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Alive in Me

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

A man lost his fiancé and found these words written in her journal:

I am not abandoned.

That was the real-life inspiration behind the song, I Am Not Abandoned, one of ten tracks on HBCD Worship’s debut album, Alive in Me.

Maybe it’s the writer in me, who can’t help but turn everything she hears into story fodder.

Or maybe it’s the mom, who knows her youngest son is half a world away in an orphanage with no mommy or daddy to hold him and if I could whisper one tiny truth in his precious little ear, it would be this:

You,  my beloved child, are not abandoned.

The lyrics resonate deep in my soul. All the songs on the album do.

Which is why I wanted to share the awesomeness with you.

You can check out the album by clicking on the links below:

When I asked Austin Tullos, one of the artists of HBCD Worship, to share his heart behind the album with you, here’s what he had to say: 

From the start, our greatest priority has been to make an album that is focused on Jesus, not us. Our purpose in writing and recording these songs is to make much of Jesus, glorify His name, proclaim His Word, and encourage His people.  

On the physical copy, you’ll find that each song in the track listing has a scripture reference listed beside it. This detail, though small, is one that we are really excited about! There are no words more powerful than the words God wrote for us and we crafted each song with this in mind. Embedded into the foundation of writing the lyrics of these songs is our belief that God’s word brings hope, joy, and certainty to a world that is filled with fear, doubt, and uncertainty. 

On a local level, it’s our joy and honor to serve the people of Harvest Bible Chapel Davenport each week as worship leaders. We wrote this album with them in mind and are encouraged each week by their unashamed worship.  

On a larger scale, I hope this album speaks to your heart. I pray there is a song for you on this album. I’m not sure where you are right now. I’m not sure what you’re struggling with. But I do know that we serve a God of joy who is sufficient for all of our needs and it is not in His nature to abandon or forsake His children.  

I hope that these songs spur you on in your journey as an unashamed worshipper of Jesus Christ. I hope they challenge you to continue to strive to make much of Him in everything you do…Because I can promise you these things: He’s good. He’s faithful. He’s trustworthy. And He’s worth it. 

I pray that you are blessed and encouraged by our music. You are loved.  

~Austin Tullos 

“I can’t always see the light from the valley,
Still you shine, you shine. 

I am not, I will never be abandoned.
For my God will never leave my side.” 

~HBCD Worship, I Am Not Abandoned

Let’s Talk: When is a time in your life when you felt fearful, but God reminded you that you were not abandoned?

If you want to know more about HBCD Worship, you can find them on Facebook, Twitter, and their website.  

If you haven’t signed up for a welcome packet yet, I’d love to send you one! You can find the sign-up button at the top of this page.

If you’re looking for a new book to read, you can read the first three chapters of Wildflowers from Winter for free! Just click on the link.

How to Market Yourself & Maintain your Sanity

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

In his book titled Sell Your Book like Wildfire, Rob Eager writes:

Authors who write books as an avocation just to have fun or tell people they’re published rarely succeed. Authors who write books as a vocation and take their work seriously usually achieve their goals.

Let me start with a confession:

Balance is not my forte.

All too often, when it comes to success in the publishing world, I find myself migrating toward the teeter-totter.

On one side sits Thing One.

Thing One is all frantic energy. Do, do, do. Go, go, go. Try harder. Try more. Don’t stop. She obsesses over missed opportunities and Amazon rank and how in the world can she improve her sales?

On the other side sits Thing Two.

Thing Two is chillin’ out, maxin’, relaxin’ all cool (Fresh Prince of Bel Air style) while humming the melody of Que Sera, Sera. Because God will multiply what He plans to multiply. Thing Two wants to give up on the rat race altogether.

Some days, Thing One owns the teeter totter.

Other days, Thing Two is in control.

But here’s the thing.

Neither are correct. Both are extremes.

God calls us to work hard AND trust Him with the harvest of that work.

Jesus asks us to bring our five loaves and two fish before He does the multiplying.

The key is figuring out which is which. What constitutes our part (bringing the loaves and fish) and what constitutes God’s (multiplying)? And how can we do our part and let the rest go?

I’m not entirely sure, but I do have some tips.

1. Write down 1-2 monthly goals

Examples of helpful goals:

  • Spread the word locally
  • Add (insert number here) subscriptions to my email list

Examples of an unhelpful goal:

  • Improve my Amazon rank (unless you plan to buy a bunch of your own books off Amazon)

2. Write down the steps you need to take in order to accomplish your goals

For example, here are some steps that would help me reach the two goals above:

  • To spread the word locally, I will donate a copy of my book to every retirement center in the area. I will also visit local bookstores and see if the manager would like me to sign copies in stock.
  • To build my email list, I will include a “call to action” at the end of each blog post inviting readers to sign up. I will also create a freebie to send to each subscriber.

3. Evaluate at the month’s end and write 1-2 more goals.

Don’t try to do everything. Don’t overwhelm yourself with ten goals that each encompass five action steps. Remember that for the vast majority of authors, building a readership is a marathon, not a sprint. So pace yourself.

Hard work doesn’t guarantee results, but results are rarely seen without hard work.

So work hard. Write down a couple goals. Follow through with your action plan. And let go of the rest.

Let’s ban Thing One and Thing Two from teeter-totters everywhere.

Let’s Talk: Which Thing do you tend to gravitate toward? How do you stay balanced? 

Hey! Now that I’m at it, I’d love to send you a welcome packet if I haven’t already. To sign-up, just click on the sign-up button at the top of the page. 

If you’re looking for a story that will help restore the hope you have lost in the midst of hardship, please check out the first three chapters of my debut novel, Wildflowers from Winter. 

A Secret & A Giveaway from Jody Hedlund

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

I’m excited to have award-winning, best-selling author, Jody Hedlund, on my blog today.

Her latest release, Unending Devotion, hit shelves this past Saturday. I’m reading it right now and absolutely loving it. In fact, I was so desperate to read it yesterday, I gave my son some books to look at in his stroller and read Jody’s book while I walked the dog. Multi-tasking at it’s finest. 

If you are a fan of historical romance, don’t miss Jody’s books. She’s one of the best!

Secret #4: My Hardest Life Experience so Far
By Jody Hedlund, @JodyHedlund

Life has a way of throwing some hard things our ways sometimes, doesn’t it? 

I’ve had a number of hard things come my way, including the death of my dad when I was twenty-two years old. He died of a heart-attack when he was only 50. It happened so suddenly and unexpectedly that I never had the chance to tell him goodbye.

And while that was hard, even more difficult was when I gave birth to my twin babies.

At that time, we’d just moved to Michigan. I was busy unpacking boxes, had a two year old son, and was hugely pregnant. I thought I had two months to finish getting ready for the new babies.

But boy was I mistaken.

During a routine doctor’s visit at thirty weeks gestation, I discovered I was in labor. I hadn’t felt any contractions and my water hadn’t broken, but I was well on my way to having the babies. So the doctor ordered an ambulance to take me to the closest hospital with a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) so that after the babies were born they could receive the best possible care.

Fortunately that hospital was only thirty minutes from my home. But unfortunately I was going to have to be in the hospital for the duration of my pregnancy. Having a husband with a brand new job, a toddler who needed constant care, and knowing very few people in the community, complicated the situation immensely.

Family rallied to our support. Both Moms offered to come and stay with us during the difficult days ahead.

But my twins were determined to enter the world early. And after only a week in the hospital, my labor continued to progress against the best efforts to stop it.

My twin daughters were born NINE weeks early. They weighed 3.0 lbs. each. One of them had to be on a ventilator to help her breathe. And both of them were hooked up to numerous machines in an incubator.

When I was finally allowed to hold one of my daughters, I could fit her in my hand.

The first time I walked into my new home after being released, I cried of a broken heart. I was so distraught to return home empty-handed and leave my babies at the hospital.

But somehow I managed to survive the month of half-living at the hospital and half at home with my toddler (who wasn’t allowed in the NICU). 

Now my daughters are 13 years old, healthy, and beautiful young ladies.

The hardship still haunts me. But I’ve learned that difficulties come into our lives to help us become more grateful for our blessings.

How about you? What’s the most difficult experience you’ve faced in your life?

Publisher’s Weekly calls Unending Devotion “A meaty tale of life amid the debauchery of the lumber camps of 1880s Michigan . . . exciting and unpredictable to the very end.” 

To celebrate the release of Unending Devotion, Jody is giving away a signed copy. Leave a comment to enter the drawing. Valid only with US or Canadian addresses. Giveaway ends:

For more secrets about Jody and additional chances to win her newest release, visit her Events Page to see where she’ll be next in her “Fun Secrets About Author Jody Hedlund” blog tour.

Also join in the Pinterest Photo Contest she’s hosting. Find more information about it on her Contest Page.

Jody would love to connect with you! Find her in one of these places:

Website: http://jodyhedlund.com/

Blog: http://jodyhedlund.blogspot.com/

Facebook: Author Jody Hedlund

Twitter: http://twitter.com/JodyHedlund

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/jodyhedlund

If this is your first time visiting my cyber home, I would LOVE to send you a welcome packet. You can find a sign up button at the top and at the bottom of this page. So go whichever way you choose. 🙂