MY SO-CALLED LIFE as a PROVERBS 31 WIFE: A ... - Pure Publicity

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:Contact: Susan Hunt, Pure Publicity818.753.4056 or Susan@purepublicity.comMY SO-CALLED LIFE as a PROVERBS 31 WIFE:A One Year Experiment…and Its Surprising ResultsBaton Rouge, LA: Author, military wife and mom Sara Hornbelieved she was doing pretty well fulfilling her domestic andministry responsibilities from a biblical perspective. Horn, wasfamiliar with the biblical role of women and even respected thequalities of the Proverbs 31 woman. But she never felt she couldeasily relate to the Proverbs 31 woman, let alone exemplify herattributes.So why would an everyday woman, who thrived on a busy schedule,commit to a personal experiment – to live as a Proverbs 31woman/wife for a year – someone she felt she had little in commonwith?In My So-Called Life as a Proverbs 31 Wife (Harvest House),Horn shares the challenges, frustrations and accomplishments sheencountered while attempting to live as a Proverbs 31 wife. “TheProverbs 31 wife and I didn’t get along very well,” says Horn. “I didn’tappreciate how bad she made me look. I didn’t like the guilt I felt when I saw her. If she was thestandard all Christian wives should work toward, then I was in serious trouble.”Readers will follow Horn on a touching and sometimes humorous journey as she does her bestto take care of her husband, son and home (including trying to rid her house of some mice), totaking her son on an all boys Cub Scout camping trip (and her first time setting up a tent) topartaking in the scout cake decorating contest (and having to explain to her son that all theirhard work would be devoured by local firefighters).She also shares her own insecurities trying to fulfill her commitments as a writer, wife, motherand ministry leader. She describes learning to live with blind faith during critical times in theirmarriage including her husband’s unemployment, which leads to Horn re-entering the workforce and trusting God to sell their home.My So-Called Life as a Proverbs 31 Wife is one woman’s quest to emulate godly qualities ofpatience, kindness and thoughtfulness, and what happens when her circumstances don’tcooperate. Women will quickly see that although their experiences may be different, they willbreathe a sigh of relief or laugh along the way as they witness one wife dealing with similar orworse circumstances.“Our first responsibility is to God.” writes Horn. “And I don’t think we can say, ‘We just needbalance,’ because saying we need balance implies making things equal. God should not equalwith anything or anyone, He should come first. When we place Him first, then the rest of our lifecomes together.”This thought-provoking, surprising, and entertaining personal account will challenge women toexamine their own efforts as spouses and parents and inspire women to try their ownexperiments in living out God’s purpose for their lives.Product Details: Paperback: 208 pages. Publisher: Harvest House Publishers (September 1, 2011)ISBN-10: 0736939415. ISBN-13: 978-0736939416~more~

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:Contact: Susan Hunt, Pure Publicity818.753.4056 or Susan@purepublicity.comSuggested Interview Questions1. What was your initial perception of the Proverbs 31 woman? What contributed to yourfeelings?2. What made you decide to try an experiment of living like the Proverbs 31 Woman for a year?3. If there is one lesson you could share that you have learned through this experience, what isit?4. How did God use this time to impact your life? How was your family impacted?5. Was it difficult for you to be apart from your husband while he was away for training and asyou end the book, deployment? How did you keep your marriage strong during the timesapart?6. You write about the times you had to take the place of your husband at some of your son’sCub Scout functions. Did you find that easy to do?7. What were some of your concerns about having to re-enter the work force during the timeyour husband was unable to find a job? How did this impact your family/marriage?8. You write that your dream was to become a successful music artist and then later, you foundyour calling as a writer. At what point did you determine your calling as a wife and motherwas more important?9. What do you think women struggle with the most as wives and moms? Why do you thinkthat is?10. It’s been over 2 years since you started this experiment. Are you the same wife you werethen? How have you changed?11. What does today’s homemaker look like?12. Any new challenges planned? What is your life like now?13. How can audiences keep in touch with you?Notable Quotes from My So-Called Lifeas a Proverbs 31-WifeBurned Quesadillas: “I may never be a perfect cook or seamstress or even the most polishedhomemaker. I may always see another woman who seems to have it together a hundred timesbetter than I do. But if I’ve learned anything from this experiment, it’s that my husband lovesme. And my son loves me. And God loves me. And I don’t have to ‘do’ so much in order to ‘be.’ ”A Proverbs 31 Wife Isn’t Selfish: “When you’re first married, you want to do anything andeverything for the other person. But as time goes on and you get frustrated with the little things,there’s a tendency to hold back, to start thinking “what about me?” You’re not as free or asunselfish with time, or me, or maybe even love. Before you realize it, you’re a lot more selfishthan maybe you realize.”What’s a Wife to Do? “I want to honor God and honor my family at the same time. I want tofeel satisfied in both my work and my home. Truthfully, I’m not there. When I’m knee-deep inministry or writing, I’m often thinking of what I’m missing with my family. And when I’m withmy family, I’m thinking of what I could be doing in my ministry.”May Showers of Blessings: “Where is my passion for God and His call on my life? Wheredoes that passion connect with my roles as wife and a mom? Does that passion not count anytime there’s a nose to wipe and a lunch to make? Or does my passion to make a difference, tofollow God wherever He leads me, does that passion need to envelop my roles as wife and amom?”###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:Contact: Susan Hunt, Pure Publicity818.753.4056 or Susan@purepublicity.comAbout Sara Horn:Sara Horn is a wife, mom, author, speaker andfounder of Wives of Faith [www.WivesOfFaith.org], afaith‐based military wives support organization. Since2006, Sara has encouraged and inspired military wivesof all branches of service to seek God’s strength overtheir own. Her desire is to help women everywhere seetheir incredible value through God’s eyes, to knowtheir own distinct calling, fulfill their important rolesin their families and develop strong relationships withGod.Sara has written more than ten books, the majority asa ghostwriter or collaborator. As the wife of a Navyreservist, she had the rare privilege of traveling to Iraqtwice to report and write stories of Christians in themilitary ‐ the first time on board the USS Harry S.Truman, the second to Baghdad, both in 2003. Her first book, A Greater Freedom: Stories ofFaith from Operation Iraqi Freedom, recorded those travels and was written with Oliver North,receiving a 2005 Gold Medallion nomination. Her most recent titles include GOD Strong: AMilitary Wife’s Spiritual Survival Guide, and the Bible study, Tour of Duty: Preparing OurHearts for Deployment. My So-Called Life as a Proverbs 31 Wife is her first book she’s writtenfor the general women’s readership.Though for many years she said she’d never do women’s ministry, God had other plans and Hehas instilled in her a passion to encourage and speak to the hearts of women, reminding them ofthe hope and strength we have when we rely on Him.She currently lives in the Baton Rouge, LA area with her son and her husband who just recentlyreturned from his second deployment. Visit Sara’s website at sarahorn.com. Take your ownchallenge as a Martha 31 by visiting myproverbs31life.com.Facebook: www.facebook.com/myproverbs31life or www.facebook.com/sarahornTwitter: www.twitter.com/myprov31life or www.twitter.com/sarahorn

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:Contact: Susan Hunt, Pure Publicity818.753.4056 or Susan@purepublicity.comSuggested Interview TopicsThe Post 9/11 Proverbs 31 Wife: Life as military families once knew it, ended when 9/11happened. Guard and Reserve families were especially hit with a “new normal.” No longer arethey strictly reserves. Now, they’re an intricate part of operational forces. Sara discusses theimpact that 10 years of war has had on Guard and Reserve families in particular and relates herown family’s experience both with deployment and unemployment as a result. She shares withlisteners and viewers what has helped she and her husband’s marriage weather both theeconomic storms so many Americans are dealing with, and stress of the unknown in farawaylands, as well as, home as her husband has been deployed twice, having just returned thisAugust from his last deployment.Switched: In today’s economy, it is becoming more common to find a wife working and thehusband at home. Layoffs and other factors have all played a part. So how does a wife respond inher marriage when she makes more money than her husband? Or at the very least, when her jobis more demanding? Can she really still fall into the role of the woman described in Proverbs 31?Sara shares her experience and personal struggle of seeking to support and honor her husbandeven through tough financial times and living through unemployment and the blessings andlessons she has discovered in the process.Choosing Relationship over Accomplishment: So many people have accepted Facebookonline friends as the normal in friendship and replaced their relationships with others for to-dolists and accomplishments. But God calls us to relationship – with Him, with our spouses, withour families, with others in our community. Sara shares with listeners her own experience offalling into the accomplishment trap and how God taught her why it is less about doing andmore about being.The Domestic Diva-Challenged: Why do we always look at other women and think theyhave it all together? Why do we strive for Martha Stewart, doing it all and doing it all well, andgive up when we realize we’re a lot more like Lucille Ball? Why do we attempt perfection whenGod only asks for our availability? Sara will share with listeners her experience in attempting tobe like the Proverbs 31 wife, and what she learned in the process, and why God wants our heartsover housework any day.The Super Wife/Mom Complex: Who said we have to be perfect? Yet that’s the standardmany women have in their heads when it comes to being a wife or mom. We struggle withgetting things done and then we struggle with the guilt that comes for not getting things donewhich freezes us in our tracks and keeps us from getting anything done! It becomes a viciousmerry-go-round that’s very hard to get off. Sara will discuss these crazy expectations women puton themselves, the expectations she had for herself and what she’s learned through herexperiments to be like the Proverbs 31 wife. And that often our expectations of ourselves aren’tGod’s expectations. His are a whole lot simpler.Is the Proverbs 31 Woman Outdated?: Many women (including Sara initially) perceive theOld Testament and the Proverbs 31 Woman to be dated and perhaps somewhat oppressive towomen – too traditional and possibly perpetuating the traditional, conservative perspective onwomen… is the Proverbs 31 Woman independent? Is she outdated? How should we view her inour modern era but know that she is following Christ and her husband as the Bible implores?