Answer the Call

6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. — Ephesians 2:6-10 (NIV)

I’ve noticed a commonality lately with many unequally yoked spouses. Many have shared with me that God has called them to cease petitioning for their unsaved spouses’ salvation and to begin thanking God that it’s already in place. I know this to be true in my own situation, but I wondered how I could back that up biblically.

This Sunday, my pastor unknowingly revealed what I needed in the above verses. If you take at the first verse, Paul says “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms.” Our place is secure and already established. And there’s much more to this multifaceted jewel:

Read the rest at S.U.M.

My Hubby My Hero

I think I fell in love with my husband all over again Monday evening. Our family is facing a crisis at the moment, which called us all to join together and participate in something he normally would refuse. My sweet guy not only came, but he didn't fuss, argue, or resist either.

As I sat across the room from him, I fell in love with him in a whole new way. For the first time in twenty-one years, he was my hero. He came to the rescue of his family. At one point I looked at him and said, "I don't think I've ever loved you more than I do at this moment."

Read the rest at S.U.M.

Hit Again

Last Friday as I was driving home with my daughter in typical California rush hour traffic, I got rear-ended. Again.

Two years ago we traded in my gas guzzling car for a nice, shiny red Honda Civic. I picked up my daughter from school one day and got rear-ended by the poor 17-year-old in the SUV behind me. I say poor because I totally lost my cool, hopped out, and started ranting how the car was only a week old. Brand spanking new.

I was not at my best that day. I apologized to this poor kid who felt so horrible for hitting us, and I could tell he felt his world had just crumbled into total darkness. I later found out that was because he wasn’t supposed to drive his car to school.

Uh oh. We both learned big lessons that day. I asked God to help me keep my cool if I was ever in the same situation again.

Well, last Friday, as I said, I got rear-ended. Amazingly, I stayed completely calm, got out of my car, and checked out the damage. A nice dent the size of a basketball waved hello along with his entourage of scratches in the nice shiny red paint.

And the last two years were so peaceful and damage free. The guy behind me suggested we move out of traffic. I paused for a mere second. Long enough for the thought that he might take off to present itself to my brain and my heart to say, “Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt.”

Sigh. Why didn’t I at least use my cell phone to take a picture of my bumper and one of his license plate, which I didn’t even take time to notice? (In CA we have both front and back plates).

Well, you guessed it. I drove ahead a bit and found a church parking lot to pull into. He kept going, never to be seen again. Boy, did I feel stupid, but I did learn another lesson and will know how to handle it the next time it happens, which it most likely will.

After spending the next few hours beating myself up for being so gullible and feeling rather stupid, it suddenly dawned on me that I never lost my cool. When the guy hit me, I remained calm and polite (though I sure would like to give him a piece of my mind now).

God had certainly answered my prayer from two years ago. And the reward in this (yes, there really is one) is that the dent in my bumper popped out by the time I got home. Only the cover was damaged with some scrapes.

Life will inevitably throw us these curves, but knowing God sees (yes, whoever you are, God saw and will deal with you at some later date for your deceit) and equips us to handle these surprise situations.

I may have left the scene of the accident with a dent, but I landed on my feet mostly undamaged and a lesson learned. But most of all, my prize is knowing God was at that intersection before me, ready to answer a two-year-old prayer.

And that’s the best kind of accident insurance anyone could have.

The Chain of Effectiveness

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. — 2 Peter 1:5-8 (NIV)

For years I’ve sought to understand why it is so difficult to an effective Christian. When we read the storied of the disciples and the thousands brought to Christ in one day, I wonder what we’ve lost in this day and age. What’s different now compared to then? Why is it so difficult to be effective in our own generation? To our own families and spouses?

Read the rest at S.U.M.

Part Four: A Question & the 3 C’s: Colors, Continuity, and Choices

Last week we answered two reader questions and talked about business cards. (Click here to read part three.)

Janice Olson left another great question, so let’s start there.

Thanks Dineen, for all the wonderful answers and information. My questions this time are concerning “the” photograph. I have seen different types of professional photographs, but I question which would be the best choice for a one-sheet and business card. Even on your site, there are head, partial, and full body shots on your examples.

My questions:
Would you suggest the same photo be on the card and one-sheet, or should they be different?

Since I see a host of photographs with outdoors or casual settings, and this seems to be the trend, would it look better to have a more casual photograph on the one-sheet? Or on both?

Both are good questions, Janice. In answer your first one, this is really a personal preference. There is a benefit to keeping the same picture on your printed materials to create continuity, but you could use different poses. The background and clothing could be the same but your poses varied. That’s one option. Then for things like blog interviews, you could use a variety of pictures that still hold a connection without becoming redundant.

As for your second question, I strongly recommend you tie this to your genre. For example, if you write chick-lit, doing a portrait that has suspenseful or mysterious tones doesn’t match what you’re writing. Remember, your picture will have some influence on your future reader when they pick up your book in the store. Make a good impression here.

Also, keep in mind that your picture will be small on book jackets and bookmarks. You may have a great picture of yourself set against a lush landscape, but in order to keep you from being the size of a pea in the photo, the layout artist will have to enlarge the photo and crop that excess away so readers can see your face clearly. What may look great in a full background may wind up looking busy and unidentifiable behind your head when cropped. Keep this simple and be sure nothing is poking out from behind your head. You’d be surprised how often this happens. Professional photographers know what to look for and what to avoid.

Overall, whether casual or formal, keep your portrait looking professional. Trust me, whether we realize it or not, most people can spot the difference between a professional shot designed to look candid and casual and a picture taken by a family member or friend.


Colors
I touched on this briefly in part two of this series. Just like your portraits, your colors should mesh with your genre. A color scheme of deep red, black, and white will bring across a sense of danger, suspense, and strength. Great for those thriller and suspense writers. Pastel tones give a sense of happiness and peace—a perfect choice for inspirational writers, some women’s fiction, and children’s books. Bold, loud colors are perfect for chick-lit and lively women’s fiction. I think you get the picture here. Choose colors that convey the theme of your stories. This holds true for your printed materials, as well as your web presence, and is another important aspect of continuity.

Continuity
Creating a common theme between your printed and online materials is like writing a book series. There are elements that carry over from book to book and stay consistent. This will create strong reader identification (also why book series have continuity between covers in their design, colors, fonts, and imagery) and this also speaks a strong but silent message of professionalism.

If you started with your website, carry those designs and colors over to your business card, letterhead, and promotional materials. If you’re a published author and you’re using your current book as a guideline, then your materials to promote that book should match it. Again, this creates strong reader identification. Making connections between advertising materials to the product on the shelf (your book) is vital to a successful promotion. Otherwise, you’re wasting your time. And your money.

Choices: Timely vs. Timeless
This is where your planning will pay off. Literally. Make choices now based upon two things. One, your immediate goal. Are you promoting a book? Then make a “timely” choice.” Design your bookmarks, postcards, and online materials to match in color, design, and even fonts. Order quantities of your printed materials based upon your need. It may be a great deal to spend that extra few dollars just to get 500 more bookmarks, but if you wind up not needing them, then it’s money wasted.

Two, your long term goal. Are you promoting yourself as an author? When making “timeless” choices for your printed and online materials, keep in mind that you will most likely keep this “identity” for two to five years. Can you live with that logo and color scheme that long? Making frequent changes will lose continuity and confuse readers. Choose colors and designs for the long haul. Take advantage of the price break between 250 hundred and 500 business cards if you you’re happy with your image and information, and you will make good use of them. The same can hold true for bookmarks, especially if they’re promoting a series of books, or your books in general.

I hope this series has been helpful. This is just a taste of what I’ll be covering in my Late Night Chat, "Design & Marketing Demystified," at the Conference Friday evening. I hope you’ll come, ready to ask questions and even bring your own materials to share or ask questions. Should be fun!

And feel free to leave any questions. I’ll answer them here in the comments section. See you at conference!