Thank You Note From Charlie Daniels

I had the privilege of interviewing country music legend, Charlie Daniels, for my first book, How Do You Know He’s Real? He was so sweet and humble that I felt like I’d known him all my life. Even though we aren’t related by blood, Charlie and I are still in the same family, the family of God, and I can rightfully call him my brother. During our interview, Charlie shared some powerful insight into his faith: One of the hardest things for people to understand about the gospel message is that it is so simple; it’s not the very complicated thing we tend to try and make it. There is nothing you […]

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Spring Has Sprung… Hopefully!

Every spring I innocently recite a little ditty upon the first sign of winter’s departure: Spring is sprung, the grass is ris. I wonders where the birdies is. They say the birds is on the wing. Ain’t that absurd? I always thought the wing was on the bird.* I say innocently, because it is always wishful thinking. I live in Minnesota, after all, and the third week in March is still winter in the frozen tundra. Author Henry Van Dyke clearly knew what I was talking about when he said, “The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another.  The difference between them is […]

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A Letter to My Daughter

On the one hand, we’ll never experience childbirth. On the other hand, we can open all our own jars.   ~ Bruce Willis Twenty-five years ago today, a stubborn little person fought her way out of my womb as I lay whimpering in a hospital delivery room. After more than 20 hours of back-breaking, toe-curling labor, my brilliant (I use this term loosely) medical team tore themselves away from the World Series and decided perhaps the monitors suggesting you (who had been in distress for the umpteenth time) might need to come out of me ASAP. Well, DUH! There was no way this beast of a baby was coming out […]

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MAN DOES THE UNTHINKABLE TO STOP HIS DRUG ADDICTION

After more than twenty-three years addicted to methamphetamine and other drugs, David Parnell put an SKS assault rifle under his chin and pulled the trigger. The blast took off half his face, yet somehow he survived. Following an afterlife experience where he briefly experienced both hell and heaven, David woke up in the hospital. He was changed forever, both physically and emotionally. In 2010, David Parnell and I wrote his memoir, FACING THE DRAGON: How a Desperate Act Pulled One Addict Out of Methamphetamine Hell, about his horrific drug addiction and dual suicide attempts. In Facing the Dragon, you will witness the slow, agonizing metamorphosis of a good-looking high-school athlete into […]

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SILENCE IS GOLDEN

For an overachieving, working mother with a “Type A” personality and a tendency toward anxiety, the concept of being still is rather foreign … and a little frightening.  Like so many Christians, I can be silent and listen to God for oh, about 15 seconds, before the noise of my over-stimulated mind breaks in.  So imagine putting me in a place for 36 hours where true silence and isolation are observed?  Then consider that this bona fide city girl would have no electricity or indoor plumbing and you’ll get an idea of how daunting the whole concept was for me. But that’s exactly where God led me.  Finding myself at […]

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MY LIFE AS A WRITER

Many of you are aware that I am a writer, but you have no idea what kind of work I do. Well, it is time to remedy that. Writing is not a hobby for me, it is my profession. After spending more than twenty years in corporate sales and marketing, I made a huge career U-turn and wrote a book. It was an insane idea; I had never had a word published. In fact, If you would have told me back in 2005 that I would be wearing pajama pants to work instead of suits and pantyhose, I would have recommended a good therapist. Yet here I am interviewing the […]

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WACKY WORDS OF THE DAY RECAP – Week of January 6

If you are a friend or fan of mine on a social networking site, you already know about my WACKY WORD OF THE DAY posts. In a tongue-in-cheek attempt to improve our vocabularies, I post a fun word every day (well, I do miss a few) along with its definition and pronunciation if it’s a toughie. If you don’t get a chance to see them on Facebook, Twitter, or Linkedin during the week, you can check out the recaps here each Saturday. Now, this is more than just a fun linguistic exercise; you can actually win something! Every time you leave a comment using the word in a sentence (either […]

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unChristian-How Christians are Failing the Church

A generation of young Americans is rejecting a Christianity they perceive to be antihomosexual, too political, and hypocritical, according to a new study from the Barna Group. The findings, presented in a new book, reveal what Christianity looks like to people ages 16-29 outside the church. unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity…and Why It Matters is a portrait of a faith and its followers perceived to be anything but Christlike. A huge chunk of a new generation has concluded they want nothing to do with Christianity. The title of the book, unChristian, reflects their most common reaction to the faith: they think Christians are no longer what […]

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Unconditional Love on GOD UNPLUGGED internet radio talk show

  This week’s guest on GOD UNPLUGGED is author and speaker Susan Meissner.  Susan is a multi-published author, speaker and writing workshop leader with a background in community journalism. Her novels include the Rachael Flynn Mystery series as well as A Window to the World, named one of 2005’s top ten Christian fiction novels by Booklist magazine.  Her latest book, Blue Heart Blessed, was released by Harvest House in February 2008.   This compelling story is about the magnificence of unconditional love and God’s impeccable timing in bringing it about.  Susan will share her testimony, her journey becoming a published author and share her insight on God’s unconditional love.   During […]

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Restoring Order on This Week’s Episode of GOD UNPLUGGED

This week’s (April 3) guest on GOD UNPLUGGED is Vicki Norris, the founder and president of Restoring Order, a professional organizing firm serving a national clientele.  She is also a television personality, motivational speaker and the author of several books.  If your life sometimes feels disordered and out of control, now is the time to take back control and take another step toward reaching your God-given potential by restoring order.  Proverbs 24:3-4 demonstrates that applied knowledge should come after wisdom:  “By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.” Vicki will share organizing truths, principles and […]

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