The wonderful life the Lord Jesus has given me.

Christmas Tree Contest FINALIST

I am a finalist in the Christmas Tree contest over at Mama Buzz  but I need friends, family and visitors (my visitors are my friends too) to my blog to go over and vote for my tree!  I only have 1 vote so far so please go over and vote for my tree it's titled Growing for Christ: Decorated by Little Hands.  All the info about voting is located at   http://www.mamabzz.com/2009/12/blog-post.html  including the link to my blog post about our Christmas tree.  So please go on over and take a look and vote for my tree.

Thank you.

Kathy Carlton Willis Communications Blog Tour: Blind Sight by James H. Pence and Terror by Night by Terry Caffey

About Terror by Night:
 
(Greenville, TX) – A father denied his daughter dating privileges with a certain young man. Typical teenage behavior might have included pouting, a bad attitude or perhaps even a yelling match. Never in a million years would Terry Caffey have suspected it would involve murder. Yet, in the early morning hours of March 8, 2008, Terry’s whole world turned upside down. His wife and two sons where brutally murdered and burned in the house they lived and Terry was shot twelve times…by his daughter and her friends. 
Terry Caffey and James Pence reconstruct this tragic yet strangely beautiful true story of God’s sovereignty, forgiveness and grace in Terror by Night. As if the story of Caffey’s family wasn’t enough, readers will be captivated by the way God ordained the meeting between the Blind Sight author and Caffey with a burnt page from Blind Sight found at the crime scene.

About Blind Sight:
 
No one plans for bad things to happen. No one plans on losing their family. No one knows how to move on after horror strikes. No one. Not even Thomas Kent. After receiving a strange phone call from a long-ago friend requesting Kent to pick up a package at the airport, Kent begins a spine tingling, suspense filled journey in which he hopes to reunite the package (his friend’s children) with their mother, Justine, a traitor in the Fellowship for World Renewal Cult. Twists and turns in this page turning drama make Blind Sight not only a journey of extreme action and thrills, but one of discovering the sovereign plan of God.

James H. Pence is a full-time professional writer and editor living near Dallas, Texas. James is a multi-talented writer who has been published in both fiction and nonfiction. His publishers include Tyndale House, Kregel, and Osborne/McGraw-Hill. James holds a master’s degree in Biblical Studies with an emphasis in creative writing and journalism from Dallas Theological Seminary. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in theology from Dallas Bible College.
 
James is also a vocalist and gospel chalk artist, and he regularly uses his talents to share the gospel in prisons. James is the author of Blind Sight, a gripping novel about mind-control cults and coauthor (along with Terry Caffey) of the new book: Terror by Night: The True Story of the Brutal Texas Murder that Destroyed a Family, Restored One Man’s Faith, and Shocked a Nation.

An Interview with James Pence:

1. You've dabbled in a little bit of everything career-wise. Give us a brief summary of your journey so far.

I have definitely had a colorful background as you've already mentioned. I guess the one unifying thread that has run through everything I do is the service of God. I knew when I was 14 years old that God had called me into the ministry, and I've never wavered from that. And even though that ministry now includes such things as teaching karate to homeschoolersI consider that as much a part of my calling as anything else.

Since finishing Bible College back in 1978 I have been a youth pastor, a camp director, a pastor, a prison evangelist, a gospel chalk artist, a speaker, a singer, a Web designer, a writer, a karate teacher, an art teacher, and a writing teacher. Amazingly, I'm still active in most of those things. I'm not pastoring anymore, and I've long since left directing summer camps behind me, but everything else I still do.

It would be a book in and of itself if I were to try to go into the details of all of those different things and how I got started doing each of them. Suffice it to say that I've always believed that the talents that we have are stewardships. Thus I've always felt that if I have a talent in an area I have a responsibility to develop and use it for God's glory. And that's why do so many different things.  I wouldn't have it any other way.
 
2. There was a tight deadline for Terror by Night. Tell us a little bit about how you interviewed Terry Caffey and the timeline you had to submit your book.

There was definitely a tight deadline for Terror by Night. I had a total of 12 weeks in which to write it and that included doing all the interviewing with Terry. I'm very happy to say that I was able to meet that challenge, but there were times when I wondered if I could get it all done.

Terry and I got together every Wednesday for several hours and I would interview him. Our first few interviews were just for getting the layout of the book planned. I had to get an idea of the different aspects of the story that needed to be pulled together, sort of like a plot outline.  And then I actually had a plan the storyline based on my discussions with Terry.

It was sort of a cumulative thing, because as we talked each week more questions would come up and I would make notes on those and we would discuss them in subsequent weeks.

I recorded all of the interviews with a digital voice recorder and then transferred them all to my computer.  After that I edited the interviews down into soundbites of two to three minutes all according to topics. Then I put them all on my iPod and would listen to them at every spare moment. My goal was to be familiar enough with Terry's voice so that the book would sound natural and that it would sound like Terry was doing the speaking or writing.
 
3. Because of the intensity of this book, how did you deal with the emotional side of writing? Did it ever become more than you or Terry could deal with at one sitting?

This was a very difficult story to write and it was very stressful for both of us, but in different ways. As we went through the interview process Terry began to struggle with depression and had some rough moments. Once or twice we had changed the topic of our discussion because it was just getting to be too hard on him.

For me the stress came from the deadline more than the storyline. The fastest I'd written a book before was 20 weeks, and writing this one in 12 weeks was like running a marathon. Near the end I was exhausted, but still had to get that word count out every day. There were times when I would just become overwhelmed with the size of the task. But there was nothing to do but keep moving forward.

So we were both very happy when this project was complete.
 
4. You enjoy some great ministry opportunities outside of your writing. Share how God is using your other gifts to reach others for Christ.

As I mentioned earlier, in addition to being a writer I am a gospel chalk artist and a vocalist. I've been doing that for over 30 years now and really enjoy being able to use art and music to bring a message to people. For about the last 15 years I've been going into prisons with my art and music and sharing the gospel with inmates. That's been a huge blessing to me.  In fact, I often say that after a prison service I've been far more blessed than the inmates. And recently God has begun to open up more doors both in prison and out. Over a six-week period, I'll be drawing in Florida, Iowa, and Alabama.

One of the great things about chalk art is that even if the people who see a drawing don't remember everything I say, they will remember the picture and the scripture that the picture represented. I've had people write me who saw my pictures 20 years ago and came to Christ through them, and now they are serving Christ in churches and other ministries. That's one of the great joys of this ministry.
 
5. With the re-release of Blind Sight, it's almost like two books releasing at once. What message do you hope readers will take away from reading both books?

I was so excited when Tyndale decided to releaseBlind Sight a second time. It's rare that a novel gets a second chance at life. And it's especially satisfying that both books were released simultaneously. And even though one is a novel and the other a nonfiction book, the message that people can take away from the books is really the same. God is sovereign.

So often we are confused when difficult circumstances come into our lives and we wonder why God would allow that. Sometimes we even get angry with him and demand an explanation like Terry did. But the message of both Blind Sight and Terror by Night is that while God doesn't explain himself to us, we can trust in his goodness and sovereign grace. We know that he is working all things together for our good and we can trust him in that.  Blind Sight communicates that message by way of a novel; Terror by Night communicates the same message by way of a true story.
 

How I Met Terry Caffey...

Terry Caffey and I met through my karate for homeschoolers class. Back in 2005, his wife Penny brought two of their three children and enrolled them in my class. Erin their oldest daughterand Tyler their youngest son or two of my students. Over time, Erin and my daughter Charlene became very good friends. As a matter of fact, Charlene would often stay with the Caffey's when my wife and I were traveling.

Somewhere in there I gave Mrs. Caffey a copy of my novel Blind Sight. I don't remember if she read it, but she was a big reader so she probably did. As far as I know Terry had never read it.

About six weeks after his family was murdered and his house burned, Terry returned to his property and stood on the ashes of his house crying out to God. His burden that day was to understand why God had taken his family and left him behind without them.

As he was praying, he noticed about 15 feet away a brown scorched page from a book leaning up against the trunk of a tree. He went over and picked it up and read it. It just happened to be a single page from Blind Sight that had survived the fire.

But it wasn't just any page. It was the page where my main character, a man who had lost his family in an automobile accident, came to grips with God's sovereignty in his loss.  When Terry picked up that piece of paper the first lines he read were, "I couldn't understand why you would take my family and leave me to struggle along without them but I do believe you are sovereign. You are in control."

It was as if God had saved or preserved that piece of paper to remind Terry that he still cared.

Some time ago, when I was struggling with my own depression over the fact that Blind Sight hadn't sold very well, I gave my book back to God. And I told the Lord that he would just use it in someone's life I would be happy. And boy did he use it in someone's life. From the standpoint of a writer I can think of no greater honor than for God to use my words to change someone's heart.

A few weeks after I learned of the connection between Terry and my book, we got together and began to discuss the possibility of telling this amazing story in book form.
 
 

In God's Beauty Parlour

The Simple Woman's Daybook - December 7th, 2009

Outside my window... cold, cloudy and finally some snow!

I am thinking... how much there is that needs done and praying my daughter does not have bronchitis

I am thankful for... a warm house filled with love and Christmas spirit.

I am wearing... still in my nightgown which my DH affectionately calls my moo-moo.

I am remembering... what fun we had last night at Clara's Tea Party and the Birthday Party for Jesus

I am going... to take oldest DD to the dr today and hopefully do some crafting with the littles for the craft fair we're doing.

I am currently reading... Raising Real Men by Hal and Melanie Young, The Fallacy Detective by the Bluedorns, Tresure Hunter (can't remember the author) and there is one more that I can't remember it's title.

I am hoping... for no more sickness and a white Christmas

On my mind... all the Christmas presents I need to sew together

Noticing that... God is so good to me and my family even though we don't deserve it.

Pondering these words... none right now, sorry

From the kitchen... nothing as we haven't gone to the grocery yet (oopps)

Around the house... dishes, laundry, crafting, sewing

One of my favorite things~ is cuddling up with my littles one with the Christmas tree lit, my tart warmer going and watching a T.V. Christmas special

From my picture journal...

My Willow Tree Nativity set my mom gave me as a bday gift awhile ago with my rustic tart warmer - a gift from my inlaws.

**want to participate?  Go to The Simple Woman's Daybook

Clara's Tea Party and Birthday for Jesus

This weekend was busy.  Saturday the girls and I had Nutcracker rehearsal from 1-3:30 then they all went (first time for Christian and much harder on me than him) to my inlaws so Don and I could go Christmas shopping.  We got all we needed for the children - which isn't much this year but they are items they will appreciate it except for a few stocking stuffers.  I'm hoping to have scrunchies made up for the girls and Christian will have a matchbox car and then we'll get them a few pieces of candy.  Anyway so that took until almost 8 then we picked up the little ones and headed back home.

Sunday brought Clara's tea party and Birthday for Jesus.  Clara's Tea Party is put on by the girls who play Clara and her friends in the Nutcracker and this was our first year going.  The girls really enjoyed themselves - they had a picture taking opportunity but I didn't know they wanted an extra $5.00 regardless if I took my own with my own camera or had the photographer do it!  The tea (I had peach tea) was yummy and they had some celery sticks, carrot, ranch or peanut butter for dipping, tiny tiny finger sandwiches and we each got two cookies.  All the little girls recieved a thank you gift from Clara and her friends in the form of a beautiful purple keepsake bracelet (I'll take pictures later).  They also had a magician.  I'm not real hip on magic but don't mind slight of hand - which is what I was expecting - I wasn't expecting a man dressed as a wizard talking about witches and harry potter.  The slight of hand tricks were fun and I did let the girls participate :(  and we all got back in the vehicle later they both told me they didn't like how the  magician was dressed or his talk of witches and such.  Praising the Lord that my teaching is sinking in and that God is working in their hearts. 

The Birthday Party for Jesus is something our church has done these past two years and the children look forward to it.  This year they did a craft - we didn't finish ours and I'll post pictures later when it's done.  Watched a Veggie Tales movie on the story of St. Nicholas.  We were going to stay for the food but Christian having gotten awakened from his nap twice was not doing so well!  We left and grabbed a Little Ceasar's pizza and rented Night at the Museum 2 - which was good except for the character playing Amelia Earhart used the d word a couple times.  The children did enjoy themselves though and it's a good way to take the emphasis off of presents and back on to Jesus - the real reason we have Christmas!

Christmas Tree Contest

I've decided to enter the Christmas Tree contest over at Mama Buzz and they are offering three great prizes from 3 different companies, a $50 credit from  The Simple Stencil, two 1/2 pound boxes of toffee from Bella Toffee, and 4 ornaments or basket fillers from  Sent From Heaven.  So all you have to do is take a picture of your Christmas tree put it up on your blog (if you don't have a blog you can still enter as well) and sign the Mr. Linky over at  Mama Buzz.  You have until December 8th to enter, okay I'm the queen of procrastination, and voting will begin at a later date (if you don't enter make sure you vote for me LOL) 

So without further ado, here is the picture of our Christmas tree.  This tree is decorated by little hands and the only orchastration by my husband and I is by me putting up the special "first Christmas" ornaments of each child and my DH's and I first together.  The rest is left to the children - it's more Christmasy when the children get to participate even if that means 20 ornaments are hanging on one branch!  A lot of these ornaments were made by my mom when her and my dad first got married (they divorced several years ago) so they hold special meaning to me and each year I get to tell that story to my children - which makes it all the more special.....okay now really here's the tree :D

Lighted:

Unlighted:

MamaBuzz Tour: 12 Days of Christmas Fun Project Pack from Hands of a Child (PreK - 1)

If you are a regular visitor to my blog then you know that I enjoy adding in lapbooks, notebooking and lapnoting to our homeschooling lessons.  They make for a fun and memorable way of learning about a topic, wether it is Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims to doing a unit study on "Make Way for Ducklings" - it gets the student and the teacher out of the teaching rut.  Lapbooks and the like also make retention of the information learned easier to recall later and also make an easy way to show an assessor what your child has learned over the school year.

I was given the chance to review the  12 Days of Christmas Fun Project Pack put out by Hands Of A Child which is geared for grades PreK to 1st but can easily be adjusted if you'd like your older student to work alongside a younger one.  If you've never heard of Hands Of A Child they are one of the leading producers of lapbooks for homeschoolers and they are quality lapbooks.  A project contains everything you'll need to teach about the topic, including lesson plans, extra books that can be obtained at the library, and the printouts needed to complete the lapbook.

 In 12 Days of Christmas Fun you'll get 84 pages chock full of lesson plans for 12 days with a list of all needed supplies broken down by the day.  The Hands Of A Child website says this is the biggest PreK project pack as of yet and with 24 activities and 7 bonus activities to have your child complete an entire lapbook and 12 days of ornaments.  The lapbook contains items relating to the 12 Days of Christmas song, fruits of the Spirit, 10 Commandments, and other Scripture/Bible facts.  There is also some math and science thrown in - so if you wanted to use this as a 'break' from regular teaching to gear up for Christmas you could feel as you are covering all the bases for the 12 days leading up to or following Christmas.

With this being an ebook it is instantly downloadable so you'll have access to the unit and all reproducible materials as soon as you purchase it.  There are several different options for purchasing the unit:

• Ebook $20.00
• Printed $24.00
• CD  $21.50
• Printed/CD combo $27.00
• Kit Pack (all reproducibles printed on different colors of paper and a folder bas already folded) $12.00

There are beautiful clip art that your student(s) can use to decorate his or her lapbook and of course the ornaments while adding a bit more learning and fun are optional as are the bonus activities.  You will find much to do in this lapbook and while the price at first may seem steep with all there is to do in this project pack it is well worth it and if you have multiple students then the price goes down dramatically.  The only thing you'll need to provide is a file folder or two, the printed reproducibles, scissors, pens or pencils, the ornament supplies and glue.

**This is a Mama Buzz review. The product was provided by: Hands Of A Child  for this review.

MamaBuzz Tour: Visions of Sugarplums: A Collection of Christmas Cookery (ebook) by Lizzie Norris

Would you like some new recipes for your Christmas celebrations this year?  Or just new recipes for another special event - a birthday, baptism, etc?  Well look no further A Dusty Frame has put out a wonderful ebook, valued at $7.00, is full of tasty recipes that any family would love to add to their recipe books.  With this being an ebook it is instantly downloadable which means no waiting for it to arrive in the mail - it is yours and you can read it instantly.

Beautiful, old fashioned pictures decorate the pages of this ebook as well as Christmas quotes from authors like Mark Twain, characters from movies like 'It's a Wondeful Life' and Scripture.  All writing is done in a font that is reminscent of times past and adds to the beauty of this book including being in green and red.  I printed mine off and had it bound at a local office supply store for easy access and it's much easier to have the printed version than to take my computer with me in the kitchen, with the beautiful pictures though it's so nice to have a physical copy.

The book is divided into several sections and makes recipes easy to find and get cooking:

1. Beverages, Appetizers and Bread  (Boston Brown Bread, Hot Cocoa Mix, Cranberry Dip)
2. Meats and Side dishes (Milanesa from Argentina, Easy Christmas Eve Lasagna, Cheese potatoes)
3. Cookies, Desserts and Candies (Jumballs, Moravian Cookies, Dorothy's Toffee Squares)
4. Miscellaneous (Apple Cinnamon Dough, Baker's Clay Ornaments, Dog Biscuits)

Of course there are many more recipes than I've listed about and all are just as or more mouthwatering than the others!  Lizzie Norris also includes cooking hints and tips such as measurement equivalents, alcohol substitutions (great for families like mine who don't use alcohol to cook) and turkey cooking tips.  She also includes some of her family's traditions and there is a page where you can include your own traditions also included is a snow day fun page and her list of favorite children's Christmas books.  Again a wonderful resource for any family wanting to add new or different tradtions and recipes into their celebrations.  You can find ordering information at A Dusty Frame.

**This is a MamaBuzz review and I was given a copy of this ebook by Lizzie Norris for my honest review.  

Book Tour: Treasured/God Gave Us Love/God Gave Us Christmas by Leigh McLeroy/Lisa Tawn Bergren

Are you thinking of some books that you may like to buy for that precious child in your life?  Well look no further - all three of my children enjoyed the "God Gave Us Love" and "God Gave Us Christmas" books.  Beautiful hardcovered books and beautifully illustrated they provide a fun way to teach children more about God.  There is mention of Santa in the Christmas one so for my readers who don't do the Santa thing it's just a warning. These books were provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

                      In God Gave Us Love, Little Cub and Grampa Bear’s fishing adventure is interrupted by mischievous otters, and the young polar bear begins to ask questions like why must we love others . . . even the seemingly unlovable? Why is it easier to love those we like? Where does love come from? And why does God love her so much?
Grampa Bear patiently addresses each one of Little Cub’s curiosities by explaining the different kinds of love we can share: the love between friends, the love between families, the love between moms and dads, and the love for God.
                        He also assured Little Cub that because of the love God has given her through his Son, there’s nothing she can do to make God love her any more or any less. Through Grampa Bear’s encouraging Little Cub to love others with a “God-sized love,” children will be inspired to love others and to be patient, gentle and kind, so that in every way, they too can demonstrate God’s love.

If you'd like more information on purchasing God Gave Us Love please visit the the Random House book's site.
 

        In God Gave Us Christmas, as Little Cub and her family prepare to celebrate the most special day of the year, the curious young polar bear has something on her mind: “Who invented Christmas?” she asks. “Is God more important than Santa?”
        Her questions reflect the confusion of so many children during the holiday season. And this heartwarming story takes them on a wonderful journey of discovery—right to the heart of Christmas.
Through Mama’s gentle guidance, Little Cub learns that God loves her and everyone— polar bear, moose, or human—so much that he gave us Jesus, the very best gift of all.

If you'd like more information on purchasing this book please visit the God Gave Us Christmas webpage.

Lisa Tawn Bergren is the award-winning author of nearly thirty titles, totaling more than 1.5 million books in print. She writes in a broad range of genres, from adult fiction to devotional. God Gave Us Love follows in Lisa’s classic tradition of the best-selling God Gave Us You. She lives in Colorado, with her husband, Tim, and their children, Olivia, Emma, and Jack.

              In Treasured, Leigh McLeroy considers tangible reminders of God’s active presence and guides readers in discovering evidence in their own lives of his attentive love.
            “The idea for the book came from a cigar box filled with odds and ends of my grandfather’s life that arrived a few months after his death. Sifting through the objects in the box, I experienced him in a fresh new way. This made me wonder what treasures might be tucked away in Scripture that could frame God for me in an equally intimate, tangible way. This process also helped me uncover my own “treasures” of my walk with the Lord: objects that remind me of my history with him and his faithfulness to me,” says McLeroy.
            Drawn from the pages of Scripture, the author considers twelve such treasures and personalizes their meaning for readers, such as a green olive branch that offers  proof of God’s “new every morning” mercy and a scarlet cord that demonstrates his willingness to adopt “strays” of every sort.
            Weaving these treasures together with scenes from her personal history, Leigh McLeroy invites readers to discover God’s heart for them and embrace their unique role in his redemptive story. Treasured offers readers a guided experience of God’s love and character and invites them to consider their own treasures that point to their part in God’s ongoing story. 
 

For information on purchasing Treasured visit Random House.

Leigh McLeroy is the author of The Beautiful Ache and The Sacred Ordinary.  An avid collector and recorder of everyday moments, words, and wonders, Leigh’s keen eye for God’s presence in ordinary life infuses her writing and living with a deep, insistent joy.  A frequent conference and event speaker, the author makes her home in Houston, Texas, and posts often on www.leighmcleroy.com and www.wednesdaywords.com.

Thanksgiving 2009

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone and what a wonderful time of being thankful!  I've learned several things over the last few months and to be thankful for much:

1.  That my husband, friend and provider is still here and that God's will is done.

2.  We have a house, no matter how small, lacking in insulation, leaking or flooding we have a house and it's full of love and life and I try daily to keep God at the center of it!

3.  I have three wonderful blessings who each bring a different and beautiful dynamic to our family and God knows that He put them in the right family at the right time.

4.  I live in a country where I can worship the One True Saviour without fear of severe persecution, torture, imprisonment and/or death like my Brothers and Sisters in China, Russia and other countries.  I will forever lift His name up and may His name always be Holy, Holy, Holy!!!!

So these are just some of the things I am thankful for and I know it's late in posting this but it's still timely and it's always wonderful to remember the things and loved ones we are thankful for!

This Thanksgiving like we've done for several years was spent at our home in a time of relaxing.  We have an open invitation to family who wants to stop by and rarely (and sadly) are we ever taken up on this offer.  With three little ones it can be hard and stressful to make several stops (inlaws, my dad's side and my mom) with no time for those who need naps (and need them) and no relaxing time spent, so we decided long ago to stop running around like chickens with their heads cut off and spend it at home.  My mom and one brother will come over and then my inlaws usually stop over later.  There are family who think we are wrong and terrible to stay at home, but for us we need to stay at home and as I said above there is a standing invite for any family who'd like to come over and visit to do so as long as we're here :)

Here are some pictures of our Thanksgiving:

This shows my two homemade pies, deviled eggs, stuffing, homemade mashed potatoes (many thanks to my DH who peeled and quartered them for me) corn, dinner rolls (unfortunately not homemade), homemade pumpkin bread, homemade beer bread, ham and turkey.  Those items in the back right are the children's 'turkeys' they made at the homeschool interest group (I'll get close up pics later)  I left out the relish tray and a couple other food items.

My apple pie with nothing less than, hippo, cut outs to decorate it.

Upclose of my pumpkin pie and some mashed potatoes.  Yes that is 'artwork' on the wall LOL

The day after Thanksgiving was not shopping for me, much to my dismay, it was spent at a surgery center for a diagnostic laprascope.  My OB/GYN and I were suspecting the adehsions that he removed in 2005 during the same type of surgery were back and again causing pain and fertility issues.  Nothing was found, no adhesions and nothing wrong that would prevent me from being pregnant.  I am shocked and probably also my dr.  I'm doing well although I had to stop taking the percocet due to it making me very ill and I'm now taking tylenol w/codiene (sp?) which is much better.  I again had a good experience except the nurse who did my I.V. which felt like she stabbed me (no, I'm not exaggerating) with the needle. I had continous pain everytime I moved with this I.V. line as well - I endured it because I was not going to have her do it again.  This is what I was left with once the I.V. was removed:

This bruise is on the inside of my left arm and is 3 inches wide and 4 inches long!  Craziness and I don't own enough long sleeved shirts to cover it until it disappears :(