A Place at the Table - 1

Lent has arrived, and I'm now reading Chris Seay's A Place at the Table and adjusting my eating and drinking to reflect on what it's like for the poor of the world - including those in our own country. 

Because I am walking this journey alone and because I thought that sticking to one thing for six weeks might be a step too far for me, I decided to vary my approach each week.  This week I have reduced my food budget.  Next week I will be living mostly on the staple foods of someone living in poverty in India.  The week after that is going to be about water rather than food, so I will be limiting my intake of all drinks EXCEPT water during that week. 

So this week I decided to reduce my usual weekly spend by 2/3.  On a tight budget there's no way you can impulse buy or shop without planning first so I set off for the supermarket with a list I'd made of exactly what I'd need for the coming week's meals.  I made it under budget, just.

The shopping was the toughest part of the week so far to be honest but it hasn't proved necessary to live on baked beans on toast for a week after all.  That said, my trip to the supermarket was IT for this week.  No nipping in for extra or forgotten items.  With 83p left in my purse after my main shopping trip there just isn't the cash for additions.

Of course I recognise that it is very much tougher for those living hand to mouth week in and week out 'for real' though.  And that's why I like the element of this process which is about doing something practical for others.  For me, shopping on a tight budget has been a reminder of a tough couple of years early in my working life.  So this week I'm donating the money I saved on my weekly shopping to CEF Oxford (Community Emergency Foodbank). 

Is Living Joyfully Really Possible?

Kay Warren (the wife of Rick Warren) says that it is, and she has spent a long time teaching women what joy really is, where to find it, and how to choose to live joyfully even in the tough times.

Now that teaching is made available to women far and wide, in her forthcoming book Choose Joy (April 2012).

Split into four sections, the book addresses joy as your inheritance, joy as a conviction of mind, joy as a condition of the heart and joy as a behavioural choice.

It might be a relief to know that Kay herself says that joy doesn't come easily to her - so she knows what it's like to have to work at it.  To Kay, the bottom line is that joy is a choice, and that choice is completely up to you, and is not dependent on anyone else.  This makes sense when you stop thinking of joy as merely an emotion.  Kay's definition of joy is:

"Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be all right, and the determined choice to praise God in all things."

And therein is both reassurance and challenge.

The book stands on its own, but will also be a DVD pack available containing two disks, and a Participant's Guide for those working through the book in a group.

See below for information on our marketing and publicity plans. For more details feel free to contact me.

Sneak Peek for Anne Elisabeth Stengl Fans!

Here it is - the cover for the fourth book in the Tales of Goldstone Wood series: Starflower.

You can find out a little more about the story on Anne's blog.

Quite a few authors write blogs, and I love reading them.  (Especially those by our Baker Publishing Group authors of course!) They're a fantastic way to find out all sorts of things about the author themselves, and what motivates or influences them and their writing.  On blogs like Anne's, you also get to discover a whole lot more about the characters you meet in her books!  Plus she's good at tantalising sneaky peek posts to keep you coming back...

So, dear reader, do you read author blogs, and if so, do you have a particular favourite you can recommend?  If so, PLEASE leave a comment.  (OK, that sounded a bit like a desperate plea, but if it works...!)

Just a reminder to those who've already discovered Goldstone Wood, Moonblood is out in the UK in May, which gives a nice amount of time for those still to venture into the tales to read Heartless and Veiled Rose! 

In fact, let's try a little prize draw:

If you'd like your name entered to win free copies of Heartless AND Veiled Rose just leave a link to one of your favourite author or book related blogs in the comments section below.  As this is a UK-based draw, please also confirm that you live in the UK.  The winner will be announced on the 29 February - purely because it's fun to have something to look out for on such a rare day!

There are No Unimportant People

You were created on purpose, for a purpose.  Sometimes it's tough to accept that fact, especially in a world with such a flimsy view of what success and importance looks like. 

In You're Born an Original (Don't Die a Copy) John Mason helps you to recognise that God has given you unique qualities and encourages you to be brave enough to use them.  Here's a snippet to whet your appetite:

* * * * *

You’re not insignificant. Never view your life as if Jesus did nothing for you. Make the most of yourself; that’s exactly how God made you. Evan a small star shines in the darkness from millions of miles away. The first and worst of all frauds is to limit oneself.

Too many people never begin what God wants them to do because they are waiting to sing like Sandi Patti, preach like Billy Graham, or write like Max Lucado. God knew what He was doing when He put you together. Use what talents you possess…the woods would be silent if the only birds singing were those that sang the best.

“All history is a record of the power of minorities, and of minorities of one” (Ralph Waldo Emerson). If you deliberately plan to be less than you’re capable of being, you’ll be frustrated for the rest of your life.

View others in this same light. Each person is valuable and precious. Each person knows something you don’t. Learn from them. We’re all created for achievement and given the seeds for greatness, but each in our own way. What is greatness? What is achievement? Doing what God wants you to do and being where He wants you to be. There are no unimportant people.  (Bold highlighting mine. Anne)

Christians are new creations, not resurfaced sinners. With God’s help, you can be one of His few successes, not one of His thousands of disappointments. Don’t ever forget that God calls you a friend (see John 15:13). What an incredible statement that is! He also says you’re “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps. 139:14).

God made you special for a purpose. He has an assignment for you that no one else can do as well as you can. Out of billions of applicant for the job, you’re the most qualified. You have the right combination of what it takes. God has given each person the measure of faith to do what He’s called them to do. Every person is gifted.

You are never who you ought to be until you are doing what you ought to be doing. God holds us responsible not only for what we have, but for what we could have; not only for who we are, but for who we might be. People are responsible to God for becoming what God has made possible for them to become.

Your life makes a difference. Although we’re all different, no mixture is insignificant. On judgement day, God won’t ask me why I wasn't Joshua, Billy Graham, or Pat Robertson…but why I wasn’t John Mason. Jerry Van Dyke said it best: “The best rose bush is not the one with the fewest thorns, but that which bears the finest roses”

You’re the best person to do what God has called you to do.

Price: £8.99
UK Publication Date: December 2011