RADIO INTERVIEW - AND MORE

Well, I’m late again but I think I do have a few more excuses.

Things are still very busy here with trying to get the word out about Ray’s two books – as in the last post here – and my book, Justice at Baragula.

Yesterday Ray had an appointment in Launceston and I had a lovely time with a great lady, June Younger, who made me so welcome at a Know Your Bible study group she led nearly eight years ago when we first moved to settle in Tasmania. She had rung me asking for my book which I was able to deliver to her yesterday morning. I did enjoy fellowship again with this Godly woman until I suddenly realised the time had gone and I was late already picking up Ray from his appointment!

Mmm...being punctual has always been a problem for me – as my followers on this blog already know. Fortunately, Ray and I still had time to have lunch and be on time for our radio interview appointment at Launceston’s Way FM105.3. www.wayfm.org.au

After other books of mine hit the shelves, over the years I have had the experiences of a few radio interviews in different cities. Ray also has done some stints on radio stations during our years in ministry, including being rostered on minister’s fraternal devotional spots and since moving to Tasmania being a presenter for a while on another northern Tasmanian FM community radio station. But this was a new experience for both of us! One thing that had never happened to me before was the presenter praying with us before the interview. Awesome!

Then Ray and sat side by side speaking into our individual microphones while Steven Weeks interviewed us. It was pretty nerve-wracking in some ways and I have to confess feeling inadequate and ill-prepared.

Steven had read Ray’s two devotional books and so had some good questions which I thought Ray handled very well about his reasons for writing devotional books of God’s heart as revealed in the scriptures about Children and Marriage.

Then it was my turn. Fortunately Steven’s wife had read my book – and enjoyed it very much. This well known “talker” still found it all rather difficult and it was with some trepidation I listened to the interview over the airwaves a few hours later.
Sorry readers, the interview is not available on the internet, so you will have to take my word for it that I believe God will use the airwaves as HE wills in all of this. However, you will have another opportunity to meet with us face to face at the launch of our books at Door of Hope church in Glen Dhu, Launceston this Sunday at 11.45am for a start at 12 midday.

AND A REMINDER: DON'T MISS OUT ON THE DRAW FOR ONE OF RAY'S BOOKS.  See HIS POST - last Tuesday and LEAVE A COMMENT to be in the draw.

Exciting when New Books arrive!

Ray’s devotional books arrived last week.
My Justice at Baragula arrived last Monday so we have several boxes of books to store away until they are all sold – or given away, so watch this blog! I just checked one Christian bookshop on the internet and Ray’s books have started to arrive on their shelves in cities across Australia while mine are still to make their appearance.

I even eventually managed to work out how to “create an event” on Facebook to let folk know about the book launch we are organising – or at least the first one in Melbourne, Victoria, on Saturday, June 4th at 2.30pm at Ringwood Church of Christ. This will be followed by afternoon tea and the friends of our daughter, Gaylene, are kindly catering for us and would appreciate an RSVP so there will be sufficient goodies.

Now we can also announce the names of the kind folk who are going to launch our books.

John Sharpe, the minister at Ringwood will launch From Eden With Love. We do thank John for all his support.

We are thrilled our dear friend, Jacquiline Purnell, will be home from Bangkok and is launching CHILDREN: God’s Special Interest. She has worked for years with children and has written the forward to this book for Ray. Jacqui and her husband David have worked for many years with World Vision and he is currently their South-East Asian Development Manager.

Delightful, talented author Amanda Deed  will be launching my Justice at Baragula. I was not at all surprised when her challenging Christian novel, "The Game”, won the 2010 CALEB award for Christian Fiction.

Ray is donating the royalties from his devotions about children to the Khayelihle Children’s Village in Zimbabwe, and those from his devotions for married couples to the Australian Christian Lobby which supports Christian Marriage.

As well as all the excitement about our books we have been busy with other activities this last week. It has been very encouraging to receive feed-back about my talk last Thursday at the local Women Aglow meeting. As Ray teases me, I spend days preparing a talk but then get away from my notes as my heart takes over. How could anything else happen when talking about the outward appearance of Christians and their inward appearance that should shine the beauty and fragrance of Jesus to those we meet. As Isaiah 53:2 (NIV) says about the promised One, “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him...” yet despite the horror of Him dying on a cross, for those of us who have learned to love Him as Keith Green’s song says,
“O Lord, you’re beautiful,
Your face is all I seek.
For when Your eyes are on this child,
Your grace abounds to me.”

Another old song should be our daily prayer. “Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me, all His compassion and purity.” If only that could be true!
Our prayer is that at least though our writings we may share snippets about the Lord Jesus Christ that will encourage readers to want to know Him as their Saviour and Lord  - and also intimately as their best Friend.

The winner of last weeks giveaway, Outback From Baragula, is Michelle Dennis Evans. Congratulations! Please send me your postal details to mary@mary-hawkins.com and I will have it in the mail for you.

RAY'S NEW BOOKS

I've been busy the last few days helping Ray with edits for his second book, From Eden With Love, in his 31 Day Devotional Meditation series.  What a blessing this has been!
But I'm getting ahead of myself - or giving my excuses for the length of days between posting here?

Let me tell you a little about my wonderful, marvellous, loving and incredible husband. (Can you tell reading his "take" on marriage has made me fall in love with him even more deeply and thank God for the many years we have shared together?)

Over the years in church ministry, Ray has written a great deal, including many, many Bible Studies used in his church pastoral ministries and articles for church newsletters, journals etc. Years ago our church denomination's publishing division published his Bible study booklet called Rekindled - A Bible study for those who have made a rededication to Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour of their lives. As well as many other favourable comments, we heard that it had been used successfully by prison chaplains. 

There have been quite a few letters to the editors of local newspapers printed, articles in church journals, and I can't remember the first time he showed me a poem he had written but since then there have been a great number of those - which he is just a little shy admitting!

In fact I have had a rather difficult time over the years not to nag him too much about having other books published! But since he retired (officially) from the ministry, he did submit a devotion to Upper Room and now for several years has at least two a year in those Daily Devotional books that are read worldwide. The way these have been received encouraged him to self-publish a book of devotions called The Neurotic Rooster - Devotional Insights from an African short term mission experience. This book has been used by other short term mission teams for their daily devotions.
And now, at last to my immense pride and joy, he has been contracted by Even Before Publishing for the first two books in his 31 Day series.

Children - God's Special Interest and From Eden With Love are scheduled for release in the next few months. You can be sure I'll be telling you definite dates here but they are expected to be available so we can share - for the very first time - launching our books together in June.

And now he has just sent the edited manuscript, From Eden With Love, off to the publisher in Queensland and we wait to see if more revisions are needed.

And me? Well, now I get back to preparing the talk for the Westbury Rotary Club, then the Bible Study elective for the Baptist women's Conference in March and then... Well, perhaps I will try and discipline myself to writing more on my own new book.

Have to give you a reminder though. I have a post called BLOOD RANSOME on the  International Christian Fiction Writers blog. (Click on the name) The author, Lisa Harris, is an American missionary in Africa and a lovely friend of ours. We stayed overnight with her and her family in Johannesburg when enroute to Ghana in 2005. This novel is a wonderful read. It blew me away, made me sad - and mad - about the modern slave trade in parts of Africa. The second book in this series, BLOOD COVENANT is being released this month. If you become a follower of the ICFW blog and leave a comment on my post you will be in the draws to win a copy of one of these books. However, you now only have until tomorrow, Thursday 10th to enter. Don't miss out and don't forget to leave your contact details there!

And of course, I will also be having contests in months to come for my own Justice at Baragula out in May - as well as Ray's wonderful, challenging books.

PRIORITIES WON

It is hard for me to believe the last post here was all of two weeks ago! Why, oh why, did I share about priorities a few weeks ago? I have had to exercise that ‘rule’ in my life ever since!


Besides writing another blog post, some things in my life simply had to take first place. This evening I am feeling rather weary after another busy day, but do have to share with you.

First of all there was my monthly Society Women Writers Tasmania monthly meeting. As I have been helped so tremendously by being a member of various writers’ groups, over the years I have urged folk getting serious about their writing to join a writers’ group – especially a local one to have face to face fellowship. Some less busy period than this in my life I hope to share more about some of those groups.

 

I am currently president of SWWT and we enjoyed having Peter Durkin as our guest. He is the owner of a personal service bookshop, Petrach, in Launceston. He generously shared several things he wished authors knew about bookshops such as, 'Why does he buy some books to sell to the public and not others?' It was an excellent time and he answered many questions from the group.

 

That Monday set the pace for the rest of the week. We were in the middle of having the delightful Horton family from Texas come to share with our small church fellowship and community. A busy but such a blessed time in many, many ways. Seeing folk start to come to grips with Christ’s claims on their lives is awesome, mind-blowing!

 

The last two weeks before the Hortons arrived, as well as trying to organise the programme for them, our son and daughter-in-law were going through a very hectic and stressful time negotiating to take over a local tourist business. Several years ago, before they bought their Seahorse Australia breeding farm, it was part of this Seahorse World company.

 

As of July 1st, it is once again the one company! It means a big change in our lives. While Ray is a volunteer at the businesses, I am trying to support them by helping with child-minding and housework where I can.

There is quite a story of how God has made it so clear that this is all part of His plans for them. We are so proud of them for their faith and commitment to Christ and His will in their lives. While it may take more of our own energy and time, Ray and I feel so privileged to be part of all that is happening in their lives. There has been a down-turn in tourism to our beautiful Tasmania island so this is a real venture of faith! God’s ways are not always our ways, so whether they are successful or not He will achieve His purposes in and through this venture!


If you are interested, do go to the websites.


Today I cared for our gorgeous two year old granddaughter and our eight month old grandson while an order of seahorses was packed to ship to an American customer!

So, that has been my week – well. . .in between still trying to edit my current manuscript which is proving a slow process! Hopefully it now will be next on that Priority List.

Nope! Next is keeping my promise to post out those promised little gifts to my Followers and those of you who have commented on Ray’s last Meditation Moment. I am still waiting on a couple to let me have their postal addresses!

As those ‘priorities’ permit, I will be interviewing other writers and have more giveaways – especially of our books!