Tag Archives: Author

Meet Vanessa Myers, Author of Rise Up: Choosing Faith over Fear in Christian Ministry. (And a Giveaway!)

Seventeen years ago Children’s Ministry Director Vanessa Myers sat in her yearly review at church. All eyes were on her. And all she wanted to do was quit. In Vanessa’s words:

I listened, helplessly, as my peers and employers critiqued the job I was doing.

You’re good at this, but you need to work on this.

Don’t do that again.

We don’t like it when you do this. Can you do more of this instead?

The list of comments grew and grew. I know there had to be some positive ones but the negatives echoed in my head.

What I was really hearing was: You’re not good enough. We don’t like you. You stink.

These are the first words you’ll read when you open up the pages of Rise Up: Choosing Faith over Fear in Christian Ministry

Do you want to know what happened? Vanessa didn’t quit. She rose up; chose faith over fear; and then seventeen years later, wrote a book about her experience. Meet Vanessa Myers, as I interview her about her journey as a Children’s Minister and her hopes in writing the book.

If you serve in ministry, or you know someone who does, you’ll also want to enter the giveaway of this wonderful new release. Continue reading →

A Christmas Eve Memory from my Childhood in England, PLUS my Five Minutes of TV Fame!

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It’s Christmas Eve…

many, many, many years ago.

There’s no snow in the air, but there IS a certain magic, dancing in the dark night skies outside our bedroom window. We have our noses scrunched against the glass. And we’re peering out, into the blackness, my siblings and I.

And suddenly a cry goes up: Continue reading →

Q & A with Caryn Rivadeneira, Author of Grit and Grace, and a Giveaway!

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Ever since I penned Girls’ Love Letters from God, I’ve had a fascination with the women of the Bible. So when I saw a new book called Grit and Grace appear on the bookshelves, I was intrigued.

To begin with, I was drawn in by the awesome title, and when I discovered that its publisher was Sparkhouse, whose curriculum I use every Sunday morning, I knew I wanted to learn more. Continue reading →

Possibly the Two Greatest Things That Children Could Ever Learn… Taking Place in a United Methodist Church

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It was early on Tuesday morning when my phone beeped with an unexpected blessing. It was a little message from a children’s ministry colleague in Ohio. Kathy and I have never actually met.

‘Hi Glenys’, the message read, ‘our congregation hosts a summer literacy program in July called Camp Read-A-Lot. Each week we give books to the children to take home and keep for their own, mostly donated gently used books. This year we received a donation in memory of a local high school librarian to purchase a special book for each child. I was so excited to be able to purchase Love Letters from God from Church Source and a price that enabled us to purchase 170 copies! … I’m writing to you as I am wondering if you would be willing to share a few words of encouragement with our Camp Read-A-Lot kids…’

Wow! Would I be willing to share a few words of encouragement with the Camp Read-A-Lot kids? You bet! These children, gathered together in a United Methodist church in Ohio, are learning two of the most wonderful things in life: how to read, and how to know Jesus.

So I grabbed my phone, texted my bestie, and two hours later, we were sitting by a little lake in the sunshine, making this video… Continue reading →

The Final Christmas Love Letters from God Giveaway!

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The countdown to Christmas is in full swing. with just twenty days left and little lights twinkling everywhere.

My Facebook feed is full of folks sharing their newly decorated Christmas trees, and just to add to the magic of the season, it started snowing yesterday, at least here in Michigan. I woke up to this wonderful world of white right outside my window.

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Christmas is coming. Jesus is coming. That little baby, hope of the whole world, light of all life.. He is coming.

Christmas is simply the best time to begin making memories and establishing family traditions with our children.

At my final blog stop in the Christmas Love Letters from God tour, I’m sharing ideas for seven meaningful, memorable family activities to enjoy around the Christmas tree. Be sure to check out number seven… that’s my favorite one!

You’ll also be able to download your cute, cut-out Nativity scene, straight from the book, and, of course, enter the final Christmas Love Letters from God giveaway.

If you live in the Grand Rapids area and you’d like any one of my six titles signed for a Christmas gift, please come to my Children’s Story-time at Baker Books on Thursday 15th Dec. 10.30-noon.

And here’s my favorite story from Christmas Love Letters from God!

Happy Christmas! (that’s what we say in England!)

Why You Should Always Read the Author’s Dedication…

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I’ll never forget the thrill of writing the dedication in my first book.

This book is dedicated to the oldest and youngest members of my family…. I wrote.

To my dad, Harry Hughes, who first told me the wonderful Story of Jesus. And to my grandchildren, Xander, Sam, and Brixham, who are just beginning to hear the wonderful Story for themselves.

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When I penned those words I was nervous. I wasn’t sure whether my dad, frail at 90, would ever be able to hold that book, or turn its pages, or see that it was dedicated to him, or even remember that his daughter was the author. But he did. I have the photograph to prove it:

My dad & I B&W

And how glad I was, because he never did get to hold my second book. He died while it was in the mail on its way to him, all wrapped up in Christmas paper, on route over the wide sea from Michigan to England.

If he could have opened it, he would have seen that I dedicated that book to my first granddaughter, newly arrived into the world.

For Colette, my first granddaughter, I wrote. How my dad would have loved to meet her, and lift her high onto his shoulder. But it wasn’t to be.

There is a time for everything, Solomon wrote, a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to weep and a time to laugh.

Isn’t that true?

When the time came for the third title in the series, Christmas Love Letters from God, I was ready when my editor asked, Who would you like to dedicate this book to?

I knew, straight away, whose name would be printed in the front of this book, and why. And so when Laura Sassi, children’s book author, welcomed me to her blog, and asked me to share the story behind its dedication, I was happy to do so.

Do you know who I dedicated Christmas Love letters from God to?

Read the story to find out…

Five Things I Never Imagined as a Children’s Author, and a Third Giveaway!

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One of the most marvelous things about becoming an author is what happens next. And it’s marvelous because what might happen is totally unpredictable.

Time after time in this publishing journey, I have seen the principle of Ephesians 3:20 at work in my life. And don’t you just LOVE how The Message Bible puts it?

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

Glory to God in the church!
Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!
Glory down all the generations!
Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!

Oh, yes indeed! Here’s five things I never, ever, in my wildest or craziest of dreams, could possibly imagine happening:

That when I sat down to pen the very first words of Love Letters from God, that book would one day become a series with its own brand.
That I would walk in to a little British Primary school one May morning to see the walls literally covered with children’s love letters to God.
That I would hear, time and time again, how adults have been impacted by these books, not just little ones. (Which I guess just goes to show that although my target audience is children, God’s target audience is the world.)
That I would be able to dedicate Little Love Letters from God to my very first granddaughter.
That Christina Embree, a United Methodist Children’s Ministry Director in Kentucky would take Christmas Love Letters from God and work out the perfect way for families to use it to journey through Advent and into Epiphany together. (I am the author, and I have never thought of using the book in that way!)

I don’t know what your dreams are… for yourself, or your children, or your future, but what I DO know is this:

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!

There is nothing that our great God cannot do.

So keep believing! Let the wonderful, mysterious Holy Spirit keep working quietly and deeply within you.

Keep believing.

Read about using Christmas Love Letters for Advent and enter the GIVEAWAY.

So Who Would You Like to Have Tea With?

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How fun to participate in an interview with a fellow children’s author…. Denette Fretz, who wrote two wonderfully entertaining books called Pirates on the Farm and Conrad and the Cowgirl Next Door.

Now, with titles like that, I wondered if she might begin our conversation with a fun question. And she did. Her interview began:

First, let’s get to know more about you. If you could have tea with any author, whom would you choose?

Ooh…I replied….that is a hard choice. Can I cheat and have tea with a family of authors?

So who do you think I chose? Here’s a clue…they’re British (of course).

To find out, head on over to Denette Fretz where you can also enter the third Christmas Love Letters from God giveaway.

But before you leave, let me share with you a wonderful little story from Kate, who won our last Christmas Love Letters from God giveaway. The winners are chosen at random, but I really love what she plans to do with her book. In her comment, Kate wrote:

Our church family has a special single mother with twin daughters who will be receiving this book on their doorstep (secretly!) on Christmas Eve in hopes that this book will be part of their Christmas Eve traditions.

I just love thinking about this…

that on Christmas Eve, there’ll be a secret present, all wrapped up in love, sitting quietly on someone’s doorstep, just waiting to surprise them on Christmas morning.

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It reminds me that each of us can do our part in delivering God’s love letter to the world, and sharing the wonderful story of Jesus with those who need to hear it…

the story behind the greatest gift of all.

Enter the Giveaway at Denette Fretz

Christmas Love Letters from God Blog Hop…and Eight Giveaways!

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Here we go friends…. beginning this week I’m embarking on a virtual tour with my newest book, Christmas Love Letters from God.

Each week leading up to Christmas, I’ll be featured on eight different blogs where I’ll be taking part in author interviews, sharing ideas for creating Christmas traditions, and hosting a book giveaway at every stop.

There’ll be book reviews, a chance for you to download your own DIY nativity cutout scene, and ideas for using Christmas Love Letters from God as an Advent or Christmas devotional.

I hope you’ll join us at our first stop today with Vanessa Myers, a United Methodist Children’s Ministry Director, who shares some surprising thoughts about the book.

Here’s the entire blog hop schedule:

OCTOBER

17th: Vanessa Myers: Children’s Ministry Director

24th: Denette Fretz: Children’s Book Author

31st: Christina Embree: Children and Family Ministries Director

NOVEMBER

7th: Kelly Ann: Mom Blogger

14th: Laura Sassi: Children’s Book Author

21st: Jenn Porsche: Homeschooling Mom

28th: Traci Smith: Pastor

DECEMBER

5th: Noelle Kirchner: Pastor

Now head on over to Vanessa Myers…. you don’t want to miss reading what her young daughter wrote in her love letter to Jesus.. it is so precious! And don’t forget to enter the giveaway there too!

Christmas Love Letters Announcement!

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Here’s Mary, jumping out of the pages of Christmas Love Letters from God to help me announce the two lucky winners of the giveaway! Do you see how excited she is?

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Out of the 43 people who entered, the winners are: Elizabeth Campbell, who said:

I think my favorite story will be Jesus Joy.

And Kate Robbins, who said:

I think Mary’s Song is going to be my favorite too!! I could listen to you read stories all day long!!

Thank you, Kate, for your kind words, and for everyone who entered.

If you didn’t win, don’t despair! Beginning October 17th, there’ll be eight chances to win the book.

Each week leading up to Christmas, I’ll be featured on eight different blogs as I hop on board a virtual tour. I’ll be taking part in author interviews, sharing ideas for creating Christmas traditions, offering a cute Nativity cut out scene, and hosting… giveaways!

And if you would like a signed, personalized copy as a special Christmas gift, please come and see me at one of my upcoming: