My husband and I had a “discussion” of sorts last week.
The subject was my failings in one particular area. And oh, how I hate those kinds of discussions!
I sputter. I defend. I attack. I pout. I sulk.
And about three days later, I finally decided to actually think about what was said.
Granted, the WAY in which things were said was most of the problem. When I hear “You always….” or “You never…..” it’s like someone takes cotton balls and stuffs them in my ears so I can’t hear the rest of the story.
But I had to ask myself: was my beloved dear heart making stuff up out of thin air, or was there a small nugget of truth in his soliloquy?
Yes, but.
Did I respond how I’d like HIM to respond when I bring up a touchy subject?
No, but.
Should the fact that my feelings are hurt make me dig my heels in?
No, but.
I’ve realized that I let all the yucky stuff around the nugget keep me from accepting responsibility and acting gracefully.
Basically, I’m tired of carrying all these “buts” around. There’s just too much….well, you know, stink when I hang on to them.
At the heart of Rachel Anne Ridge's blog is her pursuit of creating a sanctuary at home for her family. Between working as an artist/designer most days, and doing laundry by night, she tries to find the right balance that puts God and family first while juggling the demands of life. Blogging gives her a chance to share her thoughts on the things most precious to her: family, faith and living a life that is authentic... not just busy. Find her online at www.homesanctuary.com
I woke up this morning with a need for worship. I was dry, but I knew He would fill me. Anxious fingers grasped my Bible, but I felt the call to worship with music. As the first few notes played, my heart quickened and called out to Him. I need you. I took a deep shaky breath when I heard, I am here. The music wooed me into worship. My hands raised in complete abandon. Oh, God, I love you. I reached high to touch His outstretched hand. Tears fell as the overflow from my heart. I am here, Lord. Use me. You are my everything. My Savior. My Redeemer. My Father. My Friend.
I am the I AM. I paced the room looking for a spot to get closer. A quick glance at the clouds out of one window sent me pacing to the next. The sun was streaming in that one. I could see the little particles of dust dancing in the light. I stood in the rays. He was there. The wet trails on my cheeks warmed. My heart was full. I stood basking in His goodness and grace. My heart sang the words. My hands lifted them up. The song drew to a close, but my heart, now full, stayed open.
Here I am to worship.
Thank you Lord that worshiping you can be such an incredible experience. Thank you for filling me. Thank you for being the I AM. Oh, Lord let me carry that heart of worship all day. Walk with me today, Lord. Amen.
Carol Hatcher is a wife, mother, teacher, and writer. She traded the classroom for the living room after the birth of her first child. She lives with her husband and two children in Georgia. This southern gal keeps busy writing on-line devotions for Faith Lifts, a devotional website for moms, and writing and teaching Bible studies for her church. Carol combines her southern humor with her love for Jesus to share how we can learn from our everyday experiences and grow closer to God. Her passion is to challenge others to be bold for Christ by saying, “Use me, Lord” each and every day. Stop by her website sheep to the right for a visit!
Saturday I ran the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon and being me, I looked for lessons and principles. One thing I’ve learned is that little in my life ever falls in one category. God often uses lessons from one to teach me principles that can be applied in other areas. Here are a few I extrapolated out as applied to writing…1) Be prepared. Eric didn’t know that the T-ball game would be canceled, but it was. He ran 10 miles without training, but imagine what he could have done if he’d kept up with it — even on a reduced basis. Read books, join organizations like ACFW, and hone your craft. You never know when an editor or agent will want to look at your writing. Will it be ready?
2) Stick with it. I did not want to run the mini. By Friday and Saturday morning I’d about talked myself out of it. Now, I can’t wait to sign up for my next one — though I still have no desire to run a marathon! I could have talked myself out of it — after training since January. But sometimes we have to stick our heads down and do the work. Write 500 words a day consistently and at the end of a year you’ll have a book. The reward can come from that alone.
3) Live in community. If we didn’t have a community, we wouldn’t have had anyone who was ready and willing to step in and help with the kids. Join ACFW, a local writing group, or online crit group. When with others you’ll learn more about writing, form fast friendships, and develop the community you’ll need to write for the long term.
4) Walk a self-disciplined life. None of this would have been possible if I hadn’t worked for 16 weeks to train. Running on days I wanted to and didn’t. But as I ran day after day, I built up the base I needed to shave 5 minutes off my time from two years ago. My average mile pace dropped to 10:30! Now to hit 10 minutes a mile next time 
In writing, it’s by being disciplined and writing when I’m not sure I want to, that I over time write book after book.
I am an author, attorney, wife and mom who lives in a university town in Indiana. My first book Canteen Dreams released in October 2007 from Heartsong Presents, a Barbour imprint, and recently won the 2008 Book of the Year for short historical. Sandhill Dreams, Captive Dreams, and Deadly Exposure released in 2008 and I have more coming in 2009. You can find me online at The Law, Books & Life.
We all know people who don’t get excited about books. Their heart rates flatline at words and margins. Or maybe they do enjoy reading, but have no idea what blood, sweat, and tears go into crafting an opening sentence designed to grab that elusive commodity–an editor’s second glance.
Storytelling, it’s what we writers appreciate best. Discovering and plotting the story-world is a falling in love experience for every new writer. It’s safe to say that even multi-published authors obsess passionately over each new character they craft. What a powerful day job, and what we go through to get to do it!
Writer moms and dads can relate. There’s a particular pang that surfaces at regular intervals each day, always when the words are flowing like milk alongside fresh cookies. Somebody inevitably falls out a window, or screams as if they did, and creative flow is murdered then and there, about the time you realize those loud sirens are–gulp–pulling into your driveway.
Okay, maybe the pang is simply your child needing help with his homework, but the effect remains the same. Story-world shattering.
Because life happens.
And that life is as precious a gift as any writing ability our Creator may have bestowed on us. It’s an amazing thing to ponder. Our life, and the lives of those around us have been painstakingly developed by the Master Craftsman. Imagine what thought and careful creativity went into us, His creation. The science behind our DNA alone is mind-boggling.
Psalm 139:13-14 says, “You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
And Psalm 139:16, “Your eyes have seen my unformed substance, and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me when as yet there was not one of them.”
Others may not see anything special when they look our way, but God does. We are His hand-made creation, put here to make a difference on earth. Don’t you think He is watching us closely, wanting us to live up to our full potential? When you love what you do, it’s alive and thrilling and you hover over it in anticipation of what comes next.
I might see a pile of lumber in the yard and think it’s a mess that needs cleared away, while my husband sees a future deck and play area for the family. You might visit my home and wince at the pile of rocks behind our property. I see those rocks and envision outdoor fireplaces, rock ledges, stone patios and on and on.
My point is that sometimes our viewpoints in life get a bit jaded. Burn-out occurs gradually. We need to rediscover our passion for the “life” God’s plotted out for us. We need to help our children discover their God-given light switch and be there to watch the brilliance unfold.
Sometimes you have to decide to engage. And it may at first seem like a sacrifice, but the joy is there…a few chapters into the book.
Good craftsmanship. We want it as writers, as parents, and we owe our pursuit of it to our Creator. But it doesn’t just happen. Children don’t automatically become God-fearing adults. We can’t feed ourselves a diet of “world” and not deal with the side-effects.
We can’t pour our heart out in a Word Document and expect it to be a bestseller with no polishing!
So the next time you’re required to push away from the computer, the job, the NBA Playoffs, the book in your head…remember that it’s the interruptions that make our lives “ours”. We’ve been signed on this team and for good reason.
Ephesians 2:10, “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Ponder on that. And while you’re at it, remember that Jesus sees in you a person worth dying for. We’ll never be the men and women God created us to be until we grasp onto that incredible love.
All in the process of becoming His Masterpiece…
Even if most of the time I’m just an apprentice with high aspirations!
Mary is an old-fashioned thirty-something Christian wife, homeschooling mom, and aspiring writer. Her blog,Home-steepedfeeds her love/pursuit of the written non-fiction word while her women's fiction "dreams" are being revised...
Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country
and there squandered his wealth in wild living.
After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country,
and he began to be in need…
– Luke 15:13-14
There’s no doubt about it, this economy has gotten the attention of just about everyone on the planet. The eyes of the world are turned on the great nation that has wielded so much power since its conception, waiting to see how she will fare through this struggle. To many it may seem things are falling apart for the perceived golden child. And as we ride this financial roller coaster that rises and falls in rapid succession, many of us are left with a sick feeling in the pit of our stomach. In the past month we have seen the riches of the wealthy crumble and the assets of the most invested reduced to a fraction. Where’s hope to be found when our financial future seems to be vanishing into murky depths? So many people are searching for that very answer.
As believers, we are caught up in the circumstance of the world around us, but not in its despair. We are heirs of a Father who holds our future securely and our inheritance is kept forever safe from moth and rust, or, in this case, from falling stock value. We know He is holding us in His hands and that nothing can separate us from His love. And while we are buoyed along by our faith, we see our brother, the prodigal, stumbling through his crisis and settling for pig feed. He is hopeless and frustrated. He does not truly know the nature of our Father — that He is sovereign, just, and mighty to save. In fact, the best he can imagine is heaven on earth, in the form of a bailout, a tax break, or another shot at retirement.
The field is ripe for the harvest, my friends.
Look around you. Offer a hand to that despairing one, and a word of Hope. Take him to your Father, Who waits even now, arms extended. Help fill a physical need, and look for an opportunity to fill a spiritual need. Open your eyes. They’re out there, all around us, looking for the path to take them home.
Chanda Canup is an aspiring novelist, wife to Scott, and mother to four children, ages 7 and younger. She has something else to share with you at her blogspot: Thursday's Child. Stop by for a visit--it will make her day!
Have you ever had a word get stuck in your mind that you just can’t shake?
For some reason, the word, “linger,” has floated around in my head like a little feather, caught on a spring breeze. It flutters, drifts and settles before kicking up once again into my thoughts.
I like the sound of it.
I like the very idea of it.
To linger.
I simply HAD to look up its meaning on dictionary.com:
–verb (used without object)
1. to remain or stay on in a place longer than is usual or expected, as if from reluctance to leave: We lingered awhile after the party.
2. to remain alive; continue or persist, although gradually dying, ceasing, disappearing, etc.: She lingered a few months after the heart attack. Such practices still linger among the older natives.
3. to dwell in contemplation, thought, or enjoyment: to linger over the beauty of a painting.
4. to be tardy in action; delay; dawdle: to linger in discharging one’s duties.
5. to walk slowly; saunter along.
–verb (used with object)
6. to pass (time, life, etc.) in a leisurely or a tedious manner (usually fol. by away or out): We lingered away the whole summer at the beach.
7. Archaic. to draw out or protract.
My life seems to have very little time for lingering these days. And I miss that. As one with a propensity toward “dawdling,” which seems a little aimless and unfocused, “lingering” is an activity with a gentle purpose. There is enjoyment involved, a reluctance to leave something that brings pleasure.
Oh, I would like to linger over some simple pleasures. I could let my gaze fall on my beautiful children, all big now, but still so enchanting. I could sit among my rosebushes for a few moments and breathe in the scent of the budding blooms. I could even pour a third cup of coffee and chat with a friend…for just a little longer. I might finger a leather-bound book, or slowly turn the page of a decorating magazine. Maybe I should spend a minute more on my knees in prayer. Perhaps close my eyes to the fading strains of the Second Movement of Dvorak’s New World symphony, one of my favorites.
I’d hate to think that lingering should go the way of the horse and buggy, old-fashioned and silly in this fast-paced world we live in. I’d like to think that we could save just a bit of room in our days for pausing, for thinking, for contemplating. For enjoying the things that bring a smile to our faces and a lift to our souls. I hope that all the twittering, and texting, and facebooking don’t replace the precious spaces that are left for simply……lingering.
Sigh.
I believe I’ll think about that for a few more moments. What will it hurt to linger?
At the heart of Rachel Anne Ridge's blog is her pursuit of creating a sanctuary at home for her family. Between working as an artist/designer most days, and doing laundry by night, she tries to find the right balance that puts God and family first while juggling the demands of life. Blogging gives her a chance to share her thoughts on the things most precious to her: family, faith and living a life that is authentic... not just busy. Find her online at www.homesanctuary.com
But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV)
“I love to wait. I love not knowing what to write or where to begin the first sentence. I love backspacing over the first word a million times. That palpable silence of the mind that stills my pen is something I treasure — something I long for.”
Yes, I’m kidding.
We as writers are no different than anyone else when it comes to waiting, are we? Last week I noticed the slight brush of that very auspicious thing we call inspiration. The idea toyed with me all day, vague and mysterious, as I sat biting my pen and straining to put it down. Waiting, waiting, waiting. I waited all day and nothing came to fruition — not even the first paragraph. I slumped in my seat and pouted and gave up again, proclaiming myself NOT a writer. And then this verse came to mind.
Instead of balking stubbornly in those blank moments, instead of determining to plow ahead with nothing but what I can scrape from the bottom, how about instead I determine to wait? Who says I have to rush this thing? (Well, unless it’s NanoWriMo time.) Who says whatever I have leftover after the work day, the school day, or the day that never seems to end is what I must begin with? As believers, we are not limited to waiting on some ambiguous muse and her fickle attentions. We have the Holy Spirit of the God of the Universe to call upon, and we must believe that He who created and formed us knows us in intimate detail. He has given us this wonderful gift to use in His service, and He has vast treasures laid up to unlock for us when we ask. And in that place of rest, we can get to know the Author of our lives in a deeper and more meaningful way.
Waiting for that first stroke to begin today? Try waiting on Him instead. Ask Him what He wills you to write. Ask Him what plan He has in store. He has so much to give, so much to seek, so much to find; sometimes all we need to do is wait.
Chanda Canup is an aspiring novelist, wife to Scott, and mother to four children, ages 7 and younger. She has something else to share with you at her blogspot: Thursday's Child. Stop by for a visit--it will make her day!
Instead of a lengthy post today, I thought I’d point you toward a new podcast called The Ink Well over at The Christian Pulse. The Inkwell showcases all kinds of authors and gives listeners an opportunity to win free books. Thanks to Rhonda Clark and The Christian Pulse for inviting me to be their First Guest. We had a great time and Rhonda is a great host. I look forward to hearing all her shows, and of course, I love to win free books as much as the next person.
Tina Ann Forkner is the author of Ruby Among Us from Waterbrook Press. Visit her at www.tinaannforkner.com or join her on Facebook.
Too much stuff? You’re not alone.
Our families are getting smaller – but the top reason people move into a larger home is so they’ll have more room for their stuff.
Combine that with another scary statistic… the average person spends 4 1/2 hours a week looking for stuff they can’t find.
Sigh.
I can think of many things I’d rather be doing this week than looking for a lost shoe.
So – if you are sick of the clutter but don’t know what to do with it – listen up. The next few weeks, I’ll provide some guidance.
CASH IT
Give the stuff you’re not using to a charitable organization and reap the rewards on April 15th.
Inventory your donation using It’s Deductible and you’ll be amazed what that bag of stuff gleaned from your closet is worth. And, never fear, the resale value of non-cash donations in It’s Deductible has the stamp of approval from the IRS.
The first year I used this tool, we were able to claim $5,124 in non-cash charitable contributions. A lower tax bill – AND a clean closet.
Technorati Tags: clutter,non-cash charitable donations,it’s deductible,cyndy salzmann,america’s clutter coach,organizing,omaha,nebraska,professional organizers
Cyndy Salzmann is a wife, mother, multi-published author, national speaker -- and a professional organizer. Her latest release is Crime & Clutter, a light-hearted mystery published by Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster. Her website (www.cyndysalzmann.com) is a gathering place for the "domestically challenged."
Gina Conroy , is founder of Writer...Interrupted and a homeschooling mom to four. She writes about her experiences trying to balance it all at Portrait of a Writer...Interrupted. Her co-authored book , Anytime Prayers for Everyday Moms is available now!
