Hard to believe it's already been one year since The Little Boy Who Wouldn't Eat Cheesecake was published, and this Friday, July 30th is National Cheesecake Day! We will be celebrating with our friends at The 5 Spot Cafe' in Lawrenceville, Georgia from 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. with a special book signing and spinning for prizes! This will be a fun event to attend with your children before getting back to school. Come visit after children meet with their teacher at most local schools in the morning! 

By the way, The 5 Spot has Four fabulous cheesecakes to choose from . . . Banana Foster's Cheesecake, Dulce De Leche Fried Cheesecake, Reese's Peanut Butter Cheesecake (gluten free) and Vanilla Bean Cheesecake (also gluten free). Please share with any friends or family that you think might want to come.

The book, written by Christina Myers, is based on a true story set during WWII and is about a young boy, Roger, who can't understand how cheese in cake can be a good thing. With a comical twist at the end, this book is about overcoming challenges before it's too late. Along with pictures of the real Roger on the back is the verse, "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!" Psalm 34:8 (ESV).

Enjoy! 
With love,
Christina
Stay humble & be BOLD!

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a
​light unto my path."  Psalm 119:105

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For my sister-in-law's 60th birthday party, we found an amazing event space in historic Lilburn, Georgia, to celebrate and surprise her. Antiques in Old Town, owned by Hugh and Rowann Wilkerson, is a fun and unique place to shop, while spending time visiting with friendly faces. Reminds me of scenes from the popular television show, Designing Women, where customers and owners find connection and humor awaiting. The Wilkersons throw these amazing seasonal open houses throughout the year and host customers in their spacious building connected to the back of the store. It's like finding a secret happy place with hidden treasures. 

Since they already had the store decorated for the 4th of July, coming up with birthday decorations to blend in was at first, a challenge, but taking the primary color of blue and using a beachy theme, it started to come together very nicely. 

I unrolled tropical wrapping paper to line the three large tables and used burlap, beach signs, shells, battery operated lights, paper fans, scrabble tiles and chocolate treats to use for centerpieces.

The color scheme summed up the feeling of summertime at the beach over the 4th of July! 

Found these cute pineapple cup cake toppers at Hobby Lobby! Maybe you've seen the sign that reads, "Be like a pineapple . . . stand tall, wear and crown and be sweet on the inside."

Couldn't figure out why the icing on this one cupcake slide off the side. My friend Kim laughed and said, "It's clearly is going through menopause!" We both laughed with tears. I think many women can relate. Oh well, at least it still has it's pineapple crown.  

The event was a great success and here's a larger pic of the event space that Antiques in Old Town offers. Call them for a quote and check out the video below where they were featured on Teresa Ingalls' YouTube channel, Keep It Historic. 

Enjoy! 

With love,
Christina
Stay humble & be BOLD!

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a
​light unto my path."  Psalm 119:105

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Thankful to Publishers Weekly for gifting us with a half page ad of The Little Boy Who Wouldn't Eat Cheesecake in this week's edition, due to a very unusual circumstance. Scroll down below and I will share what happened. 

Here's a pic from the online version. 

Back in October, we were contacted by a Publishers Weekly associate who offered us a special rate to advertise in their highly respected online and printed magazine. We wanted to reach librarians and educators, so felt it would be a good investment and on October 20, 2020, we paid for a 1/3 page ad to go in one of the December issues. The gentleman, will call him Markus Abner (not his real name), emailed the below proof and this message . . .  

I’m actually going to get you in a better issue along with everybody else in January that’s a much better feature then right before Christmas. I’ll call you this week.

We were really impressed with the proof he sent us, but it didn't appear in the January issue. Several emails were received with reasons why it needed to be pushed back to March and then no response at all. After the events of this year, wasn't sure if Markus had fallen ill. However, I knew something wasn't right and prayed that God would help everyone involved in the situation and to hear back from someone at Publishers Weekly before having to send them an email with concerns about Mr. Abner.

That morning I received an email from the assistant of the CEO of PW. She apologized and asked if I could send her my email correspondence with Markus. It sounded like Markus was no longer with PW. Thankfully, Markus was well, but sadly, had made the decision to take the payments to PW and place them in his own account, ghosting PW and the authors he sold advertisements to. 

Because of the amount of time that had transpired since original payment, our credit card company, Bank of America, would not further investigate. Not happy about their decision, but really impressed with the CEO of Publishers Weekly who called us personally and emailed us himself to make sure we were taken care of. He said he greatly cared for his company, its reputation and the authors they serve. He could have just honored the original ad agreement, but instead, thanked me for my patience and wanted to give us a 1/2 page ad with another, larger design at no cost. Wow! Thanking the Lord and this thoughtful CEO! 

To Markus Abner, I forgive you and wish you peace. Read Matthew 18:21-35 to find out why.

​Also, we were given permission to use the original ad for our bookmarkers, and so what was meant for evil, God turned around for good (read Genesis 50:20).

With love,
Christina
Stay humble & be BOLD!

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a
​light unto my path."  Psalm 119:105

​Please share, subscribe and comment below.

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​With love,
Christina
Stay humble & be BOLD!

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a
​light unto my path."  Psalm 119:105

​Please share, subscribe and comment below.

To check out my testimony click here
Let's get connected!
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Wanted to honor and celebrate the life of an extraordinary woman who has served the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth for almost 70 years in the dutiful role of Queen and has just laid to rest the body of her beloved husband Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, after 73 years of marriage.

While her heart, mind and soul are still in a period of mourning, I wanted to take time to acknowledge her birthday and years of public service. She embodies a sense of commitment that seems foreign to many today, but her dedication to duty and the people should be observed, explained, and taught to future generations. 

Just a small way to commemorate her birthday and the calling placed on her life.  A reminder to ponder what has God called us to and how can we serve and pray for one another. Used this Meri Meri It's British cupcake assorted cases and filled them with a delicious blueberry muffin mix to share with my boys for breakfast, along with a lesson of history. 

As I talk with my sons, I am reminded that we are to mourn with those who are in mourning and rejoice with those who are rejoicing. It's still a bittersweet time for a recent widow turning 95, but sending our love and prayers to a great-grandmother, who also just happens to be the world's oldest reigning monarch. 

​There are hopes of a celebration this June, since last year events were cancelled due to health concerns. In case you missed Prince Philp's funeral last Saturday, below is a video from BBC News showing how the day unfolded. I thought it poignant that Prince Philip was the one to bring cameras 

Read aloud by Justin Portal Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury
at the service of Prince Philip

“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;  and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
 John 11:21-27 (KJV)

​With love,
Christina
Stay humble & be BOLD!

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a
​light unto my path."  Psalm 119:105

​Please share, subscribe and comment below.

To check out my testimony click here
Let's get connected!
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​Congratulations to fellow author, Jenny Fulton, on her new book, Princess Lillian and Grandpa's Goodbye, illustrated by Indra Grace Hunter. I had the opportunity to interview Jenny about her heritage, faith, recent loss and how a combination of those things entered into her writing to help children deal with the death of a loved one. Hope you enjoy getting to know more about Jenny and her beautiful children's book.

Jenny, can you share about your love of the Navajo people and about your Navajo heritage?

Sure, I’m a quarter Navajo and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. My Grandma Lillian is of the Bitter Water clan. She grew up there, was put into a Baptist boarding school at an early age, and later became an interpreter at one of the missions.
 
From as early as I can remember, I have loved the fact that the blood of this people runs through my veins. My eyes are brown and my skin tans dark in the summer. My hair, however, was light brown when I was young. I always wished it were darker, so I’d look more like the Natives. Although I didn’t grown up in the Navajo Nation, I heard stories about it from my dad and cousins.

When I was young, we’d make the trip to the Navajo Nation to visit family or spend time at the mission where my dad had lived for several years. I loved everything about the land. I was in awe of the mountains. My eyes soaked in the sight of the rising mesas, the rainbow-colored cliffs, the wild and untamed beauty of the terrain. My other senses were equally mesmerized. My ears listened in wonder to sounds that traveled across the mesas and through the canyons from miles away. Smells moved as easily as the noise. If someone was cooking anything nearby, you knew it.

I loved it when Grandma Lillian Litfin came to visit. She went on walks with me, made us fry bread, and talked to me like I was an adult. I loved the look of her dark brown skin and the musical quality of her speech with its Navajo tone. One time she came to visit in the fall while school was in session. We were studying Native Americans and I was able to get permission for her to speak to my class. I was proud of my heritage and excited to share both it and my grandma with my friends.
​
In my various trips there, including the year I lived and taught there, I’ve come to know many of the Navajo people, and they are amazing. In many ways, they’re just like everyone else. In other ways, there is something beautifully unique about them. And I’m so very thankful I share that heritage, even if in a small way.

How did you first come to hear about Christ and when did that become more of a knowing and trusting in Him personally as the one who came to save mankind?

I first heard about Christ from my parents and Sunday school teachers. There was one Sunday school lesson, when I was no more than 5 or 6, when the teacher told us we could ask Jesus to come live in our hearts. I liked that idea, so when I got home, I knelt down by the steps behind our back door and asked Him to come live in mine. He was real; He was with me; He was my friend.
 
I think it was around that time, I forget the order, when another event cemented the reality of Christ’s presence. It’s a lot to go into right now, but after a traumatic even left me feeling scared and alone, I heard him tell me that He was with me. I felt his presence – it was one of peace and safety. That’s what him saving me meant to me at that time. Later learning that he saved mankind added to the love and connection that was already there.

What do you want people to understand about the Navajo heritage and how do some in that culture view Christ?

There are a lot of different ideas, even among the Navajo, about what it means to be Navajo. While some of them still hold to traditional Navajo beliefs, the number who do seems to be decreasing. Some believe in and practice a hybrid of traditional beliefs with Christianity; some have left the tradition beliefs behind to follow Christ; and some don’t follow either. Regardless of which belief system they follow, there seems to be a wide-spread belief in the spiritual. They know spiritual beings are real and they know they interact with this world.
 
As far as who Christ is, there is still, among some Natives, anger toward white people and Christ/Christianity is seen as a white man’s religion. Among the Christian Navajos, Christ is seen as not only the savior of the world who set us free from sin, but also as one is stronger than the dark spirits and is able to protect against them. In many ways, these Christians have a much stronger faith and understanding of Christ’s work and power in our lives today.

How are Angels viewed by the Navajo culture?

I don’t know if there is a concept of angels in traditional Navajo culture. I’ll have to ask others about this or see if any Navajo readers can weigh in on this question. There are traditional beliefs in dark spirits that roam this world and in what they call the Holy People who love them and watch from the fourth world. But I don’t know if either of those would translate into the equivalent of an angelic being, especially as we think of them.

What age did you first start writing? When did you first begin to dream about writing and what led you to write this book?

From as early as 3 years old, I’d draw pictures and tell my mom detailed stories about them. She’d sit and patiently write them down. I still have some of those. When I learned how to hold a pencil and write the words myself, I’d fill pages of stories and ideas. I was the kid that, when the teacher told us to write one paragraph, I’d write two pages.
 
I was probably no more than 8 or 9 when I first saw the movie, Little Women. I absolutely loved Jo and wanted to be just like her. I think that’s when the dream of becoming an author began. As I grew older, reality took over and I realized that I probably wouldn’t be able to make a living as a writer right away. So, I turned my focus to teaching and kept writing on the side as a private hobby.
 
I wrote this book in December 2020 after my grandpa had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital.  My mom kept us updated. “He’s ready to go home,” she told us. A video she later sent us confirmed it. I’ve never seen someone so patiently and eagerly awaiting his call into heaven. Shortly after watching the video, I sat down to process the bittersweet feelings of seeing someone I loved preparing to leave this world. As is often the case, I processed by writing. In this case, I took a character I already loved and tried to look at the scenario through her eyes.  I also pulled from an earlier experience in my life. When I was somewhere between the ages of 5-7, my aunt died. They took us to see her in the hospital right before she went. It was scary. I didn’t like the noise or the smells, didn’t fully understand what was happening. For a long time after that moment, I didn’t like hospitals. Writing this book allowed me to pull from the past and the present to create a story that could explain death and heaven in a way that, while still sad, wasn’t bad or scary.
 
What’s the main take-away you want readers to remember after reading Princess Lillian and Grandpa’s Goodbye?

I want readers to see that death, while still sad, can also be a good and beautiful event. It doesn’t need to be feared. There is a great life we have to look forward to after we leave this world if we are following God. I also want to give children a visual reminder that, no matter what happens, God is always with them. He’s there to love and comfort them even if they feel sad or scared.

Jenny, thank you again for this interview! Below, you can find out more about Princess Lillian and Grandpa's Goodbye, as well as info about Jenny and her bio! 
 
Book Blurb for Princess Lillian and Grandpa’s Goodbye

Can two worlds exist at the same time?
Little Princess Lillian learns the spiritual world can interact with the physical. Imaginary is used to explain a reality, how heaven reaches down to earth as a young girl observes her grandpa awaiting his entrance into his eternal home.

How do you explain death and heaven to a child?
Led through a long hall in a hospital, Princess Lillian holds her mom's hand as an angel whispers comforting words.
Incorporating bits of Native American and Christian tradition, an intimate celebration of a loved one's passing occurs as a family says good-bye to a man eager to meet his best friend, the King Above All Nations.
​
Purchase the Book

• Amazon
• Barnes and Noble

 
Personal Bio
Jenny Fulton is a wife, mother, children's book author, YA fantasy author, blogger, and freelance writer with a B.S. in Bible, a B.S. in elementary education, and an endorsement in K-12 ESL. After graduating from Grace University in 2007, Jenny worked as a teacher in a variety of cultural and educational settings, both abroad and in the United States. She is a storyteller, a follower of Christ, and a seeker of truth.

An enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, Jenny grew up hearing stories from her dad about the supernatural workings on the Navajo Reservation. Her days are now mostly spent raising her three young daughters (homeschooling two of them) and writing as much as time and opportunity allows.

​​With love,
Christina
Stay humble & be BOLD!

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a
​light unto my path."  Psalm 119:105

​Please share, subscribe and comment below.

To check out my testimony click here
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April is School Library Month and there are two other days that relate as well. For instance, April 13th was National Library Workers' Day and the 14th was School Librarians' Day. To celebrate, we ran a free ebook promotion in honor of my favorite school librarian, Ms. Razek, from Briarwood Christian School. That special ran from 4/12, Monday morning, through 4/14, Wednesday evening, and we were pleasantly surprised and excited to see how many people took advantage of this promotion (screenshots below), as The Little Boy Who Wouldn't Eat Cheesecake ranked very high in four different categories on Amazon's Top 100 Free list . . .

#1 in Children's Maturing Books
#2 in Children's Multigenerational Families
#3 in Children's Diet & Nutrition Books
#4 in Children's New Family Experiences

In Amazon's Top 100 Free, The Little Boy Who Wouldn't Eat Cheesecake ranked . . .
​
#1 in Children's Maturing Books

​With love,
Christina
Stay humble & be BOLD!

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a
​light unto my path."  Psalm 119:105

​Please share, subscribe and comment below.

To check out my testimony click here
Let's get connected!
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Happy Passover and welcome to Holy Week! If you've seen signs that read Worthy is the Lamb but didn't understand the meaning, I hope to share some touching insights with you. 

It starts back to the first sacrifice written about in Genesis 3:21, where Adam and Eve are clothed by God after sin entered the world through disobedience. If you've ever worn leather, you know it is very warm, which tells us the temperatures may have fallen too, and the fig leaves (man's idea) wasn't going to be enough. Also, the fact that a beautiful animal, one that Adam named, had to die would show us all that there is no remission of sins without the shedding of blood, and that sin has a high cost. If you read Genesis 4:4, you'll see that Abel understood this and did what was favorable in the Lord's sight. To understand more, I highly recommend this article from abideinchrist.com. 

From Genesis 22 (NIV) - 
9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.
12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

When God called His people out of Egypt, He gave them specific instructions about what to do!

The story of Passover, written about in Exodus, chapters 11 and 12. provides many types and shadows of things that were to come. Also, the sacrificial lamb was to live within the household for 3 days. Getting attached to the lamb was part of understanding the sacrifice. As they left Egypt, they left a life of slavery.

Some 1500 years later, John the Baptist utters an unusual phrase as Jesus approaches him. 

So remember how I didn't understand why God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son? Well, God was showing mankind that not only was He NOT going to allow Abraham to sacrifice his son, but that He would GIVE OF HIMSELF, in the flesh, as an everlasting sacrifice for our sins. And that's why the phrase, Worthy is the Lamb, refers to Christ and what He accomplished on the cross for all of us during Passover! 

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” Revelation 5:12 (NIV)

​With love,
Christina
Stay humble & be BOLD!

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a
​light unto my path."  Psalm 119:105

​Please share, subscribe and comment below.

To check out my testimony click here
Let's get connected!
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Facebook Humble & Bold
Twitter Christina @humble_bold
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Signed copies of The Little Boy Who Wouldn't Eat Cheesecake will be available during the Spring Open House at Antiques In Old Town in Lilburn, Georgia, this Saturday! 

They have and amazing event space in the back of their historic building, so if you're in the area, stop by and check them out! 

Just another shout out of thanks to Daddy O' Brien's Irish Ice Cream Pub in Sugar Hill, Georgia for their amazing hospitality! We had a wonderful turnout and lots of happy customers!