I am very proud and honored to be included in the 2016 "50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading" from The Author's Show.
Click http://50greatwritersyoushouldbereading.com for the full list.
"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6)."
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Our Good Deeds
I read a thing today about this woman who was talking about how she's not a church-going Christian although she does believe in God she says, and while in a fast food place, she felt the need to buy breakfast for two homeless men who had no money.
That is great, I'm glad that she did buy those two men breakfast, they needed it. I've done it a million times, I know people who've done it a million times, and it's good that people do that, but buying a homeless person breakfast does not make you a Christian. It might make you a good person for the moment but that's it.
Isaiah 64:6 says, But we are all like an unclean thing and all our righteousness are like filthy rags...
The term "filthy rags" is very strong language for Isaiah's day. He is actually comparing our good deeds and righteousness to the rags that women used while on their period.
Titus 2:5 says not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his Mercy he saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.
That word "renewing" is the Greek word, anakainosis, a combination of "ana" (again) & "kainos" (new), which means renovation, restoration, transformation, and a change of heart and life. It means an adjustment of one's moral and spiritual vision.
Our good deeds will not lead us to Heaven. The road to Heaven is paved with good intentions and the road to hell is going to have a line of people who have been doing good deeds all of their lives.
While we are admonished to produce fruit with our works, we are also cautioned that our works are nothing. James 2:14-26
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the father except through me." John 14:6
For by Grace you have been saved through faith and not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
The only way our good works means anything at all after the moment that we have done them, is if they are done in the context of a relationship with Jesus Christ.
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) there is nothing good... Romans 7:18
But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God - and righteousness and sanctification and Redemption
1 Corinthians 1:30
So if you are going to brag about your good deeds, make sure they're coming from the right place. If your good deeds are not because of a relationship with Jesus Christ, you may as well not even do them because in the end, they are not going to get you anywhere. And if you are doing good deeds just to get brownie points in this world, and if what you do in this world is the only thing that you are concerned about, then you have truly missed the mark.
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on Earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal, for where your treasure is there your heart will also be.
Matthew 6:19-21
That is great, I'm glad that she did buy those two men breakfast, they needed it. I've done it a million times, I know people who've done it a million times, and it's good that people do that, but buying a homeless person breakfast does not make you a Christian. It might make you a good person for the moment but that's it.
Isaiah 64:6 says, But we are all like an unclean thing and all our righteousness are like filthy rags...
The term "filthy rags" is very strong language for Isaiah's day. He is actually comparing our good deeds and righteousness to the rags that women used while on their period.
Titus 2:5 says not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his Mercy he saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.
That word "renewing" is the Greek word, anakainosis, a combination of "ana" (again) & "kainos" (new), which means renovation, restoration, transformation, and a change of heart and life. It means an adjustment of one's moral and spiritual vision.
Our good deeds will not lead us to Heaven. The road to Heaven is paved with good intentions and the road to hell is going to have a line of people who have been doing good deeds all of their lives.
While we are admonished to produce fruit with our works, we are also cautioned that our works are nothing. James 2:14-26
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the father except through me." John 14:6
For by Grace you have been saved through faith and not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
The only way our good works means anything at all after the moment that we have done them, is if they are done in the context of a relationship with Jesus Christ.
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) there is nothing good... Romans 7:18
But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God - and righteousness and sanctification and Redemption
1 Corinthians 1:30
So if you are going to brag about your good deeds, make sure they're coming from the right place. If your good deeds are not because of a relationship with Jesus Christ, you may as well not even do them because in the end, they are not going to get you anywhere. And if you are doing good deeds just to get brownie points in this world, and if what you do in this world is the only thing that you are concerned about, then you have truly missed the mark.
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on Earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal, for where your treasure is there your heart will also be.
Matthew 6:19-21
Thursday, December 29, 2016
What Do You Mean I'm Fat? Part 2
On August 21, 2014 I had gastric sleeve surgery. I wasn't sure that the surgery was going to really work. I had been fat for a very long time. I had been on every diet known to man and then some, so I didn't have a whole lot of faith in this surgery either.
But I began to lose weight almost immediately. I actually lost 25 pounds the first 3 days I was in the hospital. Over the next few weeks following the surgery from August 21st until December 1, 2014 I lost 100 pounds.
The weight came off quite easily for me. However, because I was losing so much weight so quickly, I felt weak & dizzy. I was nauseous & I spent a lot of time in bed.
By January 2015 I began to quit losing weight at such a rapid pace and I begin to feel better. I could not eat enough to really keep up my strength but finally, by January, I was able to eat a little more often and I started feeling a whole lot better. I still wasn't convinced that I had done the right thing.
The doctor told me that I would wonder if I had made the right decision. He also told me that eventually I would be happy with the decision I made. In January 2015 I had not come to a place where I was happy about my decision, even though I had lost so much weight.
Over the next couple of months I lost about another 15 pounds, and as my weight began to level off, I stopped losing weight and I did begin to feel a lot better. Once I began to buy new clothes and I had gone from a size 16W to a size 0, I got quite a bit happier.
I am now 2 years and 4 months out of surgery, my weight has leveled off and I weigh about 130 pounds. At my lowest I had gotten down to 118 pounds, but I did gain some of that back simply because I'm 5'7" and 118 pounds is way too skinny.
I am happy that I had the surgery. Would I do it again? Probably not. The reason being is that I never have that feeling of, you know how when you're really hungry and you eat something like a cheeseburger or you just have some ribs with the grease and sauce running down your arms and dripping off your elbows, and you eat it and you feel so good, and your stomach is like stretchy full, and you're like, oh my gosh, that was the best food ever?
I never have that feeling anymore. I miss that feeling at Thanksgiving, 4th of July, Christmas and Easter where you get to eat a lot of good food and then have to diet for the week following, but it just feels good eating all of that food, and I don't get to do that anymore.
There's a lot of foods I don't get to eat at all. I can't drink pop, and not that I was a big pop drinker, but I do like to have a Coke every now and then, and I can't drink Coke. I have to watch everything I put in my mouth. I have to plan for events. I have to plan for things like eating bread, or having a piece of dessert like pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, and I gain weight back very easily if I'm not very careful with my diet.
So, while I can't say that I regret having the gastric sleeve surgery, because it did make my blood pressure go back to normal & I haven't been on any kind of medication in almost a year, including pain pills, I do wish I had chosen another route, like maybe a fat farm or something instead of the surgery.
If you are thinking of having some type of weight loss surgery, I would suggest that you really speak with your doctor, then speak with others who have had the surgery, and know exactly what you're getting into before you make a life-altering decision that you can't change.
But I began to lose weight almost immediately. I actually lost 25 pounds the first 3 days I was in the hospital. Over the next few weeks following the surgery from August 21st until December 1, 2014 I lost 100 pounds.
The weight came off quite easily for me. However, because I was losing so much weight so quickly, I felt weak & dizzy. I was nauseous & I spent a lot of time in bed.
By January 2015 I began to quit losing weight at such a rapid pace and I begin to feel better. I could not eat enough to really keep up my strength but finally, by January, I was able to eat a little more often and I started feeling a whole lot better. I still wasn't convinced that I had done the right thing.
The doctor told me that I would wonder if I had made the right decision. He also told me that eventually I would be happy with the decision I made. In January 2015 I had not come to a place where I was happy about my decision, even though I had lost so much weight.
Over the next couple of months I lost about another 15 pounds, and as my weight began to level off, I stopped losing weight and I did begin to feel a lot better. Once I began to buy new clothes and I had gone from a size 16W to a size 0, I got quite a bit happier.
I am now 2 years and 4 months out of surgery, my weight has leveled off and I weigh about 130 pounds. At my lowest I had gotten down to 118 pounds, but I did gain some of that back simply because I'm 5'7" and 118 pounds is way too skinny.
I am happy that I had the surgery. Would I do it again? Probably not. The reason being is that I never have that feeling of, you know how when you're really hungry and you eat something like a cheeseburger or you just have some ribs with the grease and sauce running down your arms and dripping off your elbows, and you eat it and you feel so good, and your stomach is like stretchy full, and you're like, oh my gosh, that was the best food ever?
I never have that feeling anymore. I miss that feeling at Thanksgiving, 4th of July, Christmas and Easter where you get to eat a lot of good food and then have to diet for the week following, but it just feels good eating all of that food, and I don't get to do that anymore.
There's a lot of foods I don't get to eat at all. I can't drink pop, and not that I was a big pop drinker, but I do like to have a Coke every now and then, and I can't drink Coke. I have to watch everything I put in my mouth. I have to plan for events. I have to plan for things like eating bread, or having a piece of dessert like pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, and I gain weight back very easily if I'm not very careful with my diet.
So, while I can't say that I regret having the gastric sleeve surgery, because it did make my blood pressure go back to normal & I haven't been on any kind of medication in almost a year, including pain pills, I do wish I had chosen another route, like maybe a fat farm or something instead of the surgery.
If you are thinking of having some type of weight loss surgery, I would suggest that you really speak with your doctor, then speak with others who have had the surgery, and know exactly what you're getting into before you make a life-altering decision that you can't change.
Friday, July 17, 2015
What Do You Mean I'm Fat? Part I
I weighed 235 pounds. It wasn't just my weight though, I also had had 3 hip surgeries, neck surgery, along with spinal stenosis, a crushed disc, a cracked disc that was leaking spinal fluid into the surrounding tissue, and I had fibromyalgia and to top it all off, I was also diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome. I was in an enormous amount of pain and it hurt to move. I used to dance, perform in a Christian drama troupe, and run around with my kids but as my physical condition worsened and the more pain I was in, the less I felt like moving, the more depressed I became, and I ate to comfort myself. It became a vicious cycle - pain, lack of activity, more pain, food, depression, food, food, food! My weight increased and so did my depression, so I ate more because I felt sorry for myself.
In August 2014 my blood pressure sky-rocketed to stroke level. The doctor told me if I didn't lose weight and lower my blood pressure, I'd have a lethal stroke before the year was out. That kind of news shocked me completely. I already knew that my weight was putting so much pressure on already destroyed joints, discs and bones that the pain was nearly unbearable and I was on some heavy-duty pain meds. I was also getting regualr steroid/lidocaine injections in my muscles, plus injections directly into my spine while I was under anesthesia. But to hear that my weight had caused my blood pressure to get out of control to the point it would kill me was a whole other matter.
That was when I saw a weight-loss doctor, and to my surprise, my insurance would pay for all but $600 of the surgery. So, on August 21, 2014 I was admitted to the hospital for a gastric sleeve surgery.
In August 2014 my blood pressure sky-rocketed to stroke level. The doctor told me if I didn't lose weight and lower my blood pressure, I'd have a lethal stroke before the year was out. That kind of news shocked me completely. I already knew that my weight was putting so much pressure on already destroyed joints, discs and bones that the pain was nearly unbearable and I was on some heavy-duty pain meds. I was also getting regualr steroid/lidocaine injections in my muscles, plus injections directly into my spine while I was under anesthesia. But to hear that my weight had caused my blood pressure to get out of control to the point it would kill me was a whole other matter.
That was when I saw a weight-loss doctor, and to my surprise, my insurance would pay for all but $600 of the surgery. So, on August 21, 2014 I was admitted to the hospital for a gastric sleeve surgery.
This is me Christmas 2013. And getting fatter!
Don't miss Part II!
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Forging Freedom
My 5x greatgrandfather, Captain John Files fought in the Revolutionary War with three of his sons at his side. During the Battle of Cowpens, he was gravely injured, and his sons were POW's. Capt John's wife, Mary Catherine Manley-Files, came to the aide of her husband by organizing the people who were able to help by getting beds, clean linens, bandages, and food to the wounded.
She then took a satchel with food to the enemy camp where her sons, along with several other soldiers, were being held in the livery stable. When approached by a Yankee soldier, she told him she was just bringing food to her sons. The soldier asked to see the contents, and she sat the basket down, opened the cloth, withdrew a butcher knife and slit the man's throat, severing the carotid artery, killing the soldier. She then rescued her sons and the other soldiers.
This story, titled "Freedom Worth Dying For" is to be included in the magazine, "Forging Freedom" coming this fall. You can pre-order right now, and if you want an autographed copy, send me a message at marie @ mariemcgaha.com (no spaces) and I'll tell you how to do it!
For more about this story and the rest of the stories included in the magazine, please go to Forging Freedom.
She then took a satchel with food to the enemy camp where her sons, along with several other soldiers, were being held in the livery stable. When approached by a Yankee soldier, she told him she was just bringing food to her sons. The soldier asked to see the contents, and she sat the basket down, opened the cloth, withdrew a butcher knife and slit the man's throat, severing the carotid artery, killing the soldier. She then rescued her sons and the other soldiers.
This story, titled "Freedom Worth Dying For" is to be included in the magazine, "Forging Freedom" coming this fall. You can pre-order right now, and if you want an autographed copy, send me a message at marie @ mariemcgaha.com (no spaces) and I'll tell you how to do it!
For more about this story and the rest of the stories included in the magazine, please go to Forging Freedom.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Award Winning Author Debra Shively Welch
I live in Central Ohio with my husband Mark of 26 years, and my
21-year-old son Christopher. We live on a
beautiful lake which I often feature in my writing and which has also played a
part in my son’s publications as well.
A sushi chef, Chris loves other types of cooking as well and we
are working on a cookbook titled Christopher’s
Family Table, the emphasis being on the fact that not all family members
are blood related, but are in fact, adopted.
Whether adopted through marriage (the married couple adopts each other’s
family) or friends that you bring into your life forever, or the formal
adoption of a child, these relationships are important to who we are and are
often expressed through food. Think
about it. Have you ever sat down to eat
with someone you dislike?
I am also working on a sequel to my son’s book Christopher Bullfrog Catcher. It is called Christopher Meets Buddy and teaches the proper care of a pet
bird. Subsequent books will address
other pets.
In addition, I’m working on the sequel to Cedar Woman, titled Ista
Numpa. The readers of Cedar Woman wanted a book about Cedar Woman’s
best friend Nickie, or Ista Numpa, so I am now taking notes, setting up an
outline and filling out character sheets and a time line for this book. It will deal mainly with domestic violence.
I am also working on, and have almost finished, an anthology of
short stories and poems called Swinging
Bridge. All of the works are about a
type of transition. Walking across a
swinging bridge can be very intimidating, and sometimes you’re afraid that you
won’t make it to the other side…but you do.
That is the basic theme of this work.
It will be released this fall.
A percentage of royalties for all of our books goes to Operation
Smile. I do this in gratitude for my
most precious gift, my son, adopted and born with cleft lip and palate.
Following are the URLs to my web page, FaceBook and Twitter pages:
Debra's books and links to where you can find them:
Cedar Woman
Cedar Woman is a powerful book filled with
courage, romance and the beliefs, ceremonies and language of the Lakota
Sioux. Travel with her to Columbus, Ohio
as she rebuilds her life, and the lives of her family. Join her in the sweat
lodge as she follows Zitka Mine to the fifth step of the edge of the world to
find her father's soul.
Follow her to powwow where she meets her half side, and works
toward her goal of establishing the first Central Ohio Native American
restaurant in the nearby suburb of Westerville.
Son of My Soul – The
Adoption of Christopher
It would be easy to accept
this book as 'another adoption story', that is until you read it. From the
first words the reader is caught up in the account, enthralled by not just the
tale but the telling of it. Ms. Shiveley Welch's talent reveals the journey to
love, her decision to adopt instead of giving birth, her new and wonderful
child and most of all her earnest desire and steadfast belief that everything
would come to pass.
Son
of My Soul – The Adoption of Christopher is not just about the joys
of motherhood, but is also a self-help book about breaking the circle of child
abuse. The author considers her
childhood as ‘boot camp’ and uses the lessons learned from her own abuse to
help her beloved son through many surgeries and therapies to correct cleft lip as
the and palate.
Just Chris by Christopher Shiveley Welch
Just
Chris, is more than a boy telling of his life. It is a story that
surely will bring encouragement to many who face challenges, feel worthless due
to some physical handicap, or face rejection in anyway. It is a story of hope,
courage and steadfast love. I believe Christopher has an exciting life ahead of
him, and he will fly to heights that even he cannot imagine at this time. A
great read, from a great young man.
A Very Special Child
A book written from the
heart of a mother, one who adopted a child and found her true calling. A Very
Special Child unfolds the story of adoption in a spiritual way, explaining
adoption to a child in a simple, lovely way.
Christopher Bullfrog Catcher
Christopher Bullfrog Catcher
is a fun way to teach your child how to write. The reader is taught how to
follow a simple formula in order to create their own special story. Add to that
a guide on how to catch bullfrogs, and a message regarding the care and respect
of these fascinating creatures, and you have a book that your child will want
to pass on to their own children.
Jesus Gandhi Oma Mae Adams
Jesus
Gandhi Oma Mae Adams is a murder mystery co-written by cousins, Debra
Shiveley Welch and Linda Lee Greene. Religion
and murder combine in this breathless escape. A well written narrative that
keeps the pages turning.
http://tinyurl.com/qxpdxnp
Interview:
1.
Why
did you become a writer…was it a dream of yours since you were younger or did
the desire to write happen later in your life?
I write, therefore I am.
That says it all. I began writing
at age nine and was first published at age 26.
I’ve always loved the music of words and am so thrilled when I manage to
write something that makes me think, I
can’t believe I wrote that! An
example is the beginning of the first chapter in Cedar Woman:
Slowly, slowly, Grandfather Sun
began his ascent. Gliding, floating, he
moved above the horizon as blue and lavender and mauve filled the sky.
Birdsong married
with fragrant air, as Wakan Tanka[1] stretched His fingers across the sky, pushing
back the night, heralding the dawning of a new day.
It is truly thrilling when you see progression in your
writing. I’m addicted. I admit it.
2.
What
was the inspiration for your latest work?
My son and I
were adopted by a woman of the Lakota Sioux.
We went through the naming, sweat lodge, pipe and hunkapi
ceremonies. Hunkapi means “making of
relatives.” So I became her Tanksa
(older sister) and she is my Cuwayla (younger sister). Traditionally the Lakota do not consider a
person’s siblings as the aunts and uncles of their children. They are also their parents. So a child will have multiple parents and his
or her cousins are brothers and sisters.
Therefore, Chris calls my sister Ina (mother) and her son Logan calls me
the same.
It is a
beautiful culture where the honoring of the elders, military, veterans, etc. is
central and their love of the environment is phenomenal.
I wrote Cedar Woman to honor my sister, Julie
Spotted Eagle Horse Martineau. She has
treated me with more kindness and respect than most of my blood relatives and I
love her with all of my heart.
3.
What
was the most interesting research you had to do for any of your books?
Learning the
Lakota language! I still can’t pronounce
a lot of it correctly, but it was good for my, at that time, 50 + year brain to
learn something new.
Learning the
customs and basic beliefs was also fascinating.
4.
I
know you are an award winning author, Debra. Tell me about the awards you’ve
won, and the books you won them for.
A
Very Special Child won
FaithWriter’s Gold Seal of Approval – Outstanding Read;
Son
of My Soul – The Adoption of Christopher won FaithWriter’s Gold Seal of Approval –
Outstanding Read, Best Non-Fiction of 2010 and Editor’s Choice for 2011. Cedar
Woman has won Best Native American Fiction 2012.
5.
How
did you decide to write books for kids? Have you always wanted to write
children’s books, or did that come about later on?
I like to
write in all genres. I’m crazy about
kids and like to produce books which not only entertain, but teach as well.
6.
You
have also written books for adults. How
did that occur?
I like to
mix it up. A children’s book here, a
cook book there, with a murder mystery or romance in between. It keeps my brain hopping.
7.
What’s
your writing schedule like? When do you
find time to write?
I am editor
in chief for Saga Books and usually begin my day with a few hours of editing
other people’s works. I then try to get
an hour or two for short stories, or sometimes I blog. Finally I get to work on my own projects
which can last until the wee hours of the morning.
8.
Do
you have any writing idiosyncrasies?
I don’t know
if you would call them idiosyncrasies, but I like to have a beverage, snack and
whatever else I’ll need at the ready so that I don’t have to get up to get
something and thereby break my train of thought. I also like to use character sheets in which
I ‘map out’ a character’s hair color, eyes, height, weight, time of birth,
likes, dislikes. It makes them real to
me. I also like to write with a timeline
so that I don’t get lost or make a mistake in writing.
I love to
research and particularly enjoy interviewing people who I think can help me
make a story more believable.
For
instance, in Cedar Woman I chose a
restaurant that does exist. I researched
its many incarnations covering well over 100 years and the hauntings. I interviewed, not only people in the library
and local historians, but people who now work in that restaurant as to what
they’ve seen and heard.
9.
What’s
the most challenging aspect of writing for you?
Getting it
right! If I say it’s July 18, 2010 at
sunrise and name the time, I check to make sure that the sunrise was indeed at
the time I gave, that I was correct on what day of the week it happened and the
weather for that day.
While
co-writing Jesus Gandhi Oma Mae Adams
I interviewed the person who gives permission for individuals to be buried at
Arlington Cemetery.
I want it to
be correct with no slip ups, so I check, and then I check and then I double
check.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Amelia Frump & Her Peanut Butter Loving, Over Active Imagination is Cooking Up A Peanut Butter Storm! by Debbie Roppolo
Author Debbie Roppolo is the mother of two and lives with her husband, John, in San Marcos, TX.
Author Debbie Roppolo is the mother of two and lives with her husband, John, in San Marcos, TX.
Award for Excellence in Children's Literature:
Amelia Frump & Her Peanut Butter Loving, Overactive Imagination
is
Cooking Up A Peanut Butter Storm
The peanut butter recipes in this book makes for good fun for the entire family with recipes like, "The Jelly is Runny, The Banana is Slimy" Banana Bread; Libba's "Dab of this, Swoosh of That" Granola; and "No Lima Beans, Please," Vegetable Soup; plus lots of puzzles and information that will keep your child busy in the kitchen and out.
Nuts
for Sweet Potato Peanut Butter Soup
Sweet
potatoes and peanut butter in a soup? Sounds strange, right? The combination of
the two results in a sweet, nutty flavor that makes this soup perfect for lunch
or dinner any time of the year.
Difficulty:
Medium
Serves:
4
1
Tbsp. vegetable oil
1
onion
2
cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp.
fresh ginger root, minced
1 ½
tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp.
apple pie spice
3
tomatoes, chopped
1 lb.
sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 carrot,
peeled and sliced
1 3/4
cup chicken broth
2 cups
water
1 tsp.
salt
3
Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
¼ cup
unsalted peanuts
2
tbsp. creamy peanut butter
1/4 c
cilantro (leaves only), chopped (optional)
Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high
heat.
2.
Saute the onion 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Mix in the garlic, ginger,
cumin, and apple pie spice.
3. Stir in the
tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and carrot.
4.
Continue to cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add
the water, broth, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer
And don't forget to order Amelia Frump's first book as she battles witches and other things that hide in the dark, under beds and in closets!
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