Katie Ganshert, Author at Katie Ganshert

A Worry-Less Life

Posted on March 6, 2013March 6, 2013 by Katie Ganshert

My pastor tweeted something once that went something like this…

“Worry is temporary atheism. An absence of trust in God and His timing.”

And I was like, “Whoa, now there’s some conviction.”

I wouldn’t describe myself as a worry wart, but I do obsess over things.

I find myself hitting refresh on my email or a certain private Facebook group, fretting over something that is absolutely beyond my control.

Here’s the thing.

My worry does not help.

My obsessing doesn’t serve to speed up the process.

All it does is drive me insane.

Worry begets worry. Obsession begets obsession.

There are times when I just need to step away. Get out of my own head. Play with my son. Hug my husband.

Shift my focus away from all these things I cannot control to the One who controls all things.

The One who holds the entire universe in His hand.

Do I trust in that God?

Do I trust in His timing?

Do I trust that He is good, no matter what?

Do I trust that He has me on the journeys He has me on for a reason?

Can I let the rest go?

What would life be like – for real – if we did not waste our energy and our emotions on things we cannot control? What would life be like – for real – if we trusted Him at all times? Through every hiccup. Through every setback. Through every unknown. Through every agonizing wait. Through every heartbreak. Believing with confidence that His plan is best and through all things (from the small and annoying to the huge and all-encompassing), He is working.

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You. ~Isaiah 26:3

Let’s Talk: Why do you think it’s so easy to obsess over things we ultimately have no control over? What would it be like if we didn’t?

A review, an interview (including what Bible story most inspires me), and a giveaway of Wishing on Willows! Check out Lisa Bartelt’s blog!

Easter Egg Blog Hop

Posted on March 5, 2013March 5, 2013 by Katie Ganshert

Welcome to the Easter Egg Blog Hop! Today I am hosting the seventh stop along this ten-stop-hop.

What’s the Easter Egg Blog Hop? Learn more about it here, and join the fun!

Today’s stop is all about Easter Trivia! It’s amazing what you can find out about Easter with a simple internet search. For example, did you know the largest chocolate rabbit was created in South Africa in 2010 by Harry Johnson? It was over 12 feet tall, and weighed 3 tons. That is a lot of chocolate!

Of course, we know that Easter isn’t about the chocolate rabbits or the Easter eggs. As Little Cub discovers in God Gave Us Easter, this holiday is the most important celebration of all because we are celebrating the gift of life God gave us that first Easter day. So while we do remember and give thanks for God’s gift this Easter, we can also spread a little Easter cheer with a few fun facts about this amazing holiday!

Did you know…

Eggs were traditionally used in pre-Christian festivals as the symbol of new life, purity or fertility. Later customs concerning eggs were linked with Easter because the egg provided a fresh and powerful symbol of the Resurrection and the transformation of death into life.
President Rutherford B. Hayes and his wife, Lucy, started the traditional Easter Monday Easter Egg Roll at the White House in 1878 after a new law passed in 1877 preventing children from rolling their Easter Eggs on the lawn of the Capital Building. The tradition has continued every year, with the only exceptions being during the war years of World War I and World War II.
Decorating and coloring eggs for Easter was the custom in England during the Middle Ages. The household accounts of Edward I, for the year 1290, recorded an expenditure of eighteen pennies for four hundred and fifty eggs to be gold-leafed and colored for Easter gifts.

(Thanks to a few resources, including www.us.gov, for the information!)

The Numbers…

16 Billion…that’s the number of jelly beans that are made for Easter each year
70 percent…of Easter candy purchased is chocolate
8,968…pounds: the weight of Guinness World Records’ largest egg ever made
5 million…marshmallow chicks and bunnies are made daily in preparation for the holiday
90 Million…chocolate bunnies are made for Easter each year
76 percent…of Americans say people should eat the ears first on a chocolate bunny
2.1 Billion…dollars spent on Easter candy annually
28.11…dollars: the amount the average American spends on Easter candy

(Thanks to ABCNews.com for the information!)

Today’s Easter Egg: Did one of these facts surprise you? Head on over to the entry form and let us know which fact you found most interesting today!

Have you ever struggled when it comes to balancing the many demands of life? Check out my guest post over at Shondra Brown’s blog!

Casey Herringshaw and Stephanie review Wishing on Willows!

Pre-order your copy of Wishing on Willows and my publisher will send you 7 free downloadable devotionals written by me! All of them touch on important themes from the novel.

Mark your calendars for the Wishing on Willows Extravaganza from 6-7 pm CST on March 19th! I will be video chatting with readers, giving away 6 prize packages, and there will be guest appearances form Becky Wade and Courtney Walsh!

Pinterest Wars with Becky Wade

Posted on March 4, 2013March 4, 2013 by Katie Ganshert

Okay, so wow. It’s March. March, people!

Anybody else having a slight panic attack about this?

Because I am.

It’s hard to believe, but my second novel, Wishing on Willows, will be birthed into the wide scary world in just 15 short days!

Holy buckets of gravy, where has the time gone?

I have some fun stuff coming up to celebrate the new release.

A couple local book signings. A presentation at the public library. An online Wishing on Willows Extravaganza on launch day – March 19th, from 6-7 pm CST – in which I will be video chatting with readers, answering questions, and giving away six fun prize baskets!

And then there’s the title of this blog post….

The fun-ness (this ought to be a word, don’t you think?) that is happening between me and one of my new favorite authors, Becky Wade.

Have you read My Stubborn Heart yet?

If you haven’t, get thee to a bookstore.

I promise you will laugh and sigh and find yourself unable to put the book down! No questions asked, one of my favorite reads of 2012.

Anyway – Becky and I discovered that readers who like her book tend to like mine and vice versa. So we thought, hey! We should team up and do something fun together.

And voila! Pinterest Wars were born.

8 challenges.

One per week.

I’ll throw down a challenge the first week.

She’ll throw one down the next.

For eight weeks.

We’re starting next Monday – March 11th.

Here’s where it gets even more fun.

We’re inviting you to participate!

We will post a new Pinterest challenge every Monday on this blog and our Facebook pages (make sure to follow me and Becky on Facebook).

We will have the rest of the week to attempt whatever is on the picture – it could be a recipe, a craft, a hair style, a posed picture like the one above, whatever!

Then on Friday, we will post our attempts on this blog and our Facebook pages and you will choose a winner!

Just for the record, Becky and I are not crafty people. Which means this ought to be funny. Like pictures from this website kind of funny.

Even more fun – we’re inviting you to participate! We want you to do the challenges with us and post your results on your Facebook! Make sure to tag us in the picture so we can see them.

For every challenge you participate in, we will write your name on a piece of paper and put it in a hat. At the end, we’ll be drawing some winners and giving away our new novels!

Wishing on Willows by moi, releasing March 19th.

Undeniably Yours by Becky Wade, releasing May 1st. (I’m absolutely itching to get my hands on this one!)

So mark your calendars for next Monday and join us for the first challenge! It’s going to be nothing if not interesting!

Let’s Talk: What’s one thing you’ve tried that was an epic, hilarious fail? Perhaps a meal or a craft?

Don’t forget, if you pre-order Wishing on Willows, my publisher will send you a complimentary download of seven devotionals written by me!

I’m guest posting over at Jennifer Major’s blog today about one of the best, most unexpected blessings that has come from being a writer.

My friend Caroline asks me three super fun questions on her blog, Under God’s Mighty Hand.