Blog

Why I’m Doing KickStarter for My Book

Posted on 08.27.2012 + News

As many of you know, I am in the process of writing my first book, Tragedy to Truth. The process has already been an adventure and I am grateful to all of you for your support so far. In the next few days (Starting Sept. 1st) I will be starting a KickStarter Campaign to offer pre-sales and other incentives to help fund this project. For those of you who are not aware of KickStarter, it is an all-or-nothing crowd-funding platform for creative projects that allows many people to contribute in order to make the project succeed. If the goal amount is not reached, then the project will not be funded.

I wanted to share with you why I have selected to use KickStarter to fund my book project:

Community: By God’s grace, He has placed the right people at the right time in my life to help me along the way. I would not be who I am today with out the Lord, my family, my friends, and those who have supported me along the way. This book is a culmination of many years of struggle, tragedy, truth, and transformation. I want everyone to be involved in the telling of this story as we head into a new chapter of ministry.
Story: When writing my story I realized that my story would be empty if it weren’t for God and for you. You all are a part of my story and I want us to celebrate what God has done and is doing in and through our lives and ministry together. We all have a story, and I pray that mine will be used to point people to Jesus.
Money: I have chosen to publish with Lucid Books (Disclaimer: I am one of the owners of Lucid Books), so that I will have more freedom with my content, strategy, etc. You might think that since I am an owner of Lucid Books that I get to publish for free. Well, it costs money to publish a book, even if I’m an owner. Also, I have opted to go this route because it will have larger royalties and I have set it up so that all funds received both through KickStarter and royalties will be deposited directly into my non-profit corporation, Transform Ministries, which is overseen by a board of directors. I will also be using the royalties from the books to do ministry in Kenya. This project will cost about $10,000 to edit, design, print, and promote. KickStarter will enable all of us to partner together to make this project possible. Of course, I have several faithful supporters who have given generously over the years, but with this project, I want to give everyone an opportunity to participate (See #1).
Promotion: You all are the best promoters. Through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc., we can get the word out about this project. It seems logical that you would be more likely to help get the word out about something that you believe in and have invested in, right?
Fun: I think it’ll be a lot of fun to watch how God continues to orchestrate this project, don’t you?

I need your help getting the word out and letting all of your friends and family know about this project. I’ve created a simple URL that is easy to remember for you to share: caseycease.com/book

Nothing is Wasted

Posted on 07.19.2012 + Ministry

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

Over the years, there have been numerous occasions where people have come up to me after I was finished speaking to share with me a tragedy in their life. Many of these stories were heartbreaking and difficult to hear. If you hear a lot of hard stories, it is tempting to not really listen to the person. Instead of serving them well, you give them some trite Christian clichés to apply to their pain, but in the end you offer them no hope.

One time I was visiting with a friend who is a pastor and a biblical counselor. He said to me, “Remember, nothing is wasted.” That has always stuck with me.

The reality is that God wastes nothing. While God does not do evil, he uses all things to bring glory to himself, to draw people to Jesus, and to bring deeper purpose and meaning to the Christian’s life. As I continue to reflect on this truth, I have realized that Paul’s statement in Romans 8:28 is not only true, but also life-giving. God really is able to use all things for good, for those called according to his purpose.

God Can Use the Horrific

This has been true in my life as well as in the lives of those around me. Even the most tragic, horrible, and sinful things have been used to open doors with the lost, to connect with those who are hurting, and to point people to Jesus.

For instance, I was in a car crash when I was 17 that resulted in the death of a friend. It was through that tragedy that I was led to the truth of Jesus Christ. God has used that horrific time as a way for people to be connected with Jesus through the sharing of God’s story through mine. I also know of people who have taken the abuse they’ve endured, and allowed Jesus to use it to help them connect with abuse victims and to point them to Jesus.

Paul writes that God uses all things to work together for good. He can and will use your past, your horrific sin, and whatever else you believe is beyond the grace of Jesus. Living in the guilt of our past inhibits us from living in the freedom and purpose of our future together in Christ.

In Ephesians 2:10, Paul writes, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Therefore, we are able to receive the transforming grace of Jesus, learn from our past, and trust that not only does he use all things for good, but we are now his workmanship, commissioned for good works that he has set beforehand.

5 Things to Remember

Here are a few helpful things to remember moving forward.

1. Acknowledge Jesus

Jesus is the only hope you have to experience redemption. This holds true for all aspects of your healing and ministry, not just salvation.

2. Your Story Is His Story in You

When you share your story, the focus should be how Jesus has rescued you. Your experiences are the illustrations that point back to him.

3. Don’t Glorify Your Former Sin

Glorify the one who forgave it. It is tempting when you are trying to establish rapport to make light of your sin, or to make it sound glorious. This temptation should be avoided. The purpose in sharing your story should be connecting with people, and then pointing them to Jesus, not connecting them to you and leaving them there.

4. You May Need Help Getting to the Good

There are situations and circumstances that are difficult to find healing and redemption in on your own. You may be helped through your community of faith, a biblical counselor, or a combination of both. There is no shame in needing some help.

5. You Are Not Alone

It is very likely that you are not the only one to have experienced what you have in your past. There are others who have been through something similar and your experience with Christ might be what God uses to draw that person to himself.

This is not a call to forget your past. It is an opportunity to allow Jesus to redeem it and use it for his glory and for your enjoyment. Your life can and should be used as an illustration for those who will believe (1 Tim. 1:15–16). This can be a very slow and hard road, but wherever you are on this journey just know, nothing is wasted.

Finally Writing My Book: Tragedy to Truth

Posted on 07.11.2012 + Culture

For several years now I have been thinking about writing my story in a book form. There have been many reasons why I have not, but none of them very good. So, I’ve begun the process of writing, hiring editors, designers, and working through the whole process to make this project a reality.

The main reason I have decided to do this is because several people have asked me to put my story in a book form so that they can give them to friends who have had a hard life and who would really benefit from my story of grace. My desire is to use all that has happened in my life to point people to Jesus. That is my end game and as much as God has used my story in the past, I believe that through publishing a book, many more will come to faith in Jesus Christ.

My goal is to have the book ready for release in February of 2013. A lot needs to happen between now (July 2012) and then, and I need your help.

Below are a few ways that you can help me out in the immediate and near future.

Follow these simple steps:

Click here or go to http://www.facebook.com/CaseyCeaseBookProject
Click the ‘Like’ Button on the top right of the page.
Click the little ‘Widget’ icon text to the ‘Liked’ button and select ‘Share’ and encourage your friends to like the page.
Join my Book’s Exclusive E-Mail List either on Facebook or on this site.
Pre-Order Books from my KickStarter Campaign launching August or September 2012 (More info to come soon, so if you join my Facebook Page or eNewsletter, you’ll be the first to know!)
Invite me to come to your church or organization.

More than anything, I need your prayers. Just in the beginning stages of writing, I have had to revisit some dark seasons in my life. My hope is that God will use them as an example of how He is able to transform lives through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ.