This week on Kitchen Chat: Dr. Lew Sterrett

Welcome to this week's Kitchen Chat - Be sure to tune in on Friday at 11:00AM Central! To listen, follow the link and click on the player in the upper right hand corner.

Not just for horse lovers! Join me on Thursday as I interview Dr. Lew Sterrett - a fascinating man who has been a positive influence in the lives of many through his Miracle Mountain Ranch.
ABOUT THE BOOK!
Distributed by Kregel Publications: A champion trainer and true horse whisperer, Dr. Lew Sterrett has used patience and a firm but gentle hand to earn the trust of more than 3,500 horses. In this book, Lew tells the stories of his work with these horses and the lessons each one has taught him.
Sometimes heartbreaking and often uplifting, Lew has condensed his lifetime of learning into messages for the Christian life. Today, Lew shares these messages with more than 50,000 people each year through horse training presentations at Miracle Mountain Ranch and nationally through his Sermon on the Mount Ministry.
The author's engaging style and adroit mixture of well-tested anecdotes and thoughtful instruction make this a winning read-and not just for horse lovers. Read an excerpt!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Lew Sterrett (Ph. D) had little idea that his boyhood interest in horses would open doors internationally for speaking and training. During his years in 4-H, he savored many opportunities to train and show horses and earn national recognition. As a student leader at Penn State University he benefited from many mentoring relationships from which he received valuable training, experience and honors. This foundation provided a basis for an extensive horse career with a unique emphasis on training youth and community leaders.

Lew has served as the Executive Director of Miracle Mountain Ranch Missions, Inc. (MMRM) since 1977. MMRM, located in northwestern Pennsylvania, is home for a summer youth camp, and a leadership training center for youth, adult, and family groups. He has also promoted safety in public riding programs, serving as President of the Certified Horse Association for 7 years. A licensed pastor, certified Youth, Marriage and Family Counselor, he earned his PhD from North Tennessee Seminary in 2007. For more about Lew and Miracle Mountain Ranch visit his website.

Win a copy of Lew's book by leaving a comment {HERE}. We'll randomly select one winner. The winner will be notified by email, please be sure to include your email address.

Friday on Kitchen Chat: Kristen Jane Anderson

I'm so excited to share my guest with you this week - she's an AMAZING woman who has radically reoriented her life to be a source of encouragement to those who have lost all hope. Kristen has shared her story on Oprah, the 700 Club, and all across the country. Her Reaching You Ministries is a vital outreach to those considering suicide. Don't miss this show!

About Kristin: Kristen Jane Anderson has been featured on Oprah and is a popular speaker at colleges, women's and youth events, churches, and suicide prevention outreaches. A graduate of Moody Bible Institute and the founder of Reaching You Ministries, Kristen seeks to help those who are hurting, hopeless, lost, suicidal and depressed.

About Life, In Spite of Me: Co-written with Tricia Goyer After her fatal choice… extraordinary hope.

Kristen Anderson thought she had the picture perfect life until strokes of gray dimmed her outlook on life. Once a happy child, Kristen’s world darkened after three friends and her grandmother died within two years. Still reeling from these losses, she was raped by a friend she thought she could trust. She soon spiraled into a depression that didn't seem to have a bottom.

One January night, the seventeen-year-old made a decision: She no longer wanted to deal with the emotional pain that smothered her. She lay down on a set of cold railroad tracks and waited—for a freight train to send her to heaven…and peace.

Amazingly, Kristen survived her suicide attempt… but the 33 freight cars that ran over her severed her legs. Now she not only had to deal with depression; she also had to face the physical pain and life without legs.

But Kristen's story didn't end there. After her darkest days Kristen discovered a real purpose for living. Now, in her compelling book Life, In Spite of Me, Kristen shares her journey from despair to hope.

Includes letters from Kristen that share messages she wishes someone would have told her—when she was depressed and struggling with loss, shame from sexual abuse, and suicidal thoughts.

To win a copy of Kristin's book leave a comment {HERE} along with your email address. One name will be drawn at random to receive Life, In Spite of Me. The winner will be announced here and be notified via email.

About Reaching You Ministries: Depression and Suicide are an epidemic in our culture today.

These are the Sad Facts:

19 million American struggle with depression and two out of three people with depression never seek help.

More than 800,000 people attempt suicide every year in America and more than 32,000 of them die. That's 89 lives lost every day!

8 out of 10 teenagers think about suicide, 1 of those 8 tries. Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death for those aged 24-34.

Our Mission:

Our mission is to reach the hurting, the hopeless, the lost, the suicidal and the depressed with the life transforming hope and leadership offered to us in Christ.

Our History:

In 2003 Kristen Jane Anderson was asked to share the story of her transformation with the high school youth group in her church. More speaking requests soon followed. In response to the many reaching out to Kristen who were struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts, Kristen started Reaching You Ministries in December of 2004. Quickly, Reaching You grew beyond Kristen's wildest dreams. God opened doors for us to reach and help thousands with the love, hope, healing, and leadership of Christ through Kristen's story. With the publication of her book “Life, In Spite Of Me” in May of 2010, Kristen is praying that Reaching You's impact will be bigger than ever before, that lives would be saved, and that God's goodness would be made known to many. Find out more at www.reachingyouministries.com

Robin Jones Gunn interview rescheduled

Just a quick note to let you know that Robin's interview is being rescheduled. The server is down at Toginet and they are not broadcasting today.

Thanks for understanding and have a great weekend!

This week on Kitchen Chat: Robin Jones Gunn

Don't miss Kitchen Chat this week - beloved author Robin Jones Gunn will be on the show sharing about her latest book and the writing life. Robin is also a Pearl Girl, don't miss her essay in Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace. Robin is such an encourager, she has been such a gift to me on my writing journey.

Robin Jones Gunn is a best-selling, Award Winning Author, and International Speaker
Over the past two decades Robin has written 70 books including the popular Christy Miller Series for teens and the Sisterchicks® Series for women. Combined sales of all her titles have reached over 4 million with translations in seven different languages. Robin has won numerous awards for her work including three Christy Awards for excellence in fiction and finalist for the Gold Medallion.


As a sought after speaker, Robin has appeared in public auditoriums from Helsinki to Hawaii and Brazil to Belfast. She serves on the Board for Jerry Jenkins’ Christian Writers’ Guild and for Media Associates International. Married for over 34 years, Robin and her husband live near Portland, Oregon and have a married son and a grown daughter. For more about Robin and her books please visit, http://www.robingunn.com

Robin will be giving away a copy of her latest book, Under a Maui Moon. To enter to win, simply leave a comment {HERE}. We'll select one name at random to win. The winner will be notified via email so be sure to leave your email address too.

About Under a Maui Moon: Fans of the Sisterchicks® books will love this new destination novel written for midlife women.

Carissa doesn't know who she is anymore. She and her husband, Richard, are recent empty nesters; Richard is spending more and more time at work counseling his volatile clients and less time at home with his wife; his clients are starting to show up at the house at night causing Carissa to feel scared in her own home; and to top it all off, Carissa's boss informs her that she's been “let go.” She wonders where God is in all of this since He doesn't seem to be around to protect her—and she's already stopped trusting her husband.

In the midst of her world tilting off center, she's offered time at a hideaway on Maui. Hiding seems like the best way to respond to life's overload, and the thought of being alone sounds like just the right balm to soothe her wounded heart.

The languid Hawaiian sun, white beaches, and warm-hearted people bring respite, but meeting handsome Kai causes Carissa to toy with the idea of being romantically involved with him. Then, under a Maui moon, she looks to God for guidance and hope for the future. That's when she discovers His hand still is on her life, and that love is closer than she ever realized.

Tomorrow on Kitchen Chat: Pat Williams, Robert Beeson, & Stephen Kendrick

Welcome to this week's Kitchen Chat - Be sure to tune in on Friday at 11:00AM Central! To listen, follow the link and click on the player in the upper right hand corner.

We've got an exciting lineup today! A few weeks ago I attended the International Christian Retail Show in St. Louis, Missouri where I had the privilege of interviewing several wonderful authors - three of which will are being featured today.

Pat Williams: Professional Sports Team, Orlando Magic Co-Founder --Pat Wiliams, senior vice president and cofounder of the Orlando Magic, author of The Leadership Wisdom of Solomon (Oct. 2010). Williams' book applies King Solomon’s ancient insights to the high-speed world in which we live. He is the best-selling author of more than 55 books, and a sought-after motivational speaker, and the senior vice president and cofounder of the Orlando Magic. Pat and his wife, Ruth, are parents to nineteen children. For more about Pat, visit his website: http://www.patwilliamsmotivate.com/

About The Leadership Wisdom of Solomon: King Solomon transformed the tiny tribal nation of Israel into an economic and military superpower. His brilliance as an international financier made Israel the wealthiest nation of the ancient world. He led Israel into its Golden Age.

And he did it with integrity.

King Solomon left us twenty-eight profound leadership strategies—as valid today as when the proverbs were written. The same extraordinary wisdom that transformed Solomon's world can revolutionize every aspect of leadership for any CEO, manager, pastor, coach, military strategist, or government leader.

In The Leadership Wisdom of Solomon, Pat Williams, senior vice president of the NBA's Orlando Magic, applies Solomon's ancient insights to the high-speed world in which we live. The study sections promote discussion and prompt immediate action.
Robert Beeson: Robert Beeson grew up in South Africa a son of missionaries. He returned to the USA as a teen and lauched Christian record label Essential Records in Southern California in 1992. After selling the rock/alternative music label to Brentwood Music/Zomba Records (which eventually became Provident Label Group, a unit of SONY) a few years later, he relocated to Nashville where he served as the label president, developing artists as diverse as Jars of Clay, Third Day, Caedmon’s Call, Bebo Norman and FFH. Beeson was promoted to Sr. VP of A&R for Provident Label Group in 2003, where he oversaw the careers of Casting Crowns, Michael W. Smith and Leeland, among others. Though all was going exceptionally well, he eventually decided to step down and create a music/multimedia ministry geared specifically towards the tween marketplace - and in 2008, iShine was born. More about Robert here! http://robertbeeson.com/?page_id=153

ABOUT ISHINE:
iShine is a faith-based entertainment company that develops products and properties specifically for the tween market. iShine impacts tweens through music (iShine Records), television (iShine KNECT), concerts (iShine Live tour), the web (iShineLive.com) and additional resources for parents and tweens. Since 2008, iShine has taken it’s tour nationwide, launched 16 CD/DVD releases and they just completed production on season two of the Saturday morning TV series iShine KNECT, which reaches an estimated 1 million viewers each week on TBN. The iShine Records (Provident/Sony Distribution) roster includes singer/actor Luke Benward (How to Eat Fried Worms, Because of Winn-Dixie), The Rubyz, Mission Six, Kylie Jean, Paige Armstrong and Jasmine – winner of Radio Disney’s Next Big Thing! iShine has partnered with The Salvation Army, Make a Wish Foundation, American Heritage Girls, World Vision and more. For more information, visit www.ishinelive.com.

Learn more about Robert’s vision for the next generation by watching the short but powerful video “Am I Your Child?” here: http://robertbeeson.com/?page_id=136.

Stephen Kendrick: Stephen Kendrick is a senior associate pastor of preaching at Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. He helped establish Sherwood Pictures in 2003 and has served as co-writer and producer for each of its films: Flywheel, Facing the Giants, and Fireproof. Stephen has spoken about his work on ABC World News Tonight and CNN and in The Washington Post and American Profile magazine among others. Currently earning a master of divinity degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, he lives in Albany with his wife and three children.

About The Love Dare: In the movie FIREPROOF, a couple dares to rescue their choking marriage from the flames of divorce and temptation using The Love Dare book as a guide. Now you can take the experience of the film one step further with your own copy of The Love Dare book. This daily devotional steers you through the fiery challenge of developing a strong, committed marriage in a world that threatens to burn it to the ground.

The Love Dare personally leads you through daily devotionals, records your thoughts and experiences, and ends each day daring you to perform a simple act of love for your spouse. This 40-Day journey equips you to melt hardened, separated hearts into an enduring love that can withstand the flames of fear, pride and temptation. The Love Dare book will help you reinforce and enrich your marriage, earn back a love you thought was lost, and hear more about the One who not only designed unconditional, sacrificial love—He illustrated it.

In a world that attacks, devalues, and redefines relationships every day, learn how to rescue and protect your marriage from the firestorm. http://thelovedarebook.com/

The Weight of Shadows.

The title intrigued me. The Weight of Shadows. A profound description of how the heaviness of one’s past can remain a burden in the present.

I met the author, Alison Strobel last year at ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) Conference. We sat at the same table, and I shared with her a copy of my compilation Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit Experiencing Grace. We talked about how the proceeds from my book goes to Wings www.wingsprogram.com to help fund a safe house in the Chicago suburbs. Alison then told me about Weight of Shadows and how it addresses the pain of domestic violence. Here is a poignant trailer about this compelling book: http://www.alisonstrobel.com/trailers

As you turn the pages, you will immediately be drawn into the story and stay up late to read each word. This gripping novel explores how the choices we make—and the courage we find to forgive—can touch the lives of others forever.

Leave a comment on this blog post, and you will be entered to possibly win a copy of The Weight of Shadows. Also, on July 18th, Alison will choose one commenter from the blog tour to either receive either autographed copies of her first three books or a gift card to a favorite bookstore.

Visit her website: www.alisonstrobel.com for more exciting details about her books and ebooks.

Have a great 4th of July!