WOW {Warm Oven Wednesday} Chalupa Roast

3-5 lbs roast, coated in chili powder

Layer in crockpot as follows:

 Roast

1 chopped onion

2 1/2 cups dry pinto beans

2 cans rotel

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can green chilies

1/2 tsp oregano

2 tsp salt

1 cup water

DO NOT STIR.  Cook on low 16 hours.  After cooking, stir, shredding roast.  Serve with tortillas, cheese, sour cream, etc.

Tuesday Teaser

 Tuesday Teaser (hosted by MizB @ Should Be Reading) Here are the rules:

• Grab your current read
• Let the book fall open to a random page
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

BUT BE AWARE: DO NOT GIVEAWAY SPOILERS! CHANGE PAGES IF NEEDED IF THAT PAGE GIVES AWAY SPOILERS! 

 Currently Reading:  Don't Make Me Come Up There! Quiet Moments for Busy Moms 

My Teaser:  I'm my mother's age when I thought she was old.  My oldest is halfway grown, with a little sister in her footsteps.  Time passes so quickly and my time with them will turn from authority to influence.

page 78

How about you? What teasing lines do you have to draw a fellow reader to the book you're reading?

COTT: Clash Of The Titles

Title: Why Do We Love Bad Guys?

by Amanda Flower



Every story needs a good bad guy or well-crafted antagonist. Both of our Clashers this week have created great ones. However, my question for you, dear readers, is “Why do we love bad guys?” What is it about them that makes us keep turning the page?



I’ll tell you why I love them.



1. They demonstrate the ongoing battle between good and evil, between justice and injustice. Hopefully good/justice prevails in the end.



2. They give you someone to dislike. I love disliking characters in books. These characters don’t have to be truly awful people either. It could be a character as simple as a snippy next door neighbor or a rude co-worker.



3. They are flawed. In some cases, horribly flawed. However, they reminded us all that we are flawed as well.



4. They keep the story more interesting. Of course, we want our protagonist to triumph in the end, but antagonists cause conflict and conflict creates a plot that gives us a story to read.



5. Sometimes, they transform and leave their antagonistic ways. They can be forgiven and demonstrate God’s power to forgive even the worst of humanity.



Those are my reasons. Now, share yours.



Get to know this week's authors all week at Clash of the Titles and be entered to win a free book.



bio: Amanda Flower  is an academic librarian for a small college in Ohio. Her first novel, Maid of Murder, was released in 2010. When she is not at the library or writing her next mystery, she is an avid traveler, aspiring to visit as much of the globe as she can

She is the author of Maid of Murder



For His glory,
Michelle Massaro, COTT Assistant Editor
Adventures In Writing
Clash of the Titles

Groundwire

Are you compassionate and caring?

Are you a good listener?

Do you want to share the message of hope with others?

Groundwire needs you!

Teens today can be overwhelmed searching for meaning amidst depressing hopelessness, negative self-image, and the pressure to be perfect. Groundwire, a current and innovative outreach, has become a ministry where teens find comfort, guidance, and answers delivered through multi-media communication. Groundwire leverages media and technology to meet teens exactly where they are — viewing, listening, texting, or chatting — and to invite them to voice their questions and struggles so they can find answers in the message of the Gospel.

The ministry builds its impact through broadcasting that strategically places television and radio spots on secular stations. Teens listening to popular radio broadcasts or viewing favorite shows on networks like MTV, VH1, Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim programming, and Comedy Central are interrupted by direct spots. These spots catch their attention, resonating with where they are today. Teens responding to the broadcast messages are invited to visit Groundwire’s website where they can chat with a live spiritual coach available day and night, as well as find a collection of resources such as podcasts by Groundwire’s founder and executive director, Sean Dunn, and daily devotionals.

To meet the needs of hurting teenagers across the country, Groundwire is looking for additional online coaches. Are you interested?

FAQ’s regarding volunteer spiritual coaches

What is Groundwire?

Groundwire is an international ministry aimed at broadcasting hope to students all over the world by leveraging the most effective media formats.  Their radio spots are heard on both mainstream and Christian stations and their TV commercials are aired on MTV, VH1 and the Cartoon Network among others.  Each spot points their audience to the Groundwire website where spiritual coaches are available to answer questions, encourage with biblical hope and pray for chatters.

What is the Coaching Line?

www.grounwire.net does not simply offer content, but conversation.  The coaching line is an instant message platform that connects chatters with trained coaches in order to provide one-to-one real time conversation.   Volunteers all over the world offer their time and talents in order to meet the needs of those searching.

Who is capable of being a spiritual coach?

Spiritual coaches are sold-out Believers who are committed to the Great Commission and love people.  They realize that although they are not perfect, God can and desires to speak through them and they realize that technology offers amazing opportunities to minister to people all over the world.  Coaches need to be over eighteen and willing to submit to a background check and go through the necessary training. 

What are some of the needed qualities of a coach?

Compassionate, teachable, good listener, sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading, patient, resilient and authentic.

What type of commitment are you looking for?

The typical coach offers two to four hours weekly on line, however some offer up to ten.  Coaches set their own schedule on a monthly basis and coordinate with team leaders to offer the line sufficient coverage.

Can I coach from home?

Once a coach has been trained and given their log in information they can offer support from any location with internet connectivity.

Who would I be talking to?

Although Groundwire media buys are aimed at youth and young adults, and the majority of chats are in that age range, chatters have ranged from eleven to sixty-seven years of age and from over one hundred countries.  The issues are very diverse ranging from the extremely depressed and suicidal person to the fifteen year old who is struggling with relationships.

What does the training look like?

Training begins when an application is completed and returned to the Director of Coaching.  From that point the majority of training is done online and consists of learning how to deal with the different types of conversations that might take place. There are a series of written responses that take place in email format and then an online mock chat as well.

What type of oversight is offered?

In order to protect the integrity of the Groundwire mission and message, layers of organization and accountability are built into our procedures.  Coaches are encouraged and offered additional training on an ongoing basis.   Each chat is read to protect volunteers from accusations of inappropriate behavior as well as to ensure a consistent message is being presented.  Each coach is assigned a team lead that will act as a mentor in an ongoing manner.

How will this benefit me as a person?

Seeing God speak through you to comfort someone who is struggling builds your confidence.  On top of that the skills and discernment you will discover as you serve the Lord in this type of face to face ministry translate into your everyday life and the other areas where you serve.

Let your audience know how they can become Groundwire spiritual coaches!

For more information or to get download an application, visit www.groundwire.net/coaching.

Free Kindle Books!

FREE: PAPER ROSES!

FREE: THE EDGE OF LIGHT

FREE: LEOTA'S GARDEN

Heart of Ice (A Triple Threat Novel) {Thomas Nelson} by Lisa Wiehl with April Henry

Book Description:  Fans of James Patterson's Women's Murder Club books will find the same friendly crime-solving vibe in Wiehl and Henry's appealing third Triple Threat novel (after Hand of Fate) featuring federal prosecutor Allison Pierce, FBI special agent Nicole Hedges, and Portland, Ore., TV crime reporter Cassidy Shaw. At the Portland Fitness Center, Cassidy joins the boot camp class run by the beautiful instructor Elizabeth Avery, unaware that Elizabeth served time in a juvenile facility for two horrific crimes committed at age 13 when she was known as Sissy Hewsom. The icy sociopath has already had her fellow former inmate, firebug Joey Decicco, burn down the home of Sara McCloud, her gorgeous lawyer boyfriend's money-grubbing ex-wife, and Elizabeth now wants Sara and Sara's small son, Noah, dead. The authors smoothly bring together the various story lines, including a sharp subplot centered on Nic's breast cancer diagnosis. -- Publishers Weekly

My Review:  Lis Wiehl and April Henry have done it again!  A triple threat, triple home run of a read!  Having read Hand of Fate I couldn't wait to read Heart of Ice!

It you're new to the Triple Threat novels then let me introduce you to three friends:  Allison who is a prosecutor, Cassidy the TV news reporter and Nicole (Nic) the FBI agent.

Three close friends who love the Triple Threat Chocolate dessert!  They are once again involved in solving a case of arson and murder.

Then there are the subplots of this wonderful read:  Allison must confront here sister, Lindsay, and her drug addiction. Nicole (Nic) is faced with the possible breast cancer, surgeries and treatments, and Cassidy joins a boot camp class at her fitness center where she meets the instructor, Elizabeth.

Elizabeth is the epitome of deviously beautiful.  But people only see the beautiful outside package.  Is Elizabeth a threat or is she merely a pawn in this ugly scheme?!?!

Nicole's courage to face an unbeatable enemy, cancer, is at.times. a real tear jerker!  Going through the process of a possible mastectomy brings the three friends closer.  

Three strong, courageous ladies ready to meet the challenges thrown there way with a little romance to sweeten the day.

Each of the Triple Threat Novels are stand alone reads; however, they are rather addicting when you get to know these ladies and want to follow their lives.  If you enjoy reading mystery/suspense then you'll want to read this book!  

*This book was provided for review by Thomas Nelson/BookSneeze*

Buy Book Amazon!

About the Authors:

Lis Weihl

Lis Wiehl is a Harvard Law School graduate and former federal prosecutor. A widely popular legal analyst and commentator for the Fox News Channel, Wiehl appears regularly on The O'Reilly Factor and was co-host with Bill O'Reilly on the widely-syndicated radio show, The Radio Factor, for the past seven years. April Henry has written seven mysteries and thrillers. Her books have been short-listed for the Agatha Award, the Anthony Award, and the Oregon Book Award. Two have been chosen for BookSense. April lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and daughter.

April Henry                 

                                                                                                                                                                I write mysteries and thrillers. I live in Portland, Oregon with my family.

When I was 12, I sent a short story about a six-foot tall frog who loved peanut butter to Roald Dahl, the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He took it to lunch and showed it to the editor of an international children's magazine - and she asked to publish the story! (For no money, which might have been a warning about how hard it is to make a living writing.)

My dream of writing went dormant until I was in my 30s, working at a corporate job, and started writing books on the side. Those first few years are now thankfully a blur. Now I'm very lucky to make a living doing what I love. I have written ten novels for adults and teens, with more on the way. My books have gotten starred reviews, been picked for Booksense, translated into four languages, been named to state reading lists, and short-listed for the Oregon Book Award. And Face of Betrayal, which I co-wrote with Lis Wiehl, was on the New York Times bestseller list for four weeks in 2009.

I also review YA literature and mysteries and thrillers for the Oregonian, and have written articles for both The Writer and Writers Digest.

Look for Heart of Ice (co-written with Lis Wiehl) in early April, and a teen thriller, The Night She Disappeared, in January 2012.

APRIL FOOL'S DAY FUN! Leave a Caption-Contest! Win a Book!

I love this picture from National Geographic's Best of 2010!  

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and best caption will win this book:

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Contest ends April 15, 2011!

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