Happy Thanksgiving!

I have so much to be thankful for. Since today is November 24th, I've decided that I'll do 24 things I'm thankful for this year - particularly with my writing.

I'm thankful for -

1. The support of family and friends. They keep me going!

2. Having a book in print!!!! This one is huge! I feel like a "real" author now. (By the way, it's available in print from Amazon now!)

3. Getting a marketing team. I signed with Merge Left Marketing and I'm so excited to see where they take me next.

4. The stories that God gives me to write. While I would never claim that the words I write are directly from God, I know that He guides and directs me as I write.

5. The likes I have on Facebook. I just started this journey this year, and I really appreciate the people who have liked my page.

6. Publishing 2 books this year. January was when Resolution Room was released (it's now in print - in case you missed #2). Just this week, I released Snowfall, my new Christmas novella.

7. Having the opportunity to meet other authors and learn from them. Authors are so great at being willing to share their own experience, and give advice to new authors. It's been wonderful to have those chances to connect with others.

8. Being part of American Christian Fiction Writers. I know that I haven't yet begun to tap into this wonderful resource. I tend to get busy and forget it's there or find the emails a nuisance. I'm hoping to get better at using it this next year.

9. Killercovers.com and they wonderful covers they've given me through the years. With my new marketing team, I probably won't be using them anymore, but I've always loved working with them and their work has been beautiful!

10. Reviews. I'm very thankful that most of my reviews are positive, but any reviews are helpful. They're so important to people looking for a book to read so if you've written reviews for my books - thank you!

11. My editors. I can't afford professional editors so I'm very thankful for the people who have been willing to come alongside me and look over my book to try to catch as many errors as they can - Kim Larsen, Ashley Beaulieu, Meghan James, and Rachel Lyman.

12. Blogging. I know I'm not always as faithful as I'd like to be with this, but I enjoy having this space to write and share a little deeper.

13. Book series. I'm working on Holliday Hotel book 2 and I'm loving it. I feel like I get to go back and visit old friends.

14. The urge to write. If it's been too long between writing sessions, there's this strong urge to sit down and write. I need that motivation.

15. Incentives. My publisher has given me a few incentives during the publishing process, which apparently I need to get things accomplished.

16. God's guidance. There have been several times where I've been dealing with the business side of writing (not my strong suit) and I've felt God directing me.

17. Tea. I know it's funny, but I love sitting down at my computer with a cup of tea. It's something that indicates to my brain that it's time to slow down and focus so I feel ready to write when I have my tea with me.

18. My husband, Joel. He helps me make big decisions and oftentimes pushes me to the next level when I'd rather sit in my comfort zone. I wouldn't be where I am now without him.

19. My laptop. I couldn't write without it! And I love having the ability to take my writing with me.

20. Book sales. Although I love writing just for writing sake, it's nice to know that the hours I put into a book are worth something. Each sale makes me thank God and puts a smile on my face.

21. Typing classes in high school. It seemed so tedious at the time, but now I appreciate being able to type efficiently. (My kids are impressed when I can turn my attention to them and keep typing at the same time, too.)

22. Time. This is my friend and my enemy. When I get busy, my writing is one of the first things that gets moved to the back burner. It makes me appreciate when I do have time to write even more.

23. Self-imposed deadlines. I rarely meet my self-imposed deadlines, but I think I'd be even further behind if I didn't have them at all.

24. Readers. I'm very thankful for each of you who has taken time to read my books. I can't thank you enough! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! God Bless!

Learning about Marketing

I've discussed before how miserable I am at marketing. I hate to talk up my works, I hate feeling like I'm bugging people, and I hate pushing for a sale. However, it's necessary. Without it, no one every hears about me. No one buys my books. And I may as well just write in a journal to pass around to my family instead of publishing my stories.

So here's what I've learned lately. Marketing is expensive. To pay professionals to do things for you is costly. I've stared at the numbers I've been given with a sinking feeling in my stomach. There's no way this is feasible - at least not for me. Thankfully, I have a friend who has a marketing company. He's agreed to meet with me and see what I can do on my own, what his company can help with me for a lot less, and help me figure out the best plan of action. I'm so grateful for this. I've learned that I can't do it on my own, so I'm looking forward to having assistance.

The other thing I've learned is the importance of you - my readers. Publishers look for at least 50 reviews on a book before they take it seriously. The most I have on any one book is 18. I need your help! If you've read my books, please, please, PLEASE take a few moments to go review them! I want you to be completely honest. I learn from the reviews as well. Negative comments help me improve as a writer.

Another way you can help is by sharing with your friends and family. The number one advertisement is word of mouth. Talk to people about the books you like. Go on Goodreads.com and give suggestions to friends who you think would like my books. Your recommendation goes a long way!

I was on Amazon yesterday and just discovered that I think I can do give aways on Amazon now. So I'm going to be looking into that as well. I'm hoping to have my first give away set up on black Friday.

Hopefully all of these things will help me develop a skill that I sadly lack, but need. I really appreciate your help. You are the best marketing I can get.

Election Reflections

Before I begin, I want to assure you that this is not really a political post. I'm not intending to justify my vote or condemn someone else's. My purpose in writing this is to remind believers of how Christians ought to view and react to any election. With all the negativity we've seen this week, I certainly don't want to add more. I simply want to be an encouragement.

Elections can be divisive. I've witnessed it on many different levels. Emotions get charged up, feelings get hurt, winners can be boastful, and losers can be angered. Christians should have a brighter outlook on these events than anyone else - regardless of which candidate they picked. We have several things that set us apart.

First, we have a heavenly focus, not an earthly one. Sometimes it's hard to remember that as we struggle through the day to day life, as we get wrapped up in current events. But we're simply sojourners on this earth. Everything here is temporary, but one day we'll be in a perfect home with a perfect king forever. Philippians 3:20 says, "But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ," Regardless of how you feel about the current political situation, this is the true focus we should have. Our citizenship is in heaven. Whatever happens here is fleeting.

Second, God is sovereign. I get so tired of Christians acting like God fell asleep while events were happening on earth, like He woke up and was surprised by what had happened. When things are good, He is in control and when things are bad - He is still in control. This is especially true in politics. No matter who is in the White House, it's because God put them there. Daniel 2:21 says, "He changes times and seasons;    he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise  and knowledge to those who have understanding;" Daniel wrote these things while he was in exile. He was living under kings who were far from godly. He could have easily said, "They're not my king." Instead, he served under them loyally, but with the understanding that his first loyalty was to God. How could he do this? Because he understood that it was God who establishes kings and it's God who takes them down. We are one nation under God, but it's not just us. Every nation in the world is one nation under God - whether they acknowledge it or not.

Third, God tells us to honor those in authority over us. 1 Peter 2:21 says, "Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor." I just finished a study on 1 Peter and I was reminded that the emperor at the time this was written was Nero. He was a vicious emperor who did cruel things to Christians. Yet they were told to honor him. They didn't have to like what he did or agree with it, but they had to respect his position. Why? Because God put him there.

Fourth, we are to pray for those who lead. 1 Timothy 2:1-2 says, "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way." Have you ever prayed for someone who you really had a problem with? I mean, they just made you so angry, hurt you so badly, yet you prayed for them anyway. I have. I found that when I'm lifting them up to God, the issues take on a new look. First, God usually shows me where I need to change. Second, when I put them in His hands, I no longer have to concern myself with them. Third, it reminds me of Who is in control. The same goes for our leaders. If we have a problem with them, prayer keeps our focus on where it ought to be. But more than that, our leaders are constantly under attack. They have to make weighty decisions everyday! We need to pray for them daily.

Fifth, we need to be the light in the darkness. It has saddened me to see the amount of darkness in social media and across the country this week. So much anger and hatred. We don't have to be that way. In fact, we shouldn't be that way! In all that darkness, our words should be a ray of light. Ephesians 5:8 says, "for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light" Whether our candidate won or lost, our words (whether spoken or typed) should be a reflection of Christ. I think social media has calloused us to the effects that our words have on people. We don't have to see the shock, the hurt, the tears that they cause, so we feel free to say whatever we feel like. But our tongue is a fire that can cause so much damage (James 3). We have to allow the Spirit to control what we say. As the world screams hatred and brings darkness over us, we should be the light that draws people to Christ. Our words should be chosen to make people want to know more about Him, instead of being repelled from Him. Our posts on social media should be designed to point people towards the Light of the World instead of pushing them towards the prince of darkness. 

No matter if you're overjoyed by the results this week or overcome with disappointment, we have a hope that transcends anything on this earth. We should see these events in a completely different light than anyone else. Our reaction should be so different from the world that they can't help but take notice. They should see us as reflectors of His Light.

In Everything Give Thanks

I love how God prepares us for things without us even knowing we’re being prepared. Last year about this time, I gave a devotion to my Bible study group on giving thanks. One verse in particular stood out to me, and I felt led to make it my verse for the year. It was 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “in everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” It struck me how often I wished that I knew what God’s will was and here I had it in black and white. So as I began this year, I decided to do 365 days of thankfulness (which turned into 366 days of thankfulness in February when I realized that it was a leap year). Everyday on my personal Facebook page, I put at least one thing that I'm thankful for.

What I didn’t know was how God was preparing me for this year. The verse says “in everything”. Everything isn’t just the good and lovely things, but it’s also the difficult and hurtful things as well. I don’t think we have to give thanks for those things, but there should be something that we can be thankful for even in those moments.

So this year began with my son hurting his knee. As we prepared to see the orthopedic doctor I prayed for two things: that it would be abundantly clear what the issue was, and that my (then) 8 year old son would still be able to be an active boy. As soon as the doctor pulled up the MRI, he said, “Well, here’s where the ACL should be . . . and it’s not there.” A torn ACL wasn’t what I was hoping for, but it was abundantly clear, just like I had asked. He is too young for the reconstruction surgery. He has to be 13 or 14 so they don’t risk damaging his growth plates. So he’s now in a brace – for the next 5 or 6 years. Again, not what I was hoping for. But, the doctor said that with the brace he can play on the playground, run around with his friends, even play in Little League still. God answered my prayers, and I could only be thankful.

Then around Easter we found out that my grandpa had kidney cancer. Once again this was not a situation that I was thankful for, yet I found there were still blessings in that situation as well. My grandpa had said that he just didn’t want to do chemo. He had seen my grandma go through chemo when she battled breast cancer and he didn’t want to go through that. Turns out that kidney cancer does not respond to chemo so that wasn’t even an option. Also, kidneys are something that can be removed especially if the other one is functioning – and it was. When they did the surgery, they found that all the cancer was contained to that one kidney. After he recovered, my grandpa felt better than he had for a long time. I certainly didn’t want my grandpa to have to go through that, but I was able to see so many blessings even in that cancer diagnosis.

Also around Easter, my dad went to the hospital with severe pain. Turns out he had gall stones and pancreatitis. They had to wait for his enzymes to level out before they could do surgery, but they were able to do the surgery lapraroscopically which they weren’t sure they would be able to do, so we were thankful. He felt so much better as soon as the surgery was done. Unfortunately, his white blood cell count was climbing which is never a good sign after surgery. An MRI was done and it was discovered that my dad’s pancreas had started eating itself. Somewhere between 10-20% of the pancreas was dead  - never to heal. Even in this, the part of the pancreas that produces insulin was left undamaged – definitely a blessing.

My dad was in the hospital for 28 days as they tried to figure things out. During that time, the Awana kids gave him a poster get well card which hung on his wall. Every nurse, doctor or tech that came in would stop to read it. Then they’d ask if he was a teacher and he would explain that he taught the Bible to children. It allowed him to witness to each of them – a tremendous blessing.

At long last they began to talk about sending him home, but with a feeding tube. Dad did not want to go home with a feeding tube. For some reason, they couldn’t get the feeding tube in the right spot. They tried to position it using X-ray and were still unable to do it. Finally they decided to just pull it out. When they did, they discovered that the tube had a knot in it. The doctors were amazed. They had heard about that sort of thing happening, but had never seen it. They also hadn’t seen the knot on the x-rays. Dad just said that God didn’t want him to go home with a feeding tube either. Something he was very thankful for.

My dad soon found out just how sick he had been. Doctor after doctor told him that they didn’t know how he had survived his illness. They told him that they were passing his chart around the hospital in amazement and everyone concluded that he should have died. Yet God spared him. When they doctors would shake their head in wonder, my dad would simply smile and say, “God isn’t done with me yet”. I am very thankful that God isn’t done with my dad here on earth quite yet.

Around August, my dad was back in the hospital with more pain. His pancreas had developed a pseudocyst that had filled with fluid and was pushing on his pancreas causing it to be inflamed again. Another surgery was performed – this time a more invasive one. While my dad was in the hospital, my sister was admitted to the hospital to deliver her third baby girl. The hospital staff moved my dad to the same wing as labor and delivery. He was able to gown up and go visit his new granddaughter. It was a tremendous blessing for them both to be in the same hospital. My mom particularly was thankful for the proximity as she would run back and forth between the two of them. We were also thankful that my dad’s hospital stay was only a week long the second time.

Maybe there have been issues that made this year less than perfect, but in each of those things, I was able to see the blessings that God arrange. I think I would have missed them if I hadn’t been intentionally looking for things to be thankful for. I probably would have said that this year was a rough year, a difficult year – maybe even a bad year, but seeing all the things I had to be thankful for, I can truly say that it has been a blessed year. God was preparing my heart to have a spirit of thanksgiving all year long and I was better equipped to get through the difficulties because of it. I hope that it is an attitude that will remain with me long after this year has ended.

I encourage you to take this month to find something to be thankful each day. Or maybe God is laying it on your heart to make it a challenge for next year to daily find something to give thanks for just like He did for me. I think you’ll find that those difficult situations become more bearable, and you’ll be surprised at how blessed you really are.