What Can You Expect at the Quad-Cities Christian Writers Conference

If you enjoy writing but are afraid you might be"not good enough", this is the conference for you.
If you’d like to know how to improve and promote your writing, this is the conference for you.
If you need encouragement in your Christian walk as you learn how to better share your story of what God has done in your life, this is the conference for you.
If you enjoy a bit of zany-ness and laughter alongside solid classes, seminars and messages, this is the conference for you.
If you can stand to eat delicious meals alongside accessible professionals in the world of writing who are anxious to discover and encourage tomorrow's top writers, then this IS the conference for you.
If you're looking for a conference with lots of big, snooty "names", blow-hards who only want to tell how great they are, mentors ready to tear you and your work apart, and impersonal, impractical teaching, where the games go on, this is NOT the conference for you.


The 8th annual Quad-Cities Christian Writers Conference
April 8-9
Eldridge, Iowa

Join us for two full days of continuing classes, breakout sessions, friendly faculty, hands-on learning and an experience you’ll never forget.
In fact, it might change your life.

For more information or to register please visit our web site at http://www.qccwc.com ~

We're waiting to meet you and help you on your journey to writing success.

The 2011 Blizzard, Davenport Iowa

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Words That Heal, Words That Wound

Yesterday, Barak Obama spoke these words at a memorial at the University of Arizona for those slain and injured in last week's tragic shooting:

"At a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized — at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who think differently than we do — it's important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds."
Amen and thank you Mr. President.

Can you imagine an entire day on FB when everybody only posted words that heal and none that wound? I can.

Next Monday we honor Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., a great American who lived and died trying to unite Americans and heal the wounded.

I have a proposal for you, an drastic suggestion to begin a more civil political discourse for the country we all love.

How about on Monday, January 17, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we show our respect for him and for all men of good will, as well as those killed and injured in the attack in Arizona, by posting on Facebook that day ONLY words that are meant to heal?

For one brief 24 hour period, can we just set aside our differences, our cynicism and anger and especially our wounding words? Words can bring joy or words can crush the spirit. It's our choice. Can’t we at least for once, attempt to use the awesome power of free speech to uplift, to encourage, to praise and to bring as much peace as we know how?

I hope you will join me and share this post on your profile if you agree.
Together, Facebook has power. Let's use it to heal and not to hurt.

At least for one day.

Sometimes I just have to share what's on my heart.

Letter to the 20-something Me*

Dear 20-something Gail,

Good news! Today I started to write a list of things my newly turned 60 year-old wanted to do in the next five years and discovered I could only think of 3 things that I would really like to do that I haven’t done yet. So that’s good news for you at the age of twenty-something. You get to do so many of the things you dream of doing and you're not the total loser you sometimes feel you are.

I thought the first sentence of this letter would be “What are you thinking?!” That would be in reference to being such a perfectionist and also insisting things be done YOUR way all the time. It takes courage, but letting go of the idea you must never be wrong will free you from the fear of failure and release you from the prison of perfectionism.

But it also has to do with your spiritual condition. Instead of spending so much time trying to “do” things for God, try spending more time alone with the Father. If Jesus found it necessary to spend time alone with His Father every day, do you really think you can manage without it? The day you put into practice the words of Ron Dunn “Decide now that you will never again go to bed without reading God’s word” will be major, a life-changing, spiritual renewal. Get serious about a daily quiet time. Your life and your walk with God will be transformed into something beautiful that will sustain you in life.

Ladies Bible Study Fellowship will change your life, challenging you and growing you into a woman who LOVES God’s word and studying the Bible becomes a way of life for you. Keep on going.

Guess what? Even though in college you didn’t have the courage to pursue music as a career, by sheer persistence and availability you do manage to have a life filled with music, singing, leading choirs in churches, high school and community musicals, and even become a partner in a private studio. So hang in there doing what you love. God has provides opportunities you could never imagine.

Don’t worry so much about money. God takes care of His children and you are His daughter. God brings amazing opportunities to always work with friends.

More good news—that sweet guy you married because he was so nice and so hard to argue with is still the same sweet guy today. Although you did manage to find ways to argue and the even the whole “peace at any price” thing did get annoying, you are both so stubborn that divorce is never really an option.

Show your love for Rick more in words of support (his “love language”), respect and admiration for how he does his job instead of trying to tell him how to do it. Brag about him. Keep up your fierce defense of him always.

Forget about the disappointments, the hurts and mistakes. Hold on to the joy and fun. Keep on laughing together and being silly. Your marriage, at 40 years and counting, will be stronger and happier than ever.

20-SomethingGail, please realize that people show their love in many different ways. The criticism you feel from your in-laws is just them treating you like a well-loved member of the family. It's really a compliment. BTW, things get MUCH better after the first grandchild.
Good for you for waiting to have children until you were ready. Your children are the light of your life, but you will never regret that you waited.

Be easy to please as a mom, a friend, a teacher and a wife. It’s a hard job, but God will move you next door to a wonderful friend who will model great parenting and become a permanent part of your life, blessing you with her wisdom and friendship.

About being a mom:
Be a thermostat, setting the climate in your home, not a ther-MOM-meter, acting hot and cold to everything around you. The day you realize it’s up to YOU to set the attitude each moment, you and all the kids have a lot more fun! You can act happy even when you don’t feel like it. Believe me, the benefits are great.

There is some bad news—the hard parts of life really are necessary. Once you are through them, you’ll be a stronger, better and more compassionate woman. Sometimes your heart will break. Turn to Jesus and trust in God. God loves the broken-hearted. He is near the crushed in spirit. He will hold you and carry you through.

Start a journal. Sorry to say it but your long-term memory stinks and time goes flying by. A journal will help you remember the good and sort out the difficult.

Get over having your birthday in December. You’re going to spend Dec 16 at so many rehearsals, work parties and performances you may as well accept it now. Whining is not becoming. However, it IS okay to insist that birthday presents be wrapped in birthday paper.

Never sit on the washing machine and stretch your arm over your head trying to change a light bulb. Just trust me on this one. Also avoid the Farrah haircut--your hair will never look like that. Stick with long and straight--you can't fight Mother Nature.

So 20-somethingGail, the best advice I can give you is to look for and embrace the love that surrounds you from your God, your husband, family and friends. Let your life be ruled by that love and not by all the “what if” worries and fears that you struggle with. The many things you're afraid of will never happen, so let go of fear and hold on to love.

You have the love of a good man, amazing, life-long friends, a dysfunctional, but intensely loving family, and most of all, an awesome God and Savior.

Remember to always “Write your sorrows in sand and your joys in stone.”

“The days are long, but the years are short”. Be sure you show up each day ready to enjoy God’s gift of life.

See you in 40 years or so.

Posted by just-turned-60 Gail Smith

*I owe this post to an idea by Cassie Boorn. My thanks to Cassie for sharing her great blog and ideas with the world. Check it out for more letters from mostly younger women to their 20-something selves. http://cassieboorn.com/about-me/

Originally published on The Great Blog Adventure

THE Christmas Nativity Quiz

The first time I saw this quiz, sometime during the 70’s I thought it would be easy. My husband was a young youth pastor and we thought it would be fun to do at the youth group Christmas party in tiny Felton, California. That was before I actually took it. I must confess the first time I took it I didn’t do so well. I wouldn't have wanted to be graded on my answers that first time!

But it made me wonder--how much do we really know about the long ago Christmas night and how did we learn what we believe?


Through the years we have had a lot of fun giving this quiz out at various parties. It has inspired many cries of outrage and frustration as people who were sure they had the right answer found out differently. My middle school students got two years to try and still had trouble. Seems as many of our ideas about the birth of Jesus originate from imaginative Christmas carols as from the Bible.

Now it’s your turn. Answer the questions below to see if you really know as much about the birth of Christ as you think you do. Have fun and leave me a comment on how you do!

Here goes:
1. Joseph was from:
a) Bethlehem
b) Jerusalem
c) Nazareth
d) Egypt

2. Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem by
a) Camel
b) Donkey
c) Walked
d) We don't know

3. The innkeeper told Mary and Joseph...
a) I have a stable you can use
b) There is no room at the inn
c) Both (a) and (b)
d) None of the above

4. Which animals were present at Jesus' birth?
a) Cows, sheep, goats
b) Cows, donkeys, sheep
c) Many barnyard animals
d) None are mentioned

5. Who saw the star in the east?
a) Shepherds
b) Mary and Joseph
c) The Wise Men
d) Everyone

6. How many angels spoke to the shepherds?
a) One
b) Three
c) A Multitude

7. What sign did the angels tell the shepherds to look for?
a) A star over Bethlehem
b) A baby that doesn't cry
c) A baby in a stable
d) A baby wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger

8. Did Baby Jesus cry?______________

9. What did the angels sing?
a) Joy to the World
b) Alleluia
c) Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given
d) Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will to men

10. How many wise men came to visit Jesus? ________

11. The wise men found Jesus in a
a) manger
b) stable
c) house
d) a good mood

12. The wise men stopped in Jerusalem
a) To inform Herod about Jesus
b) To find out where Jesus was
c) To buy presents for Jesus

13. Who told Mary and Joseph to go to Bethlehem?
a) The angel
b) Mary's mother
c) Herod
d) Caesar Augustus

14. Joseph took baby Jesus to Egypt
a) To show him the pyramids
b) To be put in a basket in the river
c) Because he dreamed of it
d) To be taxed

15. Where do we find the Christmas story to check the answers to these questions?
a) Matthew
b) Mark
c) Luke
d) John
e) All of the above
f) Matthew and Luke
g) Mark and John


Answers: 1(c), 2(d), 3(d), 4(d), 5(c), 6(a), 7(d), 8(Yes, like any other baby) 9(d), 10(we don't know), 11(c), 12 (b), 13(d), 14(c), 15(f)

Your score—
15 right—Arch Angel
12-14 right—A Shining Star
9-11 right-- Praising Shephard
4-8 right---Time to reread Luke 2
1-3 right—You’re making baby Jesus cry
0 right--Donkey

Hear "90 Minutes in Heaven" Authors Live TONIGHT.

Thanks to Kathy Carlton Willis for the following information

"Bestselling Authors Join Forces Again
Call-Ins Welcome

This book is now in its fifth year on the New York Times' bestseller list. It's sold more than five million copies and has been translated into 40+ languages. A feature film is in the works. The book? 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper and Cecil Murphey.

Piper will join Murphey on the new Toginet online radio show, Cec And Me on Tuesday, December 7th at 7 PM Central time, 8 PM Eastern. That's tonight! Tune in to learn how the authors connected—the birth of a multi-book project and their mutually-respected relationship.

Listeners are welcome to call in with questions or comments, with opportunities to win free books. Piper and Murphey offer comfort and wisdom from their vast source of life experience with heartache, pain and loss. These men live out the phrase, “I feel your pain.” This show is certain to deliver grace-filled strength.

More about The Cec And Me Show:

Billed as a delightful, thoughtful, serious, and not so serious call-in show with Cecil (Cec) Murphey and Twila Belk, the show promises a blend of fun and a variety of topics, including tough issues such as cancer, caregiving, and sexual abuse, as well as lighter topics such as writing and Christmas miracles.

The far-reaching, refreshing, faith-based, shared conversation and call-in show offers:

• An inside look at the “Man Behind the Words.” This patriarch in the publishing industry shares from his life of words—over 100 books and going strong.
  
• Special guests who've been impacted by Cec in some way—people who in turn impact others—authors, speakers, pastors, ministry leaders and more.
  
• A wide range of topics—tough issues, practical helps, encouragement, inspiration, hope, and some fun thrown in for good measure.
  
• The opportunity to call in with your questions and comments.

About Cecil (Cec) Murphey
Murphey is an international speaker and bestselling author who has written or co-written more than 100 books, including Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (with Dr. Ben Carson). His books have sold millions and have given hope and encouragement to countless people around the world. Many writers claim Murphey as their mentor or the father of their writing.

About Twila Belk
Belk is a writer, inspirational speaker, and conference director who also works fulltime with Murphey as his manager and personal assistant. She serves as the show’s host. "

Check out this clip for more details of Cec And Me:

Happy Halloween

Circa 1982 (or so)