Book Signing and Talk with Shellie Rushing Tomlinson

This is the first book signing and talk by an author that I have attended. It will not be the last.  Linda Scisson and I are reading Hearts Wide Open. Linda has a hard copy and I have an e-copy in my iPad.  So, Linda got her autograph but I decided Shellie probably shouldn't sign the screen of my iPad.  So I had no choice.  It was completely out of my hands. I had to buy two of Shellie's books just so she could write something to me.

Shellie shared with us her path to getting a publisher and it was so interesting and encouraging. She chose to self-publish her first three books. When Penguin Publisher noted how well her books were selling, they approached her and invited her to write for them. Amazing.

Shellie remembers her L O V E of reading as a child. Her family lived in a rural area and the Bookmobile from the Library came only once a month. They were allowed by the staff to check out six books for the month. She, being a desperate reader, agreed to do her two sisters' chores if they would let her check out their quota of books. Oh yes, they agreed. (Huckleberry Finn had nothing on these girls.)  And Shellie would lug 18 books to her house and devour them during the course of the month before the Bookmobile lumbered back down the road.

Shellie is a committed believer in Jesus Christ. She lives what she shares in her writing. She began by writing humorous books (I've got two of them) and Hearts Wide Open is her first Bible Study book.  It has a workbook (print or download)  and the teaching DVD is coming out soon.

We thoroughly enjoyed meeting Shellie Rushing Tomlinson and we are so grateful that she took the time to come and to talk with us. 

Now, about the Purple Cow.  Great burgers. Great shakes. Great rootbeer and Great de-caf coffee.  Fun company. 

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Party ‘Til the Cows Come Home

By Linda L. Scisson

A Book Review of Heart Wide Open

by Shellie Rushing Tomlinson

Dorothy Hill and I did not exactly party ‘til the cows come home at The Purple Cow on Wednesday, March 26. But we had good food and fellowship, before making the 100-yard dash across the street to Barnes & Noble for Shellie Rushing Tomlinson’s 7 PM talk and book-signing of her latest book, Heart Wide Open: Trading Mundane Faith for an Exuberant Life with Jesus (WaterBrook Press, 2014).

“Exuberant” is an appropriate adjective not only for the book’s sub-title, but also for the author. Shellie Tomlinson is an enthusiastic speaker and enthusiastic participant of life. In Heart Wide Open, Shellie writes that we can find exuberant life here on earth, as we continue to live “in anticipation of seeing Him in the next” (page 21).

 And that stretches our margins of gratitude for the Great Exchange: Jesus traded His death on the cross for our eternal life.

To trade mundane faith for an exuberant life with Jesus: The first step is to admit one’s faith is mundane. This takes humility, which attribute is seen in the first few pages of Heart Wide Open.

Shellie admits to a season of feeling as if her faith were “compartmentalized.” She felt a “disconnect” between her Sunday morning faith and her everyday experience, although she retained “a healthy respect for the teachings of the church” (page 4). But she was looking for something more than “biblical head knowledge” (page 6). She was looking for something more than “the church-lady gig” (page 5). Why? — Because she had an “aching faking heart” (page 7).

So Shellie embarks on “some serious soul searching” (page 7), as she ponders the words of Jesus in Mark 12:30: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (NIV). 

To our advantage, Shellie hoists us on the highway of a holy enterprise — to trade the mundane for the exuberant — in the first of the book’s eight chapters, titled “When All You Can Bring Him Is A Broken Want-To.” 

How does she do that? She discovers a way to conquer the mountain of the mundane. She embraces “the blessed challenge” (page 11). She asks herself:  “What am I collecting?” And she finds a “clear directive” in Matthew 6:20: “. . . collect for yourselves treasures in heaven” (page 11).

 

One simple prayer to regain a “heart wide open” to God is: “Help me to value and love You more.” And one practical step that we can take toward this goal is to remember, which means “to recollect.” We remember by collecting again (p. 15).

 

In other words, as we treasure God’s love for us, we will experience “the biggest adventure of all time” (page 9) — such as the “freeing [of] me from me” (page 125), as well as “the sweetest of addiction” to God’s friendship (page 21) — because “joy and contentment are found in Him” (page 19). 

 

Yet, to actually know God will probably not result in a 24-7 party ‘til the cows come home this side of heaven; but there will be indication of something favorable, something significant, something exuberant, as the Holy Spirit supernaturally ignites the lukewarm heart, as He woos us back to the Father.

What a Fantastic Idea & Opportunity!

Here is a WONDERFUL IDEA from Linda Scisson.  The moment I read it I knew that I'M IN!  I want to do this.  I sure hope you can join us
Read On:

Linda Scisson was in Barnes & Noble and saw a sign about an upcoming book-signing and talk by a CHRISTIAN author,

Shellie Rushing Tomlinson,

Linda thought some of us might be interested in this.

Shellie Rushing Tomlinson has obviously got some good marketing going for her . . . with a book-signing AND talk at our local Barnes & Noble:

March 26, 2014

Wednesday, 7 PM
Talk and Book-signing
By: Shellie Rushing Tomlinson

Book:
Heart Wide Open: Trading Mundane Faith for an Exuberant Life with Jesus

The cover of the book reflects an endorsement by author-speaker Sheila Walsh.

Shellie Rushing Tomlinson and her husband live and farm in Louisiana, according to the bio part of her book.

AN IDEA:

On a related note: Would some of you like to meet . . . say at The Purple Cow (restaurant) across the street from Barnes & Noble at . .

6:00 PM (one hour before the event)

March 26, 2014 (Wednesday)

The Purple Cow (sandwich, soup place, milk-shakes -- very casual)

Eat there, and then walk over

to Barnes & Noble . . .

and support this Christian author,

Shellie Rushing Tomlinson,

. . . as a group: the Little Rock chapter of American Christian Writers

There.  I told you it was a fantastic idea. Would you shoot me an email to let us know you are planning to attend so we know the size of table to get?  I love love love the Purple Cow.  How about you?  Are you in?  I'm dohill@Reagan.com
I wanted to include Linda's email but didn't ask her first, so I'm not comfortable just handing out her email information...

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