Shannon Ethridge's Blog

Many have asked, “What’s on your list of New Year’s Resolutions?”

My answer:  To be HEALTHY in every way!

SPIRITUALLY – I’m reading through the New Testament and journaling what I sense God speaking directly to me as I go.

MENTALLY – I’m deeply engrossed in research for my next book projects, which keeps me mentally stimulated and focused.

EMOTIONALLY – I’m investing in a few key friendships with folks that keep me sane and entertained, filling my cup so I can turn around and fill others.

SEXUALLY – I’m committed to keeping the home fires burning as a Sexually Confident Wife, of course!

PHYSICALLY – I continue to routinely walk, bike, stretch, & swim when possible, and I try to watch what (and how much) I eat.  My biggest goal is to consistently implement tons more fruits & vegetables into my daily diet for a healthier lifestyle, so I asked for a juicing machine for Christmas and Santa delivered.  In fact, I’m starting out the year with a Daniel Fast, so here’s what my dinner looked like today…

BEFORE – swiss chard, celery, carrots, zucchini, summer squash, pear, apple, lime & cranberries

AFTER – a delightful, micronutrient-rich juice dinner for two!

If you want to know more about the health benefits of juicing, watch the movie “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead” – if that doesn’t inspire you to eat more fruits & veggies, nothing will!  (and special thanks to Michael Hyatt, President of Thomas Nelson Publishers for suggesting the movie and turning me onto this idea through his blog!)

To properly care for the bodies, minds, souls, and relationships that God has entrusted to us during our lifetime is about the best resolution we can make, so those are my goals for 2012!

What about you?  What are your New Year’s Resolutions for 2012?

Hoping it’s your best year yet – in every way!

Shannon

David Letterman style, I saved the BEST for LAST with my “Top 10 List” of why I didn’t do lunch with Kyle that day.

And then I promise I’ll move on to blogging about an entirely different topic!  Thanks for your patience as I unpacked all of these thoughts one by one.  I pray they’ve fulfilled the purpose that I intended – to give you LOTS of “second thought” fodder before you waltz blindly into a situation that you could quickly come to regret!

First, let me tell you about my dear friend, Terrica.  She’s been a part of this ministry for the past 12 years, sitting through my Women at the Well class as “preventative medicine” when she was only 17 years old.  Several years later, God brought her back into my life when she offered to serve this ministry in whatever way was needed.  At the time, I needed a research assistant for The Sexually Confident Wife book.  After that project was complete, she became my Events Manager, accompanying me to most speaking events, overseeing the book table, and speaking alongside me when the opportunity arose.  It was my desire to help her launch her own speaking and writing ministry that originally inspired the B.L.A.S.T. Mentorship Program.  And through the years, she’s been not only one of this ministry’s biggest supporters, not just my traveling companion and trusted confidant, but she and her husband, Josh, are considered some of our closest family friends.

So now that you know how much I love, trust, and appreciate Terrica, you’ll better understand how our conversation on June 14^th rocked my world.

I’d asked her to drive me to DFW Airport the day I was departing for New Zealand.  We had an early dinner together at our favorite restaurant first, and driving down Hwy 114 just miles away from the airport, she made a shocking confession.  “I had a dream about you several months ago, and I believe it to be a prophetic dream… but I’m scared to death to tell you about it.”

I wondered why in the world she’d be scared?!  I assured her that I wasn’t going to “shoot the messenger,” and that if she had experienced a prophetic dream about me, she’d better not keep it from me!

She said, “In this dream, I received a phone call from one of your ministry interns.  She was hysterical and didn’t know what to do.  She was with you in a foreign country… and explained that you were supposed to be taking the stage to speak… but you’d had some sort of melt-down and were refusing to show up… and there was a man involved.”

At first, I chuckled.  “That’s it?  That’s what you were so afraid to tell me?” I said out loud.  “Well, you know that would NEVER happen, right?”

Terrica replied, “I know.  That’s why I’ve hesitated to tell you for months.  But I’ve felt the Lord laying it so heavy on me lately that I know I’m supposed to share it with you now.”

I thanked her, assuring her that all was well and that I was not upset.  I knew this dream was in no way any sort of judgment on her part.  If anyone knows my level of integrity, especially as I travel and speak, it’s Terrica.  Honestly, I just wrote it off as a crazy-weird dream that she had after eating some unusual food or something.

Then I boarded the plane from DFW to L.A., only to discover myself grounded at that L.A. Airport for an indefinite period of time (they were saying possibly 3 days before flights could land in New Zealand due to the ash cloud situation).  They put all of us passengers up in a beautiful Marriott Hotel.  I was swimming in the California sunshine less than 24 hours after this conversation with Terrica.

So OF COURSE, that was the FIRST place my mind went when Kyle came back around to meet me at the other end of the pool, formally introduced himself, extended his reach for a handshake, and rolled out a red-carpet invitation to a lunch that could have too easily turned into so much more if I didn’t have my guard WAY up.  I immediately realized, “So YOU are the ‘other man’ that inspired Terrica’s dream months ago!!!”

As soon as I swam back to where my cell phone was sitting, I frantically called Terrica and screamed in as low a voice as I could, “YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED!!!”

As I explained, Terrica’s laughter roared in my ear.  We were overjoyed by the recognition that God has just orchestrated a preventative miracle!  I believe with all my heart that God gave Terrica that dream, and even kept her lip zipped until the time was ripe to share it with me, just to protect me from Satan’s cockamamie scheme.

I felt like I was on a special edition of “God’s Candid Camera”… or that somewhere in the background that eerie “do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do” music was playing as Rod Serling announced, “Shannon Ethridge, you have just entered the Twilight Zone.”

No doubt, God sovereignly orchestrates every detail of our lives, putting hedges of protection around us whenever necessary, and using His people to speak words of both wisdom and warning to each other.

I thank God for the hedge he put around me that day, and for Terrica’s prophetic words of warning.  I shudder to think of what my life would be like today had that warning not been issued, and had that hedge not been firmly in place.  And I shudder with JOY that indeed, it was.

Thank you, God, that you always have our backs!  Thank you for hedges of divine protection!  Thank you for sending messengers into our lives to speak words of warning and encouragement to us when necessary!  Thank you for giving us ears to hear, and hearts to follow!  And thank you that we NEVER have to “go there” when temptation comes calling because greater are YOU that is IN US that he that is in the world!  In Jesus’ holy and precious name, Amen!

The ninth reason that I kept swimming instead of hitting the showers for a spontaneous lunch date with Kyle is perhaps a little vain, but we all have a little vanity lurking inside us, I guess.

One of the thoughts ricocheting through my brain was the image of bookstore clerks all across the world gathering up every “Shannon Ethridge” book off of store shelves, packing them in cardboard boxes, and shipping them back to the publishing house where they came from.

I couldn’t imagine how painful it would be for that to actually happen, all because of a moment of weakness and a swan dive back into the pit of sexual and emotional compromise… all because my ego was so starved that I sold my birthright (as a woman of integrity) for a bowl of stew with a pilot in a California hotel restaurant.  Oh, and add a slice of not-so-humble pie for dessert.

Seriously, the thought literally makes me hyperventilate, because I’ve worked really HARD over the past 20+ years!!!  The first several years were spent grieving over my own sin and lack of self-control, trudging through months of both individual and group counseling to get to the root causes of my sex & love issues, and trying to re-build my own self-esteem as well as my husband’s trust and confidence.

The past 15 years I’ve spoken to thousands of teenagers, college students, singles, and married couples about sexual integrity, sexual intimacy in marriage, and spiritual intimacy with Christ, traveling thousands of miles to dozens of foreign countries and U.S. cities to inspire others to overcome their issues as well.

The past 10 years I’ve written a total of 18 books that have been translated into 18 different languages, which by the grace of God have sold over a million copies worldwide.  I’ve also written hundreds of magazine articles, and countless blog posts, Shannon Ethridge Ministries E-newsletters, and “Hot Tips for Sexually Confident Wives.”

I’ve appeared on hundreds of national radio shows and international television shows, giving interviews that hopefully have ministered to millions of people from all walks of life.

I’ve coached hundreds of clients through painful seasons of putting their lives back together, restoring marriages that were often on the brink of divorce.

I sincerely don’t mean to sound like I’m tooting my own horn here!  Everything I’ve done, every breath I’ve drawn to do it, have all been done by GOD’s strength alone, and I give HIM all the glory!!!

So with ALL of the time, energy, money, blood, sweat, tears, sleepless nights, and prayer that have gone into this ministry, WHY in the WORLD would I do something to risk bringing it all crashing back down to ground level?

I have NO desire whatsoever to start over at square one… showing up in my Celebrate Recovery group declaring, “I’m Shannon… I’m a recovering sex and love addict… and I need a DAY ONE token.”  (tokens symbolize how many days you’ve been “sober” from your addiction)

The bible warns us that a fool returns to its folly like a dog returns to its vomit.  (Proverbs 26:11)  I don’t care to play the fool ever again.  I’m steering clear of the emotional vomit of the past.

Those books WILL remain on bookstore shelves as long as I have anything to say about it.   I’ll keep boarding airplanes and speaking my heart out for any church that invites me.  I’ll continue my life coaching practice to keep encouraging others in their pursuit of integrity.  I will press on with the BLAST Mentorship program, equipping aspiring writers and speakers with the tools to give birth to their own ministry dreams.

So since I wasn’t able to formulate a clear, coherent response to that invitation at the moment I was caught off guard, here’s my formal R.S.V.P…

Dear Kyle,

I’m sorry, but I don’t have time for lunch, or an ego stroke, or any sort of extramarital fling that you might have in mind.  I’m too busy with caring for my wonderful husband and children, writing, speaking, coaching, mentoring, sowing spiritual seeds.  Being someone’s “no-tell lover” or boredom reliever isn’t on my list of aspirations.  I hope lunch wasn’t too lonely of an experience for you.  My guess is that you found another target before the afternoon was over.  If so, I wish I could pass on my business card to her.  I get the feeling she might be needing some attention once yours is diverted elsewhere.

Sincerely,

Shannon Ethridge, M.A.

Author & Advocate for Healthy Sexuality & Spirituality

What About You?

You may not need to worry about books being removed from bookstore shelves and what-not, but my guess is that you’ve worked really HARD throughout your life to build certain things too!  How many years do you have invested in your marriage?  In motherhood?  In your own ministry or education or career?  How hard have you worked to earn the respect of church members, colleagues, and co-workers, family, and friends?

If you were to entertain the advances of an attentive admirer, or stick your head in a similar lion’s mouth, how might all those important relationships and accomplishments be impacted?

Worth the risk???  I think NOT!!!

In those split seconds of swimming away from “Kyle,” I sensed I was not alone, and I’m not just referring to the outgoing handsome pilot standing there.  I could feel the Holy Spirit deep in the fibers of my being, washing me with wisdom as I free-styled my way back toward the shallow end.

I was quickly reminded of where I came from many years ago (a deep pit of desperation and compromise as a sex & love addicted teenager)… where I was now (walking in V-I-C-T-O-R-Y and helping thousands of others do the same)… and where I was heading (toward even greater levels of spiritual intimacy with my Heavenly Bridegroom, both in this life and in the next).

Of course, Satan was also trying to get a few words in edgewise.

Why not just go for it?!  Sample a little forbidden fruit!  It’s been a long time, and who knows if you’ll ever have this kind of opportunity again?!  No one is going to know!  Come on, live a little!  After all, God is NOT going to love you any less!  Remember?  His mercies are new every morning! 

(Yes, Satan knows Scripture, and will use it as a weapon against us if we’re not careful!)

Whether God would love me or not if I took such a BIG step backwards has never been a concern for me.  He loved me in the midst of my deepest, darkest, most secretive moments.  Is there any depth, any level of darkness, any secret that would cause Him to love me less?

Not a chance.  “…nothing can separate us from the love of God” (Romans 8:38).  That passage means exactly what it says – NOTHING could change God’s love for us.  N-O-T-H-I-N-G!  Zip!  Zilch!  Notta!  Not one thing.  Not even one million things!

Sure.  God would NOT love me any less.  And His mercies ARE new every morning.  But why would I want to go around this same stupid mountain again when I was already living in the Promised Land?  Why put shackles back around my soul when I’d already been set free?  It just didn’t make sense to me, and I’m thankful for that knowledge.  It wasn’t always there.

Even the best of Christians stumble into sin on occasion, but sincere followers of Christ don’t use God’s mercy as a driver’s license to do stupid things or live dangerously.  Sin IS easily forgiven, but the price that Christ paid for my sin was far too high for me to just sin without second thought.

Philip Yancey, author of the book What’s So Amazing About Grace?, says that grace IS cheap (to us), but it wasn’t cheap to Jesus.  The exorbitant price He paid for my personal holiness makes it a priceless gift.

Yes, God would indeed forgive me.  But as freely as God gives us mercy in our time of need, He also gives us grace in our time of need.

What’s the difference?

Mercy is God’s ability to forgive our sins after we’ve committed them.  Grace is God’s power to avoid that sin in the first place.

I couldn’t ignore the grace that I felt flowing directly out of my intimate relationship with Jesus in those speechless moments of shock and surprise.  Yes, mercy would be there if I needed it, but grace was there first.  Grace was there first.  And I welcomed her with open arms.

Jesus may as well have been wading in the shallow end… eavesdropping on the conversation… watching anxiously to see if I’d be slipping out of the pool and into the shower to get ready for my rendezvous with Kyle, or if I’d continue enjoying this special little preconference retreat time He’d carved out for me.

He knew what I’d choose.  He has taught me well.  Basking in His lavish love is SO much more intoxicating than the attentions of any other man.

Are you so completely satisfied through your intimate relationship with Jesus that all other men pale in comparison?

If it wasn’t true before reading this blog post, I pray that it would quickly become your reality.  There’s simply no better lover than Jesus… no greater love story than the great lengths He has gone to in order to woo and pursue us into a divine romance with Him!

And isn’t it just the coolest thing that we can all be so in love with the same man, and feel no jealousy at all? 

It wouldn’t have taken much justification to press through the red warning flags I mentioned in the last blog post and “just do lunch” with Kyle.  I could have easily entertained thoughts such as:

• As long as we stay in a public place, it’ll be okay.  There’s no real danger in meeting him in the lobby restaurant.
• It will be ONE hour, two at most!  That’s not enough time to be unfaithful to my husband!
• No one at this hotel knows who I am, so it’s not like I’m going to “get caught!”
• This may be GOD opening a door for me to talk to Kyle about JESUS!

(yes, we Christian girls often use evangelism as an excuse to follow our flesh!)

Fortunately, this was NOT my thought pattern this time, although 15-20 years ago, I’m pretty sure it would have been.  Praise God for transformation!

The thoughts that were rolling through my head regarding the logic of such a lunch date were more like:

• Okay, let’s say I agree to one lunch.  What then?  A yearning for another lunch in another city someday!  And another!  And then lunch won’t be enough!
• Why stir up insatiable yearnings that ultimately lead to “Heartbreak Hotel” when I can just mind my own business here at the Marriott Hotel and keep my heart intact?
• You know one hour of conversation will not scratch his itch (or yours if you start this thing).  It will be like scratching poison ivy, making it itch even more, causing it to spread and do even more damage!
• If you give him an inch, he’s going to want a mile.  If you give him the impression that you’re friends now, he’s going to start contacting you whenever he wants an ego stroke.
• Do you really want to play “boy toy” to some pilot?
• There may be no getting rid of him afterward.  He’ll want to exchange cell phone numbers, or start emailing you, etc.
• He could easily become a leech, sucking more and more life out of you with each contact.

You get the idea.

Sometimes women can easily romanticize the notion of such an “innocent-yet-intimate” rendezvous with a handsome stranger in an exotic location… but Baby Doll, this ain’t Hollywood, nor is it a Harlequin romance novel.

This is real life, where people get hurt… hearts get ripped out and stomped on… marriages get damaged, sometimes beyond repair… children get caught in the crossfire and wonder, “What the hell happened to our family?”  Not going there.  I’m just not going there.  I hope you won’t go there, either.

One of my favorite sayings has become, “Don’t stick your head into the lion’s mouth before praying, ‘Lord, save me from the lions!’”

A much better strategy is to not go into the lion’s den at all. Then you don’t have to worry about getting devoured.

^“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy

the devil prowls around like a roaring lion

looking for someone to devour.”

- 1 Peter 5:8

Okay, so my next thought after “Gee, I’d really rather keep swimming!” was “What’s this guy’s real motive here?”

I mean, sure, Kyle could have had the purest of motives — absolutely nothing on his mind but an innocent conversation over a leisurely lunch.

And Elvis may actually be resurrected from the dead and hiding out in various Dunkin’ Donut shops around the country… and my Maltese puppy may give birth to a litter of humpback whales while I’m in New Zealand… humpback whales who are able to swallow the Pacific ocean in one gulp.

Seriously, I guess there is a slight chance that “just lunch” was all he had in mind.  But why take that risk?  He could also have had a lot of OTHER things on his mind… things like getting a big fat ego stroke, a feather in his cap, a notch in his belt, etc.

In the words of a trusted confidant, “Oh, he totally was hitting on you!  Pilots are famous for their traveling trysts!   I know one and he is always talking about how pilots get so much a-a-a-a-ction!”  (trying to keep it G-rated here)

But I also realized that the situation could be far more dangerous, and have a lot more at stake than just falling into a hotel room romance (as if that isn’t bad enough).

I’m no dummy.  I realized that Kyle may have been a clean-cut handsome guy with personality PLUS, but so was Ted Bundy – you know, lawyer by day, serial killer by night.

For all I knew, Kyle was only POSING as a pilot.  He was wearing jogging shorts, not a uniform.  I didn’t ask to see his badge or I.D. — not that he couldn’t have crafted those things himself.  While he may have the personality of Regis Philbin, he could also have the mentality of Jack the Ripper.  Glad I didn’t hang around to find out.

So before you decide to let some sweet-talking eye-candy lure you into some sort of compromising situation, think of women like Natalie Holloway.  I’m sure at some point she certainly wished she’d never left that Aruban night club with those three men.  And so do her grieving parents.  And so do we.  What happens to women at the hands of sick and twisted men is more than a crime.  It’s absolutely heinous.

And the only way to make sure that something similar doesn’t happen to US is to be WISE!

Here are a few rules to follow to safeguard yourself:

• NEVER let a man lure you into a dark place or a private room.  Always stay in eyesight & earshot of others.
• NEVER get into a strange guy’s car, and get out immediately if one gets into yours.  Better to cause a public scene at location #1 than to be privately attacked at location #2.
• Do whatever you have to in order to call attention to the situation and involve someone else – i.e., walking over to talk to a 3^rd party, screaming, honking the horn, etc.
• Never give out your cell phone number or physical address to anyone you don’t know well and trust implicitly.
• If you’re feeling uncomfortable or unsafe, go ahead and dial 9-1-1 on your cell phone.  When they ask the nature of your emergency, it’s okay to say that you just want your whereabouts to be known because you feel you might be in danger.
• When out on the town, avoid alcohol and other substances that would dull your senses and cause you to let your guard down.

What other tips can you think of for a woman to keep herself SAFE from sexual predators?

Do YOU think that a stranger who suggests getting together with a woman he’s never met before might have more than “just lunch” on his mind?

Has anything remotely like this ever happened to you?  If so, how did you handle it to keep yourself out of harm’s way?

As much as I’d love to tell you that my #1 mental response to “Kyle’s” lunch invitation was totally God-centered and major-super-spiritual, I confess that it was not.

My very FIRST thought?  Honestly?  (promise not to laugh or think less of me!)

My knee-jerk reaction was, “I just got in this pool!”

Seriously, if I had to choose between a leisurely lunch with an overly-attentive handsome pilot, or to continue swimming for 90 more minutes in the California sunshine, I’ll keep swimming, thank you very much!

You may not love swimming like I do, but my point is that when you fill your life FULL of things that you absolutely LOVE doing, it’s much easier to stay on the right track when temptation comes knocking.

Think about it.  One of the main reasons men & women get so sidetracked by inappropriate emotional entanglements is that their lives are way out of balance.

On one extreme, we can fill our days with all kinds of stresses and pressures, but that kind of pressure-cooker environment makes human beings very susceptible to “releasing” those pressures in some pretty inappropriate ways.

On the opposite extreme, we can also let our days become so boring & mundane that we are tempted to “spice things up” with something WAY out of the ordinary, i.e. an extramarital fling.

But what if we create a life that positively fuels us — emotionally, mentally, spiritually, physically, sexually… will we feel the need for that affair when the opportunity comes knocking?

I didn’t.  I didn’t feel the need at all.  THANK YOU GOD that I didn’t feel ANY need for anything more than what I’d already been given in that moment!

God has given me such a feeling of purpose and meaning — in my ministry, in marriage, in motherhood, in special “me-time” moments like swimming, or sipping Chai tea, or nibbling dark chocolate, or lighting a candle and staring at the flame as I count my blessings —  that an afternoon lunch affair couldn’t possibly pull me away from one of my many passions.

Is your life filled with so many healthy passions that you don’t have the time, energy, or inclination for any unhealthy passions to develop?

If so, tell us your secret!  What kind of things do you do regularly that help to create an “affair-proof” life?

I’ve been warned multiple times by multiple people.  “Leading a ministry such as yours paints a big red BULLS-EYE on your forehead!”

I’ve always known it to be true, yet I was still taken by surprise over the events that transpired on June 15^th.  As it was all unfolding, I suspected that I would NEED to blog about this eventually – both as therapy to process it all myself, and hopefully as PREVENTATIVE therapy for my readers.

As I arrived at Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport on June 14^th, I was warned that if I flew

into Los Angeles, I might get stranded there for several days.  A volcano in Chili had erupted, sending an ash cloud over New Zealand’s airspace, which would prevent planes from heading in that direction any time soon.  Due to speak in Christchurch within 72 hours, I begged them to let me on that plane in spite of their warnings.  I knew my chances of getting to New Zealand were much greater if I was already in L.A. than if I were still in Dallas.

Although “acts of God” usually mean that you’re responsible for your own

lodging, Quantas was kind enough to put all of us stranded travelers in a very nice Marriott Hotel near LAX Airport.  I got settled into my room around 3 a.m., slept until 10 a.m., enjoyed a leisurely Starbuck’s breakfast, then headed to the swimming pool for some exercise since I had almost 12 hours before the next possible flight left the U.S.  I felt like I’d been given a free 24-hour California vacation, and I was soaking up every minute of it.

I’m minding my own business in the shallow end of the pool when a handsome

40-ish guy in jogging shorts, tank top, and iPod ear buds strolled by. He’d obviously just completed a jog, and was contemplating the hot tub.  He asked how the water was, and I gave him the thumbs up.

Casual conversation evolved so naturally I can’t even remember what the first

words spoken were.  I eventually asked if he was also stuck in L.A. due to the ash cloud.  Negative.  He was a pilot on sabbatical until his next flight later that evening.  He returned the ball to my side of the court, asking why I was heading to New Zealand.  I explained that I would be doing a 3-week speaking tour.  Predictably, he asked, “What do you speak on?”

I gave my standard as-brief-as-possible answer so as not to bore him to

death.  “Healthy Sexuality and Spirituality.”

Bored?  Obviously not.  Intrigued?  Maybe.  He replied, “So… if I read your books, I’ll learn how to have better sex?”

Again, keeping it as brief as possible, I responded, “Well, if you read my latest book, The Sexually Confident Wife, I guess you might could learn a few things.”

Sensing it was time to wrap the conversation up and move on, I wished him a good day and started swimming toward the opposite end of the enormous pool.

Mr. Pilot-Guy had been long forgotten in the 2.5 minutes it took me to reach the deep end.  My mind was already in Christchurch, praying that the volcanic ash cloud would clear, and that the earthquake aftershocks wouldn’t prevent my plane from landing once I actually arrived.

Suddenly I hear a deep voice chuckle, “You’re going to have to swim a lot faster than that to get any exercise!”

I look up to discover Mr. Pilot-Guy’s toned & tanned frame casting a shadow over me in the California sunshine.  He squats down, extends his arm for a formal handshake, and says, “I’m Kyle… and I was thinking it would be great to have lunch with you.  You seem like a very interesting person, and I’d love to get to know you more.  So… what do you think?”

I can’t recall ever being at a loss-for-words in my entire life, but color me speechless in that moment.  “Well… uh… I… uh… I don’t know if I’d really have time…”

He interrupted my stammering to rescue us both from the awkwardness.  “Look, I have to eat anyway, and I’d love to eat with you.  I’ll be in the hotel lobby at 12:30.  If you’re there, great.  I think we’d have a really good time together.  If you’re not there, well, I understand.”

My crushing reply?  “Uh, okay.”

And then I swam away in the other direction with a million thoughts ricocheting through my brain.  Well, maybe just 10 thoughts.  Ten thoughts that I’m going to be sharing with YOU in the coming blog posts, so stay tuned as I explain the main reasons why I DIDN’T GO THERE!!!

And why I hope YOU NEVER GO THERE, either!

BUILDING LEADERS, AUTHORS, SPEAKERS & TEACHERS

For our upcoming Fall 2011 BLAST Class, you have TWO ways to participate – either through the standard ONLINE videos each month starting in September (click here for more information), or through our LIVE class experience in August (see article below) + monthly video reviews to keep you focused throughout the following year!

****************

Why in the world would anyone want to book a trip to Texas in August, the HOTTEST month of the year? Here’s 3 HOT reasons why:

• We’re hosting a LIVE BLAST class, starting at 3 p.m. Tuesday, August 9th through 3 p.m. Friday, August 12th.
• We’re hosting a BLAST Reunion starting at 6 p.m. Friday, August 12th through 9 p.m. Saturday, August 13th.
• You’ll enjoy face-to-face interaction with Shannon, other BLAST class members (past & present), and hear best-selling author Fred Stoeker (Every Man’s Battle) share his heart about hearing the voice of God as you write & speak!

We’ve booked one of the newest & nicest hotels in Tyler for both the LIVE class and the Reunion. Click here to view more information about the Hilton Garden Inn which is offering a special rate of $89 per room for BLAST participants.

Click here for an informational brochure about the fall BLAST program (both the LIVE version in August and the ONLINE versions beginning in September), and click here to read more about how we can accommodate your visit to Texas for the LIVE video taping in August.

In addition, spouses participate both in the LIVE and online BLAST Class for FREE!

We look forward to seeing many of you in Texas! And we promise to try to keep you as cool and comfortable as possible!

LIVE Class Members:  Submit your application on or
before July 15th and receive a 10% ($180) Early-Bird Discount!

ONLINE Class Members:  Submit your application on or before
July 30, 2011 and receive a 10% ($180) Early-Bird Discount!

Final Registration Deadline for ONLINE class is August 15^th

Kia Ora!  (which means “Hello!” in the Mowri language)

As I am writing this, Greg and I are 12 hours into our journey back to Texas, with 12 hours to go, and lots of other numbers are rolling around in my head in regards to the past 3 weeks in New Zealand…

• By the grace of God, I was able to speak 25 times in 17 days!
• Also by the grace of God, ZERO health issues the entire time!  Not even a headache!
• The THREE awesome churches that orchestrated these events – Jan & Clinton Kelleher at Elim Cathedral of Hope, Chris Bethwaite & Rebecca Green at Elim Christian Centre, and Fiona & Dean Rush at C3 Auckland – what a privilege to partner with you in ministry!
• The TWO wonderful couples that hosted us in their homes for an entire week at a time – Heather & Nevil, Gail & Ben – what warm hospitality you showed us!  Thank you!
• The FIVE-star restaurant where we dined in Arrowtown outside of Queenstown, where Chef Pete Gawron makes the BEST dish ever — red curry chicken with pineapple, cashews & coconut milk over jasmine rice – YUM!!!
• The THREE-day holiday spent at the Paihia Beach Resort in the Bay of Islands – WOW, put that place on your Bucket List!  And visit Russell Island and the Hole in the Rock while you are there!
• The FOUR earthquakes & multiple aftershocks felt in Christchurch (no surprise with the frequent activity they’ve had there over the past 9 months), and even one in Auckland on our last Friday night there (2.9 on the Richter scale), which was a complete surprise to everyone!
• The HUNDREDS of women, husbands, and youth that I had the privilege of meeting and ministering to through the various women’s conferences, marriage conferences, and Sunday sermons.  May your marriages & families be strengthened as you continue to pursue lifestyles of sexual & emotional integrity, sexual intimacy in marriage, and intimacy with Christ!
• The DOZENS of folks who expressed interest in participating in a future B.L.A.S.T. Class — God is stirring up lots of aspiring writers & speakers in New Zealand for sure!
• The PLETHORA of fond memories Greg and I made during this trip, for which we are so grateful!

THANK YOU for your prayers over these past three weeks!  Again, we have certainly felt them — even more powerfully than the jet lag, earthquakes, or homesickness!

Blessed beyond measure,

Shannon & Greg