There will be a FREE down-loadable Bible study to go with a Tidbit Romance on the site soon. Stay tuned for details. If you are interested you can always FB me or place in the comments to contact you when it’s done. Should be this week or next.

Blessings!

I’m so excited to announce the Tidbit Romance Blog Tour. The tour will run from July 5th – July 28th. Please check out all the stops. There will be a variety of book reviews, giveaways, interviews and book excerpts along the way. The first stop? This Mom’s Delight! Thanks Tami for starting us off.  Enjoy!

PRESS RELEASE

A Tidbit Romance Woos Readers Through Summer Blog Tour
Christian devotional seeks to engage readers in heartfelt study and time with God.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Columbus, OH (July, 2010) — Author Erin Coss will launch her latest book, A Tidbit Romance: Falling in Love with God’s Word One Devotion at a Time, through a blog tour that will sweep the nation from July 5 to July 28.

Coss writes on several “everyday” topics in her devotions, which she calls “tidbits.” Some of the subjects discussed include:

• Why “ugly days” are a thing of the past.

• What the common phrase “apple of His eye” really means.

• Was the Holocaust prophesied in the Bible?

• Which ghost story is included in the Bible

• Was there teleportation in the Bible?

• Why God handpicked you!

Author Sandra B. Rice, contributor to Chicken Soup for the Soul – Devotional Stories for Women, writes of the book: ”In a hectic and time-consumed world, it is nice to find a place of peace. A Tidbit Romance gives us a chance to focus on God’s Word as Erin’s insightful and honest devotionals guide us through each day.”

Blog tour dates include:

Mon, July 5 – This Mom’s Delight – www.thismomsdelight.com

Tues, July 6 – The Vessel Project – http://vesselproject.com/

Wed, July 7 – What You Reading Now? – http://whatyoureadingnow.blogspot.com

Thurs, July 8 – The Change – http://sweetsoup.wordpress.com/

Fri, July 9 – Books & Needlepoint – http://booksandneedlepoint.blogspot.com/

Tues, July 13 – Three Different Directions – http://www.threedifferentdirections.com/

Wed, July 14 – Shelly’s Bits & Pieces – http://sweepnsave.blogspot.com/

Thurs, July 15 – Ruby for Women – http://rubyforwomen.com/

Fri, July 16 – The Christian Scroll – http://thechristianscroll.blogspot.com/

Mon, July 19 – Life in Review – http://michellevsblog.blogspot.com/

Tues, July 20 – Bee Hive Books – http://beehivebooksdelaware.blogspot.com/

Wed, July 21 – Gather Inspirit – http://gatherinspirit.com/

Thurs, July 22 –All a Bunch of Momsense – http://www.allabunchofmomsense.com/

Fri, July 23 – Word Wanderings – http://libertywordwanderings.blogspot.com/

Mon, July 26 – Mama’s Little Treasures – www.mamaslittletreasures.typepad.com

Tues, July 27 – Smallest Inspirations – http://smallestinspirations.wordpress.com/

Wed, July 28 – I am Believing God’s Blog – http://iambelievinggod.wordpress.com/

About the Author:

Erin Coss – A.K.A. The Chicken Dance Mama, is a published author and speaker. Her published works include Revival Nation Magazine, First Conversations, My Surgery Journal and My Hospital Journal. She resides in Delaware, Ohio with her husband Eric and their three children.

Contact Information:

Tammy Adams – Publicist
Tel: 740-816-7273
Tammy@chickendancemama.com
Website: http://www.ChickenDanceMama.com

###

Local Author Erin Coss Launches Latest Book, A Tidbit Romance, at Beehive Books

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Delaware, OH (July, 2010) – Local Author, Erin Coss, will launch her latest book, A Tidbit Romance: Falling in Love with God’s Word One Devotion at a Time, at Beehive Books with a book signing and reading on Tuesday, July 20, 2010, from 6 to 8pm. The author’s reading will begin at 7:30 pm. Ms. Coss will sign her books before the reading between 6 and 7:30pm.  She will be available for discussion and questions following the reading. This event is free and open to the public. Concessions will be available at the Beehive’s espresso bar.

Beehive Books is a locally owned independent bookstore located in Historic Downtown Delaware at 25 N. Sandusky St., Delaware, OH 43015. You may also find them on the web at www.beehiveat25.com. Contact Mel Corroto at 740-363-2337 for more details.

About A Tidbit Romance:

Author Sandra B. Rice, contributor to Chicken Soup for the Soul – Devotional Stories for Women, writes of the book:  “In a hectic and time-consumed world, it is nice to find a place of peace. A Tidbit Romance gives us a chance to focus on God’s Word as Erin’s insightful and honest devotionals guide us through each day.”

About the Author:

Erin Coss – A.K.A. The Chicken Dance Mama, is a published author and speaker. She has published works in Revival Nation Magazine, and books, including First Conversations (Bethesda Institute), My Surgery Journal and My Hospital Journal (k2e Books). Erin has also worked on the television series The Directors (Encore) and the television documentary The Genocide Factor (PBS). Her high-energy, down-to-earth style is what drives the Chicken Dance Mama persona. She resides in Delaware, Ohio with her husband Eric and their three children.

Contact Information:

Tammy Adams – Publicist

Tel: 740-816-7273

Tammy@chickendancemama.com

Website: http://www.ChickenDanceMama.com

###

The Pain of a Parent

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
John 19:25

I believe that there are two emotions that most women feel upon the birth of their first child: an overwhelming sense of love and vulnerability. At first all you want to do is hold your newly born infant and never let go. This is partly because your love for your child is so strong that you want to hold onto that feeling forever. It is also partly because you suddenly realize that this baby is your responsibility and instinct sets in. You think, “Beware to the person that dares touch one hair on my perfect child’s head.”

It’s hard for me to imagine standing in Mary’s sandals that day. I’m sure she felt alone, depressed, anxious, scared, and——without a doubt——heartbroken. This was most likely her darkest hour. Her first-born son, whom she spent years trying to protect, cherish, teach, and love, was about to die; and she had no control over it. I’m sure of it: Her heart was broken.

She was not the only parent that day who felt heartbroken. I can’t even begin to picture our dear Father in heaven, looking below upon His Son as He hung on the cross ready to be separated from Him for a time. This was His Son, the One we hear Him speaking of in Mark 1:11: “And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’”

We know from the Scriptures that our God is one of emotion. I’m sure He had His own gamut of emotions that He experienced on this the darkest day in history:

37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. 38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” Mark 15:37-39

Sometimes when we are around grieving parents, we can feel their pain. Do you think this centurion felt the Lord’s? As he stood in darkness——for it says in Luke that the sun stopped shining and Matthew 27:51 states, “The earth shook and the rocks split”——did he feel the physical pain of our Father?

I can’t help but think that this verse shows to some extent our Father’s emotion displayed for all to see. In the Hebrew culture when one of their own died, it was customary for people to tear their clothes. Three of the gospels give accounts that the temple curtain was torn in two at the death of Christ. The symbolism here is clear to biblical scholars. This is when we see that the divide between God and man has been removed.

I can’t help but wonder if it also has another meaning. This is where men went to meet physically with God, face to face. This piece of cloth shrouded the area where men knew He was present. Could this also be a symbol of our dear Father tearing His clothes over the death of His son? Hmmm, I just wonder.

Dear Friend, today God knows your pain. He knows what it’s like to have a child and want to protect that child at all costs. God easily could have saved His Son, but He wouldn’t allow it for our sake. We try with all our hearts to protect our children from the greatest of harm. The emotions that run through us are overwhelming at a mere bump or scratch. But our Father knows. You are not alone.

I pray today that those of you who know the fear of protecting a child and the gamut of emotions that follow when harm does come will find peace in the One who never leaves you alone, who knows your every thought, fear, and emotion. He will carry you through the hard times. Find comfort in the One who knows:

1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2  Therefore we will not fear,   3 though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. . . . 7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah. Psalm 46:1-3, 7

Praise be to God, who knows the pain of a parent!
He is our refuge and strength!

I was amazed as I looked down at both of my hands. It was as if rigor mortis had set in, yet I was still alive. Over the past hour, I noticed that my thumb had curled under the other four digits and my knuckles were functioning as hinges. They resembled a crab’s pinchers. I marveled at this new development and laughed, thinking the sight was amusing. I affectionately nicknamed them “Crabby Hands.” Unfortunately, I had no idea how serious my condition was.

Just 24-hours prior I had gone in for surgery to remove a suspicious lump in my throat.
It was a routine procedure and I was told that most times these types of nodules were benign. The chances were low that the lump would be malignant; yet, I had emerged from surgery with the diagnosis of cancer. It was surreal, kind of like my crabby hands.

I remembered sitting in the doctor’s office only two weeks before. The doctor warned me of the potential risks involved with having this type of surgery, one being that my calcium could be low following the procedure. He said that I would have to stay in the hospital for about 24 hours to wait for my calcium levels to return to normal.

I remember laughing. I thought it was silly that he would worry over something as minor in my mind as calcium levels. My response to the doctor was, “No problem. I’ll just make sure to drink lots of milk.” I turned away and managed to get another chuckle in under my breath. I made light of the situation. Now I wish I hadn’t.

“Mrs. Coss?” the orderly asked.

“Yes?” I replied.

“Are you ready to return to your room?”

“Yes, please.”

I continued to marvel at my “crabby hands” as I was wheeled back to my room. I realized I didn’t feel well. But with just having surgery the day before, I was supposed to feel bad, wasn’t I? I couldn’t pinpoint what didn’t feel good; I just knew I wasn’t at my best. I began to worry a little and showed my hands to a couple of nurses. They thought my crabby hands were interesting, laughed with me, and told me to ask the doctor about it. I didn’t sense a cause for concern, so I decided not to worry about it. My hands made for good comic relief, and I was pleased to have a distraction from my recent diagnosis.

I had settled nicely into bed when my doctor entered the room. I greeted him and said that I didn’t feel well. I said I had a lot of tingling in my legs and then I showed him my hands. He seemed to run from the room. Upon his quick return, the word “stat” echoed in my ears followed by a flurry of attention from doctors and nurses. I had no idea what was happening; I only knew that it wasn’t good.

The doctor informed me that I had a severe form of tetany, which is the body’s response to a lack of calcium. My parathyroids had been stunned after the surgery and were not releasing a chemical necessary for my body to absorb calcium. My nervous system was responding by having muscular spasms, especially in my hands. The doctor said this was extremely serious and that we needed to fix it before the tetany reached my heart. He didn’t need to explain the consequences. I got the picture – in Technicolor.

The doctor waited until I was hooked up to a steady stream of highly concentrated calcium before he took his exit. Before leaving, he mentioned that he had never seen a case this bad in the hospital. He had only read about it in textbooks.

Textbook. I was stunned by his use of the word. Just the week before, I had asked God for a textbook surgery. I remember I asked everyone I knew to pray for textbook results. I was afraid. I prayed – a lot. But in my fear I didn’t seek God for answers. Instead, I told Him what He needed to do to fix me. I thought I knew what was best and didn’t completely trust Him to take care of me. Boy, did I regret that now. I took destiny into my own hands and I got what I asked for . . . textbook results.

Textbooks are published in painstaking detail. They are comprised of every diagnosis and complication. Every point of interest is precisely noted. Textbooks are calculated, thought-out, and dry. There is no spontaneity, no surprises, just known results.

I realized that this is how I have been living my life. Textbook. Classic textbook. I was living each day in fear of complications and therefore not living. If someone opened the textbook of my life, they would see common themes, problems, and causes. They would be able to open the pages and know how I would respond based on years and years of evidence. My body had an extreme reaction to my surgery. A response only found in a textbook. It would take a textbook surgery with serious complications to change how I lived my life and where I put my trust. I felt I had a second chance at life and decided to take it.

My hands began to loosen up. I began to regain use and function of each finger. Within an hour or so, my crabby hands were gone. I was out of the woods for now, and thanked God for helping me in my most desperate hour.

It seemed that I had encountered every complication possible with this particular surgery: tetany, an infiltrated I.V., tachycardia, and a post op infection. Amid these complications, I was able to learn a valuable lesson that I wouldn’t have otherwise. The first draft of my life had been written, but I had a chance to edit the pages. I wasn’t sure what would happen in the days ahead. With my cancer treatment in front of me, it would be easy for me to revert to my old ways and live in fear. Instead, I made a conscious decision to take advantage of my second chance at life. I would ask God for the best for my life and leave the rest up to Him. I decided I would trade in my textbook results for heavenly ones.

During the forty years that I led you through the desert, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet.  Deut 29: 5

How cool is that??!!! Can you imagine 40 years without needing to replace the shoes on your feet or the clothes on your back?  The Lord allowed the Israelites to walk through a difficult period in their lives – 40 years of wandering in the desert, but He never abandoned them.  He provided for their every need.  You may be walking through a difficult time right now too, but please know this: He is with you.  He has not left you or forsaken you.  He loves you!  He is your soul provider who leads you out of life’s hardships and into the Promised Land!

Praise be to God who provides for all of our needs!

And the winner is. . . Mr. Eric Fatka. “Why did the chicken cross the road? To escape Colonel Sanders and his 11 herbs and spices.” Funny one, Eric. You will receive your $10.00 Chick-Fil-A card this week. Thanks everyone!