To-Do Lists. I hate to-do lists. They’re either way too long and overwhelm me, or they seem way too short for the amount of stress I feel. Here’s an example of an overwhelming list:

• Clean the bathroom
• Fix supper
• Write a devotional
• Make a doctor’s appt.
• Email the kids about upcoming trip
• Email marketing director
• Email BFF coordinators
• Email husband—to pick up groceries

The list could go on—and most days it would go on—but I can’t bear to put everything on my list because I get too overwhelmed! On the other hand, a short to-do list isn’t comforting either:

• Research the Nile’s ancient flood plain
• Edit rough draft
• Write blog posts for March

Only three things, right? But they’re three HONKIN’ HUGE things!

BFF To-Do List

When I asked Tina and Angie to coordinate this group, I knew they—like you—had very busy lives. The week we launched the BFF Team was a little nutso. All three of your “fearless leaders” were ready to pull out our hair! Lists to make. Emails to send. Webpages and Facebook to coordinate. Start-up is supposed to be a little frenzied, right?

Well, get ready, friends! Because Release Week for In the Shadow of Jezebel might just be a little frenzied too! But it’s going to be a ball!

We’ve got contests and blog tours and book clubs—oh my—contests and blog tours and… Well, you get the picture. 😉

Don’t Try to Do It All!

On our private webpage, you’ll find a list of ways to share In the Shadow of Jezebel under the heading, “Spreading the Word” (Publicity). That list is meant to be multiple choice—pick a few to focus on, but don’t try to do it all! Our BFF Team is a grace place. We trust the Lord to provide enough—enough time, strength, and wisdom to spread the word efficiently and effectively.

Above all, Angie, Tina, and I want our BFF Team to honor the Lord, and that means being wise in how we prioritize our time. Remember when Moses felt overwhelmed in the wilderness, trying to deal with over a million Israelites? He cried out to the Lord,

“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12

That’s my prayer for each of us as Jezebel’s release draws near. Oh, that we would each plan, prioritize, and perform our daily tasks according to God’s wisdom—including how we spread the word about In the Shadow of Jezebel.

No One Has To Do It All!

What is your passion? What is it that you LOVE doing? Writing? Reading? Praying? Coffee dates with friends? Great! Our BFF Team needs you to use that gift!

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.”         1 Corinthians 12:4-6

We have two immediate needs for ongoing ministry:

• Intercessory prayer—volunteer to be on Mesu’s prayer team
• Write devotionals—we need volunteers for every Monday all year long (see writing guidelines here).

Prayer Team Info:

All of us are called to pray, but some in the Body of Christ are called to minister to the others through faithful intercession. If you have a passion for prayer and would like to get S.O.S. calls on both personal and writing related prayer requests from Mesu, please email her directly: mesu@mesuandrews.com.

Devotional Writing Info:

You do NOT need to be writing for publication to write devotionals for our BFF Team. You simply need a desire to share something the Lord has laid on your heart. Writing guidelines can be found HERE, or you can email Angie (aearndt@gmail.com) or Tina (mommynificent@gmail.com) with questions. Devotionals will post on Mondays from now on.

To-Do List Tah-Dah!

The beauty of having fifty people on this team is that NO ONE needs to feel pressured to do it all! Let the Lord use you in your corner of the world, country, state, and computer-niche.

Today is February 17^th, and In the Shadow of Jezebel hits bookstore shelves March 4^th. We’ll do all we can to prepare, and then we’ll step back and say, “Tah-dah!”

When we get going on the contests and blog tours and all that great, fun, chaotic, frenzied stuff—share what you can when you can, and then raise your hands with me and say, “Yay, God!” Because, ultimately, it’s the Lord that’s driving this bus, y’all!

A Note to NetGalley Readers

I’m so sorry the digital download from NetGalley has formatting issues, and I emailed my Revell marketing director, Michele Misiak about it. Here’s her reply:

It’s a netgalley issue with ereader, because we load up a PDF and sometimes it doesn’t translate, especially to Kindle. Kindle has it’s own epub software and it doesn’t play nice with every file.

I’m interested to know–if you had it to do over, which would you choose, paperback or digital? Would you CLICK HERE to tell me your answer?

REMEMBER, you’re a member of the FIRST BFF Team–which means this is new to you AND me–but it’s not new to the Lord:

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”   Isaiah 43:19

So, the digital glitch is a little bit of desert, y’all–but He’ll make a way. Thanks for your patience while we learn what works and what doesn’t!