Recommended Resources – Abundant Gifts

When The Gift Is YOU

The one kind of “abundant gift” I most resist, yet often becomes the most precious, is what I call “disguised gifts.”

These are the things in our lives that we don’t welcome because they involve suffering of some kind, but afterward when we look back, we see that in fact, it was a gift.

Such was the case for Dr. David Wolf, a prominent doctor whose life was dramatically altered from an accident as he was indulging his passionate hobby, adult go-cart racing.

The story of the many ways that accident became a “disguised abundant gift” will inspire you.

I also believe it will open up your own heart to allowing God to take whatever “hard stuff” is in your life and turn it into something beautiful.

Please click the book cover or http://abundantgiftsblog.com/giftisyou today and order a copy from Amazon.com. Read it, and pass it on to a friend who also needs encouragement and inspiration. Or get one or more for other loved ones.

The way God worked in Dr. Wolf’s life is unique, but that God can do the same kind of amazing things through your troubles is certain.

Whether your “disguised gift” is a financial issue, a relationship issue, a work problem, or a health challenge, God is able to use it in such a way that you can look back and say, “Wow, look what God did with THAT trial!” But that transformation from trial to gift is not automatic.

This book will show you how that transformation can happen. Read it and live into your own version of it. When you do that, the gift will be YOU.

Virtual Book Tour on Healing Heart Issues

I‘d like to invite you to listen to the replay of the Virtual Book Tour on The Healing Code book, which took place on October 28, 2010. I interviewed Dr. Alex Loyd on his book, which had become a #1 bestseller at amazon.com in 9 categories shortly after its launch in June, and is now an international best seller.

Dr. Loyd talked about a paradigm for healing he discovered in 2001, called “The Healing Code.” Though it has had remarkable results in terms of all kinds of healing, Dr. Loyd stresses that the healing it addresses is the healing of “heart issues”–the same thing Solomon referred to when he said, “Guard your heart above all else, for from it flow all the issues of life.”

Find out what these “issues of the heart” are, why they’re at the source of just about any issue you can have, the scientific underpinnings of The Healing Code, and much more. (And if you’re interested in the spiritual foundation for this, you can go here to learn more about their philosophy.)

Though this healing paradigm may seen new and even strange, I encourage you to at least give a listen. If you’re interested in the spiritual underpinnings of The Healing Code, here are some further resources on the topic of healing, energy, and spirituality.

Fascinating Interview on Evidence for God’s Existence

I‘ve always been fascinated by science, and so it’s been very exciting to me to see so much of the latest research in physics, biology, cosmology and other sciences that point to the amazing complexity of the universe.

Much of it may also provide evidence–scientific evidence–that God exists.

Recently I interviewed Dr. Stephen Meyer, director of the Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture and a founder both of the intelligent design movement and of the Discovery Institute’s Center for Science & Culture, intelligent design’s primary intellectual and scientific headquarters.

If you’ve wondered if there is scientific evidence you can point to for the existence of God, for your own certainty or to convince someone else, I invite you to listen to this Virtual Tour with Dr. Stephen Meyer. You even get to ask Dr. Meyer a question! (Though the live event is past, questions will continue to be answered at the TrueU.org blog.)

This is rare access to someone who speaks all over the world and is a recognized voice in the scientific community.

Meyer earned his PhD in the History and Philosophy of Science from Cambridge University for a dissertation on the history of origin of life biology and the methodology of the historical sciences. Previously he worked as a geophysicist with the Atlantic Richfield Company after earning his undergraduate degrees in Physics and Geology.

Dr. Meyer’s most recent book is Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design. Other books he has co-written or edited two books are Darwinism, Design, and Public Education with Michigan State University Press and Science and Evidence of Design in the Universe (Ignatius 2000).

He has also authored numerous technical articles as well as editorials in magazines and newspapers such as The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Houston Chronicle, The Chicago Tribune, First Things and National Review.

If you have a question for Dr. Meyer, ask it at www.askstephenmeyer.com. He may answer your question in the future, and you’ll get access to the recording which you can even download to listen to at your convenience.

What to Expect in the New Year

Happy New Year!

One of the highlights of Christmas this year also sheds a little light on what I think we can expect from God in the coming year.

It was my son’s gift to his sister.

David loves to give gifts. I’m sure it’s his “language of love.” For Mother’s Day, he bought me a wonderful digital camera. This Christmas, he bought Christine an ipod.

I think what he loves most of all is the look of surprised joy when the recipient opens the present: “You bought this for ME?!”

That’s probably why he wrapped Christine’s ipod in a very special way. Knowing she would immediately guess if he just wrapped the package it came in, he put it in a bigger box. Wrapped it. Then he put that into a very large box and wrapped it (all by himself, I might add).

Yes, she was surprised–and joyful.

I can’t help but think that God likes to Continue reading “What to Expect in the New Year”

A Gift Almost Missed (A Lesson in Seeing)

This message has to be both seen and heard, rather than read, to be grasped.

It’s only 4 minutes long. Click, sit back and watch, and I hope it will give you new eyes to see the gifts of today. (I’m not scowling, really–just squinting in the sun. Next time I’ll be more aware of the sun! Still getting this video thing down….)

(Little side note: This was shot 2 days ago, and when I tried to get it on this blog, something happened to the blog. In the process of trying to fix that problem, I contacted a friend. The results of that contact blessed us both, reigniting and deepening our friendship. So the “problem” of my blog being messed up was really a “disguised gift,” resulting in blessing for both of us. Remember: God is good, and at work even in our problems.)

“Abundant Gifts from the Word” Daily Devotionals Now Available

For nearly 2 years now, I have been writing daily devotionals for Today’s Christian Woman’s online site that are delivered via email. They are reportedly their most-opened email newsletter.

I am pleased to make those available to you as well, as “Abundant Gifts from the Word.”

Every day, until you decide to stop it, you can receive a very brief meditation on a Scripture taken from the New Living Translation (NLT).

I can’t tell you how I myself have been blessed in writing these.

Every morning, I pray that God would open my heart to the truths he wants me to see and pass on, open my Bible, read and start writing.

Each meditation is 100 words or less.

People have told me that this is the one email they make sure they read every day. They write and tell me how much a particular message blessed them.

I can honestly say that nothing has blessed me, strengthened me, or given me more joy than God’s Word. My prayer is that you, too, will fall in love with God more through his Word.

Just go to www.abundantgiftsfromtheword.com to read some samples and sign up.

(By the way, there is no charge for these. Freely I’ve been given, freely I give.)

Nancy Ortberg Virtual Book Tour Replay is Ready

If you were unable to attend the Virtual Book Tour on Tuesday night on Unleashing the Power of Rubber Bands: Lessons in Non-Linear Leadership, the replay is now available here.

It was great! We had people from all over the world ask questions and attend, and Nancy answered as many questions as we could cover in an hour.

You can listen online, or download the mp3 file to your computer or portable media player. If you want to download it, please right click the “download now” link, rather than the “Podcast Now” link–it will work better for you.

There’s even a special bonus for those who get the book (of course!).

You’re Invited to a Special Event on Unleashing Leadership Potential

One of the things I “do for a living” is work with publishers and authors to get the word out about their books through something called a “Virtual Book Tour.”

I’d like to invite you to one I’m doing in just a few days.

If you’re a leader of any stripe (parent, educator, church leader, community leader, manager, etc.), tune in on October 28 to listen to my interview with Nancy Ortberg, author, speaker, teaching pastor, and business consultant.

As is typical with Virtual Book Tours, you can ask Nancy Ortberg questions ahead of time. So go ahead–ask Nancy any question you have on how to unleash leadership potential—in yourself or others.

Nancy will answer questions—perhaps yours!—in the upcoming Virtual Book Tour that you can attend via your phone or even computer. Rather than driving somewhere to a physical book tour to hear Nancy talk about her new book, Unleashing the Power of Rubber Bands: Lessons in Non-Linear Leadership (or missing it altogether because it’s not in your town), you get to hear her either live, or later via replay—from the comfort of your own home!

When you sign up, you’ll also get an excerpt from the book to get you started.

Christmas in August–How to Get a Free Book

When I worked as an editor at Campus Life magazine (many moons ago), August was the month Christmas was on our minds. That was the month we worked on the November/December issue.

I don’t know why, all these years later, I’m thinking of this. Maybe it’s because I have two teenagers of my own.

Anyway, I got to thinking how it might be fun to have a little “Christmas in August” sale.

Here’s how it works: When you buy a copy of Abundant Gifts, I give you a book! (As in give–gratis.)

The book will come from my “grab bag.”

You can specify whether you’d like it to be fiction or nonfiction. (Do it in the “special instructions” part of the order form, or if you send a check, in the note and email you send me.)

You can also get more specific, but I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to do more than send you a fiction or nonfiction book.

It’s kind of like the gifts God himself gives us. We know they are coming (because he’s so generous), we can even ask for what we want, but he reserves the right to decide what we get.

So click on this link and get yourself some added inspiration from Abundant Gifts, or give it and/or the free book to a friend. If you want to sample 5 stories from Abundant Gifts, click here.

And if you don’t like the grab bag book–oh well, I bet someone else will! Pass it on. “Freely you have received, freely give.”

Note: I don’t know how long my supplies of either Abundant Gifts or the grab-bag books will last, so if you’re at all inclined to accept this fun offer, now’s the time. Two books for less than $20 (including the shipping), and one of them signed by the author … I don’t know, seems pretty good to me!

The Bible on One Page

Someone sent me an email with a very cool thing inside.

It’s a page with links to every chapter in the Bible, on one page.

Plus a handy reference guide to “Emergency Numbers.”

For example, “When you are sad, phone John 14.“

I would like for you to have your own copy.

It’s in a Word doc file. You might want to keep it handy on your computer desktop, to click on when you want.

To get your copy of “The Bible on One Page,” click here. (Thank you, Joann Howard!)