End-of-the-Year Celebration DAY 4!

The winner of Day 3's giveaway (Wild West Christmas, Somewhere to Belong, The Blacksmith's Bravery, and Larkspur Cove) is:

groovyoldlady!!

Congrats!

Lets get started with today's festivities! I'm featuring authors Daniel Darling, Shawna Williams, and Michelle Sutton this time! :D

What is one thing or area where God has been changing you in 2010? Do you have any scriptures to go along with/support that?

Daniel: 2010 was a stretching year, a year where God really used some tough times to teach me to become more dependent upon Him and to dig deeper and to learn what it means to be a man of God—husband, father, pastor, leader.

I think the most powerful Scripture this year is John 8:32. I’ve know this verse my whole life, but this year really learned that Jesus is that Truth that sets us free. It’s not a set of facts that sets us free. It’s a Person and the more we lean into Jesus, the more we’re set free from the things that shackle us.

Shawna: This past year has been exciting, stressful, financially worrisome, and busy on all levels, but God has given me peace over all of these things, and a reassurance that He really is in control. When I freak out over sales, or meeting a deadline, or my messy house, the kids' schooling, any number of things, all I do is rage against a brick wall. He's really helped me to relax a lot this year, and just accept the good with the bad and know that ultimately it's all in His hands anyway.

This was a prevalent theme in my book, IN ALL THINGS, and even the prequel, NO OTHER. It's something I needed to be reminded of often. Romans 8:28 is a wonderful verse.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose."

Michelle: I have learned that no matter what happens to me, even if it comes from another person who claims to love the same Jesus that I do, I need to be careful regarding my response to them. It should be a godly response, not an angry one, because "God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble." I have also learned to pray for people who have hurt me rather than just grump about it. It's easier to heal when the person who hurt you is on your prayer list because it changes you even if the person who hurt you never changes or apologizes.

Here is another supporting scripture…
Micah 6:8 – What does the Lord require of you? But to act justly, and to love mercy. And to walk humbly with your God.

Tell one thing that God did for you this year just to show He loved you.

Daniel: God used me this year in ministry. There is a certain insecurity that comes with pastoring and writing –you wonder how and why you have a right to speak about God with any authority. But then you realize that it is not you, but God. And if you believe God can use you and you put feet on that belief with obedience, you begin to see the powerful love of God who invites us to be part of His Kingdom purposes. What love that God would use me, a broken vessel.

Shawna: He pulled two more stories out of me that I wasn't sure I could write, and they turned out pretty good!

Michelle: He had two friends send me money so that I could go to American Christian Fiction Writer's Conference in September 2010. I had pretty much decided I couldn't go because I had no money. I had attended every year since 2004 so it was killing me to stay home. My dad suggested I tell the Lord I still want to go and let Him provide for me. Well believe it or not, I prayed and said, "If you want me to go, Lord, you'll have to foot the bill." I never mentioned it to anyone and within a week a friend asked me if I was going to conference. I told her I couldn't afford it and she told me she felt like God told her to contact me and pay my way (we're talking about 500 bucks here!) Needless to say I was speechless and felt very, very loved by God and by my friend. Come to find out, she wasn't even planning to go to conference herself. That was so God! Another friend offered to buy my plane ticket.

What is your favorite memory from 2010?

Daniel: Wow, that’s tough. We have three young children, so there were so many wonderful memories from our family. Then we had great memories at church. And of course, to have books published, is cool. I also got to meet some great heroes, authors like Randy Alcorn and others.

Shawna: Sitting around the dining room table at my grandmother's 90^th birthday and listening to her tell us stories about when she and Papa were young. I will cherish that forever!

Michelle: Probably when I had a publisher offer to publish Never Without Hope. I didn't think it would ever sell because it was so edgy, but God obviously wanted to use it to reach people.

Do you have any New Year resolutions in mind?

Daniel: Yes, this year I’d like to become a better Dad to my three children. My resolution is to be more intentional about my time with them.

Shawna: Yes, to find a balance between writing and having a life.

Michelle: I don't do resolutions because I stink at keeping them.

What is one goal you have set (or God has put on your heart) for 2011 apart from New Year resolutions?

Daniel: I'd like to share Christ with at least two people this year.

Shawna: I have a goal of writing two books this year. One I have a deadline for with Desert Breeze. The other is to take to conference and pitch. These are just goals.  What I pray for is that God will press upon my heart each book's spiritual message, and pull from me a story that will deliver this message in a way that touches others. Without that this goal doesn’t have any significance.

Michelle: To get all of the books I've promised to submit to the publishers ahead of schedule. I don't ever want to be late because that throws everything off schedule.

~~~~~

Giveaway! These authors, along with Roseanna White, have generously offered these 5 books to one lucky winner!

iFaith, autographed, by Daniel Darling

Orphaned Hearts, (pdf) by Shawna Williams

It's Not About Me and It's Not About Him, autographed, by Michelle Sutton

A Stray Drop of Blood, by Roseanna White

Rules:

For this party, only people with USA mailing addresses can enter. You must leave your email address in order to be entered so that I can contact you if you win.

Mandatory first entry: You must be a Google Friend Connect follower (in sidebar) of this blog, OR be an email subscriber (in sidebar) to this blog to enter this giveaway. Let me know in your comment to enter (with your email address) which you are.

Extra Entries:

+1 Post the link for this giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter. (If you do both, that is +2)

+1 GFC follow or email subscribe to my other blog, Christian Book Giveaways.

+1 Put the buttons for one or both of my blogs on your blog. (You can get the HTML in my sidebar.) If you put both buttons up, that is +2.


+1 For every friend you get to come, enter this giveaway, and say that you sent them. (Make sure they use a name that I can connect with you. I want to make sure the extra points go to the right person!

+2 Post about this giveaway on your blog, telling which books will be given away.


+3 Leave a comment for at least one of the authors in this giveaway encouraging them with something you like about them personally, their writing, or one of their books.

I have one special way to gain extra entries, so pay close attention… For every day that the banner for this End-of-the-Year Celebration at the TOP of your blog (starting the 22nd) it will count as +1 entry towards the final blowout giveaway on the 30th and 31st. That means you can earn up to 10 more entries in the final giveaway!!! You can grab the banner’s HTML HERE.

This giveaway ends tomorrow (Wednesday, December 29) at 6 p.m. CST. I will try to promptly contact the winner after that time. Winners will be announced in the next morning’s post.