Anne Marie Miller

Category: Blogging

  • I’m Your Biggest Fan (Another 25 Book Giveaway!)

    Ok, so the notion of Facebook’s “Fan Page” is kind of pretentious when it comes to a little blogger-author girl who may or may not have stayed in her pajamas all day yesterday and watched reruns of The Office.

    Not that that’s me…but I’m just sayin’…(ahem).

    Anyway, since?I don’t have a personal Facebook page, my dear friend?Crystal created a Fan Page for me on Facebook so I can post events and other updates and I would love for you to join it. I will be interacting in the comments section on the wall and posting pictures and videos, so it would be great to see you there.

    You can join my page on Facebook by clicking here!

    Thanks for reading, sharing your thoughts and lives, and for being a part of this conversation over the last four years…Here’s to a great 2010!

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    PS – If you join my page on Facebook, leave a comment on THIS post and you’ll be entered to win another 25 books.?Yep, I’ll be giving away an ADDITIONAL 25 books to people who have joined the fan page! Join by 12/30 to enter and the winner will be randomly drawn!

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  • What Matters Now-A Free eBook from Seth Godin

    Oh, where to begin!

    sethgodinThere are so many things I adore about?Seth Godin (and I know many of you feel the same), but?one thing I love most is his ability to collaborate and communicate in quick, memorable ways. He cuts through the junk and leaves you with a thought that will leave you thinking for days (if not?months years indefinitely).

    Seth released a free (of course!) eBook today with 72 brief (about 200 words each) and meaningful snapshots from people all over the world, including one from yours truly, asking us to share a few words on?what matters now.

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    My little snippet is on page 6, and is titled?Fear. Because I think so often that fear stops us dead in our tracks.

    How do we move forward when all we hear is fear filling us up with impossibility?

    Some of my favorite contributors to this project are?Seth Godin,?Elizabeth Gilbert,?Jessica Hagy,?Jacqueline Novogratz,?Howard Mann,?Michael Hyatt,?Steven Pressfield, Megan Casey,?Merlin Mann,?Penelope Trunk,?Arianna Huffington, and?Dan Roam (and many others – these were just a handful!)

    What Matters Now is totally free, totally inspiring, and the time you spend reading through it will definitely be the best fifteen minutes of your day.

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    Just click the image below to download your copy (and share it with a friend or two or forty-seven).

    What Matters Now

    And, since we’re all about free downloads today, I thought I’d also point you in the direction of two free downloads from my first book Mad Church Disease, and a free excerpt from my forthcoming book, Permission to Speak Freely.

    Happy free reading Monday! :)

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  • Congratulations & Gracias!

    Congrats!

    You guys and gals ARE the voices behind the conversations here on FlowerDust.net, and I just found out these conversations were nominated for the Collide Magazine Readers’ Choice Awards (theology/ministry blog) for the second year in a row. If you could take a moment and cast your vote, that would rock! There are only TWO women represented in the?nominees – myself and the beautiful Promise Tangeman (who is nominated under the Faith & Arts category.)

    You can vote by clicking the button below.?THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH!

    Speaking of thanks, I’d like to take a moment to thank the wonderful sponsors of FlowerDust.net.

    Rockbridge Seminary – You can earn your seminary degree online, and they even have a ministry diploma program if you don’t have an undergrad.

    Collision Media – If you’re looking for a friendly and functional website for your church, these are the guys to check out.

    Restoring the Soul – They get that ministry can be difficult and offer resources to help. Enjoy some?free audio downloads from Dallas Willard and Peter Scazzero.

    If you’re interested in being a sponsor of FlowerDust.net, please send an email to?info@flowerdust.net and we’ll send you our partnership packet which includes statistics and demographics from Fall-Winter 2009.

    Check these guys out and tell ’em thanks for their help in supporting this blog!

    So…back to Readers’ Choice – As a reader here, what’s been your favorite post from FlowerDust.net?

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  • A Quick Bit of Twitter Advice

    What to Retweet:

    RT @ThomasNelson: Several new titles were added for Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers http://www.bit.ly/5tmSsU

    What not to Retweet:

    RT @AnonyTwitter: RT@boogaboo123 // haha I know what you mean @elephant7 // ME TOO!

    Bottom line:

    • Retweet things that others will find useful.
    • Don’t Retweet conversations that make no sense to anyone else but the people involved. Use the @ feature instead to keep your conversations going and from cluttering up lists and groups.

    What Twitter tips do you have to pass along?

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    HLG_Twitter_Fired


  • What Blogs Are You Reading?

    Google Reader is my RSS tool of choice, and when you press “P” it goes to the previous post and when you press “N” it goes to the next post. It helps when you’re scanning new blogs or just trying to keep up with what you’re reading.

    I don’t subscribe to many blogs, right now, around 100. And to be honest, I’ve been hitting “N” a lot more frequently than I’d like. It goes to show that Mr. Hyatt knew what he was talking about based on his Ten Mistakes of Blogging post, (of which, I do not score 100% on my own blog).

    The reasons I find I skip over posts are based on his rules that:

    • Your Post is Too Long (Yes, I realize my posts are too long. The caveat to making this work is to make your posts scannable. Can I get the gist by scanning it by making your points pop?)
    • You Don’t Create Catchy Headlines (Again, I can be guilty of this, opting for abstract over clear at times).
    • You Post Too Frequently

    All that to say, I am looking for some fresh blogs to read. Some well-written blogs. About anything. They can be about NASA for all I care, as long as they’re well written and interesting.

    What blogs are you reading that I should read? And most importantly – why?

  • I Got a Face Lift (And Catalyst Backstage…)

    First thing’s first. I got a face lift. Well, my blog did anyway. So if you read this via email or RSS, hop on over and check it out. Many thanks to Brad Ruggles for his amazing design work on figuring out “if Anne Jackson was a website, she’d look like….”

    I’m in Atlanta for the Catalyst Conference this week. On Wednesday, I’m doing a Lab with Los and Jon about blogging (more or less, really about things off the blogs), and then Los and I are hosting Catalyst Backstage on Thursday and Friday.

    catalyst-backstage

    This year, there’s gonna be live video feed from the main room of music, speakers, and some surprises too, as well as exclusive interviews with most of the speakers including Malcolm Gladwell and Rob Bell, which I am super psyched about.

    So if you didn’t make it to Catalyst this year, tune in to CatalystBackstage.com. Before you know it, we’ll be the new Regis and Kelly.

  • Giving Away 100 Free Books!

    Sometimes on Thursdays I’ve given away 10 books. Sometimes 5. But usually 10.

    And these books aren’t just random books. They are books from people I know and love and have the honor of sharing their words with you.

    My friend Tom Davis, who has probably made one of the largest impacts on poverty and injustice than any single person I know, is an author as well as an advocate. He recently released a novel called “Scared.” which has received amazing reviews on Amazon, like this:

    “Scared is the hand adjusting our blurry lens of the world … You?ll visit Africa while reading Scared. And once you finish, a little piece of Africa will remain with you.”


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    Tom has graciously offered to give away books to the first 100 people who leave a comment on this post.

    The only question you have to answer is this in some way, shape, or form:

    Imagine a world where you had the power to eliminate extreme poverty. What would you do and how would you do it? What does it look like to you?

    I’ll email the first 100 commenters to get your information, and Tom will mail you the book. If you can’t wait, you can buy Scared on Amazon here.

  • Looking for Love

    Brad Ruggles, who designed the magnificent Permission to Speak Freely site is currently tweaking my new blog design which should launch very soon. It is beautiful…because Brad can do nothing but amazing work.

    Over the last three years, you guys have made this an amazing gathering place and for the most part, you stick around and invite your friends which I really appreciate. I want to continue to make this a comfortable and safe place to get uncomfortable and dangerous.

    When the new site launches, it holds a few opportunities for people to help partner with me to support this blog (yes, that is my fancy way of saying advertising) and my new adventure into full time writing.

    Something I promise you with this is:

    • I’ll only partner with people and products I truly believe in and think will help you
    • It will never get in the way of the aesthetic or message of this blog
    • If it’s a sponsored post, I’ll let you know

    If you are SERIOUSLY interested in exploring a partnership, please email me. I have an amazing little packet chalk-full of demographics and statistics that can help you make a decision.

    Thanks for making this a great place. It wouldn’t be FlowerDust without you.

  • What Have You Discovered Lately?

    I’ve been offline a bit more than usual lately, but tried my best to catch up with some of the interesting things on the interwebs. If you’re like me, you probably read a lot of the same blogs that say the same things (guilty).

    With that knowledge, I thought I’d introduce you to some people and ideas which might be new to you!

    **Sarah Markley shares a very raw and intimate journey of her extramarital affair nine years ago. It’s captivating, heart breaking, redemptive, and she writes beautifully.

    **Kary Oberbrunner, author of The Fine Line, discusses Ten Misconceptions of Women That Lead to Messy Theology.

    **Graham Brenna introduces us to Jimmy. Jimmy and his girlfriend were hit by a car. She died. He was in a coma with massive brain trauma. Now, he runs and inspires others to dream beyond their difficulties.

    **Jason is losing weight and raising money for a variety of causes that are opposed to consumption. A very noble and holistic challenge. He’s rocking it.

    **Brad Ruggles talks about the Dirt Conference Video Mash Up Contest. I’m speaking at this event and am super excited!

    **My leap-before-you-look hero Ben Arment is giving away FOUR tickets, FOUR books and FREE lodging to The Story Conference. I’m looking forward to a lot of events this fall, but I really think this is at the top of my list.

    **Nashville’s Amos House Community explores true transformation and justice.

    **And finally, what does Jesus say about Diet Coke?

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    Let us know! What have you been reading that we should know about? Care to share?

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