WOW! I can’t believe that it’s already November 2009. Where did the summer go? I also realized that I haven’t updated the 02.10.2010 Club on my journey toward the BIG 50 since June.

Looking back over the things I did, there was at least one activity that was new for me each month from July – October.

July 10 – had a long lunch with a new speaker friend at a wonderful Chinese restaurant. When I returned home in the late afternoon, I found that my A/C wasn’t working properly.

Here in Texas we were in the middle of multiple days of 100+ degree weather. I immediately called the property manager, however, with it being late on a Friday afternoon, I knew my chances of getting immediate help were slim to none. Next, I contacted a couple of friends who might offer a cool place to stay. Nadda…I learned I had “fair weather” friends not scorching weather friends. So…what is a girl to do? What any Texan pioneer woman would do…I spent the night sleeping outside under the Texas stars.

The next morning the A/C repairman was out bright and early and within a couple of minutes had solved and fixed the problem. The poor mouse that ran across the electrical thingys outside was fried and gone to the great cheese house in the sky.

August 10 – actually spent the afternoon and evening of August 9 at Lake Granbury with the Singles Group from First Baptist Church, Grapevine, TX having a wonderful day of boat riding, skiing, eating, and just fun fellowship.

September 10 – kicked off the North Texas Christian Writers Conference with the Faculty dinner at El Paseo in Keller, TX. This was my first year to be a presenter at this great conference. My topic was, “Is Your Web Site Working For You…or Against You?” I highly recommend this writers conference to anyone who is interested in taking your writing career to the next level. Mark your calendars for next year’s conference on September 17-18, 2010.

October 10 – drove up to Denton, TX to catch a few minutes of a writers workshop lead by Jodi Thomas. She’s a New York Times Bestselling author, three time RITA award winner, and has been inducted into the Romance Writers Hall of Fame. After the workshop, we had lunch together at an English pub in downtown Denton. I’m currently enjoying reading her novel, Twisted Creek.

November 10 – ??? There’s nothing on my calendar…yet. Stay tuned…you just never know what will happen next

Having worked for seven years as a course developer at the national training center for a Fortune 350 sales organiazation, I often saw things that made me cringe. Integrity and ethics of the sales force were sometimes taken to the edge to get the deal.

As new books come across my desk from various sources, I was intriqued by the title and concept of The Hourglass Principle: Maintaining Your Integrity in Sales and Life by Managing the Middle by Ray Kelly III (Bethany Press International. 2009).

Book Description

In The Hourglass Principle YOU, the sales person, are that central point in the middle in which all the grains of sand flow. The difference is that in sales the grains of sand are information. All the information from your company that needs to be conveyed to a customer or prospect flows from you, the sales person, to the customer. Likewise, all the information from your customer flows from you to your company. That central point of information is YOU. How you choose to use that information flow defines who you are as sales person but also as a human being. It defines the type of sales person and the reputation you will carry throughout your sales career. In sales, there is no way to separate your career personality from your personal life. The two will always be linked together.

Being in the middle of a sales deal is where every sales person wants to be. In that position they have the ability to influence the direction of a deal and establish priorities that are the most important to the customer. Being in the middle allows the sales person to sway the customer to focus on their strengths versus their competitors strengths. It is crucial for sales success that you be the central point for any major sales opportunity.

There are eight pillars of being in the middle that are your keys to success.

1. Be trustworthy.
2. Keep your integrity. Direct your moral compass.
3. Become a person others want to follow.
4. Treat as you want to be treated.
5. Admit your mistakes.
6. Ask questions.
7. Finesse not fight.
8. Timing is everything.

The Hourglass Principle was designed to keep you focused on what is in the center of the deal you are working and the center of your life. It is a focal point for the central core that defines you as a sales person and as a human being. If used as a continual mental reference then you will be able to keep your priorities intact. You will be able to focus your energy on what is truly important in your career and in your livelihood by not sacrificing moral values.

About the Author

Ray Kelly has been a top producing sales person for his entire 25+ year career. He has sold to both consumers and Fortune 50 companies. His experience extends across many sales domains. Ray is a Christian, who is married, with two children, and believes there is no need to sacrifice your moral ethics to win a deal. Ray has successfully managed multiple sales forces and employed the tactics in this book to create success for himself, those he has managed, and his employers. Ray has often been called a Rainmaker by his executive management team for his ability to be in the middle of major sales opportunities and to make sales happen. Customers enjoy Rays forthright attitude and ability to work on their behalf within his own organization. The Hour Glass Principle was designed to encourage sales integrity throughout the world of sales. Ray Kelly Consulting was created to assist corporations and individual sales people in understanding that they do not have to violate their ethics, moral code, personal worth, or selfesteem in order to have success in sales. Ray Kelly Consulting provides coaching to sales professionals and sales managers worldwide about the enormous benefit of being able to successfully manage the middle of any sale without sacrificing their integrity. For more information about this book, including the ability to have Ray speak to your corporate sales team or church service about the concepts discussed in The Hourglass Principle.

For more information about The Hourglass Principle and/or Ray Kelly, please visit TheHourglassPrinciple.com.

Would you like a FREE copy of this book? Please post your comment on this blog by Friday, September 25. Your name will be entered into a random drawing (US residents only).

READ AN EXCERPT – CLICK HERE

Successful fifty-something, Susan Anderson owns and operates a hip hair salon on the Las Vegas strip, decorated with her collection of disco memorabilia accumulated decades ago when she was one of the beautiful people on New York’s disco scene.

Now happily married, Susan is known for her business savvy, her fabulous vintage ensembles, her faith, her big heart – and the impromptu disco dance numbers salon staff and clients join in when the spirit moves. If life is a dance, Susan’s mastered all the loves.

But an exciting business opportunity and her husband’s impending retirement rock her world, shaking Susan’s foundation and revealing regrets and painful memories she thought she’d dealt with. Will Susan be able to face her past, reinvent her marriage, build her dream… and keep on dancing?

*****
A GREAT SUMMER READ!
Get your copy now — CLICK HERE!
*****

Book Release Party with Allison Bottke - June 27 @ art251, Keller, TX. (Open to the public) at 6:00-8:00 p.m. CT.

Book Signing with Thelma Wells & Allison Bottke - July 31 @ Holy Grounds Bookstore, Main Street, Grapevine, TX (Open to the public) at 7:00-9:00 p.m. CT.

Greetings 02.10.2010 Clubbers!

I’m continuing the countdown to 50 with this month’s mini-celebration on June 10.

As many of you know, I have had the pleasure of being involved with Allison Bottke’s Setting Boundaries and SANITY Support Group Network for the past eighteen months. It has been my desire to facilitate one of the Support Groups. However, to do so, there would have to be one started in my area.

I am pleased to announce there are TWO SANITY Support Groups starting this summer in the Dallas metroplex! I’m so excited for all of the parents and grandparents who will be joining these groups and learning how to set health boundaries with their adult children as they implement the 6 Steps to SANITY into their lives.

I am also excited that I get to be the Group Facilitator for the group starting in July at Heritage Church of Christ in Keller, TX. I know this program works and I can’t wait to personally guide the parents of this group as they take their first steps to hope, healing, freedom, and SANITY!

You may find out more specifics about these groups by contacting the churches below:

Heritage Church of Christ
Keller, Texas
heritagechurchofchrist.org
Start date: July 7, 2009
Contact: David Trice
Ph: 817.741.0499

———————————

First Baptist Church Grapevine
Grapevine, Texas
fbcgrapevine.com
Tentatively scheduled to start August 23, 2009
Contact: Frank Roberson
P: 817.481.0787

You may find out more about finding or starting a SANITY Support Group in your area at SettingBoundaries.com.

So…how did I spend my June 10 mini-celebration? Well…in keeping with the news above, I had the pleasure of accompanying Allison Bottke, founder of the SANITY Support Group Network and author of Setting Boundaries with Your Adult Children, to the Kickoff/Info Meeting at Heritage Church of Christ. We had a great group; in spite of the extremely bad weather that began hitting us right at the time the meeting was to start.

We had flooding rain, damaging winds, and more hit the Dallas metroplex all night and the next day. Thankfully, there were not personal injuries or deaths…but there was lots of thunder and lightning all night long, flooding, evacuations, and some people were still without electricity as of last night (Friday, June 12).

I was snug as a bug in a rug during the storms. There is a beautiful park at the south end of the street I live on that had tree damage and flooding. I walked to it on Thursday evening after all the storms had passed to see it. Here are some pictures of what I found after some of it had been cleaned up.

All in all, a great day, and lots of weather excitement – enough for a while at least. See you next month as we continue my journey to a spectacular 50!

We’re continuing our conversation again today with Thelma Wells, internationally known speaker and author. We have been discussing her newest book, Don’t Give In…God Wants YOU to Win!Part 3 wraps up our conversation wtih Thelma. Be sure to leave a comment on this blog to enter your name in our drawing for a FREE copy of this book.

In your book, Don’t Give In…God Wants YOU to Win!, you talk about doing rituals as it relates to fighting the good fight of faith. Will you explain that word to us and give us an example?

The word ritual is used on to denote the routines we have in our daily lives like fixing our hair, dressing ourselves, and being prepared for the day. It means nothing more than that and nothing mysterious that would attract any evil forces.

Spiritual warfare and putting on the armor of God is a daily activity for you. Is this because you’re a nationally known Christian speaker and author, or is this something that everyone should be aware of?

Spiritual warfare is the state of our lives whatever and whoever you are. We fight against anger, gluttony, smoking, frustration, and everything else that can make us less than our best. The warfare that we are in daily is because we live in a fallen world where Satan thinks he has power. Each and everyday he tries to confuse us into thinking that things are unfixable, out of control, etc. He is the greatest liar of all times and he lays tricks in our minds, if we let him. From the moment we were born until the day we die we will be fighting spiritual warfare. However, the good news is…people who have accepted Jesus as their Savior never have to fight alone. The end of the story is that Jesus and His people win and the devil is a number one loser!

Thelma, this book was released at a perfect time. So many people are struggling just to survive. They’ve lost jobs, money, health, marriages, and more. Many just want to give up! What can we do if we are in those situations to prepare for victory in the battle of life?

When you’re in a battle these are the things that must be done in order to win:

• Put on the helmet of salvation to cover your thought life.
• Put on the breastplate of righteousness to guard your heart against devil and sin.
• Put on the girdle of Truth so that you will be able to understand what real truth is and be able to use the Sword of the Spirit (The Word of God – the Bible) in every situation as Jesus did when He was tempted by the devil in the mountain.
• Put on the shoes that have prepared you with the preparation of peace so you can march and stay fit as you tell other people about the goodness and the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• Hold up the shield of faith believing that God will keep every Promise He made for our good.
• Pray for each other and for ourselves by asking God for what we need, seeking His perfect will in all we do and knocking continually until we know God has answered our prayers. We must realize that God does not answer all our prayers the way we want Him to but whatever way He answers them, they are for our good and for His glory.
• Praise God with thanksgiving for all He has done and will do for us. The worship of God brings us into an atmosphere of being able to fight the good fight of faith and WIN.

Where/how does “submitting to God and the devil will flee from you” fit into spiritual warfare?

God asks us to do a simple thing, trust Him enough to give Him all of us. That’s hard to do when you try to control your life yourself. It really amounts to us (you and me) worshipping ourselves instead of worshipping God. When we live in humble submission to God, Satan will try to attack but God is our Protector. This is not a one-time submission to God. Everyday and sometimes during the day we must ask Him to lead us not into temptation and to protect us from evil because evil is always near. We are told to pray without ceasing. This means that we must stay in the attitude of prayer 24/7. It’s simple but it presents a challenge for us because we are so distracted by our day, our desires, our dreams, our relationships, etc. that we often forget that none of this would be possible were it not for the Lord who grants it. Submission means to let God be the driving force and the guiding force in our lives and trust Him that He will do exceedingly abundantly over and above what we can ask or think according to His power that works in us. The most peaceful, contented condition of my life is when I actually and earnestly turned my entire life over to the direction of God. I can now recognize when Satan tries to tempt me, confuse me, and drive me into doing or saying things I should not. It has come about with trust in God and practice of His word. Satan will attack but God will counter-act.

Most of us are familiar with the list of spiritual weapons available for us to use as listed in Ephesians 6. You have a way to remember these that might be more relevant to today’s woman – as a mom, wife, business woman, etc. Will you share these five things with us that you do daily when you’re getting “dressed” in the morning? 

You’ll see in the picture there are several things that I remind myself of when getting dressed each day:

• Fix you hair = helmet of salvation
• Pad your bra/heart – breast plate of righteousness
• Tighten your girdle = belt of truth
• Put on your stomping shoes = feet shod with the preparation of peace

Thelma, it seems you are all over the Internet these days. Anyone can find you on your web site, Facebook, Twitter, web casts, a blog tour, the You Go Girl Network, and other cutting edge things with technology. Why is it important for you to use all these various methods to spread your message?

Technology is the way God planned for us to get His message to the world according to Matthew  28:19.

How did you get the name, Mama T?

A young lady in my church named me that because she thought that was a fitting name for me and it has become a loving name for the ladies in my mentoring groups.

So what’s next for the Mama T and Ready to Win?

My website (ThelmaWells.com) is being reinvented to a teaching tool for people to learn more and more about how to win the battles of life. There will be powerful tools available, I will be personally speaking with people and many other changes that will enlighten, encourage, inform, influence and empower people to fight the good fight and win.

Where can our readers buy your new book and register for the webcast? 

On my web site, which is ThelmaWells.com. They can click on the July RTW On-line Web cast button to learn more or register for the next series of web casts that start on July 7.  You can also watch this video to learn more…click here.

My new book, Don’t Give In – God Wants YOU To Win! is also available online and at local bookstores such as, Family Christian Stores, Lifeway Christian Stores, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble Book Stores, Mardel’s, Anchor Distributors, Christianbook.com, and many other stores and vendors throughout American and the United Kingdom.

Is there anything that we didn’t ask that you’d like to share with us?

In all we’ve said, we need to remember that Jesus loves YOU and has a plan for your life.  This plan includes you living a life free from worry and anxiety. God is in control of everything. When we trust in Him, give Him our lives to guide, seek the will of the Father, ask Jesus to be the Lord and Master of our lives, and accept the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we are winners and nobody or nothing can take that away from us!

Thank you, Karen, for having me this week on your blog. I hope you and your readers will visit my web site at ThelmaWells.com. And remember always be READY TO WIN!

Thank you, Thelma! What a joy and delight to visit with you. I’d to encourage those reading this blog to post a comment for the drawing on June 6 and/or go to one of the links mentioned above to get a copy of this book for yourself and a friend!

 Don’t miss the READY TO WIN  web casts LIVE with Mama T on July 7, 14, and 21. REGISTER TODAY and get a copy of the book – CLICK HERE.

 Don’t miss the READY TO WIN  web casts LIVE with Mama T on July 7, 14, and 21. REGISTER TODAY and get a copy of the book – CLICK HERE.

Stay tuned for the rest of our conversation with Thelma Wells. Please post your comments to this video, or Part 1 below, and your name will be entered into a random drawing on June 6 for a FREE copy of Thelma’s new book, “Don’t Give In…God Wants YOU to Win!”

Thelma Wells, Speaker & Author

 

 

Karen, I’m delighted to be here today to visit with you and your readers, and share about a topic that is dear to my heart.

Thelma, you have had a successful banking and corporate career. You’ve spoken all over the country and around the world, done a lot of radio interviews, had your own television show, and written a lot of books. Many of our readers will be familiar with you from the Women of Faith conferences. It seems you’ve “done it all.” So when you left Women of Faith in February 2008, what was it that you were leaving them to do?

Actually, I really did not fully understand what I was going to do. I was simply following the very clear instructions of God that it was time to go. I had a few speaking engagements on my calendar but certainly not enough to make ends meet. My total dependence was on God and waiting to see what He had in store for me.

Your new book, Don’t Give In…God Wants YOU to Win!, is based on a real life experience. Will you tell us a little of that story?

I was in elementary school when one of my friends told people she was going to beat me up. I could not understand why but it was real. After school for two days I faced a crowd hungry to see a fight and a girl who I thought was my friend hit me and frighten me to tears. One the second day of my fighting ordeal my great grandmother who raised me gave me some strong advice, “Thelma, the only way to deal with a bully is to fight them. You better fight her tomorrow and beat her up. If not, you’re going to get a whipping when you get home. That was the determining factor. My Granny who had taught me that ladies don’t fight had just reversed the instruction to “fight the bully.”

I did fight her the third day and hit her hard, so she ran home, not me. I learned that when we are faced with the bully, the adversary, the enemy of our souls, the devil himself, the only way to win is to fight him with all the ammunition we have, the Whole Armor of God.

This book is about spiritual warfare, demons, the Holy Spirit, and some pretty heavy-duty areas. Why write on this topic?

In this day and age when all around us seems to failing like our economic system, the government, relationships, health, self-worth, business and workplace situations, the church, wayward children, divorce and so much more, it is imperative that people have something sturdy and reliable to hold on to. Everyday we are fighting some kind of battle small, great or tremendous. When we don’t know how to fight against the disappoint, heartache, confusion, depression, and all the emotional and spiritual fall out from these issues, we become desperate, violent, vicious and vile. John 10:10 tells us that the thief comes to kill, steal and destroy us. But, Jesus has come to give us life and that life more abundantly than the feelings of no hope. This book teaches about the only hope we have and how to use that hope physically, emotionally and spiritually with a guarantee that we are winners when we do.

Will you share with us the chapter titles?

• Introduction: Time for Questions
• Chapter One: Know How to Fight, but Never Start One
• Chapter Two: Fight or Flight?
• Chapter Three: Breakdown for a Blessing
• Chapter Four: Weeds in the Garden
• Chapter Five: Thelma’s Untold Rituals
• Chapter Six: The Dynamic Duo
• Chapter Seven: The Battle Is Not Yours
• Chapter Eight: Winning Weapons
• Chapter Nine: Fix Your Hair!
• Chapter Ten: Pad Your Heart!
• Chapter Eleven: Tighten Your Girdle!
• Chapter Twelve: Put On Your Stomping Shoes!
• Something Extra: More Winning Weapons 

You’ve been known as the BEE lady, but it seems you’re evolving into more than that? Where do you see your ministry heading in the future?

God has so many surprises for me that my heart is overflowing. I have a teaching and preaching anointing that has made my ministry one of integrity and worth. God is doing great things in my life and reinventing some vital things that will be seen by everybody in a few weeks. He has guaranteed me that the international travel I’ve done over the past thirty years, the seeds I’ve sown over my lifetime, the barriers and tough times I’ve overcome are about to pay off in many different ways. He has put Christian people in my life that have and are changing the course of my life in great and wonderful ways. I will be taking a group to Israel next November, on other Ready to Win tours throughout the world, working with World Vision in their child sponsorship program, presenting mini Ready To Win Conferences throughout the world, and whatever else the Lord assigns me to do.

Congratulations on your first Ready to Win Conference. We heard you had an awesome weekend in Garland, TX with a great group of speakers, musical artists, and attendees. Having done so many conferences in the past, why do another conference?

This is not just another conference. This Ready To Win Conference does not just excite people or create positive thinking, it gives everyone, saved and unsaved, the winning weapons to fight off all the wicked in this world. People are not only encouraged to win the war against the evil one, they are given easy to understand tools that they have reported are so vivid in their minds that they can apply every day in every situation. Coming together in a group and learning these tried and true skills is so much easier to understand than writing it in a book or seeing it on DVD. The reports have been that this works because they were able to see it, hear it, feel it, and use it instantly and forever. In today’s world, another conference is not what we are about. We are about people joining together from different denominations, ethnicities, geographic locations, languages, and thought systems and getting insight and instruction that can bring people of all walks of life together to become a mighty army against the forces of evil.

As a follow up, how can people get the Ready to Win Conference to their area?

People all over the world can contact me at contactus@thelmawells.com and we will get back with them with the details of how the Ready To Win Conference can come to their area.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our conversation with Thelma Wells. Please post your comments to this article and your name will be entered into a random drawing on June 6 for a FREE copy of Thelma’s new book, “Don’t Give In…God Wants YOU to Win!”

GREETINGS 02.10.2010 CLUB MEMBERS!

May 10 – another 02.10.2010 countdown mini-celebration day. It was also Mother’s Day.

Quite honestly, I’d forgotten that it was a mini-celebration day. Yet, it turned out to be a great day.

The day got off to a skewed start. I was planning to go with a new friend to visit her church for the 11:15 a.m. service. So, I’m having breakfast and checking things on the computer. I look at the clock, 10:00 a.m. I made a mental note…15 minutes and then you’re hitting the shower. At 10:30 a.m., my friend called. She’d overslept and wouldn’t be making the church service. Neither would I, because I was in the middle of trying to encourage some moms on a friend’s forum. It was cloudy…we were missing church, hmmm…what to do? 

That’s when the day’s plan started to unfold spontaneously and a fabulous (unbeknownst to us then) day was about to insue.

We decided to hit a chick-flick at 1:00 p.m.  It was cloudy when we went in but it was about to change. By the time we left the theater, the weather was what I called “Chamber of Commerce weather.” The kind of day we like visitors to come – beautiful blue sky, nice temperature, cool breeze, and birds singing.

So the top went down on my friend’s convertible PT Cruiser, the sunglasses came out, and the hair went flying in the breeze. We picked up her dear hubby, and headed to one of their favorite Mexican restaurants in north Fort Worth. Indeed, probably one of the best I’ve ever eaten at…ever. Sorry, can say or spell the name, but I think I can find my way back there, if you’d like to join me sometime.

Next, on our unplanned agenda was driving around the area cruising with the top down in the Cruiser seeing some beautiful Texas countryside and horse farms in the Flower Mound area and along the shore of Grapevine Lake.

About 5:30-6:00 p.m. I was dropped off back at home. But alas, the day was not over. I decided to run over to Kroger for some munchies, and called a nearby friend. I then went over to her house and the two of us sat looking out over her balconette enjoying the beautiful spring evening while visiting and sharing. One of those iron sharpening iron type of conversations.

As I got home and went to bed, I realized that my unplanned day had turned out to be one of the best mini-celebrations yet…new friends and good friends. A great combination to life!

Oh…and I didn’t forget my mom. I sang to her voicemail machine and then talked to her on Tuesday.

To honor our moms, this month I’m giving away three mini-celebration prizes. Mommy Pick-Me-Ups: Refreshing Stories to Lighten Your Load by Edna Ellison and Linda Gilden, Be Joyful…Who Me? by Annetta Dellinger, and Joy Bursts from the Heart: Prayer-Spirations flipbook by Annetta Dellinger. A random drawing will be held on Wednesday, May 20 from those who post their comments here on the blog.

__________________________________________

 I hope to see you on May 22-23 at the Garland Special Events Center in Garland, TX for Thelma Well’s READY TO WIN Conference. Speakers will include Thelma “Mama T” Wells, Allison Bottke, Ellie Kay, Marcia Ramsland, Danna Demetre, Joanna Faillace, Michael & Heidi O’Brien, Gail Hayes, and Penny Crosson. Music by Jenifer Thigpen, Anthony Evans, and more! TICKETS ARE FREE. Get your’s today at http://thelmawells.com/rtw-may-conference.php.

Holocaust Remembrance Day is April 21, 2009.

The Secret Holocaust Diaries by Nonna Bannister, Denise George and Carolyn Tomlin (Tyndale House Publishers)

Nonna Bannister appeared to be a typical American housewife. She married Henry, the love of her life, in 1951 and together they raised three children in Memphis, Tennessee. But Nonna was far from average. For half a century, she kept her story secret while living a normal life.  She locked all of her photos, documents, diaries, and dark memories from World War II in a trunk in her attic. 

Tyndale House Publishers announces the publication of The Secret Holocaust Diaries: The Untold Story of Nonna Bannister written by Nonna Bannister with Denise George and Carolyn Tomlin (April 2009, Tyndale House), the haunting eyewitness account of Nonna Lisowskaja Bannister, a remarkable Russian girl who saw and survived unspeakable evils during World War II.

The Secret Holocaust Diaries is written by Nonna although she passed away in 2004. Did she write the book before she died?

Yes, she slipped up into the attic each night, translated her diaries (from several different languages), and recorded them in English onto yellow legal pads. Much later, after she told her husband, Henry, about her incredible past, she showed him the stacks of yellow legal pads on which she had translated her diaries and recorded her thoughts about her past, and he typed them up into a manuscript.

Would Nonna have liked to see her book published before she died?

Nonna translated her diary into English and her husband, Henry, typed the manuscript. However, she requested the diary not be published until at least 2 or 3 years after she died. Henry honored this request. (She died in 2004.) The story was very painful and reminded her of the suffering her family endured. When she came to America in 1950 she was overwhelmed by her new life. She was determined to make a new life for herself and to give her husband and children a happy home. 

Nonna came from a privileged family. Are there any interesting stories of people her ancestors knew?

Nonna’s family “ran with” the upper crust in the Ukraine and Russia. Her mother and father were educated in Russia’s great cultural city, St. Petersburg. Nonna’s grandmother and grandfather knew the last Tsar, Nicholas II, and Nonna kept a postcard sent by him (shortly before his death) to her grandfather, Jakob, for his birthday (dated 1913?). Jakob was killed during the Revolution while trying to help Russian families escape.

Nonna writes in her diary of living on the ”Chekov Lane” in Taganrog, the street where Russian writer Anton Chekov (1860–1904) had once lived.

The family also visited often the boy Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (nicknamed “Sasha”) and his mother, Taissia. She and Nonna’s mother, Anna, were good friends. They enjoyed giving concerts and playing the violin and piano. Nonna writes of eating ice cream with her mother and Taissia, and spending the night in the Solzhenitsyn home during a thunderstorm. Alexander was older that Nonna, studying at the university.

Many people assume most of the people killed by the Nazis were Jewish. Was Nonna’s family Jewish?

Although it is estimated that approximately 6 million Jews were killed by the Nazis, other nationalities experienced suffering and death, also. Nonna’s family was Russian and owned seven grain mills and homes in southern Russia and the Ukraine. Her father, Yevgeny, and his family were from Warsaw, Poland, which included a large population of Jews. Due to border restrictions, Nonna never met her father’s family. Yevgeny never told Nonna and her brother, Anatoly, if his family was Jewish. If the children didn’t know, they could not let it slip. The admission of being Jewish could have meant deportation or certain death. There is speculation, but no one is certain.

Nonna saved many documents from her time at Nazi camps; what are these artifacts?

In a small ticking pillow she kept tied around her waist, she kept many one inch square photos of her family and friends in the Ukraine. She also kept her small childhood diary. On tiny slips of paper, she wrote her experiences (in diary form) and also kept these in the little pillow. Later she kept all these in a small trunk, which she painted bright green.

When Nonna finally revealed her secret, was her family shocked?

Henry knew there was something about her past that she didn’t want to talk about. Being a patient man, he never pressed her to speak about this secret. As they grew older, he asked her to write down some things about her family—so their children would know their heritage. After months of secretly translating her diary (written in several different languages) she took him to the attic, open the little green trunk and showed him her family’s photos and the yellow legal pages of the translated diary. Henry was astonished at what he saw.

Why did Nonna keep her devastating secret for so many years?

Nonna kept her secret past from her family/friends because she had, at last, found such happiness with her husband, Henry, and her three children. She didn’t want to express her past pain–she didn’t want it to interrupt the family’s happiness and cast a shadow of despair over them.

The diaries themselves were written in several languages and some were on scraps of paper. How did she go about transcribing them?

Nonna learned English after she came to America in 1950. This became her primary language. She realized they should be transcribed in English so Henry could type the pages. He spent several years typing these notes after work and on weekends.

The miniature black/white photos, the diaries, the notes from the prison camp, her mother’s letters from the concentration camps, and other documents were organized and put into chapters for a book—one she hoped would be published after her death.

What can people of Christian faith or Jewish faith/descent take from The Secret Holocaust Diaries?

That grave injustice exists–Nonna learned that from the Red Army (who killed many of her family members) and Hitler’s army (who also killed many of her family members and imprisoned her in a labor camp). But that God’s love and forgiveness for those who hurt us are stronger than even Hitler’s evil and injustice. Nonna came out of the whole experience with her heart still filled with love. She experienced none of the bitterness and hatred that some Jewish Holocaust survivors have held onto. She was able to marry, raise children, and bring them much joy and happiness through her own love and through introducing them to God’s love.

Why did Nonna feel it was so important to share her story?

The Secret Holocaust Diaries: The Untold Story of Nonna Bannister is a true story of a young Russian girl whose family was caught up in the Russian Revolution and in World War II. In spite of the injustice inflicted on her family and millions of others, it is a story of love and forgiveness. Nonna wanted others to know the horrors that occurred during the Hitler and Stalin era so that it might never happen again.

Nonna felt compelled to tell her story because she was an eyewitness to many dramatic events, and she was the only survivor of her entire family.

Late in life, Nonna unlocked her trunk filled with memories from World War II first for her husband, and now for the rest of the world. Nonna’s story is one of suffering, torture, and death—but also of incredible acts of kindness that show the ultimate triumph of faith and love over despair and evil. The Secret Holocaust Diaries is in part a tragedy, yet ultimately it’s an unforgettable true story about forgiveness, courage, and hope.

Please leave a comment below on this post and your name will be entered into a random drawing for one free copy (United States residents only, please). The drawing will be held on Wednesday, April 22 at Noon CST.

Greetings 02.10.2010 Clubbers!

This month’s mini-celebration was a multi-part, multi-day adventure. It wasn’t planned that way (that’s part of the fun). It was partly due to Friday being Good Friday.

PART ONE: A spontaneous decision to go see the movie, “Knowing” – the latest movie starring Nicolas Cage.

Movie Synopis: “In 1958, as part of the dedication ceremony for a new elementary school, a group of students is asked to draw pictures to be stored in a time capsule. But one mysterious girl fills her sheet of paper with rows of apparently random numbers instead. Fifty years later, a new generation of students examines the capsule’s contents and the girl’s cryptic message ends up in the hands of young Caleb Koestler. But it is Caleb’s father, professor John Koestler, who makes the startling discovery that the encoded message predicts with pinpoint accuracy the dates, death tolls and coordinates of every major disaster of the past 50 years. As Ted further unravels the document’s chilling secrets, he realizes the document foretells three additional events–the last of which hints at destruction on a global scale and seems to somehow involve Ted and his son. When Ted’s attempts to alert the authorities fall on deaf ears, he takes it upon himself to try to prevent more destruction from taking place. With the reluctant help of Diana Wayland and Abby Wayland, the daughter and granddaughter of the now-deceased author of the prophecies, Ted’s increasingly desperate efforts take him on a heart-pounding race against time until he finds himself facing the ultimate disaster–and the ultimate sacrifice.” Source

I’m glad that I went to see this movie WITH a friend! We had discussed seeing this one several times. We knew Nicolas Cage was in it, but not much else. I’m not a huge fan of dark fiction, however, a little dab I can handle. This movie had a few scenes where I either had to cover my eyes or watch the exit sign until they were over (i.e. men in dark coats standing at the edge of the woods…watching). Filled with symbolism to help give clues to the prophecy of the page of numbers, my friend and I got lost along the way and yet by the end of the movie, we both had almost wished we had stayed lost. I think every nerve in my entire body was standing on end by the time the credits started rolling. I would not recommend this movie for the faint of heart.

PART TWO: Celebrating Resurrection Day at my church, Heartland World Ministries Church. The choir did a fabulous job under the director of Pastor Floyd Ellsworth. Leeann Morris sang “We Shall Behold Him” and I think we almost did – BEAUTIFUL! The children’s STICKS choir did a great job of their song too! Then Pastor Steve preached about Mary Magdelene – and how she was a WITNESS to all the events of Jesus’ life – and how we are to be witnesses. The church also launched a brand new web site for those who are looking to find their way back home — PRODIGALSONLY.COM.

PART THREE: Today started before dawn cracked – I was up and at ‘em at 5:00 a.m. But alas, please don’t feel sorry for as there was a special treat at the W while I had the fun and pleasure of accompanying Allison Bottke as she was doing a live interview on WFAA’s Good Morning Texas! “The No So Perfect Parent” segment with host, Paige McCoy Smith. The topic was “Setting Boundaries with Your Adult Children” as it applies to our economic times. The link to the interview will be available soon. In the meantime, you can read the blog post at http://www.beloblog.com/parent/. The TV studio is located at Victory Park and has huge billboard size outdoor screens. How exciting to see a 40 foot tall Allison!  

WATCH NOW – CLICK HERE

So another great mini-celebration as this journey takes me closer and closer to hitting the Big 50 with all the gusto, grace, and glory I can give it.

A LIVE Webcast with Allison Bottke

Your son was laid off and he and your daughter-in-law lost their home. Your daughter left her husband and wants to come home to live—with her three children, two dogs and one cat. Your grandchild quit college and wants to move in with you for “just a little while.” Your adult child has asked you to take out a mortgage on your home to help them save theirs. What do loving parents do? Should we say, “yes?” Is this really the best thing we can do?

You’re not alone! All over America adult children are facing financial challenges in record numbers.

Whether we are on a fixed income or blessed with abundant financial resources, whether their request is for $20 or $20,000, is it wise to come to the rescue with our checkbook? Join Allison in April for a live webcast you won’t want to miss!

Have we become the First Bank of Mom and Dad or the Community Bank of Grandpa and Grandma.? In today’s economy, can funneling unlimited funds to our adult child not only cause them harm but also force us into bankruptcy—or worse?

This program starts with Allison talking for 40-45 minutes giving you vital tools and tips to set hard and fast rules to keep your SANITY during the recession. She will teach you how to develop a written PLAN OF ACTION to help you set strong boundaries during this shaky economy, using downloadable pdfs. Then for approximately 15-20 minutes Allison will answer your personal questions and concerns which you emailed to her before the program. (She will try to answer as many questions as she can during this section of the program)

It’s time to stop living in the never-ending drama and chaos that often surrounds our adult children. Allison’s 6 Steps to SANITY program is empowering people around the world to use the principles of SANITY to make choices that will forever change their lives. Join Allison as she shares how the 6 Steps to SANITY can be incorporated into your daily walk, bringing you hope and healing.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see Allison Bottke LIVE from the comfort of your own home or office computer. One-Hour Evening Session / Thursday, April 16: 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM CST

REGISTER NOW…TELL A FRIEND IN NEED, HELP CHANGE SOMEONE’S LIFE TODAY!

Paige McCoy Smith interviewing Allison Bottke on WFAA's Good Morning Texas!