Hope Learns

Every day I learn something new about writing, promoting, and selling my work. Sometimes it is just a matter of making myself spend the time and put in the effort. Other times it is about humbling myself enough to ask for help and to be mentored. I found another author, Gerald Darnell, who is from my hometown who has been publishing and promoting his mysteries,Carson Reno Mysteries, for quite some time now. I contacted him, asked for advice, and he has been a wealth of new information and tips to help this newbie author along. I now have a file of notes and things I can work on doing, including finishing that second novel, to grow in my writing career. Thanks, Gerald!

This little life lesson applies spiritually as well. "Ask, and ye shall receive," He said. Sometimes asking is humbling. It takes bringing our pride down a notch and admitting we really don't know what we're doing. It means finding your voice and not just wishing something into existence, but making the effort to speak up and out. It also means that once you receive, you express gratitude and give back. That's why I am sharing Gerald's links with you all. I appreciate the time he took to talk with me a little about my work and his work and share his experience with me. If we are truly grateful when God does things for us, we need to thank Him and give back. I also learned that no matter how much of an introvert I think I am, there is an extrovert inside the shell pecking furiously to get outside. A quote from Gerald: "An introvert is just an extrovert trying to crack the shell! It's in there..." and also, "Remember - 'don't write to get rich - but write to enrich others'." Sage advice from someone walking the path ahead of me.

I am grateful for so many things, and I'm grateful that God sends us the people in our lives that we need to motivate us in the tasks He has assigned us to do.

 As Dixie Carter once said, "I'm just a woman trying to get to heaven from Tennessee."

Hope Smiles

It's been a month tomorrow since taking that big step to publish on Amazon. So many positive affirmations have come my way. So many good things. So many smiles. It feels good. I've made a new author page to keep the focus over there more on the projects I have going. It's at H is for Hope, if you want to keep up with my thoughts on that. I'm keeping this blog open for my inspirational/devotional thoughts. Again, I am so grateful to God. There were times when I never thought I would smile again, but His grace is sufficient. I love Him dearly.

Baby Steps and Books

In 2005, I discovered blogging. After opening an account online, I began to be encouraged in my writing and the idea of putting it out there for the world to see. I met many new friends this way, including the founder of The Prodigal Hope Network, Diane Viere, who, at that time was brand new to blogging as well. She had found me from a comment I had made on a friend of her's blog. Diane soon became one of my greatest cheerleaders, along with many other bloggers, many published authors and quite a few aspiring ones. Some of the aspiring authors have since gone on to be published and are a great inspiration to me, like Catherine West, whom I had the opportunity to exchange critiques with many years back.

In 2006, while on a road trip and journaling, as I am prone to do, my son and I (who was a mere seven years of age at the time), came up with more ideas for my story the completion of which became known as my first novella, FROM PHARAOH'S HAND.

The bulk of the story was completed in about a year's time, and yet the story lay dormant on my hard drive. Life's obligations made demands on my writing time, and while the book was never far from reach, it had to lie languishing for months until I could return. Perhaps a year later, I took the partially edited draft to Office Depot and had it printed and bound. This step brought the dream into reality--a finished work, something I could touch and see and hold, which further cemented the dream in my heart, This was no longer just a whim. This was my work, a part of me, unfinished business.

What's the story about?  Elizabeth has made a terrible mistake. And as most teenagers will, she is trying to hide it before her parents find out. FROM PHARAOH'S HAND is the story of middle-aged, middle-class, blonde, blue-eyed Beth Merriweather. She could be anyone's daughter. Yours perhaps. But the stranger she meets on her prodigal journey is anything but typical. Catfish Jones is not your ordinary farmer. He is a hard-hearted, cold-blooded killer looking to make Beth the next Mrs. Jones. Finding herself in the scariest predicament of her 17-year-old life, Elizabeth Merriweather does the only thing she can do, pray.

FROM PHARAOH'S HAND is now available in Kindle edition only on Amazon.com as of 03/13/2013. Reviews welcome.

On the Rise

According to Tamar Lewin of The New York Times, "After more than a decade of declining teenage pregnancy, the pregnancy rate among girls ages 15 to 19 increased 3 percent from 2005 to 2006."

Overcome Evil with Good

Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.  Romans 12:21

Newtown, Connecticut has begun the overwhelming task of laying  the bright, the beautiful, the fallen to rest.  Wonderful little people.  Inspiring, incredibly heroic adults.  Such the opposite of the dark, menacing, cowardice that took the light from their eyes that day.

One soul.  One soul yielded to the darkest evil and changed a nation forever, changed a town forever, changed 27 families forever.  It leaves us asking, how can we overcome this?  How can we protect ourselves and our families?  How can we prevent this?   One soul changed the future for so many.  What would our world be like if more than one yielded to good, and light, and God?

See the damage one sick soul, one prepared individual managed to inflict.  And all it took was his willingness to yield his own body and mind to evil.  Once that was settled, the rest became a horrific and heinous ending to his empty life.  Once he yielded to the darkness, his end was written.  And the end of those little angels' lives as well, though they will live forever.

While we dare not minimize this losses suffered of these precious babes, these wonderful teachers and administrators--we must remember that in the midst of human suffering comes the opportunity for yielding ourselves to God as His servants to minister to a lost and dying world, to be His hands extended, reaching out to the hurting, the suffering, the grieving, and yes, the lost living in darkness.

Christ, one individual, yielded once and for all time to the cross.  Once that was decided, His future and the future of believers was written.  And the good that came from His submission to God and good and light had far greater reach than the acts of one demon-possessed, tormented soul.  We have an opportunity to share the good news to a hurting world.  We have the commandment to share with them the hope that we have, that Christ came to set the captive free, to open the eyes of the blind, and He has the power to deliver from a life of darkness.

It is not just a good idea to share the gospel, but it is a commandment.  Commands are given to soldiers from their superiors for good reason.  We are given our marching orders.  We have the instructions.  "Overcome evil with good."  What we must do in this life to fight evil is to be a light.  

Adam spent hours of his life in a dark basement with no windows practicing killing on a computer game. No sunshine.  No healthy light.  No words of encouragement.  Hours filling his mind with garbage and violence.  How many of our own have been exposed to the dark side?  How many of our own are struggling not to yield?   How many of our own are waiting, longing, needing godly counsel or a loving influence in their lives?  Who will shine the love of Christ into their dark worlds?  Who is going to tell this generation about the hope in Christ Jesus...that there is a better way.  

If one can do so much in one day, one hour, to destroy--what could many of us do for good and God in the time He has given us on this earth?  Take your candle, Go light your world.

Hope Soars

Sometimes the light of her eyes would weaken, and she would long for a soft smile for them to land upon, the years of rising above having commenced and begun to consume her days.  Her "situation," (she wouldn't call it a 'plight' per se) called for strength, dignity, and the proverbial stiff upper lip.  And yet, it was often hard to maintain a meek and quiet manner that she knew ladies possessed.  Often she was called upon to keep flapping her wings and flying, keep reaching higher, and yet called upon to ascend higher still with each new trial--when all she really longed for was to fold her weary wings in upon herself and rest and try to remember what it was like to soar naturally and gracefully--instead of always against the wind; although she could not remember many days in her past that it ever happened--this natural soaring above the circumstance.

There was no magic to it in those days.  It was with hard work, purposeful  effort, and by God's grace that she had not faltered, given up mid flight and fallen to a tragic end.  And more so, that grace than anything else  in these days of rising above.  She did not consider herself the victim, though some would label her a blamer. She knew that some things couldn't be helped.  Some things just happened in life.  But so many more things that happened were of her own doing.  She knew where the fault lay.  It was not all hers, but it was her lot to bear the most of it.  Life was not always fair.  Some would label her overly dramatic, and yet if she were to tell the facts and only the facts--few would believe all the sad tale she told.  It was what it was.  And it was sad.  But not beyond hope's grasp.

Eventually she came to realize that no matter how fast and furious she flew, on her own she would never be able to rise above.  Until the day she broke away from earth's gravitational pull and flew to heaven, she would be called upon to constantly rise above--if not this certain bitter storm--then others that most assuredly were ahead.

But--the rising above did not have to mean all she thought it had.  Taking the humble path did not make her weak.  Rising above did not mean she had to suffer in silence and admit defeat.  Nor did it mean she had to face the flight alone--forever the little plain sparrow who never found a pleasant place to light; though God does love the precious sparrow with much fervor.  Rising above could mean having enough faith in her Creator to hold her up and while still in flight, begin to show her the bigger picture, the grand far reaching implications of His grace in her life that allowed her to become so much more.

She could hear the voice of God.  It was sweet and pure, and it said:  "Come close to me, Child.  Enter into my rest.  Get past the pain.  Get past the struggle.  Get past the hard part.  To rise above does not mean holding it all inside, holding it all back, or holding tight to what will never be.  Let it go.  Let it all fall away.  See how light your heart becomes, how strong.  How beautiful.  Do not see rising above as a burden, my love, but a blessing that enables you to come soar higher with Me."

More than what others saw or said, more than what others thought about her.  Flying farther and higher than just that spartan valley they would have her move in and be in--whomever or whatever "they" were.  All the "theys" would become smaller and smaller the higher He took her.  When she got to this sacred place with Him, nothing else mattered.  There was no above, nor below anymore.  It ceased to matter.  The cares of the natural realm were all beneath her, and all that really mattered was that her hope was in Him and Him alone.

Southern Comfort--Not in a Bottle, But a Book

When something bad happens, especially if it happens in our neck of the woods, the natural response to it is fear.  Our human response is not to turn to the Word of God first, but to our natural defense mechanisms or our own alarm systems, weapons, and strategies.  But as Christians, we have at our disposal the wealth of the kingdom.  We have the power of the Almighty on our side, and He is a force to be reckoned with.  We are His children.  We are in His hands.  His desire is for us to be strong and wise warriors.  There should be no cowards in His army.  For if we live, we live unto the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord.  There are no losers in the Kingdom.

It is easy sometimes to get our eyes off Christ and onto the circumstances.  The enemy would have you living in bondage.  If he can get you to doubt, he can weaken your resolve.  If he can keep you awake nights, he can zap your strength.  If he can put that seed of fear in you, then he's won.  I have fought too long and too hard to get where I am to let that happen.  When trying times come, then I look to the Lord for help, and He sends sweet words of comfort to me.  The answer for every need, every question, every fear, every emotion, every doubt lies waiting in the Book.  You say, "But some things the scripture does not address directly."  Perhaps at first glance you don't see it.  Maybe it will require a little more digging.  Maybe it will require a little more wisdom.  Keep knocking.  Keep seeking.  The eyes of your heart will be opened to understand.  The Word of God is no ordinary book.  His word has the power to save, to deliver, heal, and even raise the dead if He so speaks.  

Psalm 91

King James Version (KJV)

91 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

² I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
³ Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
⁴ He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
⁵ Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
⁶ Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
⁷ A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
⁸ Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
⁹ Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
¹⁰ There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
¹¹ For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
¹² They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
¹³ Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
¹⁴ Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
¹⁵ He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
¹⁶ With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.owledges my name.

¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.
¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.”

This is No Ordinary Day--

Eleven years ago today...has it been that long?

Earlier she had asked me to read to her from the Psalms, and when she grew sleepy had asked me to turn the lights out and try to sleep.  Had I known those were our last hours together, I would have stayed awake.  But exhaustion had taken over and I had dozed off.  At 2:30 I was awakened by a strange sound--a change in her breathing.  I took her hand.  Mama?  Can you hear me?  Squeeze my hand if you hear me.  And ever so softly I felt her squeeze.

Within the hour, she was gone.  By dawn's early light, she was in the arms of her Lord.  Her new day had dawned in glorious light and joyful celebration.  She saw the Lord, David's inspiration for the Psalms, and ran laughing into His arms.  She saw Him, sees Him in all His splendor.  The shadow of death is but a memory, if even that.  Her race is won, and the banner of the cross is raised high, and the national anthem of heaven is heard.  "Holy, Holy, Holy.  Lord God Almighty."  There is gold with each step.  "Victory! Victory!" in thunderous applause rings through the halls there.  And no one...nary a soul there feels the agony of defeat.