Fiction Mirror

Fiction mirrors real life.

I learned that hard truth while writing three suspense novels that delved into deep subjects, themes that poured out of my own struggles and triumphs, my own questions and wrestling with God. A lot of me and many people I know filled those pages.

You can't hide writing a novel. And you shouldn't. Because when fiction reflects real life, real people read and not only enjoy a great story that touches them on a deep level, but they also find hope and a mirror into their own soul.

Fiction reading and writing have forced me to face big issues in my heart. That's one of the reasons I'm a lifetime fiction reader and talk passionately about how fiction is a place where wounded people can find hope, healing, and encouragement.

But I've never found that to be true with fiction how-to books or DVDs.

Until last night.

My fantastic local writing group, WORD, met last night and watched part 2 of an amazing DVD ~ The Hero’s Journey.

In it, one of the presenters, Michael Hauge, taught about the hero's inner journey. I scribbled notes furiously and hoped at some point I'd understand concepts that weren't new but weren't quite fitting into my brain very well either.

When I got home, I brainstormed with my husband about my current characters' inner journeys until his eyes glassed over. I still didn't understand, and that bugged me. A lot.

So this morning as I was praying, I started thinking about the concept of identity and essence and how all of the other terms Mr. Hauge used to describe the inner journey fit together.

It hit me that I could plug myself into the concepts and maybe understand them better.

God is so sneaky in getting me to do this. He knew I couldn't pass up the chance to understand the benign subject of writing deeper. Little did I know, I'd be totally exposed in working through a technique just like I am in the actual writing.

As I've done in my books, author letters, and on this blog, I'm going to put my real life examples out there.

Mr. Hauge talked about the concept of longing, a wound, fear, identity, and essence. I'll explain them using me.

A longing~ I long to be a kind, gentle, emotional person.

What's funny to me about that longing is in many arenas I am that person, especially in my writing and with other writers. But it's taken me a long time to get healthy enough to honestly be who I am around other people, especially my family.

A wound~ Growing up I was made fun of for any emotional display, sometimes physically punished. These were not temper tantrum displays, but everyday ones like sadness, excitement, fear, ect. So I learned never to cry in front of anyone. Anger was the only acceptable emotion.

Fear~ Emotion equaled weakness in my family of origin, so my fear as I grew up was that if I showed emotion, besides anger, I'd be rejected and unwanted again.

Here is where I'd attach my understanding of "the lie," a truth and technique I learned from counseling to apply to my own life, to my fiction, and to teach to other writers. My lie that I've lived out of a majority of the time is I'm unwanted.

Identity~ I’ve defined myself as a strong woman and used anger like a sword. This was my protection against rejection in any situation where I might have to risk exposing my wound. Anger happens anytime my lie is pushed on or in some way shown to be true. As in anytime I've felt put down, disrespected, or not liked.

Essence~ This is something that took me a while to understand through Mr. Hauge's teaching. This is basically who the character, or real person, is when all their definitions of who they are get taken away. Instead of defining myself by my family, my work, my abilities, or my characteristics like strong and angry, essence is who I really am.

As a believer, who I am is God's child. A child He made to be very emotional, passionate, and (when I'm listening to Him and believing Him) a kind, gentle, caring person.

The journey of life and of a fiction novel is for the character to be stripped of identity and have their essence revealed and accepted as they live in a new reality being who they really are.

Writers, unlike our characters, are still in process. The last page of our story~ my story~ has yet to be written.

But this insight matters. It forced me to look in Jesus' face and bow before Him, confessing my lie, my self-protections, and my fears. And taking from Him the freedom to be who He created me to be.

I'm sure God has plenty more ways to teach me truths like this. And I’m sure I’ll need them.

But for today, I'm grateful a how-to book/ DVD on writing taught me truth about myself.

Now I must go make my fictional characters suffer as I have so they can rejoice like I am today. ;-)

Fiction is a beautiful mirror. So is anything that helps us look deeply inside and see what God would have us see.

How has a fictional novel or even a fiction how-to book mirrored you and revealed something that helped you grow?

Do What You Love

Life and writing both share some basic “rules.” Do your best. Don’t give up. Treat others the way you’d like to be treated—except you can’t do this to your characters until the last chapter.

An often overlooked “rule” is one thing I try to incorporate into everything I teach because it’s a bedrock good idea if you want to enjoy life… and writing.

Do what you love and do it with passion.

Love and passion are the intangible ingredients that change something good to something filled with wow, something which draws you back for more—everything from beautiful art to beautiful food to engaging drama, warm and wonderful knit clothing, and books worthy of a second or third read.

The big question here is not why—we all know why we love wow experiences and things—it’s how. How do we figure out what we love and do it with passion.

The first step is to think about what you loved as a child. Cooking? A breathtaking sunset? Taking pictures? Making things with your hands? Telling stories that made people laugh?

Often we find something we love as children and let life and busyness steal it away.

I never dreamed about becoming an author. But I started down that path when my husband pushed me to do something he knew I loved but I’d forgotten.

I’d won a writing contest in elementary school, a story telling contest in middle school. And I spent most of my days floating from one movie-like daydream to another. But it wasn’t until someone else saw that spark and nudged me to go for it that I remembered.

So I’m nudging you. What did you love to do as a child? Rediscover it.

The next step is to enjoy it again. Love painting but feel a bit rusty on techniques? Take a beginners class at a craft store or local church. Love photography but don’t know where to start? Barnes and Noble is full of inexpensive books to get you going.

Did you love arts and crafts as a kid? What about scrapbooking, sculpture, building ships or birdhouses or sewing or knitting? Again, ask about classes at a craft store, fabric store, community college or talk to people at church. Chances are someone there loves an activity you love and can help you get started and stay motivated with it.

Then pray about how you can use that thing you love, that activity or cause you’re passionate about, to serve others.

Of course, it’s wise to be praying every step of the way. But don’t let yourself get bogged down with fear about showing your art or creations to others. Not until you’re ready.

And when you are, keep praying. There are people out there who will help you get better. Ask God to connect you to those folks. It may not be easy to hear areas for improvement, but it will help you stick with it and grow.

Another possible step in this process is taking what you love and making a career out of it. Baking, knitting, photography, writing, and art are all areas that can move from hobby to career.

Just remember to do what you love and keep that passion alive. Enjoy it. Your work will shine because of it and your heart will be even more alive. And others will be drawn to that.

It’s a beautiful cycle of joy.

Welcoming 2010

It's January 11th and 2010 has already worn me out. We started the year with sickness and surgery, middle of the night laundry and pain meds around the clock.

But even in the sleep-deprived chaos, God has shown up and set a course for 2010 that scares me senseless at the same time it puts a smile on my face.

To begin with, I'm turning 40. Two of my children are passing through major growing up milestones. I'm training toward a black belt in martial arts. Did I mention I'm turning 40?

Feeling old aside, one of the interesting byproducts of how we entered 2010 (besides lack of sleep) was seeing my oldest shine as she endured her first major surgery.

Her doctor was so impressed he exhausted a thesaurus full of synonyms for amazing. Then, as she was coming out of twilight sleep, I caught of glimpse of the doctor's reasons.

My kiddo, still very asleep and out of it with anesthesia, began to finger spell words with the ASL alphabet. She spelled fine. Then signed that she'd had surgery. Not that I didn't already know that. ;-)

Then she finger spelled d-r-i-f-t. I couldn't figure that one out. So she pointed to the ceiling. Then I got it. She wanted to be sure I heard one of my favorite songs playing though the speakers: Drift Away by Dobie Gray.

I have an amazing little girl.

And this year we're doing something special together to celebrate who she is as we prepare her for the future.

We're having an Esther Year. Yes, this beautiful idea is straight out of another book I'd highly recommend: Queen Esther's Secrets of Womanhood by Ginger Garrett.

An Esther Year is a blueprint for activities to pamper mom and daughter and for discussions to go deep into stories of the past and wisdom for the future.

The first month we'll be talking about beauty. Ginger says, "Beauty is a reflection of God's character and His artistic nature, but the more we focus on defining human beauty in human measurements, the more we're distracted from God."

So we'll be talking about how we've defined beauty and what makes a person beautiful. And what God has to say about beauty.

The part about this Esther Year's journey that makes me smile is how much my daughter is looking forward to our time together.

The part that scares me senseless is that my daughter is looking forward to this time together... and I wonder if I'm up for the task of sharing stories from my past and imparting wisdom as my daughter races into womanhood.

Can I ask a favor? Would you do two things?

One is pray.

The other is help this tom-boy mom with the topic of beauty. Honestly, I had to go to a Clinique counter as an adult to figure out how to apply makeup the right way. (As in not the too blue eye shadow of the 80s I tried when I was 13 with miserable results.)

One of the story starters is a question about who were the most beautiful women when I was growing up. And what made them beautiful. I'm drawing a complete blank. Any suggestions?

Also, I'm curious... how do you define beauty? Inside or outside, or a combination of both? How do your actions back up your definition?

Let's talk!

I'm sure all of us will come away better prepared to encourage and inspire the women around us to see themselves as beautiful.

All About Love

Today is my fifteenth wedding anniversary. And it's fitting that today I'm finally ready to share my word for 2010, a tradition started years ago.

Unlike other years, we haven't spent a lot of time this holiday season looking back over 2009. It was a hard year. One better left in the hands of God as we trust Him to take the last 365 days and continue the quiet work He was always about.

My word for 2009 was PEACE. The oddest of all the words God has given me to reflect on for the coming year.

But it was the good way God showed Himself in the midst of multiple hard things. He was our peace. Both felt and not realized until well after the fact.

When I do look back on 2009, PEACE is what covers everything.

I pray I'll say the same this time next year, because the word for 2010 is LOVE.

Fitting for today, the day David and I said I DO to whatever God had in store.

Like 2009, our wedded bliss has been a challenge, more like a roller coaster ride of high heights and deep drops that God has covered in His grace.

And God has always been at work teaching us about His love.

Sometimes we've listened.

Sometimes we've touched heaven. We've held three precious gifts of God in our arms and released one straight to God's arms.

We've stood in awe when our Heavenly Daddy became our daughters' Heavenly Daddy too.

We've celebrated birthdays and Christmases and anniversaries where love was the focus.

But as God whispered my 2010 word, it was clear there's much more to learn.

I have so much more to learn.

Especially in everyday moments. Those small flashes of time where God is always there, always speaking, and where we make choices which seem small, decisions that don't feel like big things. But they change the course of our lives.

Sometimes, in those seemingly small moments, I don't listen. School, work, even serving others creates a static that drowns out God's words. But God doesn't give up on us. He continues drawing us closer, opening our eyes and ears.

In one of those everyday moments full of big potential, God got my attention and I listened to a set of verses that my whole family got excited about.

Since then, we've started saying these verses together, the verses God used to turn my heart to thoughts of 2010 and LOVE.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Sh'ma Yis'ra'eil Adonai Eloheinu Adonai echad.
Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.

Barukh sheim k'vod malkhuto l'olam va'ed.
Blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever.

V'ahav'ta eit Adonai Elohekha b'khol l'vav'kha uv'khol naf'sh'kha uv'khol m'odekha.
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

V'hayu had'varim ha'eileh asher anokhi m'tzav'kha hayom al l'vavekha.
And these words that I command you today shall be in your heart.

V'shinan'tam l'vanekha v'dibar'ta bam
And you shall teach them diligently to your children, and you shall speak of them

b'shiv't'kha b'veitekha uv'lekh't'kha vaderekh uv'shakh'b'kha uv'kumekha
when you sit at home, and when you walk along the way, and when you lie down and when you rise up.

Mark 12:29-31

'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

These verses jumped off the page as God reminded me that it truly is all about love. So that's my prayer and my hope for 2010: that all we say and do be all about LOVE.

Speaking of love.... Happy Anniversary, honey! I'm more in love with you today than on that extra-special day fifteen years ago when my heart was more full than ever before. I love you. Always.

And Happy New Year, everyone!

May your 2010 be filled with LOVE. A love that wraps around your heart and soul and warms you in the cold moments, calms you in the tough moments, thrills you in the joyous moments, and comforts you in every moment.

May you love as Jesus loved~ with all that He is. Enjoy 2010 and love well.

Christmas Gifts

The stockings are hung, the decorations are out, and like many of you all I'm almost too exhausted to enjoy the fruits of the labor.

Except that God keeps taking me back to a few simple things...

We celebrate Christmas because of one reason: Jesus came.

Everything else is icing.

So instead of focusing on the icing, I wanted to share some of the good stuff God has been showing me about the Christmas story.

The First Christmas Gifts

Salvation~ Jesus came to make a way for us to be reconciled to God. He came to be the perfect sacrifice, the Lamb of God, on the cross. I wonder if that's one of the reasons the angels proclaimed the first birth announcement to shepherds.

Peace~ After God's glory was proclaimed, the angels spoke of peace to men on whom His favor rests. That's us, His children. He is our peace.

Hope~ Jesus was born into a dark world, a world where many had given up hope. But because of His birth, centuries later we can have hope. Hope that all the trials and hardships have a purpose and that this life is not the end. Because of Jesus, we can anticipate heaven and spending forever face to face with the One who loves us more than we can ever comprehend.

Purpose~ From shepherds to prophets and wise men, in our uniqueness we can proclaim Him and share the good news that sent wise men journeying far, prophets shouting out praise, and shepherds telling everyone they met about all they had seen.

I hope, as you open other gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, that you'll remember these first Christmas gifts too. And rejoice in the truth that God's gifts are life changing. They're never too old or too used to unwrap and enjoy year after year.

May your Christmas be full of awe and wonder as you worship the newborn King, God with us~ Immanuel!

Merry Christmas!!!

Noel with the Novelists

Merry Christmas, everyone!

I'm thrilled to be among a group of Christian fiction authors opening our homes for a special holiday tour and our personal wishes to YOU.

The awesome Marlo Schalesky has linked to me, so if you're stopping by from her blog, a special welcome to you!

Enjoy the video below and then continue the tour by hopping over to my friend and historical fiction author and beauty expert, Ginger Garrett, and her festive video.



Next stop, Ginger Garrett's blog~ Happy Christmas to all!

Making a Difference

Christmas is an amazing time of the year when many turn their focus outward and see how they can show kindness to neighbors and complete strangers.

Because of thankful lists my family made this Thanksgiving and an offhand comment about making our lists come true for others, we're entering this holiday season and 2010 looking for ways to spend time, treasure, and talents to help others.

I have the beginnings of a list for ways to serve others, but would love to enlarge it. Maybe one listed here or hopefully in the comments will start your heart to pumping faster and you'll know you've found a way to make a difference this holiday season and on into 2010.

One person can make a difference. One family even more.

What about you? Who will your life touch this December and New Year?

Ways to Make a Difference:

Give the gift of hope

Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree: http://www.angeltree.org/angeltree-home

Harvest of Hope: give gifts that change lives www.harvestofhope.org

Give the gift of food

Heifer International: giving families a source of food rather than short-term relief http://www.heifer.org

Give the gift of security

Compassion International exists as a Christian child advocacy ministry that releases children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults. http://www.compassion.com/

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian charity organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. http://www.worldvision.org/

Give the gift of respect and health

Secret Angels Project: provide gift cards for moms and grandmoms who care for children born with HIV. Your gift also provides warm clothing, coats, socks, underwear and a toy. Secret Angels Project has offered crisis support in Christian love for the past ten years. http://www.secretangelsproject.com

Thanksgiving Thoughts

New ideas and traditions abound this Thanksgiving Day in the Wallace home. We started the day a new way with a snuggle time devotion in our bed.

First we all piled in and David read Psalm 100. And then each of our girls read Psalm 100 from their different versions of the Bible. Even our youngest... with a little help from Mom.

It was so beautiful.

Next, instead of waiting for the big dinner to do kernels of corn and say five things we're thankful for, we each took sheets of paper and listed lots and lots of things from this past year we're thankful for.

Before I share our lists, an idea hit me. What if we took these lists and found ways to make them come true for others in 2010?

So that's our plan for 2010. Want to join us?

First make a list. Then choose as a family which things you're thankful for to make happen for someone else.

I'd love it if you could share some ideas here. We just might inspire each other and others to make 2010 an incredible year of blessings.

Here's my thankful list:

Jesus being real and powerful in my life
My husband and amazing daughters
David's job
Anchor church and participating in the Children's Ministry through drama
Writing
Teaching
WORD~ Writer's of Remarkable Design
Tao Hsieh Wu Shu and the amazing believers we've met there
Writing a new book that I'm loving

The encouragement from readers and fellow authors who have become friends~ you all make my life so much richer!

Lizzy~ a young lady I'm mentoring in writing

Chip MacGregor~ my awesome agent who keeps me striving higher and working happier

Best friends~ Jen, Sharon, Elizabeth, and Carrie. I love praying with these ladies, laughing, and being nudged to keep growing and loving well

Beauty Secrets of the Bible book~ it's made us rethink our definitions of beauty and see ourselves as beautiful

Beach trips with friends~ Stewarts and Medlins. You guys make it soooo much more fun!

Fresh air
Clean water
Abundant food
A comfortable bed
Books
Laughter
Health~ being in better health this year because of martial arts
Our Compassion Children
Freedom

David's list included many of the above plus:

The gift of a car we couldn't afford
Men's Bible study
A mentor
Growth in our relationships

Our girls has these things to add:

My Bible
My toys
Disney trip
Pictures of fun times
Light
Clothes and PJs
Food and treats
Heaven
Life
Nature
Education
Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes
Indoor plumbing
Animals
Snuggle sessions and devotions

Right away, my mind zeroed in on fresh air, clean water, Bibles, and other things we can be part of bringing to people around the world.

Also, church ministries. What are your gifts and how can you use them in your local body?

How about special times with loved ones and welcoming someone without that into your home and heart?

The possibilities are endless. So what will you do all through 2010? Please share your ideas!

And have a Thanksgiving filled with special, heart-filling moments of love!

Thanksgiving mishaps

Now that many thoughts are turning to turkey and all the fixings, I'm gonna share a red-faced Thanksgiving moment.

This holiday humor is inspired by my dear friend Sharon Hinck as we traded Thanksgiving foibles today.

First you should know that two years ago I was diagnosed with gluten allergies as well as an allergy to eggs and dairy. Sort of shoots Thanksgiving recipes out of the water, huh? Yep.

So this year we're getting creative with all new recipes we pray retain the taste.

So far we've tried cranberry chutney which turned out pretty well. And I baked a from-scratch pumpkin pie.

That's my offering for today's holiday chuckle.

To begin with, I made this pumpkin pie for the first time to take to our church's Thanksgiving meal.

First mistake.

But all went well the entire adventure. My kids looked on with awe as I masterfully pretended to know all about these weird flours and other stuff the recipe required.

A little over two hours later, the pie turned out looking great and smelling great. I even put a cute pumpkin cut out of crust on the top of the pie.

Then we loaded up our food offerings and proceeded to church.

The meal was wonderful. The company awesome.

But at the end of the evening I found the dessert table still held my almost intact pie.

Why?

Apparently, the thick pie crust was hard to cut.

As in try cutting a brick.

So it's back to the drawing board for me... I'm still working on allergy free and tasty... minus the bricks.

And I'll try it out on my family first. ;-)

Life lessons

I'm not big on jumping into the deep end with my eyes closed. It scares the daylights out of me.

But my family and I are part of an amazing group of believers who are also martial artists. The head of our school, our Soke, seems to think it's good to grow.

Which I'm all for... except that deep end, eyes closed jumping.

So he sort of shoved me~ nicely~ off that diving board.

And David and I landed in our first martial arts competition this past Saturday.

My hubby not only looked formidable, he also took ownership of his ring and came out with a second place trophy!

Way to go honey!!!

I came out of the entire experience having learned some valuable lessons.

The first is Do Your Best The FIRST time.

Circumstances converged to shake my confidence, and I didn't adjust. I stayed shaken and technically did a good job with my traditional form~ so says my husband. He's sort of biased, though.

But I knew inside I'd not done my best. And I was ticked at myself.

God was gracious and gave me a second chance. I'd tied for third, and a trophy was on the line.

So I got out there and gave it my all. I earned a score I'm proud of and experienced the difference between good and best.

It's a lesson I won't forget.

The second lesson is to never stop learning.

One of my favorite people in our martial arts school inspires me to keep reaching higher and learning more. She's graceful, amazingly strong (I have bruises to prove it) and such a beautiful person inside and out.

Julia is the kind of person who teaches by example and encouragement. I want to be more like her as I grow in martial arts.

The last lesson I'll articulate here is to cheer for others~ loudly.

No matter what you're doing, sometimes the difference between giving up and giving your all is someone in the crowd cheering for you.

I want to be the person whose words spur others on and strengthen them to do their best.

So that's my goal for the next tournament: Do my best the first time, keep learning, and cheer others on~ loudly.

It's my goal for all of life too.

One last thing I learned... martial artist have pretty good taste in books. Don't ya think? ;-)

Twenty years too late for prom

Seeing as I've already passed my twentieth high school reunion, I've had little use for a prom dress.

Until the first part of November, that is.

My family and I were recently asked to be in a wedding and we said yes. That involved a trip back home to Louisville and getting my children and myself all dressed up. Hubby even donned a tux. He looked amazing too!

We practiced and talked a lot about proper wedding manners.

And we survived. No one fell. (I tripped a couple of times.)

No one burped the ABC's at the formal dinner either.

Success! ;-)

But our kids were ready for bed after a long spin on the dance floor. David and I were not.

So we took a nice horse drawn carriage ride and then headed back to the hotel in downtown Louisville.

The girls were given a cell phone and strict orders not to burn the hotel down while David and I did something we've never done before...

We left our oldest (of baby-sitting age) in charge and went out for a very late dinner.

Dressed in prom attire.

I've never been looked at so weirdly in my life.

I mean, really... what's so strange about a guy in a tux and a lady in a huge, billowing purple dress???

Maybe if we were in our teens and it was prom weekend, all would have been well.

But prom was a long time ago and so were our teen years.

Even so, David and I had a great time, a great dinner, and got some extra mileage out of our wedding attire.

So what do you think? Would you have given us weird looks???

Words

I have a love hate thing going on with words. From what I’ve noticed as a teacher, a church leader, and even in my home, lots of folks feel the same way.

We love words when we’re understood and hate it when we’re not.

We love crafting the right response to a sticky subject, sharing a word fitly spoken, and cheering up a friend. But at the same time, we hate when those things we call words fail us.

Aren’t you glad we can pray without words? (Romans 8:26)

This weekend, and into the holiday season, I encourage you to listen closely to your words. Are they saying what you want them to say?

Or are they getting you into trouble?

Either way, God is there with infinite patience and understanding and wisdom to help. After all, He spoke the world into being and is called the Author of our faith.

Talk to Him. If necessary, use words.

Welcome to our Homes This Christmas

A special treat for you all... Noel with the Novelists. Stay tuned for more details about this blog video tour of Christmas wishes from our homes to yours.

Here are some sneak peeks to get you in a holiday mood...

A Beauty Breakthrough

Have you ever picked up a book and knew right then it would change your world?

Well... I've picked up tons of books over the years and many have added depth and richness to my life. Some have even drawn me closer to Jesus and made me love Him more.

But until a few weeks ago, I couldn't say a book changed my world.

I'll share the title in a minute. But first, the big deal...

I have three beautiful daughters who I love with all my heart. Princesses I spend almost every waking moment with being both mom and teacher.

And I love it.

But my oldest and I have always looked at the world through different glasses and never quite found a way to meet in the middle.

That dissonance has reared its ugly head lately and left both of us hurting. And I’ve been unable to just walk away and hope it gets better this time.

Please tell me I'm not the only parent who tried to tuck something under the rug because you had no idea what to do with it!

Enter my best friend. Jen loves my girls dearly and me too. She's also the one to listen to me rant and then tell me I need to go have a talk with Jesus. Kind of a "you need a come to Jesus moment right now" sort of thing.

But last week, she didn't tell me to go talk with Jesus. Instead, she poured out His words until they overflowed my heart.

They stung at first. REALLY stung as she pointed to my aching heart and said I had a big part to play in that pain. As in you need to stop living with guilt and using it as a smoke screen to the real problem.

Ouch.

After about an hour, I was in tears. Something I'm not given to do where anyone can hear me. But Jen was right. And I needed a long stay in my heavenly Father's arms to see the past through His eyes, repent, and see my sins and my children's nailed to the cross.

Nailed there paid in full.

I got up from the floor of my bedroom and couldn't wait to see what God would do next, how He was going to answer my prayers for healing in my relationship with my oldest daughter.

Then I woke up the next morning and felt like a teen on my first date. Shy. Awkward. Wondering what in the world I was supposed to do.

God kept flashing the cover of a book in my brain and started walking my feet down to my oldest princess's room. There I stood in the doorway and asked if she'd like join me in a new beauty routine I'd started from this amazing book: Beauty Secrets of the Bible.

She said yes. And we had a totally normal, girly spa session that opened the door to another long talk. A talk that ended with lots of tears and true repentance.

And my daughter's assurance that I'd not lost her heart, but gained it.

Now there's so much more to this story that a blog couldn't contain. But I'll let my wise daughter's words sum it up....

After we read the ninth day of beauty devotions in Beauty Secrets of the Bible, my oldest looked me in the eye and smiled, saying, "I'm glad you got that book. It's helping me stop thinking I'm not beautiful and see that I am beautiful in Jesus."

We would have never had this ah-ha moment and the breakthroughs before if it hadn't been for God speaking through a best friend, a beauty secret, and an amazing book.

Want in on some of the beauty secrets that led to a bonding time with my daughter? Check out Ginger's website and some sneak peeks from her book, Beauty Secrets of the Bible: http://gingergarrett.com/downloads/

It may be that, like me, you need some time in your heavenly Father’s arms to sort out fact from fallacy and see yourself and your children as beautiful.

I pray you’ll make that time. And give yourself a treat that nudges you down that road. (hint: Ginger’s book is awesome!)

Evidences of Grace

Six years ago today I almost died.

So did my youngest daughter. After a complicated delivery, I watched her struggle to breathe and shake from a crashing blood sugar.

Today she never slows down, and the only time she can't breathe is when she's laughing so hard she's making the rest of us gasp for air.

There’s another prevalent memory from six years ago…as the people prepping me for surgery administered too much anesthesia and I watched my heart rate slow to almost nothing, I whispered a desperate prayer to just see my baby.

I now see her every day, and I'll never tire of it.

Because looking in her eyes is a very physical evidence of grace. I almost lost her before I held her. But today we baked her first cake and played princess games.

This is a far better way to spend an October day!

But now I have to go... a little princess still wants to snuggle and play dress up. And eat cake! ;-)

The Sound of Sleigh Bells

If you're looking for a great Christmas read or an awesome Christmas gift for the readers in your life, Cindy Woodsmall's newest release, The Sound of Sleigh Bells, is perfect!

Cindy's books took me on a journey into a different world, a journey that cost me a few night's sleep. But it was worth it! The writing is so rich and beautiful and the characters so real, it's like spending the early morning hours with good friends huddled around a cozy fire.

So whether you're knee deep in snow, or water as the case is in Atlanta, snuggle up with a quilt and a yummy beverage and enjoy a taste of Christmas joy with The Sound of Sleigh Bells.

Leave a comment and you could be the winner of an early Christmas present! ;-)

Story Summary:

Beth Hertzler works alongside her beloved Aunt Lizzy in their dry goods store, and serving as contact of sorts between Amish craftsmen and Englischers who want to sell the Plain people’s wares. But remorse and loneliness still echo in her heart everyday as she still wears the dark garb, indicating mourning of her fiancé. When she discovers a large, intricately carved scene of Amish children playing in the snow, something deep inside Beth’s soul responds and she wants to help the unknown artist find homes for his work–including Lizzy’s dry goods store. But she doesn’t know if her bishop will approve of the gorgeous carving or deem it idolatry.

Lizzy sees the changes in her niece when Beth shows her the woodworking, and after Lizzy hunts down Jonah, the artist, she is all the more determined that Beth meets this man with the hands that create healing art. But it’s not that simple–will Lizzy’s elaborate plan to reintroduce her niece to love work? Will Jonah be able to offer Beth the sleigh ride she’s always dreamed of and a second chance at real love–or just more heartbreak?
Cover art:

Author Bio:

Cindy Woodsmall is the author of When the Heart Cries, When the Morning Comes, and The New York Times Best-Seller When the Soul Mends. Her ability to authentically capture the heart of her characters comes from her real-life connections with Amish Mennonite and Old Order Amish families. A mother of three sons and two daughters-in-law, Cindy lives in Georgia with her husband of thirty-one years.

I need to add to be FTC compliant that this book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Lessons From the Dojo

If you haven't already heard, my family and I take martial arts classes and love it! After a grueling class on technique last week, I sat down to write one of the devotionals I've mentioned to you all before.

Since you've seen my broken boards and many of you have seen the ankle braces and finger braces and bruises... I figured you all might like to see one of the many great things we've gained from martial arts.

Oh, you haven't seen the board pic? Well... here it is. ;-) And yes, I broke it all by my self. ;-)

And here's the devotional. Enjoy!

We love Tao Hsieh Wu Shu! I could do without the running before almost every class, but what we learn and how we’ve grown is worth the difficulty of running.

We’ve broken boards~ big, 1 inch thick, oak-like wood. Okay, maybe not oak, but they weren’t balsa either. ;-)

We’ve learned kicks and stances and punches and…most of all we’ve learned discipline, respect, and that technique matters.

And after a very focused class on technique, it dawned on me that technique matters in our walk with the Lord too.

No, not the check-off-boxes-and–feel-good kind of technique. But the basics: praise, confession, all-out honesty before the Lord, and reverence. Forgiving others. Loving well.

Maybe you guys have all that down with a snap. But me? Well, I’ve been a believer for twenty-four years and I’m still learning and growing and realizing how much more I have to learn.

In martial arts, if my technique is wrong when I kick, I break my foot. If it’s wrong when I fall, I go boom on the floor and hurt for a long time.

But with the Lord, if my “technique” is wrong, it might not show up right away. It will show up though. Maybe months later when prayer has grown rote or I hold a grudge or there’s a lot of bickering going on at my house.

That’s when I stop and get down on my knees asking why. The Lord has always been gracious to show me too. And to welcome me back with open arms.

My family adores and highly respects our Soke, our martial arts leader. He’s tough but clear that he’s tough on us to make us better and keep us safe.

Even more, my family and I love Jesus. And He’s tough too because He knows all the amazing things He’s created us for and knows exactly how to prepare us. He’s also loving and compassionate and just and so very much more.

So join me in brushing up on our “techniques” with the Lord. Let’s jump in to cheer each other on too. We can do that a million unique ways: lend a hand when there's a need, offer a kind word or a written prayer, call to say hi…they may seem “little” but they’re not.

They have more power than someone breaking concrete blocks.

Where it all began

I'm part of a cool group of folks who write weekly devotionals. This group was started by a dear friend of mine from high school.

My friend Cindy, the devotions guru, asked the writers to share a little about themselves to start this year's devotionals.

I thought you all might get a kick out of seeing my first devotional. Here it is.... I'm pretty sure you'll learn something new about me in there! ;-)

Oh, by the way... can you guess which one is me in the picture?

Okay, on to the devotional...


When Cindy, who is one of my high school buddies and knows waaaayyy too much about my growing up years, asked the DT writers to share about themselves, I got a little nervous. Sort of envisioned being questioned by a cop in a cold, gray room with one bare light bulb hanging from the ceiling.

I mean, what would you all really want to know about me?

I could do the basics: I've been married to a great guy for almost 15 years. We have three children we've home schooled from the start. I'm a published author, teacher, and speaker. I love teaching kids and adults about writing, about God's infinite grace and patience, and how He is the Giver of Dreams and the One who called us with a holy calling according to His purpose and grace. (2 Timothy 1:8-9)

I suppose I should add some things about my faith journey that Cindy and Chris would probably rather forget. Did you know Chris and another DT member used to draw straws on who had to drive me home from youth group? It might have been because I talked everyone's ear off who would listen with all my God questions.

I didn't come from a Christian home, so at 15 when a school friend invited me to church, I went. But not before I'd backed out a ton of times. See, my only concept of God was a big guy with thunderbolts who probably didn't like me much. But what I found there was this huge, amazing God who knew everything about me and loved me. Me. And so I did what I've always done and continue to do~ I asked questions. I read books. I bugged everyone with everything I could think of regarding religion and Jesus and the church.

I heard a lot of great answers. But nothing stuck. Not until I sat out on a cold concrete step behind the church and looked up into the stars and asked, "Are You really there? Do You really want me?"

The answer was yes. And it's been a journey of wrestling, dancing, and questioning our very big God with all my very small questions. I know less now than I did twenty-four years ago. But I've never forgotten that God bent near a scared and alone 15 year old and said, "Come."

Still awed,
Amy

Perfect Love

Some days I resemble the Cat in the Hat on a really bad day.

It's the age old lament of too much to do and not enough time. But I'll go a step more transparent and say that a lot of my problem has been my refusal to sit down for a decent amount of time and be quiet.

I get uncomfortable with the silence.

Especially when I'm afraid of what God is going to show me.

It's easy in the day-to-day to excuse my frustration as understandable, my short prayer time as at least I prayed some, and my busyness as "everyone is doing it" and just part of how it goes when you balance two full-time careers.

But all that sort of evaporates in one silent moment before a holy God.

The funny thing is when I took my pastor's dare to try to spend an hour in prayer each day for a week, I didn't expect anything good to happen.

I expected to feel guilty.

What I experienced was freedom.

It didn't happen that week. But over time...and even when the time I had in the morning shortened...I noticed God still showed up. He still guided my eyes to take in something in His Word that connected.

And I found that confessing sin and praying for my family were no longer times when I felt guilty for all that I've done wrong. They were times I admitted to this holy and loving God that I couldn't do what I was asking to be done~ only He could.

Today, as I was praying for my husband with The Power of a Praying Wife prayer cards by Stormie Omartian, (GREAT book by the way!) I prayed 1 John 4:18 about perfect love driving out all of my husband's fears. And 2 Timothy 1:7 that David would walk in a spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind.

Then my eyes locked on a note I'd written years before. A year when God was so near I could feel His breath on my cheek.

The note said, "Perfect love creates a safe place."

I long for my husband and children to think of our home as a safe place. A place where love drives out fear and God's perfect love is closer than a whispered dream.

So I prayed for that very thing.

But that note pulled me even deeper. It was as if God were inviting me to see that the safe place is closer than my DNA.

It's real. And the door is always open. The Light is always on.

Even when the darkness of a cave presses in on me and it’s hard to breathe, my Safe Place is still there.

Even when prayer times are short and my to-do list long, I can run into the Perfect Love that creates a safe place.

I still long for my home to be a safe place too. But today I caught a glimpse of the only way that will ever be true.

Christ is the only perfect love that creates a safe place.

This is where I need to hang out and trust God to cause what I learn there to overflow and broaden that Safe Place to wider dimensions than I can even imagine.

Remembering 9-11

Eight years ago today our country was attacked. Lives lost. Chaos.

Where were you?

I was baby-sitting my oldest daughter's best friend, and my husband interrupted a normal day of play with a shaky phone call.

He said a plane hit one of the Twin Towers.

I said that was crazy.

I meant impossible. But when I turned on the TV, I saw it was possible. It was still crazy.

I sat in front of our TV on a scratchy rug, numb as I watched the second plane hit and both towers crumble.

I stayed there for a week.

Then and now I couldn't comprehend why it happened. Or what would happen next.

I just knew my world had changed forever.

For a short time, the world changed for good. People from all over the globe held vigils by candlelight. Leaders expressed sympathy. Heroes emerged from twisted metal and police cars and fire trucks.

They showed us what the American spirit looked like in the 21st century. Our nation came together and sang God Bless America on the Capitol steps.

It was beautiful.

So where were you? What do you remember?