Meet the Author and Win a Book
Our special guest today is Christian author Lori Wagner. Lori’s latest book, Quilting Patches of Life, promises to bless your life with the wonders of God’s grace, mercy, and the personal relationship offered to each of us. Lori will be answering questions and comments today from 12:00 - 2:30 p.m. EST. If you wish to “talk” with Lori, click on the “comments” link at the bottom of the post or scroll down to “Leave a Reply”. One commenter will be chosen at random to win a copy of the book. Lori explains about the book and her reasons for writing it in today’s guest post.
Thank you, April, for inviting me to join you today. I’m hoping we’ll get lots of input from your readers, and I’m looking forward to spending time with you and your guests on Life as a Christian Woman.
I’m so excited to talk with you about Quilting Patches of Life. To be honest, I never thought I would write a book like it. My first book, Gates & Fences: Straight Talk in a Crooked World, was an educational resource for youth and singles – a completely different subject, format and audience than QPL. But then it happened . . .
I swept the dusty wood floor that morning, not really thinking about one thing or the other. The kids were safely off to school, and I was putzing in my kitchen enjoying the quiet. As I guided the broom back and forth, thoughts meandering here and there, the Lord dropped something in my spirit I could not ignore. He called it Quilting Patches of Life.
Standing by the kitchen table, I closed my eyes and saw my individual days and experiences pieced by the Lord into a lovely creation – a unique, functional work of warmth, beauty and purpose – a quilt of my life. The different aspects of quilting unfolded into spiritual applications, and I started to cry, broom in hand, marveling that God would even bother to speak to me.
Rather than stand there babbling, I wiped my eyes, sat down at my laptop, and thought through the many steps of the quilting process. After much planning, collecting and cutting, the pieces of a quilt top are sewn together. I likened our days and seasons to pieces of patchwork in all different sizes, shapes, colors and patterns.
In dark days, God gives us hope and speaks precious things into our broken lives. The blessings of happy days I saw as pink floral patches that provide the lessons we learn on the mountain tops about God’s goodness and provision. Even the boring days, what I thought of as “strips of beige,” are part of our lives for a reason. God exhorts and encourages His people in the mundane things of life . . . like sweeping a kitchen floor. Yes, God speaks to us throughout our lives, and sometimes we even listen.
The Word says we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimonies. QPL is a wonderful book of testimonies that has already brought healing into the lives of many, including me.
The book includes stories from people all over the world. Each chapter, first given the name of a quilt pattern, begins with the writer’s personal account, then I add my thoughts to what he/she shared. For example, the book starts out with a young mother running frantically on a morning she was late for work. I titled the story “Turkey Tracks,” and after Randa shared her encounter, I wrote about the quilt pattern’s history and how her story impacted me to “stop the squawking, flapping and scratching of life and take time for the things that matter most: our relationships with our loved ones and with the Lord.”
- “Black-eyed Susan” tells the story of a physically abused woman’s struggle with self-worth.
- “Beggar’s Block” tells of a missionary family in India and the pregnant mother’s encounter with a dying beggarman.
- “Buzzard’s Roost” is the tale of a young mother’s battle with fear after her newborn daughter almost died.
- “Hosanna” is my mother-in-law’s name and the story of how she and her younger sister came to America in the 1940s, both engaged to men they had never met.
- “The Kitchen Woodbox” tells of the struggle a family faced when their adult child was finally diagnosed with a form of autism after years of frustration and questions.
- “Britches” is a young father’s story of the first “diaper blow-out” experience with his newborn son.
There are funny stories, and ones that will make you cry, but every story is encouraging in that it points the reader to Jesus and shares a spiritual lesson. The book makes a great devotional, if you can stand to put it down once you get started.
I was raised in a dysfunctional family and widowed at 32. I’ve been through a lot. I know about hard times. But there is no doubt in my mind there is something to learn in every situation . . . and there is always hope when our faith is in God.
It’s my prayer that readers of Quilting Patches of Life will be encouraged in their walks with God. The last chapter tells of the common thread that runs through every part of a quilt – a Scripture – Romans 8:28 – all things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to His purpose.
I’ll close this opening segment with part of the theme poem:
Whether mountains or valleys
Or treadmills unending
A pattern of days
God’s crafting, or mendingHis purpose in focus
Our hearts safely rest
Believing, trusting
The Quilter knows bestBits of bright joy
Dark segments of strife
The routine of existence
Patches of life
Thanks for allowing me to share from my heart.
~ Lori Wagner
www.affirmingfaith.com
To order copies of the book, visit Affirming Faith.com or click here: Quilting Patches of Life
To learn more about Lori’s other work for the Kingdom of God, read here.
christian, books, giveaways, christian books, christian women
November 2nd, 2007 at 11:22 am
Hi Lori! I just want to say thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to visit with us today. I am always amazed at the testimony each person carries with her. It is because we are offered our own personal relationship with God that my story is different from yours, or the others in your book. Each testimony we hear shows us a new aspect of our Lord. Was there a particular story that just really surprised you by the lesson that was learned by that experience?
November 2nd, 2007 at 11:33 am
Actually, April, there was one that was the most surprising. It was called “Lone Star,” and was the story of a young woman who in one year’s time lost seemingly everything.
She found out her new husband was having multiple affairs with people she knew.
She divorced.
She miscarried.
She totaled her car.
She got pneumonia.
She lost her job.
The list goes on. Anyway, she was at the end of her rope and she was praying a desperate prayer when the Lord spoke these shocking words to her.
“You have taken long enough, it’s time to start giving.”
Mind you, she’d only been a Christian less than two years, and felt she had nothing to give at the time. She didn’t fully understand what God meant, but she was sure the Lord had spoken to her.
Right after that, her pastor’s wife came up to her and asked her to start teaching Sunday School. That was her turning point. Instead of focusing on her pain and trouble, she began focusing on others and studying the Word of God.
Out of her utter aloneness, Jesus taught her that giving to others was the means to receive her own healing and restoration.
Isnt’ that beautiful?
November 2nd, 2007 at 11:52 am
Hi, Lori
Your book has blessed me already. I took the book to my hospice volunteer day at a local nursing home to read to several of my clients. What a joy to share encouraging stories of faith with them.
My question is “Did I hear you were going to do another book similar to Quilting Patches of Life?
Thanks again for fulfilling the inspiration you received that day.
Sharon Wilson
November 2nd, 2007 at 11:57 am
Hi, Sharon!
I’m so glad you stopped by. [Sharon wrote the chapter titled "Pinwheel" which had a great message about childlike faith during a life-threatening medical condition after the birth of her first child.]
Thank you for sharing QPL with your hospice patients. I hope it is an encouragement to them.
To answer your question . . . YES! I am accepting submissions for Volume 2. As before, each story must have a spiritual lesson, but I’d love to start reading submissions.
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:06 pm
Have you had any exciting new experiences or met new people through writing and promoting your book?
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:13 pm
Have I ever!
One of the greatest things was the book release party on October 11. My church family assisted me in throwing the event, and 11 of the contributing authors gathered with friends, family, and whoever else dropped by.
Guests purchased books then buzzed around the room from author to author hearing their stories and getting their signatures on their books.
It was such a delight for the contributing authors to get to meet each other, and I had not met several of them myself. We had a great turnout, yummy refreshments, the room was decorated in quilts and homey things . . . I wish I could have bottled the excitement in the room that night, but I think I’ll carry it in my heart always.
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:16 pm
You mentioned you have plans for a second book. What are your submission guidelines if someone wants to participate?
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:23 pm
I’m rather flexible, aiming for about 1,000 words — but depending on the story it could be between 750 to 1,500. Some stories just require more detail.
The book is Quilting Patches of Life II, and it will be done in the same format as Volume I.
People making entries should just forget the title . . . the quilting theme, I mean, and give me a story. Tell me about something you went through, how it felt, how it impacted your life . . . and then what you learned from it. A great day. A terrible trial. An everyday life experience.
For more info, they can contact me through the website.
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:39 pm
How did you feel working on all the stories? Did you have your own stories, too?
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:51 pm
Well, it was wonderful working on everyones’ stories. Each of them made an impact on me, or I wouldn’t have included them in the book, but I have to say, my mom’s story really got me.
We had this mongrel dog named Honeycomb, which just happens to be the name of a quilt pattern. I asked my mom to write a story about the dog, and she blew me away.
First of all, she wrote it as a first-person narrative from the dog’s perspective. That was unique, and I did laugh remembering silly things about the dog, especially how she got her name.
What got me, sobbing, bawling, crying, was how my mom opened up about her personal struggle with depression and how the Lord used the unconditional love of her scruffy dog to help her through many years of pain and into a time of personal healing.
There were things we had never talked about, they were just left unsaid, but QPL brought the opportunity for us to express some things that had been buried for decades. I have thanked God many times for this, and I know it was a blessing to my sisters as well.
As I said in my comments after my mom’s story, “I thank God for throwing the lifeline of a bewhiskered dog to my drowning mother. I knew she was drowning, but I was just a young girl with little understanding of the struggles she experienced. I just knew it hurt, too. The splashes of a drowning person ripple into the lives of those around them.”
I went on to talk about the quilt pattern, but ended with this, “In the same way the Honeycomb pattern became the foundation for Grandmother’s Flower Garden, I thank God for all He’s done for my mother. Mama, now Grandma, has new blooms growing in her garden. There was plenty of fertilizer, so they should look pretty for a right long time!
“I love you, Mama. God is good.”
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:55 pm
What a great story. Do you speak out? This would make a great theme for a ladies tea or something.
November 2nd, 2007 at 1:00 pm
Thanks for asking, Kathrn! I LOVE to share with other people: one-on-one and in groups.
As far as public speaking goes, I have spoken on the subject of my first book, “Gates & Fences: Straight Talk in a Crooked Word.” It’s about the blessings of biblical boundaries, and I’ve done seminars and teaching on it.
But I think a ladies tea or conference would be a great idea. There are so many wonderful lessons in QPL that would bless any Christian lady . . . or man, for that matter.
QPL isn’t just a “chick book!” There are lots of stories from men, too.
November 2nd, 2007 at 1:05 pm
Wow, Kathryn, you got me so excited I made two typos in my last post! Ha!
November 2nd, 2007 at 1:22 pm
Lori, tell us about your website, Affirming Faith. What is your mission and vision?
November 2nd, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Well, my index finger has about rubbed its print off with all the updating I’ve been doing on the website [rubbing the cursor pad on my laptop].
My company name is “Affirming Faith” — and that’s my message.
I established Affirming Faith as a vehicle to provide educational, inspirational and fictional resources that acknowledge and validate the principles of God’s Word.
Our world today isn’t providing that. Our history books. Our educational system. Our entertainment choices and media. God has been booted out, unless He’s being ridiculed.
My heart cries out with a burden to share with others that GOD IS REAL! HE LOVES YOU! HIS WAYS ARE NOT HARD, BUT IN YOUR BEST INTEREST!
I love His Word. And I’ve lived outside biblical boundaries. I know what I’m talking about. Life is so much better serving God.
November 2nd, 2007 at 1:47 pm
I want to thank Lori once again for joining us today. Her books and other work are an inspiration for many on living a Biblical life and serving God with the gifts he has given each of us.
Please feel free to continue leaving comments or questions for Lori, or visit her site at http://www.affirmingfaith.com and contact her through it. She is happy to respond to all visitors and continue sharing.
November 2nd, 2007 at 2:26 pm
Thank you, April! It’s been fun!
I have appointments over the next few hours, but I’ll be checking back throughout the day, and I do welcome people to visit the website.
God bless you today!
November 2nd, 2007 at 7:42 pm
Lori,Thank you for being such a willing vessel of the Lord. Do you realize how many people have cried out to God for an answer in one of “Lives Crisis” or just want to know if He is real? This book will reach into lives where they live. You have used your gifted way with words to apply these life lessons into our hearts. I laughed,cried and was encouraged throughout Q.P.L.
November 2nd, 2007 at 8:22 pm
Thank you, Lisa! I appreciate your kind words and support.
That’s the kind of God we serve — one that is real and touches our lives right where we are.
November 5th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
I have really enjoyed reading this, thanks!
Sue
November 28th, 2007 at 7:37 am
[...] hit home. It is what we carry with us into this life, an impression and a summation of the past life lessons that we are here to work on [...]
March 30th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Why should Christian women not seek men?