A New Book from Cecil Murphey for Caregivers

Because You Care

Spiritual Encouragement for Caregivers

Cecil Murphey & Twila Belk & Betty Fletcher

Beloved authors Cecil Murphey and Twila Belk know that caring for an ill or elderly loved one can be very difficult—and yet inspires a deep sense of love and peace of mind. Beautifully written and laced with stunning photos by nature photographer Betty Fletcher, this book is full of gentle wisdom and personal stories that help the caregiver with such matters as

• feeling guilty for doing too much, too little, or nothing at all
• answering other people’s well-meaning but insensitive questions
• watching a dearly loved one suffer through difficult days

Because You Care is a breath of fresh air for those who are in a long-term care arrangement. Here they find practical help, sweet encouragement, and holy inspiration.

(The above quote is from the publisher. Below are a few of my own thoughts about this helpful and encouraging book.)

As caregiver for both of my parents as they were in hospice I do not think I could have made it if not for spiritual encouragement, from God's word, friends and family and also from books written especially for caregivers. Cec & Twila have written a wonderful book with chapters short enough to get through in the limited time the caregivers have in their busy days. Betty Fletcher's amazing photos touch my soul each time I look at them and I can literally feel the muscles in my neck letting go of their tight grip and allowing me to lose some of the burdens of the day.

I encourage you to take a look at Because You Care today, for yourself or maybe for a loved one. It may be just the empathic, encouraging words they need.

To purchase from Amazon.com: Because You Care: Spiritual Encouragement for Caregivers, click link http://bitsy.me/4us

You can also find Because You Care on Facebook.

Hear the Authors of "90 Minutes in Heaven" LIVE tonight

Who hasn't wondered what happens after you die? Is heaven real? Is there life after death?

Don Piper is one man who had the chance to find out.

Several years ago Don's car was crushed by a truck on a narrow bridge in Texas. That horrific car accident left him in hopeless shape. Medical personnel at the scene pronounced him dead . A passing pastor was told it was useless to pray for Don, but he prayed anyway.

And guess what? God had a different plan for Rev. Piper. Don told his story in the best-selling book "90 Minutes in Heaven". God has used his experiences to bring hope and comfort to thousands of people all over the world. And this evening you can hear him LIVE for yourself.

Tonight on the online call-in show "Cec and Me," Don & co-author Cec Murphey will be talking about Don's experience, the book and taking calls with any comments and/or questions you may have.

If you are interested in life after death, near death experiences, heaven or just what happens after you die, please listen tonight to

http://toginet.com/shows/cecandme

Tues, Dec. 7 at 8 PM eastern, 7 PM central time.

This is an online program. You listen on your computer. Just click on the purple colored link shared above to get to the show. To listen, click on the box at the upper right that reads "LIVE ON AIR click here to listen" And be sure to call in with questions/comments.

If you miss the show on this Tuesday, you can still hear it any time by going to the show and clicking on the archives.

Words of Comfort for Times of Loss

Through great personal loss, authors Cecil Murphey and Liz Allison, http://www.lizallison.com/index.html have gained insight to share with others who are going through uncertainty, depression, and loneliness after losing a loved one. They also offer advice for those comforting someone who is grieving.

Among comforting paintings by artist Michal Sparks, brief stories, personal experiences, and prayers offer a meaningful path toward healing for readers when they:

• feel alone and lost in their grief and want to reconnect with others and to life
• seek to make sense of their loss alongside their sense of faith, purpose, and God
• want to honor their loved one without clinging to the past in unhealthy ways

Readers are given gentle permission to grapple with doubt, seek peace, and reflect on their loss in their own way without judgment and with understanding and hope. A perfect gift for a loved one dealing with loss.

If you purchase a copy of Cec’s newest gift book, Words of Comfort for Times of Loss, for $11, I will give you a hardback copy of Heaven Is Real (a $22 value) free. (The offer is good while supplies last.) You might want to donate these books to your church library, a grief support group, a ministry, or give them to a friend. Contact Twila Belk at twila@gottatellsomebody.com or 563-332-1622.

Sharing Your Story

"For each life is a book, not to be read, but rather a story to be written. The Author starts each life story, but each life will write his or her own ending," Max Lucado.

Do you have a story to share? Most of us do and most of us need a little help to get started. If telling your story is a dream of yours, then read on, my friend.

If you’re looking for insight into the publishing industry, have questions about getting published or marketing your finished work, or just need some plain old-fashioned encouragement on your writing journey, QCCWC is the conference for you.

From all over the country authors and participants gather to share ideas, to spend time together finding and giving help and encouragement in a conference unique because of its heart.

Over and over again we've received feedback from people sharing comments like:

"There's a different Spirit at this conference".

"I didn't know the authors and teachers would be so accessible."

"I can't wait to try out what I've learned."

"Thank you for such a wonderful conference!"

We hope you'll take time to come and see for yourself the difference two short days can make in your writing and in your life.

From the website:

"The Quad-Cities Christian Writers' Conference is pleased to announce that some of the best writing instructors in the nation will join us in 2010 for two full days of breakout sessions, continuing sessions, keynote talks, one-on-one appointments, and inspiration.

In order to make an impact with your writing, it's important to LEARN THE CRAFT. That's what the Quad-Cities Christian Writers' Conference is all about. You won't find publishers, agents, and editors in attendance, but you will experience the care and coaching of a professional, knowledgeable staff. Our faculty will answer your questions, guide you, teach you, and show you how you can use your writing to change the world one word at a time."

Join us April 9-10 in Eldridge, Iowa.

It could be your first step toward the thrill of seeing your work in print.

For more information or to register go to http://www.qccwc.com/

I'll be looking for you!

Check out the special early-bird rate for registrations postmarked or electronically submitted on or before Saturday, February 20! $$ off and a free book as well!

"The Good-News Guide to Caregiving" from Reader's Digesthttp://http://www.rd.com/make-it-matter-make-a-difference/-4-amazing-caregiving-stories/articl

"There are only four kinds of people in this world,” former first lady Rosalynn Carter once wrote. “Those who have been caregivers, those who currently are caregivers, those who will be caregivers, those who will need caregivers.”

I read these words on the plane flying home from California last year. I was instantly taken back to late summer of 2003 when I began the process of caring for both of my parents who were eventurally in hospice. My mom had multiple heart and breathing issues, infections and generally was in poor health, with dementia. My father was most heartbreaking, perfectly sound except for the esophageal cancer, possibly other places as well, that would take his life in April of 2004.

Love doesn’t stop when a parent, spouse, or friend gets sick. Here, remarkable stories of stepping up, sticking around, and finding joy, written by Camille Peri from the Dec/Jan issue of Reader's Digest. I hope these stories lift and stregthen your spirit as they did mine.

May you have a happy, hopeful New Year.

http://www.rd.com/make-it-matter-make-a-difference/-4-amazing-caregiving-stories/article168643.html

A message from the author of When Someone You Love Has Cancer

When Shirley walked in from the garage, she didn't have to say a word: I read the diagnosis in her eyes. I grabbed her and held her tightly for several seconds. When I released her, she didn't cry. The unshed tears glistened, but that was all.

I felt emotionally paralyzed and helpless, and I couldn't understand my reaction. After all, I was a professional. As a former pastor and volunteer hospital chaplain I had been around many cancer patients. I'd seen people at their lowest and most vulnerable. As a writing instructor, I helped one woman write her cancer-survival book. Shirley and I had been caregivers for Shirley's older sister for months before she died of colon cancer.

All of that happened before cancer became personal to me—before my wife learned she needed a mastectomy. To make it worse, Shirley was in the high-risk category because most of her blood relatives had died of some form of cancer. Years earlier, she had jokingly said, "In our family we grow things."

In the days after the diagnosis and before her surgery, I went to a local bookstore and to the public library. I found dozens of accounts, usually by women, about their battle and survival. I pushed aside the novels that ended in a person's death. A few books contained medical or technical information. I searched on-line and garnered useful information—but I found nothing that spoke to me on how to cope with the possible loss of the person I loved most in this world.

Our story ends happily: Shirley has started her tenth year as a cancer survivor. Not only am I grateful, but I remember my pain and confusion during those days. That concerns me enough to reach out to others who also feel helpless as they watch a loved one face the serious diagnosis of cancer.

That's why I wrote When Someone You Love Has Cancer. I want to encourage relatives and friends and also to offer practical suggestions as they stay at the side of those they love.

The appendix offers specific things for them to do and not to do—and much of that information came about because of the way people reacted around us.

It's a terrible situation for anyone to have cancer; it's a heavy burden for us who deeply love those with cancer.

Cecil Murphey

When Someone You Love Has Cancer
Publisher: Harvest House ISBN: 978-0-7369-2428-3 Retail: $10.99

For more information about the book or the author, contact Twila Belk at twilabelk@mchsi.com or 563-332-1622.

Visit Cecil Murphey’s Web site: http://www.themanbehindthewords.com/

Links to purchase When Someone You Love Has Cancer

You may purchase Cecil Murphey's book "When Someone You Love Has Cancer" from the following web sites or from your local book store.

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/When-Someone-Love-Cancer-Encouragement/dp/0736924280

Barnes & Nobel http://search.barnesandnoble.com/When-Someone-You-Love-Has-Cancer/Cecil-Murphey/e/9780736924283/?itm=3&usri=when+someone+you+love+has+cancer

Borders http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?sku=0736924280

Press Release for When Someone You Love Has Cancer

(Atlanta, GA) The World Health Organization recently released a report claiming that by the year 2010 cancer will be the number one killer worldwide. More than 12.4 million people in the world suffer from cancer. 7.6 million people are expected to die from some form of cancer. That’s a lot of people, but the number of loved ones of cancer sufferers is far greater. What do they do when a special person in their life is diagnosed with this devastating disease?

Bestselling author Cecil Murphey understands intimately how loved ones suffer. The diagnosis of breast cancer that had spread to the lymph nodes put Murphey’s wife, Shirley, in the high-risk category. At least eight of her blood relatives had died from cancer. Shortly after the doctor confirmed Shirley’s cancer suspicions, her older sister was diagnosed with colon cancer.

“I went emotionally numb for several days,” Murphey said. “I felt helpless. I also realized that I needed to affirm my love and encourage Shirley before the surgery and through her recovery period. I learned many lessons about loving and caring for someone with cancer.”

Murphey brings his experiences as a loved one and many years of wisdom gained from being a pastor and hospital chaplain to his newest book When Someone You Love Has Cancer: Comfort and Encouragement for Caregivers and Loved Ones (Harvest House Publishers). His honest I’ve-been-there admissions and practical helps are combined with artist Michal Sparks’ soothing watercolor paintings.

Readers of When Someone You Love Has Cancer will receive:
· Inspiration to seek peace and understanding in their loved one’s situation
· Help in learning the importance of active listening
· Guidance in exploring their own feelings of confusion and unrest
· Help in how to handle anxiety and apprehension
· Honest answers to questions dealing with emotions, exhaustion, and helplessness
· Spirit-lifting thoughts for celebrating the gift of life in the midst of troubles
Murphey explains why this is a much-needed book: “Most books about cancer address survivors. I want to speak to the mates, families, and friends who love those with cancer. I offer a number of simple, practical things people can do for those with cancer.”

About the Author:
Cecil Murphey is an international speaker and bestselling author who has written more than 100 books, including the New York Times bestseller 90 Minutes in Heaven (with Don Piper). No stranger himself to loss and grieving, Cecil has served as a pastor and hospital chaplain for many years, and through his ministry and books he has brought hope and encouragement to countless people around the world. For more information, visit http://www.themanbehindthewords.com/.
Author/Speaker now securing interviews.