Author: Katie Ganshert

I write Christian romance and my debut novel, Wildflowers from Winter, releases in May, 2012 through Waterbrook Press (a division of Random House).

Battle Four: Wavy Hair

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

pinterest wavesIt’s time for Becky to throw down a challenge and so she has.

Supposedly, all you need is a flat iron, some hair ties, and the ability to braid.

The directions?

Separate your hair into sections, braid, run a flat iron over each section, (hairspray and repeat if you so desire), unbraid, and….

Voila – pretty waves!

We’ll post our results on Friday. Should be interesting!

Feel free to join in the fun! Who knows? Maybe we’ll find a new favorite hairstyle.

If you haven’t already seen our previous three Pinterest battles, you can find them on Becky’s Pinterest War board or mine.

Let’s Talk: What’s your favorite way to wear or style your hair? Men, I know you’re dying to answer this question.

Join the Wishing on Willows Scavenger Hunt for a chance to win a bundle of FREE books from my publisher. All you have to do is find Wishing on Willows on a shelf in a store (if you’re in Walmart, you might just find it there), snap a picture, and post on your blog (email me the link), Facebook (tag me in the picture), or Twitter (tag me in the tweet), and you’re entered to win!

Are you on Twitter? Join the #WillowTalk Twitter Event. The last week of April, tweet a review or tweet your favorite lines from Wishing on Willows, make sure to use the #WillowTalk hashtag, and you could win three books from my publisher, plus a $5 gift card to Starbucks. There will be 25 winners! Please RSVP here!

Pinterest War: Battle Three Results

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

resurrection rolls finalAlright. So the majority of mine ended up looking much more like collapsed caves than empty tombs, but I must say, this one was both tasty and fun!

I give it an A for easiness.

An A+ for kid-friendly fun. It will definitely be an Easter tradition in the Ganshert household from here on out.

A C for resemblance to the original.

A D- for after-fun clean-up. (Melted marshmallow is not the nicest thing to clean off a pan.)

And an A+ for the yum-factor.

Becky and I loved seeing pictures of resurrection rolls pop up on Facebook and Twitter this week. If you make a batch of your own, we’d love to see a picture of your finished product!

We hope you join us next week for battle number four. It may have something to do with our hair.

Let’s Talk: What say you – Pinterest Fail or Nail?

Praying God fills your heart with joy over the love He displayed on Good Friday and the victory that is ours this Easter Sunday! He is risen indeed!

Are you on Twitter? Join the #WillowTalk Twitter Event. The last week of April, tweet a review or tweet your favorite lines from Wishing on Willows, make sure to use the #WillowTalk hashtag, and you could win three books from my publisher, plus a $5 gift card to Starbucks. There will be 25 winners! Please RSVP here!

Blessed with Leprosy?

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

grace is pain quote from WillowsA person doesn’t have to read the old testament very long to see a pattern.

Some dude becomes a king and in the beginning, it’s all good. He does what is pleasing to the Lord. And so the king gains more power, more success.

But with that power and success comes a problem….

The king becomes proud.

And the king departs from God.

This is the pattern I’ve been reading as I find myself alternating back and forth between Kings and Chronicles.

Enter Uzziah.

This is his story.

He did what was pleasing to the Lord and God blessed him. God gave him victory over his enemies and much success.

2 Chronicles 26:15 says his fame spread far and wide for the Lord gave him marvelous help, and he became very powerful.

Yet that power and influence does what it so easily can do….

It inflated his head and corrupted his heart.

Scripture tells us in the very next verse that when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. (v16)

Uzziah didn’t just disobey God, he spat in the face of the Lord’s holiness.

And God struck Uzziah with leprosy.

The Bible doesn’t tell us much more, except that he had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in isolation in a separate house and his son was put in charge.

It’s easy to read those final verses of the story, feel a bit sorry for Uzziah, a bit sobered by God’s judgment, and declare the whole thing a tragedy.

But what if it wasn’t?

What if getting struck by leprosy was the best thing that could have happened to Uzziah?

What if that leprosy was the catalyst that brought about repentance? What if those final years of isolation provided Uzziah with a  clarity he wouldn’t have otherwise had–a reminder of who he was and who God is? What if God used those diseased years to draw Uzziah back to Himself?

What if God turned an awful, temporary affliction into a man’s eternal salvation?

This is truth:

God can turn suffering into blessing.

He can turn something like leprosy or cancer or infertility or (insert any number of afflictions) inside out and upside down.

He can use the curses of this world to drive us to our knees, closer to Him.

And isn’t that where our blessing ultimately lies? At the foot of the cross. At the throne room of the King.

Let’s Talk: What “curses” has God used to be a blessing in your life?

Thank you, Caroline Flory, for making that quote from Wishing on Willows look all pretty!

Are you on Twitter? Join the #WillowTalk Twitter Event. The last week of April, tweet a review or tweet your favorite lines from Wishing on Willows, make sure to use the #WillowTalk hashtag, and you could win three books from my publisher, plus a $5 gift card to Starbucks. There will be 25 winners! Please RSVP here!