Not a spirit of fear

I remember in 2006 I joined the Songbirds, directed by the wonderful Cynthia Ruchti. The last day of conference the Songbirds sing a song during worship.
So we get on stage, and I was so scared. I covered my face with my music book and prayed it would be over soon. Some stage presence eh?

2007 I was elected as Vice President and at the conference I introduced the Operating Board, then Robin and I introduced the Faculty together. I made a few mistakes since I couldn't read my own writing. :D And then spoke at the banquet handing out certificates to the Past Officers. I didn't faint or choke on my own tongue. I had notes and I did well.

2008 I talked to the faculty (even made a joke that people in the front laughed at). Alas, my voice didn't carry so they handed me a microphone so the people in the back of the room could here me. I skipped the joke that time. LOL. But then I introduced the faculty (with printed out notes, see I do learn from my mistakes). Then came time for the banquet where I needed to speak twice. Only problem? My notes were sitting at home with my camera. Sigh. So I got up in front of approximately 600 people and spoke without notes.

I got up on the platform without mishap (a miracle in and of itself) and looked out over the crowd. Made eye contact with several people and spoke.

Guess what? I was not even nervous. I liked it! Isn't amazing the change God can make in us in just a few short years. Several people came up to me afterward to tell me how poised and gracious I had been on stage. That meant so much to me to know that I seemed as comfortable as I felt. I know God knew I needed to hear that I'd done okay.

Mentors

How many of you have mentors? I've had mentors all my life, now that I sit back and look at it.

In writing, I have some people that really stands out as mentors.

One of them is Kelly Mortimer. She is a fabulous agent, fantastic writer, and fun to be with. (We roomed together at conference and found ourselves to be the best roomates. Our quirks worked well together. Although I'll admit the floor of her side of the closet looked way cleaner than mine, LOL.)

As a mentor, she has taught me more than I could ever list here. Now my rough drafts make more sense and I don't have to cut as much, but I do still give them a good polish before I send anything to Kelly. I so appreciate the things she catches. The first chapters I sent to her came back with so much red, I had trouble figuring it all out, lol. But I learned from that and the chapters come back with less red now. I still have a LOT to learn though. Writing is like life in that manner. If ya quit learning you're dead.

In the picture above, my lovely friend and mentor is being awarded the 2008 ACFW Agent of the Year Award! Woohoo! And it's so richly deserved.

Do you love America?

We're an extremely patriotic family. My father served in the Army as have many back in my family including my Great-grandfather, Moses Freeman, in the Civil War. My husband was prior Naval Air.

We love America. Land of the Free Home of the Brave.

And this coming election is going to require bravery. A spirit that won't give up. Because if you listen to any news, newspaper, television, newsletters. . .whatever, a great majority are in bed with the Democrats. (NOTE: Not all of the newspapers and journalist are. There are several brave journalist and newspaper owners out there that will not spout the rhetoric, they speak truth. And many papers have endorsed McCain. Those I applaud.) Part of their propaganda is to make all the Republican voters to believe that Obama has won already. They want people to believe that and not go vote.

My niece asked me the other day, "Auntie, did Obama win the election?"
"No, the election hasn't been held yet. It's the 4th of November."
"But the news says he's won."
"How can he win when the election hasn't even been held. The election isn't over until that last vote is counted."

People need to quit listening to the media and learn to think for themselves. They need to quit watching the news and do some research on the candidates. Things that Obama does that are shocking and appalling are covered up. If somehow the news gets out anyway, they think of another lie to tell about McCain and Palin to shift the attention. It's diversion. And then they blame the Republicans for their own faults. Isn't that rich? (Granted I didn't vote for McCain in the caucus, I voted for Mike Huckabee, but McCain's values run closer to mine than Obama's.) The Republicans have been blamed with the most ridiculous things. But let McCain or Palin slip up and it's worth three days full page full color spreads. Breaking news and all that. Anything to hide the fact that the candidate in whose pocket they sit does not have America's or American's best interest at heart. My family has heard a little bit about a birth certificate scandal, but of course the media will hush that up. I don't know if it's true, but if it is, then he isn't even qualified to run for President.
To this mega patriotic family, NOT saluting our flag-he doesn't like the design, and NOT singing our national anthem-it's too violent with all the bombs bursting in air-yeah it was a bloody mess winning our independence so people like you could run for President, is the ULTIMATE insult from any person on the street. Much less a person running for the PRESIDENT?! Why, if he doesn't like our country would he be wanting to lead it? Change is what he's pushing. You better believe it. He'd change things alright.

But I'm not going to worry over it. My God is bigger than Obama. My God is bigger than the media. And my God has a sense of humor. It's a very dry and ironic sense of humor. His will is perfect and nothing the candidates can do that will change that.

I told my husband the other day that I prayed for our nation. I pray for the sake of TEN souls that God will spare the United States. (Yes, I know there are more than ten souls, but it's an example of God's extreme mercy from the Old Testament.)

I guess the point of this post is to stand up for what I believe. Ask you all to pray for our nation. And do your duty and VOTE. Don't believe that someone has won, you go vote anyway. Then when the polls are closed and all the counts are in, then believe who has won.

To be a responsible American I suggest you go do some research. Especially if you are undecided. Don't research the candidates websites, they have a spin. You can look into the Republican and Democratic websites, but they will probably have spin as well. But you never know you may learn something you didn't know. I have a wonderful friend who has done massive amounts of research and on her blog, she posts her opinions and welcomes all other opinions. I suggest you go check it out. Her name is Kelly Mortimer and her blog addy is: http://www.kellymortimer.com

I'd like to address the current economic crisis. As a middle class American my economic stability has been GREATLY improved since Bush has taken office. Yes, there is a problem right now, but I think the opposition has worked for eight years to bring us this low. They used the media to push a lie and our reactions to that lie have brought about the very problem they were predicting. Then they point their fingers at our Commander and Chief screaming, "It's his fault." Times are tight right now and I know people are losing their jobs (I was one of them), but we are still blessed.

In my devotional the other day I read that the enemy, if not able to win us away from God, is just as happy making us ineffective in God's Kingdom. He whispers lies to keep us so focused on what we are NOT, that we miss all that God IS.

Don't let that happen in your lives. Focus on the HAVES and not the HAVE NOTS. Your perception just may change.

Okay, who needs the soapbox next? I'm stepping off it now. :D

And another thing. . .

I'd like to introduce you to another friend of mine. Another fabulous writer. Sushi for One? won first place in the Debut Author catagory in the ACFW's Book of the Year contest.

We both had oriental themed gowns (hers was authentic) and somewhere someone has a picture of us posing together. But she looks just lovely, as always. Very energetic.

She wrote Sushi for One?, Only Uni, and Single Sashimi. She also has a Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense coming out. . .I don't know when but this girl writes awesome suspense. Then she has three more coming out, so keep your eyes peeled, she's going to be rocking the shelves!

Back from the fiction

I've spent the last week working hard on two chapters to get sent to my mentor. I wanted to make sure they were my best work. :)

But I thought I'd let you guys know I'm still alive. And kicking.

Some pictures from the conference went up on the ACFW website and I "stole" a few, with permission. I'd thought I'd share some of those with you over the course of the next few days.

The first one is my lovely friend, Cheryl Wyatt and the Mall of America Book Signing this year. It's such a pretty picture of her (and if you look around her neck you will see one of the guitar pick necklaces that my husband makes and sells, the one she has, has a crucifix on the pick).

I was so excited for Cheryl to be at that booksigning, signing her Steeple Hill books. Her dream is coming true and it makes me so happy. She writes the Wings of Refuge series for Steeple Hill Love Inspired. They are stories about a United States Air Force Pararescue Jumpers (or PJ's which I like cause that's my initials :D).

Cheryl is a gifted writer and her stories are so wonderful, they will pull your emotions through all stages from laughter to tears, all woven with a Christian worldview that's not pushy or preachy, but real and wonderful. I don't know how she does it, but I'm so glad she does.

If you haven't read any of her books, do yourself a favor and buy both of them, and pre-order the one getting ready to come out. As one of her crit buddies, let me tell you, I loved the story and her way with words.

Love ya Sis!

In Memory of Mooch

This is not a great picture, he wasn't feeling too good at this point. He was usually so active we couldn't get a good picture of him. We have lots of blurry ones, lol.

Anyway this old fella was born 24 years ago and today he passed away.

He belonged to a couple named Norma and Gene. Gene passed away a couple years ago and Norma passed away late last year. My oldest son had done yard work for Norma (and we went to church with her and are friends with her nephew-the soldier I asked you all to pray for, he was in Iraq when Norma got so bad last year). He loved old Mooch and offered to take him in. We had nearly a year of joy from this old guy. Loving, kind, and sometimes funny (especially when he yelled at the dog, lol), he added to our lives.

Many tears have been shed today and our hearts are broken at his passing. He is already being missed.

So if you're a praying type, pray for my son as he is really taking this hard.

Mooch, ole fella, this one is for you!

What is a sugarglider?

I get asked that a lot when I mention my little pals. I have two, Will and Elizabeth. This picture is Will, he gets on my hand and climbs up my arm and will eat anything I give him. Elizabeth didn't feel like making a public appearance today so she stayed in the pouch and crabbed at me, although she did take the little marshmallow I offered her. :)

I don't recommend these as pets, though. I don't have to buy any extra food since we eat a lot of fruits, vegetable, natural and whole foods, which they enjoy. But they really are better off in their own habitat. These were given to me by someone who could no longer care for them and knew that I had a soft spot for animals.

I've been writing up a storm and now have some mopping up to do before I proceed. So back to work for me.

Have a blessed evening.

(PS my kids call these adorable creatures sugar rats. Which if my cat caught it, she wouldn't care that they cost about two hundred dollars.)

Whooops!

As a teacher of teenage girls I'm sometimes awed by the innocent wisdom of my young charges. Sometimes I am appalled, lol.

And upon occassion, I'm shocked at what comes out of my own mouth.

This last Sunday was no exception. I was reading from the book Bad Girls of the Bible, by Liz Curtis Higgs. We were talking bout Potipher's wife. I was picking up where they left off last Sunday (since I was out with a sore eye).

So I'm reading along and said something along the lines of, "she sent the servants out while she pinched her woo."
There was a long pause as I glanced back over what I'd just read. One of the kids asked, "What is a woo?" My co-teacher turned as red as her jacket!
I quickly scanned to see if I missed something and realized it said pitching her woo, not pinching. Sounds ever so much better, doesn't it?

I've done a Bostonian accent (giving birth) and something with a definate Scottish lilt. This one was the girls' favorite and since they were at the same birthday party as I was later in the day (and one of them is my niece) we got a lot of milage out of it.

Later in the evening, when we were singing some camp songs, my husband let us know his opinion of the song. "I like it better without the WOO." (He hadn't been present for the earlier ribbing so he was confused when all of us crumpled in laughter.) :D

Okay, now share with me any slips of the tongue you've had recently and let me know I'm not the only one.

Have a blessed day.

Shar

Hey gang!

I had the honor of meeting one of my favorite authors while I was at conference this year. Her name is Sharlene MacLaren (isn't she beautiful?). This is a picture someone took of us at the awards banquet on Saturday night.

This woman writes the most amazing stories. I'm addicted to them. I love her Hickman Creek Series (published by Whitaker House). Wonderful characters, beautiful setting, soul-stirring realistic stories. She just came out with a contemporary called Long Journey Home and although I haven't finished it yet, it promises to demand a spot on my keeper shelf as well.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Tagged on Tuesday

I think this is the second or third time I've been tagged. Once by Cheryl Wyatt and once by Margaret Daley.

I am supposed to tell you five random things about myself that you may not know. And then I get to tag five other people.

1. I graduated from high school before I turned 18 and STILL HAD A CURFEW!!

2. I love to take apart car engines and rebuild them. (Looking with envy at my son's classic Corvair's dual carb, air-cooled, rear mounted horizontal (spider) six cylinder.)

3. Being a farm girl I've had more calves sucking on my knees (they do that when your trying to milk their momma) and more cow patties on my shoes than I care to count.

4. Still have the baby doll I got for my sixth birthday. And I still brush her hair.

5. I talk to my many animals. And they understand me. (Except Bagel, he's not the brightest bulb in the chandelier. He's just happy I talk to him.)

Let's see I'm tagging Pam Hillman, Pam Meyers, Ane Mulligan, Cara Putman, Becky Yauger (I hope I spelled that right!) and to round it off, Michelle Sutton.

Have a wonderful evening. (Even if you're watching the debates like I am. Giving me indigestion.)

Monday Musing

I've been thinking (no comments on that) lately.

A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. This is breast cancer awareness month. I've even had a lumpectomy myself and understand the fear of waiting to hear if it was cancer. God was gracious in my case and it wasn't. This time.

Two more friends of mine are now waiting for the "results" on suspicious lumps or tumors.

I wonder if there is anyone on this earth that has had heart cancer. Is there such a thing? I believe there is in the spiritual world.

I admit I have little patience for people that hold a grudge. I mean, everyone makes mistakes. What's with people who can't let it go. Children have so much to learn sometimes go through a phase where they want to get people back. Some grow out of that phase. Some don't. Personally I hate confrontations (doesn't mean I run from them if their necessary, but I still don't like them, LOL) so I don't have the grudge cross to bear. My cross is something else. God gives us chance after chance after chance after chance. . .you get the picture. Who are we to do any less?
In my opinion life is way too short to waste on grudges. I mean, forgive and move on. What does that cost a person?

Think about the purpose of our lives. To glorify God, our Father and Creator. To worship Him. To proclaim Him, to show the world who He is by living like Him. Being the Light to a lost and dying world.
How can we be a pure light if we have ugly sludge of grudge and hate in our hearts?

Yeah, I have people I don't like. There are people I've learned not to trust. There are red flags I heed when I'm unsure of someone or something, but I'm willing to forgive and move on. There are people I will probably never befriend, but I feel that I should treat them like Christ would.

So. Do you have heart cancer? Is there anger or bitterness in your heart? Is there someone you might need to offer an apology to? If you can't bear to apologize can you at least admit to yourself that you've been wrong in your treatment of them, your thoughts of them and forgive them for whatever slight you suffered and let it go?

Even the man that was perfect was willing to forgive the men who took His life of their imperfections and their mistakes. He set a high standard for us.

Forgiveness. It does the heart (and soul) good! Try it. Or as Nike used to say. Just do it.

Have a blessed Monday evening.

New Releases for October

Where is the year going? It's gone by so fast it seems like a blur. Fall is upon us and our weather is getting colder. Brrr. But here are a few books to read while you are curled up under a comfy throw and drinking hot chocolate.

1. A Constant Heart by Siri Mitchell from Bethany House Publishers. In Queen Elizabeth’s court…beauty is a curse, friendship is bought and sold, and true love is the unpardonable sin.

2. A Little Bit of Faith, The Precious Girl's Club Book One by Cindy Kenney from Precious Moments Inc. Girls will discover how having a little bit of faith can help them overcome big challenges in this first book of a new series that encourages girls to celebrate the unique ways God made each one of them special and "precious in His sight."

3. A Taste of Murder, The Classical Trio Series Book 1 by Virginia Smith from Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense. When a young woman attends a small town's Bar-B-Q Festival, she stumbles across the path of a ruthless killer who's had a taste of murder... and is hungry for more.

4. Buffalo Gal, South Dakota Weddings series Book 1 by Mary Connealy from Heartsong Presents. A vegetarian and a cattle rancher go to war and fall in love.

5. Engaging Father Christmas (a novella) Sequel to Finding Father Christmas by Robin Jones Gunn from FaithWords. Miranda Carson returns to England to spend Christmas with Ian, now her boyfriend and her recently located family; unforeseen circumstances stand in the way of a happy Christmas.

6. Longings of the Heart Sydney Cover Series Book 2 by Bonnie Leon from Revell Publishing. John and Hannah Bradshaw survived betrayal and imprisonment. Now as they reach for a new beginning one evil heart lies waiting to tear their lives apart.

7. Love Finds You in Snowball, Arkansas, Launch book for Love Finds You series by Sandra D. Bricker from Summerside Press. Full-on, laugh-out-loud romantic comedy for the inspirational romance market.

8. My Sister Dilly by Maureen Lang from Tyndale House. Two sisters; one committed the unthinkable, one will never forgive herself.

9. On A Whim, The Katie Weldon Series Book 3 by Robin Jones Gunn from Zondervan. Katie and Rick are ready to move their relationship forward but as they make that step Katie’s life comes unglued leading her to rely on God’s plans for her.

10. Out of Her Hands, Sequel to Searching for Spice by Megan DiMaria from Tyndale House Publishers. Her children are making questionable choices, her father-in-law’s is coping with loss, and her best friend’s moving away. How can Linda manage when it’s really all out of her hands?

11. Snowbound Colorado Christmas by Susan Page Davis, Tamela Hancock Murray, Darlene Franklin, and Lena Nelson Dooley from Barbour. Love snowballs in four couples’ lives during the Blizzard of 1913. If they live through the storm, will love be there to greet each young woman on Christmas morn?

12. The Case of the Bouncing Grandma, Bouncing Grandma Mysteries Book 1 by A.K. Arenz from Sheaf House. Has Glory hit her head one too many times or was there really a foot dangling from the back of that carpet?

13. The Christmas Kite by Gail Gaymer Martin from Steeple Hill. An eight year old disabled boy provides the catalyst for his mother's and a reclusive kite builder's healing, as he opens their eyes to God's promises and love beyond understanding.

14. The Face of Deceit, Jackson's Retreat Series Book 2 by Ramona Richards from Steeple Hill/Love Inspired Suspense. When Karen O'Neill's "face vases" spark murder, art crime investigator Mason DuBroc knows a long-hidden secret is appearing in her art . . . a secret someone will kill for.

15. The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner from WaterBrook Press. The 300-year-old diary of a victim of the Salem Witch Trials challenges a young English major's worldview.

16. Waiting for Daybreak by Kathryn Cushman from Bethany House. A young pharmacist must choose between exposing negligence or keeping the job that's paying her dying mother's medical bills.

17. Walk with Me, Contemporary Minnesota series Book 1 by Becky Melby and Cathy Wienke from Barbour Publishing. When the first parolee in the Sanctuary program run by Sydney Jennet’s church turns out to be a handsome blue-eyed believer, her small town, and her heart, are no longer safe.

Happy reading!

List composed by:
Jill Eileen Smith
ACFW New Releases Coordinator

Now to dig out my sweatshirts and long sleeved shirts. Fall is one of my favorite times of year!