Love to read? Love to write? Then check out this brand new opportunity to review books for Thomas Nelson.
All you need is a blog. Michael Hyatt , Thomas Nelson’s CEO, points out some wonderful benefits:
1. Free copies of our best books. We will send you a free copy of the book you are interested in reviewing. In addition, after you have requested a review copy, we will email you a PDF of the first two chapters so you can immediately get started. Meanwhile, we will drop a physical copy of the book in the mail.
2. Content resources for your blog. We will provide you with free resources to use in your review. These include things like cover art, video or audio clips (when available), external links to other related items, etc. Frankly, this is the part of the site that we need to expand upon the most.
3. External links to your blog. We will provide a link back to the your actual review of the book. As you may know, external links are what drive up your blog’s ranking on Google. In general, the more links the better.
To peruse all the details of this fabulous opportunity, just click HERE. You’ll enjoy it, and add to your book collection as well.
A giveaway, from Art BookBindery and the ladies over at Internet Cafe:
“You may enter once a day, every day through January 31st by simply reading and commenting on any January devotional here at the Internet Cafe. If you don’t have a blog, please be sure to leave an email address so we can contact you if your number is selected.”
Win The Planets DVD set:
One of my bloggerly writing pals is giving away a great DVD set on his blog. Hurry over to The Great Separation and leave Hal a comment. You might win! Deadline: December 7th.
December Christian Writers Carnival:
December is a busy month so we’ve made it especially easy to contribute to the Carnival of Christian Writers. In this month’s Carnival we’re going to feature your best blog post in 2007 about the craft and call of writing.
Early deadline: Please submit your entry no later than December 16th.
The carnival will post on New Year’s Eve.
You may use the Carnival of Christian Writers “submission” page. Remember, only the link and a brief description of your post is needed, not the entire article.
To submit, go to Writer…Interrupted and follow instructions.
Thanks!
Announcing the winner of our Ravi Zacharias book give-a-way:
Mr. Hal Paxton
Congratulations, Hal! And thanks to hubby for pulling the name for me. Hal, please email your address so I can get The Grand Weaver
Thanks to everyone for participating. Wish I had a copy for each one of you. For those who would like to order their own copy, feel free to order via my Amazon link, or your local bookseller. Stay tuned for future drawings…there’s more to come.
Happy Friday and blessings on your weekend!
“It’s common to believe that great events such as a death or a birth are guided by the hand of God. Yet we can easily drift into feeling that our daily lives are not sovereignly directed, but are simply the product of our own efforts.” ~The Grand Weaver, backcover
The Grand Weaver
Author: Ravi Zacharias
Zondervan.com
In the opening of his book, Ravi Zacharias shares a letter from the many thousands he gets each year:
“Why has God made it so difficult to believe in him? If I loved somebody and had infinite power, I would use that power to show myself more obviously. Why has God made it so difficult to see his presence and his plan?”
A simple, yet heavy-duty question. Ravi Zacharias then humbly, tenderly, takes us—believer, skeptic, seeker alike—on a journey of discovery, thread by thread. Before the first chapter ends, we realize that maybe the threads of our lives aren’t just a tangled, nonsensical mess. We press on, watching with interest as the author traces God’s amazing handiwork in individual lives. He shares about pain, despair, and golden windows…the big picture, and incorruptible treasure. He shows how we can be freed from despair when we realize there are no random threads.
One quote stayed with me: “To allow God to be God we must follow him for who he is and what he intends, and not for what we want or what we prefer,” Zacharias says.
As The Grand Weaver
This author helps us examine our own backgrounds, disappointments, triumphs, and beliefs, and how they relate to the intentional work of God in our own lives. Ravi’s stories lift us out of our own quagmire, challenging our perspective. He’s not afraid of probing questions, and reinforces the truth we so desperately need for a genuine spirituality. From page to page, we witness the delicate weavings of God over the course of a lifetime—not at all random or meaningless, yet each thread lovingly and intentionally designed by God for His grand purposes.
“Without truth, the threads do not make a beautiful design. Without truth, spirituality is nothing more than a hopeless confession that sheer matter alone does not answer life’s deepest hungers. Truth is the thread that separates true spirituality from false spirituality.”
At the back of his book, Zacharias encourages the reader to ponder questions, Bible in hand, and to discuss them with others. The appendix contains 25 Key Questions & Answers, such as:
* How can I see God’s pattern in my life unfold, even when I am in pain?
* How does determining my call help me pull together different aspects of my life?
* How can I begin to discipline my will?
For a more theoretical and philosophical exploration, he recommends the book that he co-edited with Dr. Norman Geisler: Who Made God?: And Answers to Over 100 Other Tough Questions of Faith
I’m pleased to recommend this book. Ravi Zacharias, MDiv., is a keen mind, noted author, well known Christian apologist, and sought-after conference speaker. I first came to know him through his radio ministry called Let My People Think several years ago. He and his wife live in Atlanta, and his memoir was published last year called, Walking from East to West: God in the Shadows
Enjoy the resources. I’ll announce the winner of this book very soon. Stay tuned!
Resources:
The Grand Weaver
Bio: Ravi Zacharias
Ravi Zacharias International Ministries
Radio Ministry
“A calling is simply God’s shaping of your burden and beckoning you to your service to him in the place and pursuit of his choosing. Finding your home in your service to Christ is key to noticing the threads designed just for you. It gives you that hand-in-glove sensation and provides the security of knowing that you are utilizing your gifts and your will to God’s ends first, not yours. When your will becomes aligned with God’s will, his calling upon you has found its home.”
~ Ravi Zacharias, The Grand Weaver
“Truth is the thread that separates true spirituality from false spirituality. Spirituality does not give relevance to life; rather, truth gives relevance to spirituality.” ~ Ravi Zacharias, The Grand Weaver
I’ll wrap up my reading this week, especially the new book by Ravi Zacharias, The Grand Weaver, which I’m giving away here. Thanks to those of you who signed up for the book drawing. If you didn’t, just leave a comment under this post to be included. On Friday I’ll post a short review and announce the winner. Until then, you’ll find a sampling of quotes each day from this enlightening book.
Blessings on your week, my writing and reading friends.
You don’t have to lurk in the shadows. Come on out, post a comment. In the weeks ahead, I hope to give away some thought-provoking books here, and I want you to be a winner!
First give-a-way: The Grand Weaver 
From the book jacket:
“It’s common to believe that great events such as a death or a birth are guided by the hand of God. Yet we can easily drift into feeling that our daily lives are not sovereignly directed, but are simply the product of our own efforts. This book brims with stories that show us otherwise. From a chance encounter at a cricket match to a beloved father’s final words before dying, from a random phone call to a line in a Scripture reading, Dr. Zacharias reveals how every detail of his life has been woven into its perfect place. Then he encourages us to examine our backgrounds, our disappointments, our triumphs, and our beliefs in a different light, explaining how they are all part of the intentional and perfect work of the Grand Weaver.”
Looking forward to reading this wonderful book, then giving YOU the opportunity to read it, too.
Come on! Step into the light.
