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Sandra Ardoin

Sandra Ardoin

Tag Archives: Strong and Courageous

Strong and Courageous with Zoe M. McCarthy

18 Tuesday Sep 2018

Posted by Sandra Ardoin in Courage, Guest Post, Inspirational Books, New Releases, The Writing Life

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Anxieties, Faith, Fear, Sandra Ardoin, Strong and Courageous, Writing, Zoe M. McCarthy

Sandra Ardoin @SandraArdoin

Today, I welcome my guest for the September Strong and Courageous post: Zoe M. Carthy. She’s relating her experience with a new endeavor—teaching a writing course—and how we can keep from “succumbing to anxieties.” Welcome, Zoe!

 

Zoe M. McCarthy_Headshot

Zoe M. McCarthy

Last year, my nonfiction book on writing was in the publishing process. My editor and I brainstormed things I could do to help writers learn about my book. Teaching an ACFW Course online came up. I’d never taught an online course before, but I could do that. I’d use the material from the book that I’ve taught at ACFW Virginia Conferences and other venues.

In the spring of 2017, I submitted an application to teach a course in June 2018. Would prestigious ACFW with over 2000 worldwide members think my proposal worthy? I was a little surprised when the acceptance came soon after I submitted the proposal.

On my calendar, I scrolled forward to April 2018 and entered the task to turn my face-to-face workshop into an online course. No worries. The course was a year away.

When April 2018 arrived. I perused many of ACFW’s April Course posts, looking for pointers for leading my June course. And that’s when the enormity of what I’d signed up for sank in. Sending out two lessons a week for four weeks was a snap. What petrified me was that I’d be on call to read exercise responses and comment on every one for thirty days.

Now that the course was fast approaching, questions nipped at my bravado. How many of the 2,000 ACFW members would sign up? How would I keep them all straight, their names, their intro information, and their stories? Would they find what I taught little help and drop out? Was I qualified to critique their responses? These questions weren’t my only source of fear.

I had chosen June because the community Bible study I teach, the prayer shawl ministry I host, and other regular meetings stop gathering during the summer. Although I’d vowed to keep my calendar free of commitments during June, important events invaded my calendar. Would I let course participants down because I couldn’t keep up?

When fear rose, I reminded myself I’d been praying about the course and excellence. I told myself my job was to help course participants improve their scenes. To have a personal experience with each, I’d make a roster of participants that included nuggets they shared in their introductions. I’d respond to every email I received from the group no matter what happened in my days. (One day, I lost electricity and drove to another city’s library.) If participants needed more examples, I would supply them. If their exercise responses needed help, I’d humbly give suggestions. I’d give each the encouragement I’d covet if I were in their position. I’d pray.

And those activities are what I did.

Feedback during and at the end of the course and an invitation to teach another course, assured me prayer and sticking to my commitments was a good combination for success.

So, when fear rises we must remember God is for us and adhering the best we can to our prayerfully made plan for excellence works much better than succumbing to anxieties.

In times of fear, do you remind yourself that your job is to do what you’re responsible for and let God handle the rest?

******

 

The Putting Green Whisperer

Suddenly unemployed, Allie Masterson returns home to Cary, North Carolina where she ThePuttingGreenWhisperer_w11920_680caddies for her father on the PGA Seniors Tour. There, she encounters a man who possesses an alluring gift of reading the contours of the green. Fascinated with his uncanny ability, Allie is excited to meet the Green Whisperer—until she discovers that the easygoing caddy is actually Shoo Leonard, the boy who teased her relentlessly when they were kids. Despite Allie’s reservations, when Shoo is faced with having to overcome a hand injury, she agrees to use her sport science degree to become his trainer…and then she falls for him.

 Shoo Leonard is grateful to Allie for her singular determination to get him ready for the PGA tour, but he isn’t ready for anything more. Still raw from a broken engagement and focused on his career, he’s content to be her fist-bumping buddy…but then he falls for her.

What seems like a happily-ever-after on the horizon takes a turn when Allie decides she’s become a distraction to Shoo’s career. Is it time for her to step away or can The Putting Green Whisperer find the right words to make her stay?

 

A full-time writer and speaker, Zoe M. McCarthy writes contemporary Christian romances involving tenderness and humor. She is the author of The Invisible Woman in a Red Dress, Gift of the Magpie, and Calculated Risk. Believing opposites distract, Zoe creates heroes and heroines who learn to embrace their differences. Zoe and her husband live in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

Book link: https://www.amazon.com/Putting-Green-Whisperer-Zoe-McCarthy-ebook/dp/B07FQZ6SYQ/

Social media links: Website and blog: https://zoemmccarthy.com

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Strong and Courageous with Linda Yezak

24 Tuesday Jul 2018

Posted by Sandra Ardoin in Courage, Encouragement, Guest Post, Life in General, The Writing Life

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

Faith, Linda W. Yezak, Ride to the Altar, Sandra Ardoin, Strong and Courageous, Writing, Writing Encouragement

Sandra Ardoin @SandraArdoin

One of the things—and probably the major thing—that can keep a would-be writer from doing what she’s been called to do is flat-out fear. With this month’s Strong and Courageous post, author Linda Yezak shares a childhood story to provide encouragement for whatever you’ve been called to do.

Linda cropped

The Fear of Diving

In the ancient days, back when concrete swimming pools were newly invented and the high-dive boards provided the latest adrenaline rush to thrill seekers . . .

Okay, maybe not that long ago, but pretty close. I was nine. Swimming pools had been around for a while.

So, picture it: A scrawny, freckled redhead—mostly elbows, knees, and impulsiveness—climbs the steps of the highest diving board at the pool—an Olympic-sized pool, with an Olympic-regulation diving board. My mind is made up. All my friends have jumped off this board, and they’re down below, squinting into the sun at me as I force my feet up another step. Others who want to take the dive are climbing behind me, so I don’t dare stop. One more step. One more step.

Don’t look down.

I feel triumphant as I hit the top. I survey the terrain around me. It’s beautiful. And for a moment, I’m the world’s princess.

Until someone complains behind me. “Hey! You gonna jump, or what?!”

The board is wider than it appears from the poolside, so walking it isn’t nearly as frightening as I’d thought it would be. But going to the edge . . . looking over the edge . . . at that tee-tiny pool below, that I’m supposed to jump into . . . gulp!

I couldn’t do it.

The groans, growls, and outright cussin’ that went on while everyone climbed back down the steps so Chicken Little could run to her mommy are still vaguely lodged in my memory.

Fear can stop you from experiencing a wide variety of thrills. It can paralyze you from being daring. It can glue your feet to the ground and leave you at a standstill. It can force you to back up, to retreat.

And it can stop you from writing what God wants you to write.

Writers face a wide variety of fears: What if I can’t do this? What if I’m not good enough? What if my story isn’t good enough? What if God didn’t really call me for this? What if everyone hates it?

Recognize where those doubts and fears come from, and remember Isaiah 41:13. “I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, ‘Do not fear. I will help you’” (NIV).

Whether God called you to write or you dedicate everything you write to Him, He’s going to bless it, so the idea the doubts and fears come from Him can quickly be ruled out. Whenever we’re doing something for His glory, He’s interested and engaged. It’s not likely to be Him asking us to climb back down the steps.

So, what are you afraid of? Give your fear to Him and dive in.

Have you ever been called to do something and refused to back away despite your fear?

 

******

 

giveaway 3

I don’t do giveaways through the blog posts, but Linda wanted you to know she’s running a special giveaway during her blog tour for Ride to the Altar. When you comment on any of the blogs in her tour, your name goes into a (figurative) cowboy hat in a drawing for the items in the photo: “a signed print version of the series, a 16-ounce Christian cowboy mug, a horseshoe picture frame, a Ph. 4:13 stretch bracelet, a cute set of magnetic page markers, and a Texas Rubiks cube.” Tomorrow (7/25), she’ll be visiting Seriously Write. 

 

Linda W. Yezak lives with her husband and their funky feline, PB, in a forest in deep East Texas, where tall tales abound and exaggeration is an cover size 250 x 386art form. She has a deep and abiding love for her Lord, her family, and salted caramel. And coffee—with a caramel creamer. Author of award-winning books and short stories, she didn’t begin writing professionally until she turned fifty. Taking on a new career every half century is a good thing.

Website: http://lindawyezak.com

Newsletter: http://dld.bz/CoffeewithLinda 

Facebook: Author Page

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lyezak/

Twitter: @LindaYezak

Amazon Page: http://dld.bz/LWYAmazonPage

Goodreads: Linda W Yezak

Strong and Courageous With Toni Shiloh

19 Tuesday Jun 2018

Posted by Sandra Ardoin in Courage, Guest Post, Inspirational Books, Life in General

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Courage, Encouragement, Faith, Sandra Ardoin, Strong and Courageous, Toni Shiloh

@SandraArdoin

This month’s Strong and Courageous post from Toni Shiloh provides encouragement to trust the Source of your courage. Welcome, Toni!

SONY DSC

 

Courage to Trust

At one point in our life, we’ll look around at our circumstances and wonder what in the world is going on. What can we do to fix the disarray that has become our life? What can we do to bring healing to a body that constantly rejects all forms of healing? Whatever your dismal circumstances may be, you may be feeling like the cowardly lion.

You know that feeling that presses upon you when you want to throw the covers over your head and declare a redo? Or am I the only one? 😉 But what we need most desperately in those circumstances is courage. Not courage to fight as the world would teach us, but courage to trust in the Lord.

“The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace” – Exodus 14:14 KJV

The world would have us put on our battle gear and fight the good fight. Sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively but still requiring effort on our part. Yet the Bible tells us to hold our peace. God has our back and all we need to do is trust in Him.

Holding our peace can feel so foreign especially if you like to be in control. To ensure that you’ve done everything to fight the good fight. Trust in God requires us to relinquish that control. We need to trust Him to guide our steps and direct our paths. To trust Him and believe that His plans are better than ours. To trust Him to love us more than we can fathom when we’re feeling unlovable. It’s tough and uncomfortable and against every natural instinct.

But friends, when we trust in the God who keeps His promises, we will have such peace it will amaze us and those that are watching.

“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:7 KJV

So today I encourage you to put on that cloak of courage and trust in the Lord!

During times when  you’ve tried to conquer your problems on your own (we all do it), have you suddenly realized you can’t win the battle and must turn the control over to God? Did you find that peace that passes understanding?

 

******

 

Toni Shiloh is a wife, mom, and Christian fiction writer. Once she understood the powerful saving grace thanks to the love of Christ, she was moved to honor her Savior. She writes to bring Him glory and to learn more about His goodness.

She spends her days hanging out with her husband and their two boys. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and president of the Virginia Chapter.

You can find her on her website at http://tonishiloh.wordpress.com.  

Enduring Love Back cover Blurb –

“There comes a point in every woman’s life where she must decide what to believe: the truth of the past or the circumstances of the present.”

Belle Peterson is hiding a secret. Seeking sanctuary in the small town of Maple Run, she’s intent on starting her life over—one she hopes honors Christ. The plan was gEnduringLoveoing great until an undeniable attraction to Micah has hewondering if she’s changed at all.

Micah Campbell can’t understand why Belle is so uptight and wants nothing to do with her until the gentle whispers of God tell him to befriend her. He didn’t count on the feeling of protectiveness to rise up or that spark of attraction.

When Belle’s past is revealed, Micah prays that his love can endure it.

Buy links – https://amzn.to/2Ht7lqh

Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/tonishiloh
B&N:
https://bit.ly/2G4Z1HM
iTunes:
https://apple.co/2G3y2MS
Kobo:
https://bit.ly/2KRQFqQ

Social media links –

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authortonishiloh
Twitter: www.twitter.com/tonishilohwrite
Google+: https://plus.google.com/+ToniShiloh
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/tonishiloh
Instagram: www.instagram.com/tonishiloh
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/tonishiloh
BookBub: www.bookbub.com/authors/toni-shiloh
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/cmNFKD

Strong and Courageous with Jerusha Agen

22 Tuesday May 2018

Posted by Sandra Ardoin in Courage, Encouragement, Guest Post, Life in General

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Encouragement, Faith, Jerusha Agen, Ministry, Sandra Ardoin, Strong and Courageous

@SandraArdoin

I’m delighted to have my brainstorming buddy join us for this month’s Strong and Courageous post. I think you’ll really get a lot out of what Jerusha Agen has to say. Welcome, Jerusha!

JerushaAgen

ARMED FOR COURAGE

“They were circling him,” the chaplain told me, as she related an incident she’d witnessed at the county jail a few days before. She’d been about to enter a “pod,” a section of the jail housing inmates, when the correctional officer inside signaled she should remain outside the door.

She looked through the window and saw the reason why.

Several inmates circled the officer, looking for their moment to attack.

Other officers were summoned and the officer in trouble was safely extracted.

But, after hearing her harrowing true story, I had one more reason to add to the list of why I’m afraid of what I’m about to do.

Starting in July, I and three other ladies plan to team up to teach a Bible study to women inmates at our local county jail. I’ve felt the call to do something like this for a long time—to show mercy to women in need, to bring the Gospel to broken people in unreached places.

But I’ve resisted acting on that call for just as long. Especially if that unreached place the Lord was calling me to was a jail.

You see, I’m a fiction writer with a hyperactive imagination. That powerful imagination is a gift, but like many good things, I make it a bad thing when I let it imagine things it shouldn’t. It’s especially a bad thing when I let it run with my fears.

Even without hearing first-hand stories from the jail chaplain, I can supply plenty of scary scenarios in my own mind. I’ve seen enough movies and watched enough TV to inform me as to what kinds of things go on in jails and prisons.

I know they occasionally have riots. I know security measures can sometimes fail.

Honestly, I’m scared. I don’t want to take the risk of going inside a jail. I don’t want something terrible to happen to me.

Isn’t that a natural and normal fear? Sure. It’s “natural” and “normal” because, like everyone else in the world, I’m a fallen, sinful person. So fear—one of Satan’s favorite, enslaving weapons—is my natural response to danger.

But because I‘m a Christian, I am a new creature in Christ. I don’t have to fall back on my sinful nature. I don’t have to, and shouldn’t, excuse my fear because it’s “natural.”

Because the truth is, I was created in the image of God. I was created to be free from all fear. And Jesus Christ came to Earth and died on the cross to free me to live that fearless life once again (Luke 1:74).

So as I look forward to entering a jail to teach a Bible study, I can’t let Satan stop me from doing God’s work. I must fight the fear with everything I’ve got, or I know I’ll heed it and run the other way.

The good news is that I’ve got a lot. I have a whole arsenal of weapons to fight this fear. I read about them in Ephesians 6:10-18, the passage on the Armor of God.

I keep a tight grip on the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, slashing the enemy of fear with verse after verse that reminds me I serve a powerful God Who is mighty to save, Who promises to never leave me or forsake me, Who guarantees only good for me and my future.

So when the gates of the jail open to let me in, I won’t walk in alone. My all-knowing Father, my unbeatable Protector, and my Redeemer will go with me. With the Shield of Faith held high, I will follow the Lord’s command to be strong and courageous, through Him who strengthens me.

Have you ever participated in a ministry that required you to really lean on the Lord for the courage to complete it?

******

Jerusha Agen imagines danger around every corner, but knows God is there, too. So naturally, she writes romantic suspense 

infused with the hope of salvation in Jesus Christ. With a B.A. in English and a background in screenwriting, Jerusha is the author of the Fear Warrior Blog (www.JerushaAgen.com/blog), where she writes about fighting against fear in our everyday lives. You’ll often find Jerusha sharing irresistibly adorable photos of her Furry Fear Warriors (three big dogs and two little cats) on social media. Visit Jerusha at www.JerushaAgen.com and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

LINKS: (Also linked in bio.)

Website – www.JerushaAgen.com

The Fear Warrior Blog www.JerushaAgen.com/blog

Twitter – https://twitter.com/sdgwords

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/JerushaAgenAuthor/

Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/jerushaagen/

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/jerushaagen/

THE PROTECTOR

The Protector cover

(Get a free downloadable copy here!)

When trafficking survivor Tamara agrees to share her story at a

n awareness event, she doesn’t realize that decision might cost her life. As an unknown killer tries t

o silence her, a handsome stranger shows up, 

determined to save her from harm…But who will protect Tamara’s heart?

Get free access to The Protector and more giveaways by subscribing to Jerusha’s newsletter here!

Strong and Courageous: Am I Good Enough to Write This Story? by Marie Wells Coutu

17 Tuesday Apr 2018

Posted by Sandra Ardoin in Courage, Creativity, Guest Post, Inspirational Books, The Writing Life

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Creating Characters, Creativity, Marie Wells Coutu, Sandra Ardoin, Strong and Courageous, Writing

Sandra Ardoin @SandraArdoin

Today, Marie Coutu shares the fear writing can instill when we choose to do something different with our stories. Welcome, Marie!

Marie-Wells-Coutu-LR-3

Am I Good Enough to Write This Story?

I have a great idea for a novel. Or is it?

While trying to come up with an idea for a third novel in the historical series I’m working on, I thought of a possible plot. Then I envisioned a heroine who holds the key to resolving the hero’s troubles. She saw something, but she won’t say anything. Why not?

What if she is mute?

The idea seemed so good, I had to get up and write it down. (Some of my best ideas come when I’m in bed trying to fall asleep. Good for my writing, but not so good for my sleep patterns.)

Fast forward a day. The next night, as I lay awake, I realized how hard it might be to write a heroine who can’t talk. Especially in a romance. I mean, you can’t have juicy dialogue if one of your main characters doesn’t speak. So much for having your best parts of the story “between the quotes.”

Other writers have published successful novels with mute characters. Ginny Yttrup’s fabulous Words features a young girl who doesn’t talk. Chasing Fireflies by Charles Martin includes a smThirsting for More Front COVER finalall boy who remains silent, and the other characters don’t know if he can’t or simply won’t speak. And apparently The Stand by Steven King has a mute character. (I don’t read horror, so I’m going on what I found online.)

Those authors, however, already excel at the craft and in sales. I have only three published novels and this would be only my sixth full-length book. (Actually, I just discovered Words was Yttrup’s debut novel. That’s reassuring.) But am I ready to tackle such a challenge, to include a handicapped character as my heroine?

Writing is all about improving our craft, expanding our horizons, stretching ourselves. If this were my first novel, I could make the attempt, then discard the whole idea if I found I couldn’t do it justice. But I need to include blurbs for three books in the proposal I’ll be pitching in a few weeks. My critique partner likes this idea, and the character is beginning to come to life in my head. (She’s not talking to me yet, though.)

Will I let fear reign, decide I’m not good enough as a writer yet, and search my files and my brain for a different idea? Or should I rise to the challenge and tackle this story, stretching my ability as a novelist? Dare I claim the same promise David made to his son Solomon: “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or terrified. The Lord God, my God, will be with you” (1 Chronicles 28:20, GW)?

If I can pull it off with excellence, with God’s help the story could be one of my best books yet.

I’d love to hear what readers of this post think.

******

Marie Wells Coutu began making up stories soon after she learned to talk. At age seven, she convinced neighborhood kids to perform a play she had written. A native of Hopkinsville, she received BA and MA degrees from Murray State University where she majored in journalism and drama. After a career working in journalism and public relations, she returned to her first love—writing fiction—at the age TFM meme 99 cent April 2018of fifty-five.

Her debut novel, For Such a Moment, won the Books of Hope Contest. Thirsting for More, the second book in the series was a finalist in the 2016 Selah Awards Contest and a semi-finalist in the Royal Palm Literary Awards sponsored by Florida Writers Association. Her newest novel, The Secret Heart, from Write Integrity Press is set in Tennessee and Kentucky. An unpublished historical novel set near Golden Pond has been a finalist in five contests.

You can find more about Marie and her novels on her Facebook page (Author Marie Wells Coutu), at her website (MarieWellsCoutu.com), or follow her on Twitter (@mwcoutu) or on Amazon.com.

Marie’s second book, Thirsting for More, which was a finalist in the 2016 Selah Awards, will be on sale for 99 cents April 15-21 (Kindle version). Check her website, MarieWellsCoutu.com, for more information.

 

 

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Sandra engages readers with page-turning stories of love and faith. She's the author of the heartwarming novella, The Yuletide Angel, and the award-winning novel, A Reluctant Melody. Rarely out of reach of a book, she's also an armchair sports enthusiast, country music listener, and never says no to eating out. Subscribe to her newsletter to receive updates and specials. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, and Bookbub.

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