Newsletters

                                                                NEWSLETTER
Contests
I encourage you to enter our contests. We have the devotions contest running and also our book contest, The Badge of Honor Contest. It's so important to your writing career to learn to participate in these types of contests. Winning is nice, but that is not the point. The point is learning to submit, meet deadlines, and especially learning how to handle success and loss. If you don't win, don't think you've failed. My goodness! It takes courage to step out and believe in yourself enough to enter. That in and of itself, makes you a winner. SOOO! Enter. This is great experience for you.


MENTORING
Terri tells me we have appointments open with Les Stobbe and LaTan Murphy. Oh my...you are looking at years of publishing experience in Les Stobbe. He's probably 50 years in the industry. He is an amazing non-fiction teacher. Studying an hour one-on-one with Les is well...amazing. You will be learning from a master.  LaTan, a tremendous teacher and mentor in women's ministry and speaking. She can guide you with how to set up the speaking side of your writing. As you know, writers must learn to be speakers. So consider a paid mentoring session with LaTan.

We have added Eva Marie Everson as a fiction mentor. Eva only has a couple of spots. We had her on the list early on but was unsure she would be able to have the time to mentor since her own conference follows ours. But she is going to take a couple of mentoring spots. A best-selling and award-winner, you will be getting the cream of the crop with Eva.

Finally, not as a mentor, because our mentor spots were filled prior to Emily coming on board. Emily Wickham will do appointments and if you request her help, you will be given a 30 minute appointment. There is not an additional charge for Emily's appointments since she will not be mentoring, but she has a desire to help you, so we will schedule her in 30 min. appointments. Contact Terri      at [email protected]. Let her know you want to meet with Emily and she will get you set up. Check out Emily's early bird class and you'll see how and what she can help you with.

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WE ARE SELLING OUT OUR OVERFLOW SLOTS!
God is good. We have reached our 115 conferee number and we are now filling our last 10 overflow slots. That doesn't affect anyone who signs up. But for me and the Cove, we know the wiggle room with have when we hit these last 10 slots. Each year we end up with a waiting list and that just warms my heart. So if you have friends who are teetering on deciding to register...they should do it now. Visit our website www.ashevillechristianwritersconference.com/registration2019, scroll down to off-campus registration and push the button.  Off-campus registration includes all meals at the Cove, conference registration, and conference supplies. Those who register here will have to secure their own housing off-campus. There are three hotels just at the foot of the Cove, and honestly, the price is within about $28 of the Cove. I have a waiting list for on-campus rooms if one should open. I'll contact those folks for those slots first.
SIGN UP NOW! Pass it along.

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Pay Pal confirmations
If you make a payment for anything through our website, it goes through Pay Pal. You should print your confirmation before you close out of  Pay Pal. But don't worry. If you pay through Pay Pal, I get an email and I have a confirmation on the Pay Pal website. If you question that, just send me an email. I can double check.

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FOR OUR NEWCOMERS

I need a 50 word or less bio and a jpg photo for our roster. Please send those to me at [email protected] and in the memo line, add BIO. SEND THIS ASAP.

Also, you can check the website under Conference Updates and catch up on all the news. All of your questions will be answered on the site as time goes on - from arrival times to check-ins.  So keep checking that page.

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An Opportunity to give back - We're down to the last $1000
If you have ever attended the Asheville Christian Writers Conference, then you know the first face you see when you walk in the door, is Dee Dee Parker. Dee Dee has been a long time supporter of Christian Devotions and the Asheville Christian Writers Conference. She and Beth Fortune form an unbreakable prayer chain BEFORE you ever walk through the door. And if you know Dee Dee personally, then you know she has a prayer bush in her yard that is filled with ribbons. Those she prayers for are on the bush.

So when Christian Devotions got a call from Cecil Stokes with this very important need, we couldn't help but stick our hand in the pot. With the help of a wonderful member of a church in Tennessee, we have found a wonderful van that will be perfect for Dee Dee and Mr. Jim.  

Our conferees have long been noted for their generosity so we're asking for your help. Any small donation to the Go Fund Me for Dee Dee and Mr. Jim will help us purchase this van. The dealership is holding the van for us so we have to raise the funds quickly. Thank you  for your kindness. And I know you'll gain a special hug from Dee Dee when you see her in February.

See below:

Here's the Link and below that is the story



https://www.gofundme.com/transportation-for-deedee-amp-jim-parker

Friends, we have a wonderful opportunity to support our dear loved ones Dee Dee and Jim Parker.  As most of you know, the Parkers have served the church, their community and their friends for their entire lives.  Now, we can be the hands and feet of Christ and help them.  In the past few years, their health has deteriorated significantly.  While they would never complain, we have discovered that they are both having great difficulty getting in and out of their car because it is so low to the ground.  It is painful on their knees and hips and we can provide the answer to their prayers.  A well-maintained 2005 Toyota Minivan has been found for them and would allow them to not only have reliable transportation but a vehicle they can slide in and out of without continuous pain.  Will you help us purchase this gift for them?    Thank you so much for your donation, your prayers and for sharing this link if you desire.  Bless you all!

Help us help a wonderful woman.


YOUR SPIRITUAL TAKE AWAY

I can’t imagine losing one of my children. A friend recently lost her adult child and to see her grieve ripped my heart out of my chest.
Christmas should be a time of joy. After all, God sent His son that He might save us, and for the most part the season is joyful. Still, when I turn my Christmas tree on at night, and listen to the sweet sound of the nativity music box as it plays Silent Night, I find my heart ripping in two.

The birth of Christ changed the world and eternity as we know it. God gave of Himself, the ultimate Lamb – a living, breathing child. So many lives were impacted by this birth. Joseph’s life was turned upside down. His bride- to-be carrying what the world called “illegitimate,” but what the angel called a miracle. And Mary, a child herself, chosen to bear the Son of Man. Though His birth was nothing short of miraculous, His death tore a hole in the world. Mary sat at the feet of her dying son as the blood puddled around her knees and God Himself, looked away, heartbroken. All this…to show His love.

I often think of the sacrifice of Christ when I look at my writing career. You may ask, "Isn't that a stretch?" I don't think so. There are times I grow frustrated, disappointed, and flat out worn down by rejection. That's when I tend to whine - feel a bit sorry for myself. Shame on me! Who am I to whine over the work, the hardships, or even the failures, when I look at all that went into the birth of our Savior. Look what his parents endured, what Christ himself endured. My frustrations can't hold a candle to them. Still, their sacrifices were made in silence and with peace in their hearts.

As you progress through your writing career, remember it takes work and sacrifice. It's not a free ride and when you grow especially tired, think back on the sacrifice made for you...from Mary and Joseph all the way to the cross with Jesus.

Christmas is a joyful time for family and friend.. I am grateful for the “gift that keeps on giving.”  Who am I to throw up my hands and quit? Not when Jesus did what He did. We may not get everything we want in this writing world, but God will use your words if you will let him. As you head into the holidays, remember the magnitude of the sacrifice. Be humbled  A child was born to carry the weight of the world. And though we know the end of the story, it didn’t change the loss of child. And it doesn't change the fact we will have hardships and losses as well. The great thing is, we will win too.

While you work on your writing career, never forget to reflect on the child who gave His all, that we might have life to the full.
 


Blessings,

Cindy Sproles & Eddie Jones
Christian Devotions and the
Asheville Christian Writers Conference.