Five Things You Didn’t Know About Austin Carty, author of High Points and Lows

February 21, 2011 at 1:00 am (Austin Carty, Authors & Interviews)
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The focus of this weeks Five Things is Austin Carty,  author of  High Points and Lows: Life, Faith, and Figuring It All Out, Plume Publishers, January 2010.

If you’ve read his website or watched him on the CBS television series Survivor, you might know his background.

He has since become a highly sought after inspirational speaker and travels the country addressing audiences both young and old, Christian and secular. Audiences find his irreverent spin on reverent topics to be both insightful and refreshing.

Reading through the reviews of his book I find these interesting notes…

“In each chapter Carty revisits moments in his own life, both good and bad, where he caught small glimpses of God’s love, grace, and understanding.”
– S. Blackburn

“Reading this book is like sitting down with Carty at Starbucks and hearing of his personal struggles, triumphs and challenges of living a Christian life in a not so Christian world.”
– Greg Morgan

“Carty disassembles the bells and whistles of the Christian Religion Machine, stripping it down to what’s ultimately at the Christian’s core: faith. Simple faith.”
– Thomas M. Zuniga

With reviews like that, I placed Austin Carty’s book on my list of ‘Next Reads.’ Still, one has to be careful when recommending someone. But, after poking around his blog, I am assured that we have a mutual Friend when I read this …“Jesus is more than words. Jesus is more than a set of bullet points on Sunday. Jesus is more than a systematic theology. Jesus is more than a name we drop so others might think us pious and good.”

So, without further ramblings, here are the Five Things You Didn’t Know About Austin Carty …

1.     My favorite state is Montana, even though I’ve never been there.

I live in central NC, but have always had a romantic idea of Montana. My favorite movie is set there (“A River Runs Through It”) and my grandfather, who was my hero (and who I write about in my book) used to fish the Big Blackfoot River.

I JUST had a church group from Montana reach out with interest about having me come speak, and I am giddy with excitement about the possibility!

2.     I want to be just like my baby sister when I grow up, because she is such a wonderful role model.

My sister is just an all-around wonderful person. She is a former Miss Teen NC, who could have easily pursued so many other paths in life, but opted to become a special education teacher in central NC. She’s just a remarkably inspring person who has such an infectious personality.

3.     I have been writing for over 8 years in hopes of landing a book with a major house. HP&L is that book.

I wrote over a million unpublished words, 5 failed novels, was rejected by over 100 agents, and over 50 houses before someone finally said yes!  I am proof that persistence pays off! I write both fiction and non-fiction. No novellas yet, but that’s not to say that I never will.

4.     I prefer fast food to home cooked meals.  And I’m ashamed of it, too.

I am a product of the McDonald’s generation. As a kid, I was constantly on the go with my mother, and we’d always pop into fast food drive-thru. This is likely why I crave fast food to this very day. And I’m ashamed because fast food is such a silly thing to prefer over a home cooked meal!

5.     I’m married the smartest, most wonderful woman in the world on September 18th, 2010.

I met her one night via mutual friends and, in our first exchange, found out she worked for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Since my mother has MS, we rapped out about that for quite some time. I then proceeded to stalk her on MySpace for several weeks before gathering the courage to ask her out.

That was over three years ago, and it’s been wonderful ever since! I’d have to say that the thing I admire most about her is her intellect and wit. She’s very smart, and very funny. I live to make her laugh, because when I’m able to get her to crack a smile, I know it must have been legitimately funny!

Just to summarize, Austin’s Five Things amount to him being a Montana and McDonald’s craving fortunate fellow (having both a very wise wife and a role model sibling) and persistent enough to persevere through the inescapable rejection cycle of becoming a published writer.

It is always a blessing to research Christian writers. I enjoy reading how God has shaped their lives and through it all brought forth a good read.

Additional Resources

295803: High Points and Lows: Life, Faith, and Figuring It All Out High Points and Lows: Life, Faith, and Figuring It All Out 

By Austin Carty / Plume

For readers who loved Blue Like Jazz, comes inspiration and advice from Survivor contestant and Christian speaker Austin Carty

Figuring out who you want to be in life is never easy. In High Points and Lows, Austin Carty traces his own stumbling journey toward adulthood and true faith, drawing on lessons from pop culture and Christianity. In these funny and moving essays that address questions on faith, goals, and vocation, Carty offers an uplifting message for religious and secular audiences alike.

By turns amusing and endearing, Carty’s essays explore everything from misguided evangelicals who treat salvation as a cottage industry to the real danger of cheating in school-everyone will think you’re brilliant and then you’ve got a real problem. Whether he is failing miserably at his first real job as a nightclub gofer, explaining how Saved by the Bell has ruined our youth, or struggling to come to terms with the death of a beloved friend, Carty demonstrates how finding the courage to be ourselves is the best way to forge a genuine connection with friends, family, and God.
This article is part of the Vessel Project series called Five Things and features Christian Authors who have graciously offered to share five things their readers did not know about them.  To read all articles in this series, select the icon or go HERE.
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Five Things You Didn’t Know About Tessa Afshar, author of Pearl in the Sand

February 7, 2011 at 1:00 am (2010 - September, Authors & Interviews, Books - Trailers, Pearl in the Sand, Tessa Afshar)
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The focus of this weeks Five Things is Tessa Afshar,  author of Pearl in the Sand , published in September 2010 by Moody Fiction.

If you’ve read her website or blog, you already know that she was born into a nominally Muslim family in Iran, holds an MDIV from Yale University where she served as co-Chair of the Evangelical Fellowship at the Divinity School, and  has spent the last twelve years in full and part-time Christian work and now serves as the leader of Women’s and Prayer ministries at a church in New England.

But did you know she has a tendency to be a bit forgetful, is a boarding school ‘survivor’, and a Prayer Warrior?

That is the purpose of this Five Things article; to introduce Vessel Project readers to Christian authors by asking them to provide a few bits of little known information about themselves that their readers might not otherwise know.

So, enjoy these Five Things about author and prayer warrior Tessa Afshar and be sure to check out the additional resources links at the end of this post.

1. I have an accent.

Half of my family lives in England. I learned to speak English while attending a boarding school for girls named Princess Helena College in Hertfordshire. So although I’ve lived most of my life in America, my accent still has shades of the Queen’s influence. That, and a bit of Persian. Americans usually ask me if I’m Irish. The Irish ask me if I’m American. The real answer is that I’m a citizen of heaven.

2.  Who need travel?

Even though I have visited four continents and been a citizen of three different countries at various times in my life, I really don’t enjoy traveling. I much prefer curling up on a sofa with a marvelous book and a good friend to share the best lines with. Throw in homemade food and a fire, and I might never leave.

3.  You should taste my cooking.

I’m a pretty good cook. I grow my own herbs in my tiny garden and love to use spices to enhance the color and flavor of food. I’ve been known to put fresh lavender and lime in ice cubes to make them look more appealing. But when it comes to baking, I’m in kindergarten; too many things to measure. I do have a PhD in consuming desserts, though.

4.  I am a short, blue-eyed Persian.

I’m only five feet tall. I didn’t eat my vegetables growing up. Or my meat. Or my dairy. I was a really picky eater; we figure that explains the height challenge. Of course, no one in my family is particularly tall, except my brother-in-law who is 6’ 6”. But I don’t think that has any bearing on my genes. Another thing that seems to surprise folks is that I have blue eyes. People expect someone from the Middle East to have olive skin and brown eyes. Actually a person of Persian heritage can have very fair skin and light eyes, though the darker coloring is pretty common.

5.  It’s all greek to me.

I have a Masters of Divinity from Yale University where I studied a year each of biblical Greek and Hebrew. Sadly, I remember about as many Greek words as I have nostrils.

So, there you have it.  Tessa Afshar, a Christian author, who was perhaps too selective with her childhood menu choices. She is a travel avoiding, herb growing, dessert connoisseur – who might need a Strong’s Concordance from time to time to understand Greek.  Because of her accent, she is often mistaken for a foreigner from another land, which gives her the opportunity to explain her true citizenship, heaven. Tessa Afshar, a very interesting person indeed.

My heartfelt thanks to Tessa for offering these Five Things. Knowing such interesting things about her, I can’t wait to read Pearl in the Sand .

Additional Resources

458810: Pearl in the Sand Pearl in the Sand

By Tessa Afshar / Moody Publishers

Can a Canaanite harlot who has made her livelihood by looking desirable to men make a fitting wife for one of the leaders of Israel? Shockingly, the Bible’s answer is yes.

Pearl in the Sand tells Rahab’s untold story. Rahab lives in a wall; her house is built into the defensive walls of the City of Jericho. Other walls surround her as well—walls of fear, rejection, unworthiness.

A woman with a wrecked past; a man of success, of faith …of pride; a marriage only God would conceive! Through the heartaches of a stormy relationship, Rahab and Salmone learn the true source of one another’s worth and find healing in God.
This article is part of the Vessel Project series called Five Things and features Christian Authors who have graciously offered to share five things their readers did not know about them.  To read all articles in this series, select the icon or go HERE.
Join the discussion, post your comments, suggest articles when you become a Fan of Christian Books on Facebook. Click the Facebook Icon or go HERE and become a fan today.

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Five Things You Didn’t Know About Pastor and Author Charles M. Stone

January 3, 2011 at 1:00 am (2010 - May, Authors & Interviews, Books - New Releases, Books - Trailers, Charles M. Stone, Five Ministry Killers)
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The focus of this weeks Five Things is Charles M. Stone, senior Pastor of Ginger Creek Community Church and author of Five Ministry Killers and How to Defeat Them and Daughters Gone Wild, Dads Gone Crazy (co-authored with his daughter, Heather Stone).

If you’ve read his website and bio, you may already know that he holds an engineering degree from Georgia Tech, a Masters of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Doctorate of Ministry from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. But did you know that he also claims the title ‘Rabid Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket‘ fan?

That is the purpose of this Five Things article; to introduce Vessel Project readers to Christian authors by asking them to provide a few bits of little known information about themselves that their readers might not otherwise know. So, enjoy these Five Things and be sure to check out the ‘additional resources’ links at the end of this post.

1.  I was in Russia just before history was made.

I spent three days in a hospital in Russia, before the fall of the iron curtain. I was on a trip from my college and I got sick from eating raisins. The hospital was so bad that they’d wake me up to tell me it was time for bed and gave me food that looked like a bowl of corn flakes that had sat for five days in milk.

2.  My  wife and I are heroes to pre-teens.

My wife and I own two recumbent bikes we ride on the trails around the Chicago area. All the pre-teens think we are very cool. What’s a recumbent bike?  Go HERE to see the wiki.

3.  Lived the cliché of ‘knowing is half the battle.’

I almost flunked several courses my first quarter in college at Georgia Technical College, in Atlanta, GA. After I learned how to study, I made a 4.0 my second quarter.

4.  My wife and I are parents to a miracle child.

When our daughter was one year old, the doctors discovered a brain tumor. She is now 23 year and has undergone six brain surgeries. In one of those surgeries the doctors implanted an experimental device in her brain to regulate seizures. She is one of only about 150 with this device. She is doing well.

5.  I’m a iPad preaching pastor.

I am a techno-nerd.  I own a MacBook Pro, an iPhone, and an iPad. As a pastor I actually preach from it and love it. I also own a radio controlled tank that shoots plastic BB’s (once helped me scare off a raccoon from our deck), a radio-controlled helicopter that fires tiny missiles (works great to pester our office admin assistants), and a radio controlled bulldozer (actually used it once to push snow off my deck).

So, there you have it. Charles M. Stone, the techno-savvy, closet prankster (to the raccoons at least), teen-inspiring ergonomically correct bicycle riding partner with his wife, pastor and author that offers wise advice from 30 years of ministry.  Be sure to visit his website for vintage wisdom and authentic answers.

Many thanks to you, Charles Stone for offering these Five Things.

Additional Resources:

207050: Five Ministry Killers and How to Defeat Them: Help for Frustrated Pastors-Including New Research From the Barna Group Five Ministry Killers and How to Defeat Them: Help for Frustrated Pastors-Including New Research From the Barna GroupBy Charles Stone / Bethany House 

Before pastors reach burnout and leave the ministry, they experience frustration and disappointment in ministry. Charles Stone, a veteran pastor, helps his fellow pastors understand and meet the challenges, regaining hope and energy to continue in their calling. Based on new information from The Barna Group and additional research, Stone shows readers what pastors are saying about ministry and how to overcome the obstacles, rebuild community within the congregation, and persevere with joy.

What Frustrates You in Ministry? You probably began your ministry believing you’d make a kingdom difference. That dream may now seem elusive. Perhaps your journey has brought more frustration than happiness, and you wonder if it’s time to move on, or out. Have you searched the Web for openings in other churches recently? Thought about selling insurance? Getting your Realtor’s license?

Every church is different, and the situations you face are unique to your setting, but common threads are found in many churches. Using customized, commissioned research from the Barna Group and others, veteran pastor Charles Stone points to five potent killers in pastors’ lives: 1. A head-in-the-sand mentality that denies problems,  2. Emotional investment in the wrong issues,  3. Unhealthy responses to ministry frustrations, 4. A Lone Ranger attitude that says “God and I can handle this”, 5. Attitudes and actions that lead to lonely, hurting spouses.  Stone then uses his thirty years of pastoral experience to unpack these problems so you can regain real hope and energy to continue in your calling.

No unrealistic advice or simple solutions. Just hard questions and straight answers that will lead to healing and restoration for you and your congregation.

# Hardcover: 224 pages
# Publisher: Bethany House (May 1, 2010)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 0764207059
# ISBN-13: 978-0764207051
904340: Daughters Gone Wild, Dads Gone Crazy Daughters Gone Wild, Dads Gone CrazyBy Charles Stone & Heather Stone / Thomas Nelson 

Fifteen psychologists, twelve secondary schools, four expulsions, four rehabs, two house-arrests and innumerable arguments… the cast and plot line for a season’s worth of Law and Order? No. This was the real-life drama of Heather Stone’s adolescence.

Now in college, Heather, the once rebellious teen, has sat down with her father to pen an insider’s guide for parents and teens alike. Charles and Heather don’t offer Cleaver family ideals or promise Brady Bunch thirty-minute solutions. They, instead, share the realities of their 6-year nightmare, in the hopes of fostering hope for the millions of families trying to survive the years from thirteen to eighteen.

Replete with faith, honesty, and practicality, it offers readers nine practical lessons and provides a compass for even the worst tempests of teen rebellion.

# Paperback: 240 pages
# Publisher: Thomas Nelson (April 5, 2005)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 084990434X
# ISBN-13: 978-0849904349
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