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Bethany Quinn on Redemption

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

Katie asked me to come back and talk about redemption.

After talking about my past and this whole idea of shame, I have no idea if she’s thinking third time’s a charm, or three strikes I’m out.

Regardless, three is my favorite number. So here I am.

Redemption. Not really sure what I think about that word. Crickets, really. So I decided to look it up. Here’s what I found, plus my commentary.

Redemption:

  1. An act of redeeming or the state of being redeemed (How’s that for helpful?)
  2. Deliverance, rescue
  3. Deliverance from sin; salvation (Pastor Fenton? Is that you?)
  4. Atonement for guilt (Now I have to look up atonement.)
  5. Repurchase, as of something sold

Number three brings up too many unpleasant memories.

I have adverse reactions whenever I hear the word atonement. So number four is out.

I don’t think Katie had number five in mind when she brought up redemption and number one is not at all helpful. There should be a law that prohibits dictionaries from using the actual word in the definition.

So I guess I’m left with number two.

Deliverance. Rescue.

I’m not sure how I feel about either of those words.

It’s not like anyone rescued me from Peaks. I had to do that on my own. I’m the one who earned the grades that got me the scholarship. And I’m the one who landed the job in Chicago.

But still….

If I’m being totally honest. Sometimes, when I’m feeling tired or worn out or unsure, the idea of being rescued is an appealing one.

It reminds me of a recurring dream I had as a kid, when we moved away from the farm and into that trailer park. For an entire year I dreamt about a prince as handsome as my dad. He would ride into the park on his white stallion and rescue me from all that had happened. He would bring me back to Grandpa Dan’s farm. And he would make everything better.

But that was just a silly little girl dream.

I learned a long time ago that princes don’t exist.

I asked Bailey what she thought about the whole redemption thing. I don’t agree with everything she says, but in case you’re interested in reading, you can click here.

Let’s Talk: What’s your favorite definition of redemption? Did you ever dream about being rescued when you were little?

Interested in reading Bethany’s story? You can preorder Wildflowers from Winter on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Christianbook.com

Check out Katie’s Facebook Author Page or Dani Pettrey’s Facebook Author Page for a word of encouragement regarding redemption.

Come back tomorrow for the Where Lilacs Still Bloom blog hop and a chance to win fun prizes!

An Inside Look at Launching a Career

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

Insanity.

That would be the best word to describe what it’s like preparing for the release of my debut novel.

Sure, I’m also in the throes of planning a large fundraising event for our adoption, which is a whole other box of crazy. But still….

Insanity.

Completely fun, substantially stressful insanity.

Filled with highs….

  • Encouraging emails from readers 
  • Hearing that Wildflowers will be sold in select Sam’s Clubs
  • Sharing an incredibly exciting time with such a supportive group of friends and family
  • Emailing and chatting with my amazing marketing director, Amy Haddock 

A few lows….

  • Panicking about spoilers. I’m pretty much over this now, but it did induce hyperventilation at first.
  • Getting my first bad review. I thought I had thicker skin. But nope, I don’t. Being a people-pleaser and an author is not a good combination. I’ve never been too good at shaking things off. Especially words.
  • Total insecurity over book two. You’d think the positive reviews would boost my confidence, right? They do. I appreciate every single one. But they also totally wig me out. Because what if I let everybody down with my next book? 

And mostly, the daily grind…

  • Finishing book 2 so I could send it off to my fabulous editor
  • Writing blog posts and interviews and guest posts
  • Mailing out ARCs
  • Staying on top of emails and welcome pack sign ups (I love sending these out! You can sign up by scrolling down and looking left.)
  • Driving around to local bookstores and churches to hand out bookmarks and postcards
  • Preparing for a launch party at Books-A-Million 
  • Spreading the word about book signings in Minneapolis 

The other day, I was chatting online with Erica Vetsch about the craziness and she said:

All the details are like getting nibbled by ducks.

I had to laugh because it’s very true. I think I’m on top of everything and then all of sudden, it’s like, “Ow! Shoot, okay, I have to do that…” And then, “Ow! Shoot, okay, there’s that over there.” And then, “Ow! Dang it, I can’t forget about that.” 

It’s funny. I’m living my dream, you know? For so long, I’ve wanted to get a book published.

Now that it’s happening, I have to remind myself to take a deep breath and soak it in. 

The whole thing reminds me of this quote from Felicity (any old-school Felicity fans out there?).

She and Ruby are talking about this boy Felicity followed to New York City. His name’s Ben and he ends up falling in love with her.

Ruby says, “How many girls get to date their fantasy?”

And Felicity says, “Fantasies are beautiful and shallow. The actual relationship is a whole different thing.”

Me thinks those are some wise words.

Fantasy and reality are never the same.

Reality is deeper and better, but also….more real. 

With rough spots and low spots and inglorious spots interspersed with awesome spots and happy spots and a whole lot of this-is-hard-work spots.

It’s a crazy, sometimes overwhelming ride.

One that requires a large quantity of grace (I’m pretty good at extending grace toward others, not the best at extending it toward myself) and a large quantity of organization. 

A ride I wouldn’t trade for the world.

Let’s Talk: Give me an inside look at your life right now. What are some highs? What are some lows? What is your daily grind?

Wildflowers from Winter: Hope after Divorce

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

I became acquainted with Shannon Milholland after posting on Suite T, the blog for Southern Writers Magazine. She is an amazing woman with an amazing testimony. I trust God will use it to encourage many hearts today.  

God Speaks Through Our Pain

I stared at the ceiling through eyelids thickened by depression. I would get out of bed but only for the sake of my two little girls. The smell of the beach clung to everything but I most assuredly was not on vacation. If anything I needed to take a vacation from this new life I was starting as a single mom.

I navigated the streets of a city where I knew not a soul to my new job. The only conversation I’d had that morning was with my kids. God and I were no longer on speaking terms. I blamed Him for the current state of my life.

The silence was deafening.

Just before it was time to leave for the day, a coworker stopped by my office. He wanted to check on my pencils and make sure they were adequate. He wasn’t just interested in my pencils, if you know what I mean. Daily visits followed as he checked on the whole entourage of my office supplies. Never had I known someone more diligent in their position.

In no time I heard the office gossip. He too was going through a divorce. Somehow God allowed me to peer behind his happy façade and see the pain within his heart. During one of these ordinary visits, I heard the whisper of God in my heart to share Him with this stranger.

This was a ludicrous idea! What would I tell him? That a God with whom I wasn’t currently speaking wanted to have a relationship with Him. Absurd!

But His voice was unmistakable.

Deep within I knew God was with me. He hadn’t shut off our communications. He still cared and I did have a well of hope – a hope I could share with a desperately lonely man.

I summoned courage I didn’t know I had and offered, “Look, I’m not trying to pry into your personal life but I want you to know I’m going through the same thing you are. Even though these are the hardest darkest days of my entire life, I still have hope. If you’re interested in having hope in your life, I’d like to tell you where you can get some.”

My offer hung in the air like an unwanted visitor.

I didn’t know it at the time, but he had been sitting alone in a vast empty house night after night fingering his weapons and considering his options. He had no way out. One lonely night he stumbled across the Bible his grandparents had given him as a little boy. He cracked the pristine spine to no place in particular and cried out to God for help. God sent the most unlikely of help. God sent me.

Six months offer he accepted my offer of hope, he accepted Jesus’ offer of forgiveness. Six months after that he offered me a diamond ring.

When I had the least, God offered me the most.

When I loved Him the worst, He gave me His best.

When I stopped talking, He shouted His love in a whisper.

Scott asked me to marry him and my two little girls to be his daughters. Within three years of marriage, we were blessed with two more girls. Out of our greatest pain, God grew a marriage, a family, a home abundant in love.

God spoke through me so eventually He could speak to me. He speaks through our pain.

Shannon is the author of Jesus & My Orange Juice, a fresh-squeezed oasis for ordinary living. She finds joy among piles of laundry and miles of carpools and delights in leading others to this place of contentment in life. She recently wrote the free 30 day prayer guide PrePrayed: Preparing for Life’s Events. She is also the Social Media Director for Southern Writers Magazine where she shares her arsenal of secrets about how to be successful in the sometimes intimidating world of social media.

As a speaker, Shannon is straight forward about her own struggles. She is a compassionate advocate fighting for victory in the life of her audience with a message of hope and encouragement.

When not writing she enjoys her favorite job of wife to Scott and mom to four daughters from preschool to high school. 

Let’s Talk: Do you know Shannon? Say hi. Introduce yourself. And tell us about a time God spoke to you. 

Do you have a story you can share? Don’t miss out on the Wildflowers from Winter blog hop on May 4th! Click on the link for details.

I’m over at Shannon’s blog today, talking about the importance of a listening posture.