June 7, 2011
In an effort to consolidate the 5,395 blogs I maintain, I’m moving my blogging efforts under one umbrella: Cheap Ways To …. I started that blog in ’06 to promote my book, Cheap Ways to Tie the Knot. Now that I have revised & updated it to sell as an eBook, I’m going to attempt to build my personal brand around that moniker.
Here’s where you’ll find the personal posts on my new blog: http://www.cheapways2.com/cara/. Please take a minute to subscribe to my newsletter feed for updates.
Much love!
May 20, 2011
Five years ago Relevant Book published my book, Cheap Ways to Tie the Knot. I’ve recently updated the book and made it available as an ebook through Amazon. For the bride looking to plan her dream day on a budget, this book has everything she needs. Buy it or recommend it to a friend today!
Friends who already have copies, would you be so kind as to leave a review on the product page so others will know what a great find it is? Thanks!
April 20, 2011
Tom Shadyac will appear on Oprah today, telling his “riches to rags” story (except his is an intentional lifestyle change). It’s a great story and you don’t want to miss it. You can read more in Halogen’s interview with Shadyac from last fall.
But not only that, Shadyac is bringing along his friends – the founders of Invisible Children, Jason and Laren. In the last 10 minutes of the show they’ll talk about their new campaign to bring awareness to the longest running war in Africa.
We’re so excited because we’re currently working with Invisible Children to create an original reality show called “Roadworthy: The Invisible Children Tour.” It premieres on Halogen TV Sept. 20, 2011, and it’s not a stretch to say it’s our best work to date. You will love this show. We’ll be airing the premiere online and onair, so those of you (like me) who don’t get Halogen will be able to watch (and probably the rest of the season as well). To check if your cable provider carries Halogen, enter your zip code here.
So check out Oprah today, then jump over to our site to sign up for updates about “Roadworthy.” Thanks!
February 5, 2011
Last year we introduced you to Sandhya, a beautiful girl we sponsor in India living in the Sanctuary Home. The co-founder, Amanda, recently visited SH with a group and emailed us an update on her. We’ve Americanized her name and call her Sandy at our house, which is probably not the best idea, but it’s easier. We were thrilled to hear such a wonderful update and see her picture. She has grown so much since her intake photo. Here’s what we learned:
Amanda wrote: “She is so tall! She is one of the older girls, and I would say she is a leader among them. She was helpful and friendly, and she asked about you.
“Sandhya said she likes studying science, and her favorite thing to eat is apples. She is thirteen years old and in 6th grade. Her best friend is Chamondeswari. She wants to be a policewoman when she grows up. We asked her what makes her happy, and she said she likes studying. We asked what makes her sad, and she said school holidays – because she really likes to go to school.”
That update made my heart swell, and I’m thrilled we get to play a small part in her life – even if we’re far away.
Anyone have any ideas on things to send when we write her? I send pictures and stickers, but now that she’s older I’m stumped on what she might like to receive (it has to be flat and fit in a manila envelope). Would love any ideas you might have.
January 31, 2011
Steven Delopoulos and I at The Cooker during an interview
I’ll never forget the first time I heard them play. It was GMA week – I forget the year – ’98? on stage at the Ryman auditorium. My jaw dropped to the ground and an über-fan was born. I listened to them, I watched them, I wrote about them and hung out with them on a few occasions. I was even asked for an endorsement for their album (see it here).
Led singer/songwriter Steven Delopoulos, Burlap to Cashmere began as college project with his talented cousin John Philippides. The sound, lyrics and energy was just what the Christian music industry needed, and thankfully they landed at Squint Entertainment (home to Sixpence None the Richer).
Life happened and the group disbanded. But thankfully they’ve come full circle as the news began to spread this week of a reunion. I know I’m not the only one feeling happy and nostalgic.
October 18, 2010
Yes, I know these people.
Check out this hilarious video as the staff of Halogen celebrate 1 year on the air!
(there’s also a pretty rad contest involved too)
July 27, 2009
I just entered a contract to ghostwrite a book for some pretty great fellas. I’m excited about the project and although I won’t be divulging too much info about it, I will give you a sneak peek into my process from time to time.
For example, I typed 51,692 words in two-and-a-half days of interviews with my clients. That’s the equivalent of a 200 or so page book. So you’d think my work was almost over, right? Hardly. But I have a feeling this is going to come together nicely.
Here are some books I picked up at the library today as research:
• Ghosting by Jennie Erdal
• The Everything Guide to Writing a Novel
• The Historical Jesus for Dummies
• Fodor’s Israel
• The Everything Guide to Grammar and Style
• The Chicago Manual of Style
Sound intriguing? I hope so.
If these don’t keep me on track, I don’t know what will.
June 4, 2009
Shortly after Madilyn was born I heard about the wildly popular “John & Kate Plus Eight” Show. I loved watching and catching up on episodes as I played with my own baby and watched her grow. It seemed really cool to me that their twins Cara and Madelyn, were also close to our names (even Cara’s middle name is the same as mine: Nicole). I even thought about writing in to tell them about it. I got their Zondervan book for Christmas as a gift from my mom, and I shared it with my sister-in-law, who had watched the show. I liked their subtle Christian witness, and most of all, I just enjoyed watching those beautiful kids and seeing how their parents juggled the chaos.
Now, along with the rest of America, I’m aware of the controversy surrounding the show and its players. I’m saddened for what it’s become, and I’ve made a decision not to watch the show anymore. And it’s not because I’m too good, or that I think they’re bad. The fact is simply that the show is no longer what it once was. And it didn’t get that way overnight. I remember watching last season and feeling of uncomfortable. I should have been discerning enough to realize things were going downhill fast. My personality tends to avoid conflict, and as this family deals with their demons in front of all of America, I’m content with sticking to taped episodes of “Ace of Cakes” and cartoons on Noggin. I just don’t want to be part of the problem. Some of my friends are praying for this family, and I commend them for that.
But I am interested in reading some analysis of the show, as we can all learn from what’s happening there. As this ChristianityToday.com editorial by Christian ethics professor Julie Vermeer Elliott outlines, many Christians have much to learn about their blind acceptance of the couple and their hypocrisy-filled disdain now that their marriage is in shambles. Here’s an excerpt:
“It was not until the recent allegations of sexual impropriety arose that a significant number of Christians began to question whether Jon and Kate were indeed the examples of faithful living that we had imagined. Somehow most of us missed the long trajectory that was, day by day, moving them farther from a life of Christian virtue. Sexual immorality—whether actual or merely suspected—caught our attention, but the materialism, narcissism, and exploitation of children that preceded it was largely overlooked.”
The editorial starts at the beginning – with the couple going against nature to conceive – to the more recent estrangement of Jon and Kate’s family and friends (most notably Aunt Jodi and Beth) and outlines the family’s seemingly misplaced priorities. But most notably, this editorial deals with “the shortcomings of evangelical piety”: how many in Christian community make idols out of inspirations and rarely stop to ask the most important questions.
(Let me add a comment here after a friend emailed me with some concerns about this article and my reaction to it. Specifically: I don’t think “going against nature to conceive” is any different than taking a Tylenol. The risks and outcomes are just different. I have no doubt I’d do it myself. Generally: The writer of this editorial paints John & Kate’s story with broad strokes looking for the big picture of how things changed over time, and asked questions that I did not think to ask. A different perspective is always worth considering, even it it’s not the one you’ll ultimately share.)
May 16, 2009
ChristianityToday.com writers Gregory Fung and Christopher Fung explore results from a prayer study released a couple of years ago and their implications as it deals with faith and prayer. The study, along with others like them, attempt to measure differing results from a group of heart patients who receive prayer and a control group which doesn’t.
The study found that the prayed-for group actually fared worse than the control group. The CT article, “What Do Prayer Studies Prove?,” draws some positive analysis from the study’s findings, including:
• The study actually supports the Christian worldview, the writers say. “The real scandal of the study is not that the prayed-for group did worse, but that the not-prayed-for group received just as much, if not more, of God’s blessings. In other words, God seems to have granted favor without regard to either the quantity or even the quality of the prayers.”
• God appears inclined to heal and bless as many as possible and supernaturally intervenes and disrupts the nature of the universe to do it, whether they acknowledge it or not.
• Our obsession with whether prayer works is the wrong question. “We know prayer works,” the writers say. “The real question is, are we prepared for God’s answer?”
• God is eager to answer our prayers, and it has little to do with how correctly we say them or how fine-tuned our orthodoxy is. “This ought to give us confidence to act, believe, and work alongside the good and generous King, who calls us to advance his kingdom, bring healing to the world, and pray.”
Read the article here.
May 12, 2009
Ninetyandnine.com published a little Mother’s Day Testimony I wrote last week. I hope it will encourage other mothers!
I'm freelance editor and writer based in Orlando, Fla., and author of Cheap Ways to Tie the Knot. I'm the online editor for HalogenTV.com and part of the volunteer staff for Help-Portrait. Follow me @caranicoledavis.
by Jon Acuff
