Dr. Norma McLauchlin Owner of Chosen Pen Publishing is no stranger to the need for forgiveness. Long before she became a pastor’s wife, she was the first female Black student to attend a formerly all-white school during the early days of desegregation. The only way she found to endure each day without retaliating against the students and teachers who ridiculed, scorned, and spit at her was to forgive them for their ignorance and to focus on her mission of paving a way for future Black students to be able to sit alongside their white counterparts as equals.
That early practice, however, did not prepare her when her need for forgiveness hit closer to home after her brother-in-law beat her sister to the point where he put her in the hospital. Although she knew Christ’s call to forgive others, forgiveness was not on her mind that day. Her husband had to wrestle the gun out of her hands to prevent her from shooting her brother-in-law.
Decades would pass before she confronted her hypocrisy in preaching a gospel message. She wasn’t living during a Bible study. She was teaching on the subject of forgiveness. After days of prayer and fasting, she developed a three-step process for forgiveness.
She calls it her “BAA” process:
B. Breathe in God’s love, His spirit, and gratitude for the life He’s given you.
A. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you become aware of anyone or anything you need to forgive others for doing or for having done that you need His forgiveness.
A. Accept the forgiveness that is offered to you.
While confronting her need to offer and ask for forgiveness, her eyes were opened to the damage she’d caused her family, especially her niece and nephew, by her refusal to forgive her brother-in-law. Forgiving herself was the hardest part of that process and something she still finds herself working on regularly.
Although she isn’t proud of her past, she now uses that experience to help others avoid the same mistakes through her bestselling books, workshops, retreats, and seminars. Her latest book, The Forgiveness Game, is a work of fiction based on her experiences with her sister and brother-in-law, who passed away a few years ago.
Get Your Copy of “The Forgiveness Game” 📲 Visit: https://www.chosepen.com/theforgivenessgame
Hey Dr. Norma! Happy September! The last time we chatted you were promoting The Forgiveness Gala.Please share with us a recap of the event.
Dr. Norma: The Forgiveness Gala was an event that was close to my heart because it represented the celebration of moving forward in your life to more incredible milestones. I wanted people to come in their best because the forgiveness journey is the best thing you can do for your life, and it is a promise to yourself to only draw things closer to you that enrich and heal. And the people showed up, and they had a wonderful time. We did our best to entice everything from the mocktail hour to the five-course dinner. We showed a draft of a documentary we are compiling on the testimonies of women who have gone through a journey of forgiveness and come out on the other end restored. The food was fabulous and meeting old and new friends allowed the attendees a great time. As in every venture, there were behind-the-scenes snafus. But they didn’t take away from the event’s success and were noted for the future. We will do it again and apply the lessons learned.
What can our readers take from “The Forgiveness Game” book?
Dr. Norma: That even the hardest things in our life’s journey can be forgiven. I want people to realize that when life comes at you fast, there is a higher power to lean on and an opportunity to stay the course with a heart towards forgiveness, not anger which turns to bitterness.
What can you tell us about the upcoming Forgiveness Retreat?
Dr. Norma: It is an intense four days of focusing on the solution, not the problem. You know we can get bogged down in discussing what happened instead of what needs to happen now. Our retreat focuses on living beyond the hurt. We help you consider the life you want to lead and the road to getting there. The logistics of the retreat are magnificent. We host in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. How can you determine that your problems are too big when you look at a mountain? The world is vast, and we must embrace all of the journeys. I don’t know if I would be the person I am without the pain and the passions I have endured. The food is lovely; we have healthy selections and decadent, rich foods to please your palette. Here’s the most important part; we pray for you, individually, in a group, and before you even begin your journey to the retreat. Prayer changes things.
What else do you have in the works?
Dr. Norma: I’m headed to Africa. This is an exciting time to be me. I am being brave enough to do all the things in my heart God has given me to explore. In Africa will we attend local schools and their children, speak to locals and give a Ted X talk. I also have my Monday evening podcasts. And I have a writer’s cruise coming up. I’m glowing up.
Subscribe to The “Free to Choose Forgiveness Talk Show” 🎥 Here
Be sure to check out Dr. Norma as a guest on the latest BIZBoost Talks LIVE where we Revealed “The Forgiveness Game” 2022 📡 FULL INTERVIEW on YOUTUBE!
UPCOMING BIG EVENTS
#1 Honorable Speaking Engagement at TEDx University of South Africa on 17 September 2022. See more details below.
#2 If you are ready to learn or enhance your business of writing and publishing skill set, this “Path to Publishing” conference is for you. Join us virtually or live streaming. You’ll be glad you did. See more details below.
#3 The Entrepreneurial Woman | SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2022 AT 6:30 PM
The month of November has been designated as National Entrepreneurship Month and this one day Conference is for the woman that is serious about business. Join us for a day of networking, awesome speakers, special presentations, lunch and a fashion show. Stay connected as more information is forthcoming. ***Location & Registration TBA*** You DO NOT want to miss this event!! Stay updated here.
#4 2023 Writers Cruise | Feb 26 – Mar 3, 2023
Let’s go! Get out of your writing room and your comfort zone.
* Write on the deck of the ship.
* One on one coaching.
* Have dinner with people who speak your language
* Make new writer friends.
* Come ashore for fun and shenanigans with me.
Life is an adventure; eat the cake first my friend, then we sip cocktails on the beach in Grand Turk!
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Get Your Copy of “The Forgiveness Game” 📲 Visit: https://www.chosepen.com/theforgivenessgame
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