Christmas Reflections about Mary

This Christmas season my church choir did its traditional program called A Festival of Carols. This year's program was called "Sounds of the Season" and was a radio show counting down to Christmas with emails and call ins to play specific songs. I don't know if everyone realized it, but all of the emails or call ins were true stories. One was about listening to "Twelve Days Confusion" while doing Christmas baking and another was about how after a trip to a friend's house with her large family, an only child found significance in the song "Silent Night". Another was about a mom who had made her son a quilt and when he had enlisted he took it with him. One year he asked for more quilts for all the soldiers he was with. With the help of other women and some online support to help with shipping costs, she was able to meet his request.

I was able to contribute one of the stories that was shared (I even got to record my voice to be a "caller"). I wrote about deep late night reflections I would have after my son was born. I thought as we head to Christmas that I would share it again.

"I hadn't thought much about Mary as a mother until I had my own son. After he was born, when it was getting close to Christmas, I found myself looking at his little face and thinking about what Mary felt when she looked at Jesus's face. Did she look for a family resemblance? Or did she look for His glory? When I rocked my son, I wondered how Mary would have rocked Jesus. When I held his little hands, I realized that the hands Mary held had formed man from the dust of the earth. As I wondered about my son's future, I questioned how much Mary really understood of what Jesus would accomplish. As I sang lullabies, I imagined what songs Mary sang to her Son. How nice it must have been to have a perfect Son who never sinned and yet . . . how convicting. How strange it would have been to see the Son of God taking His first human steps. How unique to teach the All-Knowing God to talk - the very One who spoke the universe into existence! Suddenly songs about Mary as a mother took on a whole new meaning. To this day, they bring tears to my eyes thinking about what an awesome responsibility and privilege it would have been to be the mother of Jesus."

The story of Jesus's birth can become so familiar that it loses it's awe and wonder. God Himself came down to earth because He loved us so much to take the death penalty that we deserved so that we could be reconciled to Him. That is the most wonderful thing that He could have done. As we celebrate Christmas this weekend, take a few moments to pause and really think about what Jesus coming to earth really means. Take in the wonder of that event. And have a very Merry Christmas!

Dedication: Snowfall

I've been blessed in my life, not only with my own amazing family, but with amazing in-laws as well. Rachel had already married one of the four Lyman boys when I joined the family. She's such a warm, friendly person that she really helped a shy, young girl feel welcomed and loved. She was the first member of the family that I really felt I could sit down and talk with.

Since then, she has become a dear friend as well as my sister-in-law. She and I had a lot of similarities in growing up years and we've talked about the culture shock when you marry into a family that is so unlike your own. We've both been involved in our children's schools, both worked with kids, and both direct our churches Vacation Bible Schools. We both chase after our children and try to keep up with their busy schedules. She's been a mentor to me in a lot of ways although I'm not sure that she realizes that. I very much respect her opinion, and I always enjoy the time I spend with her.

Although we're very similar, we have our differences, too. Rachel is much more outdoorsy than I am. I'm a city girl through and through while Rachel will go hunting and camping with her family. Her family lives in a rural area of Arizona. Her children have a much different lifestyle than my own children. My kids call them the "cowboy cousins". They participate in rodeos, raise livestock for 4H, and live in the country with chickens, cows, and horses.

One year Rachel invited all the cousins to have a cousins camp at her house. All but the youngest cousins went, and they had a blast. The city cousins were so happy to do farm chores, and the cowboy cousins were happy to show their city cousins what life in the country is like. It's an experience they still talk about and I'm sure they'll never forget it.

When I decided to write "Snowfall" I knew I was going to need a little help. I can do research on some things about ranching, but I wanted the opinion of someone who lived in that community Rachel was my obvious choice. She not only has been a part of that lifestyle for years, but she is an avid reader. She was by far my fastest editor to date. I couldn't believe how quickly she got it back to me. On top of that, she's been one of my biggest supporters. I know that she reads all of my books and that means so much to me! I was so thankful for her help, and I had to dedicate "Snowfall" to her not only for her contribution to the book, but for her encouragement and support to me from the moment I published my very first book.

Thank you, Rachel, for being my friend, my mentor, my editor, and my sister! I love you.

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. 

Memorial Stones: Serve the Lord

The final memorial stone was established during Joshua's final address to Israel. Joshua challenges the people to choose whether they will serve the gods in the lands of around them or whether they will serve the God who brought them out of Egypt. In Joshua 24:25, he finishes with this well known phrase, "...As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." The people all enthusiastically agreed with Joshua and he set up a stone near the sanctuary to remind the people of the vow they made to serve the Lord.

We have this verse everywhere in Christian homes. It's a great verse to have on cross-stitch, pillows, blankets, knick knacks, etc. And it is a great reminder that we have chosen to follow the Lord. But the book following Joshua is Judges and it only took one generation for the nation to forget their vow and go serve other gods. One generation. That's scary. As a parent, that is the thing that I pray for my kids most often - that they will remain faithful to the Lord.

How do we serve the Lord? How do we demonstrate that to our children so that it's more than just a pretty saying on the decoration of our homes? The first thing that comes to mind is ministry. Do your children see you involved in church? If not in church, are you involved in Christ-centered ministries outside of the church? Each of us has gifts and talents that are God-given and intended to be used to help the body of Christ. Service isn't a suggestion, it's a requirement. Galatians 5:13 says, "For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." 

When you serve, how is your attitude? Are you grumbling and complaining or are you joyful and excited? Believe me, kids pick up on attitude quickly. If you're serving, but you seem miserable, your kids are thinking, "I'm not going to get stuck doing that when I'm grown up." If you are enjoying it, then your children will look forward to the day when they can minister to others too. What I've found is that if I'm miserable in a certain ministry, that's not where God has called me to. When I have joy while serving, that's when I know that I'm doing what God wants me to. So if you're not enjoying your service, maybe that's not where you're meant to be. Maybe you're an eye trying to be a toe. When you're able, step out of that service, and prayerfully find somewhere else to serve. Being where God has placed you makes a world of difference.

Sunday School, church, Christians schools are great, but parents are the number one influence on their children. They have more time with their kids than anyone else. So what do we teach our children when we're at home? What things are more important than anything else? When our children do wrong, do we teach them what is right by using the Bible or do we give them a list of rules? Do they see the same parents on Sunday that they see the rest of the week? Is God only for church or is God visible in the home? Believe me, I'm asking these questions for my own benefit. Serving the Lord doesn't just occur on Sundays. Serving the Lord is a lifestyle. It should permeate everything we do. It should be apparent 24/7/365. It should be seen in a desire to know God more. It should be seen in a prayerful life. It should be seen in a desire for others to know Christ. It should be seen in the way that we love others. It should be seen in true, living obedience to God's Word. 

I want my children to really, truly know God. I want them to follow Him their whole lives long. I want them to pass it on to their own children one day. I don't want them to be that one generation removed from "my house will serve the Lord" to "everyone did what was right in their own eyes". That's scary. One generation.