Be My Guest - Rose Chandler Johnson

Welcome my guest, author Rose Chandler Johnson. Her debut devotional, God, Me and Sweet Iced Tea, is climbing the book charts. Written with sincerity, wit and a southern voice, Rose's book provides wonderful inspiration for the start of a fresh year. Tuesday through Thursday (January 7-January 9) the Kindle version of God, Me and Sweet Iced Tea is a FREE download.
 

Rose Chandler Johnson’s devotional journal, God, Me, and Sweet Iced Tea: Experiencing God in the Midst of Everyday Moments was released in July 2013.  Her devotions, poems, and articles have appeared in numerous Christian publications. She enjoys writing for her popular blog, Write Moments with God, and engaging with her readers.  Rose is from a small Georgia town and has lived in Martinez, GA for the last twenty-eight years.  She has been a French and English teacher for the last twenty years.  Rose enjoys baking, gardening, and spending time with her six children and their families.

 I'm pleased to host Rose today, as she is a personal acquaintance with whom I have much in common. We keep in touch regularly and give each other much encouragement. I wish each of you could meet her in person. That isn't possible, of of course, but after reading Rose's interview, you'll feel like you have a new friend. 

1. Is there a story behind your book God, Me, and Sweet Iced Tea?

I was reading some of my old journals recently and I came across an entry from 1979.  It was a prayer in which I said to the Lord I wanted to write a book that was relevant and encouraging and that would point others to the heart of God. I believe that the Lord gave me that desire and that God, Me, and Sweet Iced Tea is a realization of that desire, even though I wasn’t thinking of that consciously when I wrote it.

2. Why did you write a devotional? 

When I decided to make Jesus the Lord of my life, in 1977, I starting reading a devotional every morning.  It was just what I needed to help me focus and structure my time. I’ve incorporated devotional reading in my quiet times with God for decades. I think most people could benefit from that format.  The fact that I wrote a devotional comes back to my desire to be relevant and encouraging.

3. What is the significance of “sweet iced tea”?

I love sweet iced tea. I can’t do without it. Nothing is more refreshing than a glass of sweet iced tea, except those God moments to treasure. I can’t do without the Lord who is with me through every moment of my day.  The presence of God in my life restores my soul.  And those moments where He shows Himself are the most refreshing.  The “sweet iced tea” says it’s personal.

4. What started you on your writing journey?

I always wanted to be a writer.  I received my first undergraduate degree in 1977 with a BA in English.  In the late 70s and 80s I wrote and had some things published in periodicals, but motherhood, work, and life in general got in the way of that dream.  I began writing again in 2008 when the desire to “write it all down” became too hard to resist.

5. Why do you write now?

I am a journal keeper.  Writing is a passion that fulfills a need for me.  Devotion writing is a way to communicate what I know about God, as a living reality. It’s more or less an overflow of what I experience as a Christian. I want to share that with others.  I also like to write fiction and essays, and I’m working on a novel, but that doesn’t seem as vital to me as my devotional writing.

6. Who do you want to reach with your book?  Which audience?

God, Me, and Sweet Iced Tea is uniquely appropriate for working mothers, but it’s also for anyone who wants to put their Christianity into practice in their everyday moments and go deeper into God’s word.  Men are reading it and enjoying it as well.  As Tiffany Colter said, this devotional is simple enough for the newest believer, yet deep enough to make a life-long Christian feel challenged to go higher.  There are 52 devotions followed by questions for consideration for journaling, suggested scriptures for further reading, a prayer, a sweet tea moment (thought for the day), and a prayer focus.  Those extra helps allow the reader to use this as a personal or group study if they so desire.

Connect with Rose:

Blog: http://www.writemomentswithgod.blogspot.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rechanjo

Pinterest:   http://pinterest.com/rosecjohnson/boards/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosechandlerjohnsonauthor

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/18188725-rose-chandler-johnson

God, Me, and Sweet Iced Tea is available for sale on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and through your local independent book stores.

An Epiphany - How to Dispose of One's Christmas Tree

January 6th, Epiphany, is the official end to the Christmas Season, which, despite how retailers spin it, begins each year on December 25th, not October 15th. Purists put their Christmas trees up on Christmas Eve (or closer to Christmas Eve than Thanksgiving Day) and take them down today.

This is my 2013 tree. It is the most perfect evergreen ever to grace the halls of Porchaven. I am sad to see it leave us today. But leave us, it must.

Herein lies the issue of this post, however. And folks who hid every hint of the holidays in their garages by the close of New Year's Day think those of us who didn't are just avoiding conflict. They think our reluctance to remove ornaments and lights has nothing to do with waiting for Epiphany and everything to do with putting off the inevitable problem until it forces us to face it. It's a problem that everyone who puts up a live Christmas tree must face: What to do with the tree when it's done.

My mama, a.k.a. the Diving Granny, a.k.a. the Apple Picking Granny, proposes a solution. She says she tried it herself and that it works. No need to mar the curb with a dead yuletide soldier or pay a fee for haul-away services.

Step 1: Take off all ornaments and lights and throw them into boxes. Don't worry that you had a big fit when you took them out this year and vowed to be more organized about putting them away. You cussed the knots out of the light strands two or three weeks ago, and you won't forget how that's done between now and next Christmas. What would Christmas be, anyway, without a few well-placed expletives?

Step 2: Drag the needle-dropping carcass out the door and toss it into the truck bed. If you don't own a truck, borrow one from a friend. It's an essential element in this fool-proof plan to unload the arborvitae. Granted, it might work to place the behemoth on the top of your car, but it will require several attempts to rid yourself of the responsibility of it. And you may draw attention to yourself. You DO NOT want to draw attention to yourself.

Step 3: Wives and girlfriends, if they choose, may stay home to vacuum the carpet. There's nothing worse than a brittle evergreen fragment piercing one's sock and subsequent foot flesh on a day when the tree and Christmas are long forgotten. Husbands and boyfriends do not have the option of staying home to vacuum. Husbands and boyfriends will be taking the truck out to run errands without taking any shortcuts or avoiding back roads. In fact, back roads are best.

Step 4: After riding for awhile be sure to check the tree in your rear-view mirror. If you don't see it, don't panic. This is the best part of the disposal plan. Your errands are complete. You're free to return home.

Step 5: If you look in your rear view mirror and don't see the tree but do see blue lights, pull over. This is not part of the Apple Picking Granny's disposal plan. She nonetheless advises that whatever you do, don't lie. Littering the shoulder of the road with a spent evergreen is one thing. Lying about it is quite another. So, admit that yes you saw the tree and that it looks to you like someone cut it down. Offer to clean it up since you have a truck. After collecting it, give your best to the officer and continue on your mission basking in the glow of being a good citizen and doing a good deed. Repeat step 4 (and step 5, if necessary).

Step 6: Go home, relax and break your New Year's Resolutions by Valentine's Day. Don't feel guilty about your method of discarding the tree or disregarding the resolutions. Lent will arrive just in time to give us all an opportunity to repent and polish ourselves.

Think BIG, Think small

Happy New Year!

While we we're still rolling on the adrenalin of starting fresh (though some of us may not feel so fresh and energized this morning), it's time to make resolutions. Go take two aspirin first, then come back and give 2014 and the future some sincere thought.

Here's your resolution recipe to beat a bad hangover from 2013:

• 4 Life Goals
• 3 Year Goals
• 2 Daily Activities (to meet those goals)
• 1 Thankful Statement

Mix it all together in your Book of Lists and proceed to have a very productive 2014.

But start tomorrow, because today there's football.

Auld Lang Syne, My Friends - Crafting the Perfect New Year's Toast

I just love a man with tenacity. New Year's Eve is the perfect time for such a quality to shine, particularly in my presence.

Crafting the perfect New Year's toast is challenging, but my husband kept right on trying. And my patience paid off. He finally saw things my way.



Happy New Year to you all. I wish you prosperity and peace in 2014. My wish for you will come true if you eat your pork, black-eyed peas and collard greens. Leave those off the menu, and, well, I can't make any promises about your future.

To the North Pole Returns Department

From talking dolls to bleeping robots to ride-on toys with wheels, parents for generations have rued Christmas Day and the stuff Santa dumped on the doorstep. While the man in red runs in and runs out, parents have to live with the consequences. Claus receives the credit and adoration. Parents dole out the discipline.

One Christmas, I sat down and wrote the big man a respectful letter filled with my thoughts on what he brought.

 

Welcome to the Merry Days after Christmas.

The Eve of Christmas Eve

Take a break from your last minute plans, and listen to my dealings with that little old man:

Merry Christmas!

10 Success Secrets of Santa

Do you ever wonder how Santa does it all? This is the busiest time of the year, yet he stays jolly and calm and get his job done. What's the secret to Santa's success? 

10 Success Secrets of Santa

1. He makes a list. Highly productive people make prioritized lists. Santa focuses on naughty and nice. Those categories don't fit the needs of most of us. The point is to list what you need to do, and prioritize. 

2. He checks his list. Twice. The only way to know if you're completing important tasks is to check your list. 

3. He dresses to impress. As they say, the clothes make the man. You might not wear a red suit, but remember to dress according to your audience. Sweatpants in your home office are fine, but not so perfect for meeting with a client. 

4. He eats right. Santa consumes the required number of calories to maintain a jolly spirit. He balance his cookies with milk. Avoid being snippy by keeping your blood sugar at the right level. Eat a balanced diet. 

5. He makes an entrance. We can't all arrive via chimney, but there's more than one way to get noticed. Smile and make eye contact when entering a room. You'll be remembered as long as the jolly old elf himself. 

6. He surrounds himself with the right help. Santa delegates to his elves AND trusts that they can and will do the job. The right crew and connections can make the difference between getting a project done and getting it done well. 

7. He smiles even when others cry. Santa sits and lends a knee to his admirers, some of whom repay him with tears. Santa smiles anyway. There will always be people who cry no matter what you do for them. Smile anyway. 

8. He gives gifts to the good. Everyone loves to receive a gift. Gifts don't necessarily need to be consumer goods. You can give the gift of your time, of a listening ear, of a hug, of a handwritten note. Gifts of this kind build relationships with fans and friends. 

9. He isn't afraid to get a little dirty. Soot on the sleeves of his coat is a hazard of his occupation, likely not something he looks forward to. He gets his attitude right, though, and gets on with his business. Sometimes to succeed you have to get your hands dirty. 

10. He chooses his words carefully. Ho, ho, ho. Find a phrase that fits you. Say it with enthusiasm.