Spiritism 
Spiritism in Popular Culture

Despite being little known by the population at large; many works or art contain allusions to facts, circumstances and concepts that resemble some spiritist beliefs:

 Films

    • Ghost, with Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze was perhaps one of the earliest depictions of an after-life moderately similar to Spiritist teaching. It was highly popular among Brazilian Spiritists too. Swayze plays the role of a man that is killed by a petty thief, leaving his wife (Moore). He, as a ghost, makes contact with a "psychic" played by Whoopi Goldberg and manages to help his wife before finally leaving earth.

    • The Sixth Sense, starring Haley Joel Osment and Bruce Willis, is perhaps the better known film approaching the thematic of Spiritism. Cole Sear (Osment's role) is an infant medium facing the disbelief of everyone.

Television

    • Medium, a medium helps a District Attorney solve crimes.
    • Ghost Whisperer, a medium helps spirits with 'unfinished business' 'cross over'.

Occult TV Programs

• Jonathan Edwards, Crossings. Contacting dead loved ones.
• Charmed, three witches defend the world from demonic forces.
• Paranormal, ghost hunters try to debunk paranormal activity.
• Ghost Hunters, paranormal investigators check out sightings of supernatural activity.
  

   

 Spiritual Connections

Dora Kunz, Therapeutic Touch, and Theosophy

Dora Kunz is the co-founder of Therapeutic Touch and president of the American Theosophical Society. She is also chief editor of the Theosophical Publishing House, Wheaton, Illinois. Kunz is a self-avowed psychic claiming clairvoyant abilities to see into the supernatural. She maintains that she is the fourteenth generation of her family to be able to do so.

Theosophy is a religious practice, founded by spiritist Helena Blavatsky in 1851. Theosophy promotes contact with spirits (Monads), is inclusive of all religions as equal expressions of an impersonal, unknowable God, and is rooted deeply in the Hindu philosophy of karma and reincarnation.  

Kunz incorporated many of her spiritual beliefs in Therapeutic Touch. Practitioners are encouraged to contact spirit guides, develop their clairvoyant abilities, and become channels for spiritual beings and angels. These abilities are used to facilitate the "healing process".  For more information, get ready to buy the fascinating book: The Occult Invasion of Health Care: the Changing Face of Spirituality In Medicine.

 Two New Chapters!
Alternative Medicine and Spiritual Roots

I have decided that I need to to include two additional chapters in my book in order to round it out. The first is a chapter on Alternative Medicine. Originally, I was going to include this in the section on nursing, but with research decided that this was a central issue to understanding the occult connection in health care and needed to have an entire chapter devoted to it. One of my goals is to select the top 10 alternative therapies, explain what they are and how they tie into occultic practices.

The other chapter I feel that needs to be addressed more fully is on the subject of the spiritual underpinnings of Healing Touch and Therapeutic Touch. Both of these therapies are based in Theosophy and Spiritism. Theosophy embraces all religions equally and believes in communication with angels, spirits and other beings. It also incorporates a strong belief in reincarnation.

The fundamentals of Spiritism are a belief in the existence of spirits that live in an invisible spirit world and the possibility of communicating with these spirits. Both Healing Touch and Therapeutic Touch are happy to recognize Jesus Christ as well as Buddah as authoritative religious figures and quote equally from either of them. Both freely admit to communicating with the spirit guides, angels and even the deceased to aid in their method of healing. Both of them are steeped in the occult.

Pray for me as the Lord directs me to add any additional information to my book that its readers will need to hear.  NOTE: I am excited to announce that preliminary discussions with a possible publisher are taking place today!

The Occult and Alternative Medicine

Biblical View Point
  
The clearest way to show people how God feels about alternative medical practices is to show them from the Word of God. We must answer their questions by examining what the Bible say about pseudo-medical interventions that are nothing more than a veneer used to cover the use of the occult practices in healing . Lets take a look at what the Bible says:
  

1. Scripture declares that the only spirit that Christians are to have contact with is the Spirit of God.

 2. The Bible indicates there are a host of spiritual forces, (fallen angels or demons) that work to keep      this world under Satanic influence (eg. Eph. 6:11-12, 1 Cor. 10:19-20; 1 John 5:19) In the Old Testament there are many examples of false prophets performing the miraculous (Ex. 12Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.)

3. Such practices were an abomination to God and practitioners were to be put to death ( Deut. 13:5-13).

4. Energy or what is described as bio-energy is not a pseudo-natural energy, electromagnetic energy, a mystical form of energy encased in the body and it is not energy (dunamis), the power of God. All energetic phenomena without scientific explanation are supernatural, occultic energies. The Hindus call in prana; Hawaiians, mana; Chinese, chi; and Christian Science Mesmer. ( 2. Thess. 2:7-9 “Even of him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,”).

If you enjoy these posts, please subscribe and learn more about The Occult Invasion of Health Care daily.

Alternative Therapies

Benign vs. Malignant Therapies

When you discuss alternative and complimentary therapies, its important to distiguish between those that are practiced without reference to the occult and are perfectly safe and those that are spiritually dangerous and suck people into their indidious grasp. From my work as a chaplain, I have had the opportunity to observe both of these types of alternative therapies at work from a first-hand perspective.

Amongst others, there are three alternative therapies that are completely safe and simply based on creatvivity, nature and God -given talent. The first of these is Art Therapy. Art is used in different ways to ease patient anxiety either by displaying art in the patient's room, or helping them to express their own creativity through art. A second therapy is Animal Therapy. Many times this invloves visits by specially trained dogs and cats that will jump up on patient's beds and show them affection. One hospital I am familiar with had a minature pony that would roam the halls visiting patients. The third therapy is music therapy. Music therapy usually involves playing an intrument or sining. I have seen therapist play piano, guitar and even the harp to help parients relax nd feel more at peace.

Three malignant therapies that are the focal point of my book are Reiki, Healing Touch and Therapeutic Touch. Each of these is closely connected to eastern religion. The first two draw heavily upon Buddhism while Therapeutic Touch is based on Hindu beliefs and practices. All of them are spiritually at odds with Christianty denying the essentials of faith in Christ. All of them are steeped in occult practices including contact with the dead, spirit guides and the spirits of intimate objects such as trees and animals. It doesn't take long for the Christian to see why these therapies should be avoided at all costs.

If you would like to read more about my book, The Occult Invasion of Health Care for FREE subscribe to my blog and stay tuned.

Alternative Medicine

Alternative and Complimentary Therapies

Before I get too deep into Alternative Medicine, I need to help people understand what it is. Alternative Medicine means, medical therapies that lie outside of the domain of traditional surgical and drug treatments.

There are two types of alternative medicine: 1.) Alternative therapies and 2.) Complimentary therapies. Alternative therapies are those that people use instead of traditional medical treatments. Complimentary therapies are those that people use in addition to medical treatments. NCCAM , the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, is the government agency in charge of regulating and research in the area of alternative medicine. According to NCCAM, there are over 1800 kinds of alternative and complimentary therapies to choose from.

The following are some examples of alternative medical practices: regression hypnosis, chiropractics, herb therapy, music therapy, Reiki, Healing Touch, yoga and guided imagery. Many forms of alternative medicine only use benign treatments, while others directly connect to eastern religion and the occult.

Are you interested in learning more? Get ready to read my book, The Occult Invasion of Health Care: the Changing Face of Spirituality in Medicine.

 Occult Connections

Buddhism, Spiritism, and Therapeutic Touch

A portion of Buddhism's scriptures, the Pali Canon, attributes supernatural powers to enlightened beings (Buddhas), that even gods may not have. In the Pali Canon, a dialogue between king Ajatasattu and the Buddha, enlightened beings are ascribed supra-normal powers (like human flight, walking on water etc.), clairaudience, mind reading, recollection of past lives of oneself and others.

Spiritism, shares these practices by contacting wandering spirits, the dead and ghosts. Spiritists  also practice clairaudience (hearing spirits), human flight (astral projection), mid reading (Claircognizance) and recollection of past lives (regression hypnosis). It is not difficult to see the connection of Spiritism with Buddhism

One popular alternative therapy, Therapeutic Touch, claims these same sorts of supernatural abilities.   Co-founder, Dora Kunz, describes herself as a psychic, able to "see" patient's spiritual bodies (auras), and could tell if they were sick. Dora stated that she was the 14^th generation in her family to have this ability. Imbedded in this alternative therapies practice are the core elements of Buddhism and Spiritism, whose occult practices that God condemns.

 Alternative Medicine:

Spiritual Connections with 

Buddhism and Hinduism

Many people, not even health care professionals, are aware that many alternative therapies are based on the healing practices involved with Buddhism and Hinduism. Both of these world wide religions are steeped in occult tradition.

Hinduism's roots are deep, dating back about 5,000 years. Its scriptures the Baghavita and others are among the oldest records of texts in existence. Hinduism is a polytheistic religion (many gods) worship over 330 million gods and goddesses. It incorporates a kind of "trinity" of higher gods named, Vishnu, Rava and Krishna. However, the supreme god is known as Brahma. One of the chief beliefs of Hinduism is Reincarnation. Through reincarnation, or the cycle of rebirth, its adherents hope to escape this life and merge with the Universal Life Force Brahma. Hindus are strongly connected with the occult. Worshipers contact, communicate, receive information and practice rituals which incorporate millions of spirits. Through the practice of Yoga, a mind controlling - exercise, Hindus open themselves to channel various dieties and deceased ancestors.

Buddhism is rooted in antiquity and is about 2500 years old. Unlike Hinduism it is pantheistic (all is god) and is the primary religion of the Asian region of the world. Buddhism was originally a split from Hinduism and shares the belief in Reincarnation. One of its primary concepts is the belief in karma or the idea that a person's good and bad deeds affect their reincarnation in the next cycle of rebirth. Whereas Hinduism is largely contained in India, Buddhism swept the Asian continent, blending and merging with many other religions. It merged with Taoism in China and folk religion in Tibet. Both incorporate a belief in magic, casting spells, communication with deceased ancestors and communicating and worshiping a variety of spirits. Many of these were neatly packaged into Buddhism and are widely practiced today. Buddhism is steeped in occult practices and remains widely practiced throughout the world.

Christianity is different from Hinduism and Buddhism. Christianity is monotheistic. Christians worship one God. Both Hindus and Buddhists teach about an impersonal, unknowable god but for Christians, God is known through relationship with His Son Jesus Christ. Our goal is not rebirth into eventual oblivion, our goal is the New Birth and everlasting life.

Many alternative therapies base their practices on Hinduism's Universal Life Force and Buddhism's theology of karma and the need for balancing our good and bad (ying and yang. Alternative therapies make no pretense at occult practice but clearly state that they channel the Universal Life Force to bring healing. By reading your "aura" (energy field) they will attempt to re-balance your karma.

Would you like to read more? Subscribe to my blog (its free). You can also pre-pay for a discounted copy of my new book, The Occult Invasion of Health Care. Take care until tomorrow.

What you Need to Know About

Alternative Therapies

Did you know that there are over 1800 Alternative Therapies that have been the National Institutes for Health. Numbers of these therapies are legitimate and evoke "the relaxation response" helping to calm anxious or agitated patients. This list of therapies includes: music therapy, art therapy and animal therapy. However, other therapies are dark and have strong occult ties such as: Reiki, Healing Touch and Therapeutic Touch. You may ask, "With 1800 alternative therapies in the health care market place, how can I know ones are not doorways to the occult?"

•     Ask the doctor or (practitioner) the history and  philosophy of this therapy?
•     Ask what practices the treatment uses?
•     Look for occult techniques that may be involved.
•     Use Christian discernment if the therapy sends up red flags warning you.
•     Pray and ask for the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom.
•     Read your Bible to see if there is anything in Scripture that contradicts this therapy.

 Remember, little research has been done to validate the medical effectiveness of any of the alternative therapies so be careful. Some may be a waste of your money while others may be downright spiritually dangerous. In closing today, I want to include a cute but telling poem for your entertainment and consideration:

  Alternative Medicine

A nurse on the medical wing

Had taken a course in I Ching

While checking the charts she would practice her arts

On the ills that the patients would bring

Spurred on by the welcome this bought

She soon other therapies sought

Iridology, Zen, Yoga, Tarot and then...

Transcendental... (well TM for short)

The doctors were caught on the hop

And ordered 'this practice must stop'

But all that their scrutiny prompted was mutiny

Awkwardness, temper and strop

So pond'ring their options awhile

Consulting the ward rank and file

They humbly suggested, then boldly requested

A double-blind crossover trial

The management couldn't agree

Such trials are so costly you see

They ordered both pills and the New Agers' skills

And to charge for each service a fee

            -       Peter Saunders

Nursing
Integrated, Enhanced Care

Current medical theory has mad a huge impact on nursing and spirituality. You may not have heard of the Medical Home Theory, but you may have overheard nurses talking amongst themselves about "evidence based care", "patient centered outcomes" "researched based medicine". These are all aspects of the Medical Home Theory which permeates our current health system.

This theory is made up of seven different aspects, but two of these have impacted spiritual care significantly. The first is, Integrated Care. Integrated care means that all medical disciplines act as a "team" to provide patients with seamless care. This means that nurses, as well as the rest of the team are amongst other things, responsible for the patient's spiritual care.As compassionate, caring professionals, nurses are attracted to alternative therapies and "integrate their practice, although they may not understand the occult connection behind them.

The second aspect of the Medical Home Theory that has revolutionized nursing is: "Enhanced Access". In the area of spiritual care, this has come to mean that patient's must have access to every form of spirituality. Its underpinning belief is that "all pathways lead to God". Since nurses have the greatest access to patients, they have the primary responsibility to provide spiritual care. That does not mean they have to pray or conduct rituals, nevertheless, they must insure that these needs are met. As a result, nurses have had to become more "open" to various forms of "spirituality". Unfortunately, this has often meant leave traditional Christianity in the dust and embracing New Age spirituality instead.

I hope that I have just whetted your appetite to learn more and will want to buy a copy of , The Occult Invasion of Health Care. Its a fascinating and exciting subject and I think you will be surprised at the changes in spiritual care in medicine today. New website coming soon!

Spirituality and Nursing

Nurses as the "new" Chaplains

There are 2.9 million nurses in the United States according the American Nurses Association. Of this number, about 1.7 million claim to have a relationship with God in terms of traditional Christianity. Most current nursing practice is based on the Medical Home Theory of care. Of the seven components of this Theory,

several have caused nursing practice to change. All medical disciplines work together today in "teams" to provide holistic care for patients. One element of that care is spirituality. Since nurses have greater access to patients than any other discipline, patients spiritual care has fallen largely upon them. Not that nurses have to pray or do rituals, but they do have to make sure spiritual care is provided. Because their new role in spirituality, many nurses are being trained in alternative and complementary therapies closely associated with eastern religion. Many of these these therapies are based on a belief system outside of traditional Christianity and the Bible. Want to read more. Keep following my blog and post your comments. Also, join my Facebook group so you will know when my new book, The Occult Invasion of Health Care is coming Out!

New Website to be Released Soon

The occult Invasion of Health Care  

to have a Dedicated Internet Presence


I am very excited to announce that The Occult Invasion of Health Care will soon have its own dedicated website. It slowly began to dawn upon me that my michaelelmorechristianwriter.com website was an excellent website to use for my freelance writing business, but said nothing about my upcoming non-fiction book. Knock out web designer Marty Hersh, is currently developing my new site. I have seen the preliminary design and its incredible. I think that you will share my excitement about it once you see it for yourself. If you are interested in developing a website for yourself and have never done so before, I highly recommend Marty. I would be happy to get you connected with Marty. Please email me at michaelelmorechristianwriter@mhsi.com and I will check her schedule for you.

Occult Practices in Medicine
One doctor's point of view 

In doing research for Th Occult Invasion of Health Care, I have had the opportunity to meet professional people online who have contributed their ideas to my book. Some of these people are medical professionals as well as avid practitioners of the occult. They may not recognize itat first, but it doesn't take very long to get past the thin veneer of medicine to discover the heart of their interest.

One medical professional I met online is a doctor who is a specialist in cardiology. He contributed a wonderful quotation to my book. Nevertheless, his quote attempted to attribute the spiritual elements associated with touch therapies to a reductionistic, mechanical process. His entire theory was based on an electro-magnetic understanding of how touch therapies work.

I thought it was very interesting that this cardiologist was able to create such a dichotomy between the spiritual and scientific parts of touch therapy. However, several weeks later, he emailed me again after I questioned him about this separation. Surprisingly, in  his second email, he did an about face. He final confessed the spirituality behind his theory and the strange occult connection he practiced. 

For more information on this conversation, read the book. I will let you know when copies become available for purchase. Please send me your email.

 Curious About the Occult?
Its only natural

I went to visit my son Andy and his family yesterday. As I was driving to his house I drove by a place that had heard about but hadn't seen. It was the national Spiritist Society camp ground. I had heard of this retreat where they hold seances and train new mediums, but I had never seen it before.

When I arrived at Andy's house, I saw that he and his wife had been watching a true-to-life DVD called The Haunting. I asked about them film and they told me all about it. I related my "discovery" of the Spiritist retreat center and discussed how there are people who actually get involved with the occult. We also talked about how Christians sometimes unintentionally open the door to the dangers that are part of occult practices.

Have you ever experimented with the occult? Why do you suppose Ouija boards, tarot cards and horoscopes fascinate people? I believe that it is because all of us are spiritual. All of us are created by God to have both body, mind and spirit. Being interested in spiritual things is natural.The occult appeals to our natural spirituality and "taboo" practices pique our curiosity. Being curious about something forbidden and acting on our curiosity is prohibited in Scripture. We were created to have fellowship with God and experience spiritual life with Christ. Christ is more than able to fulfill our spiritual longings.

Next time you talk with someone about their curiosity in the occult, why not explain the dangers they are opening themselves up to. Tell them that real spiritual fulfillment can be satisfied only through Christ.

New Focus
Targeting My Book 

Thanks to a new friend, Ellen Maze, author of The Judging, a four-part Christian novel about the struggles of vampires who are believers, I have concluded that my blog needs to be about my writing and less about writing.

Let me update you on my new book, The Occult Invasion of Health Care. As a non-fiction research book, I have spent untold numbers of hours reading scores of books and websites, and making many trips to the library in the process. I purchased a great organizational program called Microsoft One Note. One Note allows you to organize all your notes from your research into a easy to use format. Its amazing!

I am celebrating today . . . I have finished my research. Wow! Its time to kick back and congratulate myself for a job well-done. I have learned so many interesting things. For instance, I knew that the three "touch therapies", Reiki, Healing Touch and Therapeutic Touch that I am exploring all have strong occult connections. Yesterday, as I was finishing my research on the occult practices associated with touch therapy, I discovered that in the occult practice of spiritism, "touch" is used to gain information about another person, their circumstances or guidance for their lives. The practice of using touch to divine occult insight is called, Clairsentience.  Clairsentience connects perfectly with the practice of touch therapies. How you may ask? I don't have the space to tell you here, I will however, be glad to answer your questions at michaeleelmorechristianwriter@mchsi.com. You also may want to pre-purchase my book to make sure and get the first ones off the press. I hope today's blog raises the level of your curiosity about The Occult Invasion of Health Care.Please post your comments for everyone to read. I hope to hear from you soon!

You will have to Market Your Book

A Short Primer On Getting the Word Out

I continue to do research on my book, "The Occult Invasion of Health Care". Its coming along nicely and it won't be very long until I'm ready to sit down at the computer and actually write. Also, I want to thank Peggy Williams Dickman for writing such a relevant comment on my blog concerning her experiences with the occult when visiting her doctor. It brought the subject a little closer home. 

After taking a little break from discussing how to write a book proposal. I decided to share a few thoughts about marketing your writing.

It can't be stated more simply than that. If you want your book to sell, you'll have to participate in the marketing process. There's no way around it, you cannot rely 100% on anyone else. And yes, this is true even if you are traditionally published though there are some who would like you to believe otherwise. If someone says you get to sit back and write, you either have a very unusual situation being taken into consideration or they're lying. The industry just doesn't work that way anymore. It can't afford to.

What is true is that the degree to which you need to participate can vary if you have a traditional publisher. They will (or at least should) have contacts and relationships with the media to an extent, and some may help with an overall plan so you may not have to reinvent the wheel.

But if you're a new author (which most of you reading this are), don't expect to get the bulk of their PR people's attention, especially if it's a bigger house and they carry big name/well established authors too. There simply aren't enough hours in the day or enough money to go around to treat everyone and every book the same. Want to tip the scales in your favor? Be prepared to be the best team player you can be.

Want more proof that you've got to pitch in? Agent Chip MacGregor says it as it is at his blog this week too.

Devotional for Today

God delights in us!

Many Christians that when they are going through a difficult circumstance that doesn't resolve right away that perhaps God is 'punishing' them. I have felt this way from time to time and maybe you have too. I felt led share this short devotional with you today. Its not about my writing project (though I'm working hard on it), its about you. I hope as you deal with difficulties in your life, that this post ministers to your need.

Guilt. Haven’t we all felt this before. Me too. One of the tools that Satan uses against us as Christians is “false guilt”. The purpose of “false-guilt” is to alienate us from God, creating an imagines barrier between us and our heavenly Father.

Real guilt that we feel when God convicts of sin has one purpose: to motivate us to ask for forgiveness.” Confession and forgiveness not only brings relief but brings joy (James 4:9). As far as I know, the Bible says that when we are born again our sins are” forgiven, we are cleansed,(1 John 1:9) and we have become new creatures in Christ. In fact, “old things have passed away and all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17).

Let’s look at a key passage that deals with the idea of God “punishing us”.

“In your struggle against sin, have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:

"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline,

and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,

⁶because the Lord chastises those he loves,

and he scourges everyone he accepts as a son." (KJV)

Unfortunately, some translations use the word ‘punish’ instead of discipline. That is an incorrect interpretation of the Greek language here. In these verses, the Bible says three things about our struggle with sin and how God works in our lives to change us.

First, in relation to sin, the above verses state that God ‘chastens’ and ‘scourges’ his children. In Greek, the word ‘chasten’ means “to train up a child, to instruct, teach and discipline”. I don’t know about you, but I disciplined my kids so they would learn something. God is training us to become more like Christ, not to punish us for past sin.

Second, the verses state that God ‘scourges’ his children. The word ‘scourges’ literally means “to discipline” or “training people like children”. Through difficulties God is not ‘punishing us’, instead, he is ‘training us to become mature (grow up) into the image of Christ’.

Third, God ‘trains, teaches, disciplines’ us because He “accepts us as sons”. The word ‘accepts’ means that God ‘draws us near to Him and delights in us’. In other words, God’s goal in training and disciplining us is not to ‘punish us’, but to strengthen our relationship, create greater intimacy like a Father has with his children. God delights in you Chris. In me too.

Remember, Satan wants to create a barrier between you and God through ‘false guilt’. Your real guilt has already been forgiven, it’s a thing of the past. The Bible says, “I have cast your sins into the sea of my forgetfulness. As far as the east is from the west, have I removed your sins from you”.

God loves you, he delights in you, he accepts you. He wants to draw you closer, create greater intimacy in his relationship with you. He is your Father and you are his child. Whatever, you are going through, God is teaching you, training you, disciplining you (I like the idea of investing in you) because God’s goal in your life is to make you more like Christ.

Writing A Book Proposal that Sells
Third In the Series of Articles

This is the third and last on a series about a formatting and writing a book proposal written by Michael Hyatt from Thomas Nelson publishers. I will be happy to send you the entire article if you wish simply by contacting me at michaelelmorechristianwriter@mchsi.com

I don't know about you, but I feel strongly that God has called me to write my book. Have you sensed that God has issued a call upon your life to reach out to others through writing. You may think that your writing isn't good enough, or that you have no experience or that no one would be interested in what I have to say. If God has called you to a writing ministry, then what you say will impact people's lives; writing is a ministry! Please enjoy the article, learn a lot, and let me know how I can help.

2. The Market (Who will buy this
book?)

3. The Author (Why are you the
best possible author for this
book?)

It should be no more than three to
five single-spaced pages in length (see
fig. 3-7, beginning on p. 4, for an
example).

1. The Content
Once an editor flips past the title page,
he then wants to know what the book
is about. You can best communicate
this by stating the book’s premise, setting
forth a few other details about
your book.

Premise. The premise is a two- or three
sentence statement of the book’s basic
concept or thesis. Usually, it identifies
the need and then proposes a solution.

Let’s return to the hypothetical
book. What’s the need you’re trying to
address? Isn’t it the lack of training in
money management that children are
receiving from their parents? Or, to
turn it around a bit, isn’t it the failure
of parents to teach their children how
to become financially responsible that
concerns you?

After a little work, you
come up with the following premise:
Most children will leave their homes
upon graduation from high school
with little–if any–training in money
management. As a result, they are
likely to experience many years of
struggle and frustration. The purpose
of this book is to equip parents to
teach their children the attitudes,
principles and skills they need in
order to enjoy a life free of financial
hassle and heartache.

Not Bad. You’ve identified the
problem, and you’ve said exactly what
the book will do to solve it. And
you’ve done it in three sentences!
Developing a good premise is one of
the most difficult challenges of good
writing. It is, however, absolutely vital.
Without it, your writing will lack clarity
and focus. With it, your writing is
more likely to be strong and forceful. It
is well worth investing the time necessary
to write a strong premise.

Unique Selling Proposition. Now that
you have a premise, you need to focus
on how the reader will benefit from
reading your book. This is what publishers
often refer to as the book’s “take
away” value–what the reader can
expect to “take away” after reading the
book. It is sometimes referred to as the
book’s unique selling proposition, or USP.

This proposition clearly identifies
what the reader will gain by reading
the book (i.e., the book’s benefits) and
how the book will deliver it (i.e., the
book’s features).

The simplest way to arrive at a solid
USP is to complete this sentence (fill
in the information between the brackets):
If consumers in the target market
purchase and read [name of book],

Writing A Book Proposal that Sells
Second In the Series of Articles

This is the second part of an article from Michael Hyatt. It deliberately and thoroughly outlines the process of formatting and submitting a book proposal This information is priceless because it comes from the editor of one of the largest Christian publishers in the business. I will not be posting the entire article but would be happy to email the complete file to you upon request. Please contact me and I'll send it right away. michaelechristianwriter@mchsi.com The complete article is in PDF format and easy to read.

I know some days, weeks, months and even years can be very difficult to make it through. Maybe there is something you've been struggling with and would like to know that someone is praying with you and for you. Although I do not know what need you are dealing with right now, I want you to know that I prayed for you today. As a pastor and chaplain for many years, I would be happy to provided to listen and encourage you along the way.

By Michael Hyatt - Thomas Nelson Publishers

Though all good
proposals mirror its basic content,
each bears its own distinctive flavor as
well. Now with that in mind, let’s get
to work.

For the sake of illustration, let’s assume
that you are a Christian financial
planner. Through the years, you’ve
observed that many of your clients’
financial problems are the result of
never having received adequate training
in money management during
childhood. You’re convinced that if
Christian parents would do a better job
of training in this area, it would spare
them–and their children–a tremendous
amount of grief later in life.

Because of your conviction, you’ve
worked hard to train your own children.
You’ve even developed a seminar
around this theme and taught it in a
few churches. The response has been
overwhelmingly enthusiastic.
Before long, several of your friends
encourage you to write a book on the
subject. Initially, you’re flattered, and
soon you begin to give the idea serious
consideration. But where do you start?
A book is such an enormous project!
And how do you go about getting it
published? The answer to both questions
is a written book proposal.

Before you actually begin writing a
book, you have to decide two things:
what you want to say, and to whom
you want to say it. In other words, you
must determine the book’s content and
identify the book’s audience. Once
you’ve determined these things, it’s
time to go to work on the book’s title.

Create the Title Page
We can’t overemphasize the importance
of developing a strong, catchy
title. If the editor isn’t “hooked” by the
title, he will never open your proposal
to see what is inside.

The purpose of the working title is
to focus your thinking as you develop
the book idea. The working title
should clearly encapsulate the book’s
premise. It might state the promise to
the reader if he reads the book. It
might even state the consequences if
he doesn’t. Sometimes the title will
also include a subtitle.

Let’s consider the hypothetical
book we introduced. After a little
work, you come up with the following
working title:

Helping Your Children Become Financially
Responsible
After a little more thought, you add
the following subtitle:
What Every Parent Should Know

This title clearly encapsulates the
book’s premise and communicates the
promise to the reader.

Once you’ve come up with a title
you need to remember that a working
title is just that: a working title. It’s
tentative. You may decide to revise it
later. Sometimes, the publisher will
want to revise it. In any event, its
purpose now is simply to focus the
development of your book idea and to
clearly–and quickly–communicate
your book’s basic idea.

Type the title neatly centered on
one page. You should enter the subtitle
on a separate line, directly under
the title. Also, type the date you are
submitting the proposal. Finally, type
your name, address, and phone numbers
near the bottom of the page. If
you want, you can add an e-mail
address (see fig. 2 on p. 3).

Write a Proposal Overview
The proposal overview consists of
three distinct sections:

1. The Content (What is the book
about?)
2. Title Page
3.Proposal Overview

I. The Content
A. Premise
B. Unique Selling Proposition
c. Overview
D. Manuscript
1. Manuscript Status
2. Special Features
3. Anticipated Manuscript Length
4. Anticipated Manuscript Completion Date

II. The Market
A. Demographic Description
B. Psychographic Description
C. Affinity Group
D. Competition

III. The Author
A. Background
B. Previous Writing
C. Personal Marketing
Chapter-by-Chapter Synopsis
Two Sample Chapters

Book Proposals
A Guide from Thomas Nelson Corp

I selected something a little different today to share with you. This is a nuts and bolts posting. How do you submit your book idea to a publisher? What method and format do you use? This article is from Michael Hyatt, editor of Thomas Nelson Publishers, a leading Christian publisher. I have reproduced only one page to whet your appetite. I think you will find it riveting if you are interested in writing. If you would like the rest of the article, pleaase contact me at michaelelmorechristianwriter@mchsi.com and I will send it right out to you. The information is formated in Adobe Acrobat Reader. Thanks, and good learning!

MICHAEL S. HYATT February 23, 1998 The Write Stuff

Even if you have previously
had a book published,
you’ll find tremendous
value in preparing a formal
book proposal. It will go a
long way toward helping
you to clarify your own
thinking about the subject
before you begin the actual
writing process.

If there’s one thing a publisher
hates to see, it’s a manuscript.
Surprised? Most authors are.
The fact is that publishers
return most manuscripts to the
author without ever having read them.
Publishers simply do not have the time
or staff to wade through the enormous
number of manuscripts they receive
from hopeful authors.

What a publisher really wants is a
book proposal. Although you should
include at least two sample chapters in
your proposal, you should not finish
writing the entire manuscript until the
acquiring editor has approved the
book’s basic premise and structure, and
the publisher has accepted the project
for publication.

At Thomas Nelson Publishers we
strongly believe in the creative interaction
between author and editor. Out
of this process come the best manuscripts.
You’ll find that most other
publishers feel this way, too.
Consequently, we want to give the
author as much input as early in the
writing process as possible. A book
proposal gives us that opportunity.
So then, how do you prepare a good
book proposal? From our experience,
in addition to a captivating cover letter,
it needs to include four distinct
elements (see fig. 1 on p. 2 for a complete
outline):

1. Title Page
2. Proposal Overview
3. Chapter-by-Chapter Synopsis
4. Two Sample Chapters
This kind of proposal will accomplish
two things. First of all, it will help
us better evaluate your book idea and
decide whether or not we want to pursue
the project further. Second, even if
you have previously had a book published,
you’ll find tremendous value in
preparing a formal book proposal. It
will go a long way toward helping you
to clarify your own thinking about the
subject before you get too involved in
the actual writing process.

In order to illustrate these principles,
let’s create a book proposal. Be
sure to keep in mind, though, that this
is only a hypothetical book
proposal–an example. It is not an absolute
formula to be followed blindly.
(Also, if you want to write a fiction
book proposal, the format will be

The Occult Invasion of Health Care
Chapter Outline


Since I've been talking so much about writing a book about the frightening changes taking place in spiritual care in hospice and hospitals that you might be curious to see what some of the chapter titles are just to pique your interest:

• What you need to know about the changing role of nurses in health care
• What you need to know about Eastern religion and health care
• What you need to know about integrative alternative therapies and health care
• What you need to know about Reiki and health care
• What you need to know about Healing Touch and health care
• What you need to know about Therapeutic Touch and health care
• What you need to know about what the Bible says about the changes in health care

These are not all of the chapter titles and they are still a little rough, but I hope they begin to increase your curiosity about the The Occult Invasion of Health Care.