I’m a Writer, no really!

 

I realize that, on this blog, I rarely {If ever?!} really talk about my writing. I mostly talk about books and what I’m reading.

Well, I do actually write too. There isn’t a lot of evidence online of that, but you’ll just have to take my word for it. ;)

I’ve been writing for…about 9 years I think. And of course, writing small things when I was younger. I’ve always wanted to be published. That’s been a big ‘dream/wish’ of my heart. And yet….it doesn’t happen. Another year goes by, and I’m still not published. Why is that? Some people probably don’t even know I seriously write.

I’ve got two novels finished. Countless ones started, and several in progress. I am a writer. But not published. I have characters I adore, I have the story of my heart written, and more bursting inside me. This is a passion of mine. But. I am not published.

And this…this hurts on some days, truly. I look at several friends and numerous people who are published, and it hits me again that I’m not. I could be, but I’m not. Am I not good enough? Am I just too lazy? But no. I know those aren’t the answers. And really, I do know what the answer is.

It’s not God’s time yet. 

I want it to be though! So badly, I do. I want to be able to say, “Yes, I did that! I am published – maybe you’ve heard of me. Check out my books!”.

Ah, but there is much wrong with that sentence for me. Because it is the state of my heart. Where is it at? I get caught up on focusing on what I want. So that my name can be known, so that it looks like I’ve accomplished something to the outside world.

Two major things are wrong with that. One, is that: Does it matter if my name is known out there? If you’ve read the previous posts about “Honor” (Part One and Part Two), you’ll understand that I’ve been learning that, no of course it doesn’t matter. It’s not about me. It’s not about my name, but HIS name. And if He doesn’t want me to be published right now, then that is the best course.

Second thing wrong is: Why does it matter what the world thinks, and if they think I’ve accomplished something or not? It shouldn’t matter. Yet, sometimes to me it does. Because I’m broken. But….

It. Doesn’t. Matter.

I need to stop looking out, and start looking up, and in.

“What is that to you? Follow thou ME” – John 21:22

This is what God has called me to. Only He knows why. But that’s enough. It’s enough for me to remember that I’m where I’m at because of Him.

I’m a Writer because He chose me to pen His stories. I can’t write apart from Him. So it is ALL Him, and pretty much none of me. And at this time, He has chosen to keep my writing “hidden”. It’s our thing – His and mine. And it’s special. My writing may not be “out there” yet, but it’s a treasure to me, and it’s where He wants it. Maybe someday I’ll only have time to edit and publish, instead of write. So be it. Wherever His will is, that’s where I want to be.

So I’m sorry I don’t share my stories with you lovely people just yet. I’m sorry I can’t share more about my characters. But, I think, that day will come. In His timing. When I can wholly and 100% be able to say “Look at these books God wrote – He’s healed me through the writing of them. Maybe He can touch you through them too. It’s His Work. Not mine.”

It doesn’t matter if I’m a writer. But it does matter that He’s a Writer. And I couldn’t be a writer if He didn’t write through me. So… “He’s the Writer, really, and I’m just His pen”.

 

 

 

 

 

Blogging for Books: Simply Calligraphy by Judy Detrick

“Simply Calligraphy” by Judy Detrick

Source: Blogging for Books

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

 

About the Book:

Learning the simple and beautiful art of hand-lettered calligraphy is as easy as picking up pen and paper!

Italic is the calligraphy’s most popular alphabet, and this delightful manual introduces basic capital and small letters and numbers, plus all the creative flourishes you need to customize your unique script for every project and occasion.

With quick and easy instruction from calligraphy teacher and designer Judy Detrick, Simply Calligraphy will have you whipping up elegant invitations, pleasing place cards, and personalized thank-you notes in no time.

Includes practice exercises, advice on tools and materials, and project ideas for place cards, invitations, and more!

 

My Thoughts:

The cover of this instructional book is very eye-pleasing, I shall say right off. I love the colours. ^.^

This book is well-put together, and easy to understand. It helped me know right where/how to hold the pen, which I appreciated. :) Seems like a simple thing, but I hadn’t previously been holding it correctly, and therefore it wasn’t working quite as smoothly as it could.

My only complaint about this book is that it was hard to keep open so that I could go through the steps.  Mine was a soft cover, I’m not sure if they make a hard cover – it would certainly make it easier to hold the book open while you practice the steps.

Otherwise, the content of the book is good for learning calligraphy, especially for beginners!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publishers through Blogging for Books.

 

Book Request – Recommendations needed!

Hello readers!

I am wondering if perhaps any of you could lend me a hand….I am desiring to find some good fiction set in India, preferably present-day (instead of historical, though if that’s all you know of, I’ll take that too!). And I’d love for it to be Christian, but as long as it’s clean I’ll give it a try.

I’ve read “The Heart of India” series by Linda Chaikin (several times and loooove them!), but as I mentioned, I’m looking for some present-day/contemporary fiction.

Why, you may ask? Well, besides the fact that I love India, I want to have more knowledge of the day-to-day life, among other things, ect. and I best absorb that through fiction. :D

 

So yes, if you know of ANY kind of book that would be helpful and is related to India (even nonfiction, characters being from India, ect. – you get the idea. Anything that is clearly India-an and authentic/historically accurate), let me know please! I would be much appreciative! :) Oh and movies? Clean movies relating to India?

Thank you much!!

 

Honor Part Two

 

 

 

I’m back! And I thank you for hanging around to read this. If you’re new, you can go read this post – Honor Part One. :)

I’m back for the topic of honor. What I started out for….I got a little distracted. ;) But a good kind of distracted!

So yes, honor. It means a lot. Whether we know it or not, when we get up in the morning and go about our day, we will do things that either bring honor or shame – thoughts, actions, everything.

Usually, we’re only thinking about our name – keeping a good reputation, making sure others see us as honorable, making sure our actions and thoughts bring ourselves honor. It’s automatic, but it doesn’t have to be. We don’t really represent ourselves at all. When we became a follower of Christ, we became a new creation – His Creation. No longer are we our own person – we never were really. We represent our parents, our family, our lives here on earth, but more importantly, what we need to realize is that we actually represent our Heavenly Father. We are royalty and of Noble Birth because of Him. So we represent Him. We carry His banner, and it no longer is a case of “I” but rather “Him”.  I’m sure we’ve heard this before. We’re Christ’s ambassadors. But we are even more than that, because we are grafted into His line – we are children of the King. There is royal blood in us. So, we really do represent our Father. He’s in us. Our mindset is changed – we no longer are just of ourselves; we carry some pretty heavy blood in us! That is an honor to us.

We don’t deserve Him. He deserves us (yep, He does! Keep reading), and so He deserves the honor we give Him. He bought us, He paid for us, and He wants us. As a friend of ours said, “When you buy something, don’t you expect to get it?!” Yes, of course! If I buy something, I want to receive it. I want to own it, because I paid for it. It’s mine now.

So we are to Him. By Jesus’ death, our sins are forgiven and we are redeemed by Yahweh, our Heavenly Father. He desires us beyond anything we can comprehend. He has called us by His name, we are His.

So, do we want to bring Him honor or ignore His gift and live in shame? I know by choice, we’d choose honor. It’s our hearts cry to be met by the Father. And He will meet us. Seek and ye shall find.

But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine.

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.

Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.

Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;

I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;

Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him. – Isaiah 43 1-7 (emphasis my own)

Honor Part One

 

 

I feel wholly unequipped to be writing this post. Why? Because I’m just learning myself. I don’t even have all the information on it. But God’s teaching and guiding always, and I want to honor Him.

So, what’s honor? What do we think of when we hear this word?

(Via Pinterest)

Hehe, yeah, that comes to mind for me. And ironically, before my family came upon this lesson of Honor and its importance, we had literally JUST watched “Mulan” and were discussing their emphasis and reliance on honor. Not really ironic, so much as timely. God does that a lot.

 

Okay, so back to the topic at hand. I’m just going to jump to it.

If we are children of God, He is our Father, and if He is our Father, we ought to want to bring Him honor. We honor Him. In everything. Or else we shame Him.

Honor is not the same as salvation. I want to say that right away.

And by the UTMOST graciousness and lovingness of our Father in Heaven, He has covered our shame – 100%. We’re born in shame. We need a Savior.

Some personal time: I lived out of a spirit of denial for a good part of my life. I didn’t want to face that some bad things have happened. Because it’s not fair. It’s injustice! I don’t want to be broken, dirty, shameful. Nope. None of us do. But you know what? This…wait for it….is a glorious place to be. Because you know what? Read these verses:

 

“And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:31-32

If a person is “righteous” without Jesus, they don’t need a Savior do they?

So, if we’re broken, if we’re dirty, if Satan has stripped us of our honor, then…don’t we need a Savior? YES!! And how wonderful is that? We need One, but the good news is we do not have to sit in this place of need – we already have One!!!! He’s ALREADY covered our shame that we were born with (remember, we were “born and shapen in iniquity”), and has REDEEMED us. Wow. I feel so much passion at this. I feel like I am finally getting it. Yes, yes, I know the awe-ing message of the cross. I know its magnificence, what God has done. I have gloried in it. But. But now I’ve faced my shame, I’ve seen my need. Not just seen and ignored, but seen and desired something different. Desired to let go of injustices. They go to the cross. It’s already nailed there.

Jesus is all. Jesus is enough. What He did on that cross – that did it all! Do you hear me? Don’t forget this message. Don’t go on living without it. We were dirty. We were toyed with by Satan. But that is not the end of the story! Oh no, not at all! That is just the beginning. Because God sees everything  – time isn’t a thing to Him. He knew what Satan was going to from the very start, and He knows our wills. So Satan temps us, he defiles us in any way he can, he tried to strip us of that robe of righteousness. But God says “That’s okay. Because I’ve already provided a New Way. I’ve already created streams in the desert. Will you not see it? I’ve given My SON. His blood for yours. I have redeemed you, My peculiar – special – people. I have bought and paid for you. You are Mine. I have conquered death, Satan is a defeated foe. Believe Me, My Child. I have called you precious in My sight.”

Wow. Wow. Wow.

I may be getting off topic. That happens. And so you know what? I’m going to do a Part Two Post. Where I’ll get back to the message of Honor. Till then, readers. You are loved.

 

 

 

 

August Book Goodies

Hello :)

I’m here again. And for once, I am actually going to share a sort of “wrap-up” like many bloggers do. Only sort of though…I guess what I am doing is what most call a “book haul”. I just call them goodies. I got lots of book goodies this month, which was exciting. I didn’t even spend a fortune. Actually, I barely spent any at all….

This is a picture of my August Book Goodies:

 

David and Bathsheba by Roberta Kells Dorr ~ Thrift store (I have two other Biblical Fiction books by this author, one I liked and one I didn’t love as much, so I’m curious to see where this one falls.)

Critical Pursuit by Janice Cantor ~ Thrift store (this one excited me so much, because I was browsing the shelves, and thought I saw this one but it wasn’t it, however…I looked next to the book I thought it was, and the book beside it was this one! This is the first book in a series, I have already read the 2nd, and loved it, so I’m excited to read this one too.)

Healing Thoughts by William Branham ~ A friend blessed me by sending me this little book, and I’m finding great insight in it!

Never by J. Grace Pennington ~ Won in a giveaway. (Looks so good, can hardly wait to start it!)

Missing by Peggy McAloon ~ Won in a giveaway (Lovely cover!)

A Love to Come Home To by Alicia Ruggieri ~ Gift from the author (Eeeeee!!! Beyond excited for this book!! It’s so beautiful and I know it will be a fantastic conclusion to this beautiful series!)

Hattie Ever After by Kirby Larson ~ Thrift store. (I’ve read this before; it’s the sequel to “Hattie Big Sky” which I love as well. So happy to own both books now!)

Kingdom’s Edge by Chuck Black ~ Thrift store (Snapped this up as soon as I saw it! I love Chuck Black’s books. <3)

An Echo in the Darkness by Francine Rivers ~ Thrift store (This completed this book’s series for me!)

Rise of the Wyrm Lord by Wayne Thomas Batson ~ Thrift store (Haven’t read this series yet, but have heard good things about it, and own book one.)

Raiders from the Sea by Lois Walfrid Johnson ~ Little Free Library (This also completes the series for me ~ had each of the others except book one. :) I exchanged an older book of mine for this one as one of the Little Free Libraries in our town – love them!!)

London Confidential Series by Sandra Byrd ~ I was sent this series by the author to put in one of our town’s Little Free Libraries, and I get to read them before I do that, so that’s rather exciting. :)

 

So yes, good Book month indeed. :)

It’s been a very busy month as well – August seemed like a long one, and there was plenty to fill it up with. The garden has been our primary source of busyness, add in there kittens, chicks (our 1/2 banty 1/2 chicken hatched out at least 14 eggs…so cute little black pom-poms are scurrying about!), daily life, having a {big} garage-sale and my cousin’s wedding among other things…’twas a full month.

We’re not quite done with the garden yet though. Still hard at work on that one. I’m just looking so forward to the cooler weather! We’ve had a couple cooler days, but also some really hot ones….bring on Fall, I say!

As for reading….Kind of slow going. I’m working my way through the Call the Midwife books. Almost done with the first one, and it has been very good, except for one chapter that I highly recommend be skipped; I did so myself. And if you’re at all squeamish about birth and whatnot, this book may not be for you. :) Next on my list is the London Confidential series mentioned above so I can get those to a Little Free Library.

I know I keep saying this, but I do want to make an effort at better blogging, however lately has not been the time. With everything else I’ve had going, I have not had much of a chance to stay on top of much things internet related, for which I do apologise. I am trying to keep up with the various blogs I follow, but I apologise if I have yet to comment! Soon, my friends, soon I hope to return to such things.

So with this I shall sign off, but do let me know what you’re up to and all that good stuff! You’re all not far from my mind!

 

 

 

 

 

Blog Tour: Blessed Assurance by Faith Blum

Who doesn’t like a good mystery? I’m sure there are a few, but most people do like mysteries. What about a mystery within a mystery. Faith Blum’s new novella is just that. First there’s the mystery of who tried to dupe five mail order brides. Then Adelaide finds out someone is claiming she’s a runaway bride. What happens to her? Find out in Blessed Assurance.

About the Book

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

Adelaide lost her parents a year before and now a rich man in town is making unwanted advances toward her. Desperate, she writes to two men and quickly accepts the one from Cheyenne, Wyoming. On the final leg of her journey, in a stagecoach with four other mail order brides, her suspicions are confirmed. Will she ever find a man she can truly trust?

About the Author

Faith Blum started writing at an early age. She started even before she could read! She even thought she could write better than Dr. Seuss. Now that she has grown up a little more, she knows she will probably never reach the success of Dr. Seuss, but that doesn’t stop her from trying.

When she isn’t writing, Faith enjoys doing many right-brained activities such as reading, crafting, playing piano, and playing games with her family. One of her dreams is to visit Castle City, Montana, someday to see the ghost town she chose for her characters to live in. She currently lives on a hobby farm with her family in Wisconsin.

There are many ways to connect with Faith online. All of them can be found in one convenient place: http://FaithBlum.com. On her website you can find links to her various social media sites and both of her blogs as well as learn about any events she has coming up.

Excerpt

 

Detective Bradley Connor stepped off the train in Cheyenne and gathered his horse, saddle, and saddlebags from the cattle car. After stabling his horse at the livery and finding a hotel, he headed to the sheriff’s office.

“Are you the sheriff?” he asked the man behind the desk.

“I am. What can I do for you?”

“Bradley Connor. I’m a Pinkerton detective and I need some information from you.”

The sheriff sat up straighter. “Sheriff Leland Granger. I’ll certainly help in any way I can. What do you need to know?”

“Do you know of an Adelaide Brown?”

“Yes, I do. Surely she isn’t a criminal!” Sheriff Granger’s face was filled with horror.

“No, nothing like that. She simply ran away from someone and that person is looking for her. Could you tell me where she is staying?”

Sheriff Granger gave him an assessing look. “Why?”

“I need to speak with her alone. I have an uncomfortable feeling about the person who is looking for her and need to hear her side of the story first. Is she married?”

“No.”

Bradley leaned forward. “But she came out here as a mail order bride.”

“Yes, but she, and four others, were lured here by those ads. They were meant to be sold to saloons, but the outlaw’s plans were thwarted. Four of the five have now married. Adelaide is the only one who has not.”

“Why not?”

Sheriff Granger shrugged. “I don’t know. As for where she lives, she lives with Allen Reese and Edward Harris.” He gave Bradley the address. “But I would be careful about approaching her.”

Bradley nodded. “I will. Thank you.”

Bradley found the house and watched it carefully. It only took a few hours before he caught his first glimpse of her. She was truly as beautiful as his client had said she was. So why had she run away?

 

 

Giveaway

 

Faith’s sister, Naomi, graciously hand painted two beautiful bookmarks for this giveaway. There will be one lucky winner. The bookmarks are made with Adelaide in mind. Aren’t they gorgeous?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule

August 26
Bookish Orchestrations-Tour Introduction
Letters from Annie Douglas Lima-Excerpt
With a Joyful Noise-Excerpt
Rebekah Lyn Books-Excerpt
August 27
Blue-Brown Books-Author Interview
August 29
Singing Librarian Books-Excerpt
God’s Peculiar Treasure Rae-Excerpt
August 30
Ramblings of a Young Author-Review
August 31
Jaye L. Knight-Excerpt
Rachel Rossano’s Words-Excerpt
September 1
The Abrahamic Adventures-Excerpt
Writings, Ramblings, and Reflections-Character Interview (Adelaide)
September 2
Bookish Orchestrations-Tour Conclusion and Winner

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