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Archive for March, 2021

Biblical vs. Eastern Meditation: Brain Expert Explains the Benefits and the Differences

Biblical vs. Eastern Meditation: Brain Expert Explains the Benefits and the Differences

(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing.)

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Meditation offers a drug-free way to lower your blood pressure and heart rate, and achieve better focus and concentration. But are all forms of meditation equally beneficial?

From psychiatrist and author of The God-Shaped Brain Timothy R. Jennings, M.D., comes a helpful guide that explains the differences between Eastern and biblical meditation—in both practice and outcome on brain and mind.

Meditation: Biblical Method Versus Eastern Method, A Guide to a Bible-based Experience with God documents the differences between biblical and Eastern meditation; describes divergent meditation methods and their impact on brain function and character outcomes; and demonstrates how readers can engage in healthy biblical meditation. Also included is a simple test to help readers determine which form of meditation they’re practicing.

Dr. Jennings describes Eastern meditation as a form of self-anesthesia that relieves transient emotional distress (like pain medication for an injury) without providing an actual cure for the problem.

Alternatively, biblical meditation is like surgery for the soul, he explains. It takes one through the valley of the shadow of death, removes the cause of the emotional distress and cures the problem, resulting in genuine peace for the soul.

The Bible tells us to meditate upon God’s word and God’s wonders in creation, and Meditation can help readers understand the practice of biblical meditation so they can heal their hearts and minds, and return to their oneness with God and with each other.

Author Timothy R. Jennings, M.D., is a board-certified psychiatrist, international speaker and founder of Come and Reason Ministries. He operates a private practice in Chattanooga and has successfully treated thousands of patients. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and Life-Fellow of the Southern Psychiatric Association.

Dr. Jennings is also a prolific author whose books include The God-Shaped Brain: How Changing Your View of God Transforms Your Life; Could It Be This Simple? A Biblical Model for Healing the Mind; The Aging Brain: Proven Steps to Prevent Dementia and Sharpen Your Mind; and The God-Shaped Heart: How Correctly Understanding God’s Love Transforms Us.

To order your free copy (while supplies last) of Meditation: Biblical Method Versus Eastern Method, or to learn more about Dr. Timothy R. Jennings and his approach to brain and body health, please visit: www.comeandreason.com.

Trish Stevens
Helen Cook
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
903.654.0938 Direct
281.333.3507 Office
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com

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The Devil Thought He Had Me! Shares Remarkable Journey from Sinner to Servant of God

The Devil Thought He Had Me! Shares Remarkable Journey from Sinner to Servant of God

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At 18 years old, Wendell White lay trapped in the trunk of a car and assumed it would be his last ride. Battered from a beating during a drug deal gone-wrong, all he could think about was his 19-month-old son. White prayed. He asked God for forgiveness. He steeled himself to face the consequences of the sinful life he was living. And he wondered in angst, “How in the world did I get here?”

The Devil Thought He Had Me! is White’s raw, compelling story of resilience and survival, and a profound testimony to the power of God’s grace and mercy.

“After getting beaten and put into the trunk of a car, I knew then that I wanted to help the youth and adults all over the world to not make the same decisions that I had made,” he reflects.

The Devil Thought He Had Me! is the result of White’s genuine desire to use his own tragic story to connect with and help alter the trajectory of others who have veered off course. White candidly walks readers through his early days in the poverty-stricken Englewood community on Chicago’s South Side, where his mother sold drugs to make ends meet and often left White and his siblings home alone as she worked the streets. He would later follow in his mother’s footsteps until that fateful day when a drug buyer paged him to purchase two and a half ounces of crack cocaine. And everything went wrong.

The Devil Thought He Had Me! is White’s profound journey from drug-dealing teenage father to well-grounded husband, father, friend, mentor and servant of God. It’s White’s hope that by openly sharing his experiences, he can help others facing difficult life circumstances realize that there’s a pathway out.

“This book was written to be a light in a dark world,” White says. “If I can change the way that you think, I can change the way that you live.”

Author and motivational speaker Wendell White has had to overcome obstacles most cannot even imagine. His difficult upbringing on the South Side of Chicago taught him many bad habits but also instilled in him the values of loyalty, toughness, respect and a strong work ethic.

Today, he is a powerful speaker who draws from his life experiences to address audiences. He is motivated by faith, changing lives, inspiring others and legacy. The Devil Thought He Had Me! is his first book.

For more information, please visit www.wendellwhitespeaks.com, or follow the author on Facebook at Wendell White; on Instagram at wendellw_24; and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe1s8sYANHZdGtsXJnOCDpw/videos.

The Devil Thought He Had Me
Publisher: KS Media and Publishing
ISBN-13: 978-1736491201
Available from Amazon.com and www.wendellwhitespeaks.com

Trish Stevens
Terri Johnson
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com
281.333.3507 Phone

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Doctor Shares Personal Experiences with the ‘One Who is Life’ Is there another dimension of existence? Website encourages visitors to open their minds to the possibility.

Doctor Shares Personal Experiences with the ‘One Who is Life’
Is there another dimension of existence? Website encourages visitors to open their minds to the possibility.

(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing.)

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During an evening walk, minister and licensed psychotherapist Dr. Pieter Noomen heard a clear voice reveal to him the 12 components of everything that exists: Oneness, Love, Life, Fire, Space, Connectedness, Progression, Effect, Freedom, Joy, Differentness and Harmony. He shares this and many other profound reflections and experiences on his website, www.wordsforall.org.

Over the course of many years, Dr. Noomen had transformative “visits” on the spiritual level, and on his website, he freely shares the universal and eternal facts of life that were communicated to him.

Visitors on www.wordsforall.org can explore Dr. Noomen’s remarkable collection of vivid experiences and wisdom drawn from the communications he shared with a spiritual presence. He grew to believe that, either directly or indirectly, all life stems from one common source, and when we can connect with that source, we reach the highest level of existence. And perhaps more importantly, he believed that being in direct contact with the ALL of existence is possible for every human being.

As Dr. Noomen himself explained, “I can only say that the information came from a presence on my innermost spiritual level I was in communication with for some time. The words seem the result of my spirit merging with the spirit of life It/Her/Himself.”

Dr. Noomen does not use the word God when writing about his experiences with the One-Who-Is-The-Totality-Of-All-Existence. Instead, he relays his extraordinary journeys on the spiritual plane with an openness that invites readers to uncover and explore their own accessibility to spirituality without labels or constructs. What others will experience, he explained, will be as unique and as personal as the individuals themselves.

A man of profound introspection and awareness, Dr. Noomen passed away in 2019, but his wealth of wisdom and insights freely shared on www.wordsforall.org will continue to inspire people throughout the world to broaden their spiritual paths.

An example from Dr. Noomen’s Wisdoms of the Week at www.wordsforall.org:

“Disasters happen. The media report them. Even if we’re not directly affected, the pain involved can shake us badly; at least for a while. It always reminds us of our own vulnerability. So next to sending out mental messages of compassion and love to the victims, we can check inside ourselves our own resources for dealing with bad situations. Being consciously connected with (eternal) Life itself, is being as prepared as we possibly can get here on earth.”

Trish Stevens
Kathleen Harrison
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
281.333.3507 Main
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com

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The Home Stretch Poignantly Captures Midlife Moments of Reckoning

The Home Stretch Poignantly Captures Midlife Moments of Reckoning

(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing.)

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While no two journeys are ever exactly the same, many of us will one day retire from a career that defines us, become a caregiver to a parent and contemplate our own mortality. How we navigate these changes depends largely on our ability to make sense of life’s complicated path and to find forgiveness for others while we still have the chance.

From award-winning author Wayne M. Johnston comes The Home Stretch, a powerful coming-of-age story for grownups that poignantly captures the complex crises that often accompany middle age and the unresolved emotions that surface when our past and present selves collide.

The Home Stretch is presented through the voice of everyman Bill Smith (loosely based on Johnston himself) who, throughout his life, is confronted with extraordinary circumstances. Raised in a religious cult, Bill’s unconventional upbringing and strained relationship with his father inform his life experiences and underwrite his formidable urge, from a young age, to simply escape this life altogether.

Bill struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts, and embarks upon a career navigating the rough waters of the Pacific on a tugboat. His tales of weathering gale-force winds and violent storms at sea provide metaphorical undercurrents for Bill’s fraught relationship with his father, his failed early marriage, his father’s descent into Alzheimer’s and his own battle with leukemia, which he is told will kill him.

Just when Bill has come to believe he has put the worst of it to rest, he learns something more about his father that opens everything up again, except this time, Bill’s sister is the victim.

Johnston’s thoroughly absorbing, reality-based story offers candid glimpses into life-defining moments of reckoning that many of us will have to face head-on. The Home Stretch serves as a stark reminder that the peace we hope for as we age is often shoved aside to make room for another crisis, but it is also an ultimately inspiring tale woven with themes of forgiveness and survival.

Wayne M. Johnston taught English, Creative Writing and Publications at La Conner High School for 19 years. Prior to that, he worked on tugboats for 22 years, usually as chief engineer, towing freight barges between Canadian and West Coast American ports. In 2011, he won the Soundings Review First Publication Award for his essay, “Sailing,” and has published other essays locally. For his debut novel, North Fork, he drew from years of experience reading student journals to reproduce the way kids voice serious matters to a trusted adult. North Fork was released in 2016 as a YA novel. The story is told through the voices of three 17-year-olds as journal entries for their English class. Bill Smith, the protagonist in The Home Stretch, is their English teacher, and The Home Stretch (book two in a planned trilogy) is his back story.

Johnston lives with his wife, Sally, on Fidalgo Island in Washington State where he is working on another book.

The Home Stretch
Publisher: Black Heron Press
ISBN-10: 1936364344
ISBN-13: 978-1936364343
Available from Amazon.com, BN.com, Target.com and anywhere books are sold

Trish Stevens
Patricia Marks
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com
281.333.3507 Phone

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Fool’s Errand: Treasure Hunt Filled with Surprising Twists Offers the Perfect Escape

Fool’s Errand: Treasure Hunt Filled with Surprising Twists Offers the Perfect Escape

(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing.)

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The love between a father and a son can be both complicated and compelling, especially when the father is a charming rogue. “Blackie” Rinaldi had ties to the mob, and his only son has done all he can to avoid the pitfalls of his father’s chosen path. But when an enigmatic letter hinting at a cache of stolen money surfaces six years after Blackie’s untimely death, the younger Rinaldi is forced to confront his father’s colorful past.

An international treasure hunt ensues, with surprising twists and engaging characters. Fool’s Errand from Jeffrey S. Stephens, author of the popular Jordan Sandor series, is an entertaining story of family ties and a parent’s never-ending influence.

Blackie’s son follows a series of clues from the mean streets of New York to the Las Vegas Strip, and ultimately to the South of France. Along the way, he is confronted by dangerous mobsters, dishonest relatives, suspicious friends, a mysterious woman and the risks of a journey his father may or may not have planned for him.

With the ideal balance of humor and heart, adventure and romance, Fool’s Errand features compelling, relatable characters and a fast-paced narrative that will keep readers guessing as each new secret is revealed.

Author Jeffrey S. Stephens lives in Greenwich, Connecticut. He is also the author of the Jordan Sandor espionage thrillers, beginning with Targets of Deception and, most recently, Rogue Mission. He is also the author of the recent thriller, Crimes and Passion, the first in a planned series featuring Lieutenant Robbie Whyte.

For more information, please visit www.jeffreystephens.com.

Fool’s Errand
Publisher: Post Hill Press
ISBN-13: 978-1642937381
ISBN-10: 164293738X
Available from Amazon.com

Trish Stevens
Tricia Noble
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com
281.333.3507 Phone

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Resilience Without Regrets: Acclaimed Physician on Finding Miracles and Facing Adversity

Resilience Without Regrets: Acclaimed Physician on Finding Miracles and Facing Adversity

(This press release may be reprinted in part or in its entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet or used by any means of social media sharing.)

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Many people reach the end of their lives wishing they could change the past. Turning back the clock is impossible, but Dr. Harley Rotbart’s new book, No Regrets Living, offers sage guidance to help us better appreciate what we have in our lives, and take greater pride in what we’ve done with our lives — without spending precious time and energy wishing things had turned out differently.

In No Regrets Living, Dr. Rotbart describes the seven keys to a life of wonder and contentment: Belief, Discovery, Healing, Appreciation, Acceptance, Seeking and Growth, and how to cultivate each in your life. Woven into the timeless message of the book are especially timely observations on the COVID-19 pandemic from Dr. Rotbart’s expert perspective as an infectious diseases physician, including coping mechanisms and paths for going forward as individuals and as a society.

Dr. Rotbart is a man of science who also believes in, and “collects,” miracles. No Regrets Living is the much-awaited follow-up to his previous book, Miracles We Have Seen – America’s Leading Physicians Share Stories They Can’t Forget. In this new work, Dr. Rotbart reconciles science and faith from his unique perspective as physician, scientist, heart surgery patient and child of a Holocaust survivor.

“I have a simple definition of a miracle,” Dr. Rotbart says. “Miracles are objects and events in nature and in our lives that cannot be fully explained or re-created. Yes, like the unimaginable true stories written by physicians in the Miracles We Have Seen book, but I believe the inside of the living human beings I have seen in the operating room and the tiniest of human cells I have seen under a microscope in my laboratory are equally miraculous and unexplainable. And you needn’t go to medical school or use a microscope to appreciate the ubiquity of miracles. They are all around us — we only need to open our eyes and hearts to recognize them.”

A nationally renowned infectious disease specialist, Dr. Rotbart is also a pediatrician, parenting expert, speaker and educator. He is Professor and Vice Chair Emeritus of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and author of more than 175 medical and scientific publications, and five previous books for general audiences: Miracles We Have Seen; 940 Saturdays; No Regrets Parenting; Germ Proof Your Kids; and The On Deck Circle of Life.

To learn more, please visit www.harleyrotbart.com, or connect with the author on Facebook (HarleyRotbartMd) or Twitter (@HarleyRotbart).

No Regrets Living: 7 Keys to a Life of Wonder and Contentment
Publisher: Health Communications, Inc.
Release Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN-10: 0757323944
ISBN-13: 978-0757323942
Available from Amazon.com

Trish Stevens
Lindsey Mach
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com
281.333.3507 Phone

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Celebrate a Year in the Life of Social Media Celebrity Cat, Carrot

Celebrate a Year in the Life of Social Media Celebrity Cat, Carrot

(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing.)

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Bailey was certainly no ordinary cat. The charismatic orange tabby’s humanlike antics made him a social media sensation, and he was adored by feline lovers around the world. When Bailey passed away at age 14, his family grieved their profound loss. They’d never find a cat quite like him—or would they?

Just as Bailey’s family—including Erin Merryn and her young girls Abby, Hannah and baby Claire—were mending their broken hearts, a tiny orange tabby kitten, born as a stray, found her way into their lives.

Diary of the Cat Named Carrot is the uplifting, instantly stress-reducing story of Carrot’s humble beginnings in a shelter and her eventual rise to internet stardom. Told from Carrot’s perspective, readers can follow along on her remarkable journey from the same shelter that had once housed Bailey to top Instagram celebrity feline. Much like Bailey had, Carrot loves spending time with her human family partaking in typically human pastimes: making mischief with her girl gang; joyriding in a pint-sized pink Barbie Jeep; doing arts and crafts; modeling a pink tutu and flowery headband; enjoying a spa day complete with fluffy robe and cucumber eye treatments; and celebrating Christmas, Easter and every holiday in between. It’s no wonder Carrot’s videos have gone viral—garnering attention from Ellen, the Dodo, Good Morning America, Access Hollywood, People and many other media outlets.

Diary of the Cat Named Carrot is packed with color photos that will leave readers purring with delight. The journal of this sweet, adorable kitty with personality to spare shows us that the human-animal bond runs more than fur deep. It is a love that will last a lifetime.

Erin Merryn is an author, activist, speaker, wife and mom to three girls—Abby, Hannah and Claire—and a fur baby named Carrot. She was named Glamour Magazine Woman of the Year in 2012 and a People magazine Hero Among Us for her tireless work promoting Erin’s Law nationwide with a mission to our keep children safe by educating them about personal body safety. She is the author of Bailey, No Ordinary Cat, Stolen Innocence, Living for Today and An Unimaginable Act.

For more information, please visit http://www.erinmerryn.net, or connect with her on Twitter at @erinmerryn; on Facebook at The Cat Named Carrot; on Instagram at the_cat_named_carrot; and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrHXnwcgGzuGRJqdtlUMk1A.

Diary of the Cat Named Carrot
Publisher: Health Communications, Inc.
Release Date: March 30, 2021
ISBN-10: 0757323901
ISBN-13: 978-0757323904
Available for pre-order on Amazon.com

Trish Stevens
Lindsey Mach
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com
281.333.3507 Phone

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