This week on Amish Wisdom: Ingrid Hess, Rhonda Shrock and Christa Black

Welcome to Amish Wisdom. This week we'll have three guests on the show. The first half hour will feature guest host Rhonda Schrock who will be interviewing author and illustrator, Ingrid Hess. Ingrid has a delightful new book out called An Amish Alphabet. Then during the second half of the show I'll be sitting down with Christa Black, author of God Loves Ugly. She'll be sharing her inspiring message and personal story. 

Leave a comment here for a chance to win a copy of either guests' book. Winner will be notified next week via email.

More about Rhonda Schrock: Rhonda Schrock is the mother of 4 sons, ages 6 to 22. She and her family live in Northern Indiana. She is a telecommuting medical transcriptionist and the writer of the weekly column, "Grounds for Insanity," which appears in The Goshen News.  A prolific blogger, she's written professionally for Bethel College while contributing to parenting and humor blogs and maintaining her own.  She appears twice monthly on Suzanne Woods Fisher's website and writes once monthly for Sherry Gore, author and founder of "Cooking & Such" magazine. Rhonda is also the editor of "Cooking & Such," and her column is featured there regularly.  You can find her at www.RhondaSchrock.com.

More about Ingrid Hess: Ingrid Hess is an illustrator, graphic designer, and graphic design professor living in Rochester, New York. The simplicity in her work is heavily influenced by her Amish and Mennonite heritage; the bright colors and patterns are inspired by art from Costa Rica, where she lived for four years as a child.

Ingrid holds an MFA in Graphic Design from Indiana University with an emphasis in the book arts and has worked in the publishing industry since 1996. Her dual passions of design and illustration work well together and help her tell stories through pictures. Her research focuses on economic justice as a way to bring peace to the world.

Ingrid is author and illustrator of Herald Press titles Sleep in Peace (2008 Rodda Book Award winner) and Walk in Peace. She also wrote Think Fair Trade First in which she seeks to empower children to understand that they can make a difference in the world. Learn more about Ingrid here.

More about An Amish AlphabetA is for Amish; B is for barn raising; C is for church. What is it like to be Amish? In this delightful and whimsical full-color book, author and illustrator Ingrid Hess offers an entertaining yet informative introduction to Amish faith and life. In a style that will capture the imaginations of children and adults alike, Hess takes readers behind the scenes and invites them to think about living out faith in new ways.

More about Christa Black: Christa Black is a popular blog author, speaker, and singer/songwriter whose songs have been recorded by multi-platinum-selling artists Jordin Sparks and Michael W. Smith. She has toured with The Jonas Brothers, Michael W. Smith, and Jennifer Knapp. Christa lives in Los Angeles, California with her husband and rescue dog, Nala. GOD LOVES UGLY is her first book and corresponds with her CD/Album God Loves Ugly. Learn more about Christa at her website, www.christablack.com.

More about God Loves Ugly: DO YOU EVER LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND HATE WHAT YOU SEE? Your eyes can lie. Rejection, shame, and self-hatred can poison perceptions and hinder us from seeing and believing what's actually true. In GOD LOVES UGLY Christa Black shares her personal victory against powerful adversaries--her thoughts, feelings, and reflection. From world-touring stadium performer to rehab-bound bulimic binge eater, Christa's unashamed transparency will win your heart, hold your attention, and give you practical tools to overcome the monsters that can consume our lives. She invites the reader into her own painful struggles and spiritual journey, providing solutions to life's problems in a highly entertaining and vulnerable, yet empowering way. You were made to live free. Whether you are struggling with an eating disorder, depression, addiction, or just feeling a little insecure, GOD LOVES UGLY will shift the way you think, motivate permanent change, and inspire your heart to find peace.

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Comments
  1. Felecia says: I love reading Rhonda's blog posts. felecia@twinoaksfl.org

    Posted on: 09-19-2012 @ 4:25 pm EST
  2. amy c says: Sounds like a great show for today! Campbellamyd at gmail dot com

    Posted on: 09-20-2012 @ 7:27 am EST
  3. Karla Hanns says: Sounds excellent. Will be listening. k_hanns@yahoo.com

    Posted on: 09-20-2012 @ 12:07 pm EST
  4. Diana Montgomery says: Hope to listen in. Would love to win. joeym11@frontier.com

    Posted on: 09-20-2012 @ 12:48 pm EST
  5. Karen Lange says: Looking forward to listening. It should be interesting!

    Posted on: 09-20-2012 @ 1:01 pm EST
  6. Megan Parsons says: I would love to win either book! makeighleekyleigh@yahoo.com

    Posted on: 09-20-2012 @ 3:31 pm EST
  7. Evelyn Harshbarger says: Thank-you to Ingrid for sharing her story and her passion! I have 2 college kids in the Art division and I'm also in the Graphic Design Department and working on 3 degrees in one. Ingrid has been an inspiration to all of us. My daughter is also a beginning author and has written several beginnings of stories. You helped me to know how to keep on encouraging her to continue in her passion. Yes, we have an interesting life!

    Posted on: 09-20-2012 @ 5:32 pm EST
  8. apple blossom says: nice program today. thanks ABreading4fun [at] gmail [dot] com

    Posted on: 09-20-2012 @ 6:32 pm EST
  9. Linda says: You mean I could have a chance to win An Amish Alphabet? Whoo-hoo!

    Posted on: 09-20-2012 @ 10:16 pm EST
  10. NameKAREN SMITH says: I WOULD LOVE TO WIN THE ALPH IF GIVEN A CHANCE khsmith97217@yahoo.com

    Posted on: 09-21-2012 @ 12:02 am EST
  11. Brenda Welch says: I would love to be a winner! Thanks bbwelch@windstream.net

    Posted on: 09-21-2012 @ 9:50 am EST
  12. Lovina says: I enjoyed the interview! lovinamllr@gmail.com

    Posted on: 09-21-2012 @ 1:35 pm EST
  13. Kathie from CA says: I am making an alphabet book for my granddaughters. I would love the Amish Alphabet.

    Posted on: 09-24-2012 @ 9:35 pm EST
  14. Jane says: I would love to win it, it sounds like something that can help me out

    Posted on: 10-06-2012 @ 12:51 pm EST
  15. Christen ckrumm@litfusegroup.com says: Congratulations to this week's winners! You have been emailed!

    Posted on: 10-14-2012 @ 2:58 am EST


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Schedule of Guests

May:

16: Sherry Gore guest hosts | Summer in Lancaster with Joel Cliff of www.padutchcountry.com and the Sensationalization of the Amish with Brad Igou

23: Tricia Goyer - Amish Fiction

30: Erik Wesner

June: 

6: Kate Lloyd - Amish Fiction

13: Dan Walsh - how fiction impacts with real marriages

20: Plain Weddings with Sherry Gore, Maryann Kinsinger, Sharon Lavy, & Rhonda Schrock

Suzanne's Latest Releases

A New Home for Lily (Available now!)

Book 2 in The Adventures of Lily Lapp series.

Change is all Lily faces when her family moves to an Amish community in Pennsylvania. She has to make new friends, settle into her new home—which she thinks is ugly—and adjust to another new baby brother. (Still no sisters!) Even worse, a boy at school, Aaron Yoder, enjoys tormenting poor Lily. There are some bright spots about Lily’s new home—she has a wonderful teacher, and her relatives have moved close by. But there are a few lessons Lily needs to learn about starting over. 

Be sure to visit Lily's interactive website.

The Lesson (Available now!)

Book 3 in the Stoney Ridge Seasons series

In her wildest dreams, spunky and impulsive nineteen-year-old Mary Kate Lapp never imagined herself behind a schoolteacher’s desk. A run-in (literally) with the schoolteacher compels her to act as a substitute teacher, just as her restless desire to see the world compels her to apply for a passport . . . just in case. The only thing of interest to M.K. in the sleepy Amish community of Stoney Ridge is the unexplained death of a sheep farmer that coincided with the arrival of a mysterious young man into the community. Frustrated that no one takes the crime seriously, she takes matters into her own hands. Unfortunately, as tends to be the case for M.K., she jumps headlong into trouble.

Life with Lily 

Book 1 in The Adventures of Lily Lapp series.

Life with Lily is the first book in the ‘Adventures of Lily Lapp’ series. Lily is six in this story, just starting first grade in a one-room schoolhouse in upstate New York. Her parents are busy building a farm, and soon animals join the family—Jenny the cow and Chubby the miniature horse. A baby brother arrives, too, which Lily has mixed feelings about. (She wanted a sister!) Aside from a mischievous friend like Mandy Mast, Lily is happy at school and even happier at home. Trouble is brewing at the schoolhouse and change is on the horizon for Lily and her family.

Click the Adventures of Lily Lapp badge to visit Lily's interactive website. Geared toward children of all ages the Lily site is loaded with fun, games, downloadable coloring pages, Mama's recipes,a way to ask Lily questions...and more! Check it out by clicking on the pix...and be sure to watch the fabulous trailer about Lily!   

The Haven 

Book 2 in the 'Stoney Ridge Seasons' series

From Publisher’s Weekly:

“Popular Amish romance novelist Fisher (The Choice) continues her Stoney Ridge Seasons series with a stand-alone tale focusing on Amos Lapp’s middle daughter, Sadie. Fisher’s style is light and engaging. Her setting may be a simple Pennsylvania Amish community, but the struggles of faith, trust, and forgiveness are common to a wide-ranging audience. Moral elements are so deftly woven into the plot that most readers will learn the lesson before realizing there is one.”

When Sadie Lapp steps off the bus in Stoney Ridge after being in Ohio for the winter, she is faced with a decision–one that goes against her very essence. Yet it’s the only way she can think of to protect a loved one.

Schoolteacher Gideon Smucker has been crazy about Sadie since boyhood. But his response to her surprising decision undermines his own reputation–and his relationship with Sadie.

College student Will Stoltz is spending the spring at the Lapp farm as a guard for a pair of nesting Peregrine Falcons–courtesy of the Lancaster County Game Warden. Will needs to get his life back on track, but his growing friendship with Sadie threatens his plans.

The lives of these three individuals intertwine, and then unravel as unexpected twists create ripples through the town of Stoney Ridge . . . and through Sadie’s heart.

Once again, bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher intrigues and delights with a story that explores the bonds of friendship, family, and true love. Readers will enjoy every surprise in Sadie’s story as they search for the truth hidden within these pages.

Read an excerpt!

The Keeper 

Book 1 in the Stoney Ridge Seasons series

"The Stoney Ridge Season starts off with characters who are trying to make the right choices, but sometimes with unexpected results. Fisher always brings freshness to her Amish novels. The Amish culture is interesting to read and learn about, but there is also a message: God has plans and those plans may vary greatly from the plans you have." -Romantic Times, 4 Stars

Julia Lapp has planned on marrying Paul Fisher since she was a girl. Now twenty-one, she looks forward to their wedding with giddy anticipation. When Paul tells her he wants to postpone the wedding--again--she knows who is to blame. Perpetual bachelor and spreader of cold feet, Roman Troyer, the Bee Man.

Roamin' Roman travels through the Amish communities of Ohio and Pennsylvania with his hives full of bees, renting them out to farmers in need of pollinators. He relishes his nomadic life, which keeps him from thinking about all he has lost. He especially enjoys bringing his bees to Stoney Ridge each year. But with Julia on a mission to punish him for inspiring Paul's cold feet, the Lapp farm is looking decidedly less pleasant.

Can Julia secure the future she's always dreamed of? Or does God have something else in mind?

Full of the plot twists and surprises her fans love, The Keeper is the first in a new series by bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher. Through touching family relationships and trials of the heart, Fisher's vivid characters grapple with yielding to God's will when it doesn't match their own.

A Lancaster County Christmas 

Jaime and C. J. Fitzpatrick began their married life as most couples do--in love and looking forwardto abright future together. But four years later they've drifted apart and are almost ready to call it quits.

Mattie Riehl was hoping to give her husband Sol the Christmas gift they have both longed for--news that a baby was on the way. But as usual, she is disappointed. The holidays bring an acute awareness to Mattie that her dream of a big family isn't likely to become a reality.

Then a winter storm raging outside blows the Fitzpatricks into the Riehl home--and into a much slower pace of life. Can these two couples from different worlds help each other understand the true meaning of love this Christmas?

Amish Values for Your Family 

For readers who long for strong families that know how to truly enjoy life together, there is much to learn from the Amish. Values like community, forgiveness, simple living, obedience, and more can be your family legacy--without selling your car, changing your wardrobe, or moving out to farm country.

In Amish Values for Your Family, bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher shows how you can adopt the wisdom of the Amish when it comes to family matters. In this inspiring and practical book readers will find charming true stories interlaced with solid, biblical advice about parenting, marriage, and all aspects of family life. As readers get an intimate glimpse into the everyday lives of real Amish families, they will learn to prioritize what's truly important, simplify decision-making, slow down as a family, safeguard time together, and let go when the time comes.

The Search--Book 3 in The Lancaster County Secrets Collection 

Fifteen years ago, Lainey O'Toole made a split-second decision. She couldn't have known that her choice would impact so many. Now in her mid-twenties, she is poised to go to culinary school when her car breaks down in Stoney Ridge, the very Amish town in which her long-reaching decision was made, forcing her to face the shadowed past.

Bess Reihl is less than thrilled to be spending the summer at Rose Hill Farm with her large and intimidating grandmother, Bertha. It quickly becomes clear that she is there to work the farm--and work hard. The labor is made slightly more tolerable by the time it affords Bess to spend with the handsome hired hand, Billy Lapp. But he only has eyes for a flirty and curvaceous older girl.

Lainey's and Bess's worlds are about to collide and the secrets that come to light will shock them both.

The Waiting--Book 2 in The Lancaster County Secrets Collection The Waiting

Jorie King’s life is on hold. She’s waiting for Ben Zook to return from serving in the war as a conscientious objector. Waiting for Ben to settle down and join the church. Waiting to marry him. When news arrives that Ben has been killed, Jorie finds unlikely comfort in the friendship of his brother Caleb. As friendship ripens into love, Jorie and Caleb plan for a life together filled with the promise of a fresh beginning, until the past intrudes.

A multifaceted story about complex people living the simple life, The Waiting is the second book in the Lancaster County Secrets series. Readers will find themselves transported into the world of the Amish and deeply invested in these wonderful characters.

Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World

You don't have to "go Amish" to make personal peace a reality. Organized around five central themes in Amish life, Amish Peace shows you how you can cultivate a simple life of love, gratitude, and faith in the midst of a very complicated world. It includes real-life stories and examples of Plain People, Amish proverbs, and fascinating facts about Amish communities. Each section also contains questions for reflection and action, outlining things you can do in your own life that "make for peace."