International Christian Writers Report

Stanley Baldwin, Founder and Editor This is a sample of the free monthly email publication sent to members of ICW, ICW NET and ICW Prayer Fellowship. ARCHIVES: previous reports June 2006 This issue of the Report contains: 1. Members Comment on "Writing: Does It Pay?" (April) 2. Members Comment on "Jesus Versus Whatever" (April) 3. Drama Team Reports on India Blessings 4. Bits and Pieces 5. Final Notes

1. Members Comment on WRITING: DOES IT PAY?
(The following messages were received concerning article number 1 in April
Report, written by Stanley C. Baldwin.)
Virginia A. Johnson writes from beautiful, downtown Crabtree, OR:
I enjoyed this report very much and will save it for future reference.
Writing is my ministry, if you will, my opportunity to enlighten, edify, and
encourage others. But this path is not for the faint-of-heart. Yes, the
world seems glutted with writers, especially the world of publishing. That's
part of the test. Am I serious about my craft, my mission? Then I must stay
at it. This process of submission-rejection-submission-rejection is, I
believe, meant to stiffen my spine, deepen my resolve and make me more
determined to stay focused on my goals and not give up.
So there you have it. Write, but realize if this journey is God-ordained, it
won't be a straight line to success, but it will be a straight line to
greater relationship with Him. And interesting to boot.
Rosemary Upton writes:
Thanks for providing the ICW report each month. I know why I write. The Lord
has directed me to write all the testimonies to his grace that he has
provided to me. I awake every morning with excitement for the work he has
assigned me to do this day. I have books in my mind ready to put down on
paper. Articles that need to be written for Christ's sake to proclaim his
glory.
My latest novel is called TIMESHARE. It takes place in Daytona Beach (where
I live) and has a stunning cover of the sun coming up over the Atlantic
Ocean. The characters are involved in the timeshare industry. Some are
Christian, some are not. It is selling well with good feedback and an
excellent review. Check Barnes & Noble.com.
"Proclaim his glory to the nations, his mighty deeds to all peoples" Psalm
96:3.
Lin Johnson wrote . . .
. . . asking permission to print the article in a forthcoming issue of
"The Christian Communicator." Permission was happily granted.
Naomi Overton writes:
Thank you for sending this my way. It came at a perfect time!

2. Members Comment on "Jesus Versus Whatever"
(The following messages were received concerning article number 2 in April
Report, written by Stanley C. Baldwin)
Maxine Marsolini, author of Blended Families writes:

Thank you for another nicely written report. I enjoyed what you said in
WRITING: DOES IT PAY? The interaction with Bob Hanson held good truths.

I admire you for allowing us to share in a review of your book in RALPH.
What
a slam! But, on the other hand, you got him curious enough to read the book.
Perhaps a seed of Christ was planted. You responded well and I believe you
have given many who are also reading this report an added measure of courage
to withstand the attacks that sometimes come our way after what we write
gets into print. Keep on giving the Devil a black eye! God's favor is upon
you. Congratulations on the 3rd printing.

Mary Warren, prolific author, writes:
I know that you probably have received nasty reviews of your books before
(me too), but this one in the ICW newsletter was horrible and didn't even
make sense.
By the way, my two sisters and a brother-in-law who is a retired
Presbyterian minister enjoyed your latest book immensely. Lindsay and I are
pleased to hear it is in its third printing already.
Kathy Collard Miller, Author of Partly Cloudy with Scattered Worries,
writes:
Ouch! My heart went out to you about that review. I've had it happen to me
also and it's so frustrating when we are misunderstood and misjudged,
especially when our words are taken out of context and out of our intended
spirit.
My heart is with you. Thankfully, God doesn't depend upon reviews to use our
books in people's lives and it's obvious your book is being used for His
glory. Keep up the great work!
Kristen Johnson Ingram, Author, Making Peace with a Dangerous God, writes:
The worst part of old age, as you suggest, is being ignored by people who
can't see past your gray hair and wrinkles. I'm twenty times the writer
that I was when I started, but I got more attention for being young and
energetic.
Janey L. DeMeo, author, Founder/Director of Orphans First, writes:
Your reply to the journalist's review of your book is brilliant and
biblical. I love it. Keep up this great work.
Stanley Baldwin replies:
Thanks to all of those who wrote offering encouragement and support. It
means a lot to me. And now I have wonderful news. I told you just last month
that A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON MY WAY TO OLD AGE had gone into third
printing. Since then InterVarsity Press informs me it is now in fourth
printing. I also notice today that Amazon says they are down to four copies
but expect more soon.

3. DRAMA TEAM REPORTS ON INDIA BLESSINGS
Chuck Neighbors writes:
Our trip went well and it was a great experience for all three of us. I do
feel it was a God thing for us to go! Thanks for initiating this venture!
Chuck then provides this detailed report:
Our recent trip to India was indeed a blessing and God's purpose in sending
us was confirmed to us in the response of the people we were able to
minister to in our travels. Your prayer and financial support made this
ministry possible and for that we are grateful!

Travel to India was long but included a stopover in London both on the way
there and back. This little overnight break helped to make the trip less
grueling and we are glad our itinerary allowed for the rest. On this trip we
were also more immersed in the culture than on some of my previous travels.
We fared well, although there was some adjustment for me and my traveling
companions, Steve Wilent, and my son, Liam.

Food proved to be a challenge as pretty much all Indian food is spicy and my
system doesn't do so well with that. We found that the word "mild" is
relative and all of us have our "too hot to eat" stories. We also
experienced eating without the normal fork and spoon we are accustomed to.
So the phrase "dig in" when it comes to eating has a new meaning for us-as
does the phrase "finger-licking-good!"

The first half of our stay was in the city of Chennai (formerly Madras).
Here we stayed in guest rooms at the Inter Church Service Center. Pretty
much dorm style rooms with hard mattresses (I could not get my sleep number
dialed in!) and lukewarm showers the norm. It was summer there with
temperatures in the 90's and quite humid. Thankfully our rooms were
air-conditioned!

We had a free day before our first workshop began and were able to sightsee
a bit. Chennai is the city where the apostle Thomas was martyred and we saw
the shrines and churches that commemorate his life and death. We also
visited Marina Beach, the second longest beach in the world and one of the
places that was hit by last year's tsunami.

We were hosted by Dr. C.D Jebasingh and his associate, Abraham Anand. They
are part of a ministry called Galilean International Films and Television
Services (www.giftsministries.org <http://www.giftsministries.org> ). Their
mission is to spread the gospel through visual media. Through ICW they
invited us to India because of their vision to see the dramatic arts used
for evangelism and ministry throughout India.

On Monday we began our three-day workshop with a group of about 30 leaders
from a wide variety of churches and organizations. The meeting room was not
air-conditioned. Over the course of the next three days we found the heat
stifling but were able to manage (we consumed copious amounts of bottled
water). Our students proved eager learners and we were amazed at how they
clung to our every word. The vision for visual communication in spreading
the Gospel is readily accepted. We were concerned about them understanding
us, but that fear was soon laid to rest. However, their ability to speak
English varied widely-leaving us to say, "Would you repeat the question?"
more often than we wanted. Liam opened each day leading worship on guitar
and Steve shared a devotion. Steve and I shared the teaching time
throughout each day.

At the end of three days we were honored and humbled by the words of
encouragement in a closing ceremony where we handed out certificates to the
participants and they honored us with a garland of sandalwood and gifts.
They made it very clear that this training is much appreciated and wasted no
time in inviting us back in the future.

On Thursday we traveled to Mumbai (formerly Bombay). There we were put up
in a hotel-nice but not the Ritz. We did have slightly softer mattresses
and this time hot showers! The restaurant in the hotel also offered some
western fare, so we got a break from the hot and spicy food!

Friday was a full day. We conducted a one-day workshop for about 30 people
and again were impressed with their eagerness to learn and utilize the
training. On Friday PM we gave our only dramatic performance of the trip.
This is the only part where we were a bit disappointed in the numbers. Our
audience numbered about 30 people and we had been expecting over 150. Dr.
Jebasingh confided that a key employee responsible for much of our
arrangements here, resigned just a couple weeks before our arrival and the
ball got dropped on some of the details. Still we gave it our all and the
audience loved the performance. I am particularly proud of Liam, as he sang
a closing song and truly sold it like an artist beyond his years and
experience. In fact he has been quite the trouper this whole trip. Where
other teens might have grumbled about the lack of creature comforts or
succumbed to homesickness, Liam has had a wonderful attitude and demeanor
the whole trip.

On Saturday we visited some of the work World Vision is doing in India. When
I travel outside the USA I like to visit and learn more about their work and
also encourage the workers who are doing so much to help the poor. In
Mumbai we visited projects working against the spread of the HIV/AIDS virus
that is devastating so many third world countries. .

A special treat for Steve and me was to visit a group of youth who perform
street theater on HIV/AIDS. How affirming it was to see that the arts,
especially drama, are a front line tool in fighting the war on this disease.
Through drama young people are being presented with truth and challenged to
be responsible in their lifestyle! Awesome!

Sunday we attended a three-hour church service and got a sudden appreciation
of the shorter services back home. Once we returned to Oregon it took about
a week before our internal clocks reset themselves-but we know that the time
spent in India was worth it. Our lives are better for seeing and
experiencing this country. Most importantly we feel the ministry was well
worth the time, expense and energy it required to get us there.

We are so grateful to be sent by you to do this work. We continue to pray
that the seeds we have sown will bear much fruit in the lives of the people
of India! Thank you for being a part of that!

4. Bits and Pieces

Ruth Crow writes:
Just a note to say THANK YOU, Stan, for helping me with my writing at
Glorieta Christian Writers Conference, 2005, "Get Published Now." I had
prayed that I would have the mentor that I would learn the most from and I
believe God answered my prayer.
I learned so much and I know there was much more to learn but we just ran
out of time. Your instruction on developing titles has been one lesson
that I rely on frequently.
By the way, I am leading a session at the upcoming GCWC on a speaking topic.
I am so excited and I look forward to helping others because so many people
have helped me.
Hope you are doing well. Have a blessed spring!

Kathie M. Thomas writes:
I am on the Steering Committee for the Online International Virtual
Assistants Convention and discovered someone from your organization on the
volunteers list (Sue Peel). I've just filled out the form to join ICW.
I'm an avid writer, a committed Christian, and recently joined the new
Business Ministry team at my church (www.baysidechurch.com.au). I not only
write, but manage several Christian websites, one of which is dedicated to
Christian speakers and entertainers in Australia. (www.christianspeak.net).

My main role currently, however, is managing a Virtual Assistant Network in
Australia and servicing clients of my own (The Secretary You Need When You
Haven't Got a Secretary!) The writing and website is done in my 'spare'
time.
Anyway, I just wanted to make contact and let you know how I found you, and
look forward to getting to know others at ICWriters.

5. Final Notes:
1. Check out the ICW website. Kim Davidson is doing a great job of managing
it and adding new material all the time. Just type icwriters in a Google
search. Our site will come up first. Once on site, be sure to click on the
various features on the left margin.

2. If you live in the Portland, Oregon area, you can hear me speak on A
Funny Thing Happened on My Way to Old Age this Sunday, May 21 at Rivercrest
Community Church at 10:15 a.m. Perhaps I will see you there.
Until next time, keep writing.
Stanley Baldwin

Please send replies to scbaldwin@juno.com. (DO NOT just hit the reply button.)
Send email changes or deletions to janesara@comcast.net.

Copyright © International Christian Writers. All rights reserved. Revised: April 6, 2004