Weekend Worship—Highly Favored

Today I'm really excited to introduce you to a good friend of mine, Kristi Butler. Kristi was one of the attendees at our annual NCompass Writers Retreat and she shared this devotion with us. I immediately knew I had to share it with all of you.


Highly Favored
by Kristi Butler


“Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” Luke 1:28 NKJV

The pinkish tinge inched its way up the morning sky. The lake was mostly still, stirred ever so slightly by the first breezes of the day and the occasional ripples as geese glided effortlessly across the lake.

I wept at the overwhelming beauty in front of me, the presence of the Lord as tangible and enveloping as the fog in a distant cove.

I whispered, “Who am I, Lord, that you would show me such favor?”

Ancient words pierced my thoughts.  “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” Luke 1:28 NKJV

My response was, “But God, those words were for Mary, the mother of Jesus, not for one as unworthy as me.”

He replied, “She was chosen to carry my Son in her womb.  You were fashioned to carry Him in your heart.”

Highly favored.  Chosen.  Called by the Creator of the universe. Purposed for His work.

Do you join Mary in asking, “How will this be?”

Hear the reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you…the power of the Most High will overshadow you….For nothing is impossible with God. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished.” Luke 1:35, 37, 45 NIV

Thankful for God's unfailing love, tangible presence, and that He would see fit to will and work in me for His good pleasure...it is surely a matter of grace! It is my prayer that I honor Him in all I do. He has blessed me with a wonderful heritage through the example of my parents who love God, walk with Him, pray fervently, and love others unconditionally. He gave me an incredible, generous, gifted husband who works for the Lord with all of his heart. My "little girl dreams" of being a Mommy have been realized through our four wonderful daughters, who have proved that there is "no greater joy than to [know] that my children are walking in the Truth." I am honored that He would allow me the privilege of teaching His precious children in a wonderful Christian school. I wait expectantly to see what The Dream Giver has in store as He leads in pursuit of service to Him through the written word.

Thursday Review—My Book Therapy

This week I want to bring an amazing resource to your attention—especially if you’re trying to connect with those who write fiction or creative non-fiction.

My Book Therapy is a website started by award-winning, best-selling novelist, Susan May Warren. Susie has a heart to help others achieve their publishing dreams, and I was fortunate enough to stumble on this group in 2009 at the ACFWAnnual Conference. This group has become my go-to place for a lot of my online, fiction writing and community needs.

This group has also become my community. It's where I go when I need support or sympathy. These men and women share much more than just a love of writing. They care about each other's successes, struggles and triumphs no matter what the arena. As a writer, community is vitally important and I can't imagine a better one than what I've found at My Book Therapy.

It’s so simple to get plugged in here, to become a part of the group—you just have to sign up to become a voice. As of December 1, 2011, there will be a tiered membership option, with the higher levels requiring a small monthly fee. But general membership will still be free. So what advantage is there to becoming a Voice? 

• An amazing bi-monthly writing e-zine, called, appropriately enough, Voices.
• A weekly Monday night chat with experts to help you develop your story and your writing skills.
• A daily blog, covering fiction writing techniques, editing, social networking and the business side of writing.
• A place to connect with other writers who share your passion for excellence and genre.
• Special events, online and in person, some open only to Voices. 
• An active, confidential, prayer team.

I know a lot of you who follow this blog are also members of My Book Therapy and I’d love for you to share what it’s done for you.

In the meantime…

Don’t forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie

How to Craft a Perfect Facebook Post using Headline Techniques

With a compelling headline a browser becomes a reader. In the same way, a compelling Facebook post gives the web surfer the impetus to visit your blog or buy your book. But what makes a great headline? The best contain your entire message in one memorable bite…without spoiling the ending.

Here are some of the basic types of headlines: 

• Direct Headlines go straight to the heart of the matter, without any attempt at cleverness. A direct Facebook post might read Free SEO E-book.
• An Indirect Headline takes a more subtle approach. It uses curiosity to raise a question in the reader’s mind. It frequently uses clever words with double meanings. One of my favorites was, Why You Should NOT have a Facebook page. The actual blog post was written tongue-in-cheek about not wanting to promote a product.
• A News Headline is pretty self-explanatory, as long as the news really is news. It might be a product announcement, an improved version, or even a content scoop.  Introducing the New Google Plus.
• The How to Headline is everywhere—mainly because it works. Just be careful not to work it too much. How to Craft a Perfect Facebook Post.
• A Question Headline must be more than just a question—it must be something your audience is actually interested in. How can Google Plus Help You?
• The Command Headline issues an order, telling the reader what to do, such as Subscribe to The Write Conversation Today!
• Another effective technique is called the Reason Why Headline. This is where your popular Top Ten Reasons to … fall.
• Finally, we have the Testimonial Headline, this works because it provides outside proof that what you offer has value. This is the only headline that uses quotation marks in the title. It lets the reader know this is a testimonial and will be continued in the body of the email.

What are some key components to a compelling headline?

• It must provide the reader with the tools to evaluate the content.
• It needs to resonate with a reader’s urgency.
• It’s important to show the reader why this offer/product/person is unique.

And it must do all of this clearly and concisely.

Now it's your turn. Do you have a strategy when it comes to posting on Facebook? What makes a Facebook link one you want to click on? 

Don't forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie

Clash of the Titles Conquerors!

Congratulations to Delia Latham for taking the crown in last week's Staff Clash. Two anonymous COTT staffers went into the ring and readers had another hard choice to make. Some said:

• "This was a cruel choice!! LOL! They were both excellent."
•  (About Delia's excerpt): "Beautiful words expressing emotion and making the reader want more."
•  "Intense emotions on both excerpts! Great job!"
•  "Terrific excerpts!"
• (About Katie's excerpt): "I need to know Wulf better! I have a feeling he's dreamy."
• "Awesome clash with two well-written, emotion-packed scenes! Great job, authors!"

Of course, nobody knew at the time that those authors were Delia Latham and Katie McCurdy.
Both are recent additions to the staff. Delia has come on board as a Blog Alliance Correspondent, and Katie is the official Talent Scout. (Looks like COTT scouted some talent when they found these two gems.)
This fun excursion was a great interjection into the usual good times shared at Clash of the Titles. This week sees another fierce challenge with nameless authors nominated by COTT staff. Be sure to head over there and vote now!
And in just 2 weeks, the party begins! Mark your calendars for October 10th and be ready to play for extra prizes all month long as COTT celebrates it's first anniversary. Your vote will determine which of the year's winning authors will receive the ultimate honor: the Laurel Award.

* by Assistant Editor of COTT, Michelle Massaro 

Weekend Worship—Cross Roads

O taste and see that the Lord is good: how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! Psalm 34:8

Photo provided by John Melson

Are you at a Cross road in your life? Has God brought you to a point where you don’t know which way to go on your journey with Him? Well, don’t feel like you’re alone. These moments come to all of us. I have so many things I can spend my time on—necessary things—all of them good things. As a matter of fact the only thing I know is that there isn’t enough time in the day to do everything! I can usually decide between good and evil, that’s a no brainer, but good and good, that’s much tougher.

This hits me constantly in my writing life. I have so many things I can spend my time on—how do I know what to chose? I’ve found there’s one choice that’s right every time. I’ve learned to chose God.

I know, it sounds like a Sunday school answer, one of those situation when the teacher asks a question and the answer is always God. I’m not talking about that kind of flip, hip answer. I’m talking about choosing a constant, consistent relationship with God, so that when those Cross roads appear, we’re ready. I’ve found that when we’re are walking closely with God, His leading is almost automatic. We get so tuned into His Spirit and His will for our lives, that we don't have to stop and think about our response.

On the other hand, when we’re walking in the flesh, in step with the world, our logic will usually lead us in the opposite direction from God. My logic, in and of itself, always seems to contain self justification and realization. I always know that I am out of step with Him when I have to stop and pray about every little thing, looking for God because I seem to have lost Him. I have wandered from His side and am once again seeking my own way. Of course there are times when I am walking with Him, and I am still unsure about what to do, but I find this doesn't happen as often.

So I encourage you to get in step with God. Build that relationship and let Him prepare you for the Cross roads ahead. Remember—He already know what you need to make the right decision.

Don’t forget to join the conversation!
Blessings,
Edie

Top 10 Ways to Promote Yourself on Facebook WITHOUT Irritating Your Friends

Wow, my post last week generated a little bit more interest than I expected. The top two comments seemed to revolve around two issues:

The Lack of Dialogue on a Fan (Business) Page versus a Personal Page.

A lot of folks I’ve dialogued with this week have complained that a Fan Page is all about promotion—almost a hard-sell mentality. I think a lot of that stems from being unfamiliar with the medium. A Fan Page doesn’t have to be about promoting yourself. You don’t have to dump the dialogue to utilize a Fan Page.

How to Get People to LIKE a Fan (Business) Page.

The flip side of the lack of dialogue complaint is the fact that it is harder to get people to LIKE a page, as opposed to accepting a FRIEND request.

Today we’ll tackle both issues.

10. Utilize a three-pronged approach to social media. Use your blog, Twitter and Facebook to reinforce each other. Set them up to cross post and keep the conversation going. 

9.  Get on a schedule. Set a goal for how often you want to post updates—then stick to it. (Here's mine.)

8.  Give us the inside scoop. Let your fans see you as a person—not just a business. (Warning: Don’t go overboard with this. Just an occasional post about grandchildren or exercise goes a long way!)

7.  Promote others on YOUR Fan Page. I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but trust me, it works.

6.  Visit the Facebook pages of your fans and friends. You want people to comment on your page, so comment on theirs.

5.  Put a Facebook button on your blog.

4.  Tweet about your Facebook page and USE the appropriate hashtags. (Don’t know how, click here tolearn.) 

3.  Decide what value you want to offer to your audience (fans). Then deliver content related to that. Don’t treat your Facebook Page like a bulletin board.

2.  Utilize headline techniques when you compose your Facebook posts. 

1.  Finally, stay up to date with your niche. For example, if you write romance, give us an occasional scoop into the romance genre. Has a new publisher come on the market, an old one shut down? Inquiring minds want to know.

In the next few weeks I’m going to continue with posts about Facebook and try to answer all your questions. So be sure to chime in.

And don’t forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie

Clash of the Titles, Tournament of Champions

Happy Anniversary, Clash of the Titles!

It's been almost a year since COTT opened its voting-booth doors and invited everyone in. Over the past twelve months, readers have chosen 25 Clash winners and received 48 free books. And along the way, a family formed. That family consists of the voters, authors, staff, and the 25+ blogs who have banded together in mutual support with COTT.

This is cause for major celebration! So COTT is doing it up to the nines.

Clash of the Titles' first annual Tournament of Champions begins next month! Over the course of four weeks, past winners from the previous year will compete in a series of clashes for the ultimate prize: the Laurel Award. The Laurel, COTT's most prestigious honor, is awarded by public vote to a single author among the year's champions.

Voters are expected to turn out in droves to support their favorites and participate in games just for readers. Each week, COTT sponsors—consisting of various authors and staff—will issue fun challenges to readers along with the chance to win gift cards, critique services, a business card design, and more. A dozen sponsors are lined up for the event so far. That's a lot of prizes!

Throughout the month, details and updates on the Tournament of Champions will be shared on the COTT website and featured within the Blog Alliance. To help spread the word, please grab the special Tournament Button (below) to display on your site. Then send a link to your page to: contactcott at gmail dot com to enter the special COTT Shout-About drawing. The drawing will take place during the first week of the Tournament and the winner will receive a Clash of the Titles mug.

Please also consider Tweeting or sharing this article on your Facebook wall.

(it only takes a second--just click the share button.)

Mark your calendars and spread the word. This BYOV (Bring Your Own Vote) party begins on October 10th!

<a border="0" href="http://www.clashofthetitles.com/p/tournament-of-champs.html" target="_blank"><img src=" http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r38/DeliaLatham/TournyBanner2.png "/></a>