Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World

Ten Books, Many with Autographs, Given Away Free!

Today, instead of sharing an excerpt from my book, Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World, I wanted to let you know that I am going to do my fun book give away promotion again. It was very popular that last time I did it. So I am going to throw it at you again. I am going to have a longer deadline this time. The last one I did over a weekend and got good responses. This promotion is going until Monday night the 8th of February. Because I am doing this I am going to give away many more books.

I am giving away ten (10) books to the first 10 people that sign-up for my free online newsletter. Here is how it will work:

  1. The first one to subscribe will have first dibs of the books that will be given away. That means the sooner you subscribe, the more chances you have of getting the book you want for free.
  2. This may be a long process to give out all the books, because some people don’t answer the emails very fast. If you subscribe to try to get a book, please respond to my email letting you know you are a winner, ASAP. That way you will not be holding up the next person down the line from being able to choose a book. If I have to wait too long, I will let the rest of the people choose before you.
  3. All ten books will be wonderful books. Some of them will have the author’s autograph in them.
  4. Here is the list of the books:

 

  • Three Cups of Tea-By David Oliver Relin and Greg Mortenson.

This book has been a national # 1 New York Times Bestseller list for months. It is autographed by David Relin.

The Shack-By William Paul Young. This book has been in the top five on the New York Times bestseller list for a couple of years. It has sold over 7 million copies. It is autographed by Young.

The Missionary-By William Carmichael and David Lambert. This is a story of a missionary that gets way over his head, and suddenly becomes an international fugitive. Lots of suspense and thrills. I have two books of this. One autographed by Carmichael, and the other autographed by Lambert. You get to choose.

Eyes of Elisha-By Brandilyn Collins. Brandilyn is one of the most beloved Christian Fiction authors in the business. This book is autographed by Brandilyn. Here is a promotional phrase from the book. “The murder was ugly. The killer was sure no one saw him. Someone did.” Gives me goose bumps, and wants me to be all over that book!!

That is all the autographed books I have for now, but the following are books by top authors that sold millions themselves.

I have a three pack of mini books written by some of the top authors. Why God?-By Charles Swindoll; America Looks Up-By Max Lucado, and When Tragedy Strikes-by Charles Stanley, will all go to one subscriber in one bundle. All of these books are very timely for what is happening in our world today.

Where is God When It Hurts?-By Philip Yancey. This is one of my personal favorites. This book is a national best seller. It speaks about the physical pain many of us endure, and how we can be blessed through it. It was special for me when I went through six major surgeries.

The Power of a Praying Parent-By Stormie Omartian. Stormie has several best selling books on the theme of prayer. We as parents need to know what we can do to help when our children are going through trials, no matter what their age is. This is a must book if you have children.

The Revelation-By Beverly Lewis. Arguably the top Christian Fiction writer on the planet. One of you will have this new book for you to read, just by being one of the top ten to subscribe.

90 Minutes in Heaven-By Don Piper, and written by Cecil Murphy. There are more than a million copies of this in print. It rose to the top over night. Don Piper was trapped in his car after an accident and he was pronounced dead. Then a friend happened to be driving by, and stayed by Don and prayed for an hour and a half…. I will let you read to find out what happened.

Summer-By Karen Kingsbury. Again one of the top Christian Fiction writers in the business. You can have this book if you are one of the top ten in subscribing to my free online newsletter and it is still available.

There you have it. Ten of the most loved books in the business, and you can have one of them if you subscribe to me online newsletter. The newsletter is free, and it will have excerpts from my book coming out in late August or early September called: Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World. The newsletter will also have a page just for writers. It will have rough drafts from my new book, Becoming Famous before you are Famous. It is about how to build your platform and do your branding long before you even think of approaching a publisher. There are two other pages that will have sports from my home state of Oregon, and ideas on how to cope in this troubled world.

The next time I post I will have an actual excerpt from the book, Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World. So go over to the Facebook networks icon and click on follow. You will then be able to come back and read the excerpts as they come out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top selling Books with Autographs Given Away Free.

5 Top Selling Books Given Away Free to Five Lucky People

I am going to try something totally different for the next few days. Starting now 12-11-09 until 12-14-09 I am going to give away five top selling books with the author’s autographs and personal notes in them. These will be excellent Charitmas presents or for yourself.

In the past I held a drawing to see who will get them. I am not doing that this time. These books will go to the first five people who sign up for my free newsletter.

I am going to describe each book to show you that they are not just any book, but top quality, and nationally known:

The Shack: Written by William Paul Young

Yes I said, The Shack. I met William Paul Young at a writer’s conference, and two other times after that. He not only wrote a personal to you the reader but he autographed it. I will be giving away two copies of this book. 

This book has sold over 7 million copies so far, and is still on the top selling list of many of the top selling lists.  This book started out as a book just written to his children and close friends. Some of those friends told him to send copies to some of the other friends on his list. He did and the rest is history. The book took off faster than Young and his partners could handle.

The book is about questioning God, and how to survive after you have lost a loved one. It has a very unusual approach as what God, the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit look and act like.

The Shack is a little cabin up by a lake, and the symbolism of the shack is that it has the door to your heart that you sometimes need to open to grow.

( I looked for the prices of  The Shack, in the stores, and the cheapist I could fine was $10.50 at Walmart. You can order it right off of this site by clicking the Amazon icon. It is only $6.00 here. Even with shipping it is cheaper than any store, and delivered right ot your door.  Great Christmas present.)

Three Cups of Tea: By David Oliver Relin.

Three Cups of Tea, is one of the top selling books for the last three years. It was number 1 on the New York Times best selling list for many months.

It is the story of Greg Mortenson, and his quest to build schools in Afghanistan. He felt that if the children had a proper education that there wouldn’t be many going into the Taliban terrorist camps as soldiers. He was doing this to promote peace one school at a time. The troubles and trail he went through to get this project started, and the burden of getting all the equipment need to the sites is well worth the read.

Not only did David autograph the book, he also wrote a personal note. I met him at a signing, and we had a nice conversation.

The Lord of the Films: by J. W. Braun.

This is the unofficial, official guide to the several movies about The Lord of the Rings. The author put in many hours of research, and study to give you everything about the background and making of the films.

It is autographed by J. W.  It is full of pictures from the sets during the film making, and statements by the actors, and producers. The forward is written by Clifford Broadway who played a soldier in the movies.

A must have for anyone who has followed these fun and exciting movies.

Creed of Old Montana: by Stephen Bly.

Stephan Bly has written over 100 books. He has won the prestigious Christy Award. It is even written in large print, so it will be easy on the eyes.

I met Stephan at a writer’s conference in Oregon. He is a great keynote speaker, and easy to sit and talk with.

Here is the exciting part. This will not be a drawing. These books will go to the first 5 people who sign up for my free newsletter. The first one to sign-up will have the choice of any of the five books, and then each one after that will choose.

To do this is very simple. Go over to the right sidebar, and click on the icon that speaks about signing up for the newsletter. Notice that it also says you will be able to download a free eBook, called, The Top 25 Ways to Survive in a Troubled World.

So, you will get a free book if you are one of the first five people to sign up; a free newsletter that has excerpts from my book, Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World. Plus excerpts from my latest book, Becoming Famous Before you are Famous, and a free eBook called, The Top 25 Ways to Survive in a Trouble World.

Becoming Famous before you are Famous, is in process. I am writing it with Michael Clark from Jacksonville, FL. It is like a manual on how to build a platform, and get known long before you even consider approaching a publisher or an agent. It will speak about Facebook Twitter, My Space, Friendster, Linkedin, etc. You will be able to read each chapter as it is first written, and will help by making suggestions on how to improve it. It will be “our,” book.

Take time to sign-up, and receive one of these wonderful books. There is no obligation to stay with the newsletter. There is an opt-out area at the bottom of each issue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Death Has no Calendar. It comes in the Night When you Least Expect it

                            Death Where is Your Sting? 

 

This last Monday I went to a BSF Bible study. BSF stands for Bible Study Fellowship. We were in a group of men that discuss the previous week’s lesson. At the end of our discussion one of the members said, “My friend who has been coming here with me each week has died.” The group was stunned. The man seemed to be in good health. It was very sudden. 

This incident reminded me of one of the chapters from my book, Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World. This is chapter 6.

I hope that you will find some comfort from this post:

 

Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

1 Corinthians 15:55–56

 

As believers, we have the comfort of knowing we have eternal life. According to Romans 5:12, death comes to all of us. We have to go through the process that all living things must go through. However, we can be reassured that we will have new bodies, and be in heaven with God.

It is also hard to lose loved ones and friends. God doesn’t explain to us why He takes some people earlier than others. It is not for us to decide who should stay. God chooses and we should thank Him for each day we have with our loved ones.

In May of 2001 my father was on his deathbed, dying from a stroke. On this day, I had a close encounter with God. I wanted to make sure that he was right with the Lord. I decided that I was going to talk to him when I was with him at the hospital. I went out into the hall to gather myself and pray.

I looked to my right. Coming down the hall was the pastor from the church I had been attending. He was coming to visit another member of the church. I stopped him and said I needed him to come in and talk to my father. The pastor did come in and talk to my father, and we were sure then that he had the Lord in his heart. I was overjoyed that the Lord had sent the pastor just at the time I was getting up the courage to talk to my father.

He just happened to be coming to the hospital? He just happened to be on the right floor? He just happened to be in the right wing, and he just happened to be coming down the hall when I went out into the hall? I don’t think so!! God sent my pastor on a mission to talk to my father that morning. My father died two days later.

It is all right to grieve for your loved ones and friends, but if you know they are Christians, you have tremendous comfort. You know you will see them again some day.  

If they are not a Christian, take time to share with them the love of God. You could also have the hospital chaplain talk to them, or have your church’s pastor talk to them. You may even go out into the hall, and have a pastor coming toward you to talk to them!

I also have had the privilege of having many friends that were very dear to me. They each made an impact in my life. In just the last few years, I’ve had to say good-bye to several of them. Physical death took them from us, but spiritually they live on. I am only sharing this to let you know that I will be able to see each of them when it is my turn to walk the walk.

Arlene Corn was probably the best Detroit Tiger fan in the whole world. She lived in our cul-de-sac. She also was also a wonderful Christian. When she went to be with the Lord we all sang “Take Me out to the Ball Game” at her packed memorial service. There was not a dry eye at the service. She was an instant friend in the neighborhood. You felt you knew her from day one. Cancer took her from us.

My neighbor, who lived across the street, was one of the toughest women I have ever met. She called a spade a spade, and wouldn’t hesitate to let you know if you needed to be corrected. When someone mentioned that a friend had “passed away,” she scolded, “They didn’t pass away; they died!” She did pass away, and she will be greatly missed by all of her neighbors. She loved dogs, and the neighborhood dogs seemed to have known it. They lined up at her home for treats. Cancer took her from us.

A teacher friend of mine was a single parent of two sons that she loved very much. She also loved teaching kindergarten children, and they loved her. My wife and I took her for many of her chemotherapy sessions because her sons needed to be in school. She wanted to look special for everyone, so she wore a wig and made sure she was dressed well for her doctor visits. She remained positive to the very end. She passed away in her sleep. Cancer took her from us.

Another friend of ours was very tough woman. She could bite the head off a pit bull, but she was a person who spread her love as far as she could reach. She loved the “boys” who came to visit her. They were high school kids who needed someone to talk to. She had them over almost every night. They would sit around and talk to her and her husband. It was a place for them to unload.

She unloaded on my wife and her husband one time at a doctor’s appointment they had gone to with her. They started to break down at something the doctor said. “Quit being wimps!” she scolded. She didn’t want anyone feeling sorry for her. At her memorial service no one was allowed to say anything sad about her. Cancer took her from us.

Another teacher friend was a very proud woman. She refused to dwell on her illness. She always felt she was going to beat cancer. She was a woman that fought for the right to have an assisted suicide in Oregon, the first state to allow it. She felt that we all should be able to die with dignity. She even spoke before Congress on the issue. She passed away before she was able to have assistance. Cancer took her from us.

Howard Girod and I met about six years ago when we moved next door to him and his wife. He was the kind of person you were not sure you would be friends with. He once jokingly called me the village idiot. But as I got to know him, I found out that he was the most loving man I had met in a long time.

I almost fell off a ladder he was holding for me, and he scolded me like I was his son. “Be careful!” he shouted. Another time just before his death, when he was very weak, he whispered to me from his hospital bed, “If I could start over again … I wouldn’t!”

His favorite line at the end was, “God bless you.” That meant so much to me, especially since he had once called me the village idiot. Howard was a strong Christian who said a strong word once in awhile, but his love for you made you know that he was going to have a seat close to God when he passed. Leukemia took him from us.

God took all these people the same way. They all died from some form of cancer, except my father who died from a stroke. There is not an answer why they had to leave us so soon, but God has His reasons. I thank Him for sharing these people with me for the time we had together. A father or a friend is a precious person that you should cherish each day you have them. You never know when they will not be with you anymore.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for you are with me.

Psalm 23:4

 

I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.

John 8:51

 

Further adventures

You never know when your signs of hope will be. I have had many that I know of, but I probably had many more I didn’t know about. Try to keep track of when you have signs of hope and let me know about them by sending your story to me.

 

S0mething to ponder

Isn’t it funny that our children can’t read the Bible in school, but they can in prison?

(This is an excerpt from: Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World) Chapter 6