Pan de Vida---Bread of Life

Here is Pan de Vida. Bread of Life in spanish.
It's a church community center, and so much more. The Holy Spirit is alive and well in Pan de Vida. Praise God.



They worship with a keyboard, guitars, a drummer and beautiful girls with tambourines. But it's not the instruments that make this worship, it's the people playing the instruments and the people in the congregation singing with their voices, full of joy for our Lord. It's what's inside these people that make their worship alive and wonderful and energetic. It's contagious.
Thursday night during the fiesta, we were dancing and singing and having the time of our lives. The memories of that times won't fade quickly I can assure you.

Next time I'll post some work pictures. Yes, we worked. I promise. (Focus, Kay. Focus.)

Until then......

What makes your worship come alive? A certain type of music, a place your heart gets to.....Let me know.

Mission Accomplished. . . .

but only by the grace of God and for His glory.

Go on over to F.A.I.T.H. to check out the rest of the post.

Back in Georgia

I'm back from Mexico. 3000 miles logged on the church van. Whoo! What a trip. This was my first mission trip and there is so much going on I can't begin to post it in one single post. I"m going to blog about it over the next couple of weeks with pictures and tales.
Traveling for nine days with 5 other people is a lot of fun. We all got along and trust me you need to get along to live together for that many days. The people in Mexico were fabulous and loving and genuine and they cook the most awesome food! I think I gained 5 pounds at least.


Here's a picture from a VBS we did one night.

The kids were great and they loved the crafts we did and the snack. They sang and listened to our Bible verse being read. All of this was of course happening in Spanish. But we somehow managed to communicate.

More photos and stories in the coming days.

Mexico and hello Brenna girl!!!

We are in Mexico and working hard, having fun and eating really awsesome food!

Brenna girl----Miss you much! Alex, miss you too!! (and everybody)

Wendy--how are things?

The country here is beautiful. There are mountains edging part of the city. The church we are at is called Pan de Vida--Bread of Life. It is so appropriate for this community. We got here in time for church on Sunday and it was an awesome service. The music was great, they all sing with such joy. We tried to sing although we didn{t know what we were singing. I could pick out a couple of words. But the spirit is here-Praise God.
VBS was incredible tonight. We did a skit, a craft and had a snack. The kids are so beautiful and so happy.

I cant wait to share the pictures. August will be Mexico Mission Recap. Photos for all to see.

I will try to check in again. It is hard to get on the computer. The hotel has two but they are busy and we are not here very much.

Brenna--again--miss you much my girl. I will call if I can, if not you will here from me Friday.

Love to all.

Mexico Mission Trip

Tomorrow we'll be headed to Mexico for our mission trip. Please keep our team in your prayers. We are Lindi, Lenny, Kay, Casey, Patty, and June. Thank you so much. I will post when we return and hopefully be able to share some awesome stories and pictures. This is my first mission outreach trip and I'm excited, nervous, unknowing but trusting. Trusting in Him whose word needs spreading. For we were commanded to make disciples of all nations......
Praise God!

Here is a link to the blog of the mission we are doing.
Pan de Vida Mission Blog

And the difference was..............

This is me and Carla Hughes. Carla won the Golden Heart for the Inspirational Category. I met Carla earlier in the week. I went up to her and introduced myself as second place. She looked at me when I said that so I explained that every time we finaled in a contest together she won first and I won second. We had a good laugh. What an awesome person to come in second place behind. I was thrilled she won the GH.



All dressed up!
Here is Missy, Janet, Cheryl and Terry. We had a great time at dinner.

I know one of the reasons I had such a great time at conference was because of who I surrounded myself with. I roomed with Missy--awesome lady---then the F.A.I.T.H girls Angie and Mindy of course are incredible. Debbie Guisti, Darlene Buccholz and Janet Dean I already knew and they are lovely ladies. Then I met such great people like Terry Weldon, Cheryl Wyatt, Debra Clopton, Allison Pittman, Kimberly Fish, Leigh Bale. I know there are others, it's late and my brain isn't working right. Oh, I also talked with Deeanne Gist whome I've met before through our mutual friend Meg, and I got to meet Tamara Alexander, a truly lovely lady.
So you see, surrounded by such Godly, humble, beautiful ladies as these, how could I have been anything but blessed.
Thank you to each and everyone of you who made my conference awesome.

Before leaving again.....

My, my how the time does fly!!!
I can't believe it's been a week since I've posted. But I'm back from a great time in Dallas. I have a few pictures to share and will try to do so for a couple of days this week. I'm leaving Friday for a mission trip to Mexico. Please keep our team in your prayers.

Here is Missy being booted out of the Golden Network---a group for Golden Heart finalists...when you sell a book you get the boot!















And here's one of some friends--Janet, Debbie, Darlene and Debra-delightful, wonderful women I was blessed to spend my week with.

I'll try to post some more before we go to Mexico.

Adios, Amigos!!!

Sunday-RWA-and other things....

I love the Secrets of the Throne of Grace month Andrew Murray has prepared for July...but we'll take a break for today..actually I may be breaking of that for the next week.
I'll be in Dallas at RWA Nationals. I'll try to keep up with posting, but not sure about internet access. What that really means is I'm not sure if I can afford it! After all, Missy and I do splurge on room service coffee every morning. And that I've put into the budget.
It'll be a week of fun, learning and seeing old friends. Mindy, Angie, Virginia I can't wait to say hello in person.
But it is pretty exciting to be around so many writers. We know we all have something in common and you can pretty much start a conversation with anyone with the words, "What do you write?"
I do have an editor appt with Melissa Endlich. I"ll be practing that pitch with Missy on the airplane, or in the room or whereever I can. I've met her before but it's been a while. Missy has invited me to the Golden reception where the newly published get "the boot." I'll be cheering when they call her name.
Usually when I get home from this event I'm dog-tired and emotionally drained. But I can't be like that this year. I only have 4 days to prepare to go to Mexico for a mission trip.
So, check out F.A.I.T.H. tomorrow and check in the rest of the week to find out what's going on in Dallas.

Secret of the Throne of Grace-3

Daily In His Presence
July 7
The Lamb and the Spirit
Revelation 5:6

Andrew Murray says:
"Second, we learn that it is only through the Spirit that we shall understand the glory of the Lamb and be filled with His love, and so stand firm in the faith of that which He can do in us and for us and through us."


How true this is. He states towards the end of the devotional to take time and be quiet before the throne of the Lamb and enjoy His presence.
The more we know God, the more we can hear His voice to us and know what He's about and what He wants us to be about.
The Spirit of God is such a fascinating subject. How He gave us all this Spirit so we can have the full love He has planned for us. How having that Spirit will let us show that love to the world.
Go out this weekend and show God's love to all you meet.
After all, He's given it to us--and like everything else we have- it's His to begin with.

Secret of the Throne of Grace-2

Daily In His Presence
Andrew Murray
July 5th:



Remember much is given therefore much is expected. Are we doing our part to bring others to Jesus?

All are not called out of their countries to do mission work. We need people everywhere including in the US and wherever you live.
My former Pastor and his family have been called. They are going to Peru.
You can read about their journey so far by clicking here.
See what a wonderful trip they had in Brazil. You can also donate to the Mission Society on their behalf.

I want to be faithful. How about you?

Happy 4th of July!!!!!!!

Everyone have a happy Independence Day! Celebrate fun-relax-and enjoy!

Secrets of the Throne of Grace-1

From Andrew Murray: Daily in His Presence
July 2nd:
Thank You Lord for the abundance of grace I receive from You every day.

The insights Andrew Murray offers are invaluable to me. I love reading his devotionals. He writes in a way I can understand (most of the time) and pours out his heart and devotion to God in a way that is inspiring to say the least.
In this devotional July is the "Secret of the Throne of Grace" month.
How awesome is it there is a Throne of Grace.
As I pour out my heart, thoughts and anguish to our Lord God, it is only by His grace that we are saved. I can hardly comprehend the concept. He loves us enough to forgive us.
I pray that I walk on the path that He leads. I pray that old ways die and His ways come to life.
And yes, Lord, I do thank You for the abundance of grace I receive from You every day.

Precious Cargo on F.A.I.T.H

I'm posting about precious cargo on F.A.I.T.H. today. Check it out.

Another Week

Another week has gone by. Literally. Gone by.
Also, another month----say goodbye to June and hello to July.

We in Georgia are in the droves of heat, occasional rain (Praise God!) and humidity. My hair is really big---it never used to do that. Now it stays in a pontytail much of the time.

We have a new pastor at our church. I really like him. He's given two sermons and I've enjoyed and needed them both. Thanks to the North Georgia conference for sending him.

Will try to post something relating to something this week.

Thanks for visiting.

Tamara Alexander

Tamara Alexander is on our F.A.I.T.H. blog . Check it out to win a free autographed book.

Posting Party

Anyone up for a posting party?

I hope so.

My pastor and his family are in Brazil for 2 weeks. They are in training to be missionaries in Peru for 5 years. There's a process to go through and they are in it now.

He's got a blog and is posting about Brazil and the experiences there. I thought if you are reading this post, you could go and post a note of encouragement (Or whatever you want to say) to him and his family.

If you would like to do so, go here and you'll see the family, then scroll down and you'll see the blog link. They would so appreciate prayers from everyone. (And I know they'd love a note or two--or twenty!)

Thanks all.

Amazing Grace at F.A.I.T.H. today

HI all,
I'm posting about amazing grace today on F.A.I.T.H. today. Check it out!

Happy Father's Day

Here are some pictures of girls and their Dads.
My husband and his daughters

My granddaughter and her dad



Me and my dad


Fathers

Your love so real
your words they heal
you've stood through it all
never regretting the call
that was born when we were born

Your smile, your love
like heaven above
shown bright through it all
never regretting the call
that was born when we were born

Your wisdom, your ways
led us through the days
taking us through it all
We're thankful for your call
blessed that we were born, when we were born
to you


Happy Father's Day Dads!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hitting the Books!!!

Other than the contest I had the last week of May, I've been basically neglecting my blog. No excuses!!! I mean I have lots of them, but I"m not going to list them here.

But I miss posting. Somehow I manage to post something on my F.A.I.T.H blog every Monday, but I haven't been doing that here. Well, I'm going to start back. I know I"ve posted this schedule before, but I'll be posting Tuesday, Thursday, and then one day on the weekend.

Not that I have all that much interesting stuff to say and post, but I"ll give it a shot.

We do have a good time over at the F.A.I.T.H. blog. There are always interesting topics being discussed over there. Right now we're talking about writing alot. Revising, starting new books.

I'm in the throes of both. I've got a new book I"m ready to start and one I need to revise. So right now I"m working on the revisions. That's why the meter at the right isn't going up, because I'm revising my book titled Girl in Waiting. I'm also trying to develop stories for the two other girls in the book, Velvet and Braedyn. I hope to be able to write sequels to the book, but I can't do that if all is well. I mean there would be no conflict!! (Which is the story of my writing life, but maybe I'll post on that this weekend).

So that's what I'm doing, revising, learning, learning about my characters, learning to plan ahead and learning skills which will help me when an editor says "I want to buy your book, but we need to make a few changes."

Is there anything you're learning right now? Care to share?

Check out F.A.I.T.H.

It's my day to post on F.A.I.T.H.
I'm posting about being busy. If you're not too busy, go on over and check it out.
Have a great Monday!

Happy Birthday Dad

A GREAT BIG Happy Birthday wish goes out to my Dad today!!
Have a great day!!

Remember--"This is the day that the Lord hath made
I will rejoice and be glad in it."

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

Go on over to the F.A.I.T.H. blog to find out what I'm saying about Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.
Oh, yeah.........Have a great week!!!

Day Three Winner

Congratulations to the winner of day three............


Jill!!

I'll be mailing the CD's out next week.

Thanks to everyone who shared their wedding stories. It was fun. And day three stories were fabulous. Read them now if you haven't already.

Thanks again.

Untravelled Road Band Contest--Day Three

Congratulations to Wendy!

She won the Untravelled Road Band CD from day 2.



Now for the last and final sentence.


The most unusual thing I've ever seen happen at a wedding was.....................



Have fun!!!!!!!!!!

Day Two Winner!!

The name of the day 2 winner which was drawn out of the pink and green polka dotted box is...............

Wendy!! (anonymous)


Thanks to all who participated. There is one more day, tomorrow, to comment and win.
So come back in the a.m. and we'll talk about unusual weddings.

Oh, yeah..My chocolate fountain story....

We were at the wedding where they had the chocolate fountain. They had everything to dip in this chocolate. They had these little cream puffs that were very good and my friend really liked them. She asked her husband to please get her another one.
Well, when he went over to do so, he passed the regular buffet, spotted a meatball and his wheels started turning. Yep, you guessed it. He dipped the meatball into the chocolate and when she bit into that thing....It got crazy from there!!!

YUK!!!!!!!!!Chocolate covered meatballs.

See you tomorrow.

Untravelled Road Contest--Day Two

Congratulations to Angie.
She won the Untravelled Road Band CD.


That was fun.

Now on to day 2's sentence.


The food at weddings is normally great. I remember one wedding they even had.......


Okay, let's talk about wedding food!!!!

Day One Winner

Oh---day one was fun!!

We had stolen money, confusion, a double wedding, an almost fire and a very loudly crying uncle. What fun stories. Go to the comment section to read about them if you haven't already.

Well, I put all the commenter's names in my pretty pink and green polka dotted box with the scalloped lid. (okay, sorry about going on and on about the cute box!)
Then I had my sweet hubby pull a name out.

The winner of the first CD is..........................

Angie!!
Congrats!
I'll have the CD's next week and will mail them at that time.

Stay tuned tomorrow for another fun sentence.
Hint for tomorrow....our mouths will probably be watering by the end of the day.

See you then!!!!!!!!!

Contest---Untravelled Road Band Giveaway

Happy Memorial Day!! I want to give a big thank you to everyone and their families who have served or are currently serving in our armed forces. You've made a tremendous sacrafice.
Thank you!!

This coming Saturday my cousin Jeff and his girl Judy are getting married. I'm sorry to say Lenny and I can't attend the wedding, but in honor of this fabulous event I'm having a three day contest. The prize?
Each day I'm giving away the CD titled "Live at RA Fountain." Jeff, Judy and Rex are the members of The Untravelled Road Band. The link is at the right. Check it out.

Here's how the contest works.
Each day I"ll post a sentence...but the sentence won't be finished. You finish the sentence in the comment box and your name will be in the drawing. Every night at 11:00 p.m. I'll pull a winner. Because the prize is the same every day, you can only win once, but keep commenting. I'm sure we'll have fun.

So here goes with today's sentence.


I'll never forget my wedding because........................

(and if you haven't had a wedding talk about any wedding!!)

Let's here those endings!!!!

Hello Ohio!!

Hi to all in Ohio who are having a fabulous time, I'm sure. Lenny and I are sorry we couldn't be there. We hope to see a lot of great pictures and hear the funny stories.
I'm sure the weather is cooperating. Down here in Georgia, it's hot, sunny and not a hint of rain in sight. Which probably isn't a good thing, because we need rain.
I can't find green leaf lettuce at the grocery and I'm sure it has something to do with the drought.
So we in the South are praying for rain. They say maybe next week--Wed or Fri someone told me?
Anyway, now I'm getting way off the topic.
So again-----Hello to all in Ohio. If anyone from the reunion reads this today and can email a photo, I"ll post it on here. We'll have kind of an interactive reunion!!

Miss all!!!

PS---HAVING CONTEST ON BLOG STARING TOMORROW!!!!!!!!
IT WILL RUN THROUGH WEDNESDAY---COME ON BACK AND CHECK IT OUT!

Thank You

First of all, come check out the cool cat pictures Angie has on our F.A.I.T.H blog. They are worth looking at. (And the post is really good, too!!)

I have so much to be thankful for and sometimes I forget that. I'm too busy wallowing around in what's not going right to be appreciative of what is going right. I've been working on this aspect of my life and am trying to change. But it's hard changing a thought process you've had most of your life.
But God is huge. He can do it.

So, I'm sending out a huge thank you to God.
What about you? Do you sometimes feel like you're focusing on the wrong things? The wrong thoughts?
I'm certainly not wishing that on anyone, but I hope I'm not alone.

Will be back soon---Promise!!

I'm posting on F.A.I.T.H. today. Have a great week.
Life is way busy right now. I"ll be back posting regularly soon. I promise!
And happy birthday Joanne!!!

Fun Contest Week on F.A.I.T.H.

Scoot on over to F.A.I.T.H. where we're having a fun contest week. A nice purse stuffed with goodies is the prize. Leave a comment to win.

Have a great week!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Romancing the MIssion

Mission trips? Sounds exciting doesn't it.

Check out F.A.I.T.H. to learn more.

Have a great Monday!

Word Counts-Nowhere to Go But Up

Yes, the word count for TCSNK (The Claire She Never Knew) is slowly going up. But slowly going up is better than not going up at all!
I'm going to set my finish date at July 15th for now. I promise to update the word meter at least every night that I write.
So watch, see if I'm going to make it.
Any encouragement is helpful.
And Missy----aren't you in the same position I am? You have a book at least a third of the way written? See what your finishing target date might be. Maybe we can have a contest together regarding finishing dates.
Thanks for all the support.
Remember, for the most part, writing is a solitary job!

Monday--F.A.I.T.H. post day-Contest-and Word Accountability

Posting on F.A.I.T.H. today!!! Check it out.
Have a great week!
Thanks again for a great contest last week. We'll do it again soon. The next contest will have to do with the Untravelled Road Band. Check out their link at the right of this post. They are an awesome band---I'm going to give away CD's of theirs.

Stay tuned for details. But look for the Untravelled Contest toward the end of May.

Now I do need some help.
See the meter on the right of this post? The Claire She Never Knew? See the word count?
It needs to go up every day. EVERY DAY! Even if it's one word. So, who's going to keep me accountable?
Please check back here every day and make sure it goes up. If it doesn't, comment and let me have it for not writing that day.
How about it?

Winner!!!

Congratulations to Jill whose name was drawn out of the hat for the earrings. Thanks to everyone for participating!!

I'll have another contest in the summer!

Sappy Love Poem

Thanks to all for playing and helping me write a sappy love poem for my hubby. Today is our anniversary and I'll print the poem up and give it to him.

The winning last lines were chosen because I put everyone's name in a hat who participated that day. I just randomly picked them....So Wednesday's winner was Angie, Thursday's was Jill and Friday's was Angie again.
Yeah Angie---two chances to win the very cool earrings. (Which I will post later today!)


I remember the night that we first met,
the gaze in your eyes, I'll never forget.
Warm and bright, deep and wild,
The entire world spun within your smile.

The cool breeze blew making the night turn cold,
But the love I was feeling burned my soul.
Like a fire in the night
To keep me warm all the days of my life.

Seven years later we are still in love,
Shining bright as the light from up above.
I'm so glad I found you,
living out together God's holy cue.


There it is. The Sappy Love Poem I'll print out for my hubby.
Then Angie and Jill's names will go in a hat and I'll let him pick the cool earrings winner.

Thanks again. I had fun I hope you did too!

Sappy Love Poem contest--Final Day

Hi all!!! Thanks to everyone who has participated! This has been fun. Only one more day and here we go!


Here's how our poem shapes up so far.



I remember the night that we first met,
the gaze in your eyes, I'll never forget.
Warm and bright, deep and wild,
The entire world spun within your smile.

The cool breeze blew making the night turn cold,
But the love I was feeling burned my soul.
Like a fire in the night
To keep me warm all the days of my life.


Here's stanza three. Remember 10,10,6,10

Seven years later we are still in love,
Shining bright as the light from up above.
I'm so glad I found you,
_________________________


Here it is. The last stanza!!!!

Fill in that last line.
Have fun--and remember 10 meters.

Sappy Love Poem Contest-Day 2 Winner

Congratulations to Jill. The second stanza winner.

Your name goes in the drawing for the very cool earrings.

Stay tuned tomorrow for our final day.

Thanks for joining in!!

Sappy Love Poem Contest---Day 2

Congratulations to Angie the day 1 winner. Your name is in the drawing for a very cool pair of earrings.

Okay, Angie---you've made this challenging. I stuck with your 10 10 6 meter so far....so now the challenge is write the last line---10 meters.

The contest is open.........

Come and play to get your name in the drawing with Angie....

Let's review the first stanza so you can get a feel.

I remember the night that we first met,
the gaze in your eyes, I'll never forget.
Warm and bright, deep and wild,
The entire world spun within your smile.

The cool breeze blew making the night turn cold,
But the love I was feeling burned my soul.
Like a fire in the night
___________________________________


Oh, yes. You can have fun with this one.
Thanks again for playing.

Day 1 Winner-Sappy Love Poem Contest

Hi all,

Here is the winner from day one.
Tune in tomorrow for more fun on stanza 2.
And remember if you post anonymous, you have to sign a name or you can't be the winner because I don't know who you are. I do have an anonymous poster that posts alot cousin Wendy---so speak up, sign your name.



Angie is the winning line contributor.

And since Angie seems to have taken a poetry class....and her name was picked out of the box by my hubby.....I think God was speaking to me to step it up a notch..We are going by Angie's 10,10,6,10 meter for tomorrow.

Check back early am and get the next three lines.

Thanks to all for commenting and I look forward to more fun tomorrow.

Sappy Love Poem Contest--Come and have fun!!

Okay all.

This coming Saturday is my wedding anniversary. I really want to tell my guy how much I love him. But I'm having a hard time.
You see, I can't write poetry.
This is where the fun begins.
I'm going to write 3 lines of a poem. All you have to do is write the last line.
I'll put up a different stanza tomorrow and Friday and by Saturday we'll have a great sappy love poem to give my guy.

Anyone who leaves a last line in the comments section will go into the drawing. At the end of each day, I'll randomly draw a winner. Their last line will go on the sappy love poem for that day and their name will go into a drawing for an awesome pair of earrings to be given away on Saturday--my anniversary.

Now the thing is, I'm not thinking of these stanzas ahead of time. I'm winging it just like you are.

Here we go....
The first stanza of the Sappy Love Poem-----

I remember the night that we first met,
I gazed into your eyes.
I knew right then I'd never forget
_________________________________


Okay---what will I never forget?

Go to the comments section and add the last line. Have fun. I'll post the winner at 11:00 tonight, then tune in tomorrow for stanza 2.
Thanks!!!!

Upcoming Contest--Be sure to enter

Posting on F.A.I.T.H. today. Come on over and check it out.
Also---
Contest this week. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Winner will be announced Saturday, April 21st! My anniversary.
So come back and check it out Wednesday.

Snohio

Snow in Ohio? Yes. April and the forcast in Ashtabula, Ohio is snow.....Cousin Wendy-come move to Georgia. Okay, we're not having a heat wave but our weather next week is in the 60's and 70's. You are having snow.
I think it's crazy. I do love all my family in Ohio, but boy am I glad I live in the good old south.
What about you? Where do you live and do you like your weather? If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

My choice----those who know me best know the answer is.....

Seattle, Washington.

How about you?

Reading, Writing, and Emotions

As many of you know I LOVE to read. Love it! I have read so many good books over the years. We moved to our house a couple of years ago and are just now ready to start finishing our basement. There is a room that is going to be a library. I can't wait to unpack all my books and put them on the shelves. I LOVE books. Which is probably one reason I became a writer.
And speaking of me being a writer I have good news. My mother read my book, Girl in Waiting. She's had it for a while and now has read it.
She said she liked it (well, she is my mother!!). She even said she shed a tear or two.
Thanks, Mom!!!
What books have you read that have had you shedding a tear, laughing out loud, rooting for a character?

Home and Contest Info

Today's Monday and I'm posting on the F.A.I.T.H. blog today. Check it out. It's about missing the simple things while being away from home alot.
I have an anniversary coming up and so we're going to have a contest here on the blog.
Stay tuned for details next week.
I'll be back on my posting schedule now Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Yeah for being home!!
As Dorothy said.....There's no place like home!

Good Monday!!

Good Monday! I"m posting on F.A.I.T.H. today. Check it out.
I"m out of town again this week. Hopefully next week I'll get back on a schedule.

Little blessings---big fun!!!

Another week gone by without posting. Time surely flies. I have been here, there, everywhere I think!!
But starting today, my husband and I have the privilege of being Gigi and Papa all weekend. Our little granddaughter Allison is here making our lives exist with nothing but smiles.
She's beautiful, sweet and sooooo much fun.
We have been looking forward to this weekend for a while.
Ally and I went grocery shopping and we visited Aunt Nenna (Brenna) at Belks.
Then we went home for dinner, bath, storytime and bed.
So many prayers have been answered this week for me. God is indeed good and he blesses us in so many ways. Having the little girl around is just one of those ways.
How has God blessed you?

Uranium and Me--Not a Good Mix

USA Today---Friday March 16th page 11A

Tennessee:Oak Ridge- A small fire at a U.S. Energy Department plant that makes nuclear weapons was extinguished with no injuries, and no damage to the plant, a spokesman said. The fire at the Y-12 plant began when uranium chips spontaneously ignited, said Bill Wilburn, a spokesman for the government contractor BWXT. He said the fire was quickly put out.

You may be wondering why I posted this article. Well, I was there, in Oak Ridge the day the of the fire. (Which was actually on Thursday). I was at our new Nissan dealership working in the office when someone came into the office and asked if we were listening to the news. We said no and she proceeded to tell us about the fire but added that we were to be prepared to evacuate.
Evacuate?

Joanne and I had talked about the siren testing they do on the first Wednesday of every month, but truly evacuate? Coby, who sits next to me said "I've lived here close to 40 years and never had to evacuate."
It figures, I said, I've been here 8 days and off we go!!!

I panicked. Yes, I did. I told Joanne we needed to leave. She said we would have to go by the hotel and get our things. I told her those things weren't important we just needed to get on 75 and go North. (Y-12 is south).
Needless to say, all was well and we didn't have to evacuate, but this gave me a new perspective to Oak Ridge. It's a beautiful town. But it does have it's dangers.

Uranium fires.

What about you? Do you think you would have wanted to leave asap?

Glorious

Earlier this evening I was watching the Passion DVD title Glorious. What an awesome DVD. Chris Tomlin, Charlie Hall, Matt Redmon and well, of course, my absolute fav ever, David Crowder.
I'm read a daily devotional by Andrew Murray. March is all about the Secret of the Cross. What a true sacrifice Jesus made for us. For all of us. Everyday I'm blown away by the ultimate love our Father has for us. What He has done for us because he is glorious.
Never, ever, ever forget you are truly loved by God. He and only He has given you the best gift ever, Jesus, and only He loves us unconditionally.
After all, He made us----let's glorify Him.

Monday again!!

I"m posting on F.A.I.T.H. today. Will be out of town again this week, but will post when I can.
Have a great week!

For Writers

This is a reminder to all writers out there.
Be true to your voice.
Don't, absolutely don't let anyone write your voice out of your story. There are aspects to learn, sentence structure, POV, believable dialogue, plotting. The basics. But the one thing about writing that you and only you have is your voice.
The rules are made to be broken. Not everyone has to write by the same set of rules. If we did, all books would be the same and no one would keep reading and buying.
So, find your voice, have great characters and a great plot.

Monday

I'm out of town this week. I hope I have internet access. If not, I'll be back Saturday morning.
But I am posting on F.A.I.T.H. today.

One of our F.A.I.T.H. ladies is going through a really rough time right now. I can't say too much, want to wait until she's back with us, but if you feel led, please pray for peace for our Angie. She's an incredible lady whose heart is so big.

Angie,
I'm praying for you and your family. God knows what a powerful servant you are. He will bring the peace and comfort you're looking for.

Strange how we can miss emails. Conversing over the web deepens relationships, friendships and such. I miss seeing her name in my inbox, her comments on my blog as well as the F.A.I.T.H. blog.

Angie----can't wait to have you back.
Peace be with you.

Missions

The message of the week for me seems to be about missions. Spreading the word of God. I listened to a fabulous talk last night on a DVD I recently purchased. It was the Passion Glorious DVD. They had a talk on there done by Beth Moore. She spoke on taking the Word in but not doing anything with it. Her message was clear. Do not let the Word of God sit in you and be unproductive. Sow the seed. Talk, do. Put into action what God puts on your heart.
Our Pastor Ash McEuen and his family are doing just that. They are leaving us this June on a 5 year mission to Peru. I"ve got a link to their sight. They are calling their mission Open Circle of Peru. Their circle is open so we can all join in with them. Whether it's by helping to support them financially, prayerfully, or however we can.
They are indeed sowing God's word.
I haven't sowed too much this week. I'm going to work on that. What about you? Have you sowed what you've learned? If so, tell me about it.

PS--HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOTHER!!!!

The Dream

To the right of this post is a word meter. I"ve got a new book idea and it absolutely won't leave me alone, so I"m going with it. Watch the meter. I started the book yesterday and have 1600 words. So I will update each weekend. I've titled the book Summer Dream, which may or may not stick. I"ll see how it goes.
So pray that I"m on the right track with this story. It's fun, sad, and is writing itself all day long as I'm at my day job.
So, time to TIVO all Idol episodes, Grease episodes and watch them in half the time.
Here I go on another wild journey.

Stay with me, please?

Happy Monday

Hi. Today's my day to blog on F.A.I.T.H.

In The Beginning

I am such a people person. I LOVE people. I love interacting with them, talking, and creating.
Yes. Creating people. Otherwise known as characters. There's been a recent media frenzy that has inspired a storyline in my brain. It will not leave me alone. (I think this happens a lot to writers.)
One time there was a photo of a journalist in the paper. I saved it because he looked like someone I would like to write about. I was in church one Sunday and sat behind the "perfect" family. Oops! Story idea. What if someone came and ripped away everything they believed in.
You never know what will be an inspiration. The beginning of a 400 page novel.
Now some of these inklings go nowhere. There is a lot of tension in the beginning idea itself, but then nothing really happens to move the story forward. But it's fun imagining.
How about you? Where do your story ideas come from. And if you're not a writer, what type of beginnings do you like? What catches your attention?

Venezuela For Christ

Mission.
What comes to mind when you hear that word.
Missions.
How about that? Different with the s?
Matthew 28 gave us all the great commission-
Matthew 28:19-20
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the end of the age."

We all have a responsibility to spread the word of Jesus.

There is an organization Venezuela For Christ that is doing just that. They are providing seminary training for pastors in Venezuela. Someone had a vision, and this is where it has led.
Missions are all around us. They are in our own family, our neighborhood, our community, our county, our state, our country, our world.
See how they expanded?
Each one of those areas need something. Whether it be material things, spiritual guidance or just an ear to listen.
We are all created different to do different things. You may sign up to head an organization that will collect clothing items for those in need. If the person living next door did the same thing, great. There will be a lot of clothing to be had by all. If the lady who lived two doors down collected clothing well, you're on your way to making sure everyone has something to wear.
But we all can't do the same thing.
Not all of us are going to go global in our commission. People are needed locally as well.
So how about you? Do you have a mission? A way to reach out?

Remember, when much is given, much is expected in return. (I know a lot of people have said that, but I"m going to give the credit to Beth Moore-cause I heard it from her first.)

Write From Your Heart-Part 3- (Late)

Yes, this post was supposed to be posted on Saturday, but it didn't happen. So I thought, better late than never, right?
The third and final part of my Write From Your Heart deals with passion. Not the kind of passion where there is a man and woman on the front cover barely wearing anything.
I'm talking the kind of passion that burns in your heart. The passion that is a part of you being a writer. Because without the passion, I don't know if it will happen.
Not everyone can write a book. If you're a writer, and you tell people you're a writer, how many people say, "Oh, I've thought about writing a book."
The truth is, very few people who start out to write a book ever finish one.
So if you have-congratulations. You have just won half the battle.
Passion is the thing inside of you that's going to sit your rear in the chair while others are watching the television, sitting outside, reading a book. Or sleeping, maybe.
Passion is the excitement of having one of your characters surprise you as you type and being thrilled about it.
Passion is the you inside that has a story that won't leave you alone.
Draw on this passion. It will sustain you.

Don't forget, I"m the Monday blogger on the F.A.I.T.H. blog today.

Write From Your Heart Part 2

Voice.
Ahhh...The one word whose meaning and comprehension seems to elude all new writers. Of course some have their voice, they just don't know it. Others, like me, have to write a long time to figure it out. This is just a short snippet on voice. Talking about it can take days, weeks, maybe.
But the best way to define voice is when you're loving, I mean absolutely loving writing your story and people love, I mean absolutely, love reading it. When you find your voice the story seems to spin itself into existence. Really, it does.
Finding your voice means you have a tone to your story that clicks with you. All stories need all emotions of course, but usually stories have the main tone, focus to them.
Don't fight your voice. Go with it. Love it. Be it.
If you're a writer have you found your voice?
If you're a reader who are your favorite authors?
Join me Saturday when we'll wrap up Write From Your Heart.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!

Write From Your Heart--Part 1

What do we love? What are our passions? What interests us above all?
These are the things we should be writing about. The situations that are dear to our heart, soul and mind are what will inspire us to dig deeper, be bold and go where no one else has gone before. Because what's in your heart is yours and no one elses.
Don't worry about what's hot right now. It won't be hot by the time you finish and submit. The market changes-your heart doesn't.
Think of your favorite writer. The one who when their books come out you just pick them up, regardless of cover or back story blurb. Chances are you know what you're going to read, in a way. A good way. You don't know the story yet, but you know what type of read you will have.
And chances are you won't be disappointed.
That's because the writer is true to themselves. They write from their heart. You can feel it.
If you're a reader, tell me about the books you like.
If you're a writer, tell me about the books you like to write.
On Thursday I'll be talking about voice. What it is and why it's so important.
PS-Click over to our F.A.I.T.H blog and check out our guest blogger Jane Myers Perrine. She's talking about the faith element in our story.

Coming this week.....

Don't forget I'm the blogger on F.A.I.T.H today.
I'm posting here on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday's from now on.

So come back tomorrow and check out the first part of my Writing From Your Heart.
After all it is Valentines week-It's all about the heart.

Stay tuned....

Untravelled Road

Here is another member of my family. Jeff Aebi.(He's on the left.) His girlfriend Judy and another guy, Rex, make up the Untravelled Road Band. They are awesome. Go here to sample some great music.
Or if you're having a party, you can book em!!

Oh, Brother!!

As I've been gently reminded I have an extremely talented brother who is a musician. So I've labeled this musician week and today we are featuring Matt Aebi.

Whenever we have a family gathering Matt always brings his guitar. We usually end up singing something or like here he's recruited my son Alex to play along.
Matt has made a couple of CD's. Go here to his website. It's great having a musician in the family. A real live one who can play, and sing.
Actually our family has quite a bit of talent. I'll feature another member tomorrow.
But for today, go to Matt's website and listen to some tunes. (Maybe even purchase a CD!)
Love you, Matt!!!

Warning!!

Although it's already into the second month of the 2007 I have to warn you about something that will happen every so often on this blog. I will post a picture and blog about David Crowder. I took quite a few pictures when I had the opportunity to see him back in Nov of 2006 and will post different ones throughout the year.
His music is awesome, his voice is awesome and this man and his band love the Lord. Just listen to a song or two.
He's a part of the praise and worship moving across the world and I'm glad I'm on board.
If you've never heard him go here to see what he and his band are all about.

Can you say Yummy!! (it's all about the prize!)

Guess what? Our F.A.I.T.H blog is having a contest this week. Check out Angie's blog to find out what the fabulous prize it. The rules are posted at F.A.I.T.H.. Since I'm the Monday blogger I get to ask the first question. Go and visit. Play and get your name in the hat for that fabulous prize.
Go on, now. Don't be shy.

My Friend Missy.....

Sold a book! The working title Michael's Surrender was bought by Steeple Hill books last Tuesday.
Missy is a great friend of mine and has worked hard for this opportunity. I'm so very excited for her. Her release date is Feb 2008 and I'll post the title as soon as it's been decided on.
Here's me and Missy at the 2006 Golden Heart Ceremony where she was a finalist.

Congratulations Missy!!!!

I've Been Tagged

My friend Meg tagged me to play a game called Six Weird Thing About Me.

So here goes:

1. I can not talk about, hear about, see or read anything medically related. I have a hard time watching hopital shows, reading certain authors, and while I'm concerned about your ailments, please, just ask me to pray. Don't go into details.

2. I, like Meg, can't stand Almond Extract. The Jergens stuff makes me have a headache and become naseaus. (Meg, they do make unscented Jergens.)

3. I can't have any type of artificial sweetner. None. Same thing, dizzy, headache, naseaus.

4. My favorite secular song in the whole world is Angie-by the Rolling Stones.

5. I skip through my house.

6. I love to do crossword puzzles.


There. 6 things about me.
Now, my turn to tag. Let's see.
Missy-who I'll be blogging about tomorrow, Angie, Mindy, Christy, Jennifer, (yes, all my faith blog ladies), and hmmmmm.... Michelle.
So, come on ladies, let's see all your secrets!!

Hi.
Just wanted to say I'm the F.A.I.T.H blogger today. Check it out here .

The Grand Prize!!

Hi all! We're wrapping up our contest week today. We've had fun. Thanks for visiting and I hope you continue to come back.
There were quite a few names in the drawing, but the winner is..........


Darrell!!!!

Darrell is the winner of six books, beginning now in January. He will be receiving Fatal Image this month, And next month he'll receive Little Girl Lost, by Shirley McCoy...this is the start of a great six book series.

So thanks again to all..I hope you had a fun week!!

I know I did.

And Tiffany, Monday's winner and Donita please email me your addresses so I can ship your books next week. beliindapeterson@tds.net---put something about the contest in the subject line.

The Last Question

Okay, all. Today is the last question.....Thanks for visiting and having a fun week! We'll do it again, I promise!
Congrats to Buckwheat who won the Passion CD yesterday. Due to unavailibility she will get Passion98----Sacred Revolution was gone!!!

So today the last question is....

Christy LaShea Smith posted Friday.....At the end of her post she left us with a scripture...
Name the book---chapter and verse.


Okay, the hunt is on!!

Thanks again for participating and don't forget to check back here tomorrow morning to see who won the grand prize. The Stoneley Series.

Oh---I forgot to tell you the prize today!! It's The Measure of a Lady by Deeanne Gist. Awesome book!

The State Question

Hi all! Thanks for posting yesterday and congrats to Tiffany Gleason for winning the Passion CD.

Today's question is......

Mindy O. was away from her Texas soil earlier this month. And she was in my very favorite state in the whole United States.

What state?

The prize to day is another Passion CD. Sacred Revolution. Another awesome cd put out by the fabulous bands and artists that make up Passion.

Okay friends.....let's make some noise today!!

One more give-away tomorrow before the Grand Prize announcement on Sunday. So there's only today and tomorrow to get your comments in and your name in the hat one more time.

Good luck!!

The Famous Person Question

Hi all!!! We are having a fun week. We'll have to do this again soon. I"m excited to see who's going to win the Grand Prize on Sunday. We have quite a few names in the drawing....Even a cat!!! (I said everyone who posted, didn't I?)
And congrats to Kay who won Where the Heart Is by Cindy Woodsmall.

So the Famous Person Question for today is.....


What famous NASCAR driver did Jennifer Taylor's brother-in-law go to high school with?

Remember all answers are found on the F.A.I.T.H blog.

Today's winner will receive a CD....Passion-Our Love is Loud. Awesome CD.

So come on ladies, gents, cats......let's start Thursday being Loud!!!

The Author Question

Hi all!! Congratulations to Tiffany and Wendy (anonymous) for being Monday and Tuesday's winners and keep posting each day to increase your chance for the Grand Prize.

Now is day three....and a new question.

Which one of the F.A.I.T.H. bloggers uses the tag line "God Uses Broken Vessels".

And today's winner will receive Cindy Woodsmall's bestselling book When The Heart Cries.

Come one come all to post for today's prize as well as a chance to win the Stoneley Series from Steeple Hill.

The Marriage Question

Thanks for all who participated in day one. Are we having fun yet?
I hope so.

Day 2 book giveaway is another Steeple Hill Love Inspired book. This one is by Margaret Daley, titled A Mother for Cindy. It'a part of her Ladies of Sweetwater Lake Series and is a really good read.

So the question for day 2 is......

How long as Christy LaShea Smith been married?

First correct answer wins the book!!

And keep those comments coming.

The Brownie question

Welcome!!! Glad you're here. This is the first day of my first ever contest week. If I make mistakes, I'll learn, I promise. Bear with me!!!

This first book I'm giving away is a Steeple Hill Love Inspired book. It's a February 06 release by Mae Nunn titled Amazing Love. It's an awesome book!!! and I'd like to give others an opportunity (if you haven't already) to read it.

So the question of the day is.......(remember, go to the F.A.I.T.H. blog to find the answer.


What is Missy Tippens favorite type of brownie?

The first person to answer correctly will win the book, but remeber to post a comment to be eligible for the "Grand Prize" drawing on Sunday.(The Secrets of Stoneley Series from Steeple Hill Romantic Suspense. )

Thanks for participating. I know we're going to have a FUN week!!!!!

The GRANDEST prize

Tomorrow starts the launch of my first-ever contest week. Come and see what's going on daily, then tune in next Sunday to see who is the recipient of the "Grand Prize."

Before I spill the beans (cliche) on what the "Grand Prize" is I just want to give praise to Jesus for giving us an example to live by to actually win the GRANDEST prize of all.
Life eternal.

On a much smaller scale I'm giving away a "Grand Prize" next Sunday. Anyone who posts a comment on the blog from Monday morning Jan 22 through Saturday night Jan 27th will be eligible. You can be entered as many as six times, once a day. If you only make one comment all week you'll only be entered once. (Don't be that person!)

And what will you win you ask?

The Secrets of Stoneley series from Steeple Hill Romantic Suspense. The first book is out this month. Fatal Image by Lenora Worth. (We all know what an awesome writer Lenora is.) There are six books in the series, and I will buy each of them when they come out and send it to the winner every month.

With that said, thank you for visiting, hope you come back, and don't forget to visit our F.A.I.T.H blog for the answers to the questions this week.

Blog launch+contest=Excitement!!!!!

I recently teamed up with 5 awesome authors to create a group blog titled F.A.I.T.H.
Following Always Intently Trusting Him.

We all write Christian fiction in different genres. We represent 3 different states and it's a good week to visit the blog (well, any week is a good week to visit) but this week we are doing interviews of each member so we (and you) can learn more about our contributors.
The questions are fun, the answers will make you laugh, and the comments, well, you'll have to go read for yourself.
So go over, stop by and visit.
Read the interviews. The last interview is on Saturday.
Starting Monday I'll ask a one question a day for the next 6 days and the first to answer will win a gently used free book.
But the fun doesn't stop there. Check back to the blog on this coming Sunday, January 21st (that's just two days away!!) for the big giveaway announcement.
So next week, Monday through Saturday I will be giving one book a day away--
Then Sunday---
well, check back here this Sunday to find out the Big Prize!!

Happy reading.

Hernando!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Think of life as a great big puzzle. You know how you try and fit a piece you think will fit into the spot and you push and manuver and it just doesn't go? I think that's how we are with God. Sometimes, we just want to make our own way, and it just doesn't work.
But then, ah, there are those pieces that just fit right in. No conflict, no manuvering, just a slip and they're in place. Those are God's pieces.
And I met a piece of my life puzzle last week.
Hernando and his wife Annie.


I've been talking to Hernando on the phone for over 10 years at my job. He has always been so nice and awesome and when he found out my family and I were going to be in Fort Lauderdale we arranged to meet. We had a great dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. We go to know each other, his wife is as incredible as he is. When he and Annie had to leave, my step-daughter Lisa looked at me and said "those are the nicest two people I have ever met in my life."
It's true. And I'm glad God chose them to be a part of my life.
They are one more piece of the incredible puzzle God has mapped out for me.
Here is a picture of all six of us.

Thanks Hernando and Annie for being the awesome people you are.

The Year of the Lord

Yeah....I don't know what that means. I only know it's true. And how do I know?
Picture this...Christmas Eve service at church..taking communion...praying at the altar.
A thought breaks into my mind.
This is the year of the Lord.
What? I think? The year of the Lord?
Strange. Shouldn't every year be the year of the Lord? Maybe this is the year of the Lord for me. Maybe I"m supposed to be doing something?

Questions....not sure what was going through my mind. But I finish praying and take my seat.

Fast forward twenty minutes. Service is over..people are wishing each other a Merry Christmas...I go up to Karen and Wendy who are having a conversation just in time to hear Wendy tell Karen....

Well, you know this is the year of the Lord.

I told Wendy about my altar experience and she says maybe the Lord is getting the members of our church in sync for something.
We're not sure what it meant, but trust me, it means something.
So for now, that's what I"m going on. Trust. Faith. Knowing.

The year of the Lord.
I'll keep you posted on how that unfold. Because I know it will.

Advent

I'm a little late in posting this. I wanted to do it Sunday, but better late than never. (cliche)
Advent is a Latin word meaning "the coming." It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve.

The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second Advent.
This first week of advent we focus on expectation. What are we expecting this Christmas season?
I must be honest. Until a couple of years ago I dreaded Christmas. All I could grasp in my mind was the shopping (I"m not a shopper) the business and craziness of it all. I wasn't even thinking of the special aspects of the season. Family, friends, the birth of Jesus.
The year before last I made a promise to myself that I wasn't going to get bogged down in all the details. And it worked....I continued the same promise last year and it was even better. This year I'm looking forward to a precious, special Christmas season.
I guess that's my expectation. Less hustle and bustle---more focusing on what's really important. How about you? What are you expecting?

Thanks-Giving

Turkey day has come and gone and with it starts the Christmas season. Shopping has begun, parties have started and plans are being made. Thanksgiving marks the beginning of what is now referred to as the holiday season, a combination of thanks and giving. Thanks for our Saviour Jesus Christ-born in Bethlehem. Giving--well, we all know that presents will be under the tree--traded between friends and family.
But we can give in other ways. We can give of ourselves. Our time. Our worship.
Let's combine the thanks and the giving and thankfully give of what God is asking us to this Christmas season.

Here is one reason to be thankful. Family. This picture is of my husband, his daughters and mother. (and her guy!) Fabulous ladies---all whom I admire and am so blessed to know.

Here is a photo of my mother and her three children. Family is truly a blessing.
I'm going to try and think of ways to thankfully give this year. What about you?

CROWDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay. I'll readily admit it. I'm a HUGE David Crowder fan.
I live in the Atlanta area and David Crowder came to town on their tour with Third Day. DC also stopped at a Borders bookstore to hang out with his fans (of which I was on the front row---you know cause I'm a HUGE fan) and talk about Bluegrass, Marty Stewart, Hank Williams Sr. and sign his new book Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven But Nobody Wants to Die. I bought the book and he and Mike Hogan (band member and co author) signed it.
Here I am with DC himself!!!! And Mike Hogan.

My friend asked me what I was going to say to DC. I'm glad she asked, because I had no idea. He certainly doesn't see himself as a celebrity and I don't view him as one. I view him as this. A man who loves God, who uses his gifts God blessed him with to share the message of Jesus Christ with the world. And when I did get my chance to talk to him I told him as much. I thanked him and his band for sharing their gifts. I told him they were an inspiration. He thanked me and told me he appreciated me saying so.
I had a short video I had hoped to put on this blog post, but I'm blogger challenged and I can't make it happen. So here's one more picture of DC.
If he ever comes to your city, check him out. It's well worth it.

Covers

If you scroll down the page you'll find a photo of author Deeanne Gist. She writes historical romances for Bethany House. Oh, I'm sorry, she writes really great historical romances for Bethany House.
I'm very excited for Deeanne. Click here to see the reason. She just received her cover for her 2007 release Courting Trouble.
How awesome is this cover? For all of us writers, a great cover is a vision, a dream, an important part of the publishing process that we basically have little control over.
You go, Dee!!! This is great.
And on her blog, Dee is sharing an interview with the young lady who is the cover model. Go to her blog and check it out.

The thrill of victory!!!

Doesn't the title sound exciting? With exclamation points and all! (We'll get back to that.)

Meanwhile, here's a picture of the 48 car of Jimmy Johnson. He's very much in the running to be the NASCAR champion this year. For those of you who aren't NASCAR fans this picture was taken during the race in Atlanta while pit stops were going on. Our seats are right in front of Pit Road. Very exciting place to be on race day. Right in the middle of the action.

And here's me and my hubby. Isn't he cute? ( I just love my man.)
At the end of the race the thrill of victory was there for Tony Stewart and all his fans. Tony even did his trademark climbing of the fence. Yes, excitement was in the air. All because of the victory.
Shouldn't excitement be in our air everyday? After all---don't we have claim on the most exciting victory in history? The victory over sin and death? All accomplished when Jesus took up the cross, walked up the Mount of Calvary and claimed victory for us all. I can't think of a better reason for celebration. Think about it. We can celebrate victory every day. All day.

Sometimes the magnitude of God is really so hard to grasp. But I"m trying bit by bit to understand what I'm meant to understand, do what I think I'm meant to do and live for Him. Trying is the key word here. I think I fail more than I succeed. But I"m going to keep on trying. Never give up.
Persistence is the key. Jimmy Johnson is persistent. Tony Stewart is persistent, still winning races even though he's not even in the Race for the Chase and can't possibly be the Cup Champion this year. He didn't let that stop him from doing the best he can possibly do.
So let us persist and run the race.
Diligently.

Beeee-u-ti-ful= Beautiful

Isn't Cosmos beautiful? Cosmos is a Scarlet Macaw. He has a fabulous home with Scott(pictured here) and Veronica.

Cosmos also has someone else to keep an eye on him. Zeus (I hope I spelled that right, Scott!) the cat.

God is so incredible! Who else could have created the beauty that Cosmos is. The brilliant colors, the intelligence, all put together by the greatest creator of all. God created us for his pleasure, therefore he created other beautiful creatures for us to enjoy.
"All creatures of our God and King....Lift up your voice and let us sing....Oh praise him, Halleluiah!!!"

Abiding in Christ

Last weekend I had the awesome experience of attending a women's retreat with my friend Meg. It was sponsored by her church and most of the women attending are members of Meg's church. I knew some of the women from doing Bible studies with these ladies. I knew they were an awesome group before I went and I was certainly blessed by the ladies who spoke, the ladies I got to know and the whole atmosphere of the weekend. My very brief synopsis of the weekend is this.
Choose-Christ
Breath-Spiritually
Abide-Daily in Christ Jesus
One of the ladies who spoke mentioned a man by the name of Andrew Murray. His name may be familiar to some of you, but it wasn't to me. Now, I'm like a kid in a candy store. I've bought two books by him. The one I'm reading now is titled Abide in Christ. We've heard the term remove the scales off my eyes....well I feel like another layer of scales has fallen. I can't explain it really, but here is an entry from my journal I've started while doing this devotional.

10-14-06
Trusting Him to keep you. The concept is so simple. Trusting our weakness to the Mighty One-casting self on One who is altogether trustworthy and true.
I am captured of Christ Jesus.
Give up yourself to abide in Him. He Himself will work it in you. You can trust Him to keep you trusting and abiding.

Now some of those sentences are straight from the book. But this man makes so much sense. Here's a link to Andrew Murray's works. Check them out. Just put his name in the search box. He's written a whole lot and I'm looking forward to reading a whole lot.

And congratulations go out to Missy T. She's a finalist in the Golden Network's Golden Opportunity contest. Yeah Missy!!!!!!!!Oh, and how could I almost forget. Missy also got a revision letter from Steeple Hill. I know's she's busy working on those revisions and we are praying this is the ONE.!!!!!!!!
And speaking of Missy, here she is with Liz Curtis Higgs.

I"ll be cheering for you, Missy!!!!!!!!!

ACFW and more

Here we have Deeanne Gist and Cindy Woodsmall signing books at the conference in Dallas, Texas. Cindy with her beautiful smile and Deeann is pretty in pink.








Here's Cindy, Amy, Lindi, and Missy.....Yes, the eeeee's have it! We are all from the Atlanta area and meet in a local ACFW group. We had a great time visiting in Dallas.

For all the good times we have at conferences it's always good to be back home. Reminds me of Dorothy, clicking her heels repeating "There's no place like home. There's no place like home."

Dorothy knew what she was talking about. My husband and I moved into a new house two years ago, and I can honestly say I look forward to spending time there. Seems like the weekends get filled up quicker every year. Not only am I a writer, I have a full time job, wife, mother to Brenna and Alex, stepmother to Melanie and Lisa. I'm a grandma to a beautiful little girl, Ally. I love to bowl and my friend Joanne and I go on tournaments with her mother and sister. We have a blast. My husband is a HUGE NASCAR fan and got me hooked. (Go Jeffy, Dale, and Elliott!!!!) We like to go to races. There are so many things to do and experience. I"m excited to be able to do half the stuff I do and consider myself blessed to be able to do what I can do.

I'll be starting a lay missionary program in November. It's purpose is to guide you where you feel led to serve. And to help you determine it if you don't know. I'm extremely excited to start finding out just where God's wants me to be and what he wants me to be doing.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Twice as Nice

For the second post in a row I have exciting news to share. First my cp and friend Maureen Hardegree has launched her website. Click here to visit. It's a great sight done by Author Designs. For a look at their clientele click here. Pretty impressive list. Maureen is a multi-published short story author who is currently working on a young adult novel. She has written historical and paranormal romances also, which have yet to be published. If you look on my favorite author list, you'll find her there.
Second, I seem to be on a roll of winning books. I won two books from Amy Wallace's website and one from Michelle Rodger's blog. I have received two of the three books I've won. Shirlee McCoy's Even in the Darkness-a Love Inspired Suspense novel, and Jill Elizabeth Nelson's Reluctant Burglar-a Multnomah novel. I'm looking forward to reading both of them.

Currently I'm reading Virginia Kantra's Home Before Midnight. If anyone who is reading this blog has never read a novel by Virginia Kantra do so immediately. It is a matter of life and death. Literally. She writes suspense novels. Close Up is another single title novel by Virginia, which was nominated for a Rita Award. I think over half the books Virginia has written have received that incredible nomination. She's an awesome writer and a sweeheart of a person. Check out Virginia Kantra.

Lots of names in this post. That's because there are a lot of great writers out there. Check them out and let me know what you think.

And who knows. Maybe the next post will be titled- Third Time's the Charm!

I Know the Secret

Ha! I know the secret to posting good news to your blog. Wait long enough and you'll have good news to post. Okay, I don't want to be an advocate for blog neglect, so I guess I'll have to get on the ball and have more good news to post sooner.
My good news is my manuscript Girl in Waiting is a finalist in the Maggie Award of Excellence contest sponsored by the Georgia Romance Writers and it's also a finalist in the Ticket to Write contest sponsored by the Red River Romance Writers. The final judge for the Maggie is Melissa Endlich who previously gave the manuscript first place in the Romance Writers Ink! contest. But then she rejected the manuscript. The final judge for the Ticket to Write contest is Julie Schwarzburg who I've never been in front of before. This is my first final where she is the final round judge. I can't wait to get feedback.
Part of the reason for being so long between posts is I've been travelling a bit. I went to Oglebay Resort in West Virginia for my family reunion. Here is a picture of the whole clan.

Then after having a fabulous time there with my wonderful family (I'm serious, I have been blessed with an extremely loving, warm, caring family) I headed to Destin Florida where I spent time with some friends from work at my bosses beach house. They have a couple of new additions to their family. Here they are: Hank and Harley.
How cute are they!!!!

I also finished up a Beth Moore Bible study at my church. Jesus the One and Only was an awesome study. We had a great class and everyone is looking foward to doing another one next summer.
Jesus is indeed our One and Only. Our One and Only Savior. King of Kings. Lord of Lords. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Here I am with Mindy and Missy. We kicked off our RWA National conference with a Faith, Hope and Love mini conference. Yes, the Missy you see here organized an awesome God-inspired day filled with workshops, lunch, awards ceremony and a worship service. Our own Camy Tang led us with her guitar and beautiful voice. This was a great way to start out the conference. It showed me what God empowered women we have as sisters in Christ and in the writing world.
God is ever faithful and good.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Here it is. RWA National Conference time. This year it is in Atlanta. Since I live right outside of Atlanta I will be attending. There are so many things I'm looking forward to. One of them is our Faith, Hope and Love first ever one-day conference. I think it will be a great day of learning (2 workshops are planned) great food, (a lunch is included) and fellowship. ( A worship service will begin after lunch.)
It will be a great time to meet new people, see people you haven't seen in a long time and fellowship with others who enjoy the same passion of writing. Not only do we share the same passion for writing, we also share the same ultimate goal in our writing. The glory of our one and only Jesus. There is a special kinship in those who gather with the same focus. It's hard to explain, and not everyone would understand. Throughout the week there will be all sorts of workshops, networking, meeting all kinds of people. If we turn our eyes toward Jesus, we won't ever lose our focus. Glory to God.

Peace Be With You

The months of July and August are virtually months in motion for me. Between one conference, one mini-conference, my family reunion, a trip to the beach, my granddaughters first birthday, my friends wedding, my planned week long document search for an IRS agent, (work related, not personal) another friends birthday, a bible study and who knows what else will come up, I feel like a girl on a mission.
Underneath all these plans and commitments there is an underlying peace. It is the peace of Jesus. If I didn't know Him, the ultimate planner and master of the universe, I might try and attempt this schedule on my own. I'm sure the results would be disastrous. But the peace of our Lord is what keeps me in line, keeps me from panicking, keeps me from losing sight of what our true mission is.
We are disciples, called to minister. Anywhere, everywhere. I have a lot of ground to cover, a lot of people to meet. I pray the peace stays with me, and also with you.

God-a-be

God-a-be----I can't take the credit for the phrase. I think Missy and I thought of it together. But it's the term of the week. Let's use it in a sentence.
"It's God-a-be in God's time."
This is my focus because the editor who really liked my manuscript, Girl in Waiting, sent me a rejection letter this week with seemingly no reason except for it didn't quite fit the line at this time.
"Didn't quite fit the line at this time."
If we dissect that sentence we could read so much into it. What's the "quite" word really mean? She typed it. Does that mean the manuscript is not "quite" there? As in ready? The phrase "at this time" raises more questions. Do I resend when the time is right? (All of my writing pals, don't cringe. I would never resend without invite). Anyway, that's the business of writing. It's not always clear cut and if we spend too much time reading between the lines, we'll never get any writing done.
So I'm not dwelling on the rejection. I'm working on the it's God-a-be God's time theory. I do my best to do my part, and leave the timing and the things that aren't in my control in His.

Happy Fathers Day

Sunday June, 18th is Father's Day. A day to celebrate with the men in our lives. I was blessed to have a fabulous father, one who taught me the right things in life. The important things. Family. God. And many more that I won't name here because we only have a certain amount of space. There are a couple of phrases that always make me think of my Dad when I hear them.
"Don't fix it if it ain't broke."
"You done good, kid."
I've also been blessed with a wonderful husband who is also a fabulous father. His two daughters, Melanie and Lisa are proof of what great insights he has. They are beautiful young women, with huge hearts.
So, to all the men who are awesome influences----kudos to you!! Keep up the good work!

Front Porch Princess

I just finished a great book by Kathryn Springer. Front Porch Princess is about the life of Elise Penny, a farmers wife in Wisconsin who wants her daughter to make a different decision than she did. Go to college and leave the small town of Prichett. When her daughter Bree, seems to be falling for the local boy, Elise finds herself wrestling with issues she hasn't thought about in a while. Add to the mix a Christian beauty pagent Bree has entered Elise in, Elise's best friend Bernice, who reveals a secret, a new friend Annie who's searching for a mentor, but ends up the mentoree and you have a great story. I laughed, I cried, I cringed, I cheered. Kathryn has done a fantastic job evoking all emotions. The best news? There's a sequel coming about Bernice's story. I can't wait!!!!

Kathryn Springer

Prioritizing

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the commitments you've made, the things you want to do, the things you have to do and the things that come up at the last minute? Have you ever found yourself looking days ahead, a barrage of images of the things you haven't done yet swirling around in your mind to the point of exhaustion? Am I the only one who does this?
Last week I was at the point of telling my husband and even a couple of friends, "We're not making any more plans for the summer. Not one. Our weekends are filled already and I can't commit to one more event."
My next thought was "how sad is this?" But it's true.
I'm truly thankful for my friends and family. I enjoy spending time with people. So what's all this fuss about?
It's about me. About my ability (or inability in this case) to put the important things first. I can't discount any and all events or invites that may come my way in the next three months. I can't close my mind to opportunities that God may be providing. What I need to do is pray for the ability to prioritize, pray for the ability to use my time wisely. And above all I must keep in mind to do all things for the glory of God.
I think somehow, He'll work all this out. (As long as I'm doing my part!)

Oh, deer, not again!

Yes, I spelled it right. Deer. As in those cute, tan-colored four-legged friends that live all around Ball Ground and the surrounding regions. Well, if any of you readers drive a white Toyota Solara, don't drive in Ball Ground. I think they're deer magnets. For the second time in less than six months I've hit a deer. This time I wasn't on the highway doing 65 miles an hour. I was on Hwy 5, doing about 45 talking to Missy.
"Oh, no. I hit another darn deer. I'll call you back." (I have hands free talking-I promise I was being safe!) Lenny was behind me because we were on our way home from bowling. He saw it all unfold. He saw the deer in the field, saw it take off toward the road, saw me not do a thing to miss it (I honestly didn't see it). Then our friends who we bowl with saw us and stopped also. We had quite a crowd. When the police woman came she said, "Did all of you hit the deer?" (Okay, actually she said, "Did all y'all hit the deer?")
Anyway, there's not near as much damage as last time. Everyone is well. Even the deer, I guess. He left. Didn't wait around for the nice police woman.
But I have evidence. His fur is still stuck to my crumpled hood.
I never imagined living in Ball Ground, Georgia could be so endeering!!!