Flood of Compassion

Our God is sufficient in all things; His name is above all names. His name is a strong tower for us where we can find rest when we're weary, and take sanctuary when we are being pursued.

Kay Arthur wrote a short story which gives us a glimpse of what the name of the Lord truly means to us:

"The muffled, distant sound had broken the quiet reverie of his walk across the meadow. The sharp barking of a dog almost irritated him. It was abrasive in that tranquil setting. As the barking grew louder, his eyes scanned the meadow, looking for the culprit. Suddenly a small doe broke through the edge of the woods. Now he understood. Leaning against the fence post, the man watched with compassion as the doe cut across the broad expanse of meadow. She was running straight toward him. He stood motionless, not wanting to add the fear of man to the animal's frustration. As the frightened fawn leaped the fence, she staggered. The chase had taken its toll. Her wet coat gleaming in the sun, the doe stopped, took a few steps in one direction, then, ears held high, looked back toward the sound of the barking. The dog had broken through the woods. Eyes wide with fright, confused, worn out, panting wildly, the doe surveyed her surroundings, quickly discovering the man standing beside the fence. Glancing back for an instant at the dog in hot pursuit, then viewing the expanse of open field before her, she turned weakly and wobbled straight toward the man. She approached him without fear and buried her head in his tummy. Compassion flooded his heart and filled his eyes. She had found a protector." (1)

The doe found a "strong tower" and she ran into it and was safe! This is a beautiful picture of today's verse: the name of the Lord is our strong tower, waiting until we are finished expending our own energy to finally seek out a refuge, a sanctuary. And, casting aside our fears, we run to Him and bury ourselves in the Lord! We then find ourselves engulfed in the reality of His covenants and promises, a strong tower, impenetrable, impregnable, and immovable.

"The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe." (Proverbs 18:10)

Where do you find your refuge? Who or what is your tower of strength? Finally, where do you run in time of trouble? The righteous dwell in God and God in; they believe He is their tower of strength and they find refuge in Him.

Get to know your God. Know the strength in the name of the Lord. Learn of His attributes, His all-encompassing power, His never-ending love, His overwhelming compassion.

Father, I need to know you more; I need to know the strength in Your name in a greater way. Father, I long to be like the deer and find refuge in You. I recognize my need for You more each day. Please, Lord, meet me at the point of my need to know You more than ever before! Amen!

© Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved

(1) From "Lord I Want To Know You" by Kay Arthur, 1992, published by Multnomah Books

Elements of Mercy

The grace or favor of God sent salvation to us all. But it also teaches us some important elements of sober and godly living.

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world" (Titus 2:11-12)

First, we must deny ungodliness. However, before we can deny it, we must understand what constitutes ungodliness. It comes from a Greek word meaning irreverent, impious, or wicked. In order to live godly lives in the grace of God, we must deny ungodliness and flee from it.

Second, we must deny worldly lusts. However, again, before we can deny the worldly lusts, we need to understand what they are. It speaks of longing for those things which are forbidden, things unclean, things that have no part in the life of a child of God.

Denying ungodliness and worldly lusts is never easy. It takes consistency without compromise as we pursue sober, righteous, and godly living.

Three important words to remember . . . soberly, righteously, and godly.

Use your personal time of reflection and prayer today to consider your life. How do you measure up? Are you pursuing godliness? Are you denying ungodliness and worldly lusts? Be honest in your self-examination and listen to the voice of the Spirit as He draws you to repentance and teaches you the importance of sober and godly living for the glory of God

Father, as I consider this, I find that I am in need once again of Your grace. Forgive me, Lord, for I am weak. Teach me to be sober, righteous, and godly so that You might be glorified in me and through me. Father, I love You and choose to pursue godliness in every area of my life; I need Your help! In Jesus' name, amen and amen!

© Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved

Salina Conference Report

It's amazing what God can do and does when we step back and let Him have His way!

Jeanice and two of her daughters, Amanda and Elisabeth, joined us for this conference; it was great to have family involved. Amanda and her husband, Tyler, are expecting their first child in November, so the time together was extra special for us moms.

We are so incredibly grateful for the hospitality and warm welcome we received by Pastor Kerry Basinger and the Salina Heights Christian Church. We were made to feel right at home and wonderfully encouraged in every way.

The conference is not just about the book. Rather, it's about allowing others to develop and use the gifts and talents God has planted in them for His glory. That's what stood out about our time in Salina. New birthing and reaffirmation of God's purposes were celebrated in the intimate worship and sharing. It is during times of tenderness in the presence of God that we become transparent and He becomes visible--the main attraction, the focus of all things, the One who is praised and adored. Mission accomplished!

We also want to thank the Salina Public Library for graciously allowing us to use their facility for the book-signing on Saturday afternoon.

Finally, thank you to Kandy Crosby-Hastings for making all the arrangements and contacts necessary to make the Salina Conference a memorable one in so many ways. Kandy, we love you and thank God for you!

Our next conferece is in Willard, Ohio, on May 29-30 at the Willard Church of the Nazarene. Pre-registration is available online (click here).

Specific information about the Willard Conference is available online as well (click here) or you can call Jan at 567-224-7229 for more detailed information.

Other conference dates are being scheduled right now; if you're interested in bringing the Ignite Your Passion Conference to your community, please contact Jeanice.

Ignite Your Passion Conference

IGNITE YOUR PASSION

CONFERENCE

SALINA, KANSAS

April 24-25

Salina Heights Christian Church

801 E. Cloud Street, Salina

Friday Night: 6:30 PM

Saturday Morning: 10:00 AM

Book Signing at the Community Learning Center

308 W. Elm, Salina

2:00 PM to 4:00 PM Saturday

* * * * * * * * * *

Guest Speakers:

Kandy Crosby-Hastings

Jeanice McDade

Jan Ross

Based on the Award-Winning Book
Women of Passions

www.womenofpassions.net


For More Information: 618-927-7317
jeanice@heartofgodinternational.com

Christian Choice Book Awards

We just received word that our book has placed in the Christian Choice Book Awards. What an honor!

The Christian Choice Book Awards contest awarded certificates and prize money to 66 Christian authors for outstanding literary achievement in 22 categories. The contest, which was open to those who released a Christian book in 2007-2008, featured a variety of categories that ranged from Christian living to poetry.

As the first contest of its kind in the Christian publishing arena, the Christian Choice Book Awards represents a unique opportunity for self-published Christian authors to make their voice heard.

In the DEVOTIONAL category, Women of Passions placed THIRD. In a competition of this kind, with 22 categories and hundreds of authors, a third place is GREAT! We're thrilled!

We praise God for this honor! And, we want to thank each one of our Contributing Authors for their contribution to this book. Wow! It's so exciting to see how a group of women, many of whom don't know each other, can share their stories to paint a picture of the goodness of our Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom ALL glory goes for everything that is being accomplished through this book.

Third Annual Christmas Contest

It's getting late and we're sorry! But, we can't miss an opportunity to reach out to everyone with an invitation to participate in our Third Annual Christmas Story Contest.

The theme of this year’s Christmas newsletter is “Good News in Bethlehem”. Of course, we know WHO the Good News is … Yeshua, Jesus, the Christ, the Promised Messiah, the Redeemer, the King, the Lord of all! Setting aside any controversy about when the Messiah came to earth in the form of a tiny child, we’re asking you as a writer to share a story from your heart based on the theme “Good News in Bethlehem” and submit it to us no later than midnight on December 1st, only a few days from today.

Here are the guidelines:

1. Your story must be submitted via email to jan@journezine.com.

2. All entries must be received by midnight on December 1st.

3. Your entry (you may submit more than one) must be no less than 300 and no more than 750 words in length; please use a word-counter to help us stay within our limit. Any entry outside the word limit will be automatically disqualified.

4. Your story must be submitted IN THE BODY OF AN EMAIL—NOT AN ATTACHMENT! Please simply copy and paste your entry into the body of an email and send it to jan@journezine.com.

5. Because this is a Christian ministry, your entry must reflect Christian principles and somehow point to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

6. Because we are pressed for time, please help us by including the following information with your submission:

a. Full name

b. Mailing Address

c. Phone Number

d. Email Address

e. Short Bio (under 75 words) with a link to a picture if possible

f. Link to your website and/or blog

7. Finally, make sure your story (or stories) are edited and in publishable form.

By submitting your story, you confirm that you allow Heart of God International Ministries to use your story in their December newsletter to be mailed to all partners and friends of the ministry, to be displayed on the websites, and to be featured in the December issue of JournEzine if your story is chosen. Also you affirm that you release to Heart of God International Ministries the rights to use your story even if you have it copyrighted. Please only submit original material—any forwards or copied or plagiarized stories will automatically be rejected by us.

We have three independent judges who will read your story (or stories) anonymously; we will have removed your name and contact information before submitting the entries to them. We affirm there will be no favoritism—each entry will stand on its own merit.

Now for the good part … the PRIZES, and we’ve made it worth your while to enter! But, in order to keep this post down to a reasonable size, we have put the guidelines and the prizes on the website. Please click on this link for further information: CLICK HERE

We are excited to be able to up to TEN of the top entries in the December 2008 issue of JournEzine, as the judges recommend, primarily depending on the number of entries. But this means you will have to get your story or stories in quickly.

If you have any questions, get back with me as soon as you can. Please feel free to pass this invitation to participate along to your friends and colleagues. We look forward to hearing from you VERY, VERY SOON!

Are You Ready?

Well, we're working hard to put together a schedule. But, we're missing some of our Contributing Authors. Not sure why, though. After all, this is a gift to you, to introduce you to your local community as a published author, to give you an opportunity (if you want) to minister to women from your community, to participate in a book signing or two in your town. And, the best part is that we cover the expenses!

Here are some ideas. But if we don't cover your specific obstacle to a dynamic day of ministry to the Lord, to your community, and opportunity to grow in your spiritual gifts, please let us know and we'll see what we can do to help.

1. If your church is not available or doesn't seem to feel like they want to participate, find another location such a town hall or community center, etc. Any place that is free (or very low cost). Perhaps one of your friends' church would have a fellowship hall--what a great opportunity to get her involved!

2. If your schedule is just too jam-packed, talk to a friend and see if she would like to partner with you on this. Again, it's a great opportunity to get someone else involved who could do some of the leg-work while your fulfill your other commitments. Just be sure you're free on the day we schedule your conference.

3. If you're not sure what is going to be required of you, PLEASE let us know. We want to help you make this a tremendous blessing for you and your community. But we need to know how we can help!

We are so excited to put together this tour. So, let's hear from you all and get something going in your community. Check out the webpage where we've kind of sketched out what all is involved. You're going to find that this is not as hard as you think PLUS it will heap blessing upon blessing on you AND your friends and neighbors.

Get back with Jeanice TODAY! We're opening this up to others who may want to have us bring the conference/tour to their community even if they aren't a contributing author! If you have an out of town friend or relative you'd prefer to work with, we can do that. We just need to hear from you!

Webpage: Ignite Your Passion Tour
Email: Jeanice or Jan

We look forward to hearing from you very, very soon! Hop on board with this opportunity for ministry, to glorify God with the gifts He's so graciously given to us, and to bless your lady friends, church and community women, and anyone else with a day when we will partner together to Ignite Your Passion.

Love,
Jan & Jeanice

Radio Interview and More!

Jan and Jeanice met in Cincinnati this past week to spend some time together for ministry business. And, what a wonderful time it was! Tuesday morning began with a trip to the radio studio where we were interviewed by Erin Campbell of Water Through the Word. Nearly an hour of recording will be edited down to twenty-nine minutes of airtime. The program is scheduled to air in September or October on 700 WLW-AM (clear channel station) and 1050-WCVX-AM in Cincinnati, as well as several other local stations in neighboring states.

The interview wasn't primarily about the book or the ministry, but it was a time of testimony, giving praise to God for what He has done in our personal lives. There was talk about at least one more recording session where Jeanice will share her testimony as well.

Jan's local newspaper ran a feature story on Women of Passions: Ordinary Women Serving an Extraordinary God in today's paper with 1/3 of the front page and a small overflow on the back page. The editor did a great job of focusing on the ministry aspect of the book rather than the individuals … God was glorified. The last paragraph reads: "The dedication of the book by the two women speaks volumes for their faith. 'With deepest love and honor, this work is dedicated to Jesus Christ through whom all things come and through whom we live, and to His beloved Church.'" We praise God for a bold editor who held back nothing to ensure that God was glorified and His work through the book was promoted and encouraged by local residents.

Pray with us that the books will continue to sell and the Lord will use it to reach into the hearts of women everywhere with His transforming power, mercy and grace!

ICRS Display

Special thanks to Terri Tiffany who happened to be at ICRS this year for these photos. It's so neat to know each of you had a story in a book that was featured at our publisher's kiosk for the annual show.

When you have a chance, check the website (www.womenofpassions.net) and see the comments we're receiving. If you have shared the book with others, please take a minute and email me with some comments to add to the website.

Also, if you have a local bookstore you'd like to see carry copies of the book, please email me with the name of the store, a contact person, address, and phone number. We will contact them with a free book and instructions for ordering. If you would prefer to contact them and introduce yourself as a contributing author, let me know and I'll send you a book and the ordering instructions.

Be sure, also, to check with your local library and even your church libraries ... books should be made available everywhere. Some small shops would be glad to have a small inventory of the books in your hometown. If we put our heads together, we can have a lot of books out there to sell which, in turn, means more exposure for you as a writer and, more importantly, for God as the One who deserves all the praise!

A few new menu items exist on the main webpage (www.womenofpassions.net) specifically designed for use by Bookstores/Retailers, Churches/Ministries, and Libraries to order directly from the publisher or from us at a healthy discount. Please feel free to direct your local bookstores to the website, or give us their contact information and we will do what we can to work something out with them so they will carry the book in your area.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Love,
Jan

More Good News!

As you may be aware, ICRS (formerly Christian Booksellers Association – CBA) is just around the corner. Xulon worked with us to get the book published just in time for the Convention. Each year, all publishers put together a catalog of some of their most recent publications to hand out to the attendees. Xulon also sends out these catalogs to over 10,000 Christian retail stores throughout the country. The book is a full-color display with a brief description of the books, the ISBN to make it easy for ordering, etc.

Here's the GOOD NEWS! Women of Passions: Ordinary Women Serving an Extraordinary God will be one of 104 books published by Xulon this year (they publish hundreds each year) in a place of prominence in their catalog. A picture of our book will appear on the COVER and be displayed on the FIRST PAGE of their catalog! If you look at the cover to their summer catalog to the right, there is a slot for 4 pictures on the bottom right. Women of Passions will occupy one of those slots!

This is an incredible opportunity for exposure since retailers will be immediately drawn to the book. This astronomically increases our chances of appearing in bookstores all over the country. That means, YOU, as contributing authors, will have the greatest opportunity for exposure we could hope for!

We are already getting pre-orders for the "Early Bird Special" made available to EVERYONE. (Click here for more information.) Please encourage your friends and your contacts to get their orders in by midnight on June 23^rd to take advantage of 35% off ($12.99 plus shipping/handling) the retail price. We will be sending their order in with our bulk order which includes your free book and your order for additional copies at 50% off ($9.99) the retail price. Don't forget you have a special PRIVATE ordering page on the Women of Passions website. (Click Here)

If you haven't contacted me about your free book and additional order of discounted copies, please be sure to email me before the 23^rd. It's important we verify your mailing address.

Well, how's that for GOOD NEWS! We're excited … the work the Lord has done in you and through you is now published and has HUGE potential to be read by women everywhere. Be sure to pass the word along! God is so good! He takes ordinary women like you and me and does extraordinary things to display His glory for all to see. Let's give Him the glory for what He's doing and going to do through this book.

Love,
Jan & Jeanice