‘Bargainomics Lady’ Provides Wonderful Writing Wisdom For Aspiring Authors

Viewers of her segments on Birmingham’s Fox 6 WBRC-TV probably don’t realize “The Bargainomics Lady,” who regular appears on the top-rated station, has experienced a lot of rejection in her life.

Judy Woodward Bates vividly remembers having a desk drawer full of rejection letters from places she attempted to publish her work.

But, from those experiences as a writer, Bates has ascended to mentor other writers, now based on having published three books.

I had the great fortune to sit in on one of her writing sessions this week as she recounted stories from the early days.

She started talking about ways to save money on television and radio segments in the Montgomery media market.  People started calling about her tips that she picked up living frugally and not relying on parents’ money.

“I became a real professional dollar squeezer before I really knew what that was,” Bates recalled.

Her Biblically-based tips on budgeting and spending are detailed in two books, which I hope to obtain copies for myself soon.

The Bargainomics book, which she passed around during her presentation, seems like a good read for any of us looking for an accessible resource that presents Biblical money management wisdom in a way that’s easy-to-understand.

She is careful to remind those at her sessions that she is always looking for ways to share her faith as she shares tips on how to save.   After all, it was God who allowed her to be where she is today, now working on her fourth book.

“God just laid all this out,” Bates said.

As for those of us who want to publish our first books– she has a lot of great suggestions.

“You want to be the author of a well-written, well-put together book not just a book,” Bates said.

She says having three friends who will give you honest feedback on your writing is a must.    Additionally, we have to be willing to let the “baby” in our writing go and open ourselves up to constructive criticism about the way we tell a story and the words we use.

“Nothing can ruin a sentence worse than the wrong word,” she said.  “Use a thesaurus, but don’t rely on the thesaurus.”

Here are a few of her other tips:

• Be wary of personal pet words
• Words are so powerful if we’ll just put them in the right place
• There’s more to good writing than using spell-check
• Read your writing out loud
• Record and listen to your writing the way one would an audio book.

Even before I read her books, Bates has captured my attention on multiple levels as an aspiring book author.

Austin Boyd Address Caps First Day of 21st Christian Writers Conference in Tuscaloosa

A would-be astronaut’s testimony was one of the highlights of the first day of the 2012 Southern Christian Writers Conference.

Huntsville’s Austin Boyd told of his journey from wanting to be an astronaut to writing about an astronaut in the person of Captain John Wells, who is featured in his trilogy, The Evidence, The Proof and The Return.

“Life is not a destination, ” said Boyd, who when he’s not working one of his now six novels, serves as chief executive officer for Inergi, Inc., an engineering and design firm said.

“God calls us to a journey not a destination,” Boyd told the audience of nearly 200 in attendance at this year’s Southern Christian Writers Conference this evening at Tuscaloosa’s First Baptist Church  “God will never test you beyond your ability to endure.”

Even as he presented his testimony, Boyd’s keynote addresses was full of tips for current and aspiring writers.   Among those tips were the following :

•   A personal story when it’s published needs to have a ‘why do I [the audience] care’ component
• Writers should do their part to encourage young writers
• Success comes in perseverance
• Writers need to regularly attend writers conferences and encourage one another.

Will 2012 Be the Year The Church Really Goes High-Tech?

Because it falls on a Sunday, New Year’s Day has a spiritual ring to it for those of us in the Body of Christ (better known as “The Church”).  But, today is seems that ring has an especially high-tech feel to it.  

Can you imagine watching baptism on an iPhone?  What about one of the nation’s oldest churches doing away with the use of hymnals?   Wireless connectivity enabling computing anywhere in the church building?

These things are already the norm in many places of worship, especially so-called megachurches.   But, in 2012 it may not  just be the megachurch that’s going high tech . 

I couldn’t help but note the tweets of Bishop Joseph Walker’s parishioners at Mount Zion Baptist in Nashville.

@ Angelo1906 tweeted

Watching @MtZionNashville on my Mt. Zion iPhone app. Man oh man, how I miss Nashville! Watched nearly 20 baptisms this mornin. #GloryToGod

@06Chocolate Thunder also wrote

@MtZionNashville has an app. It’s free…. Go download it. #TeamAndroid and #TeamIphone.

These tweets from Mt. Zion Baptist in the Music City (which most would term mega-churches with multiple locations) came on the same day as Richmond’s First African Baptist launched a new media and technology initiative that will take advantage of the smartphones that more and more churchgoers are bringing to church even as others are reading their Bible on an iPad or other ereader. 

Photo Courtesy: ZDNet

“Most people come to church, they bring some sort of device,” said Rodney Waller, senior pastor of Richmond’s First African Baptist Church. “We want our church to become wireless.”

Waller says by Easter, which falls on April 8, he wants his hundreds of parishioners to be reading the scripture from a large screen in the front of the church, which is located in Barton Heights community on the city’s northside.   Instead of hymnals, worshipers will sing from words projected on screen and scripture references will be beamed so that everyone has the same translation of the Bible.

The shift in technology at the 231-year-old First African Baptist  may be  indicative of a move that is happening in more and more local churches, regardless of size.  The reality of churchgoers who use smartphones and tablet devices everywhere else mandates that the traditional ways of worship be brought into the 21st century.

Today is the first Sunday I can remember when there was no church bulletin at First African Baptist Church (my home church).  The bulletins are not distributed at every service, replaced by a monthly printed newsletter.

It will be an exciting year to watch places of worship as they gear-up for high-tech Bible Study, evangelism, mission work and community ministry.   Stay tuned.

A Double-dose of Faith Preaching from Richmond’s Waller Kicks Off My 2012

RICHMOND, Va.– Two sermons, same minister within a 12-hour period– a way to close out 2011 and open up 2012- talking about Faith.

The man doing the talking, Dr. Rodney Waller, the pastor of my home church, First African Baptist Church,  a 231-year-old congregation where I grew up.

Courtesy:First African Baptist Church

The rare occasion to hear the same minister in a 12-hour period came because New Year’s Day falls on a Sunday.  So, Waller delivered a message, “No Vacancy” on New Year’s Eve.    Based in prophetic book of Isaiah, the sermonic text in the first nine verses of the sixth chapter tells of what the prophet saw when King Uzziah died.

Waller said our faith shows us that there is “no vacancy” on the throne of God.  Because he’s in control, we as followers of Jesus Christ have to look upward (toward God),  inward (towards ourselves) and outward (toward others we can help). 

Our upward, inward and outward looks are reflective of the Faith Forward that Waller says we must have in 2012.  Last night’s message was followed the first Sunday sermon on the theme of Faith with a look Abraham’s faith when God asked him to sacrifice his son Isaac as a burnt offering (see Genesis 22).  

Waller challenged us that when it comes to our faith,  as we start 2012 to plan on the following:

• Expect our faith to be challenged
• Focus on the promise of God and not seek justification
• Learn to depend on God to provide our needs

Failing to Recover in 2011, I Must Re-group in the New Year

RICHMOND, Va.– From homebase- in the greatest city in the world– Virginia’s capital city I reflect for just a few minutes on a year that according to my first blog post of 2011 was to be a YEAR OF RECOVERY.

I was going to recover good health through continuing weight loss.  I was going to recover time by stepping down from leadership positions that require too much of my time.  I was going to recover order in my life.

I wrote 364 days ago the following:

Besides my health and my time,  I will recover order in my own life by having fewer things to do.   That means withdrawing from AT LEAST THREE leadership roles in 2011.  I am looking forward to having order because I have finally acknowledged the limitations that mandate I prioritize and cut from my agenda things that are just not humanly possible to accomplish.   Setting clear boundaries is an important step for me in 2011.

Now tonight, it’s the end of 2011 and I have miserably failed in these attempts to make the necessary changes in my life.  Does this mean 2011 was a year of failure for me?

No, I won’t go that far.  But, hindsight says there are deeper issues that prompted me to languish in my efforts at recovery.   Understanding WHY These were areas where recovery was needed is an important first step in the right direction as I consider what to do in 2012.

I believe in New Year’s Resolutions only IF There are clear, measurable ways to reach those things we resolve to do and someone to whom we can be accountable to chart our progress Month-by-month, week-by-week and even day-by-day.

I lost 4.2 pounds this week.  So the health recovery was not entirely a failure.  While year-to-year, I experienced a slight weight gain (2010 compared to 2011), the difference is one of just three pounds.  

So, in the final three hours of the year as I prepare now to watch in the new year with fellow congregants at Fourth Baptist Church this evening, I think about why Idid not recover some things in 2011 and what I must change to recover those things EARLY in 2012.  

Tonight I purchased a boatlaod of Thank You Cards because I have resolved to immediately spend some time writing to  thank those who helped me accomplish what I DID accomplish in 2011.  It’s never too late to say thank you.   

Recovery relationships that have deteriorated due to lack of maintenance is another area that I must give immediate attention in the opening days of the new year. 

The reflection continues.   I must have an update by the time we reach 2012. 

 

Southern Baptist Convention Leader Visits As Two Tuscaloosa Churches Gather For Special Service

Fred Luter, vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention and pastor of the Franklin Avenue Baptist Church of New Orleans spoke Monday at Valley View Baptist in Tuscaloosa.

Six weeks after becoming the first African American elected to the number-two post in the Southern Baptist Convention, Fred Luter brought a message about relationships to Tuscaloosa as two churches reached across racial lines in a special worship service Monday night.

It wasn’t the first time that the predominantly white Valley View Baptist Church and Cornerstone Full Gospel Baptist Church , one of the largest African American churches in Tuscaloosa, have gathered together for worship.

The last time the two churches got together, Dr. Billy Joy was not pastor of Valley View Baptist Church.

Joy, senior pastor of Valley View, wasn’t quite sure how to introduce the praise team and Voices of Cornerstone as he began the service, one in a series of Monday evening worship experiences the church located on Highway 69 has sponsored this summer.

PRAISING GOD TOGETHER

The relationship between members of the two Baptist churches was quite evident at several points during Monday’s service.

Right before Luter’s message, Mark Patterson and Greg Stone of Valley View and Roland Lewis from Cornerstone formed a trio to minister the song “I Will Follow Christ.”

The mix of praise music, contemporary and traditional Gospel songs from the music ministry at Cornerstone was just the prelude to a 35-minute message where Luter challenged those in attendance to consider their relationships with God and one another.

A MESSAGE FOR BODY OF CHRIST

“Those who say they are saved, those who say they are born again, those who say they are Christians, those who say they are believers, we should have a genuine, authentic love for all of the saints,” Luter said. “How I wished the saints of God truly loved each other.”

Based on the first chapter of the book of Ephesians, Luter’s message was entitled “Your Most Important Relationship.”

“If you truly have a relationship with the Savior, you can’t help but have a relationship with the saints,” Luter said.

Full Gospel’s Social Media Superstars Provide Awesome Advice for Church Media

ATLANTA– Usually when you come to church conferences or conventions, the men with the collars and the hollers are the ones who get all the attention.

But, at this year’s 18th Annual Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship Conference, we have to shine the spotlight on two women who are helping spread the “Full Gospel Flava” to a whole different audience using social media.

R. Pamela Adams of The BizLynks Center (left) takes questions from the audience while Robin Ware of The Ware Agency listens during a session today at the 18th Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship Conference.

Robin Ware of the Ware Agency and Pamela Adams, better known as “R.Pamela” teamed up to bring attendees at this week’s conference into  the social media age.

Ware’s experience as a certified meeting planner combined with Adams’ background as a technology strategist together can give churches what they need to extend their ministries to an audience that is already frequenting sites such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

Ware’s Work

“I taught Bishop Morton how to tweet,” said Ware, speaking of her efforts to assist Bishop Paul S. Morton of Atlanta’s Changing a Generation Full Gospel Baptist Church and the International Presiding Bishop of the Fellowship.  ”Now Bishop Morton does his own tweeting.”

Ware helped launch the first Full Baptist Conference Web site, which went live in late March.  In a previous post last month, I talked about the significance of this for not just Full Gospel Baptist churches, but the Body of Christ as a whole.

While it was re-designed recently, the Fellowship’s old Web site, does not lend itself to interactivity or put the information about this biggest Full Gospel event of the year out front.

For the first time in the 18-year history of the conference,  there are blog posts and a Facebook Fan page associated with this gathering which typically draws more than 10,000 attendees from around the world.

The Effective E-mail

After sitting under the guidance of these two women, I will never do e-mailing the same way again, especially now that I’ve heard from Adams, who until recently worked as a regional representative for Constant Contact, one of the nation’s leading e-mail marketing companies.

“People don’t read e-mails, they scan e-mails,” Adams said as she encouraged those in her e-mail marketing workshop session to utilize e-mails to drive readers longer articles on their Web sites or blogs.

So far, over the past two days, I’ve picked up lots of tricks and tips to use both in my own blog and as a person working in the Technology ministry that supports the Web site for Tuscaloosa’a  Cornerstone Full Gospel Baptist Church.

R.Pamela Adams

5 TIPS For Churches From the Social Media Superstars

1. You Want People to Tweet During Your Church Service

2. Twitter is Not Just About Promoting Yourself, It’s About Being a Resource for Your Followers

3. Your Brand is More than Your Name and Your Logo, It’s Also YOUR VOICE.

4. The Three Keys to E-Mail Marketing:  Connect, Inform, Grow

5. You Don’t Need Lights, Camera and Action to Get On YouTube, the Number-2 Search Engine.  A FlipCam will do.

Breakout Session Provides Productive Hour with Christian Bloggers, Web Enthusiasts

Two dozen Christian writers from as far away as Nashville metro area and Northeast Goergia gathered to chat about writing online at the Southern Christian Writers Conference.

As the first day of the Southern Christian Writers Conference wound down, I was fortunate to be in a roomful of writers excited and enlightened about the World Wide Web.

The program listed this informal breakout session as “Using the Internet (Blogs, websites)  in Your Writing”

The small-group session turned into an exchange of ideas, writer-to-writer, blogger-to-blogger that will certainly be a highlight of the day.

There were no PowerPoint presentations or even a projector where we could look at Web sites and do demonstrations.

Instead a circle of women– Godly women– who had the insight and interest to share what they are doing, want to do and won’t do in the online environment, told their stories.

There was plenty of time for questions and answers.

Yes, it was a little weird being the only dude in the bunch.  (Perhaps God orchestrated this environment to inspire me as a single man that there’s hope-SMILE)

But, this was all about how to leverage the collective wisdom in that room and inspire each other.

I think our Southern Christian Writers Facebook Group will grow as a result of this session.

But, most of all, I believe some new Christian blogs are going to be springing up within days of this conference ending.

Can’t wait to see them.

Whalin Brings Message of Inspiration to Christian Writers in Tuscaloosa

Terry Whalin gives a keynote address at the Southern Christian Writers Conference in Tuscaloosa.

I thought either I mis-heard Terry Whalin or he had mis-spoken when he shared at the Southern Christian Writers Conference that he has 31,000 followers on Twitter.

I was wrong.

Hearing Terry Whalin’s “Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams”  presentation at the Tuscaloosa conference inspired me to start thinking about how I might write FIVE PAGES A DAY– one of the tips that he shared based on the success of writers who have been published.

His brief address was only a fraction of what one gets from his seminars, which he says run more than an hour.   But, even with only a few minutes, Whalin made sure he shared his faith.

“I learned Jesus was more than a figure in the Garden of Gethsemane,” he told the audience of nearly 200 gathered in the chapel at Tuscaloosa’s First Baptist Church.  “I learned Jesus was somebody who could be in my life day in and day out.”

Along with is testimony, Whalin’s recollection of his days working at the Indiana Daily Student while in the j-school at Indiana University also connected with me as a journalist and journalism professor.    I’ve visited Ernie Pyle Hall on the IU-Bloomington campus and have met many who have worked on this perennial award-winning student newspaper.

“I believe in the power of the printed page,” Whalin said.  “We have to be on the move for God in order for God to use us.”

I’m on the move– even as I write this brief blog post– Day 2 of the Southern Christian Writers Conference begins in about an hour.

More later.

Gilbert Morris Interview Caps A Week of Wisdom from Senior Writers

I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Gilbert Morris, during his May 27th visit to the Tuscaloosa Public LIbrary.

This week I managed to sit at the feet of two senior writers, each of whom have made significant contributions to two different area of media.

The wisdom of Gilbert Morris and Curtis Hallman will stay with me for a long time.

This morning, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Gilbert Morris, who is literally twice my age.  But, at 82, this former college professor is more productive than most people will be in a lifetime.

He’s written 228 novels, which he has figured is about one novel a month for 18 years.  And, that’s after he retired once as a pastor and again as an English professor at Ouachita Baptist University.

Setting up the camera and just having a conversation, I didn’t know what to expect in talking with Dr. Morris.

What I got were some  real important tips about writing and an earful about why one has to be persistent.

His story was more inspirational than any I’ve received from an inspirational author.

I first heard Dr. Morris speak about 10 years ago at the Southern Christian Writers Conference, when it was held at Samford University in Birmingham.

What a delight to be re-acquainted with him today– professor-to-professor during an interview at the Tuscaloosa Public Library.

An Encounter with a Veteran Letter Writer

The Tuscaloosa Public LIbrary also happened to be the setting for more insight and information earlier this week at the Tuscaloosa Christian Writers Meeting (I’m a member of this group, which meets monthly usually on fourth Tuesdays)

Curtis Hallman has been writing letters to the editor to The Tuscaloosa News since 1993.   He’s never been turned down by the 30,000+ circulation daily.

He believes doing things like writing letters to the editor is part of his calling as a Christian.

“I’m just an amateur writer,” he modestly told the dozen or so writers who attended his talk on Tuesday. “As Christian writers, I feel we have a responsibility.”

What’s most interesting about this man who’s written about everything from politics and the Fox News Channel to the O.J. Simpson trial and prayer in school,

“I don’t know I’ve ever saved anybody’s life, but I know I’ve kept somebody’s dog from being shot,” Hallman said as he recalled some of his letters that focused on gun safety during hunting season.

He himself is a hunter .

His writing continues even after he survived cancer TWICE.

Most recently, he was transported to a hospice and battle through his illness, returned home to pick up his pen and write more letters on topics of interest in 2011.

While he has a cell phone, he has given up his computer and only sends handwritten letters

His old computer was attacked twice by two different viruses.

Hallman inspired me to be more prolific in my own writing.  He left me with much to think about as I plan for my future writing endeavors.

Both Hallman and Morris provided much food for thought.

I only hope and pray that I will be able to be alive and well still writing and still speaking about my work when I get to be both of their ages.

To God Be the Glory for the way he is using BOTH of these gentlemen!