What a blessed week we had in Atlanta at the International Christian Retail Show. I love getting on the plane after a trip where I’ve seen the Lord at work in such powerful ways. As the plane was on the runway I pulled out my camera as I often do. Most of you know by now that I am totally into digital photography and one thing I never get tired of doing is taking pictures from above as the plane gets off the ground. I just think the view is amazing. Things look so different when you look at them from above. This is a deep spiritual truth - we are encouraged by the Lord to view things from the eternal perspective - “so we fix out eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18) and “we live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Look at these amazing clouds. I’ve been taking pictures of clouds since I got my first camera at about the age of five. I just think clouds are amazing and I can just never get enough of such views. We would never have seen these clouds had we not taken off in that plane and gotten the “view from above.” What an amazing and spectacular view we had here - the view from above. And so it is when we fix our eyes on the Lord’s eternal perspective in the Bible - we gain an incredible view of Him that we would never get if we stayed in the mire of the temporal. May we all catch the eternal view from above today and take a snapshot of it from God’s Word for our mind and heart.
This morning I read in Daily Light the following words from Psalm 37:23 and had to smile, “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives” (NLT). Yesterday contained a lot of “steps” and many “details” as my final full day at ICRS was filled with meetings, interviews, and “walking the floor” of the convention center. I love Psalm 37:23 because here we truly see God’s eternal perspective about the importance of the big things as well as the “small” things of life. I put the word “small” in quotes because sometimes it’s those little things that turn out to be a lot more important than we could have ever even imagined. That is why it is so critical that we give our best in everything as we run the race set before us. A perfect example was an interview I had yesterday morning for my new book, Walking With The God Who Cares. I studied for that interview as I always do and then gave it my very best. The set was unusual, at least to me, because I was the only one on camera, and not the interviewer who was asking the questions. I thought in my mind, being the tech person that I am - I wonder how they’re going to edit this one? Later I discovered that this was a pre-interview for the James Robison Show - how cool is that! So let’s pray that the Lord opens that door.
After that interview I had lunch and then walked the floor of the convention center. As you can see, it is vast and there is much to see. I can tell you right now I did not see it all. But I did have the opportunity to see a lot of the new books and products coming out this year. I enjoyed seeing the new editions of the English Standard Version Bible and also saw a beautiful edition of the New American Standard Bible - Updated Edition in Calfskin leather. Of course, my favorite edition of the New American Standard Bible is the Inductive Study Bible - lots of room to write notes and if you have one there are even instructions on how to mark key words and do observation studies as taught by Kay Arthur of Precept Ministries.
Speaking of Kay Arthur, here she is, signing her book, A Marriage Without Regrets. It was fun to see her at this year’s ICRS and I did have the opportunity to talk with her a bit. Of course, we share the same passion to see others “know and love the Bible.” A guy walked up to me a little later at the Harvest House booth and asked if Kay Arthur was there. I said, “You just missed her.” Then, I told him it was a divine appointment though and I introduced myself and told him about Quiet Time Ministries and my new book and said that I shared Kay Arthur’s passion for the Word of God. He asked me where our ministry is based and I told him southern California. He smiled and said, “Well, Kay has the East coast covered and Quiet Time Ministries has the West coast covered!” I smiled and said, “Amen!” The verse I shared at the beginning of this post is so true - the Lord delights in every detail of our lives. I am a firm believer in the sovereignty of God - that is why it truly is the great adventure of knowing Him. You never know what is around the corner. Well, I have one more meeting this morning and then we fly back to the desert and 120 degree heat! We have a full morning scheduled tomorrow with Women’s Bible study. God bless you, have a great day today, and don’t forget that the Lord directs the steps of the godly and He delights in every detail of their lives (Psalm 37:23).
Well, it is about 4:45 in the morning on Tuesday and I am sitting here in the hotel lobby spending time with the Lord, drinking a steaming cup of hot coffee and yes - I did it - I am eating a raspberry filled Krispy Kreme donut - my favorite. This is my celebration donut - yesterday was such an incredible day and I am just rejoicing as I prepare for a new day. It was so appropriate to read this verse in Daily Light this morning: “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…” (Hebrews 12:1). I love that verse and I especially loved the words “endurance” and “race.” A wonderful well-paced, but fast, “race” is what this truly is here at the ICRS and “endurance” is what we always need when we are running our race, but especially this week filled with so much to see and experience. Yesterday I arrived at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta at about 12 noon. I first went to the Harvest House Hospitality Suite and had a wonderful lunch, chatted with some authors and HH staff, and had a nice talk with Tim LaHaye as I was leaving. Tim lives in the desert where I live and wrote a great foreword to my book of quiet times from Revelation entitled A Heart To See Forever. So we have known each other for a number of years and it was fun to just connect for a few minutes. After lunch I took off to do what I love to do - walk the floor. I like to check out what is going on and look at all the different booths from publishers and other companies. The first place I went, of course, was to the new Harvest House Publishers booth. You should see it - it’s beautiful - dark wood and thick green carpet - my favorite color of green - a rich dark color - very warm and friendly and inviting. I loved being there but what I saw next was more than exciting. As I walked around the outside of the booth, hanging on the walls were larger than life lighted posters of the books by Harvest House. And guess what - there was my book - Walking With The God Who Cares. Well, I immediately pulled out my camera and took a guzillion pictures. Nick Harrison, on the staff of Harvest House, was walking by, grabbed my camera, and took a picture of me with the poster. How cool is that!! 
The longer I stood at the Harvest House booth the more people I met. I think I could have stayed there all day. I was talking with Bob Hawkins Jr., the President of Harvest House, and out of the corner of my eye I saw a familiar face - Joe Musser - author of many books including ones he has written with Oliver North and also biographies and fiction. I knew the name, Joe Musser, before I actually met him because he was the one who helped in the writing of Josh McDowell’s biography. He and his wife winter in the desert and attend our church when they are in town so we have become good friends. It was fun to talk with him for awhile and just connect about writing and the publishing world. But then it was time for me to move on and do what I love to do - walk the floor. I walked around looking at the many booths, shook hands with lots of people, and had even a few divine appointments where I was able to tell others about my new book, Walking With The God Who Cares. After walking for awhile, I sat at one of the tables, and reviewed my notes for my upcoming tv interview. Then, I went to the media area in the A building and signed in for my interview with WATC in Atlanta. I wish I had a picture of the girl, Deborah, who interviewed me - she was wonderful - and we had SO MUCH FUN on this interview. She basically interviewed me about all three of my books with Harvest House and we talked about the importance of quiet time, the Bible, and never giving up in life but instead relying on the power and strength of the Lord. The interview ended at 4:55 and it was time to run because my booksigning was scheduled for 5:00 pm. 
I arrived to find hundreds of people waiting outside the doors and Jeana Newman waiting for me outside - I think I must have been the last author to arrive - she quickly took me in and I got to the signing table JUST in time. By the time I got there I had just enough time to pull out my signing pen and when I walked up to the table there were already over 100 in line. This is one of my favorite parts of both speaking engagements and coming to the ICRS - I love signing my books - it is such a special blessing to meet hundreds of people, encourage them, and sign a new book that has just been released. And that new book this year is Walking With The God Who Cares - Finding Hope When You Need It Most. I am thrilled to get this book into the hands of others as I believe it will help them run their race with endurance and learn those important principles to help them stand strong in the face of any trial, no matter how difficult or desperate it may seem at times. 
I had the privilege to sign next to another Harvest House author, Dillon Burroughs, research associate at the Ankerberg Theological Research Institute, who has co-written a book with John Ankerberg entitled Middle East Meltdown. Dillon and I had so much fun signing books together. He and I were joking back and forth and had an ongoing conversation with everyone who came through the line. Another cool thing was how Abby Van Wormer and Katie Lane, part of the Harvest House team, kept supplying us with more books. They were AMAZING and so incredibly organized. All of a sudden, I would find a new stack of books, just when I needed them, to continue signing. Dillon and I both could not believe it when they said it was time to stop - that our hour was up. Three more authors took our seats and we had to vacate the booth. But what happened next was SO EXCITING. We walked to the side of the booth and people in the line were asking us if there was any way that there might be one more of our books for them, that they had especially wanted one of our books. So Dillon and I went to Abby and Katie and asked if we could just take the rest of the books and give them to people there in the room. They said, “Yes, definitely - go for it.” Guess what Dillon and I did - We stood at the side of the booth and we continued signing for almost another hour until the books ran out - people were so excited and it was so much fun - what was great is that people standing in line for the other new authors who had taken our seats were getting our books as well. How cool is that!! Dillon’s wife, Deborah, was amazing - she was opening my books for me, getting them ready to sign. My husband was taking pictures. It was just the best time - I LOVED it!
This is the poster they had out in front of the signing booth - don’t you love this poster. After it was taken down and put in the back, I asked Katie if I could have it and she said yes! We have a wall at our Quiet Time Ministries Resource and Training Center where we hang pictures, posters, and all kinds of memorabilia from ministry-related events. So this booksigning poster will definitely have a place on that wall. I want those who come to our training center to see what the Lord has done and is doing. I want others to never forget what an exciting adventure it is to answer the call of Jesus, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). So many years ago I remember hearing a speaker say, “You be responsible for the depth of your ministry and you let God be responsible for the breadth of your ministry.” Oh how true that statement is. There is nothing more important or exciting than knowing the Lord and walking, day by day, with Him. And then, it is so amazing to watch Him do “immeasurably more” than I could ever ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20-21). To God be the glory!
I can hardly believe I’m here in Atlanta for the International Christian Retail Show - known to everyone here as the ICRS and to those who have been coming to this event for years, formerly the CBA Convention. You just cannot imagine how exciting it is for me to be here. It is a thrill to be able to share my new book, Walking With the God Who Cares, with distributors and booksellers from all over the world. Yesterday was a special treat for me. The day began with an Author’s Brunch organized by Harvest House Publishers who, as you know, publishes my books. As I arrive at the brunch I was greeted by Jeana Newman, Radio Publicist for Harvest House (pictured here with me). She has set up many radio interviews for me over the last year and what a joy it was to meet her face to face. Now if you can just imagine this - there I was in a room with many Harvest House authors - names you know - Elizabeth George, Emilie Barnes, Kay Arthur, and others. I sat at the table with Kay Arthur and the team from Soul Distributors from New Zealand. I had the opportunity to talk in depth with John Watson from New Zealand about revival - oh what a great conversation we had - he even recommended a book on revival for me that he said I would just love - of course I will have to order it when I get home. While at this brunch I had the opportunity to share with Choice Books how exciting it was for us to discover my book on one of their racks in the Tulsa Airport. I shared my DL Moody story about the Moody archives with another distributor from South Africa who had attended Moody Bible Institute - he now wants me to come speak in South Africa! And then, I met another distributor from the UK. It was just so exciting to be able to talk about the books that God has led me to write and Harvest House to publish with those who now will get them into the hands of men and women throughout the world.
Now let me introduce you to one of my favorite people in the whole world - Shane White, National Christian Sales Manager with Harvest House. Shane White makes answering the phone very exciting for us at Quiet Time Ministries. Whenever he calls he has something new and exciting to share with us about our books. For example, I’ll never forget the day he called to tell me that Family Christian wanted me to come speak to their staff at their headquarters in Grand Rapids, Michigan - how cool is that!! I can’t wait - that will happen in September. And then, I loved the day he called to tell me about Knowing And Loving The Bible on the Biblical Studies Bestsellers List. He is just such a joy to serve with and another example of why I always say that Harvest House is the greatest publisher in the world - of course I am slightly biased but what can I say - they’re my publisher and I’m proud of it! Shane did such a creative and fun thing yesterday - Lemstone had a meeting yesterday with many of their bookstores from all over the US. At the end of their meeting, Shane presented all the bookstores with a gift of 5 books published by Harvest House. Then, as a surprise, he brought in five of the Harvest House authors - I was one of the five - others were Jim and Elizabeth George, Sharon Jaynes, and Mindy Starns Clark. We had the opportunity to connect with all these bookstore owners. That was a special joy to me and I shared with many there how much impact Christian bookstore owners have had in my life - immediately after I gave my life to the Lord I went to my local Christian bookstore and they helped me choose a Bible and even showed me how to “break it in” so it wouldn’t fall apart. And then they helped me choose Bible study tools and other books. I just wanted these bookstore owners to understand how absolutely vital they are to the spiritual growth of those in their areas. Then I shared my books with them and talked about the importance of quiet time and the Word of God. 
After the Lemstone event, I took a taxi back to our hotel and quickly changed clothes. Then, it was off to the Harvest House Celebration. We met at the Omni Hotel and then were taken by bus to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens where we shared together in fun, fellowship, and great food. The theme was centered around the garden and Bob Hawkins, Jr., the President of Harvest House, read from John 15 about abiding in Christ. That is one of my favorite passages of Scripture and how fitting as we were surrounded by the beauty of those gardens to think of a much more important garden - the garden of our heart where the Lord is producing spiritual fruit that will last forever. I had the great opportunity to sit next to Bob and Emilie Barnes - Emilie wrote the foreword to my new book and so it was a thrill to spend some time talking with her. It was such a blessing to be in that room with so many amazing authors - Tim and Beverly Lahaye, Bob and Emilie Barnes, Kay and Jack Arthur, Lori Wick, Stormie Omartian and many more. It felt like being together with a wonderful family and I just sat there thanking the Lord for such an incredible blessing. You know, I often quote Ephesians 3:20 “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…” I feel that the Lord has done exactly that with the books He has given me to write. I can hardly even believe I am here in Atlanta having the opportunity to tell others about these books. And I’ll share a secret with you - God has answered this promise of Ephesians 3:20 in ways I never did imagine. Many years ago, when I was working with Josh McDowell and had the opportunity to attend the CBA Convention with Josh and Dottie, I prayed this prayer, “Lord, someday I pray that I can write a book and come back to this convention.” Well I just never imagined how He would answer that prayer as He has in such amazing and wonderful ways. And so I’ll end this post with the benediction from Paul in Ephesians 3:21, “to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” 
Yesterday our first shipment of Walking With The God Who Cares arrived at the Quiet Time Ministries Resource & Training Center! Whoohoo!! We are so excited. I was sitting at my desk at the church where I serve as Director of Women’s Ministries and my cellphone rang. It was my assistant, Kayla. She said, with great excitement in her voice, “Cath, they’re here!” Then she said, “Do you want me to bring you some copies?” I said, “No, I’m coming over to see for myself!” Oh what a day it is when the first shipment of a new book arrives. Kayla had already made a place on the shelves in our bookstore for Walking With The God Who Cares. Up until yesterday we had a glossy photo of the cover of the book sitting on the shelf. It’s like preparing for a new child. We already had some orders for this new book so Kayla sent out all the ordered copies. Then she put some on the shelves so that those who come to the bookstore and to classes at the training center can see Walking With The God Who Cares. 
As you can see, Six Secrets To A Powerful Quiet Time is now sharing shelf space with Walking With The God Who Cares. And then, Knowing And Loving The Bible is in another case altogether as are all the different books of quiet times. We are running out of shelf space! What a great challenge to have 
It is such a privilege to have been entrusted the responsibility from the Lord to write this book. And I am so excited to be able to offer it to men and women throughout the world. My heart and soul are in Walking With The God Who Cares. When you read it, you will discover those powerful truths that have helped me to run with endurance the race set before me. I want others to see that the race before us is always filled with hope. Why? Because God has given us His rich and magnificent promises to tether our soul to Himself where we can never be moved no matter what we face in life. I am excited to be able to share hope from the promises of God in the Bible. There are many companion products available for Walking With The God Who Cares including a DVD with six messages by me, a journal with promise, journal, and prayer pages, a CD with mp3’s for your ipod, audio cd, and tote bag. These companion resources and the book are available at our 
I just returned from Newport Beach, California and was so excited to discover that Mariner’s Church is highlighting Knowing and Loving The Bible at their bookstore. How cool is that! Also, I met Susie who is one of the girls who runs the bookstore. I learned that both she and Andrea who is manager of the bookstore are attending the ICRS Convention in Atlanta next week. I shared that I will also be there signing my new book, Walking With The God Who Cares. I am excited to go to Atlanta. We leave on Saturday and it is going to be a very full five days - lots of events. One of the things I love about the ICRS is the opportunity to walk the floor and look at all the new books being published. It is such a privilege and a joy to have the opportunity to write books and then have them released by Harvest House Publishers. I will have an opportunity to be at the Harvest House booth and meet people on Tuesday afternoon - how cool is that! I just can’t wait for next week. Stay tuned as I will be sharing my experience and of course, as always, lots of pictures.