I feel like the bumpy one above!

Let me first credit the photo - courtesy of and Image by Alexa from Pixabay

Now that that's out of the way. Let's get rolling. Okay, so it's been a long summer for the Sproles household, and without a long, drawn-out explanation, let me just say this: The hubs underwent a major surgery at the University of Tennessee Medical Center. We give full credit that 1) he is doing very well despite a few snide little setbacks and 2) God has blessed us by saving his life again. Cancer-free and raunchy hernia-free. Does that give you a hint of why I have been silent on this end? Hence, why I said I feel like the bumpy pumpkin above. :)

Now that we've cleared the hurdles, it's nose to the grindstone. Let's get started:

HOUSEKEEPING - There are several of you who, when you registered, you registered two slots. I could have already asked you, but I'm asking again. You're gonna see, I'm good at asking the same questions multiple times. Bear with me and answer.  If you registered with two people, can you please let me know who person number two is? It could be a spouse, it could be a writing friend. But I am trying to BE SURE I have housing correct and despite my probably asking you before, you can expect am asking and will ask again in the future. Housing HAS to be correct. So pop me an email. Please do NOT respond to this newsletter. Send me an email at [email protected] and let me know who person number 2 is and their email. I don't want to mix up roomies. That would be embarrassing.

As we approach conference day, we'll begin posting a Conference Update page. This page will let you know which hotel we will be staying in on Campus. It'll have all the info you need about check-in, meals, housing, the whole shabang. So, hang on, in mid-January, we'll post that information. Until then, go by the schedule on the site and know that we have not filled in who will teach where and what time. These things change quickly and so hang on. When Terri and I get things nailed down, we'll let you know and provide a PDF you can print.

REGISTRATION VACANIES (That almost looked like vaccines - I've had my dog at the vet today. Guess it's hanging in my brain - lol)- We have ten (10) on-campus housing rooms available. If you know someone who wants to attend and may want to stay on campus, let them know to register asap. Those rooms will close out quickly.

AND we have 44 open conferee slots. These can be filled with folks from the area who don't need a room, those who choose to stay in their preferred hotels off-campus, or commuters. Again, these slots will fill up quickly as we get closer to conference time. Spread the word. Help us fill these spots.

Our prayer is always that God will send those He'd have attend. He never fails us. We sell out every year, and we anticipate that again. If you know someone who wants to attend, have them register ASAP.

CONTESTS, CRITIQUES & MENTORING

One of the great things about a conference is the opportunity to be mentored or critiqued one-on-one. These one-on-one appointments are so valuable. Below you will see our mentors. Now, being mentored means you send your work to the mentor, they will line-by-line look at it, form good feedback, and then spend one hour with just you, going through the manuscript and guiding you. When I first started going to conferences, there was no mentoring. You could do a 15-minute paid critique (which we offer as well - a very pared-down version of mentoring where your work is gleaned through with suggestions made to help you), but those one-hour slots for mentoring are amazing.

Now, we have Billy Wayne Arrington and Beth Fortune, who not only write and teach, but they manage ministries. So, if you have a ministry, are thinking of starting one, or even a speaking ministry, these folks can give you great advice on how to do it. Billy is also a playwright and a songwriter - he can help you in those areas as well. Beth heads a women's ministry, she's a writer of articles and devotions, and she has a book coming out soon.  I'm just saying, mentoring slots are valuable. The cost is $55 for a one-hour mentoring session. Below are our other mentors. Take a gander and see if one fits you.

• Edie Melson: Social media, blogs, websites

Conferees will send blog addresses and social media addresses so Edie can evaluate and dig into both the blog and the most effective social media for them.

• Larry Leech: Fiction and Nonfiction

Conferees will send a synopsis and three chapters of their fiction, nonfiction work, or memoir. Larry will work with you on the presentation, tweaking your submission, and guiding you to ensure your work has all the necessities to make it a success.

Guidelines: 500-word Synopsis, First 3 chapters/5,000 word limit

• Billy Wayne – The Arts and Ministry Development

Billy is multi-talented. A singer, songwriter, screenplay writer, ministry leader/developer, and author. He can help you with a multitude of things. He founded Vision Productions and Billy Wayne Ministries, so his guidance in developing successful ministry through the arts is proven.

Guidelines: For lyrics, send 3-5 different songs. For screenplays, a synopsis and 15 pages. For ministry development, send an outline and goals for a ministry you are interested in. By February 2, 2026

• Lori Marett – Scripts & Screenwriting, novels

Lori Marett can mentor scripts, fiction, and non-fiction. She is strong in looking at story content and brainstorming.

Fiction: Synopsis and first three chapters (no proposal)

Non-fiction: Chapter blurbs, two chapters (no proposal)

Andrea Merrell – For mentoring: Fiction or nonfiction - First three chapters and a short synopsis (no proposal)

• Devotional - Five devotions (no synopsis) – Due before February 2, 2026
• Denise Loock – For mentoring: Fiction or nonfiction – First three chapters and a short synopsis (no proposal). Due February 2, 2026.
• Beth Fortune – For mentoring: Devotions and articles – 3-5 Devotions; Articles – two articles, 800-1500 words. Speaking and Ministry – Speaking send outline of 1 or 2 presentations or ideas to brainstorm; Ministry (including women’s ministry) send goals, outline or ideas to brainstorm. All items due by Feb 2, 2026
• Eddie Jones – For mentoring and appointments: publishing: traditional or your own books and others. Fiction or nonfiction, plotting. Amazon ads and BookBub ads . . . AI (artificial intelligence) with ChatGPT . . . AI illustrations and graphics using Midjourney

Finally - Contests! - Yearly Sarah Loudin Thomas heads up our Sparrow Book Contest. She has well-published writers who serve as our secret judges. Your book doesn't have to be complete to enter. So, zip over to the contest page on the website and read the instructions. Enter. It's great practice for you to step out and allow your work to be judged. It's a growth process. The funds collected for our Sparrow Award are designated to our scholarship fund. 

That's enough for today. Have a joyful Thanksgiving holiday.

Follow, Following, Followed

...Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. - Psalm 23:6 ESV

I just wrote my Thanksgiving devotion for ChristianDevotions.us about this verse, and it seems God has pointed it out so I can continue to share this thought.

So many are entering the holiday season with heavy burdens -- hardships that nearly take our breath. I mean, just the stress of the last 12 months as we have waited on my prince's (aka Tim) surgery has been suffocating. Knowing that we had to wait twelve months and that this wait could have easily gone south, so far south that we might not have been able to save him. So, I get stress and hardship. Still, when I glean through social media, I see the work of the evil one, weighing down on God's children. The evil one has pulled off his gloves and does whatever he can to try to yank us from the grip of our Saviour. 

This summer, I began a study on Psalm 23. I've been through several studies, but none have spoken to me like this one. As I studied those short six verses we've all memorized in probably more than one translation of the Bible, I found myself dissecting them differently. I decided to become a sheep—to look at Psalm 23 through the POV of a sheep. Let's just say, I'm learning a whole new view of the 23rd Psalm. But the one verse that sticks out to me...the one I think most folks overlook, is the finale. "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me..." 

Wow. 

Early on in our lives, we learn about the call Jesus made to His disciples. "Come, follow me." That same call is given to us as well. Later on, we see the crowds following Jesus. Everywhere He went, multitudes wanted to hear His teaching. We, as well, are following after the Master, anxious to take in all He is teaching us. By now, we should realize that we're being followed. Did you realize our Father follows us? He's never stopped following us. He's followed us from the beginning.

This is where this portion of scripture has spoken so deeply to me. I hope it does to you as well.

Our Father follows us every moment of the day - His goodness and mercy are extended in front of Him, and He's running after us. "Look, my goodness and mercy are right here. Slow down. Stop. Let the goodness and mercy catch up so you can be covered," in...what? GOODNESS AND MERCY. Our problem is that we spend our time trying our best to solve the issues that God has already taken care of. Our eyes are closed, our ears are shut, and we don't recognize that God follows us with His goodness and mercy, waiting for us to stop and accept it.

I hope that your days are filled with joy and happiness, and if, by chance, you hit upon days of hardship and frustration, stop. Turn around. Hold out your arms and let the goodness and mercy of the Lord catch up to you and cover you like a blanket. Then and only then will you truly understand that you want for nothing. That you are taken to a place of quiet and peaceful, safe rest. That you are provided for, loved, protected, held close, and followed by goodness and mercy. You only have to stop and let goodness and mercy catch up.

Happy Thanksgiving. May your holiday be blessed. 

Much love,

Cindy