Sundi Jo Graham's Blog, page 44

Pursuing Your Dream and Sharing Your Story

Have you ever wished you could tell your story? Perhaps you want to share with the world your redemption story. A memoir? A children’s book? A collection of poetry to share with your family?

photo credit: jjpacres

I’ve known I wanted to be a writer since the sixth grade. My teacher, Mrs. Moore, made our class do these “stupid” poetry books. I hated the thought of it. The rebellious person that I was fought the idea of doing such a thing.

Then the pen hit the paper. Yes, there was ink and everything.

I was in love. I knew the minute I started writing, something great was going to happen. I felt inspired. Creative. Something about writing made me feel connected. Mrs. Moore had to make me stop.

Not that I needed any type of confirmation that there was something magical to this art called writing, but I got it anyway. That year, out of three sixth grade classes, I received the award for the best poetry book. I still have that certificate. Not because it defines who I am, but simply as a reminder that I need to keep pursuing this dream called writing.

What about you? Is there a writer inside begging to get out, but don’t think you’re good enough? Perhaps you think because you don’t have an award in you’re hand, writing just isn’t your thing.

What if you’re one step away from writing that masterpiece you hold inside? (Tweet that)

I say all this, because my friend Jeff Goins is offering something that will change the way you view your writing, and get you on the path to creating your art, whether for you to see, or to share with the world.

Tribe Writers is handcrafted with you in mind and he’s offering it to the public for the first time. I had the honor of being part of the group and I’m a better person for it, not only because I learned more about myself as a writer, but because more relationships were built, which is what being a blogger is all about anyway.

Before I go any further, I’ll let you know that the link I share with you is an affiliate link, which means if you sign up for Jeff’s course, I’ll get a little bit of money. With that said, I wouldn’t offer you anything I didn’t believe in, or haven’t tried myself.

If you want to learn more about the course, you can do so here.

The Course

Tribe Writers is an online membership program to help you find the audience your writing deserves. It’s a community program that Jeff has spent the greater part of a year creating.

Here’s what the Tribe Writer’s course covers:

How to hone your writing voice and find a worldview that resonates with an audience
The importance of establishing a platform and building a list
What it takes to expand your reach and serve your way into relationship
Why you need to get published and share your work with the world

Tribe Writers does what, in my opinion, few other courses do. It combines the finer points of the craft of writing with the practical elements of online marketing — all designed to make you a better writer and help your message spread. – Jeff Goins

Why Join?

I’ve never been part of a membership program so personal before. The admission to the private Facebook group alone is worth the money. You’ll be joined along with other riters honing their crafts. Get feedback on your work and pour constructive criticism into others.

Not only that, but you’ll have unlimited access to Jeff, the creator, himself. Talk about someone who wants to see others succeed. Watching him become successful by pouring into others has been amazing.

I don’t write this to you because I want to earn a few bucks. I write this as a person who wants to see you follow your passions and take action. You can’t take this course and stay the same. It just doesn’t work that way.

I hope to “meet” you in the Facebook group and enjoy this course alongside you, as I plan on going through it again.

What keeps your from sharing your story? Leave a comment below…

Dolly Parton and Grandma

Dolly Parton is the greatest entertainer ever. If you just read that line and asked yourself, “Who is Dolly Parton?” please bang your head against the wall three times before you finish reading.

I’m not like most 29-year-olds. I grew up on country music, but when I first heard the voice of Dolly Parton singing “Silver and Gold” around my dad’s kitchen table, I was hooked for life.  There was just something about her voice that soothed me. Still is.

Fast forward to 1997-ish. I was following my grandma through her general store and I came across a stack of records. There they were, calling my name like a voice out of the sky. (Slight dramatization.) Three Dolly Parton records, yes records, from the ‘70s. Vinyl. 12 inches. Still in the sleeves and in great condition.

I could hear them calling my name, begging me to pick them up, take them home, and put them on my wall. I didn’t have a record player, but at least I could tell people I owned actual vinyl records from Dolly Parton. That was cool news coming from a 14-year-old. Okay, maybe just cool to me, but, whatever.

To read the rest of the story and see if those records became mine, join me over at The Daily Gallen for the rest of the post.

Click here to learn the rest of the story.

 

Wonderstruck: An Interview with Margaret Feinberg

If you aren’t familiar with Margaret Feinberg yet, you should be. I had the opportunity of doing her Organic God Bible study a few years ago and it was great.

Now she has a new book book, Wonderstruck: Awaken to the Nearness of God, coming out on Christmas day. The book is an invitation for you to toss back the covers, climb out of bed, and drink in the fullness of life.

I’ve had the opportunity to interview Maragaret and I’m happy to bring it straight to you. Stay tuned for details on getting extra goodies when you order Wonderstruck. 

The Interview

Me: Where did the inspiration for the Wonderstruck book and Bible study come from?

Margaret: Have you ever had one of those seasons where everything goes wrong, and when you think it can’t get worse, it somehow finds a way? Most people who have worked in ministry have experienced those seasons—some may be in one right now.

My husband, Leif, and I had just gone through one of the roughest years of our lives. In the aftermath, as we processed the pain and loss, I had an unexplainable desire in my heart. I began praying for the wonder of God. In essence, I said, “God reveal yourself, your whole self to me. I want to know you as Wonderful. I want to know you as I’ve never known you before and see you in places I’ve never recognized you before.”

God did not disappoint.

Me: What do you mean by “the wonder of God”?

Margaret: Sometimes talking or writing about wonder feels like tying kite strings to clouds. It’s ethereal, and you can never quite get a grip on it. But if you look in the dictionary, the two main definitions of wonder are: “being filled with admiration, amazement, or awe” and “to think or speculate curiously.”

Those definitions come together beautifully in our relationship with God. That’s why I define the wonder of God as those moments of spiritual awakening that create a desire to know God more.

In other words, the wonder of God isn’t about an emotional experience or having some cool story to tell your friends, but the wonder of God makes us want more of God—to go deeper and further than we’ve ever been before.

Me: Why are you calling people to #LIVEWONDERSTRUCK?

Margaret: If you look in the Gospels, what you’ll discover is that those who encountered Jesus were constantly left in wild amazement. They were awestruck by the teachings of Christ, the healings of Christ, the mind-bending miracles of Christ. Within the Gospel of Luke we see words like “awe” and “wonder” and “marvel” at every turn. If this is the natural response to encountering Christ, how much more should it be for you and I—who are invited to live in relationship with Christ as sons and daughters of our God Most High?

The Freebies

Margaret is offering some crazy promos right with up to $300 of free stuff. Here’s what you get:

Wonderstruck: Awaken to the Presence of God as an eBook  ($9.99 available on Kindle, Nook, iPad and other formats)
Fourteen Days of Wonder Journal eBook ($19.99 as a download)
How to Hold an Unforgettable Retreat eBook (a $29.99 download)
Pursuing God 14-Day Devotional ($12.99 download)
You will be automatically entered to win a brand new Kindle Fire pre-loaded with a suggested retail value of more than $100 worth of books from Worthy ($259.00)
Ten people will randomly be selected to receive a free audio version of Wonderstruck ($9.99)

These awesome deals are only available until the end of the day on Christmas.

Have you read any of Margaret’s fantastic pieces of work? What was your favorite? Leave a comment below…  

Grace [Book Review]

Max Lucado has written like a gazillion books, I think. Something close to that anyway. Well, the good news is he’s written another masterpiece for you and I to read.

Allow me to introduce you to Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine. Grace is a book about, yes, you guessed it, grace.

The meaning of life. The wasted years of life. The poor choices of life. God answers the mess of life with one word: grace. 

The book covers topics from pretending to be someone we’re not, to unscrooging our hearts. What a perfect time of the year to get unscrooged.

He (God) dispenses his goodness not with an eyedropper but a fire hydrant. Your heart is a Dixie cup, and his grace is the Mediterranean Sea. You simply can’t contain it all.

I love this simple, but powerful message. I struggle with receiving grace. I struggle with giving it to myself. I often have friends and family telling me to go easier on myself. Because I often don’t give grace to myself I forget to receive from God too.

If our understanding of grace is small, our confession will be small: reluctant, hesitant, hedged with excuses and qualifications, full of fear of punishment. But great grace creates an honest confession.

I have a lot of highlights throughout the book and I’m sure you will too once you start reading.

In the words of Max Lucado,

Grace is the voice that calls us to change and then gives us the power to pull it off. Let’s make certain grace gets you.

What do you do when you struggle with grace? Is there a particular Scripture you enjoy reading? Leave a comment below…

Help Me Pick Out My New Book Cover

This is my 500th blog post. Woot! Woot! To celebrate, I’m giving something away. See details below.

My first published book is coming right along, but I need your help making some decisions.

Before we get to that I want to share some details with you. The full book title is Dear Dad, Did You Know I Was a Princess?  (Tate Publishing)

I’ll share something exciting with you. Here’s the copy you’ll see on the back of the book:

Your father. Did he love you enough? Did you feel safe with him? Do you think of him and long for something more?

Did your relationship with him leave you feeling abandoned, used or unlovable? Has the result of that heartbreak left you with bitterness, low self-esteem, and shame?  

Join Sundi Jo as she recounts her journey from a woman with a fortress around her heart to a woman after God’s own heart. Discover with Sundi Jo the heavenly Father who has always loved her, and you. In her story, you will find the truths about yourself from the one Who created you with a good purpose and plan for your life.  

Immerse yourself in her words as she recounts her discovery of redemption and restored relationships. Learn how to replace the shame and darkness with the beauty and light of Christ’s love.

In Dear Dad, Did You Know I Was a Princess?, you will find hope in the true story of one who thought there was none. It’s a love story that you will never forget.

I’ve included two mockups for you.

OPTION #1

OPTION #2

What do you think? Which cover do you prefer? Leave a comment below.

I’ll randomly select a winner from the comments and send you a complimentary copy of my new manifesto, Liar Liar. 

Fighting Through Food Addiction

I was always overweight. Eating was my way to cope. I ate when I was sad. I ate to celebrate. I rummaged through the cupboard when I was bored.  Surprisingly, though, I had no idea I had a food addiction. I guess you could say the denial ran deep.

photo credit: reallyboring

I remember the day it hit me. It was March 2009, and I had been eating healthy and losing weight in the last five months. My best friend was getting married, and I was the maid of honor. The wedding was a month away, and I had to have my dress taken in several times. I was excited!

But the excitement wouldn’t last long. My dad passed away unexpectedly in February, and the wound was still very fresh. Actually, I was in denial to the fact that he was gone.

 

I’m guest posting for Sarah Farish here and I’d love for you to jump over and read the rest of the post. I hope it helps you in some way. Please leave a comment and let me know.

Click here to read the post.

Why You Can’t Wait Any Longer

Have you told yourself you’ll wait until next week to start losing weight? Or maybe you’ll start saving money when the next paycheck rolls around? Ya, I’ve been there too.

photo credit: robert gourley (creative commons)

My best friend and I used to unknowingly sabotage each other. I would be ready to get healthy, start eating right and exercising, and we would commit to “starting our diet” on Monday. The beginning of the week would roll around and she wasn’t motivated. Well – since she wasn’t ready, I would feel defeated and decide I wasn’t either.

The same thing would happen to her. She’d be ready, I would lose my motivation, she would feel defeated and the cycle would continue.

Then one day I realized that I had been waiting on people to lose weight for me. I was convinced I needed someone to do it with me in order for it to work. So, I asked myself this question, What if I just start doing it myself? 

So I did.

It wasn’t always easy. It’s harder to be disciplined. But it’s not impossible.

I would hit the treadmill versus watching a movie with my friend. When we went to a restaurant, I’d order a salad versus something fried. I had to keep telling myself that for this to work, I had to be the one to do it, not wait for others to do it for me.

That doesn’t mean I didn’t have the support around me. I had cheerleaders and encouragers the whole way through my weight loss journey. But I stopped waiting and started taking action.

If we wait on others to do things for us, we’ll stay in the same spot forever. (Tweet that)

Today is the day to stop waiting and start doing. 

No more waiting on your husband to revive your marriage. Figure out what you can do and start taking the steps.
No more waiting for your loved one to start losing weight with you. Get off the couch and do what you need to do.
No more waiting until next week to start putting money back for the future. Figure out where you can decrease an expense.
No more waiting for your job to make it easier for you to write. Figure out how you can say no to something so you can say yes to writing.

You can do it! Make today the day you take the step into action.

Join the conversation below. What step of action do YOU need to make today? 

Devo Olive Oil Cyber Monday Sale

If you love to cook, you want to keep reading this post.

Devo Olive Oil, a gourmet emporium with over 60+ varieties of olive oils, vinegars, gift baskets, stuffed olives, homemade pastas, and more, is having a huge online sale starting at Midnight tonight!

Enter coupon code CYBERMONDAY2012 when placing your online order.

I’d love for you to share this amazing deal with your friends, if you don’t mind. (P.S. – I work for Devo, so this is a shameless plug to help my sales goal tomorrow.)

I’ve made it a little easier for you:

TWITTER

@DevoOliveOil is offering crazy deals for #CyberMonday. Check them out: http://bit.ly/RbmDAh (Tweet this)

Attention all cooking fans! @DevoOliveOil is offering 25% off site wide for #cybermonday. http://bit.ly/RbmDAh (Tweet this)

#CyberMonday is here! @DevoOliveOil offering 25% off site wide. Use coupon code CYBERMONDAY2012 http://bit.ly/RbmDAh (Tweet this)

FACEBOOK, PINTEREST, GOOGLE +

Cyber Monday fans, Devo Olive Oil is offering a crazy deal! Check it out: http://bit.ly/RbmDAh

Attention all cooking fans! Devo Olive Oil is offering 25% off site wide for Cyber Monday. http://bit.ly/RbmDAh

Cyber Monday is here! Devo Olive Oil is offering 25% off site wide. Use coupon code CYBERMONDAY 2012. http://bit.ly/RbmDAh

Remember, the sale starts at midnight. 

Thank you so much for allowing me to sell you something on my blog. I promise I won’t do it often.

Graffiti [Book Review]

Isn’t amazing how two people can be so different, yet when you take a closer look there are so many similarities?

I had the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Graffitti: Scribbles from Different Sides of the Street by Alene Snodgrass, and it’s definitely not what I expected.

The book is written by a homeless man and Alene (the Suburban girl). The way their stories intertwine is amazing and heartfelt. Two people from very different sides of the street, yet so much the same.

It’s a message about how we all have so much in common no matter what side of the street we live on. Nobody likes being different, but it is in that difference that our heart’s graffiti is scribbled for the world to see.

I love the message in this book because it portrays how each person’s love of Christ can bring one another together, no matter what side of the street you’re from.  It was amazing to read both of their hearts poured out on the pages, and a reminder that there is a hurting world out there.

One of my favorite quotes from the book? 

For you and me to leave a mark as difference-makers, we will have to be willing to embrace who we are and be different.

Graffiti is a short read packed with a powerful punch and I think you’ll enjoy it. It’s not officially on sale yet, but you can get the first chapter free. Check out the details here.

I hope you enjoy the book and Alene’s heart.

What graffiti has God scribbled on your heart that needs to be told? Leave a comment below…

Can I Stop By to Visit? (Introducing My Online Book Tour)

Since Liar Liar is available on Amazon Kindle only, I won’t be traveling around the world signing the autograph you’ve been standing in line for 30 minutes to have me sign. (Okay I’m dreaming, I know)

photo credit: jm3 (creative commons)

But I am doing an online book tour…

I’m trying to spread the word about this manifesto without leaving home to do it. Do you think we can do it together?

I’d like to do an online book tour with you, if you’re up for it. If you’ve got a blog, website, podcast, YouTube channel, or some online platform, I’d love to connect with you to share the message of my new manifesto, Liar Liar. 

If you’re interested, here’s what you need to do:

Email me at info@sundijo.com. In the subject line, include “Liar Liar Book Tour.” In the body, share why I should visit your blog/website and what you want to do (e.g. giveaway, contest, Q&A, etc.). Cutoff date for submissions will be Nov. 21.
Include a few dates that work for your schedule. I’ll get back to you about setting up a time to chat.
Publish the post, interview, or whatever. Once it goes live, I’ll link to your post and share via social media.

That’s it! You don’t need a big platform to be eligible. More than anything, I’m looking for fun ideas to get the word out about the manifesto while still staying in my pajamas.

First stops on the tour

I’ve made a few stops so far. Here are a few places I’ve stopped to share about Liar Liar already (these are guest posts, interviews, etc.):

Interview with Sundi Jo [Joseph Iregbu]
Learning Who We Are [Whiter Than Snow]
Thoughts, Words, and Consequences [Jennifer White]
Writing Afraid [Maria Keckler]

You can also read reviews of the manifesto here. I’d love to hear what ideas you have for the online book tour.

Leave in the comments below…