Light Is Sown for the Righteous

 Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. (Psalm 97:11, KJV)

By Helen Knueven

How do you sow light? Sowing represents something going into the ground – being buried in darkness; a seed. (You haven’t seen the last of it though!) It will revisit the earth in beauty. But for a time – darkness will be the companion of the seed, along with dirt. Not such a great sounding situation.

I pondered the scripture and the meaning. To me, it is a fascinating concept. I know that light cannot be overpowered – and by one strike of a match a dark room is lightened. It seems that light would be overpowered if it was sown.

And yet, God’s Word says the light is sown.

I remembered that Jesus Christ is the Light of the World –and I thought about the utter darkness of the Cross. And yet – the brilliant light that Christ gives to all who believe.

Yesterday, I received an email from a missionary friend in Cambodia. She said, ‘Please pray for us – things are not right. Our children had their house broken in – My husband fell into a pit, and my own wrist is broken. And on top of all of that, sickness has attacked.

Then I remembered the scripture. “Light is sown for the righteous.” Cambodia is a dark place where sex trafficking is done without restraint – and God has sent our friends there to bring His love into this dark corner of the world.

Our friends are sowing the light of Christ into Cambodia – perhaps you know missionaries that have went into dangerous ly dark places to spread Christ’s love.

I believe that we can pray for them and sow light into the darkness too. We can be partners with them drawing upon the light that only Christ gives; expecting to reap a harvest of light. Our efforts can seem so weak – so lacking and yet all God expects us to do is give our best. He will pick up the slack and cause seeds to grow.

How will you sow light today?

Prayer: Lord, help me to go into the darkness, declaring your goodness in the midst of a crooked generation, and shine as your light,
in Jesus name. Amen.

Book Nook: A New Year

By Shelley Akins

Happy New Year! 

No I’m not messed up with my calendar. I’ve always thought that the beginning of school was a more appropriate time to celebrate new beginnings and starting over. At the start of the school year, you get a new teacher, new classroom, new people, new unsharpened pencils, clean white paper full of possibilities. You get new clothes and new shoes. Anything is possible in this new year.

 

As a kid, teacher and now a parent, I looked forward to these new beginnings. When I was a student, I was reunited with friends that I hadn’t seen for an entire summer. As a teacher, I was filled with the hope of the year that was to come and what great and awesome things my students and I would do together. Now, as a parent of a kindergartner, I’ll send Joel off to school on Monday with the anticipation of learning new things, meeting new people and starting his own journey into the school cycle.

In light of this New Year, I have made some reading goals for myself:

1. I will read at least four non-fiction books before the end of May. I’ve been generating a list and am excited to read them.

2. I will read at least 10 books on the Illinois Read for a Lifetime list (can be this year’s list or past years). I discovered new authors and wonderful new stories. I will not spend time reading books I don’t like just because they are on this list.

3. I will read the five books on my shelf that others have lent me and give them back.

4. I will continue to read the next books in the series as they come out: Power of Six, Beautiful Days, and Goliath come out in the next few weeks.

5. I will keep track of everything that I read. This was a resolution of mine a few years back and I am still working at it.

So five goals. If I add it up that’s 21 books to read in nine months. That’s doable.

What are your New Year’s goals?

Shelly can be reached at shelly.akins@yahoo.com. She’s always searching for book recommendations.

Five "Showers of Blessing" From a Late Summer Rain

This morning sitting on my "porch of praise" I was blessed by a big, loud, blowing thunderstorm.

1.  Rain, pouring down, sweeping in sheets across the avenue, darkening the sky, but brightening my day. 

I love thunderstorms.

2.  Thunder-- rolling, rumbling, crashing, electrifying the sky.

It is beautiful and powerful and awesome~

Just like the Lord God Almighty!

3.  Curb-side creeks flowing down, washing clean the streets and sidewalks.

4. Rain pitter-patter pounding, soaking flowers, fruits and veggies, bring life to dry ground.

5. The fragrance of  rain-washed freshness, fills my heart and lifts the spirit to the all powerful

Creator God

Who rains down all good gifts

Onto all His children

Simply 

Because 

He loves us

And just when you think it's all over

Ka-BOOM!

One last shout-out from God, the Rain-giver's exclamation point.

Thank you, Lord, for these showers of blessing! All creation is telling Your glory.

By Gail P. Smith

Squirrels, Noodles and Forgiveness

By Kristi Paxton

Our relationship with Fluffy Tail and cohorts is complicated. When we were in college, we were poor, so my big burly husband often stepped out the back door of our rented farm shack and shot a squirrel. Have you ever tasted a squirrel salad sandwich or squirrel and noodles? Minus the tiny hairs, it is remarkably similar to salad and noodles with chicken, but more labor intensive.

Now, thirty-five years later, I often see same burly husband sitting on the deck, now a squirrel chase  spectator. He is weaponless. I imagine the squirrels remind him of olden days, chasing his brothers.

Next day, I might catch hubby on the same deck, armed, nobly taking aim at a squirrel that has managed to eat a hole into our house. I wonder how he could murder our furry friends. (Incidentally, I’ve never seen one go down in combat)

One night during the flood of 2008, we were watching CSI and my husband disappeared outside for a while. He returned and took his place back on the couch. I figured he’d left his mower out in the rain and went to rescue it. No explanation needed.

Two CSI episodes later I heard a persistent squeaky sound coming from the basement.  “What is that noise?” I asked.

“Oh, that’s my pet squirrel. I found him drowning outside, saved him, brought him in and built him a little house with a bed downstairs.” Hubby didn’t look up from his show.

“Yeah, right.” I refused to look at him and dignify his response.

Another CSI episode ended and the squeaking persisted. During commercial break, I got up as if heading for the bathroom, but went downstairs instead. Behind the utility room door was the squeak source. In a tidy box with a neatly folded red washcloth was a baby squirrel, his wet hair plastered to his bony body. He shivered and squeaked at me.

“I met your friend,” I commented, staring at the screen.

“Yeah, he almost drowned and I saved him,” said my husband proudly.

Next morning, “Pink” (We named him “Pink” after the Pink Squirrel beverage) was fully fluffed, full of fleas and ready to join the family. I glanced at our two leering dogs and suggested we release “Pink” far from home. My husband resisted. He’d already bonded with his new baby.

“You know, some day you will have to decide if you want to murder them or adopt them,” I said.

When he left for work, I delivered “Pink,” in his house, still lying in his bed, to the animal rehabilitation expert in our town. I don’t think my husband ever forgave me.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

By Sharon Wilhite

 

How beautiful is a well-watered, well-tended garden - lush with colorful fruits, vegetables and flowers! I love planting, photographing, and picking the fruits (or veggies) of my labor. 

I do NOT like weeding my garden (nor do my children!). However, left unchecked, weeds grow much faster than the seeds I planted and will soon take over - ruining what could be beautiful and flourishing.

While out weeding together, I tell my children that weeds are like sin in our lives; fast and easy to grow but so hard to eradicate once firmly established. If the soil is dry, some weeds are almost impossible to pull, and a sharp hoe must be used to dig them out; if the garden is moist from a good rain or hose watering, then those same weeds come out with much less effort.

Consistently watering one's life from the living water of God's Word will keep the soil of our heart soft - making it easier to weed out the bad and grow what is good and pleasing to God.

"But GROW in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ." II Peter 3:18

 

 

I'm Turning Fifty!

By Lisa Lickel

What I've accomplished pre-fifty:

·         Got married and raised two pretty nifty kids

·         Enjoyed my college degree in history by living local history

·         Visited the 49 continental states

·         Published three novels and a great load of other stuff

·         Lived in a really cool house with a garden and grapes and lily of the valley all over

·         Learned to like venison over beef and ice-fished bluegills over catfish. Still working on the asparagus.

What's on the Bucket List before the next fifty closes:

·         Hold a grandbaby

·         Help the kids move One Last Time

·         Move ourselves to the farm (as in, not the funny, but our own)

·         Sign a half-dozen more contracts for novels

·         Figure out how to use a smart phone

·         Use my new passport for a country not attached to America

How 'bout you? Got any burning bucket list desires?

In July, I was called and selected for jury duty. The defense attorney asked us relevant questions and irrelevant ones, such as “Who’s your favorite comedian?” and “If you could live anywhere, where would you go?” The latter caught me off guard, and I tried to think of where I would move; only I couldn’t. When I recounted this to my husband, he was just as shocked as I was. Iowa has muggy summers and bitter cold winters, two things I don’t do well in. But we have a toddler, the school system here is amazing, we love our church and our friends are like family.

If I could live anywhere, I’d live right here.

By Charis Seeley

http://charisseeley.blogspot.com/

Breaking Through the Fog

Are you THE Kathryn Lang - the one that writes for that paper?” My husband’s groan could not be heard, but I could see it written all over his face. He sat helplessly as my head began to swell.        

                                                                  

 “Yes, that’s me.”

 “I love what you write.”

The one compliment would have made my day. The fuss the ladies began to make over me made my year! It seemed like the perfect time to pitch my book.

 “I’m editing my book right now.”

 “I know it will be great. Never stop writing.”

That has been my problem in the past. I have stopped doing the things that I found a passion to do. I stopped writing when I was a teenager because I got a rejection (just one did me in). I stopped dancing in college because one coach told me I did not have the body to dance.

The praises that I received were an amazing boost to my ego. It was definitely something that I could get accustomed to hearing. But it was the reminder to stay true to my passion that meant the most.

Over the last few weeks I have struggled to stay on task. The dollar signs have clouded the passion and made it difficult for me to find my way. The fog began to lift yesterday. The encouragement from these women made everything crystal clear.

Never stop. Once you grasp your passion and your dream then pursue it to the end.

Humor is Grave Business

By Robin J. Steinweg

My mother and I visited the monument company to choose a headstone for my dad’s grave. We’ve cried enough tears the past five months to start a new river. We miss him. We know the verse from Psalm 116 that says “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” This is a solemn undertaking. Both of us recognize that. So how is it that so many things strike us funny at the wrong time?

The proprietor took us to the back room to see samples. A prominent sign displayed this boast:

“We guarantee all of our headstones for life.”

(Whose? Think about it.)

Mom has a propensity for popping off poetry at a moment’s notice. She dreamed this gem one night, and it was true of my dad: “I am a steamfitter, it’s the life I have led; stopping and starting and bumping my head.”

Mom wondered if we should engrave that on the back of the stone (which otherwise will be as bald as Dad’s head was). I mentioned it’s only fair to include a verse for Mom, too, since if the Lord tarries she might share the same resting place. She didn’t miss a beat: “Roses are red, violets are blue—I’m happy now, ‘cause I’m with you.”

Do you know any amusing epitaphs? I found a few:

Here lies Johnny Yeast. Pardon me for not rising.

I told you I was sick

Here lies Lester Moore—four slugs from a forty-four. No Les No More.

Here lies the body of Jonathan Blake—stepped on the gas instead of the brake.

I knew this would happen

Beneath this grassy mound now rests one Edgar Oscar Earl, who to another hunter looked exactly like a squirrel.

Owen Moore: Gone away owin’ more than he would pay

She always said her feet were killing her, but nobody believed her.

Here lies Ann Mann, who lived an old maid but died an old Mann

Johnny was a chemist, but he ain’t no more; what he thought was H2O was H2SO4.

On an atheist’s stone: All dressed up and no place to go

Double Stuf

By Lori Boruff

Snack time. One glass of cold milk to share. Two Double Stuf Oreos. One for my grandson and one for me. At 20 months, he knew to eat the middle first! Did someone teach him that or is it just natural to go for the good stuff first?

My attempt to teach him how to eat an Oreo slowly didn't work. He wanted the good stuff now and wanted it all--like all over his face! With a chocolate disc in each hand, he strutted to the waste basket and threw the rest of the cookie away. All done.

I think that describes me. I go for the good Stuf in life first, want it all, want it now. And when I get it, do I even slow down to enjoy it? What about the other part, the not so appealing part? Do I waste it?

 What is the good, fluffy Stuf in life?

l        A beautiful summer day...that I'm too busy to enjoy.

l        A long hug from my husband... I cut short because clothes don't fold themselves.

l        A favor for a friend....that took more time than I selfishly wanted to give.

 Slow down. Enjoy the good moments! Make them last longer.

What about the rest...the hard part that just isn't as good without the cream.

l        More month than money.

l        Rebellious children.

l        Everything breaking down...at once.

That's the hard Stuf. We wish we could throw it away but the truth is...it's part of the whole package.

God uses the hard cookie part to make the double portion of good taste even better.

Next time I'm going to eat the outside first and really enjoy the Double Stuf. Would you like to join me?

Taste and see that the Lord is good....Psalm 34:8 NIV

A Pocketful of Change

Today's post is by our latest blog adventurer Rolie Grady.  Welcome!

“Just give me fifteen minutes each week,” implored Sally, the housecleaner.  “We can organize your drawers and closets in no time!”  She watched Jane, her elderly client, for a response.  Jane, physically fragile, was recovering from yet another accident.

 

My heart hurt as I listened to the story.  This was not a whimsical suggestion.  Sally knew Jane’s independence would disappear if she refused to simplify her lifestyle. 

Several years ago, the Holy Spirit tapped me on the shoulder.  “Get your house in order,” He said.  I knew what He meant.  My house was filled with unfinished projects relegated to a  rainy day status. 

“Yes, Lord,” I dutifully replied.  “Just as soon as I tackle this “To Do” list.”  That wasn’t good enough.  He kept insisting until I finally took that first step.  It began with a half hour in the basement.  My goal:  Clear one shelf.

“Aren’t you the ambitious one!” taunted the devil.  He had a point.  But I dug in…15 minutes here, a half hour there over the next two years.  Clearing a path one grocery sack at a time.

Eventually, I noticed a change.  Cleaning went much quicker, and my family could actually find what they needed.  I was able to fill my days with LIFE instead of guilt-driven “To Do” items.  Little did I know that God had a bigger plan for this lesson.

In 2006, Mike and I purchased our first house.  My hands shook as I signed the papers.  We walked in wonder through empty spaces that would soon be filled with our earthly possessions.

Then panic struck.  Would there be enough room for everything?  Suddenly my two years of training kicked into high gear.  A list of more items to throw or give away came to mind.  Yes, we could make this work!

Moving day came and went smoothly.  After that, adrenaline kept me going until the last box was unpacked.  It was time for a good cup of coffee as deep satisfaction settled over me.

 

 I felt another gentle tap on my shoulder. “See what obedience will do, “whispered the Spirit.  “There is a place for everything and everything is in it’s place.”

 

Yes, I sighed.  Who could imagine all this beauty?  God knew I couldn’t handle a complete overhaul in one sitting.  It was too much to think about.  But He converted those daily offerings into something magnificent….a pocketful of change at a time.

Narola (Rolie) Grady has been in the Quad Cities area since 1993.  She lives in Davenport with her husband, Mike, and their son, Sean.  Rolie has attended several of the QC Writing Conferences, and appreciates the hard work it takes to excel in this craft.  Aside from writing occasional articles, Rolie loves to worship by playing piano.  She has also been a speaker for various groups for the last 10 years.

God Speaks in a Variety of Ways

As evangelical Christians, we have a firm commitment to the written Word of God. That is as it should be. However, we forget that the first revelation that God gave was through that which He created. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made.”

I made my usual pilgrimage to the Black Hills of South Dakota this summer. The sacred beauty of that holy place never fails to strike me afresh each time I visit. The mountain grandeur: great hoary ponderosa pine, deep fresh water lakes teeming with life, cool moonlit nights filled by a galaxy of stars ebbing, twinkling and sparkling along the Milky Way. Here in the sacredness of God’s created order His voice wafts to me through the trees astride a gentle mountain breeze. God’s voice comes quietly, yet it is strikes me like thunder. My human spirit longs to be quelled by the Spirit of Creator God.

Perhaps you do not have the luxury of making a pilgrimage this summer to a favorite place filled with this kind of majestic certitude as I often do. Yet, you can afford to embrace the sacredness of God’s creation wherever you are. You can immerse yourself in its beauty and listen with the ear of your spirit to His still and thunderous voice. Perhaps connecting with the Holy through His created revelation will provide you with a fresh avenue of communion unlike any that you have experienced before.

Michael Elmore

Bettendorf, Iowa July 2011

Animate Your Story!

Today's blog features a recent animated promo I made for Cec and Me, an online talk show hosted by Cecil Murphey and Twila Belk.  It airs each Tuesday evening at http://www.toginet.com/shows/cecandme. 

In today's wild and wooly www.com there is always going to be more than one way to tell your story.  I discovered a new site called GoAnimate through YouTube and made this little video in about an hour.  It's easy, fun and hopefully will get more attention than just another post on Facebook about Cec and Me.  The hardest part was that you MUST spell everything fun-et-ick-lee or the automated voice won't know how to say it.

I hope you enjoy the video.  At ten sentences, it's a little over our seven sentence challenge, but still far less than the average blog post.

GoAnimate.com: A Burger Date with Cec and Me by saintgail

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!


So now you know what I'm doing with my summer.  What are you doing with yours?

Quiet Pools

By Jeannette Doran

As spring comes, we begin to see the bare branches sprout and flower. We wait for the soft rains and watch the trees fill out with various shades of green. Rows of tiny green plants are seen amidst the fields of black soil. When the hot, humid days come, how refreshing the cooling rain becomes. Summertime and the action of creation display the splendor of pools, streams and rivers of living water. As in our prayer life, St. Teresa, who loved the gospel of the Samaritan woman, uses living water to teach us about the four stages of prayer. She begins with our struggle to pray and ends with the abundance of God’s grace drenching our very being.

Water is a powerful image. It is used in Scripture and in spiritual writings to illuminate mystery. Creation captures water's beauty; water weaves throughout our world. We delight in the rolling of the ocean waves as well as the rushing rivers. We experience serenity as we sit by the still lake. In desert land, there is a desire for water. During summer water quenches our thirst while we take pleasure in swimming away the heat of the day.

Spiritual waters permeate our souls as we take time to create quiet spaces. When we carve out a place of solitude and become a still pool, the Holy Spirit will fill our being with God’s living Presence. As still waters reflect the mountain peaks, the fragile blue cornflower and the various shades of green trees, so too, when one takes time for deep silence, God radiates within our souls, forming Christ’s image.

 

Scripture reminds us of how “the waters of Shiloh flow gently” (Is. 8: 6). In the eighth chapter of Isaiah, we learn the importance of remaining in tranquility. In Chapter 7 of St. John’s gospel, Jesus promises the believer that “rivers of living water shall flow” from within one’s heart. Jesus tells the Samaritan woman; “whoever drinks the water I give will never be thirsty; no, the water I give shall become a spring within (the heart of the believer), welling up to eternal life.” Water is often used throughout the psalms to denote longing for God. In Psalm 42, we pray: “As a deer longs for running streams, so longs my soul for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, the God of my life.” Water is a symbol of God’s grace used in our sacramental life. For example, we read “when the soldier pierced the heart of Jesus after his death immediately blood and water flowed out.” This blood and water could be a symbolic reference to the Eucharist and Baptism, as many believe.

Our loving God so longs to drench us with this living water. St. Augustine wrote that “we are the bread and Christ is the hunger”. May Christ’s hunger for our yearning for intimacy with God overflow into our hearts, and into all that we do. Eventually this becomes a gift to others. This is the ultimate goal of our lives.

Success The Old Fashioned Way

By Marvin Ferguson

The gentleman had only two years of formal learning.

 He was self-educated. He studied law in his spare time.

The world knows him as the 16th President of the United States.

With the right motivation and resources, like Abraham Lincoln, 

 Christ Followers can fulfill their passions and dreams.

The Path to Writing Success

By Kathryn Lang

“If you are willing to help enough people get what they want in life then you will find that you get what you want in life.” This idea comes from a quote by Zig Ziglar and it ties in directly with the Golden Rule. Do unto others.

Most writers get caught up in the “I” of it all. I want to get a book deal. I want to get published in this magazine. I want to make enough money to become a full-time writer. I want to continue making enough money that I do NOT have to go back to a regular job.

Several weeks back I had the opportunity to reach out and help a friend. Our conversation opened up the realization that others were struggling with the same issues. I started spending some of my day doing things to help those that I could help and I soon discovered that I was closer to my own goals than I had even been.

The idea of giving up the “I” stuff for the “you” stuff can be uncomfortable in the best of situations and painful in the worst. But the investment ALWAYS pays off exceedingly, abundantly above all that I can think or imagine. It is not about what you have done for me lately – but about how I can do for you. It is not about the benefits I get from the actions – but about the blessings that will flow both ways.

This holiday is a great moment to step back and think about what I am willing to sacrifice to allow others to become more. The freedom to be all that you want to be comes when you are willing to be bold enough in your actions towards others to provide them with the ability to discover their own freedom.

20/20 Sunlight/Son-Light

The source is always the same, in degree, in size and in power, yet the effect on earth can be vastly different. 

Moments ago, the buds on the bush by my window glowed spring green, translucent as first light of the day shown through them.

Now their color deepens as the light moves from behind them to above.

The source of the light remains the same, but as the earth rotates, its effect on objects below is different.

Yesterday’s cloudless sky reflected my face clearly in the windowpane.  Today, there is just a thin misty vapor; no face, no reflection, no glowing leaves, only a grey fog drifting, and obscuring the unchanged light of the sun.

I consider and thank the Lord  for reminding me that though at times the twists and turns of life may cloud or blur my vision, His Son-Light is as certain, as strong and powerful, and even more unchanging than the sun.

Why Am I Afraid to Tell You Who I Am?

By Lisa Lickel

That biography—scares a lot of us new writers. Yet it's a vital part of your craft. Think about it: you fiction writers create characters all the time, but when it comes to using words to describe you panic. "I'm boring," I heard at a class I recently taught. "What if I don't have any publishing credits?" "Why does anyone care if I have any interesting hobbies?"

Let's visit the situation.

I'm a mystery lover and just dying to feed my passion this weekend. At the book store and I have $12.73 with me. Read the back of the potential book cover with me:

In one hand I have Bats In the Belfry, a cozy by Saint Gail; it's new to me, but book 2 in the Manse Murder Mysteries. Saint Gail was the daughter of a pastor, is married to one, and the mother of another. She has a master's degree in Momhood and likes to race stock cars on the weekend. Visit her website for More Momhood Racecar stories and sign up for her newsletter which is full of tips on how to murder someone without leaving a clue.

In the other hand I have Everybody Hated Roger, a cozy by Cec the Curmudgeon. I've never heard of him either, but I like the cover and it's the right length book and price. Cec the Curmudgeon is a stay-at-home househusband who only drives his Rabbit hatchback to church on Sundays. He pecks out his stories on his Royal Underwood by day and dreams up stories in Technicolor by night. He plans on getting e-mail someday so he can interact with his fans.

Um—not really a choice there for me. Saint Gail is going to have the more interesting story because she lives an interesting life. But the only thing she didn't have control over was being born a pastor's daughter. We all start somewhere, usually at ground zero. Putting yourself out there for the public is scary—there's just no getting around that, but authordom is show business, folks!  "I'm nobody - a PTA, mini-van driving soccer mom." Yeah, so? Bet you got a zillion stories of back seat and sideline humor. Pick a couple and focus on your momhood qualities. "There's no way my life is interesting. I drive semi-loads of shopping carts from one side of the country to another." (Quick hit: how many shopping carts to a semi-load? 500. Ask me how I know.) Well, golly-gee – there's another zillion stories about angels on your shoulder, traffic tales, dictating your books on tape. Pick something: "Semi driver Royal Underwood got his writing career off to a start while driving cross country, listening to stories of fellow travelers in untold diners, watching other long-haul goodbuddies deal with the loneliness on the road and meeting his future wife at a monster truck rally in Omaha." Now, that's interesting.

Anybody can be interesting. One of my favorite authors writes about his life in rural Wisconsin. How boring can a short bald guy who married late, lives on a run-down farm and is not-mechanically inclined, be? Here's the beginning of his bio: Raised on a small dairy farm, Perry equates his writing career to cleaning calf pens – just keep shoveling, and eventually you’ve got a pile so big, someone will notice. Perry further prepared for the writing life by reading every Louis L’Amour cowboy book he could get his hands on – most of them twice.

Yep – it's Michael Perry, author of several books; the first one was his take on moving back home and being an EMT.

Maybe you can't do better, but you can be just as good.

Me? Why, Lisa Lickel is a Wisconsin writer who lives with her husband in a hundred and sixty-year-old house built by a Great Lakes ship captain. Surrounded by books and dragons, she writes inspiring fiction. Her novels include mystery and romance, all with a twist of grace. She has penned dozens of feature newspaper stories, short stories, magazine articles and radio theater. She is the editor in chief of Creative Wisconsin Magazine and loves to encourage new authors. Find her at LisaLickel.com.

I didn't start out this way – took me a while to get there, and I'm still growing.

How about you?

How I Know I'm a Writer

By Shelly Akins

 

How do I know I’m a writer?  

I’m know I’m a writer because the words flow from my fingers onto the blank screen filling up the white spaces.  On those days, my message is clear, my descriptions brilliant, my characters do just what I tell them to. 
 

I’m know a writer because I sit down and do it even when the words don’t come easy, or I’m tired, or I feel like what I have to say isn’t worth anything, or when my characters act like the rebellious teenagers they are and refuse to follow my directions.  

I’m know a writer because I enjoy reading and learning from other’s writing both published authors and my critique group friends.  

 

I’m know I’m a writer because other people ask me about writing and take my opinions and advice seriously.  

 

I know I’m a writer because I have a story in my heart and I want to tell it to the world.

Location, Location, Adaptation

By Kristi Paxton

 As our two kids got older, we became smarter, and then thrilled when they asked us for advice on choosing first apartments—one in New York City, the other in Denver, Colorado.

At age 57, I couldn’t help but obsess about their choices, wanting to impart upon them my hard-earned real estate wisdom: location, location, location.

 In the end, each chose a place that was more value than location.

Frantic about this, I lost sleep over their picks until I woke up to one important fact: we all have a right to learn from our experiences.

 Our own first love nest was an ancient rented farmhouse, our backyard literally a stinking cattle feedlot, our entry decorated with three fly-covered pest strips fluttering like windsocks above the door.

We were in  Heaven

In a let-go-and-let-God moment, I notice a wren singing joyously atop a rotting birdhouse hung from the soffit above our deck—the kids will be fine.