their approach in midair. They backed up and flew over to a tree. It appeared they had no idea there was a squirrel inside their quarters. I was upset because the squirrel had the entire canopy in which to build her house.

I climbed out of the pool, grabbed the pole that I used for skimming the water, and angled it up to the birdhouse. The squirrel jumped out like she had been stung by a hornet. Wild eyes flashed as she scrambled past me, jumped from the fence into the thicket, and scurried off faster than a startled fish.

My job accomplished, I dipped back into the pool and swam to the far end. I hoped to see the bluebirds reclaim their territory, but they didn’t return. Perhaps they were waiting for me to leave. It was getting dark anyway, so I got out, dried off, and went back inside to change.

Then I heard Joy’s frantic scream, "Mamma, the bluebird house fell over."

“What?"

I ran out of the backdoor. The box was partially burst open lying on the ground. The squirrel broke the plastic tie when he scrambled out of the tiny hole. Or maybe the birds had returned and knocked it to the ground. The house was destroyed beyond repair. Some nesting material had fallen out of the sides where the wooden boards had separated. I peered through the hole searching for baby birds or eggs, but to my dismay, instead, there were two baby squirrels inside. I did a double-take because I expected to see baby birds. They were very small with no hair and couldn't have been more than a few days old.

Would the mother return? How could the squirrel have been using the house at the same time? The babies didn't appear to be hurt. At least they were moving around a little, as much as baby squirrels with their eyes closed can.

The nesting debris had cushioned the fall, though I wondered how so much “stuff” could fit into such a small space. We needed to figure out how to put the birdhouse back on the post. The base of it had rotted away and there was nothing to which we could mount it. I managed to force the sides of the box back together.

I set the house on the table by the pool and went out to the garage to find something we could use. Joy later told me she saw the mother squirrel return and leave. That was a good sign, I hoped, that she would come back. I found a roll of sticky blue tape that we had used to cover the windows during the last hurricane season. We could use a screw to latch it on the post and run the tape around the sides and underneath it.

Joy and I climbed on top of the wooden fence and took turns pulling off tape and wrapping it like a band-aid. When we finished it was nighttime and we went back inside to watch.

A bluebird arrived immediately, but he refused to go in. He just sat outside the opening. We got tired of watching the perched bird, and he was in the shadows anyway. I went to bed thinking about baby squirrels, feeling guilty for my part in the disaster. I wondered what I would do if the mother did not return.

The next day I kept an eye out for her, but the birdhouse just baked in the sun with no squirrel to be seen. By late afternoon I had to do something. I took Joy to the gym and went to visit a friend who takes care of orphaned animals.

I asked her if she would take them if I retrieved them. She reassured me she would. I ran home, climbed up on the railing once again, and brought the box down. I set it on the table and looked inside, but to my dismay, it was empty.

My friend said it was possible the mother might have returned that night or early in the morning. She explained that squirrels make several nests, so if one nest is overrun by ants or she is scared off, she has another one to which she can carry her babies.

I still felt sorry for the birds. I went to the store and bought a brand new bluebird house—one that a determined squirrel couldn't gnaw through. My neighbor come over later that evening and anchored it so it couldn't get knocked over again. My biggest regret was that I didn’t do it sooner.

Sometimes God paints pictures of life lessons that can have many meanings. If I was a bluebird, I would have doubted my ability to raise a family. Would I have the strength to try a third time?

If I was a squirrel, I would have learned it doesn’t pay to steal someone else’s home. I needed to build my own.

But God had a different message for me—things may not always be as they appear. While I was expecting bluebirds, God delivered squirrels. How many times have I been so sure of myself only to find out later I was wrong? And maybe, just maybe, God wanted me to dive into the pool, enjoy a swim, and let Him take care of the animals.

PARADISE FOUND: Devotional by Lorilyn Roberts

As a closed captioner for television, sometimes the news can be overwhelmingly depressing. As I look at the oil spill in the Gulf, the missing child in Portland, Oregon, and the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the world appears cruel and heartless. If it bothers me, as sinful as I am, I know it must grieve our heavenly Father.

Today I am reminding myself of the heavenly home that awaits me. While I can’t change the world I face each day, I can renew my thoughts and how I view the sometimes unexplained darkness. By allowing God to work on my heart through His Word, I can gain a heavenly perspective, lifting my spirit from the gutter that robs me of my joy.

Take a few moments and see what God is preparing for us. Our negative thoughts can be redeemed, helping us to live each day with renewed hope for a brighter future.

Revelation 21:4 says. “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 

This new order will follow the greatest war in the universe when God and his angelic warriors battle against Satan and his powers of darkness. Earth will be the battleground and man the prized possession. While the eternal battle wages on for the destiny of our souls, we can rejoice that Heaven is a real place—a place where our failures will no longer paralyze us; where perfect love will cast out fear, joy will abound in unceasing laughter, and unfettered peace will dwell forever. It is but one heartbeat away for those who believe in Jesus Christ.

On earth, we are locked in time, but heaven exists outside of time. Sadly, sin has tainted almost every aspect of our lives—the way we think, the way we live, and the curse, passed down from Adam and Eve, plagues every living creature. But in heaven, there is no sin. It is a place of unparalleled beauty. Think of the most beautiful place you have ever visited and it won't compare to the majesty of heaven. Heaven is an out-of-this-world kingdom inhabited by thousands upon thousands of people and angelic creatures. When we pass through heaven's gates, we will be clothed in spiritual bodies that will no longer be imperfect but eternally perfect.

Apparently, some saints will shine brighter than others, depending on their faithfulness to God, just as some stars appear brighter in the night sky. There will be rewards for our good works and for bringing others into the kingdom.

In heaven, there is no competition for food or toll for survival—even in the animal kingdom. Romans 8:22 says, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” 

The wolf and the lamb will feed together. Children will play with lions. The sound of crying will never be heard again. The old order of things that we are subjected to now will have passed away, and our afflictions and troubles will no longer be remembered.

It is never dark in heaven because the glory of God gives it light. The New Jerusalem will shine with the majesty of Perfection. The city will be built of pure gold, pure as glass. The foundations of the city wall will be made of precious gems and the twelve gates to the city of single pearls. Nothing impure will be able to enter the city. 

A river will flow from the throne of God, a crystal, clear, river called the River of Life. Within the city, there will be a Tree of Life which will bear a different fruit each month. Its leaves will be for the healing of nations.

Heaven, as portrayed in Revelation, also has many mysteries that are beyond our understanding. For example, the four winds who obey God and the four unusual creatures who unceasingly give praise to our heavenly Father. I wonder, what did John mean when he said the sky receded like a scroll? And where heaven is physically located is not revealed, but in Genesis 23:12, Jacob “had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.”

In Revelation 4:1, John sees an open door to heaven; and in Acts 7:56, Stephen said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” Because it is impossible for anything defiled or sinful to enter into heaven, it would have been impossible for anyone to go there if God had not provided a way. In Leviticus 26:12, God said, “I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.”

Long ago Satan and his angels were cast down, and today we battle against these unseen powers of darkness. But through the Holy Spirit, we have a taste of heaven here. The Spirit whispers to us in our sleep, comforts us in our pain, and implores us never to give up. The Bible reminds us of the unwavering truth that even the rocks would cry out in praise to our heavenly Father if it were possible.

When Jesus hung on the cross, He said to one of the two thieves beside Him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” 

I take comfort in the fact that for the last two thousand years, Jesus has been preparing a place for those who believe in Him. I Corinthians 13:12 says we see through a glass darkly, but someday heaven will be fully known to us, even as we are known to God.

Someday heavenly music will permeate our ears. We will splash with joy in heavenly waters emanating from God's throne and walk on streets of gold. We will be reunited with those who have gone before us. We will feast at the marriage supper of the Lamb, and all those whose names are written in the Book of Life will see the face of God. 

What a glorious eternity awaits us. Let not the heartaches of this world discourage us from remembering the richness of God’s grace even here—found in Jesus Christ. God sent His only Son to die on the cross so that we might have eternal life in heaven. As Jesus said in John 16:33, “In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

BOOK MARKETING: “A Christian Marketing Twist on an Old Concept,” by Lorilyn Roberts

As I continued to market Children of Dreams, make contacts, and converse with authors, I found I was not the only one walking this lonely road. There are many Christian writers out there with hopes, dreams and a passion for writing.

It is overwhelming to navigate the web and figure out where to spend money prudently to achieve the best results. There are boatloads of companies and individuals offering various packages. If you aren't discerning, you can quickly invest a lot of money in things that may give you exposure but not generate sales, and there is a difference. You can do a Google search of my name and easily pull up twenty pages. So, to be honest, I am no longer interested in exposure. I want to sell more books.

I tried many things to increase sales. I suspect many give up believing it’s too hard and too expensive. How many excellent books will never see the light of day? Even with lots of exposure, it's still tough to sell many books. Sometimes I think authors spend so much time writing and promoting their own books that it does not allow enough time for them to appreciate what others are writing. Finding the right balance can be elusive.

The idea of working hard to achieve your dreams resonates with my core beliefs that God rewards those who seek to glorify Him in whatever profession they pursue; and at the heart of glorifying God is hard work.

One of my favorite Bible verses is Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” You persevere, work hard to produce a product that others need or want, and eventually, if you are wise with the gifts God gives you, He will bless you.

With the downturn in the economy, it is increasingly difficult to market and sell books. The publishing industry across the board is hurting, but I believe the Christian market is suffering even more. The reality for Christian publishers is they must sell thousands of books to make a profit. If they don't succeed, they won't stay in business.

So when a mainline publishing company’s agent asks me, “How are you going to market your book?” I understand how important it is to assure him I can successfully market my book. Until recently, however, I was clueless about how I could do it effectively. So are many others, and that is something I hope to change.

Recently I listened to a well-known Christian author compare POD publishing to traditional publishing. He discouraged writers from going the POD route, claiming that a person who publishes a POD book is not really an author. I wanted to tell him that the way marketing is today, it's almost impossible for someone like me to get traditionally published—without a platform and a lot of money, neither of which I have.

I came away discouraged like I was a second-class author. It isn't enough to have a well-written book. The reality is, you could have a book as well written as Charles Dickenson’s Great Expectations and the world might never know about it.

I have read articles, blogs, excerpts, and books by unknown authors. There are some wonderful stories out there in cyberspace. That is not to say there isn’t mediocre writing also. But I want to help those Christian authors like me who have been inspired by God to achieve success. If God is all-powerful, and I don’t believe any Christian would deny that, He can get our books into the hands of those who will appreciate them and buy them. If anything, I think we tend to limit what God can do because our expectations are too low. We have an awesome God who is in the business of doing the impossible.

The other day I was on a Christian writers’ website. The blog mentioned how long it takes an unknown writer to get his book published by a mainline publisher—seven years. If I had dutifully followed the trail blazed by others before me, Children of Dreams wouldn't be out into the marketplace until I was sixty years old (ouch, that hurts).

I will compare that to my former husband’s educational experience. I put him through medical school which took four years. His residency following that took four more years. In eight years, he went from building bikes for minimum wage at Toys R Us to treating cancer patients making hundreds of thousands of dollars. If the medical system can accomplish that, surely there is something the Christian world can do to make that nine-year process go a little faster.

I am a single mother with two daughters. I’m employed full time as a closed captioner for television. I am taking online classes to earn my Masters in Creative Writing. I am the president of a local Christian writers critique group in Gainesville which meets once a month. I follow up with the attendees after the meetings to encourage them (we all need encouragement, even those who have “arrived”). I home school my youngest daughter who is eleven. We also have four neurotic cats and two wacky dogs.

Of course, the above activities don’t include the stressful job of living—paying bills, cooking, laundry, running my eleven-year-old daughter everywhere (she's a level eight competitive gymnast who spends twenty hours a week at the local gym), plus I am committed to a church, attend weekly, and am involved in a small, one-another group that meets once a week for prayer. I also try to swim laps every day at the Gainesville Health and Fitness Center (I want to be around for my grandkids). I am not complaining. God has blessed me with more than I could possibly do in my own strength.

My point is, in order to fit it all in, I must work hard, efficiently, and maintain an attitude that brings glory to God. Otherwise, I will receive the praise of man and not my heavenly Father. That's one reason I am reluctant to enter into book contests.

I believe Christian marketing is one of the most inefficient enterprises in existence. The way some of it is done now, I wonder if it’s working at all. Let me digress and make one more comparison, and then I will get on to my novel idea.

In February, I received an invitation from Steve Harrison to enroll in a class, “How to Make Your Book an Almost Instant Best Seller and Sell Tons of Copies—Even if You're a Marketing Novice.”

Steve Harrison is a guru in internet marketing. He occasionally will have a free webinar where he will have a guest on promoting some aspect of writing or marketing. I had attended a few in the past—I like free things, especially when I don’t have to go anywhere—and so I signed up for this one.

The guest on his show was Peggy McColl, an author who has had many bestsellers. I listened to the seminar and was intrigued. She explained how anyone can take any book and make it a bestseller on Barnes & Noble or Amazon by following a few prescribed things exactly. It didn’t have to be a new book. It could be an older book. It could be fiction. It could be nonfiction.

Most of my books have been sold on Amazon so this was attractive to me (I was never able to get Children of Dreams in bookstores even though I paid money to provide a restocking expense if any books were returned).

What impressed me most about her Bestseller Coaching Program, however, was she guaranteed success if you followed all the steps in her program. I had told myself (and God) I would no longer pay for any marketing programs unless they came with a guarantee—literally. This program came with a one hundred percent guarantee.

Enrolling in the Bestseller Coaching Program is not cheap. It cost me $2,500. I would have to sell a lot of books to recoup the money, but if I sold enough books to make Children of Dreams number one, that would make me a bestselling author on Amazon. I figured I would do whatever was required to make it work. If I failed, then I would get my money back.

I was in the middle of my screenwriting course in February, March, and April (I just turned in my last assignment a few days ago), so I knew it would have to wait a little while, but the guarantee ran for a year. That also sounded good, so I signed up for it.

There were many others participating in the Bestseller Coaching Program, and we had a group that agreed to be mentors to each other as we launched our books. I have received emails from some of them, and I asked since I had not started my campaign, “How is it going?” Everyone responded saying the hardest part was getting people to support their “campaign.”

Let me explain a little bit about how the Bestseller Coaching Program works. The idea behind it is you have a launch date, and you direct people to Amazon or Barnes & Noble to buy your book. You do this basically in two ways. First, you get Joint Venture Partners to promote your book through an email to their clients on the day of your book launch. The idea is to have everybody know about your book and buy it on the designated date. You add value to those buying your book by having partners that will be willing to offer bonus gifts during that 24-hour period.

The basic premise of the program resonated with what I knew worked.

My parents owned a small map company in Atlanta. Each summer they would solicit orders for the new Aero Atlas to be published in the fall. Customers could buy the book map at a discounted price until September when the price would increase, so it created a sense of urgency. If the customer wanted to receive his new map at the discounted rate, he had to buy it within the timeframe given.

Each client was contacted individually—the emphasis being on customer service. I spent several summers as a teenager working in the business, making phone calls, and encouraging each customer to buy at the lower price, ensuring he received his updated map, emphasizing how many new streets had been added. Surely he wanted to locate his customers efficiently without wasting precious time and gas. That would increase his profit margin.

Fast forward about thirty years. I provide closed captioning for television. One of the channels that I captioned until recently was QVC. QVC is the guru of home shopping and it has its own network. The Q stands for quality, the V stands for value, and the C stands for customer service. One of QVC’s most successful marketing strategies is the “Today’s Special Value.” 

Each day QVC presents a product at midnight. I used to caption the 12 to 1 a.m. time slot so I saw it routinely in action. The Today’s Special Value is a spoofed-up, brand-spanking-new product that will make your life easier, better, or something you believe you can’t live without.

Sometimes it is jewelry. At other times it is clothing. Many times it is electronics—the newest gadgets in cameras, TVs, or computers; or maybe it is a kitchen product (yes, I bought a bunch of kitchen absurdities).

But besides presenting an excellent product (you must have that to start with; as a Christian, we shouldn’t accept anything less), there are several other factors that enable QVC to sell hundreds or thousands of a particular item in a short span of time.

First, there is a sense of urgency. The tagline could be something like, “You shouldn’t wait or it might sell out. Then you won’t be able to purchase it.”

Oftentimes it’s a version of something you can’t get anywhere else. Perhaps a new style purse, for example, that might be in an unusual or different color; maybe it is a two-for-one pineapple slicer. There are many variations on this concept.

Another example would be the Keurig coffee maker I bought. They added in extra K cups worth about $20 as well as some other online freebies (which I never bothered to get). But the extra K-cups were used and I felt like I received a lot of value for my money.

That is what we want to create when we sell something. We want the buyer to be convinced he has gotten a bargain. The only catch is he has to buy the product when we want him to buy it.

I would be amused when QVC had the cleaning experts on. They loved their mops and microfiber pads about as much as I loved my Bible; and passion sells. As authors, if we can’t be passionate about our words and willing to market our book with that much zest, then maybe we should find something else to do.

There were many occasions when QVC devoted a significant amount of time to something I could have cared less about—maybe the newest version of a popular screwdriver or wrench. Of course, I would rather be captioning baseball anyway, but by the end of the presentation, I would be embarrassed to admit how many times I was cajoled into buying something I never knew I needed.

While not everything in the above examples applies to selling a book, the concept does. I knew Peggy McColl’s Bestseller Coaching Program would work if enough Joint Venture Partners could be brought on board. I’ve had several conversations with authors who have launched their Bestseller Campaign and the one comment I’ve heard is it's very hard to get people to help you. Some don’t see the value. Others are busy and don't respond back.

I surmised this might be the weakest link in the marketing program. One author told me for every twenty people she contacted, she received one response. That means to convince two hundred people to partner with you on your book launch, you would need to contact four thousand people.

As I thought about this, I remembered a comment a Christian author recently made to me: Writing is done alone, but you can't get anywhere in this business as far as publishing without help from others. It's impossible.

God did not intend for us to be loner Christians. He wants us to be involved in a church and reach out to others as part of the Body of Christ. The Gospel of John tells us, as paraphrased in a song by Jars of Clay, “They will know we are Christians by our love.”

Fast forward ten years. While the John 3:16 Marketing Network is no longer active, the concepts still work. I believe it’s harder now only because there are so many free books available. 

I recommend offering one or two free books to encourage readers to buy your other books. In my experience, books in a series work the best. Offer the first book for free, and charge for the remaining books in the series. Then find like-minded authors in similar genres and promote each other. 

A great website that does a lot of the hard work for you is https://bookfunnel.com/ I have used it several times. For a minimal amount of money each month (there are different levels), you can join with many authors on book promotions. Other features on the website make it an excellent marketing tool for any indie author. I do not receive any remuneration for my endorsement. I just know from personal experience it works.

BOOK MARKETING: “The Very Un-novel Problem,” by Lorilyn Roberts

IN THE BEGINNING:


I began my presentation with the following statement: “You have no platform. You are not famous. You are not an expert in any particular subject. You have no fancy initials after your name. The reality is nobody cares about you or your book.”

As depressing as this might sound, it’s how I began my presentation to the First Coast Christian Writers in Jacksonville, Florida, in the fall of 2009. But I ended my comments with the following observation:

“If you were to present Jesus' marketing plan for the Gospel, it would probably go something like this: Jesus had no internet, no TV, no blog, no books, and no public relations people. All He had were twelve disciples whom He loved and on whom He had to depend to spread the Gospel around the world.

“God was able to use those flawed human beings to bring ‘The Greatest Story ever Told’ to a world way beyond what they could have envisioned, both then and into the future. If God can do that, our books can reach those for whom they were written. We don't need to overstretch our wallets, but neither should we sit idle. We should pray hard and seek His will not only in our writing but also in our marketing. Ultimately, God will get our book out there if we are good stewards of the gifts He's given us.

I wonder what the marketing people would say today if we told them our marketing strategy was to have twelve people talk about our book to everyone they met and that was all. We had no money to spend either. This is just a thought to ponder as I think about how difficult it is to market.

On December 30, 2009, I wrote a blog, “Marketing a POD book in 2009: Reflections on What Worked and What Didn't.” I shared what I had learned and my determination to “keep on keeping on” for what I believed God had called me to do—to market my Children of Dreams memoir the best way I knew how. I believed I had written a book that others would want to read if they knew about it. That is the key and the stumbling block for many Christian authors. You can find this blog.

The John 3:16 Marketing Network would emulate what Jesus taught His disciples, enabling them to share the Gospel despite persecution, opposition, and hardship. At its heart, the John 3:16 Marketing Network would be one Christian author helping another Christian author, and ultimately, advancing HIS WORD around the world. It’s different from what is currently being done, but let me give some background first.

In 2009, I attended a well-known Christian writers’ conference in Florida. Before the conference, I worked diligently to complete Children of Dreams, an inspirational and spiritual book about the adoption of my two daughters. Throughout the book, I compared their adoptions to God's adoption of us. I spent three months writing Children of Dreams and six months revising and editing it. An English major did the first bit of editing. The second round of editing was done by a high school English teacher. Then I had a professional editor who read it and loved it so much that she critiqued it some more. She also gave me tips on how to improve my writing for the future. Before the final version was printed, I had a friend with a Ph.D. in communications take one last look at it. She offered a few more suggestions.

Twenty-two people from different walks of life read Children of Dreams. Some I didn't know personally. Several volunteered when I asked for help from the church’s reading group (which I had never attended). I begged some people. Some sweet souls offered to read Children of Dreams because they knew my children and wanted to read their complete story.

All those who helped in the early drafts are acknowledged in the “forward” section of the book. I graciously accepted the advice given and looked at every note and comment. I swallowed my pride and learned how much I didn't know, but I also realized how blessed I was to have so many willing to invest their precious time reading the pages.

It is time-consuming to read a book and evaluate what you like and don’t like. I don't take it lightly when anybody gives me his thoughts, even when I don't agree. At least he is thinking and processing my words, and usually, if the comments are given in kindness, there is something I can use. It might give me an idea I wouldn’t have thought about otherwise.

After months of going through this process, spending a few hundred dollars making review copies, followed by additional editing, I believed I had a good book to present to an editor at the conference. I expected further revisions. I had attended this conference on three previous occasions and figured someone would recommend more changes. I even spent $50 and bought an eBook about proper etiquette at a writer’s conference—to make sure my heart was right and I wasn't setting myself up for failure.

I sent my submission ahead of time as per the requirements of the conference. The critiqued submissions from the editors were to be returned to the authors after lunch on Friday.

The conference started on Wednesday. Lunchtime arrived on the anticipated day and nervous participants lined up to receive their packages. Each person in front of me received his submission. The volunteer looked everywhere for mine but couldn’t find it. She reassured me that some were still out and to check back later.

I did not receive my critiqued submission until the following day when I insisted they find it. I looked at the notes jotted down by an editor of a well-known publishing house. His only comment was: “This doesn’t meet our needs. You might consider submitting to a magazine.”

I walked away upset but kept it to myself. I was okay with the thought my book might not be what he wanted, but to tell me to submit it to a magazine was an insult. Children of Dreams was 235 pages filled with twists and turns and unbelievable complications. There was no way he could have read my submission and gotten that impression.

Because of the long delay in receiving it, there were no openings left to meet with another editor. I stared at the sheets with all the appointment slots filled. I wondered how I could have paid such a huge sum of money to attend the conference and invested so much emotionally into my book and then not even have an opportunity to meet with anyone. Devastation might come close to describing my emotions.

I scrambled around to sign up with editors and agents who had slots to open up when people scratched appointments. I eventually met with three agents and two editors. Each time after the perfunctory greeting, I showed the listener my completed and bound book (if you are not a published author, you must have a finished manuscript before an agent or editor will talk to you).

Two agents asked me, “Do you have a platform? Do you have a mailing list?”

“No, I don't have a platform. But I do have a website, and I'm willing to do whatever you ask to get my book out there.”

One agent replied, “Come back and see me when you have one thousand people on your email list.” I thanked her.

Another agent told me to send him a proposal. I returned home and spent three weeks typing up a proposal and mailed it to him. He emailed me back to the effect, “I’m not sure when I'll get around to reading it. If you haven't heard from me in a month, ring me up.” I never bothered.

During the conference, I tried to show my book to anyone who would look at it. "Is it a memoir? Oh, nobody is publishing memoirs right now.”

I am glad that isn’t a long tradition. Otherwise, my kids would never have known about the incredible Christian witnesses of such folks as George Meuller, Martin Luther, J. Hudson Taylor, George Elliott, Corrie ten Boom, John Wycliffe, John Huss, and Johannes Gutenberg. I felt the Red Sea parting in front of me when people thought my book was only a memoir.

I never liked it being identified that way because memoirs are usually about dead people, and I am still very much alive. Besides, anyone who read Children of Dreams would strongly attest to the fact it is far more than just a memoir. Far be it for me to convince someone of that, especially when no one wanted to read a word.

One blessed editor did give me “the time of day.” He was someone I had met at a previous conference. I wasn’t going to present it to him because I knew it wasn’t the kind of material he was looking for, but I was discouraged. It turned out he was interested and even read a page or two. I felt like my year's labor was validated by someone who appreciated my passion. He ranks high in my opinion of what an editor should be.

When our time ended, I reached over to grab my book, but he asked if he could take it with him. I was thrilled. Although nothing ever materialized from that meeting, I later received a personal letter from the president of the organization thanking me for God’s testimony in the lives of my family. It wasn’t the endorsement I had hoped for, but I appreciated the fact that he took the time to write me.

I returned home still determined to publish Children of Dreams. I had vowed early on not to use Print on Demand (I think the Bible says we shouldn’t take vows). I had previously published a beautiful children's picture book, The Donkey and the King, as a POD book, and while I never regretted it, I learned from that experience how difficult it is to market a POD book. I wanted Children of Dreams to “get out there” and receive the exposure it deserved.

I was also tired of the prejudice that POD authors receive. I wanted to be taken seriously. After all, I had done multiple rewrites and had many people read it. I had done everything I could humanly speaking to make it one of those books that resonates with inspiration, hope, and redemption.

When I returned from the conference I did not let my disillusionment with the Christian publishing world dissuade me from looking at the secular market. I went to the bookstore and bought one of those expensive marketing guides and searched for what was hot.

Unlike the Christian market, secular publishers were seeking memoirs and publishing them. As I methodically put together my list of possible publishers, I began to wonder, “Why am I doing this?”

I had to wait till the summer to submit it to the XYZ Publishing Company. Another company only accepted submissions during the winter. As I examined the various requirements for submitting queries or manuscripts, my frustration mounted when it seemed like I couldn’t submit Children of Dreams anywhere right away.

“Why don't I just POD publish it and work my behind off to market it?” I thought. Besides, I'm fifty-four years old. I wrote Children of Dreams first and foremost for my daughters. I wanted them to know what I went through to adopt them, and ultimately, to see God’s hand in all of it. I wanted them to know it was God who brought them out of depravity to a new life where they would know love and security—and most of all—their Savior. While I spent years knocking on doors that might never open, I might die. Then they would never know their story.

I prayed about it because, until this point, I was resistant to POD. Was it my pride? God made it clear to me to publish it POD. I have never regretted it. Not because I've sold tons of books—I haven't. But because God has taught me so much I would never have learned otherwise.

My book was published on April 30, 2009. If you read the article I posted in December 2009, I share some of the things that worked and didn’t work. There were a lot of things that did nothing but cost a lot of money. I won’t repeat them here (see my previous website reference).

I gathered reviews on Amazon and many other websites. As of this writing, I have thirty-seven reviews on Amazon with five stars. I received five stars from the Christian Book Review, Midwest Book Review, Allbooks Review, and the FaithWriters Seal of Approval for Outstanding Read.

While I was marketing Children of Dreams, I realized how much I loved what I was doing and enrolled in graduate school to work on my Master’s in Creative Writing. I couldn’t find a good local Christian critique group, so I started one. I feel blessed that someone was willing to help me in this endeavor.

Where there is a will, God provides the way. I continue to remind myself, that I must be the best that I can be, not for my glory, but for the one that gives me the opportunity. To whom much is asked much is given.

Fast-forward to 2022. Children of Dreams has been published for many years now, and people still read it. I give it away as an e-book to anyone who asks, and thousands of sold and free copies have been downloaded from Amazon. Do I regret taking the marketing path that I pursued? Absolutely not. While the John 3:16 Marketing Network is no longer active, the Christian approach we used still applies today, although much harder because of all the free books available.

Despite that, I believe God will help each of us to sell books if we commit our hearts to Him and to His Good Work.

.

THE MASTER ARTISAN: Devotional by Lorilyn Roberts

Joy and I stood before the artisan anticipating his newest creation. The old, bearded man picked up a small, clear, glass tube with callused hands and gently stroked it. The two-thousand-degree fire spewed from the dragon's mouth and we could feel the intense heat from a few feet away. While others came to the medieval fair for entertainment and sports, we came to enjoy the musicians and artists.

Would the artist create a dog, a cat, a dolphin, or something else from the dozens on display behind him? Scattered about on the table of the lamp maker were hundreds of discarded shards of glass. If the broken and shattered pieces had been found any place else, they would have been thrown in the trash as worthless. But in the hands of the expert, little creatures of beauty sprung into being. The man “knew” his creations before they were sculpted into existence. With all-consuming passion, he focused on the object he held up to the burning flame. We stood transfixed, wondering what would emerge from the heat.

Not able to bear the suspense any longer, Joy asked, “What are you making?”

The artist glanced up at Joy with a look of satisfaction.

“I am making a hummingbird.”

We stared at the glass object as it glistened intensely. From the cylindrical shape came forth a small bird with flapping wings, a high tail, and a long beak. The intricate creation looked like the little winged creature that visited our red hummingbird feeder in the summer. It was hard to believe something so delicate had been forged out of two thousand degrees. Hidden in the worthless shard of glass was beauty that the artisan could see and no one else.

Watching him pursue with such intensity a dying art reminded me of the Great Creator, who thousands of years ago, created a world out of nothing. God flung the stars into the darkness to create light. He shook the heavens to release droplets that blanketed the earth, filling the valleys with abundance. He carved the mountains as monuments that stretched into the heavens. Everything God created was perfect. God’s crowning glory was the creation of man in His image, When the Great Master finished all His work, He described everything as “good.”

Even after man’s fall from grace, God created beauty by devising a plan to rescue us. God sees what we can become, not what we are now—in the rough, full of warts and foibles that only He knows. God sees beauty despite the mess we make of our lives. 

In hard places, He is our Hope. In broken dreams, He is our Redeemer. In sickness, He is the Great Physician. When we are discouraged, He strengthens us. He has a plan even when we don’t have a clue. I am amazed at how beauty takes hold again and again in so many forms. Even in our fallen state, the imperfections that surround us have hidden echoes of God's image. He never wastes anything to woo us back to His unconditional love.

That’s because God knows us better than we know ourselves. He promises hope and love and peace. He gives us opportunity and faith and joy. He sees what we can’t because He knows how it's all going to turn out.

God is the Great Author who penned the greatest story ever written thousands of years ago. He painted the picture when nothing yet existed. Today He works out the rough edges of our lives to prepare us for the great banquet. In all our imperfections, God sees beauty. He even blesses us with a sense of wonder so we can catch a glimpse of the world beyond.

Just as the artisan discovers beauty in shards of glass, the Master sees beyond our shattered lives. He breathes life into the heart of our souls. His heavenly hands long to mold us into the person He created us to be.

Today the hummingbird sits on our bookshelf and speaks of beauty. Someday I hope God will marvel at me, just as the artisan held up the hummingbird and nodded his approval. How wonderful it would be to hear the Master say on that blessed day, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

CREATIVE WRITING INSIGHTS: “How to Write a Memoir in Twelve Easy Steps,” by Lorilyn Roberts

All of us have lived through dramatic times of ecstasy and pain. For the sensitive and sensate person, memories of these events are etched in the psyche and have molded us into who we are. A memoir is a way to touch at the heart of those feelings and allow them to be shared with others.

A memoir is different from an autobiography because it takes a “snapshot” of certain events in a person’s life. A memoir tends to read more like a novel. Usually, a memoir is written in more colorful language than an autobiography and only relevant information is included—not everything about a person’s life should be shared.

So how do I get started, you may ask? Here are twelve steps I followed in writing my adoption memoir in Children of Dreams.

1. A memoir should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. There should be a problem, a conflict, and a resolution.

2. It might be helpful to pull out old pictures, diaries, and objects to bring to memory the experiences you are writing about. If possible, go to the scene and relive the events in your mind.

3. Allow your feelings to flow freely from your mind and heart—they may be painful, terrifying, hurtful, crazy, or not understood, but to write a good memoir, you must bring the buried nemeses to the surface and write with passion.

4. Listen to music that will transport you from your surroundings to the time and place of the memoir. I like classical music, but anything that stirs your emotions and allows your mind to be absorbed back into that moment will work.

5. Don’t do any major editing until you’ve written all that you can remember. Worry later about clean-up. If you edit too soon, you may change something that is important.

6. Expect to feel like you are going crazy. Your feelings may create powerful emotions that are buried deep, but when you write those hidden passions and distorted thoughts on paper, it can be cathartic. The story may even write itself and come to a resolution you never thought possible.

7. Make sure you validate facts. A memoir is based on truth, so dates, times, names, people, and sequence of events are important. Otherwise, your credibility may come into question if something you have written is shown not to be true. It may be necessary to change names or locations, and this is acceptable provided you put a disclaimer at the beginning.

8. A good memoir is rich in color—metaphors, similes, descriptions, dialogue, and feelings will make your memoir come alive.

9. After you’ve written around one hundred pages, take some time to reflect on what you have said. Then put it aside for a few days, don’t look at it, and come back and re-read it. It will be easier to spot things that need to be revised or rewritten. Save deletions for later.

10. Be kind to yourself. Writing a memoir is a very personal, gut-wrenching journey.

11. After you have written the rough draft and edited it as much as you can, including deletions, give your memoir to some trusted friends for feedback. You may see a pattern in their comments, and that’s a good indication of what needs further revision. Don’t be shy and seek a professional editor if needed.

12. Never give up. Never, never give up. Need I say it again? Never, never, never give up.

Why write a memoir, you may ask?

First, the memories are important to you. The intimate details will soon be forgotten if they are not written down. The memoir validates your experience and gives meaning to your life. Your memories become a treasured journey for others to learn from and enjoy.

A memoir can be a gift to your children, your parents, your friends, your country, and the world. Only you can tell the story that you’ve been given, and other people’s lives will be enriched. Most of all, if you’re like me, you will be set free from the past and empowered to write your next story.

You will be changed and healed in ways that would not have been possible without writing your story. Having gone through the journey twice, you will be wiser. Perhaps you will touch others in a way you couldn’t have imagined because the “gestalt” of your experience is universal. Most importantly, you will have accomplished what you set out to do, and that is to write your memoir.

I say it again, never give up. It will be worth it when you have finished.

BOOK MARKETING: “Reflections on What Worked and What Didn’t,” by Lorilyn Roberts

NOTE: While this piece was written in 2009, remarkably, book marketing in 2022 hasn’t changed, except perhaps to be even harder.

Reflecting on marketing Children of Dreams this year brings me to some interesting conclusions. The things I thought initially would be the most effective weren’t. Some of the things that cost nothing except my time were. To focus my efforts for my next book and how I will market it, I will share some of my results. Hopefully, I can help another person to make wiser choices about where to invest their efforts who, like me, may be a new author without huge sums of money to spend.


First, Children of Dreams was written as a memoir and published POD. If you have published a romance fiction or nonfiction book as an expert in some field, or some other type of book, your results may be different using these same marketing strategies.

Now to the Marketing Aspect:

Most of the things I spent a significant amount of money on marketing Children of Dreams, I doubt I would do again. The marketing people will say, “We guarantee exposure, not book sales,” and they have that one right. You can easily Google my name and find twenty or more pages where my name pops up. Based on these results, you might believe I am a best-selling author. I am not. What marketing experts guarantee is exposure, not book sales. 

As far as I am concerned, considering that information now borne out in experience, it makes me much more leery to invest dollars in the future on expensive marketing campaigns.

Some of the methods I used included the following:

1. Email blast. I spent around $250 on an email marketing campaign. I don't know that I sold one book out of it, and for that amount of money and not being able to document its success, I feel like it was a waste of money.

2. Email of my book cover and relevant information to all libraries and independent bookstores in the United States and Canada. This cost around $400, and again, I don't know that I sold a single book out of this campaign. Would I do it again? No.

3. RTIR, or Radio-TV Interview Report: Cost around $400. I was promoted two weeks in a row on radio only, and received two radio interviews. I am not aware of a single book that I sold as a result. One of the radio stations was in Canada and one was in the Boston area, I think. 

Would I do this again? Yes. I felt like it gave me a great experience and I enjoyed being interviewed. I was also able to take one of the interviews off the radio station’s website as an MP-3 audio and posted it on my website. If I had the money, I would have done the TV portion of the promotion, but it is very expensive and I couldn't afford it. Maybe with my next book, instead of wasting money on email campaigns, I will put it into this marketing venture.

4. Other things I did that were free or inexpensive and more effective as far as book sales.

Videos: Make lots of videos. I made five and posted them all over the web, not just on YouTube. There are many other video websites and they get picked up in the search engines as if they were magnets. The interview of me personally wasn’t particularly “exciting,” I suppose, but I think what the viewer can see is who I am; my character, and that I am a real, live, living, breathing human being. 

Besides, I know the next one will be better because the first one of anything is always the hardest and usually the worst. You are testing the waters, breaking new territory, going where you have never gone before. Experience counts for something.

Book Reviews; I found it very difficult to get friends of mine to post reviews of my book on Amazon.com (or any place else). Most people, unless they are in the writing or marketing field, are intimidated by the thought of having their words on the web. I submitted free books and e-books to several different sites for free book reviews, which met with only limited success. 

Would I send out free books for reviews again? No. Most of them produced no reviews, and they probably took my free books and advertised them on Amazon.com or eBay. Some of the free eBooks I sent for reviews, however, did produce reviews.

My goal was to get twenty-five reviews on Amazon. When I found it so difficult to get book reviews in a timely manner, I paid for a service that was very reasonable and legitimate, in my opinion, and rounded my review total to twenty-five reviews for five stars. 

Was it worth paying for some of the reviews? Absolutely. They were real people that read my book whom I did not know. I wasn’t paying for five stars. I was paying to have my book read and reviewed, and I don’t mind doing that. I would look at a book that has twenty-five reviews with five stars before a book with only two reviews with five stars. I feel this was money well spent. 

Also, the inside-the-book program on Amazon is excellent. If I can’t look inside someone’s book and I don’t know the author, I won’t buy the book, plain and simple.

The Masters of Marketing: The elite, the best, I believe, in the U.S. and probably the world is QVC. I close caption it almost on a daily basis, and have watched with interest how it is they can sell so many kinds of products and make millions annually. From hours of captioning, what I have observed goes like this.

The head person of the company actually appears on the network programming (and I mean “the boss”) and they are passionate about their product. They eat it, sleep it, dream it, and whatever else comes to mind. It is their life. I have captioned an hour of a product that I had absolutely no use for, and at the end of the show, have been convinced that I can’t live without that product. That is advertising and marketing as its best. If someone can be passionate about cleaning supplies and vacuum cleaners, I better be passionate about my book. Otherwise, I am in trouble.

To sum up what was only going to be a few comments is this: You must believe in yourself, in what you are writing, and have a passion never to give up or compromise, and finally, to give your book every ounce of tender-loving care that you possibly can. Then it’s your job to be the best writer you can be. 

That might mean you need to hire an editor to help you. Then you need to do everything you can to be that excellent writer—attend writer’s conferences, enroll in writing classes, read books about writing, and search the web for all the information you can find. And there is a lot of good, free information out there. 

Finally, you must have something in your book that will make a difference in people’s lives. It’s your job to convince everybody they can’t live without your book. I know that’s easier said than done. But with POD, you have that time. Your book never goes out of print.

Don’t forget, you need a good website, you need to have a blog, you need to be on social networking sites to connect with people, you need to be willing to get out and speak to the public about your book, and you need to get on as many free e-zines from marketing people as you possibly can. There is more I could write, but this is a start.

Am I discouraged I have only sold about two hundred books so far? Hardly. I have the rest of my life as a POD author. I am working on my next book in connection with my Master of Arts in Creative Writing, and look forward to “meeting” new people on the web, appearing on more radio shows, blogging about things that interest me, and sharing information like I am doing here. 

I have complete control over my book Children of Dreams, I love marketing, and as far as I am concerned, it doesn’t get much better than that. I truly believe the sales will come because I won’t give up. I am going to continue to write about the things I am passionate about, do what I can to promote good information that people can use, and because we live on a big planet, with the Internet, I know there are others out there that are interested in the same things I am. My job is to find them. It’s intriguing to me when I see people have visited my website from as far away as Japan and Israel.

If you have learned anything here, please let me know. Hopefully, my reflections will help you to use your money more wisely in your own marketing campaign. Happy Writing and Marketing in 2010 and beyond.

You can visit my website at http://lorilynroberts.com/.

BEAUTY AND WRITING: Devotional by Lorilyn Roberts

It’s interesting to me that Jesus never said in the Beatitudes, blessed are the beautiful, blessed are the popular, blessed are the smartest, or blessed are those who are the best—whether it be as a teacher, artist, carpenter, or writer. But He did say (Matthew 6:33), “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”      

I have sensed in my spirit that when I am creating I am most like God than at any other moment. There is a subconscious link between the creative aspect of who we are and God. When we choose to glorify Him in that endeavor, the beauty is far greater than we could have created (or written) on our own. When our motives are tainted, we lose part of that beauty. By tainted, I mean by fame, money, popularity, or acceptance.

One thing that has struck me is I have scuba-dived all over the world, and there is a good possibility I have seen things that no one else on earth has seen—beauty that surpasses anything that I could describe here. I wonder why God would create beauty that would only be seen by me, or create beauty that would never be seen by even one person. New species are being discovered every day in science, and if I were a betting woman, I would say there are hundreds if not thousands of things out there that are still not seen or known. If we ask ourselves that same question, it can lead to some profound answers. Why create beauty if no one else will see it, believe in it, appreciate it, pay us for it, or give us accolades?

It’s because that is the way God is. We will always have the Audience of One, and if that Audience of One chooses to bring us recognition here, then we can be grateful for that. But I believe our rewards will be far greater in heaven if the beauty we create here is for Him, and maybe even more so if never appreciated by anyone, because the rewards we receive in heaven from our heavenly Father will dwarf anything that we could receive from man.

 

THE EMPTY PAPER TRAY: An Unusual Christmas Short Story, by Lorilyn Roberts

One night in a dream I stood before the Great Judge as He sat at the bench draped in His official black robe. The courtroom was immense and dark. I was all alone and stood quietly pondering my fate. As I waited to be sentenced for my unspecified crimes, my stenograph machine, set up before me as if I was to record the proceedings, began spitting out the record of my life—everything that I had ever done from the time I was born until that point.


Just as a court reporter writes it all down, my notes unraveled and overflowed from the paper tray faster and faster until the courtroom was covered in thousands of interconnected loops of stenograph paper strewn everywhere.

I knew I was condemned as I stood before the Great Judge. I wanted to fix all my mistakes, but I couldn't. It was too late and I had no defense. He was about to sentence me, but from the back of the darkened courtroom, a lone figure came forward and stood beside me. He was a towering individual, and I was covered by His shadow and enveloped by His omnipresence. Dare I look into His eyes? The room was empty, except for the three of us, and I suddenly recognized it was Jesus who now stood next to me at my darkest hour.

He approached the bench and there was a conference out of my hearing between the Audience of One. I wondered what the Masters of my future would decide; I knew I deserved death. The ugliness of my life was no secret to them. They knew every sin I had committed, every secret thought, every wasted action, every omission and commission of things of which I knew better.

Suddenly, as in a flash of lightning, the ream of stenograph paper rolled backward on itself and disappeared. The paper tray was empty. The scroll of my life was "remembered no more." There was no record that could be made, no court reporter's notes, no transcript. It was whisked away in an instant.

Jesus stepped down from the bench and returned to stand beside me. Again, without warning, the reams of paper now quickly reappeared, like a tornado, unraveling and covering the Holy One’s body. The Master stood condemned, my dirty, stained stenograph paper wrapped around Him as garments of cloth. He was bound as if he were to be laid in a borrowed tomb—or a manger. He would take the punishment I deserved. No longer guilty, God redeemed me by His love.

I now stood before more than a righteous judge. I stood before the Audience of One. Love compelled Jesus and my Heavenly Father to remember no more my past vulgarities. For the joy set before Him, Jesus was escorted away in shame. It was Love that took my place, Love that covered my sin all recorded on stenograph paper that spoke of condemnation.

As we share the joy of the Christmas holidays, let’s remember Jesus is the reason for the season. Let’s keep Him in our traditions and celebrations as we adorn Christmas trees with colorful ornaments and exchange lavish gifts. The greatest treasures we give, however, may not be wrapped in Christmas tissue but rather in what we do—our forgiveness, joy, and love, filled to the brim, poured out, and shared unselfishly. Let the light of Jesus burn brightly through the window of our hearts.

May it begin with me—more patience, more time, more of everything I lack. If Jesus gave His all, maybe, just maybe, I can venture out of my own comfort zone. If I try to be more like Him, if I allow His Word to mold me, perhaps I can be the difference-maker in my own world filled with the most precious lives I touch—my children, my family, my friends, my coworkers, and my neighbors.

Most of all, I want to remember what I have to be thankful for—and it begins with the empty paper tray. Because of Jesus, I can write the greatest story ever told, of how a baby came from Heaven to earth, born in a manger, wrapped in rags, and who redeemed me….Merry Christmas.

GOLD AND THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD: Devotional by Lorilyn Roberts

 

 

A man tried to sell a one‑ounce Maple Leaf on a beach in a prominent section of town.

“Will you buy this gold coin for $50?”

“No, I don’t have any money.”

He approached a woman, “Would you like this Canadian coin for only $25?

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t have $25.”

“Suppose I offer this to you for free, will you take it?”

The woman turned it over and examined it.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Do you want it?”

“No.”

No one recognized the value of the coin worth over $1,100. Have we become so fooled by paper money that we believe the counterfeit is worth more than gold?

A look at history might reveal a clue. During the Great Depression, governments around the world abandoned the gold standard. In 1933, Congress and President Roosevelt banned private ownership of gold and asked citizens to turn in their gold at the rate $35 per troy ounce-essentially robbing Americans of their wealth.

Although it became legal to own it again in the 1970’s, the money changers (Federal Reserve Bank and central banks) suppressed its value to bolster the dollar and manipulated the system to their advantage.

Gold became worth less than the counterfeit because it was not considered currency. This enabled the Federal Reserve and the central banks around the world to control the vast money supply.

Gold, a precious metal, has been used by man since ancient times for commerce. He recognized it for what it was-rare and valuable; but today, gold can’t even be identified on a beach by passersby.

The yellow brick road in The Wizard of Oz symbolized gold. It carved its way through a beautiful fairyland called Oz inhabited by Munchkins, but the fabled Land of Oz was overshadowed by evil witches. Perhaps today they would represent the self-serving moneychangers, the greedy capitalists, or the Washington bureaucrats who recklessly spend our money but are mortgaging our children’s future.

While counterfeits abound, God never abandons the true believer. The Good Witch of the North, Glenda, loved the Munchkins. God has given us His Holy Spirit.

“The mysterious Wizard of Oz might be able to help you to return home,” Glenda and the Munchkins told Dorothy.

Dorothy set off on the yellow brick road to meet the Wizard of Emerald City. Along the way she greets three friends who join her-sojourners in search of a brain, a heart, and a nerve.

But when they meet the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy discovers the horrible truth. The Wizard was an imposter. The dog Toto exposed him as a fraud.

Today, as in The Return to Oz, our yellow brick road is crumbling, paved in green fiat money as financial establishments teeter on the brink of collapse.

In heaven, no longer will we be standing on broken yellow bricks. Our eyes will recognize the intrinsic worth of God’s creation and the counterfeits of man-the idols, the liars, and the fakes. All except the pure will have vanished—not destroyed with water but with fire, as gold is refined by fire.

I hope to be like a Munchkin, but even more so. Heaven won’t be inhabited by evil witches but angelic creatures that serve a risen Savior. 

 

God will be our King, not a cowardly wizard hiding behind a curtain. He will be dressed in kingly garb as He bathes us in His light. Neither will ruby slippers be able to bring us home. A deeper magic, more costly than gold, more valuable than riches, hewn from wood and thorns, will transport us. With the counterfeit world left behind, Jesus will welcome us on a real yellow brick road richly paved in gold.

THE COMING ECONOMIC EARTHQUAKE: LARRY BURKETT KNEW BACK IN 1994: A Christian Scribe’s Take on Politics and Prophecy

“It is hard to imagine any action that our government could take that would affect our economy more adversely than to attempt to nationalize our healthcare system. Not only has the Federal government demonstrated time and again its ineptness in controlling costs and operating anything efficiently but, in fact, they have continued to set the standards for inefficiency, bureaucracy, complexity, and cost.

“Look at any area the government has touched and see if you can say honestly it is cheaper, more efficient, and less complicated. If so, please write me so I can put the information in the next book.

“While other countries are desperately trying to privatize government-run agencies to avert financial ruin, we are trying to socialize another one-seventh of our whole economy!

“Based on what is happening in Washington today, I have concluded that no real changes are being made to bring Federal spending under control. Consequently, it is my conclusion that sometime prior to the end of this century, we will experience a severe financial downturn caused by taxes that are too high, too much debt, too much regulation, and too many Americans on government “dole.”

“Perhaps this downturn (recession) will be precipitated by a stock market crisis, as in 1929, or perhaps the stock market crisis will follow the downturn. The two are not necessarily directly related.

“The recession will expand into a depression as businesses fail, unemployment rises, and consumer confidence plummets. Even so, taxes will be increased to feed an ever-expanding program of government-supplied entitlements. The government will soon exhaust the last available resources as they tax all benefits, raid retirement savings, and eliminate the remaining middle-income deductions. Politicians will be caught in a Catch-22.

“The more they tax, the lower the net gain in taxes, and the more Americans are put out of work. With fewer available wage earners to tax, taxes are raised again. Finally, when taxes and credit are exhausted, the government will resort to the ultimate debt reduction plan: Inflation—soon to be followed by hyperinflation, as the government attempts to print its way out of debt.

“I don't want to sound like an alarmist, but I do want to sound an alarm: This healthcare plan can destroy the foundation of our free enterprise system all by itself.”

📗📗📗📗📗

This could have been written by any number of pundits on television or radio for last night's financial news. But it wasn't. It was taken from Larry Burkett’s book, The Coming Economic Earthquake, pages 249 and 250, published in 1994.

I read this book when it first came out in 1992, and I have to admit, I didn't believe that many of the things he wrote way back then would happen—at least in my lifetime. It took some finagling to even find the book on the Internet. But I remembered some of his predictions and wanted to go back and reread them.

Larry Burkett was a Christian economist predicting these things when no one else was listening. Let's take heed to his warnings. I pray that our Senate never passes this disastrous healthcare bill that will destroy our country and burden our children with taxes they won't be able to pay.

I am fifty-four years old and always felt like the economy was too complicated to understand. I wanted somebody else to worry about it and tell me where to put my money in my IRA.

But about two years ago I forced myself to start keeping track of all of my expenses and learned how to live on a budget. I began to reduce my standard of living in simple ways and this last year I have done everything I can to pay off all credit card debts. I am close to having my house paid for.

You soon learn what is hard to do without, and it won’t be what you might think. For me, it’s that Starbucks Latte that is far too expensive that I'm addicted to.

I urge you to open your eyes and realize things can’t continue down this road. The first step is knowledge. I have posted a video on my website, “The Money Masters—How International Bankers Gained Control of America.” It's three hours long, but if you don't know this stuff, you should. I think of what Jesus said in Matthew 10:16, “…be as wise as snakes and as innocent as doves.”

Get out of debt. Live within your means. Encourage your Senator to vote against this healthcare bill. Yes, we do need healthcare overhaul, but we can’t afford to pay for the bill that was just passed by the House—especially a government healthcare plan that will ruin this country. 

If we aren't socialistic now, we will be with national healthcare. Worse than that, it will be rationed. Healthcare will be so expensive, the old folks won’t be considered worth saving. And I, for one, would like to think I am entitled to whatever I might need in my old age.

We are headed for deflation, more inflation, or hyperinflation, depending on which economic guru you want to believe. The only people who seem to think there are no major problems with the economy are the Washington bureaucrats who don’t tell the truth anyway.

Although I’m not sure when or how, but I know God will judge us just as He has judged the nations that came before us when they turned from Him. Many factors come to mind but the two most egregious are the millions of babies that have been murdered (aborted), and greed, including the money changers, the bankers, the government, the mortgage holders, the insurance companies, the people buying houses they couldn't afford, the advertisers convincing the public to spend, spend, spend—think of all the clichés; i.e., you deserve a break today.

Make the time to read, listen, and get informed about the economic issues and healthcare problems facing our country. Pray that God will show you what you can do to be ready for the inevitable—whatever that may be. 

By preparing now, God can use you to help others less fortunate down the road. The challenges may be as difficult as they were during the Great Depression or worse. As Larry Burkett wrote many years ago, there is a coming economic earthquake.