And After the Judges Came …
We finished our in-home study of Judges before Christmas, but I never got around to posting the online part.
The night of our last study I received word that a very close family friend had gone to be with the Lord. Writing discussion highlights fell by the wayside as I booked flights and spent the weekend celebrating the life of an amazing man, one who ran the race well and beat us all to that great reunion with our Creator. That sounds quite jubilant. It was actually, as you can imagine, an exceedingly difficult weekend. That weekend tumbled into an unusual Christmas and … well, here we are in the new year and I’ve yet to finish things up!
The good news is that the workbook we used overlaps with our next study which we’ll begin soon. Oh, I’m getting ahead of myself.
The theme of Judges has been consistent. The people did what was right in their own eyes BUT God is still ceaselessly loving. He is tenacious in bringing people back to Himself even as they try to push Him away. Not because He desires to control them, but because He loves them and desperately wants what is good and best for them.
This living God is our God, and He pursues you and me in the same relentless way. Read the rest of this entry
Bloggy Rambles
Every year WordPress sends out an annual report. Here are some stats for me in 2011.
The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 13,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 5 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.
In 2011, there were 81 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 765 posts. There were 131 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 222mb. That’s about 3 pictures per week.
The busiest day of the year was July 24th with 260 views. The most popular post that day was Disney World: Advice for First-Timers.
You may also be interested to know my most-visited posts of the past year.
- Disney World: Advice for First-Timers
- The Newest Dennis Adventure
- When a boy breaks his leg …
- Strawberry-Peach Oatmeal Crumble
- The Perfect Gift
Interestingly, only three of those were actually written in 2011! The most frequently googled phrases that led people to my site include “book purse,” “spica cast” and “strawberry peach crumble.” Apparently, if I want more readers, we should have more family injuries and I should spend more time creating recipes. 
Mostly this tiny corner of cyberspace is where I dump my thoughts, where I process what I’m learning about God and myself through life and books. Entertaining at times, but more often cathartic for me. Yet I want it to also be a useful site — and I don’t mean just about Disney or desserts, but one that challenges you to grow deeper in love with our Creator. I want to offer something helpful for you in your journey toward knowing God. Hopefully, in spite of what the stats say, I have done that. At least a little.
So, this morning as I re-evaluated my intentions for this site, I spent far too much time browsing new web templates. After three years of looking the same, it’s feeling a little tired. I also noticed that I have employed nearly 150 different labels. Something needs to be done about that. I’ve got that familiar itch for a site overhaul. Something that reflects my theme of seeking the Lord and His presence in the dailies (Psalm 105:4).
If any of you are into web design or know someone who can do it on the cheap, I’m listening!
Thus ends my bloggy rambles for the day.
Lucky 13
Thirteen years ago today, in the middle of a blizzard in rural Indiana, I married someone I thought I knew. Together we stood in front of friends and family and vowed to spend the rest of our lives together no matter what.
Since then we have lived in seven homes in three states. We have been blessed with two miracle babies (after more than four years battling infertility) and, between the two of us, have endured at least thirteen employers. We’ve had seven different cars and, until last year, never had more than one working car at a time. In all this time we have attended only three churches. We’ve read countless books, watches hundreds of movies, traveled to two countries and fourteen states. We’ve had thousands of disagreements, but only three major arguments.
I didn’t really know him thirteen years ago, but I didn’t really know me either. This weekend Rick asked me to marry him again. Absolutely. In a heartbeat.
I have no idea what the next thirteen years may bring … Oh, my. I don’t even want to imagine it! Time goes by too quickly without me picturing our kids at ages 19 and nearly 21! In spite of our beginning (the fire, blizzard, and all sorts of other mishaps) and our middle (everything mentioned and not mentioned above), I have no doubt that the future will be amazing. Not perfect, but certainly an adventure well worth the investment. Just as it has been from the moment we said “I do.”
Here’s to lucky 13.
Welcome to 2012!
Happy New Year to you and yours! Thus dawns the season of dreaming big and striving to be better.
As I look into 2012, the usual suspects are there: more exercise, healthier diet, proper priorities … you know, the ones always made and just as consistently broken. We all know January is hopeful with its new beginning (fresh, with no mistakes in it), but we also know that February, unfortunately, will find most of our newly-made resolutions forgotten or abandoned.
It doesn’t make sense. Resolutions, by the very definition of the word, cannot be broken. The are firm, like iron, yet we claim them so flippantly. I much prefer the word “goal.” It’s a little softer, with a bit more forgiveness built in. Of course, that could mean I make my goals with the intention of never fully keeping them. I may have to ponder that a bit more.
In the meantime, I will set my annual goals, but I am also choosing to focus more on the continuation of new habits: consistent Bible reading, regular discipline with my writing, jealously defending family time.
For the past two years I’ve hosted the Read with Me Challenge. Several of you have shared your testimonies about how this initiative has helped you or changed your perspectives on some things. It’s amazing what God can do when we intentionally seek Him through His Word. Let’s keep it up!
This challenge started with a small committed group reading the same passages each day of the year (or at least attempting to). The goal was to read through the entire Bible in one year (or two). This year the goal is simply to keep reading. It doesn’t matter which reading plan you use or how quickly you read … as long as you read. I will continue to post on Fridays about what I’m reading or some tips on consistent prayer and Bible time. If you have some thoughts to share, you’re welcome to guest post! Just let me know.
If you need help finding a plan or staying abreast of the plan you’ve chosen, check out YouVersion.com. This is an app available on android/iphone/pod/pad, PC, and Kindle fire. Not only does it offer reading plans, it also lets you make bookmarks and notes (including highlights in various colors), and it will sync across all of the aforementioned devices. As you read through each day, you can check off the readings (or it will check it off for you in some cases). It also provides the ability to download certain versions like the ESV/NASV to you device for offline reading.
This app is FREE as are some of the downloadable Bible versions.
Never Taking Down Christmas
With Christmas just four days behind us, facebook is already flooded with updates of taking it down. Down come the trees and the lights and the wreaths and all sorts of merry and bright. It kind of makes me sad. Christmas seems to come and go all too quickly. Maybe this year I’ll never take it down. And wouldn’t that be wonderful?
When I consider all the elements that contribute to the miracle of that first Christmas — and then, of course, add to that all the amazing ramifications of our Incarnate King and the salvation He brings — I am awestruck, silenced by an incomprehensible love. This grace juxtaposed with the total depravity of humanity, most specifically me, magnifies my complete unworthiness.
Christmas is a beautiful, joyous season, but the spirit of it, the elation we feel at realizing its significance, should permeate every day of the year. Now I’ll not break out into a hand-holding world peace anthem, but think about it. Jesus didn’t come as a baby to stay a baby. He didn’t come just to be the centerpiece of cute, bucolic scenes or the theme of tender winter lullabies. He came to be King and Savior.
Savior.
Perhaps we’ve overused the word. Have we become so familiar with the term that we no longer see the wonder in it? May it never be so.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
Isaiah 9:6–7 (ESV)
Guest Blogger Rachel Hauck: The Reason For the Season
Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!
Merry Christmas from all of us at Pearl Girls™! We hope you enjoyed these Christmas “Pearls of Wisdom” from the authors who were so kind to donate their time and talents! If you missed a few posts, I hope you’ll be able go back through and read them on this blog over the next few days. If you’d like to keep up with Pearl Girls and our new book project, Mother of Pearl, coming this spring, just click this link and sign up for our newsletter (lower left sidebar).
Also, just a reminder that today is the last day for the pearl necklace and earrings giveaway! Enter now by filling out this {form}. The winner will on 1/1 at the Pearl Girls blog.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we’re all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
Jesus — The Reason For the Season
By: Rachel Hauck
Through the narrow scope of 2000 years, Mary, the mother of Jesus, appears to be one lucky woman. Chosen by God to give birth to His son, the Savior of the world? All right, Mary, way to go.
“Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you,” Gabriel said.
How many of us would like a declaration like that? Highly favored. The Lord is with you. But Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
The angel told her, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Mary’s seems confident and resolved when she responds, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”
She’d just been told the Holy Spirit will come upon her, that God’s power will overshadow her, that she’d become with child even though she wasn’t married, and she said, “I’m the Lord’s servant. Let your words be true.”
I find this amazing! A young woman. Ancient Bethlehem. Unwed mother. They stoned women for such things in her day. But Mary believed in God. And submitted to His will. He gave her the Holy Spirit – the same Holy Spirit given to us. If He gave her confidence, He will give us confidence. Even though, like Mary, our situation seems impossible.
Listen to Mary’s song later on in the first chapter of Luke.
“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me Holy is his name…”
Conceiving a child out of wedlock, by Divine intervention. Not a girl’s every day existence. Yet she had a Yes in her heart to God. She rejoiced. She boldly said, “Generations will remember me!”
How we struggle to trust God with our children. Our finances. Our emotional well-being. We worry. We fret. And wonder why we have no peace.
Christmas is the season where words like joy, peace and love are bantered around like Christmas candy. Let’s not take them as just words, but as truth. Let’s be like Mary and embrace God’s favor on our lives. Boldly declare “He’s done great things for me!”
Out of the grit of our own souls, we can reach His heart, and feel Him reaching for ours. No matter the pain of our past, present or future, God is there for us. He is able. Best of all, He is willing. “My soul glorifies the Lord this Christmas!”
Rachel Hauck is an award winning, best selling author who believes God has done great things for her. She lives in Central Florida with her husband and ornery pets. Her next release is Love Lifted Me with multi-platinum country artist Sara Evans, January 2012. Then in April, look for The Wedding Dress. www.rachelhauck.com.
Guest Blogger: The Panhandler’s Breath
Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!
Enjoy these Christmas “Pearls of Wisdom” from some of today’s most beloved writer’s (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.
AND just for fun … there’s also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form} and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 – 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we’re all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
The Panhandler’s Breath
By Robin Dance
He slipped in sideways between the closing elevator doors, as if he were late to a meeting; he pressed the “5″ without looking. Instead of suit and tie, though, baggy pants and faded navy hung on his tall, slim frame…and his stealth entry stiffened the hairs on the back of my neck.
I had noticed him a few seconds earlier, just after we had parted a sea of clamorous teens. He was smiling, grandfatherly, standing maybe 30 feet away where the electric shuttle picks up.
I had no idea he had been watching us, studying us, predator patiently awaiting his next prey.
The four of us were sealed in a four- by six-foot metal tomb. Tomb–that thought really scampered across my mind. I wondered if he had a knife in his pocket. I wanted to protect my son. Fight or flight pumped adrenaline but there was no where to run.
Extreme and ridiculous, these thoughts – and more – flashed through my mind. The Stranger began speaking.
“Yessir, I see you’re a family man with your wife and your son here…” and he nodded in my and my son’s direction.
“…you see I’m homeless and all I’ve got…” and on queue, he reached into his left pocket and pulled out two old pennies blackened with age. Two cents to his name?! It was all too contrived, too practiced, and I didn’t believe a word he was saying.
It was then I smelled it ~ the small space lent itself to that ~ and I doubted my doubt.
His breath.
It wasn’t the scent of alcohol. His eyes weren’t red, his voice didn’t waver; his wizened face matched his graying hair.
His breath was morning’s, zoo breath, the pet name I’d given to the scent inhaled when kissing my children awake when they were little.
He needed to brush his teeth. I wondered how long it had been since he brushed his teeth.
The elevator door opened and I handed him my leftover pizza as my son and I brushed past him. My husband handed him a bill and the Stranger thanked and God blessed him.
The elevator door closed behind us. Conflicted, I was relieved.
We got in the car and blurted first reaction–
“I didn’t believe a word he said.”
“That made me nervous.”
“I wonder if he’ll really eat the pizza.”
In the quiet, we were left to our own thoughts, contemplating the right thing to do. At the end of the day, this is what I decided: It doesn’t matter whether or not his story is true; for an old man to resort to begging, he has to be desperate. The money my husband gave him will never be missed. It was a reminder we’ve been entrusted with much and given much. Materially, yes, but more so spiritually. Loved, chosen, forgiven, redeemed, graced, lavished–every spiritual blessing. E v e r y.
There’s a part of me that wishes I would have been brave enough to ask the man his story, made sure he knew he was loved…and bought him a tooth brush.
Later, it occurred to me he could have been an angel. Doesn’t that mean generosity, kindness and hospitality is always the right response? Then it’s not about you or the stranger or the circumstance, it’s about a simple, God-glorifying response.
Had we entertained an angel unaware? We’ll never know.
But it wouldn’t be the first time the Breath of Heaven smelled like a zoo.
In a decades-old, scandalous affair with her husband, Robin also confesses mad crushes on her three teens. As Southern as sugar-shocked tea, she’s a recovering people pleaser who advocates talking to strangers. A memoirist, Compassion International Blogger, and Maker-upper of words, Robin writes for her own site, PENSIEVE, and also for (in)courage by DaySpring (a subsidiary of Hallmark) and Simple Mom. She loves to get to know readers through their blog comments and on Twitter and Pinterest. www.pensieve.me
Guest Blogger Debora M. Coty: Inside Out Christmas
Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!
Enjoy these Christmas “Pearls of Wisdom” from some of today’s most beloved writer’s (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.
AND just for fun … there’s also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form} and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 – 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we’re all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
Inside Out Christmas
by Debora M. Coty
My veterinarian friend, Dr. Katie, tells the story about the December when a woman brought a very sick black lab into her clinic. The dog was only ten months old, so she was really just a big puppy, but she’d been vomiting incessantly and her worried owner didn’t know what was wrong.
“Why don’t you go on home?” Dr. Katie told the owner. “I’ll need to run tests for about four hours. We’ll give you a call when we’re finished.”
Dr. Katie’s assistant took x-rays and hung them on the light panel for Dr. Katie to examine. Hmm. Something looked a little peculiar. Dr. Katie called her assistant over.
“Is it just me, or does that look like a … a camel to you?” she asked incredulously.
“Matter of fact, it does,” replied the astute assistant. “And look, there’s an angel here, a shepherd there, and down there in the colon, it’s Baby Jesus!”
At that moment the phone rang. It was the dog’s distraught owner. “I can’t believe this! I just got home and glanced at the coffee table where I put my manger scene yesterday. There’s nothing there but an empty stable!”
As I thought about this quite literal technique for internalizing the true meaning of Christmas, it occurred to me that sometimes I have the opposite problem. With all the bustling busyness, my inner joy in celebration of my savior’s birth never really makes it to the outside.
Oh, I have plenty of glittery, festive evidences of the holiday in decorations, baking galore, and gifts under my tree. But those things are for show. They’re merely the pretty wrappings, not the gift itself.
Can people really see the core-deep joy that radiates within me when I think of the true gift that Papa God sent the world in his son, Jesus? Is my immeasurable gratitude for eternal life evident as I dash through this hectic season?
I’m afraid all too often, the answer is no.
I’m just too preoccupied to allow my outside to reflect my inside so that nonbelievers recognize that I rejoice because of the hope that is within me. My joy is obscured by the mounds of clutter. Gratefulness is sucked out of my soul by the vacuum called urgency.
“But let the godly rejoice. Let them be glad in God’s presence. Let them be filled with joy” (Psalm 68:3, NLT).
This verse has become my prayer this Christmas season – that I would make the time to give priority to rejoicing, being glad in God’s presence, and letting my inner joy show for those who may be silently desperate to know the giver of true joy.
Yep, there’s a better way to internalize the gift of Christmas than the black lab technique. We can lodge the Little Lord Jesus in our hearts rather than our colons.
Debora M. Coty is a humorist, inspirational speaker, and award-winning author of twelve books, including Too Blessed to be Stressed, and coming in March, More Beauty, Less Beast: Transforming Your Inner Ogre. Debora would love to swap Christmas hugs with you at www.DeboraCoty.com.
Simple or Sparkle? by Guest Blogger Tracey Eyster
Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!
Enjoy these Christmas “Pearls of Wisdom” from some of today’s most beloved writer’s (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.
AND just for fun … there’s also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form} and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 – 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we’re all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
Simple or Sparkle?
by Tracey Eyster
It’s a simple ornament made of thin cheap metal and it looks quite out of place on our CHRISTmas tree. But each year I lovingly and safely nestle it amongst its expensive and sparkly peers, without a care as to how unglamorous it appears.
Many of our CHRISTmas ornaments have a story and an uncanny way of welling up emotion in me, but this certain one causes an intense stir.
You see the ornament is engraved with the name of my grandmother, Sara, and was given to me by my mother, who ordered it from Hospice, after Grandmama’s death. Yes, the months leading up to her death carry memories of a frail and failing grandmama, but that ornament carries my thoughts to sweet CHRISTmas memories of the past.
CHRISTmas Eve dinners in her home, laughing, singing, gathering and celebrating a year filled with blessings as we remembered the birth of our Savior. CHRISTmas mornings, she was always there participating with glee, in our raucous CHRISTmas happiness. Her gifts were always bank envelopes gently tucked into the pine needles of our CHRISTmas tree, fresh cut from the property she grew up on.
All memories of my Grandmama make my heart swell. You see she was my Jesus with skin on. She lived her life full of joy, serving others and approached life selflessly with an attitude of, “What can I do for you?”
Just months before she left us, even as the Alzheimer’s was robbing her mind she shared her love of Jesus with a sweet little old lady friend, who came to know the Lord – a divine appointment. The very next day that little old lady silently slipped away to meet in person the One Sara introduced her to just the day before.
At the time I wept, realizing that regardless of our own frailties and failings, God can still use those of us who are willing to do His work and are well practiced at hearing His voice…no matter our lack of sparkle in comparison to others.
A simple life lived for Him, a simple ornament in memory of Sara…a simple truth for you to ponder.
Tracey Eyster wife, mom, relationship gatherer and Creator/Editor of FamilyLife’s MomLife Today is a media savvy mom making a difference where moms are, on-line. Through speaking, writing and video interviews Tracey is passionate about encouraging, equipping and advising moms on every facet of momlife. Her first book, Be The Mom will be released August 2012. You can connect with Tracey at www.momlifetoday.com, her personal site www.traceyster.com or www.twitter/momblog.com.
Author Susan May Warren Guest Blogger: Enjoy the Ride!
Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas!
Enjoy these Christmas “Pearls of Wisdom” from some of today’s most beloved writer’s (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.
AND just for fun … there’s also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form} and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 – 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.
If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we’re all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.
Enjoy the Ride!
Susan May Warren
We sit poised on the top of a cliff, a near drop off before us, that falls to a rushing river. In the middle, a bridge of snow and ice hints at our destination. My husband guns the snowmobile engine. “Ready?”
Ready? For a face plant into a tree, maybe reconstructive surgery? To feel my stomach ripped from my body as we plummet down the mountain? Let’s do it!
We live on five acres of woods in northern Minnesota that butts up to a national forest. Hence, our backyard is about a hundred thousand acres. Aside from harboring deer, lynx, fox, cougar and bear, it also makes excellent snowmobile terrain. And not long ago, Mrs. Claus gave her Santa a snowmobile for two.
I love snowmobiling. Flying over the snow, catching air over drifts. I love to drive, to be at the helm of the beast as I weave around trees and over hill and dale, my husband sitting behind me. I also love riding behind my husband as he drives, feeling those powerful arms as he’s muscling the snowmobile into the wilds. We follow unknown trails, driven by a Magellan spirit, hoping that we have enough gas to get us back to civilization. I love hanging on, simply trusting him, knowing that wherever he’s taking me, he’s going first.
But there are times, when I see where he’s taking me, and I just have to bury my head in his back. Like straight down a cliff.
However, my heart cheers, despite the terror as we gun it down the hill, over the river, up the opposite side. And, if we hadn’t let ourselves go, we would have never discovered the beauty of a winter river, a hidden jewel buried deep in the forest. Nor the exhilaration of facing the challenge together.
Further on, we find an enchanted forest of towering white pine. Catch a view of Lake Superior, discover an old cabin in the woods.
It occurs to me that snowmobiling is much like my spiritual life. Occasionally, I drive, and it’s me setting our course, weaving through the trees, getting us hopelessly lost. But when God takes the “wheel” and I hang on, trusting Him for the speed and destination, I see the scenery. I trust him to keep me safe. I trust him to bring me home, where there is an eternal supply of hot chocolate.
As Christmas season becomes more hectic, what if I let God drive? Maybe everything doesn’t have to be perfect, and maybe I don’t have to control every tradition, every holiday nuance. What if I just held on for the ride?
I’ll bet I’ll still get there, and I might even enjoy the scenery along the way.
How have you let go, and “enjoyed” the scenery of this hectic, exhilarating Christmas season?
Merry Christmas!
Susan May Warren is the RITA award-winning author of thirty novels with Tyndale, Barbour, Steeple Hill and Summerside Press. A four-time Christy award finalist, a two-time RITA Finalist, she’s also a multi-winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice award, and the ACFW Carol Award. A seasoned women’s events speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!. She is also the founder of www.MyBookTherapy.com, a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice.
