Shellie Neumeier's Blog, page 20

A Special Thank-You

Image from Amazon.com

A couple weeks ago I had the blessing to learn about a sweet woman of God who faced an amazing hurdle in life. She shared a special thank you which I would like to share with you here. . .

"Before my debut novel released, I asked God to be my publicist. You see, I was already suffering from MS and would get tired very easily. I knew I wouldn't be able to do as much as other authors in marketing my book. I said to God I'd do all I could, but would He please do the rest.

Well, on November 1st, the very day my book released, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Cancer (T-cell Lymphoma). It was so aggressive, they immediately admitted me into the hospital and started me on their heaviest dose of chemo treatments. I can't even begin to describe how I felt. Sheer joy of having my first book published, and sheer terror of a life-threatening disease.

When my ACFW friends heard the news, they rallied around me with prayers, prayer chains, cards, CDs to listen to while in the hospital, flowers, and promotion of my book (including filling in for me for the book signings I will miss!). My husband was so touched, he told me I was surrounded by legions of angels. And you know what? He was right.

God heard my prayer. He knew what was going to happen the day my book released. And He put it on the hearts of all of you to come to my aid. I have chills as I'm writing this. If you just Google my book, THE MASTER'S WALL, you will see what God has done through all of you. My book goes on for pages and pages on the Google search engine. PAGES! Not just the first page! It's even ranked at number 21 of highest ratings on Amazon for historical romance. My book was published through a small press, so what God has done is close to a miracle. I have tears in my eyes as I share this with all of you. And all I can say is thank you. Honestly, "thank you" isn't enough for the gratitude I feel, for the love I feel. The first months of a book's release are critical, and I not only had to cancel my book signings, but everything else I had planned for promotion. Had I been well, I never would have accomplished what God through YOU has accomplished for me.

Thank you for allowing yourselves to be used by our heavenly Father, and for giving me great pleasure during this frightening time in my life. This has helped to give me confidence that I am truly in God's hands.

I thank God for all of you.

Lots and lots of hugs in Him,

Sandi Rog

P.S. If you'd like to share this "thank you note" with others, please feel free to do so. I can't keep up to personally thank all those who have helped."

New to Sandi's story? Click here. It's not too late to help her AND help with Operation Abundance. You can order a stack of The Master's Wall and send them to Operation Mobilizations. Check it out.

A Beautiful Song. . .

Late yesterday afternoon, I heard an amazing song play on our local KLOVE station. It's JJ Heller's What Love Really Means (Single)What Love Really Means. Have you heard it?

Do you have someone in your life who loves you for you? If so, this is a great time of year to say "thanks." And then–a Friday challenge–consider asking God to bring someone into your life who doesn't have that gift, so you can become that person to them.

Who are you grateful for, today?

Operation Abundance is going strong. Check it out.

**Next week I'm off to enjoy time with my family, so the posts will be posts from the past. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Unlocked by Karen Kingsbury

 

Unlocked

I found Unlocked engaging, and uplifting. It sheds hope on some of life's most difficult situations without talking down to the young adults of this generation. And despite the YA tag–I would recommend this book to any age.  Truly inpiring. Truly a joy to read.

Disclosure: I received this book from Zondervan as a free review copy. The opinions I have expressed are my own and no compensation took place.

Guest Post on The Barn Door

I had the pleasure of writing a guest post for thebarndoor.net today. Please hop over and check it out. . .

In the meantime, Operation Abundance is in full swing. Donate some of your books or order a few of your favorites and share them with people around the world.

Operation Abundance

Operation Mobilisation needs our help.

Every year the Logos ships stop in ports around the world, opening their doors so others might learn about Christ. One of their ministries is a floating book store. The ship's fourth floor is stocked, providing the opportunity to purchase inspiring and life-changing material otherwise not available in the ports they tour. How do they get these books? Through donations from kind patrons and publishers, but that isn't always enough. . .That's where Operation Abundance comes in. Check out our Operation Abundance Page for more information.

Driven, the Book Trailer. . .

So exciting! Risen Fiction released the book trailer for Driven. Check it out. . .