Is where we introduce listeners to people who have found their way out of the dark shadows of life and back to light and those who lead others on their journey from darkness to light.
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PATTI’S BLOGS
The Over Fifty Writer (1st and 3rd Friday)
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Meet seasoned authors, learn about new books and find inspiration to help you along your journey. No matter how far you’ve come or where you are going, I’d be honored to travel with you. If you like what you see, please subscribe to avoid missing updates.
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Tony is the author of six novels for teens, including his latest release, Penny and the Stolen Chalice, for middle-grade readers. His teen historical fiction series, The Harwood Mysteries, has won over a dozen book awards. Tony hosts The Shepherd's Pie radio show and podcast. Join us as we discuss Tony's inspirational medieval fiction series, the ways he introduces youth to core Christian values through his stories, and the themes expressed in his work.
FEATURED BOOK: More Than Grit
AUTHOR: Gretchen A Carlson
PUBLISHER: Kindle Direct Press
GENRE: Historical Fiction
SERIES OR STAND ALONE: A sequel is in the works!
TARGET AGE: Ages 10 through adult – all ages
IT IS MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME AUTHOR GRETCHEN CARLSON TO THE OVER 50 WRITER. GRETCHEN TALKS ABOUT TWO KEY OBSTACLES TO WRITING SUCCESS.
SAY GOODBYE TO MR. PERFECTIONISM AND INSECURITY
by
Gretchen A. Carlson
My swimming instructor was a drill sergeant. Literally. When I was in sixth grade, my mother dropped me off every week at an army base and abandoned me to Sergeant YES SIR. The man (picture a bulldozer) didn’t like children. Plus, the pool was cold.
The sergeant didn’t teach. He commanded. When YES SIR barked, we scrambled.
Jump into the water! Climb out! Lie on your stomach! Practice the stroke! Back to the pool!
He drilled. He pushed. We practiced hard. Then harder. Knees knocking, we lined up to follow the tyrant’s arm motions for the crawl. Forget about easy, hang-on-to-the-edge-of-the-pool-and-kick lessons. We practiced our form on rough concrete, then we jumped into the freezing water to swim the length of the pool over and over because—the Olympic-size pool didn’t daunt Sergeant YES SIR.
According to YES SIR, breathing with your face planted in the water was easy-peasy. Just rotate your arms; let them pull you through the water. Exhale and inhale. But my windmill arms never synced with the breathing part. Instead, my routine was:1. Inhale water 2. Gag and gasp 3. Dogpaddle, desperate to live.
The grim taskmaster had poor eyesight. Blind to tears, he had no heart and ignored whimpers and blubbering. Excuses bounced off his thick hide. Each week we kicked like crazy and flailed our arms, but our best efforts never impressed Sergeant YES SIR.
Is this tyrant in your life? He might have a different name—Mr. Perfectionism.
Set impossibly high expectations, add a steady stream of negative self-commentary, and you’ll splutter to breathe. As a writer, I’ve discovered the dictator of perfectionism lurks within writer’s block. Over and over, I remind myself to take off the editor’s hat—the voice of perfectionism—when I’m writing a first draft. Revision comes later.
Or do you battle Mr. Insecurity? I was fifty-eight when I began my first manuscript, and this tyrant nagged that I was too old to write a book. I’m thankful I didn’t let insecurity stop me. My historical fiction book, More Than Grit won the American Christian Fiction Writers’ First Impressions and the Genesis award. The awards were lovely, but the best prize has been the journey of writing.
I’m so thankful for new relationships that have developed through writing. I’ve forged friendships with readers and writers through book groups, libraries, conferences, writers’ groups, and social media.
Additionally, writing brings new experiences. I’ve enjoyed serving as a speaker and resource for educators and librarians. Don’t hesitate to share writing tips and help others with their stories.
Finally, writing continues to open my eyes to God’s grace. As I finished my first draft, I realized my main character had my personality. She relied on herself even though what she desperately needed was more than her own grit. Too often, I’ve pushed and worked hard, as if everything depended upon me, myself, and I. Over and over, I am humbled, and I’m thankful for God’s reminder: He is with me.
We serve an amazing God who wants to teach and use us through the journey of writing. Don’t let the tyrants of perfectionism or insecurity drown you.
Can we encourage each other? I’d love to hear about your journey. Email me: [email protected]
Blurb for More Than Grit:
When do secrets become lies? When is grit not enough?
A story of broken lives and deep friendship, inspired by true events from1939, when the shadows of World War II lengthened.
Scarred by burns from a kerosene lantern, twelve-year old Sissy knows electricity is more than her farm family’s dream. It’s vital. She also knows they can’t afford the required deposit to be connected to electric lines, so she wrangles a secret deal to help her parents. As she faces danger and sacrifices to support her family, Sissy’s best efforts fail. She’s blind to what she needs most, and when she tells her secrets, she fears it’s too late.
Set in Kansas farmland, More than Grit is an unforgettable story of determination to succeed against all odds that will appeal to middle-grade and teen readers, their parents, and anyone who roots for the underdog.
Award winning author Gretchen Carlson fills her characters with grit and grace as she shares the story her grandmother kept secret for decades.
As a girl, Gretchen A Carlson spent vacations in rural Kansas exploring her grandparents’ farm, complete with an out-house, big barn, and built-in adventures. Her grandmother waited for decades to share the family secret of how they got electricity, and it was this story that inspired Gretchen’s debut historical fiction novel about broken lives and forgiveness.
Her readers range from ten to ninety-one years of age because who doesn’t love to root for the underdog and be encouraged of God’s grace? More than Grit won a First Impressions and a young adult Genesis award through American Christian Fiction Writers. A sequel, I Be Brave, is in the works.
Gretchen lives with her husband of forty-six years near Indianapolis, blessed by family and six grandchildren, and she’s thankful for God’s people—the church. As a pastor’s wife, the front door of her home—like her heart—is always open. She responds to every reader. Check out her website gretchen-carlson.com
Link for 3 minute-television interview
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FEATURED BOOK: Recapturing Her Heart
AUTHOR: Jennifer Slattery
PUBLISHER: Love Inspired
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
SERIES OR STAND ALONE: Sage Creek Romance Series
TARGET AGE: adult
IT IS MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME AUTHOR JENNIFER SLATTERY TO PATTI’S PORCH. JENNIFER TALKS ABOUT THE BEST WAY TO ACCOMPLISH ALL WE SET OUT TO DO.
WHEN TODAY’S DEMANDS FIGHT FOR EVERY INCH OF OUR TIME
by
Jennifer Slattery
Looking at my to-do list, I hate to say this, but our agenda reveals what, or who, we love most and where we place our trust. This really hit me this morning as I read through a particular passage of Scripture. It came from Mark 9:30-31. It states:
“Leaving that region, they traveled through Galilee. Jesus didn’t want anyone to know He was there, for He wanted to spend more time with His disciples and teach them. He said to them, ‘The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of His enemies. He will be killed, but three days later He will rise from the dead’” (NLT).
Prior to this moment, Jesus and His disciples had been engaged in hugely significant ministry. Christ had been teaching, healing, and liberating thousands of deeply hurting people. He was changing lives with a single touch and powerful words of truth. From a human perspective, that was precisely where He and His disciples needed to stay. Who else could the people turn to? It wasn’t like there were other miracle workers wandering about.
At least, not yet. But Christ knew something His disciples and the crowds didn’t—He was about to share His power and His mission with twelve hand-selected men. Therefore, His and their temporary absence served a beautiful eternal purpose: multiplication. That’s always God’s heart. He takes what little we offer, be that time, resources, or skills, and makes it more than enough.
I know this. I truly believe God will accomplish through me every task He assigns to me, despite my weaknesses, mistakes, and insufficiencies. I’ve also learned, whatever I pursue apart from Him, more often than not, leads to little more than exhaustion and feelings of defeat. In other words, I don’t need to cram my schedule or strive to meet a certain level of success or productivity. Doing so could, in fact, hinder my progress and my call. I achieve far more when I learn to hit pause, take time to nourish my soul, and to better equip my teammates and myself.
My struggles to do so indicate a few things: That I’ve come to rely, and therefore place more trust in, myself, rather than God; and that perhaps I’ve given my heart to someone or something else.
As if I could possibly know or do more than Almighty Creator God or could find soul-deep fulfillment in anything apart from Him. I recognize the foolishness of both scenarios. I also realize my sovereign God can and will do so much more through my surrender than I’ll ever accomplish through my efforts alone. In the process, He’ll fill me with indescribable, inextinguishable joy and peace and provide increased intimacy with Him. My goal, then, is to align my day and priorities to reflect those truths.
In Mark 9, Christ provides a perfect example for how one can live with Spirit-led effectiveness.
First, He knew and remained focused upon His ultimate goal. He didn’t come to alleviate our pain and make things easier in the present, although He did, and still does, do so for countless people. He came to earth to reveal the path to eternal life and shatter every chain that holds us in bondage to sin and death.
We have a similar mission—to point others, with our words and our actions, to God’s free gift of salvation, pushing back our world’s darkness with light. But He’s given each of us distinct roles to play in His big-picture mission. People who we are uniquely wired to reach, who will relate to our story, voice, and presentation.
We can’t do all that God asks and fulfill the hope-filled plans He crafted specifically for us if we’re unclear regarding His will. If we’re unsure of what ideas to run with and which ones to drop, we might end up sprinting for weeks in the wrong direction. Similarly, we can’t simultaneously chase after everything we think, according to our wisdom, might bring us joy or success, as our culture defines it, and live a life pleasing to God. The moment we try, we become double-minded and therefore unstable in all our ways (James 1:6-8).
This leads to Christ’s second example for leaving an eternal impact: prayer. Scripture tells us that Jesus often arose early in the morning, before people were awake and could make demands on His time, to communicate with His Father. He was also known to slip away, as needed, to refresh His soul through that intimate connection.
God invites us to do the same. To carve out space each day to rest in His presence. It’s in that sacred place that we gain clarity regarding our mission and the strength to carry it out. As we offer our heart, wholly to Him, He purges the idolatry, our lesser loves, lingering in the deepest crevices of our soul and re-ignites our desire for Him.
Third, Jesus maintained a long-term perspective. He saw, and cared deeply for, all the needs He encountered each day. But He also understood how quickly and vastly the Gospel would spread, once He trained, empowered, and unleashed His disciples. Therefore, He was willing to hit pause, at the height of His ministry, with all the seemingly urgent demands, to invest in twelve ordinary men with high potential.
Similarly, we should always be searching for and investing in someone and allowing others to invest in us. For me, this means slowing down ministry endeavors, limiting our production calendar, and potentially even allowing certain portions of our organization to halt completely, in order to build relationships with and better equip my team.
Sometimes, like now, when we’re planning for our first ever fundraising gala, this can feel frightening. However, my fear only indicates my lack of trust, my propensity for self-reliance, and idols, such as people-pleasing or self-elevation, that I must renounce. This ultimately involves dying to myself so that Christ might live through me.
The more we understand and embrace our God-given roles and the more time we spend in prayer and in investing in others, the greater our effectiveness, eternal impact, intimacy with our Savior, and our joy and fulfillment.
We live in a hectic, fast-paced, demanding culture, but that doesn’t mean we must accept its invitation to frantically follow. In fact, we mustn’t. Instead, may God give us the wisdom, clarity, desire and strength to do all that He asks and only what He asks of us. May we follow the example set by Christ, our world’s most competent leader, to make room, during our busiest seasons, to fill our souls and pour into the souls of others. And as we do, may God use every insecure and anxiety-filled moment to reveal the cracks in our faith and all the idols we’ve allowed to occupy His rightful place in our hearts.
Let's talk about this! Do you find it challenging to relinquish your daily schedule to God? If so, why do you think this might be? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
Blurb for Recapturing Her Heart:
What she’s always wished for… might be right here at home.
When she loses her job, professional dancer Harper Moore returns to her Texas hometown with one goal in mind—leaving again. But first she needs money for her big move, even if that means working for her ex-boyfriend. CJ Jenkins is certain he can help the single mom and keep his still-bruised heart intact. But as old feelings resurface, can they let go of the past for a new dream together?
From Love Inspired: Uplifting stories of faith, forgiveness and hope.
Buy link for Recapturing Her Heart
Jennifer Slattery is a writer, podcast host and speaker who has addressed women’s groups, church groups, Bible studies, and other writers across the nation. She’s the lead host of the Faith Over Fear podcast and cohost, with four others, of the Your Daily Bible Verse podcast. She also maintains devotional blogs found JenniferSlatteryLivesOutLoud.com and is a regular contributor to iBelieve.com. Connect with her on Facebook and Instagram, and follow her author page on Amazon. When not writing, reading, or editing, Jennifer loves playing games with her family, working puzzles, and adventuring with her hilariously fun husband. Contact her through her website to learn more or to book her to speak at your next event.
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FEATURED BOOK: Aging Fabulously -52 Devotions Sure to Give You a Faith Lift
AUTHOR: Cynthia A. Lovely, Connie Clyburn, Michelle Medlock Adams
PUBLISHER: Bold Vision Books
GENRE: Devotional
SERIES OR STAND ALONE: Stand alone
TARGET AGE: 40+
IT IS MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME AUTHOR CYNTHIA A. LOVELY TO PATTI’S PORCH. CYNTHIA SHARES ABOUT A DEVOTIONAL CREATED BY THREE AUTHORS FOR WOMEN WHO WISH TO DRAW CLOSER TO GOD.
JOIN US IN AGING FABULOUSLY!
by
Cynthia A. Lovely
We can’t stop those numbers from climbing as we face yet another birthday, but we can enjoy and celebrate each additional year of our lives. It was this mindset that brought three gal-friends together to pen a women’s devotional designed for the Gen X and Boomer generations.
Connie Clyburn, Michelle Medlock Adams and I joined forces and compiled our book of Aging Fabulously -52 Devotions Sure to Give You a Faith Lift, published by Bold Vision Books and available on Amazon. It was a fun project to combine our individual writing voices along with our different backgrounds from Tennessee, Indiana and New York!
Connie is our laid-back Tennessee mountain gal, Michelle the successful author with multiple projects and then the impossible New Yorker who wants results in a New York minute. (Uh, yes that’s me). It was an interesting journey for all of us and we still remain good friends.
Our book is full of wit, wisdom, wonder and a willingness to be honest and transparent to help others. The devotions may cause readers to laugh, cry, ponder, and ultimately look to the Author of it all for their continued direction of following after Jesus. We added a closing prayer with the devotions and also a few Sassy Suggestions: realistic ideas of how to follow through with practical thoughts and actions on the scriptures.
Michelle writes about Joining the Senior Club and also Moving On, describing the emotions of relocating to a new home. Connie talks about Seeking the Kingdom and shares her thoughts on I Should Have Been a Cowgirl. A couple of my devotions are about the start of gray hair with Silver Threads and the appeal of afternoon break with Naptime.
The devotions address many pertinent topics including physical changes, friendship and relationships, marriage, travel, grandchildren, health, faith, prayer, laughter, and many more important issues. Our purpose is to emphasize the value of our lives as we age and the reality that God still has a plan for us. We are valuable. We are special. Our lives matter. He is not done with us yet.
Though the book is geared for those ages 40 and up, it is still applicable to any woman who wants to know God on a deeper level and has a desire to draw closer to Him. Check out our wonderful reviews on Amazon and order your copy today to Age Fabulously!
Book Cover blurb for Aging Fabulously:
“…personal stories, prayer, and sassy suggestions that will inspire and refuel you for your continuing journey into amazing.”
--Linda Evans Shepherd, award-winning author of 38 books, founder of the Advanced Writers & Speakers Association
Watching those birthday numerals climb? Need a little encouragement, support, and reminders of the good times and fruitfulness ahead? You are more than just a number.
Your faith-lift awaits! Relate and connect through these devotions filled with fun, faith, and sisterly fellowship. Emotional, physical, and all kinds of natural changes and challenges are taken on with wit, wisdom and a sweet dose of nostalgia—all while highlighting beautiful, future-altering spiritual truths.
Authored by three gal-friends who have joined together for the mission of delivering a blast of motivation and inspiration for Gen X-ers, Boomers, and more, the inspiration is guaranteed to make you ponder, affirm, cry, giggle, and finally, to help you…
…resolve in your heart and mind to Age Fabulously!
Amazon Buy Link
Cynthia A. Lovely is a writer, musician, and minister’s wife in upstate New York. She has over sixty articles and stories published in several periodicals. Her latest book Aging Fabulously-52 Devotions Sure to Give You a Faith-Lift can be found on Amazon or at Bold Vision Books.
Amazon buy link
Visit Cynthia at her website
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