Keep Calm And Write On

Presently...It's been a long week, filled with work, homework, appointments, and Bible study. Presently...I'm trying to blog and there's a dog sitting on me.  I'm going about my day and I'm grateful for less pain than last week, thankful for exercises and chiropracors. I'm looking at my new dog and I'm thinking, "Maybe there can be more than one best dog ever." I'm beta-reading for two authors, and I'm thinking how beautiful it is that God gave us the written word.  I'm looking back on my life, and I'm wondering at the me I used to be. So timid, so afraid of looking stupid, so afraid to speak... So afraid.  Too afraid.  " for God gave us a spirit not of fear but o f power and love and self-control." 2 Timothy 1:7 ESV.  But now I'm learning that I can only do what I'm called to do if I let my fear go. As one of my dear friends would say, let go and let God . So, if this post is a...

It's been a long.... ...day? ...week? ...month? ... year? X....All of the above. Sometimes I feel like my mind is being pulled in six different directions. School, work, family, this, and that, and the normal-getting-my-ducks-in-a-row-adult-life stuff. And the writing that I used to love, but just hasn't been a priority lately. I've had neither time nor inclination toward writing. And that scares me, because I've heard the old adage "use it or lose it" more times than I could count. What if I lose it, my joy and affection for the written word? On the other hand... what if I don't?  What if a break is just what the doctor ordered? What if it's okay that sometimes writing is just one more thing to worry about? But I wish it wasn't. I wish to go back to the days of yore, when responsibilities were few and words were many. But maybe that's just now how it works in the real world. Maybe we have to realize that the things we lov...

We have a problem that plagues Christians and "free spirits" everywhere. This problem (and dare I also call it a threat) has the potential to destroy all of our individualism and personal achievements. Evidently, it's been an issue for centuries untold. It was evidently so prevalent in the early church that Paul made sure to address it in his letter to the Romans.  " Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2) If Paul was talking in today's terms, he might say. "Hey guys! Wake up! You can't live for God and still be the same as the rest of the world, it just doesn't work that way! If you don't let God transform you and your thinking, then you won't know how He wants you to live!" Complacency has always been a tempting trap. "Someone else will take that...

Okay, so I'm just spit balling here, but when did the duck face become attractive? What went into some teenage girls mind to make her think; "If I manipulate my mouth to look like a beak and pout like I'm on the cover of vogue, then I'll be beautiful." Maybe this new trend is caused by wanting more likes on facebook pics, and unfortunately it works, but not for the reason you might think. I'm sure I'm not the only one who hits like on these pictures merely because I appreciated the laugh. But really, this society-wide practice of duck faces and selfie taking is no laughing matter. More than once I've considered writing a book in which the duck face becomes illegal and all those who do it must be required not to wear makeup and hair product the rest of their days. That'll learn 'em. Seriously speaking, I've long felt the desire to look every young woman in the eyes and tell them. "You are beautiful. You have worth." Too many ...

Hello all! I suppose I'm just in a generous/self promotion kind of mood,because I decided that it would be fun to share part of my new(ish) book, Underground, which you can purchase in paperback form on  Createspace . With no further ado, The Author's Note, an introduction to Asurga. Imagine for a moment, what would happen if your world as you know it now ceased to exist? What if your beliefs put you in mortal danger? What if you had to fight for those who were helpless? Welcome to Asurga, the only remnant left of an association known as The Council of Nations.  In the early part of the twenty-first century, the super-power known as America flourished. Almost everyone had an education and enough to eat. But other countries had significant threats looming over them. The people of Israel desperately needed rescued from their Muslim attackers.  The Council of Nations debated for many years whether or not to come to Israel’s rescue. By the time they decided ...

In the past few days, I've realized that 2015 will be the year that makes me pull my hair out. The year that makes me bang my head against the wall. And perhaps the best year of them all. Because this year, I'm saying "no" to fear. And I'm saying "YES" to courage. This year, I took a deep breath, and started my first college class. Two weeks in, and I can already tell this new college experience will be a good one. But oh, so challenging. This month, this week, has held so many quiet victories. This is the week I achieved perfect scores on quizzes in two different classes. (Yes, they were open-book, but it still counts...right?) This is the week I told God "Wherever you send me, I will go." This is the week that I have told myself so many times that this college thing is actually worth it. This is the week in which I had to teach myself to format a paper in Turabian Style. All in all, a good week indeed.

I have friends who have heartily embraced the idea of choosing a word, just a  single word, as their anthem, even a battle cry, for the coming year. One of these is  Rachelle Rea, who is EMBRACING the new year  with her one word. This time last year, I read the blogposts, saw the reasoning, and decided, that's not for me. I was, at the same time, fed up with my former way of handling new year's resolutions. So I went halfway. I didn't make the page-long list of years past, vowing in the coming year's time to erase all the bad habits and improve on basically every single aspect of my life. This year, I'm looking at the new year, a tiny girl lost in the fathoms of space-time, and I'm dreaming of what is to come. And I see big things ahead. My one word this year wasn't chosen with long periods of reflection and prayer. I didn't search through the dictionary for a word to claim. It popped into my head one day, and many times thereafter. Everytime I...