For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
    So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, what is unseen is eternal.
    ~2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Expressions: Writer's World Wednesday - Acknowledgments

Help/bless others as you've been helped/blessed -- that's my motto.



Expressions: Writer's World Wednesday - Acknowledgments: A few weeks ago, I told you about my friend Kim Woodhouse .  Hers is one of two names specifically mentioned in the dedication for Waiting o...

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Monday, October 13, 2014

Do You Think You Succeeded on Your Own?

Some of us have deadlines, some don't.

Some excel under them, some live in denial of them, some gain five pounds after eating chocolate to get through them.

A few years back I went through the Beth Moore Bible study, Esther. It's amazing. You can download her video series through itunes or on lifeway.com. Well worth the price. 

At the end of Esther's story, she, with full authority, wrote a decree and whatnot. What stood out in my spirit wasn't what Esther did. It was what Beth said next in the video. I tried to write verbatim, but pardon any me additions.

"While we are complete in Christ, we will never fulfill our destiny unless we operate 'together with.' We need people to go, to do things 'along with.' You might be surprised what they bring out in you. The joy is unspeakable."

God used that to remind me of all the ladies over the years who have been my "along withs" in my writing journey. 

  • On Charlotte Dillon's online RWC list, writers like Lynne Connelly, Allison Brennan, Shirley Jump, and Linda Winslow helped me understand deep point of view and how to judge and critique.
  • Over at Romance Divas, Jax Cassidy and Kristen Painter gave me an opportunity to share my crazy links of life to writing. I never saw my self as an article writer, but there I was doing it. 
  • Best part is through R-Divas I met Camy Tang who encouraged me to join ACFW. Camy didn't just introduce me to fellow Christian writers, but she directed me to writing resources that have greatly expanded my knowledge of writing, as well as humbled me in the process.
  • Through ACFW, I met Therese Stenzel who began the ACFW European historical writers chapter (His Writers). 
  • Then there are the ladies of the Seekerville blog. Oh. My. Stars. They're like Krispy Kreme donuts that are actually healthy and good for you.
  • Pamela Griffin, Laurie Alice Eakes, and Jennifer Hudson Taylor who welcomed me into their anthology proposal, which lead to my first sale.
  • My Inkwell Inspiration sisters.
Never underestimate the impact you have in the lives of others.

Who are your "along withs"?

Monday, October 6, 2014

What Jane Austen can teach Girls about Boys

I love having family and friends come to visit

It's the after-they've-left . . . 

No more toilet paper, lots of dirty laundry, empty food closet, little messes all over the house, and an overflowing trash dumpster. Never mind, that's normal house. Then there are all the missed tv episodes.

TV shows, in my family, exist for the purpose of discussion. We talk about what we're watching. The characters, the plot, the motivations for why people did what they did.

Superherotologist Daughter and I watched PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (Keira Knightly version). She asked me about a minor detail in the film. I explained how it symbolized Darcy's struggle with his attraction to Elizabeth. From there we got to talking about why girls sometimes feel all silly inside around boys they dislike or boys who irritate them. 

It was a good mother-daughter moment.


“A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment.” 

“Angry people are not always wise.” 

“We all know him to be a proud, unpleasant sort of man; but this would be nothing if you really liked him.” 

“Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us.”


“Laugh as much as you choose, but you will not laugh me out of my opinion.” 


“Her heart did whisper that he had done it for her.” 

What meaningful conversations have you had with your kids, spouse, or friends after watching a tv show or movie or book?


Friday, October 3, 2014

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