WALKS ALONE

My book WALKS ALONE just WON the 2012 GRACE AWARDS! So exciting!!!

WALKS ALONE is a well written epic novel beginning in Holland and ending in the old west. Loved the way it opened with the tenderness of Anna's father aboard ship. It was hard not to I got involved in the father's dream of traveling to Denver City. The scenes in New York City with Anna's uncle were brutal and fully engaging. After Anna escapes her uncle, travels westward by train, and finally joins a wagon train where she's not well treated, there is a captivating bathing scene in the river where she allows herself to relax. When half-breed Jean-Marc comes upon her with a small band of angry-braves, the reader is caught between instant knowledge of the hero's strong attraction to her and the extreme danger she's in and is hooked. Ms. Rog understands Native American life in that era quite well. She did an excellent job of showing the anger and murderous rage of the braves as well as the prejudice of the settlers and their inability to see Native Americans as people, which led to Indian massacres. Both Anna/Walks Alone and Jean Marc/White Eagle are flawed and well written. White Eagle's poetic declaration of how his love is so large and encompassing that he sees and hears Walks Alone everywhere, even in the wind, was superb. He tells her of his pain at having caught her engaging in conversation with his sworn enemy, the man who led the deadly raid against his tribe. Through this, the author conveys how painful it is for Father God to witness His children engaging with idols. Beautifully done. Touches the reader at a deep spiritual level. ~~  Judges: Nike Chillemi (Team Leader), Krisi Keley, Kenneth Winters

THANK YOU FROM BEHIND BARS!

Here are a few of the personal responses I’ve received from the men who are in prison. 

However, before you read those, I want to share that I’m also trying to encourage some of their families, mainly their children. You see, I was a child while my dad was in prison the first time, and I remember receiving gifts from strangers on behalf of my dad. This included stamps so I could send my dad letters (something the prisoners really appreciate).

These are photos of a package I recently sent to a five-year-old girl by request of one of the prisoners for his daughter. He only asked if I could send her a little girl's Bible. I decided to send her a little more than that (one is a "big girl's" Bible for her mom to save for her until she's old enough; it's not shown here because her full name is on it and I don't want that to be seen). You can see the "little girl's" Bible I sent by viewing the pictures. According to my dad, this girl's dad is in for twenty years for selling drugs. That will take up his little daughter’s entire childhood, and it breaks my heart that she won’t ever grow up knowing the protection of her dad. The photo below is a picture of her little bible cover for her "Sweetest Story Bible." It was originally plain pink. That was boring, so I decorated it a bit. Her name is on the back, but I won't show that here. You see, the little girl Bible above will teach her the popular Bible stories, assuming she's never heard them. I also sent her a "Bible Promise Book" so she can "get to know" God a bit better by learning about his promises and how to trust in Him.

I also sent two "kids" Bibles to two other children: one boy age 8 and a girl age 10. This was not requested by this prisoner, but he did ask that I send them some "Bible studies." I'm sending them the materials I'm using in my Wednesday evening 4-5 grade classes as a "correspondence course" for these kids. I'm curious if they'll actually do them. I promised them a certificate if they complete the thirteen week "study." 

Below begin the “thank you’s” from the men, WRITTEN BY MY DAD who has access to a computer (I left out their last names). Under Kemph listed in number 2, I had to send this man a giant print Bible:

1. Dennis is standing right here and says, "Thank you very much for the books. Thanks to the lady who wrote me the letter. It was very much appreciated.

Sandi, Dennis is really coming alive in Christ. He's one of those four we burried with Christ. He loves the Lord. Pray for us all. Love you! Dad 

2.  Kemph is here and wants to tell you this. Firstly, both of us are blown away over his beautiful bible. He can read it!!! And he's sending in his bible study and says he wants to be baptized! I am so happy for him. Now here is what he wants to say:

"My handwriting isn't very good which you will see on my bible study. I can't tell you in words how much it means to have a nice bible like this. I'm willing to pay you for it, because I know they cost you all money. So, just tell your father and I'll be glad to send it. Because I really appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. And I will read it every day! And I won't forget where it came from. If there's anything I can do, please let me know or let your father know.

I'm looking forward to being baptized, more or less as soon as possible. I don't know how it is in here. [I'm going to study with him in the morning!] It's one of the nicest things that's ever been done, and I really appreciate it! Thank you from the bottom of my heart. And I know the Lord will look out for you. Yours truly, Kemph."

Sandi, this is wonderful. I am so utterly happy for him and for all the people that have given to this. I have tears, because he is one I'd never have expected to respond!!! PRAISE GOD!!! He's about my age, has a long white beard and is tough as nails. He's a chiropractor has had a gazillion experiences in life and is an old rodeo bull rider. Not much on book learning, but very wise in the world. He’s in here on methamphetamines. PRAISE GOD!!!

Whoops he just came back and said, "And tell her how grateful I am for this bible!"

Whooooie! Please share this with all the folks who have given. Praise God. We'll surely baptize him soon. Praise God! I am ecstatic! Love, Dad

And lastly, a letter from Brian, which was sent to me via snail mail:

3. Thank you so much for your help in getting my Bible. As you can tell from your dad’s reaction, it is a great Bible. I just can’t thank you enough. And do not worry about the cover not being what I wanted, The Bible is what I wanted and more. I plan to use this Bible for years, and hopefully, I’ll be able to use it in school. It’s seeming impossible to find a Christian College that’s accredited and offers Christian Counseling or Psychology through correspondence. But even if not, your Dad and I are already putting our new Bibles to great use in one-on-one studies. Thank you again, Sandi, God has truly made you into a blessing.

In Christ’s name, Brian

P.S. If you ever need anything please let me know. Not sure what I can do from here, but I owe you a lot. Thanks!

Sandi here: Just so you all know, I don't want Kemph to "pay me back" for his Bible. I want him to have the experience of being GIVEN a GIFT. He owes me/us nothing. And so you can know what most of the prisoners are receiving, here's a photo of the Bibles I've been sending with their names engraved in gold on the lower right side. Here's where you can find it on Amazon.

Praising God for His blessings! Thank you ALL for making this possible!

Are Christians Bigots?

This recent picture found on a friend's Facebook page was rather disturbing. What is a "bigot" anyway? 

Here's how it's defined by the Webster's Dictionary: A person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices especially: one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance.

Okay, I'm for sure not "devoted" to my own "opinions."What I am devoted to is God and according to the Bully the Bullies Facebook page, that makes me a bigot.

Wow. Ouch. The only comfort I take in having stumbled upon this sign was that my friend did not "like" it.

So . . . this sign calls Christians "bigots," and yet their theme and name is "Bully the Bullies." 

Perhaps this person or these individuals have indeed been bullied by Christians, and as a Christian, I believe that kind of behavior is WRONG. But because I'm a Christian it also doesn't mean I was one of them! So . . . why lump all the Christians, who for the majority are peaceful, loving individuals, into this category? Are these people not being "bigots" as well by making such broad accusations?

This sign has served to make me fearful that I'm going to be bullied for being a Christian. And now, I'm becoming more fearful for my children and their futures as Christians. Is it possible that Christians will be next on the list of persecution?

I realized my unrest when we recently were able to buy a new car (new to us, anyway), and I thought how nice it would be to put the sign of a fish on the back. Then it occurred to me, what if someone attacked us because of that symbol of Christianity? Am I willing to put myself and my children in danger just for having the sign of a fish on our car? Wow. Would we even be in danger for wearing the sign of Christianity or am I just taking this "bully the bullies" site too literally? 

Of course, this made me think of the books I write, which are about the persecutions Christians have undergone in the past. What if the persecution of Christians is now a part of our future? Do I have the same courage and strength of my ancient brothers and sisters who paid the price for being followers of Christ?

Back to my question: Are Christians bigots because we believe what the Bible teaches is true? 

Here's how God defines a Christian and what we are to strive to be. I implore all Christians to ask yourselves if YOU are these things (what the Bible teaches us to be):

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 

... And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

And now I ask those non-Christians who want to bully us, is this the definition of a "bigot?"

Looking for CHARLES BIG WOLF, my brother

Charlie,

I got your email, and I replied but the message didn't go through. I'm hoping that since you found me on my website, you can find me again here. Please email me at sandirog at gmail dot com. Use the "at" symbol when typing out my email. I don't put it on here because it attracts spammers. I hope to hear from you! And if I do, I'll resend you my message.

Sandi

a.k.a. Falling Star

To those who are wondering what this might be about, Charlie was the first Cheyenne to read my book WALKS ALONE. He was touched by it and adopted me into his family as his sister. He gave me the name Falling Star, which is a great honor bestowed by Charles Big Wolf, and I'm thrilled to have a Cheyenne name and be a member of his family. :-)

CHUBBY'S BIBLE

Here’s the reaction of the first inmate who received his Bible. This was sent by my dad, so please excuse some of the bluntness of the email, and instead look at the message. 

**I saw him going to chow and he said he got the bible!! He told me he'd see me after pill line and show it to me. So, he found me. We looked through it and he confided that he had had some tears. :) Then I went and got my insulin shot, we got permission to use a chapel room (which is a FIRST!) and then I ran to my unit and got my bible. When I came back I needed to pee so I dropped my bible on the table he had set up and went to pee and noticed that he must have been in prayer. When I got back, I noticed his eyes were red. He'd been overcome with happiness and tears.We both love this edition, and it is the NASB 95 update -- same as mine. Sandi, thanks so much for doing this for him. You are to be blessed! I hope the other bibles are NASB as well.** 

And they are. :-) Thank you everyone for making this moment possible. 

Fundraiser: Bibles for Prisoners

As I'm working on the fundraiser to raise enough money to send Bibles to prisoners, I decided to help boost funds by selling scarves. Every scarf purchased will go toward the fundraiser so prisoners can get Bibles.

The way to get your hands on a Sassy Sashay Scarf made by me, simply go to the BIBLES FOR PRISONERS fundraiser site to pay for your scarf, then send me an email at sandirog at gmail dot com, and tell me how many scarfs you'd like and what color(s) you'd like your scarf to be. Each scarf is approximately 60-64 inches in length and costs 20 dollars. See below for examples of what they look like.

Available COLORS:

REDS and PINKS
ORANGE/BRIGHT PEACH
BLUES and GREENS: TEAL, LIGHT-BLUE mixed with DARK-BLUE
GREENS: LIGHT-GREEN, DARK-GREEN mixed with MAROON. PURPLE and LAVENDER.

Anyway, I know it's better to show you pictures, so here are some samples. I can't guarantee exactly what you see here. The yarn for these is selling like hotcakes, so they're difficult to find.

Just email me and tell me what colors you like to wear. I'll find a scarf to match. :-)


Again, if you want to buy a scarf, it's 20 dollars (pay on the FUNDRAISER site), then EMAIL ME at sandirog at gmail dot com, to tell me how many scarves you purchased and what color(s) you'd like. Please include your snail mail address so I can send the scarf to you. 

I've made many more than what you see here but haven't had time to get pictures of them all.

BIBLES FOR PRISONERS

My name is Sandi Rog and I'm a Bible-aholic. 

I probably own five Bibles for myself, and I buy them regularly for friends and family . . . and prisoners. So, I finally came up with this brilliant idea to do a fundraiser to support my habit! 

You see, I recently sent a Bible to a prisoner who resides in the same prison where my father is currently incarcerated. I found a decently-priced Bible, with a "leather-like" cover, and engraved his name on the front in "gold." This prisoner is a Cheyenne Native American, and I'd sent him a copy of my book WALKS ALONE. He read it and loved it so much, he "adopted" me into his family, and gave me a Cheyenne name: Falling Star. Anyway, I was so tickled, I sent him the Bible I described above and told him God wanted him to read it. :-) He loved it so much, and the other prisoners loved it too! They all wanted one! Well, I can't afford to get so many nice Bibles for all of them. But I thought this fundraiser might help. 

I'm familiar with all the strict rules at this particular prison, and I'd have to send a soft-cover Bible to each prisoner individually. My dad gave me a list of names and inmate numbers, and now I'm trying to raise funds to do it. 

So . . . if you're interested in helping me, here a link: http://www.giveforward.com/biblesforprisoners. 

Thanks in advance! xxx