Archives for September 2008

Answered Prayer — How Sweet!

September 10, 2008 by 10 Comments

Anyone hear a loud whoop of excitement around 4:30 yesterday afternoon? I confess — it was me :) Our daughter Kelli had called with the news that she had just gotten a job.

Now don’t misunderstand, Kelli has been working since her high school years and supporting herself since her college graduation two years ago, but this was “the job” — you know, the one you finally land in the field you’ve trained for. I started praying for this job for her about three years ago while she was still a senior in college so, yes, I was excited when the answer came. Just ask anyone who’s talked to me or gotten an email from me in the past 24 hours :) What a thrill when those long-term prayers are answered, huh?

Believe it or not, I’m seeing another long-term prayer answered this week, too. Tomorrow I’m headed to my first writers conference ever, the North Texas Christian Writers Conference in the Dallas area. To add to the excitement, I’m going with one of my best friends, Jeneal, who also happens to be a writer. How fun is that?! Thelma and Louise we ain’t, but we’ll still be a couple of crazy writer chicks on the loose :)

Seriously, going to this conference together represents an answer to a prayer I first prayed back in the summer of 1999. I asked God to allow Jeneal and me to go to the Glorieta Christian Writers Conference together at some point in the future. And no, this isn’t Glorieta (one of the biggest and best), but it’s still a great conference. Besides, both of us know we’re not quite ready for the big one yet.

Proverbs 13:19 says “A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul…”. I can certainly attest to that today! How about you? Have you had any long-term prayers answered? If so, I’d love to hear about them and rejoice with you. If not, don’t give up. The answers will come. Our God is faithful!

*Update – 68 have signed up for the newsletter and giveaway as of this evening. Thanks to all who have signed up! I appreciate you so much. Please keep spreading the word — I need hundreds more for my list!

*Flickr photo by The Welsh Poppy

Filed Under: blessing, family, Friend, new thing, prayer, writing

Help Me Out Giveaway!

September 7, 2008 by 17 Comments

It’s giveaway time again! This time everyone who signs up will get something (my newsletter), and one lucky person will win a $25 gift card to Barnes & Noble as well as his or her choice of one of two devotional books — Grace for the Moment (Volume 1) by Max Lucado or Daily Devotions for Writers (I’m a contributor to this one!). The thing that makes this giveaway different is that you will be helping me by signing up. Keep reading to figure that one out! :)

To enter the giveaway all you have to do is sign up to receive my free newsletter (sign-up is above my picture to the right). The deadline for the giveaway is noon CST on Oct. 1st. If you’d like to receive the newsletter at more than one email address, you may do that, but you will be entered only one time in the contest.

The newsletter is a brand new venture for me. For my writing, I’ve recently adopted the tagline of “Refreshing Spirits, Nourishing Souls”, and the newsletter will follow that theme as well as give me an avenue to share any publishing news I may have. I hope to send it out every two to three months — that is, with the help of my techie son-in-law! Shawn is the one who did the sign-up for me, in fact. (Thanks, Shawn!) I’m learning computer “stuff” slowly but surely, but I still need Kristin and Shawn’s help on the extras.

I need your help, too. In the publishing world now, agents and editors want to know what the author can do to help market his book. They want to know what avenues the author has to connect with readers (through speaking engagements, email newsletters, etc.). The term for this in publishing circles is “platform”. So… in order for my book ideas to be seriously considered by those in the publishing industry, I need to work on building my platform. By signing up for my newsletter, you will be helping me do just that. You will be helping me show agents and editors how I can connect with readers.

So who is ready to help me out?! I hope you all are :) You can help even more by sharing the news about the giveaway and giving the link to my blog to everyone you know. The more that sign up, the better — for me anyway! :) Thanks to everyone! I appreciate you all!!

“I thank my God every time I remember you.” Philippians 1:3

*Flickr photo by futureshape

Filed Under: giveaway, help, new thing, unplowed ground, writing

Wound Care 101

September 3, 2008 by 5 Comments

Flip-flops are the perfect fun footwear — that is until you whack your toes on a hard, immovable object. Yes, leave it to me to find another way to injure myself. Don’t ask me how it happened. I’m not really sure. I wasn’t even walking fast. In fact, I was just taking a few steps across my office when my bare foot, clad only in one of my fave Old Navy flip-flops, met its match with the sharp metal bottom of the dehumidifier. The same dehumidifier, I might add, that’s been in the same spot for years. Go figure.

When the groans subsided from the initial blast of pain, I bent down to survey the damage. Two toes had been hit, and one was bleeding. Nothing major, but it wasn’t going to stop on its own. This was a job for Band-Aids. And since the toe was scraped at top and bottom both, it would take two of the sticky cure-alls to do the trick. I found out right away that binding up a toe when it’s hurting and surrounded by toes on either side (and one of those also whacked) is no easy job.

Today? A little swelling and bruising and just enough tenderness to make me ever conscious of keeping my foot well away from another object. If I had been just half as protective of my foot yesterday, I wouldn’t be groaning at the prospect of wearing shoes today. It was just one of those things I didn’t expect, though. I never saw it coming.

Sometimes life has a way of whacking us too, doesn’t it? Out of the blue and in the blink of an eye, we are thrust into situations that leave us reeling from pain and gasping for emotional air. Someone we love, someone we trust, levels some words at us that cut us to the core. Or we get that dreaded phone call that forever changes our lives as we know them. Or we find out we’re no longer needed… at our job, in our marriage, by a friend.

As we survey the damage, we see that we are bleeding. But this time, it’s from the heart. And the pain is too deep to tend to it ourselves. We need our Savior’s help, His comfort. We need His healing touch.

If you are hurting today, I encourage you to call on the Great Physician. He will tend to your wound. He will pay attention to it. He will guard and protect it. Remember, He stands ready to help. Nothing catches Him by surprise.

“He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3 KJV

*Flickr photo by _rockinfree

Filed Under: body, change, comfort, help
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