Shannon Taylor Vannatter

by on

Today’s post comes from my dear friend, Shannon Taylor Vannatter. A talented writer with a heart for God, Shannon crafts beautiful stories of grace. Her post reiterated something God’s been showing me this month–it’s not about me–my gifts, talents, and abilities. It’s about God working in and through me, through us. Whether He’s setting us up for a divine appointment or using us to bring joy to children across the globe, all He asks us to do is surrender and obey. He takes care of the rest … perfectly.

The Result of Corporate Surrender by Shannon Taylor Vannatter

In 2010, our ladies prayer group at church set a goal of thirty shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. Some of us had struggled financially that year. Some could only afford to fill one box, some no boxes, and some several boxes. We decided we would all buy however little or much we could, then bring our gifts to the church and fill the boxes together. We ended up with a closet full of donated toys, jewelry, crayons, coloring books, school supplies, and hygiene products.

Before everyone arrived to fill the boxes, we decided we didn’t have enough items for older kids. Some people had donated money, but the treasurer hadn’t arrived yet, so we didn’t know how much. On faith, a couple of us went shopping and ended up spending more than we thought we should. When the treasurer arrived, the donations amounted to almost exactly the money we’d spent.

By the time we ran out of boxes, another donation had come in to pay for more. Another shopping trip only brought in four more boxes. Apparently several of the churches in our town were participating in Operation Christmas Child. Once we found more boxes, we filled a total of fifty.

In 2011, we set a goal of fifty boxes. Again we didn’t make any plans on who would buy what, how many, for a boy or girl, or what age group, but it all worked out above and beyond our goal. We didn’t have to shop for more gifts and had plenty of items to fill boxes for every age group. Enough for seventy boxes. The only thing we had to shop for more of was boxes.

Our church is small and I know there are churches who send thousands of boxes to Operation Christmas Child each year, but I’m very proud of our giving congregation. Come October, we’ll be in the throws of the ministry once more and I have faith that we’ll achieve whatever goal we set. And then some.
For more information about Operation Christmas Child: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/
For more information about our church: http://heberspringsgracebaptistchurch.org/

Shannon’s donated a copy of her novel, Rodeo Hero, to this month’s Reach Out to Live Out gift basket:
Kendra doesn’t need rescued.

Kendra Maddox isn’t thrilled when Stetson Wright steps in to help fend off her overanxious date at a wedding. A new Christian, she’s struggling with a promiscuous past, and Stetson’s firm belief that true love waits only makes his gallant attempt to defend her honor even more unwanted. Then her friends continually push her and Stetson together. . .but can’t they see she’ll never be good enough for him?

Stetson doesn’t need any distractions. And Kendra Maddox is definitely a distraction. From his job as the new youth director at church to moonlighting as a rodeo clown, Stetson has other things to think about. Finding the perfect wife will have to wait.

When Stetson saves a prominent bull rider, he makes headline news, and Kendra’s ad agency is hired to promote the rodeo hero. Attraction simmers, but will they be able to accept each other for who God sees?

***
Central Arkansas author, Shannon Taylor Vannatter is a stay-at-home mom/pastor’s wife. Her debut novel, White Roses won the 2011 Inspirational Readers Choice Award in the short contemporary category. The 18th Annual Heartsong Awards named Vannatter 3rd Favorite New Author, and White Roses #1 and White Doves #8 in the contemporary category.
The first two books in her Texas rodeo series, Rodeo Dust and Rodeo Hero are currently available. Rodeo Ashes releases in August 2012. Find her books at barbourbooks.com, amazon.com, christianbook.com, and readerservice.com. All titles are in the process of becoming e-books as well. Learn more at http://shannonvannatter.com and check out her real life romance blog at http://shannonvannatter.com/blog/. Connect at @stvauthor on Twitter and http://www.facebook.com/shannontaylorvannatter.

Is there something God’s calling you to do today, something you feel ill-equipped for? Perhaps bills you don’t see how you can pay? A ministry without enough volunteers, a dream that seems out of reach? If so, I hope Shannon’s Reach Out story brought you comfort by reminding you God’s ways are not our ways. He can do exceedingly more than we ask or imagine. All He asks is that you surrender and obey.

I want to give a shout-out to our June donors:

Sandra Robbins with Dangerous Reunion, Elaine Marie Cooper with the Road to Deer Run and the Promise of Deer Run, Sherri Johnson with ebook To Dance Once More, Jerri Ledford with ebook Biloxi Sunrise, and Shannon Taylor Vannatter with Rodeo Hero.

Do you have a reach out story to share? Or something you’d like to donate to a future gift basket? Send me an email at jenniferaslattery(at)gmail(dot)com.

by on

Shannon Taylor Vannatter, author of White Roses, had numerous devotions that easily could have made my top 20 of 2010. I chose this one because I am a firm believer in taking our thoughts captive and making them obedient to Christ. Negativity is like a rapidly growing cancer. The minute you let that first negative thought in, another one comes riding on its shirttails, and before you know it, your head’s swimming with negativity. When I read Shannon’s devo, I have a vision of this beautiful sister in Christ holding her shield of faith high as one flaming arrow after another came her way. Yet, she was shielded, protected, wearing her nice rose colored glasses.

Today’s devo first appeared on Inkspirational Messages on July 6, 2010.

*                         *                                  *

Since I’m an optimist, unsinkable faith is a no brainer to me. Yes, I get down, but I don’t stay there long and when I get up, I put my rose-colored glasses right back on.

For eight years, I’ve put my unsinkable faith into practice in my role as a mom. This is the hardest, most rewarding part of my life. Even harder than getting published. Since I’m the main care taker, I have a large responsibility to mold my son into a Godly boy, a Godly teenager, a Godly man, a Godly husband, and a Godly father. The teenager part already makes me shudder and I’ve been praying about it since before he was born.

For nine years, I put my unsinkable faith into practice while trying to get published. I never said, if I get published, I always said, when I get published. When I got a rejection, I sent out another query, or proposal I kept studying my craft, striving, and submitting. And eventually editors took notice.

For nine years, I’ve put my unsinkable faith into practice in my role as a pastor’s wife. I’ve said it before, but the hardest part to me is that people become part of my family. But sometimes, they don’t stay. I’ve learned to embrace each new visitor or member for as long as they stick around. And know that if anyone leaves, He’ll bring in new people to love.

For twenty-six years, I’ve put my unsinkable faith into practice in my role as a wife. My husband and I are pulled in so many different directions. He works full-time as a dental technician and is supposedly a part-time pastor. Much of his time is spent pastoring and putting together sermons. Much of my time is spent supporting him in those efforts. Often, my days are monopolized with writing, revising, editing, and marketing. All of our down time is spent keeping our son happy and healthy. All of this leaves little time for us.

But no matter how crazy and complicated life gets, even when the valleys come and we think we’ll never see daylight from the mountain top again, I know it will all work out okay. God said it would be: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

And that’s where I hang my unsinkable faith, on a God who keeps all His promises.  What areas of your life have required unsinkable faith lately?

*                      *                      *

Shannon Taylor Vannatter married her high school sweetheart. Since then her husband answered the call to preach and they became first-time parents 16 ½ years into their marriage. 25 years later, she is a stay-at-home mom/pastor’s wife/writer. When not writing, she runs circles in the care and feeding of her husband Grant, their eight-year-old son, and their church congregation. Home is a central Arkansas zoo with two charcoal gray cats, a chocolate lab, a dragonfish, and three dachshunds in weenie dog heaven. If given the chance to clean house or write, she’d rather write. Her goal is to hire Alice from the Brady Bunch.

Her series with Heartsong Presents launched in May with White Roses. White Doves follows in October, and White Pearls in January. Each book ships to a 10,000 member bookclub, then to stores six months later. All three books are set in Romance and Rose Bud, Arkansas. Brides and lovebirds take advantage of the re-mailing program to have wedding invitations and Valentines cards mailed from Romance with a unique postmark. Romance also hosts several annual weddings with Valentine’s Day the most popular date.

Order White Roses at http://www.heartsongpresents.com/book/detail/9781602607552/. Learn more about Shannon and her books at http://shannonvannatter.com. Her new blog, The Inkslinger, features true love stories, inspirational author’s real-life romances, insight into the love lives of their fictional characters, book excerpts, romantic destinations, and weekly book giveaways at http://www.shannonvannatter.com/blog.

And a bit about her novel, White Roses:

Pastor Grayson Sterling loves his wife. The problem is, Sara was killed by a hit-and-run driver two years ago. Grayson knows he needs to move on, that the continuing depth of his grief is not healthy for him or his young son. Desperate, he convinces his church to hire Mark Welch as associate pastor to relieve him of some of his load. When Adrea Welch arrives at his church with her brother, Grayson cannot deny his attraction to her.

For years, florist Adrea Welch has been artfully arranging white roses for Sara Sterling. Now those flowers are carried to the cemetery by a faithful, grieving husband. How can Adrea be so attracted to a man still devoted to his dead wife? When secrets from Adrea’s past collide with their budding relationship, both she and Grayson must learn to lean on God’s abiding wisdom.