New Vision Expands

CLASS Communiqué CLASSEMINARS.org

April 2009

An all NEW line-up of articles:

Leadership Letter: John Maxwell

Writer's Corner: James Scott Bell

Movie Review: Facing the Giants

NEW Conference Director

Birthday Greetings

NEW Fridays with Florence

Marketing Moment: Kathi Lipp

Spotlight on Style: Jill Swanson

Proofreading...A Dying Art?

Where in the world is...Marita?

NEW Radio Program

NEW Seminars

NEW Writers Conference

CLASS
Christian Leaders Authors Speakers Seminars

LEADERSHIP LETTER

The Dream Journey of Joseph - How to Go from Believer to Buyer

By John C. Maxwell

     When I was in Washington D.C. recently with some top-level executives, I asked them two questions. Question number one: Do you have a dream? As you would imagine with this level of people, one hundred percent said, "Yes, I have a dream." Then I asked them question number two: "Have you achieved your dream?" One hundred percent said, "I have a dream"; seventy-five percent said, "No, I have not yet achieved that dream."
      For the last several years, I've wanted to write a book on helping people achieve their dreams because I believe we all have one. How many of you in your lifetime have had a dream? We all have dreams. Yet many of us never achieve it. So, over the last several years, I've wanted to write a book that would help people achieve their dreams.
      To be honest with you, I've been frustrated a couple of times in attempting this because I thought that my concept of the book didn't have substance; it wasn't solid. So, recently, as I began to write the book that has just been released, Put Your Dream to the Test (Thomas Nelson), I came to realize that the more valid the reasons we have to accomplish our dreams, the better the odds are that they would be realized. If we each have only one reason to accomplish our dreams, it's very possible that life will get tough on us during the journey and we'll back away from them. However, if we each have several valid reasons to achieve our dreams, the odds are that we will accomplish them.
      How did Joseph, the greatest dreamer in the Bible, put his dream to the test? Maybe we can learn from his dream journey where he went from being a believer in the dream to a buyer of the dream. In my book, it's the ownership question: Is your dream really your dream? So, let's look at it, let's look at the life of Joseph, and let's watch him show us how to go from a believer to a buyer of our dreams...

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Best-selling author of more than 30 books with more than 7 million copies sold, and dynamic speaker, Dr. John C. Maxwell has cultivated an extensive following among the most highly respected and influential business leaders across the globe. Reaching more than 350,000 people a year through speaking engagements alone, and over a million through resources, he is committed to developing leaders of excellence and integrity by providing the finest resources and training for personal and professional growth.

WRITER'S CORNER

Rhino Skin

by James Scott Bell

     If you write for any length of time, especially professionally, you will come to know the inevitable bumps and potholes that dot the literary road. It may come in the form of a rejection letter, a bad review, an angry reader e-mail, a personal jab from a family member, or any of a number of other slings and arrows.
     This hazardous highway stretches from the moment you decide you want to write all the way to your grave marker. At the beginning stages, when you are unpublished, perhaps your Cousin Winifred remarks over the pearl onions at Thanksgiving, "You want to be what? A writer? You? How quaint. Pass the gravy."
     Then, after you are published, the same cousin may aver, "They published you? Oh, well lots of people are getting published these days."
     Cousin Winnie knows a lot of ways to get under your skin. Which is why you must begin to develop the skin of a Rhino.
     Rhino skin allows you to feel the hits but still get on with the important thing, the writing. All writers need such a skin.
     So how do you get it? By writing and remembering a couple of things.
     The first thing to remember is that the greatest writers of all time have been slammed in print. Many examples of this have been collected in a wonderful little book, Rotten Reviews by Bill Henderson. Here are a couple of my favorites.
     Thomas Bailey Aldrich, writing in the Atlantic Monthly in 1892, said of Emily Dickenson, "An eccentric, dreamy, half-educated recluse in an out-of-the-way New England village-or anywhere else-cannot with impunity set at defiance the laws of gravitation and grammar. Oblivion lingers in the immediate neighborhood."
     Smooth move, Tom.
     The eminent Clifton Fadiman, in The New Yorker no less, said of Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom! that it was "the final blowup of what was once a remarkable, if minor, talent."
     Cool play, Cliff.
     And then remind yourself constantly that you are a writer because you write. No one can stop you. There are many more people who do not write yet feel perfectly at ease sniping at those who do. When such a snipe comes your way, remind yourself that you are the one putting yourself on the line, opening a vein, walking the tightrope, singing a solo under hot lights. You are part of a courageous bunch who are all about doing. Teddy Roosevelt's famous advice applies to writers:
     "It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."
     Get in the arena. Go at your writing with all the devotion and love and enthusiasm you have. When darts come your way, be a Rhino. And write some more.

James Scott Bell, a former trial lawyer, is a bestselling author and winner of the Christy Award for excellence in Christian fiction.

MOVIE REVIEW

Facing the Giants -
A Powerful Display
of Faith

by Lee Warren

Facing the Giants, the movie, is the brainchild of two pastors from Georgia who somehow found a way to make a movie on a $100,000 budget with one camera and no professional actors.

     The movie is about a high school football team that has grown accustomed to losing. Parents blame head coach Grant Taylor. Taylor blames his apathetic players. And the players blame former star players who transferred to other teams to escape the vicious cycle in hopes of being noticed by college scouts. With Taylor's job on the line, and his personal life in chaos (he's growing tired of not being able to provide a nice car and home for his wife, and he's just discovered that he's the reason his wife can't get pregnant), he turns to God in a deep and moving way.
     He begins to seek God late at night and early in the morning. In one such scene, his wife Brooke rolls over in bed at 3:11 a.m. and realizes he's not there. She spots him in another room reading the Bible and praying. Without saying a word to him, and without his knowledge, she drops to her knees in their bedroom and begins to pray. God meets with Taylor and begins to do a work in him, which prompts Taylor to call a team meeting.
     "Winning football games is too small a thing to live for," he tells them. "We're not here to just to get glory, make money, and die. So I'm here to present you a new team philosophy. We need to give God our best in every area and if we win, we praise him. And if we lose, we praise him."
     Taylor isn't just referring to actions on the field. He lovingly challenges his players to give God their best in their school work, in the way they spend their free time, and in the way they submit to parental authority. While this is happening, a man in the community with a heart for prayer continues to pray for the students just as he's been doing for many years. A revival breaks out on campus and on the football field. Coach Taylor pushes his guys harder than they've ever worked before, and they start to win.
     In case you haven't seen the movie, I won't spoil the ending. The acting isn't always top notch and the ending is predictable. But neither detracts from the movie's power which may just move you to tears whether you like football or not because the movie isn't really about football. It's about what can happen when people seek to honor God with every thought, word, and deed.

"An enjoyable and inspiring movie. All of the actors are drawn from the church membership... the main character, the coach, is played by Alex Kendrick, the staff media director at their church, and he and his brother are the producers/writers/directors. You've probably heard of their most recent movie, "Fireproof", starring Kirk Cameron, recently in mainstream movie theaters, now available on DVD. What a great vision they've had for getting the message of God out into the world!"
Craig Sundheimer
Worship Pastor and Movie Junkie ;)

"A great reminder that with God, nothing is impossible."

Gerry Wakeland
President, CLASSEMINARS, Inc.

CLASS Faculty Member Lee Warren is an author, editor and freelance writer from Omaha, Nebraska. A popular blogger,
you can find his posts at Little Nuances, Warren Writing,
Single Purpose and A Write Start.

Announcing...

NEW Writers Conference Director:
Linda Gilden

Linda Gilden has graciously accepted our invitation to serve as Director of the CLASS Christian Writers Conference (formerly Glorieta). If you know Linda, you will agree with us that she's the perfect choice. She and Gerry Wakeland will work closely to put in place a dynamic team to lay a solid foundation for this new writer's conference. Building on the success of Glorieta, the NEW CLASS Christian Writers Conference will offer many exciting new features, such as an advanced writer's track, spiritual track, interactive workshops, opportunities to mentor with professional writers, and meet with editors and others in the publishing industry.
As the Writing Conference Director, Linda will join the Board of Directors as a voting member. Please join us and Welcome Linda to this new position.

"I am honored to have the privilege of serving God, CLASS, and all of you as the Director of the CLASS Christian Writers Conference. I believe writers conferences offer incredible opportunities for inspiration, learning, fellowship, networking, and spiritual growth.
As God guides us in developing this year's conference,
I hope you will join me in praying that we will make a difference for the kingdom of God in the lives of writers.
So tell your friends! Pack your bags! Bring your dreams! Join us at the ranch for a time of inspiration, learning, fellowship and spiritual refreshment."

- Linda Gilden, Director, CLASS Christian Writers Conference (formerly Glorieta)

Personality Workshop

For more than 35 years, people throughout the world have benefited from the Littauers' teaching on The Personalities, with book sales reaching over 3 million copies, in 42 languages.

The Personality Workshops have successfully prepared ministry leaders in their personal and executive coaching businesses, counseling practices, schools, marriage and families, organizations, churches, financial planning seminars, men's, women's, and youth ministries, dating services, sales training, Personality parties, and even prison ministries.

Join us Monday evening to celebrate Florence's birthday!

When: April 27-29, 2009
Where: Homewood Suites, 10450 S. Eastern Ave.,
Henderson, Nevada
Fee: $575, Register Online or call 702-882-0638.

Happy Birthday,
Florence!

Cards can be sent to: P. O. Box 77825, Henderson, NV 89077
E-mail greetings to florencelittauer@gmail.com.
In lieu of gifts, please give to The Florence Littauer Scholarship Fund. Send to CLASS, P. O. Box 36551, Albuquerque, NM 87176.

YOU ARE INVITED !

Florence's Birthday Celebration

When: April 27, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Where: St. Rose Room, Homewood Suites, 10450 S. Eastern Ave.
Henderson, NV

In lieu of gifts, please prayerfully consider donating to the Florence Littauer Scholarship Fund to help others attend the CLASSeminar as they prepare to carry God's message to the world. Donations are tax deductible. Checks payable to CLASS, note Littauer Scholarship Fund in memo line. Feel free to bring donations to the party or mail to CLASS, P. O. Box 36551, Albuquerque, NM 87176. Thank you.

Introducing...

Fridays with Florence

May 15, June 19, July 17 & August 18

     Have you ever wished you could spend 24 hours with Florence? Now you can! This Spring, CLASSEMINARS is launching a new program that allows you to receive personal coaching and inspiration from Master Teacher and award winning speaker, Florence Littauer. Join Florence in her home in Henderson, Nevada for four sessions of intense coaching that will help you take your speaking ministry to a higher level.
     You will fly into the Las Vegas airport on Thursday. Enjoy dinner with Florence on Thursday night and share with her about your ministry and what your dreams and goals are. On Friday, you will deliver two messages, your personal testimony and your hallmark (or signature) message. Florence will provide a personal critique and coach you in techniques that will help you make your presentations more dynamic and powerful. Following a final session on Saturday morning you will be treated to lunch at Florence's favorite spot, The Bellagio Hotel. Saturday afternoon you can head home filled with confidence and ready to change the world!
     The cost for this incredible opportunity is $1500 per person. This includes four sessions with Florence in Henderson, three gourmet meals at Florence's home and lunch at the Bellagio Hotel on Saturday plus two one-hour phone follow up sessions. It does not include airfare or lodging. This program is limited to two participants per session. For more information or to reserve your Friday with Florence, e-mail CLASSEMINARS, or call the office at 702 882-0638.

MARKETING MOMENT

Word of Mouth Marketing

by Kathi Lipp

     Last year, I spoke over 50 times and in the past 3 months, I have spoken more than 40 times in promoting my new book, The Husband Project. At least once a week I get a call or an e-mail from another speaker asking "Where do you get your bookings?"
     While several of my marketing methods (postcard mailings, posting on speaker websites,) paid for themselves, by far the most effective method has been word of mouth.

Myth #1 - Word of mouth requires no effort on my part
Myth #2 - In order to have word of mouth, I need to be already speaking on a regular basis

     I work very hard at getting good word of mouth. I try to make it easy for people to refer me, and feel confident doing so. Here are some of the ways I try to make word of mouth work for me and may work for you:

Bi-monthly newsletter sent to those who sign-up at a speaking gig or on my website.
Contact info is on the bottom of every handout I us while speaking.
Politeness with event planners pays off. Send a thank you note, and also send their boss a note telling them how great their planner was to work with. Not only is this good W-O-M, but it is also the right thing to do.
Personal website allows people to learn about you without a high pressure sales approach. Even a one-page site with a little bit about you (especially your contact info) is better than nothing - and in the year 2009 - is expected.
Referral rewards, such as a Starbuck's gift card, can be given to those who are instrumental in referring you to a group who hires you to speak. It is just a way of saying thank you for doing your marketing for you.
Share the wealth - Refer other speakers when you are already booked, or pass on one or two of your favorite speaker's packets to the meeting planner.