My NEW website. Please sign up to follow by email or RSS feed. Carley Cooper... everything in one site! Connect to the latest book news, blogs, and more!
Worship Melodies and Tin Roof Sundae sites will remain the same. All book reviews have been moved to the new site, and will continue to be posted there in the future.
Also, coming soon is the launch of another new website calledBreaking the Window, which is about fighting stigma against Mental Health and Abuse issues. If you are a professional in these fields and would like to write a Guest Author Post, or if you simply have a story to share, I encourage you to contact me. I'd love to post your help or your story. Sign up to follow by email or by RSS feed. Thank you.
Plus, if you haven't signed up to follow Tin Roof Sundae blogs yet, please feel free to do so. It's about 'Mostly fun and curious stuff by a bipolar Christian'. Just tidbits of this 'n that to help brighten your day.
Finally, I've just recently started writing as a blogger for the International Bipolar Foundation. I am one of more than a dozen bloggers internationally. I will post a blog, on average, about once per month. Please follow at:
Here's an update to the last post called ‘The End of the World Project’,
which is a documentary film in the midst of being made as we speak. The trailer video I posted was an incomplete
version. One of my
followers made the comment "That is one of the most intriguing video
projects I've ever heard of. I'll be looking out for it...". Here is the complete version. There will be another few cuts uploaded soon plus 15 minutes of film. I’m in the trailer! How cool is that? I’m excited about this film as such, but more
importantly is that we are to remember God is in charge. We have nothing to fear as long as we stay
focused on Jesus.
Please pray for this young man, Angel, who's making this film that it will be a success and that God's will be done.
Check out these other great options and join in the conversations...
You know
those days when life seems mundane, like the same old pattern is a big rut you’ll
never get out of. You get up in the
morning, go to work, come home, have dinner, play on the computer or watch
TV. Then tomorrow it starts all over
again. Well, for me, Friday was
absolutely not one of those days!
Woo Hoo! I got up, went to my
volunteer job at my church like I do every week. It was a busy day, but nothing out of the
ordinary. Then I came home, had dinner; and,
here’s the fun part,... I was interviewed via Skype, for a movie called ‘The End of the World Project’.
A friend
of a friend works with NBC Universal. They
are making a movie about that big day in five weeks when many believe our
planet will be drastically changed or end on December 21st. They’re looking to interview as many people
as possible, and I was asked if I’d like to participate. I figured “Sure, sounds like fun. What’s
the worst that can happen? I could end
up on the ‘cutting room floor.’”
I spent
over an hour chatting with a guy named Angel.
He took me through a range of emotions as I had to seriously think about
“what if...?” What if there is really something to this
whole theory about our world not being our world anymore after next month?
“Are You Scared?”
Out of
the sixteen, or so, questions I was asked, that’s the one that cut to my core
the most. Facing your fear is never
easy. The possibilities are
endless. They range from:
a major shift of the earth on its axis
earthquakes like we’ve never known that
can shift or break whole continents
to World War III
to chemical warfare by terrorists
to alien invasions
to colliding with a comet equal, or
more, in size to earth
and, no doubt, other things that we
haven’t even thought of.
How seriously have you considered the
question of “What about a nuclear war? Do
think that's a possibility?” How
about “Do you think there’s the
possibility of a major pandemic?” or
“Do you think there will be mass
suicides?” What would the world be
like on the flip side of a major disaster?
No One Knows
Scripture tells us that no one knows the day
or time when the world will end. We know
we’re in end times, but we are also told it will come like when we least expect
it (Mark13:31-36). Just a thought... we’re
expecting December 21st (or at least many are).
God Will Take Care of You
As Christians we are children of the living
God; heirs with Jesus. So, how did I answer
the question “Are you scared?” I said “I
have butterflies in my stomach, but I know no matter what happens; whether I
survive or not, God will take care of me.”
I have faith in Him. I know He
loves me. He’s promised to be with me,
comfort me, and take care of me. I have
no reason to fear. Psalm23:4 says “Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”
Philippians4:19 promises “And my God will
supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
I’m looking forward to seeing this film,
whether I end up in it or not. But
either way, I know God will take care of me.
He loves me.
Movie Trailer This is not a movie based on a script, it's not a Hollywood production with a fake unrealistic scenario... This video is real. Nobody can be told the exact details about this film - The only way to understand it, is to actually see it for yourself. Featuring interviews with Gwyneth Paltrow, Willem Dafoe and Chris Rock.
This trailer is not yet complete. It will be added again here when it is finished.
Let’s Pray
~~ Dear God ~~You are so loving that we
cannot even comprehend it. Only You know
the day and time when this world will come to an end. In all our vast human knowledge, the bottom
line is that the amount we know compares to enough to fill a thimble, against
your knowledge that can fill the universe.
Thank You for taking care of us, even in the pending doom that we have
brought on ourselves. Please help us to
keep our focus on Jesus, so that we can walk through the dark valley with our
heads held high and without fear knowing that You will take care of our every
need in every situation. In Jesus name,
AMEN.
Now It’s Your Turn
Thoughts? Questions? Want to share your story? Ask for prayer? Please consider sharing in the comments section; even if
the link you clicked to get here was on another site. (If
you’re on the homepage, click on the post
headline, and scroll down to find the comments section.)
Check out these other great options and join in the conversations...
Unexpected Christmas Hero by Kathi Macias is
about a young woman and her two small children who loose everything and become
homeless after her husband suddenly dies.
It’s a story that touched my heart like no other. Josie Meyers struggles against the elements,
trying to come up with enough food to keep herself and her children alive, and
a daily battle to find a place to sleep indoors. She also has a battle inside; with her
faith. Does God really hear her? Is He listening? Does He care?
Her trust issues extend to those around her as well, especially now that
she’s homeless and living on the streets in the dead of winter. Then she meets Rick; a homeless man who is
rich in Spirit and shows the love of Christ to everyone he meets; but Josie isn’t
sure he can be trusted. Then her family receives
the most incredible miracle on Christmas Eve. They discover the true meaning of
friendship and Christmas in a very Unexpected Christmas Hero.
Kathi Macias takes us into this world of homelessness in a
way that made my heart want to reach out and help. There are elements in the lives of homeless
people that the rest of us do not even consider. There was a time when I believed that
homelessness was a possibility in my own future. But thankfully, just like Josie Meyers, I have
people that love me enough to step out of their way to help those in need
simply because it’s what Christ wants us to do.
A meal, a bed to sleep in for a night or two, a ride some place, a few
dollars, a simple gift like a disposable cell phone, or a prayer can change the
whole world for someone in need. Who are
you going to be a hero for this Christmas?
My
Over-all Rating
Author Interview Homelessness is a tough topic for Christmas. What inspired you to use that as the basis for your annual Christmas novel?I’ve
been involved in homeless ministries, to one degree or another, for
decades, so I’m not new to this area of ministry. But I’ll admit that I
had never considered writing a novel about it until someone in my
family, who had personally experienced homelessness at one time in his
life, suggested it. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed the
perfect theme for a Christmas novel. After all, at Christmas we
celebrate the birth of our Savior, who was pretty much homeless at that
particular point in time and was born in a stable because there was no
room for them at the Bethlehem Motel 6.
Despite
having previous ministry and even personal experience with the
homeless, were there still some difficult times for you as you
researched and wrote this novel? Absolutely!
I always try to climb inside the skin of my characters, and when I
thought of myself as the young mother Josie, attempting to care for and
protect her two small children while living on the streets, I wept.
There were times when my own children were little that we didn’t have a
lot of material things and almost never had enough money at the end of
the month, but we always had a roof over our heads and never wondered
where we would find our next meal. When I consider that approximately 25
percent of the homeless in America are families (either single or
dual-parent) with small children, it breaks my heart.
Can you give us a brief synopsis of Unexpected Christmas Hero?This
is a story about a young family—husband, wife, two small children—who
seem to be living the American dream. But when the husband dies
unexpectedly, the wife (Josie) not only has to deal with that loss but
quickly discovers that they are destitute. Her husband had lost his job
some months earlier but didn’t want to worry her, so he hid it from her,
hoping to find another position. He didn’t, and eventually ran up all
their credit cards, took out a second mortgage on the house, emptied
their savings, and even cashed in his life insurance policy. It doesn’t
take long until Josie and her children lose their home and find
themselves living on the streets, depending on the charity of others to
survive. Then they meet Rick, a homeless Vietnam vet who takes them
under his wing and, in a most surprising and sacrificial way, becomes
their unexpected Christmas hero. Tell us about the “story behind the story,” which involves the man on the front cover. When
the publisher sent the designer out to find someone to pose as Rick,
the homeless vet in the book, he spotted a man on the street who looked
amazingly like him. He asked the man—whose name is Willard Parker—if he
would pose for the book cover. The man readily agreed and then explained
that he truly was homeless and hoped having his picture on the cover
would somehow help him find his family, particularly his grown daughter.
We are doing our best to stay in touch with Mr. Parker and also to
spread his story across the Internet and on radio/TV in hopes of
fulfilling his dream to be reunited with his family. If anyone looks at
the picture on the cover and/or recognizes the man’s name (Willard
Parker) and knows the whereabouts of any of his family, we would truly
appreciate it if they would contact me at ezyrtr@ca.rr.com so we can take the necessary steps to try and make this reunion happen.
Where can people find your book? It’s
available on any of the main online venues (Amazon, ChristianBooks.com,
Barnes & Noble, etc.) and many stores nationwide. Can you give us your website info? Sure! You can find me at www.kathimacias.com or www.boldfiction.com.
I’d love it if people would stop by there and check out all my books,
as well as the video trailers that go with them. They can also sign up
to receive my weekly devotional, or check out where I’ll be speaking in
the near future. Above all, click on “contact” and send me an email. I’d
love to hear from them, and I promise to answer. ___ I
was given a complimentary copy of this book from the author in
exchange for posting the author’s interview and/or book review on my
blog. CSS Virtual Book Tours are managed by Christian Speakers Services (http://ChristianSpeakersServices.com).
———– About Kathi Macias ———
Kathi Macias is a multi-award winning writer who has authored nearly
40 books and ghostwritten several others. A former newspaper columnist
and string reporter, Kathi has taught creative and business writing in
various venues and has been a guest on many radio and television
programs. Kathi is a popular speaker at churches, women’s clubs and
retreats, and writers’ conferences. She won the prestigious 2008 member
of the year award from AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association)
at the annual Golden Scrolls award banquet. Kathi “Easy Writer” Macias
lives in Homeland, CA, with her husband, Al.
———– Book Trailer ———
For announcements of interviews, book reviews, FREE book giveaways, and more:
