This Month

-Accomplishment Corner

-SPECIAL MESSAGE...

-B.L.A.S.T. Reunion

-BEST of BLAST

-Questions & Answers

-Refresher Moment

-To Inspire You...

-Mark Your Calendars

Winter Greetings From

Shannon Ethridge Ministries!

Accomplishment Corner

CONGRATULATIONS to BLAST graduates Sheralyn Bucknell, Rebecca Pratt, and Lynn Ramey! They are officially "published authors" now! Woohoo! We're SO proud of you, Ladies!

Despite outward appearances, many of us face real struggles with our physical appearance, weight and self worth. In this frank and refreshing new book, Sheralyn Bucknell unveils the spiritual basis of such struggles. The Body Battle will empower you to make food and exercise your friend, not your enemy; find your real conflict and fight strategically to win the war; discover that your body battle is spiritual in origin and cannot be solved with physical solutions alone; eradicate 'good food/bad food' mentalities and 'good girl/bad girl' behaviours; celebrate your unique beauty and body, and love yourself inside and out. This book releases the 2nd week of March and can be purchased from www.koorong.com or www.arkhousepress.com. Contact Sheralyn at sheralyn@tpg.com.au, thebodybattle Facebook page, or www.thebodybattle.com (coming soon)

Because of Him: The Story of Lynn Ramey and Her Journey with the Almighty God released through Winepress Publishing last Thanksgiving. Copies can be purchased from Barnes and Noble (online), Amazon, The Scroll, Lifeway, and Dance-N-Drill in Tyler, TX, the dance studio that Lynn and her husband founded. All proceeds go to missions. Contact Lynn at hkramey@suddenlink.net or on Facebook at Lynn Archer Ramey.

Let us know about your accomplishments by emailing us at blast@shannonethridge.com!

SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM SHANNON...

Need to re-charge your BLAST batteries?

Get fresh wind into your sails?

Be inspired by others with similar writing, speaking, and ministry goals?

Mark your calendars now for our
2nd ANNUAL BLAST REUNION
August 10-11, 2012 in Tyler, TX!
Friday & Saturday, August 10-11,
beginning at 6 p.m. Friday
ending at 9 p.m. Saturday

Those who attended last year raved about how inspiring it was to worship and fellowship together, hear BLAST graduates share their testimonies and speak about their amazing experiences, and glean further wisdom and insight from Shannon and her husband Greg. Aubrey Sampson said...

Thank you for the BLAST reunion! First of all, it was so refreshing… Second of all, it transformed my experience of BLAST from being just a "class" to now feeling like I am part of a thriving community. I loved hearing what God is doing in each BLASTer's life, was invigorated by being around so many artists, writers, speakers, and leaders, and am thrilled to see how He will continue to work through BLAST!

Another highlight that participants thoroughly enjoyed last year was to be able to have their bio photos updated by Rebecca Friedlander, an affordable professional photo/videographer, who'll certainly be joining us again with all of her high-quality equipment as well!

The event is held at of the newest & nicest (yet most affordable) hotels in Tyler. The Hilton Garden Inn amenities include:
* an onsite restaurant * indoor heated pool and spa * complimentary covered parking
* an adjacent jogging trail * state-of-the-art fitness center * complimentary 24-hour business center

Individual rooms include:
* refrigerator * microwave * coffee maker * complimentary wireless internet * Garden Sleep System beds

Located at 220 East Grande Blvd, Tyler, TX 75703, the Hilton Garden Inn has reserved a block of discounted rooms for us, offering a special rate of $89 per room (vs. their standard $139 per room, a savings of $50 per night). Click here to view more information about the Hilton Garden Inn. Reservations can be made directly by calling 903-509-1166 and must be received by the hotel no later than JULY 20th. Be sure to mention that you are with Shannon Ethridge's BLAST event to receive this special rate!

To make your visit as pleasant and affordable as possible, we can help you with:

• Arranging a ride to/from Tyler Pounds Regional Airport if you prefer not to rent a car
  (if you choose to fly into Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport, you will need to rent a car for the 2-hour commute to Tyler)
• Connecting you with another same-sex BLAST participant to share a hotel room and cut down on lodging expenses.
• Addressing any other questions/concerns you may have!

The cost to attend the BLAST Reunion will be $89 per person, but will include dinner on both Friday & Saturday nights. Please RSVP as soon as possible (preferably by July 20) to blast@shannonethridge.com. We look forward to seeing many of you in Texas!

Got Questions or Comments? Send 'em!

From Airreia Pierce, BLAST Class #5:
Again, I am so grateful to be under your leadership and thank God for His perfect timing. Next week, I will be meeting with a lady who is in charge of a non-profit organization for teens. I was listening to what you were sharing about speaking fees. Since it is in my own community, do I assume that I speak free, especially since I do not have a lot of speaking experience under my belt? What are some important questions that I should ask? Do you think this would be a good opportunity to promote my self-published book?

Shannon's Response:
It would certainly be a good opportunity to promote your book!

When someone invites you to speak, it never hurts to ask, "Is there an honorarium that is offered for such an event, or are you looking for a pro bono speaker?" (which means "free"). Then you can make an educated decision about whether or not you want to accept the invitation based on the fee (or lack thereof).

Never underestimate the power of "word of mouth" marketing, which a local speaking opportunity like this certainly makes that more possible! And you never know WHO is going to be in that audience that day, or what kind of door may open to you as a result of them hearing you share your heart, so I'd say unless you're incredibly busy and can't make time, you should GO FOR IT!

From Julie Howell, BLAST Class #4:
This BLAST ministry has encouraged me so much! I was blessed and I grew from the program every month. I know now that I can face the stage!! That was something that I have been meaning to say since I got my BLAST graduation certificate. I was more proud to get that in the mail than to graduate from high school!

From Wendy Anguiano, BLAST Class #4:
I had asked you a question about my involvement with the magazine a while back. You replied that some platform is better than no platform. Since that time, the magazine has partnered with the local NBC affiliate and one of the largest TV stations in Louisville. I've been asked to be the liason between the magazine and TV station. This will mean I am on TV a few times a year, will have access to blogging & some social media posts with the TV station. The only drawback is that the magazine does not have any budgeted funds to pay me for this work. Initially I had thought I wanted to do it b/c it would provide me with exposure and expand my platform. This TV station has over 32,000 fans on Facebook and over 1,000,000 unique visitors to their website. However, as things have evolved, I've found out that my exposure will be somewhat limited and I am not sure it is going to be worth the time I have to spend to do it. Plus, I don't feel it is fair for them to ask me to do it for free. I've paid my dues in doing years of "free" things, and have reached a point where I am kind-of tired of doing the freebees, unless of course, God tells me to. I go back & forth with all this. On one hand I think it is expanding my platform. On the other hand, I think that I really am not able to speak truly about those things I want to speak about so how is that benefiting me? What is your opinion?

Shannon's Response:
No, I wouldn't be willing to serve in that kind of long-term role for free, even if it meant a little more exposure, because (a) it sounds like too LITTLE exposure to really meet your goals, and (2) a workman is worth his wages – that's time and energy you could be devoting elsewhere, like toward directly building your OWN platform rather than helping them build theirs. If they NEED a liason, they should be able to pay one. If I were you, I'd toss out my minimum offer, leaving a little wiggle room for negotiation. If they turn it down, you're no worse off that you would be if you walked away without bargaining for a reasonable salary. And if they are paying you, they'll be far more likely to VALUE you and USE you! Lifting you in prayer for wisdom, discernment, and opportunity to grow and expand according to God's perfect plans!

To Inspire You...

This is a great blog post from Zen Habits blog writer Leo Babauta…

Finding Your Voice.
Creators of any kind must find their voice.

We are writers, musicians, designers, programmers, parents, builders of anything. But we are not truly expressing ourselves, and speaking the truth, until we've found our voice: the tone, style, tenor, pitch, personality we use to express ourselves.

Our voice is our essence, writ plain for the world to see.

A reader and fellow writer asked me how I found my voice. And I have no easy answer — I'm not even sure I can say I've fully found my voice yet. It's a quest that doesn't seem to end — not a Grail quest, really, but a constant retuning as the essence of who I am never-endingly changes.

But I feel I've found something that has the texture of truth, even if only a tactile approximation. I'll share some of my thoughts, but keep in mind I don't hold the answers firmly at all.

I'm learning, and I hope my learning helps yours. This is written for writers, but the ideas are the same for anyone who creates anything.

Write a lot. This is almost all I need to say, as nothing else matters without the constant practice of writing a lot. Write blog posts and letters, booklets and diatribes, letters to the editor and book reviews, love poems and short stories, novellas and manifestos. The sheer mass of your writing becomes the raw matter from which to chisel your voice.

Experiment boldly. Rip off the greats, and the goods as well. Mimick and make it your own. Try and err.

Learn to hear yourself. My writing voice is really the voice in my head. It's not how I talk aloud, but how I talk to myself, in the noisy cavern of my skull. I listen to myself talk, inside, and that's the voice I try to get down in writing.

Getting that voice from your head to the virtual paper — that's the trick. It's not easy, but again, do it often, and you'll get proficient at it. It's a rewiring of the synapses, so that your head-thoughts shoot down into your fingertips and come out as typing motions, as bits and pixels. Most people don't do this enough to get good at it, and so there is low fidelity.

Find what feels true. You'll write a lot, and most of it will be bullshit. You need the bullshit if you want to find the truth. Sort through the bullshit until you learn to recognize the truth, by feel, not by any logical criteria. The truth looks remarkably like bullshit.

Find clarity. Good writing, it's been said often, is clear thinking. If your thinking is muddled, your writing will be. I'd recommend a self-taught course on logic, but really I've found it's a matter of simplifying. Practice removing extraneous ideas and words until you have only what's needed to express a simple thought.

Remove the noise. It's a process of subtraction more than addition. Most people end up with too many words, because they never subtract. The noise gets in the way of your voice, so pare it down, trimming the noise from the bush until you're left with truth. I subtract in my head, these days, but that's from years of practice. After you write, edit, and remove the noise.

Most people also have too much noise in their lives to hear their own thinking. Too much is going on around them, and online, and they have no time for solitude. You can't hear your thoughts, your voice, without solitude. Remove the noise in your life as well.

Use your voice. You don't embark on a quest for your voice just for the sake of beauty — a noble pursuit, but it's not enough.

You must use your voice. Use it to express yourself, to help others, to change the world.

I write of simplicity in a world that's needlessly complicated.

I write of minimalism to stem the tide of consumerism.

I write of contentment because too many feel a lacking.

I write of veganism because my heart breaks at the cruelty of our food system.

I write of unschooling to show kids they need no teacher but themselves.

I write of anarchism in a world increasingly totalitarian, especially in the growing private sector.

This is how I use my voice. How will you use yours?

Mark Your Calendars - Shannon Is Coming To...

PLEASE NOTE: If you see a city on our speaking calendar that’s anywhere near you, and you’re interested in having Shannon speak at your venue while she’s in town, please contact us at speaking@shannonethridge.com. We’d also be honored if you’d like to attend the event and help operate the book table - a valuable learning experience!

Paris, Texas - March 2 - 3, 2012
Shannon will be the keynote speaker for East Paris Baptist Church's Women's Conference with the theme of "Completely His." Go to www.eastparis.org or email kathy.r.floyd@sbcglobal.net for more information.

Tyler, TX - April 23, 2012
Shannon speaks at Green Acres Baptist Church, Tyler, TX for their Celebrate Recovery Meeting at 6 p.m. Email MartyK64@aol.com for more information about Celebrate Recovery.

Colorado Springs, CO - April 25 - 29, 2012
Join Shannon and a whole host of other female speakers at the Women Inspired Conference! womeninspired.org More info to come.

Springfield, Missouri - September 21 - 22, 2012
Women Inspired is coming to Springfield, Missouri, September 21-22, 2012. Join us for a time of fun, food, and fellowship as four of our National Speakers (including Shannon Ethridge) share inspirational messages and invite you to ask them questions during their intimate workshops. More Details coming soon.

Portland, OR - October 5 - 6, 2012
Even in the midst of everyday challenges, there are treasures hidden in plain sight. Join Shannon at the Women of Faith "Celebrate What Matters 2012" conference at the Rose Garden Arena. Click here for more info.

Sacramento, CA - October 26 - 27, 2012
Even in the midst of everyday challenges, there are treasures hidden in plain sight. Join Shannon at the Women of Faith "Celebrate What Matters 2012" conference at the Power Balance Pavilion. Click here for more info.