When Coaching4Clergy founder J. Val Hastings and I started working together, he was a Content Starter who had been publishing a newsletter for several months and wanted to make a bigger difference with his writing.

He has gone on to write a very bold and provocative e-book, "The E3-Church: Empowered, effective and entrepreneurial leadership that will keep your church alive." In it, he challenges ministers and other church leaders to make a series of crucial mind shifts and is very upfront about the consequences of keeping the status quo (on his website he states, "6 out of 10 churches will close over the next 10 years").

And he didn't stop there! We've also taken the handouts from his successful coach training program and turned that into a stand-alone print book, The Next Great Awakening: How to empower God's people with a coach approach to ministry, which will have a much farther reach than the people who attend Coaching4Clergy's live coach trainings.

When I asked Val about the difference it's made to work with a Content Mastery Guide, he had this to say:

"Wow! In the last six months I’ve written six newsletter articles, received Master Author status on several ezine article sites, composed an eBook and just completed my first print book. I’ve accomplished in the past 6 months what I’ve longed to do for the past several years. The difference—I’m working with Linda. Literally, I talk and she helps me write. In the past I’d describe my writing style as primarily “bullet point.” Linda is drawing out and developing additional styles of writing within me. At times it feels like “magic.”

Aside from this list of writing accomplishments I’ve made with Linda's help, the real story is how writing translates into business development and professional credibility. For example, I felt like “royalty” while teaching a six-week course at a local university. Students were thrilled to have an author teach their class. Another example, directly related to my work with Linda, is the development of a Train-the-Trainer Program that’s generating quite a bit of interest.

What’s next? Blogging. I’ve avoided blogging for some time and am ready to move forward, especially with the support of Linda."

I can't wait, Val! Thanks for your inspiring work.

[Update December 19, 2010: He did it – check out Val's blog!]

TORONTO, ON (February 15, 2010) – High school math teacher and widow Shira Hart worked with Creative Memories consultant Ruth Brickman to create a memory album for her husband Laurence. Through that process, she uncovered new memories, worked through her grief and celebrated her family’s history.

In 2007, high school math teacher Shira Hart was mourning the loss of her husband, Laurence. She was going through a lot and found it difficult to take the steps to move on. The boxes of photos in the basement particularly bothered her. Not just because they cluttered her space, but because she knew that they were full of still-life tributes to Laurence and their life together.

Laurence was an avid and talented amateur photographer, and loved taking photos of their family and their activities together. Right now there were only a few photos on display in her house, mostly recent ones. She knew that if she could find her way to sort through those photos, she would not only have a memorial to Laurence, she would have a priceless family chronicle.

Each time she thought about taking on the monumental task, she felt overwhelmed and could not get started. She didn’t know how she would begin to decide which photos to use, or how to put them together.

At a family Purim carnival at Temple Har Zion, Shira volunteered and wound up chatting with another volunteer, Ruth Brickman. She knew of Ruth—Ruth’s parents are also very involved in Temple life—but they had never met. When the conversation turned to Ruth’s home-based business as a Creative Memories scrapbooking consultant, Shira’s ears perked up.

“I could never have completed this album in memory of my husband without Ruth’s help,” says Hart, “Ruth was able to spend the time actually going through the old albums with me, sitting with me and physically going through the boxes. I couldn’t do that myself because it was too emotional. Every picture conjured up a story.”

Ruth, a social worker by profession, recognized the significance of the process, “It’s crucial for people who are grieving to have the opportunity to tell their stories.”

Aside from her compassion, Shira valued Ruth’s artistic flair and teaching skills, “She suggested ways to sort the photos—we started with the time when Laurence and I first married—and when it was time, she gently encouraged me to start the first page of the album, even though we weren’t finished sorting yet.”

Eventually, Shira took over and was able to complete the project independently. She actually ended up with two family albums. “Making these albums was incredibly therapeutic. I had no idea how much it would do for me. Because I was absorbed in doing something concrete, I could feel the memories but not be overwhelmed by them. And I rediscovered some positive memories—events that I’d completely forgotten about. What a gift—thank you, Ruth!”

One thing I know about article marketing is that the more you write and the more consistently you publish, the easier it gets, the more confident you feel, the more you have to write about, the more value you have to offer, and the more credible you are.

Those are results you simply will not get by publishing an occasional article here and there. And that's why I put together the 10-Article Package for the Done For You Giveaway in April.

When Shelly Moorman of Head and Heart Parenting found out she had won the grand prize, she was excited, to say the least 🙂

"Working with Linda on her “You Talk I Write” offering was a magical experience. She was able to capture my knowledge on paper with ease and accuracy that truly reflected my voice and style.

I needed a "pink spoon" on my website as a way to invite people to join my mailing list so I could keep in touch with them. Otherwise I knew that any increased traffic I got from article marketing would be wasted.

Linda graciously altered the original prize package so that with her help I was able to publish my 1st 5 articles in an article directory, AND publish a professional special report on my website. Linda was extremely professional to work with and I would highly recommend her to any business owner. Linda, thanks again for your wonderful, fabulous prize package."

It was such a pleasure to watch Shelly build up her collection of articles and gain more and more confidence in her article marketing skills.