I Love a Widow and Her Fatherless

I Love a Widow and Her Fatherless

Our Father sent you from across the sea
unto my fathers' land, and I am blessed
to love a widow and her fatherless,
a mother who has let her children be
like nephews and like brothers unto me,
and God forgive me should I love you less,
if yours are not fed faithfully and dressed
in clothes of scarlet, white with purity.
But God must lead me if I love you more
and wed a widow, father to her little ones,
and husband like a flock her family before
the Shepherd and the Bishop of her sons,
restorer of a love she wants Him to restore
and runner with her of the race she runs.

To bookmark this poem:
http://www.psonnets.org/psonnets/lovewidow.html
Revival of Love
Psonnets and Other Poems of Life, Love, and the Lord
http://www.psonnets.org/
Copyright 2006 by Michael Rew
All Rights Reserved to the Glory of God

Skit Writing

I was wondering if there are people in your group who have experience in selling plays or short skits. I have been searching the web and have found only a small amount of useful information. I have only one skit (about 5-7 min), but it is on the subject of the "Persecuted Church" something that needs more attention. I don't want to just sell this for a few dollars, but also find someplace where it will get out there and be used. If you know of anyone who can help, I'd appreciate it.

In Him,

Peter D. Mallett (F18Pete@aol.com)

Organizations serving the Persecuted Church:

Voice of the Martyrs
Open Doors with Brother Andrew

Google Book Search Link

This is something exciting. Google is going to be launching a new tool especially for searching books! A while back they launched Froogle, which is for searching for merchants with the products you're looking for. This will be for searching books by keywords, author, etc. It is in beta right now. Check it out.

Click the link that says Quick tour. This could be extremely helpful to help promote all types of books. It sounds like it could be a big help to those who are less known because people will most likely be searching by keywords.

Have a great day,

Peter D. Mallett

F18Pete@aol.com

Peace and Rest

PEACE AND REST

God give us peace and rest
As we give you our very best.
Reveal to us your perfect plan
To put Jesus in the heart of man.
Give us the courage to make you known,
For Jesus is better than anything we own.
We need you now more than ever,
For the devil we see is very clever.
Help us convince people they need
Jesus through a kind word or deed.
Let us not quit until the angels sing
And everyone crowns Jesus as King.

Jim E. Flowers
flowers1046@comcast.net

Queries and Covers with Flair, Oh My!

Join local published author Coleen P. Kenny Thursday, March 9, 6-7pm, for a discussion on the who, what, where, when, why, and HOW of query and cover letters in the writing world. Coleen will provide resources as well as successful, and not so successful, examples. Bring a brown bag supper to C3, 1801 E. Cary Street for this event. Questions? Contact Coleen directly at 217-9163 or irishhiker@vcu.org

Utmost Christian Writers Poetry Contest

This info was sent to me by Pete Mallett of the ACW Chapter in Norfolk. I've checked out the info at Preditors and Editors, but neither the publishing house nor the contest is listed. It sounds good, but proceed with caution. Thanks, Pete, for the heads up. (Note from Michael: I think this contest and the others sponsored by this organization are legitimate if you want to enter.)

Greetings, Everyone,

I found this contest doing searches to place a poem. The contest deadline is only two weeks away (Feb. 28th). The entry fee is fifteen dollars, but this may be well worth it since it says entries are lower than expected. Yet on the guidelines page, it says prizes will be awarded and will not be reduced because of low entries. First prize is one thousand dollars. The bottom line is you have a good chance to win a prize and have something good to put on your resume. Tom: I know you also had people in your group that were looking for resources for poets. This looks to be a good resource.

Utmost Christian Writers poets contest

Heirs Together,

Peter D. Mallett

http://www.crosshome.com/kids.shtml

New Cloth to Cloth

New Cloth to Cloth

My heart, if not my garments, has been rent
because my sinfulness has been revealed
and now, convicted, cannot be concealed
unless I will confess. I will repent.
O God, divide my thought from my intent.
A sharper sword than any man will wield,
the Scripture pierces me, yet I am healed,
confounding what the adversary meant.
But how, O Father, does my spirit mend?
For I remember how You have been wroth.
Yet higher are Your thoughts; thus, I intend
to store this treasure neither thief nor moth
can steal or can corrupt. No one will rend
this covering You knit, new cloth to cloth.

To bookmark this poem:
http://www.psonnets.org/psonnets/newcloth.html
Revival of Love
Psonnets and Other Poems of Life, Love, and the Lord
http://www.psonnets.org/
Copyright 2006 by Michael Rew
All Rights Reserved to the Glory of God

Writing/Speaking Workshop, February 14, 2006

National League of American Pen Women's Richmond Branch sponsors humanities arts workshop.

Richmond, VA January 12, 2006 (Press Release) In conjunction with the Tuckahoe Library, located at 1700 Parham Road at Fargo, the NLAPW Richmond Branch is holding a brown bag lunch topical discussion related to the humanities arts on Tuesday, February 14, 2006, at 12 noon. NLAPW member and graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, June Keene, will offer EASY WAYS TO LOSE OR WIN YOUR AUDIENCE.

In her workshop, Keene outlines what makes an audience react with interest or fidget in their seats, nervously glancing at their watches or the Exit signs. She begins with podium protocol and goes on to choppy phrasing or monotonous delivery. Keene demonstrates that good public presentations depend largely on following the guidelines of punctuation and knowing the difference between talking and speaking.

Since her studies with the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, June Keene has maintained a deep respect for the affinity between the written and spoken word. In her native England and in California she tutored students, individually, in speech and drama. Her experiences and observations laid the foundation for the group workshops she created her in the Richmond area; "Principles of Expressive Speaking" for Virginia Voice; "Bringing the Character Alive" for the Drama Department of the Clover Hill Assembly of God; "Presentation Skills" for Richmond Christians Who Write and, currently, "The Written and Spoken Word of Witnessing" for the Order of St. Luke the Physician.

February Meeting Notice

Richmond Christians Who Write

12114 Walnut Hill Drive
Rockville, Virginia 23146
Tel: (804) 749-4050 or Toll-Free 800-TOM-LACY

Rev. Tom C. Lacy
Founder and President

Barbara Baranowski
Membership

Marie Corso
Advisor/Coordinator

Dear Richmond Christians Who Write:

Thanks to Michael Rew, we now have a blog. Check it out regularly for updated information, links, contests, poems, articles and other writer-helpful information. Please send all submissions to RichmondCWW@aol.com to be passed on to Michael. This is exciting, and we will want to thank Michael for accepting the position of Blog Administrator.

THANKS, MICHAEL! (From Michael: You're welcome.)

February Meeting

Our next meeting will be Sunday, February 19, 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Grove Avenue Baptist Church. NOTE: Meeting Room: Enter the church through the rear entrance closest to the Parham Road side of the building. Upon entering, look for the elevator on your left. Go to the 2nd floor. Turn right when getting off the elevator, go to the end of the hall, turn right, go to the first door on the left past the water fountain.

A Creative Nonfiction Writing Workshop will be conducted at our February meeting. Write up to 500 words, or less, about a birthday -- yours or anyone else's. It can be humorous, serious or sad, but it must be true. Show, don't tell. That is what creative nonfiction writing is all about. Come prepared to read and discuss your work.

2:00-2:15
Sign In and Fellowship

2:15
Opening Prayer

2:15-2:45
Introductions and Announcements

2:45-3:45
Speaker or Workshop

3:45-4:00
Refreshments and Fellowship

4:00-4:55
Critique (Bring 20 copies, typed, double spaced)

4:55-5:00
Closing Prayer

2006 Meeting Schedule

Please take note of the two weekend conferences to be held this spring and fall. Barbara Baranowski will be conducting a Saturday morning workshop, April 8th, on a pertinent subject of her choice. Details to follow.

1. March 10-11 ACW Seventh Annual Conference




• NOTE: ACW Conference Early Bird deadline: February 17th. Ordained ministers get a 50% discount on the conference fee. RCWW members get a 10% discount on the conference fee also. Chapter No. 3023.




2. March 19, Guest speaker, Scott Tilley: The Five Rs of Creative Nonfiction Writing


3. April 8 RCWW Writing Workshop conducted by Barbara Baranowski


4. April 23 (4th Sunday to avoid Easter)


5. May 21


6. June 11 (2nd Sunday to avoid Father's Day)


7. July 16


8. August 20


9. September 17


10. October 13-14 RCWW Conference


11. November 19

American Christian Writers
Seventh Annual Conference

March 10 & 11, 2006

Conference Location:
Wyndham Richmond Airport
4700 South Laburnum Avenue
Richmond, Virginia 23231
(Take I-64 to South Laburnum, Exit 195)

SAVE: Early Bird special, sign up before February 17th

For details and registration form, call Tom Lacy: (804) 749-4050

Richmond Christians Who Write
April and October Conferences

Workshop and Conference Location:
Winn's Baptist Church
12320 Winn's Church Road
Glen Allen, Virginia 23059
Details: Call Tom Lacy: (804) 749-4050

Dues and Mailing Lists: Dues, in the amount of $20.00, are payable January through June and $10.00 July through December. They may be paid at our monthly meetings or mailed to: Richmond Christians Who Write, 12114 Walnut Hill Drive, Rockville, VA 23146.

Good News from Yvonne

Revell is going to publish my cancer devotional in 2007, and Steve Laube agreed to be my literary agent.

I am floating at least ten feet off the ground.

Love & Prayers,

Yvonne Ortega
Speaker & Author
Counselor & Bible Teacher

Wedding Bells for Maxine Bersch!

Maxine Bersch is a master storyteller who has spoken at Richmond Christians Who Write in the past. She wrote in an open letter:

I was in Arizona visiting with my children in December amd January. While there, I came down with pneumonia, and I was very ill. When that happened, it scared my valentine, Bill Lovern, and since we are both seniors, he was convinced we should not wait around until April as we had previously planned. (I should tell you, I think, that we knew each other many years ago, and we renewed our acquaintance after he moved back to Richmond to be near his daughter.)

Our Sunday School class announced the upcoming Valentine dinner on the 12th following the morning worship service. I had the brainstorm that we could make it a real Valentine dinner by having our wedding as a feature. I called our teacher and he was elated, so he called the class president, and the result is that this is a Sojourner Class celebration. They are taking charge of the decorations and the cake, and everything is going to be lovely.

This [the wedding] is at Derbyshire Baptist Church, in the chapel at 12:30. You are welcome to attend [the ceremony] if you wish. I regret I am not free to invite you to the dinner, for this is a Sojourner Class affair.

Feel free to announce that Maxine J. Bersch and William H. Lovern will be married at Derbyshire Baptist Church on Sunday the 12th. Dr. Keith Smith, Pastor, will perform the ceremony. The couple will continue to live in Richmond. Thanks for your prayers!

Maxine Bersch

Thank You for Believing

Dear Tom,

A few years ago, I met you at the ACW Richmond Conference, and you told me you thought your group could help me. Wow! That was an understatement.

Traveling 90 minutes each way to attend the monthly meetings of RCWW was worth every moment on the road. I learned so much from all of you. Each month you all critiqued one more devotion from my cancer devotional. The encouragement, support, and prayers from RCWW have been such a blessing to me.

When Cec Murphey and Louise DuMont came to the Richmond Fall Conference, they helped me immensely with my book proposal and told me I had a manuscript that had to be published! Both Cec and Louise are endorsing my cancer devotional.

Lin Johnson will come to the ACW Richmond Conference in March. She was my mentor at the ACW Mentoring Clinic in Nashville. She is also endorsing my book. I found out about the Mentoring Clinic in Richmond when Reg Forder advertised it.

I cannot thank you enough for believing in my project and giving me the impetus to start a local Christian writers' group. My chapter is a small one, but we are an active group.

RCWW holds a special place in my heart.

Keep up the good work.

Love & Prayers,

Speaker & Author
Counselor & Bible Teacher
Yvonne