Celebrating My Husband

Welcome to another Celebrate the Small Things post.  Today I am celebrating my husband and his willingness to serve.  He left last weekend with approximately thirty others from our church and went to Joplin, MO to assist in the rebuilding efforts that have continued since an EF5 tornado struck two years ago.  I miss him and can't wait for him to come home, but I am so thankful that he answered God's call to assist in this mission.

I am also thankful for Helping His Hands, a ministry created to assist in disaster torn areas.  This organization is who our church partnered with to make the mission trip possible.  They provided the sleeping quarters, showers, and all the meals.  I am thankful there are people who care enough to do this work.

My husband will be home today, and I'm looking forward to hearing all about this journey God sent him on.

What are you celebrating today?

Called to write...but what?

When I first discovered my passion for writing, I imagined myself writing young adult (YA) romance stories.  As I got older, the idea of writing YA didn't seem so appealing.  I wrote a couple western/romance that still need plenty of work.  And then I (unintentionally) wrote a YA which I am now trying to get published.  I think that's interesting, really.

I've made it no secret that I'm a Christian.  And as a Christian, I believe God equips people with different gifts, or abilities if you prefer, and that everyone has a purpose.  Purpose.  That's not just a "Christian" concept.  I think many people regardless of their faith question what their lives are meant to be about.  They may ask what the point is.  And that's sort of where I am right now.  I'm not questioning the purpose of my life, but I am questioning the purpose of my writing.  I keep asking God to show me how I can use writing (the ability given to me) for God.  This is an appropriate time to be considering this since I am getting ready to start my next novel.  Except this next project is not going to be YA.  It will be Christian, though.

So far I haven't received a clear answer for my question.  However, this morning as I was thinking about it, I was reminded of my desire to help children.  The whole point of majoring in Psychology was to get my doctorate and have my own practice to help abused and neglected kids.  Although my college education ended with my B.S. and I am not technically using the education I received, I don't believe I wasted any time on Psychology.  Perhaps there's a way to fit it all together.  Maybe that's where my answer is.  Or, and this is very probable because I truly believe God is preparing me for something, I don't have all the pieces to the puzzle yet.  Writing may be one piece, my Psyc education another.  And perhaps the remaining pieces will be forthcoming sometime soon.  I am currently writing devotions for the Olive Branch, but I don't think that is all I am meant to do.

Anyway, I wonder how many other writers wonder if they are called or meant to write for a specific audience.  That being said, I hope you'll share your own thoughts below.  If you don't necessarily feel led, but still have a preference, feel free to share that too.

Query Got Ya Down?

Mine sure does! I'm back at it again; my third attempt did not turn out so well.  I wish I could snap my fingers (or tap the keyboard) and have a perfect query appear.  But that isn't going to happen.

I've gotten great feedback on each of my attempts, so I'm glad for that at least.  My biggest problem initially was keeping my query from reading like a synopsis.  Now I'm having a hard time narrowing down what to put in the query.  There's a lot going on in the story.  My MC (Emily) wants her friendship with her best friend (Nicky, a guy, not a girl) to become something more.  She also is dealing with alcoholic/abusive parents, and her not-so-great relationship with them becomes worse when their friend rapes her.  And on top of all that, she's trying to figure out her relationship with God.  She believes in God, but she has trouble believing Him to be a loving God considering everything she's been through.  How the heck do I narrow all that down? Plus, part of the story takes place when Emily is still a child.  Actually, it's a pretty good chunk.  And I really think I have to get that across in the query somehow.  But maybe I'm wrong.  I don't know.  When it comes to queries, I have a lot to learn still!

Eventually I'll have a workable query, and when I do, I'll post it to share.  And in case I don't get a chance to post in the next few days, HAPPY NEW YEAR'S! Come on 2012...bring on my dream agent!

Arose Blessings

Today's post is about a ministry that was started by a friend of mine.  God has called her to share His love in a very unique way.  My friend puts together wooden rose arrangements and sells them.  With each sale she donates an arrangement to a hospital patient or nursing home resident.  Isn't that awesome? When my friend first told me of her idea, I thought it was very creative.  If you've ever been to a nursing home, you know how dreary they can be.  And though some residents have family who come to see them often, many do not.  Hospitals aren't much better.  Being confined to a hospital bed is depressing.  The residents/patients who are on the receiving end of this ministry get a beautiful reminder that they are never alone and are always loved.  And the cool thing is the flowers won't die which makes them a permanent reminder.  You can find more information at Arose Blessings.  And for anyone nearby, she is having a yard sale tomorrow morning and will be selling arrangements at her house.  Check out the link I gave!

I think sometimes we're too intimidated to reach out and help someone.  We think it will takes tons of effort on our part, or money, or whatever.  Or we think there are too many people, and we just can't help them all.  But the truth is it doesn't take much.  Everyone can help someone ~ by sending a card, taking a meal, offering a listening ear, or simply asking what can be done.

Helen Keller said it best: "I am only one, but still I am one.  I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."  How wise of her!   

Honest Questions Regarding Religion

When I was a child, I believed in Santa Claus.  On Christmas Eve, I would search the sky in hopeful anticipation, fully expecting to see Santa and his reindeer.  Over time, I learned that Santa was not real after all.  However, I knew of many kids who still believed.  I did not ridicule them because I didn't care.  Their belief in Santa wasn't, and still isn't, a threat to me.

I tell you this because I often wonder why people who do not believe in God get so worked up about the subject of religion.  Why get so defensive if you don't believe? I believe in God.  I believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins.  I have accepted him as my savior and I have a close, personal relationship with him.  When I share that knowledge, I do it with respect, and I understand many people do not share my beliefs.  I don't force anything upon other people.  So I honestly and sincerely ask, if you don't believe, why are you so disrespectful to those of us who do believe?

I don't believe in Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, or Zeus for that matter.  But I don't accuse believers of non-Christian faiths as being babies who believe in fairy tales.  I don't lash out at them or ridicule them.  I may pray for them, but only out of brotherly love.  Not hate.

So why fight so hard agaisnt something you do not believe to be real? If you think the Bible is a book of fiction, why do you care if I read it? And why do you care what it says? Better yet, why do some atheists use parts of the Bible to justify their disbelief? That doesn't make any sense at all!