MERRY CHRISTMAS from Cin, EJ, and the faculty of ACWC

I'VE GOT A CONFESSION!
Yep, I have a confession. They say it's good for the soul so here goes. I didn't do a November newsletter. WHY, you might ask because usually CINDY IS AHEAD OF THE GAME. Well, honestly, I've had a crisis of faith. Our registration was so slow to fill JUST ON-CAMPUS rooms, that I retreated to my back room and went to my knees.

I've always been a pray-er. It's just where I find my comfort in being with the Father, but I will be honest...I get scared at times and when the registrations start coming in one-here-one-there...I get scared. It was me who signed a contract for $40K and me who freaks out when I think I've put the ministry in a bad spot. So, I spent November talking with God. I did talk to Eddie, who promptly scolded me for being a worrywart, when I know that God fully steps forward every year. And like always, (as much as I hate to admit it) Eddie was right. I worry way too much and God does always come through.

All that to say, we have TWO ON CAMPUS ROOMS LEFT AVAILABLE. ONLY TWO, which meets our contract in full with the Cove. Praise the Lord and oh God, forgive my fear. For He is faithful. Isn't He? So there is my confession. I hope you are ready for the full truck load to dump right now!

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IF YOU REGISTERED WITH A SPOUSE - Please send me an email with the name of your spouse and their email. In order to complete their registration, I have to have their names and email. Please send me an email at [email protected].

Also, if you are one of those folks who uses a separate email address (perhaps under a husband's name or a business name), I NEED TO KNOW YOUR NAME. So if Jane Doe registered with her hubby's email on Pay Pal [email protected], I am not going to know 1) if you are male or female (which definitively effects rooming), and I cannot fully register you without YOUR NAME. So please just verify with me if you used a hubbys or business acct to register on Pay Pay. I need to get your name. OTHERWISE, WE WON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE AND WE CAN'T LET YOU ON CAMPUS. The Cove is picky about that sort of thing. Please help me out. Send me an email at [email protected]

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CONTESTS - Our book contest ends the end of December...if you want to enter, hop to it. Visit our contest page. You can click on the above link for the page. HURRY! It's such a good thing for you to enter contests. It is valuable experience in learning how to step out and share your work, take helpful information, and test the waters. Sarah Loudin Thomas is heading up the book contest, and SHE IS WAITING FOR YOUR ENTRIES.

DITTO ON THE DEVOTION CONTEST!

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Mentoring and Paid Critiques - If you are interested in a paid critique, our faculty is wonderful to give you very concise and amazing feedback. Our mentors....oh my, they are awesome. If you choose a mentorship then you will spend one hour with the mentor you have chosen and it's one-on-one. Oh goodness...this is so amazing. How I wish this would have been available for me when I got started in writing. Spending that one-on-one time with a professional will not only help you with your work, but will also, give you encouragement. You'll see how much you can glean from those who have already been down that starting road. SO, choose a mentor. It will cost you a few dollars, but trust me...money well spent.
Visit our mentor and critique page here for details.

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BOOKSTORE - We will offer a bookstore for your shopping. It will have books by our faculty. Unfortunately, we can only house faculty books. We simply do not have the space to house conferee books. BUT, that doesn't mean you can't carry your book with you and share it with your peers. If they wish to purchase one, you can work the details out with them.  We hope you will visit our bookstore. Your purchases will help our faculty and also help build our scholarship fund.

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THE BOB BOX - If you know our conference, then you know we never do a conference without doing mission work as well. We are, after all, a ministry.  Each year we opt to support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Our own Bob Hostetler, has two grands who have Cystic Fibrosis, I have a family member with this, and a number of ministry friends also either suffer with CF or have children who do. It is only fitting that we support this as a ministry. Each year, we set a box in our bookstore, lovingly labeled the BOB BOX, and we hope you feel moved to donate. Whatever is in the box at the end of the conference, the ministry matches the amount and we then hand it over to Bob Hostetler, whose son works for a company that doubles every donation. So by all due rights, it's multiplied three times. Which is awesome. Please consider donating to the Bob Box and let's do as we are commanded...to care for others. We will also provide a link via Pay Pay that you can also donate on line. DONATE TO THE BOB BOX.

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NOW FOR THE OTHER NEWS:

Just because we only have TWO (2) On Campus rooms left, DOES NOT MEAN we are out of space for the conference. OH, NO! NO!
There are three hotels at the foot of the Cove. Pricing ranges about $35 difference than staying at the Cove. You simply register as OFF CAMPUS, make your own housing arrangements and GOOD NEWS!!!! All your meals, and fees are included in the off-campus registration. YEAH!!! So please, pass the word along. Tell your friends we have plenty of room for them to attend the conference, they simply need to make their own housing off-campus and those hotels are listed on our registration page. PASS THE WORD ALONG. We want to see a full house.

Now, the sad side - We will NOT do the virtual conference this go around. We only had 3 folks sign up and we need at least 50 just to break even on the $7,000 expense. We are a ministry and God calls us to be good stewards of His funds. It was not wise to pull the trigger on this expense without the funds to pay for it. The great part is...folks are coming in person. THERE! TAKE THAT COVID! God is good and we are currently on track with our in person folks. Thank you to a God who is good.

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OUTSTANDING INVOICES - If you owe on your registration, I have sent you invoices. Please take care of those as soon as possible. The bills are coming due. If you are not paid in full by the January cut off date, your money is non-refundable and you won't have a room. SO, we trust you to take care of the remainder of your registration as soon as possible.

I THINK THAT IS ALL - Continue to check the website NEWSLETTER page for updates. Just before the conference happens we'll post all your registration information on the conference update page.

     I've been contracted to write a devotional. If you know me as an acquisitions editor, then you've probably heard me beg and plead for SOMEONE to write a back-into-the-Word devotional. When I had no luck with writers venturing away from niche devotionals, the publisher challenged me to do the work. I swallowed hard and accepted the challenge. You see, I was looking for someone else to write the devotional, not me! But when God calls, we answer - right? RIGHT?

     My morning quiet time was the perfect time to take on the challenge, I mean, I was already studying and reading the Word. Praying. So it wasn't like it took away from my daily work. I had forgotten what a challenge it was to really dig into the Word and study to write. But daily, I have been blessed as God has spoken to my heart in so many new and wonderful ways.

     When I came upon this scripture, I found a meaning that I didn't expect and it pertained to my work as a writer. I've always asked God to "Just let me be a writer." He has blessed me to do that, but like any writer, it's easy to lay the work to the side. Find excuses to miss a day writing, or keep busy and just not do the very thing I prayed God would allow me to do. Then I found this familiar scripture and my heart sank. Yes - sank! I was deeply convicted.

     Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. Oh my! The shepherd never puts off his work. In fact, He would lay His life down for His sheep. Our good Shepherd did that very thing and He did it without hesitation. He gave His life for us. How, then, could I dare to pray for God to allow me to be a writer and then skip out on the blessing - not after what He has done for me.

    Writing is a lonely life. We, for the most part, are introverts and happy to be stuffed in a 6x8 room writing. But what of those times we skip out on God? What of those times do we ignore the gifts, the desires to pen words in His behalf? It is very convicting.

    As we grow closer to our time together at the Cove, I pray daily that you will feel His call on your life to write. We're going to ask you to write that down before you leave. Be ready. When you are tempted to believe the lies that this is too hard, or you simply can't do it, or life has gotten in the way. Stop. Remember, what the shepherd has already done for you. Why then, would you hesitate to do His bidding?

    Get up daily, make time. Pray. Write. He has already laid His life down for us. What do you give?

Much love,
Cindy