Stacy Leicht's Blog, page 2
November 22, 2021
Want to buy Good One, God?
Here are the links to purchasing my book Good One, God. Thank you for your support and encouragment!
Redemption-Press.com- https://redemption-press.com/product/good-one-god/
Barnes & Noble- https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/good-one-god-stacy-leicht/1140487515?ean=9781646454846
November 2, 2021
A web of lies..
Do you find yourself saying little white lies? Do you gossip about others, and exaggerate the negatives about them to make the story more interesting? How have you felt when people have said hurtful little lies about you?
The truth of the matter is, The Bible is full of liars. Here me correctly, the Bible is Gods perfect truth. yet, because the events that occurred in the Bible involve real humans, that means there was sin involved.
“Let’s start with the first lie. Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, and the serpent, the Devil lied to them. He used deceit to trick them into eating from the Tree of Good and Evil. What was the consequence? Adam and Eve were banished from the garden and told they would toil and work for their food all the days of their lives.
Then there was the story of Isaac, who had two sons named Jacob and Esau. Isaac was elderly and was losing his sight, and he knew he did not have much more time on this earth. Isaac’s plan was to give Esau his blessing. However, Jacob knew this, and dressed as Esau to trick his father. When Isaac asked, “Who are you?” Jacob replied, “I am your son, Esau.” This lie led to Isaac giving the special blessing to Jacob rather than Esau.
Finally, in Genesis, Abraham traveled to the land of Gerar. Out of fear, Abraham told King Abimelech that his wife Sarah, was really his sister. So, Abimelech had Sarah brought to him and wanted her as his wife. But, in a dream, God told Abimelech “you are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken. She has a husband.”
According to Psychology Today, A 2002 study performed by psychologist Robert Feldman at the University of Massachusetts found that 60 percent of people lied at least once during a 10-minute conversation, telling an average of two to three lies. Brain imaging experiments conducted by Tali Sharot at University College London show that the brain adapts to dishonest behavior. Participants showed reduced activity in their limbic system as they told more lies, supporting the idea that each lie makes lying easier. In addition, the findings support the adage that small acts of dishonesty can escalate into larger ones.
Lying has consequences. It can create a great divide between a husband and a wife. It can destroy a business that is built upon lies, and it can lead to physical ailments.
The real question is, can liars stop telling lies? Science states that once someone starts lying, it becomes harder and harder to quit. Therefore, this is where we as Christians need to call on our heavenly father for help. If we find ourselves saying little white lies, we need to repent, and turn our hearts towards saying positve things about others. That can become the new habit if done often enough.
Today, I challenge you to say positive things about three other people. And…… Go!
Blessings Sweet Friends,
Stacy
October 20, 2021
Good One, God Book Release!
Today I learned my release date for my children’s book Good One, God. It will release on November 11th! I am so excited. You will be able to pre-order it on the publisher’s website soon. redemption-press.com, under the bookstore tab. For those of you that are local, I will be having my Book Release Party at Amorosos Bakery on Hunt Club Rd. in Greensboro on Thursday, December 2nd from 4:00-7:00pm. Please text or message me to RSVP so the bakery knows how much food to prepare. I hope to see you there!
October 15, 2021
Are you Thankful or Grateful?
The Oxford Dictionary defines the word thankful as “pleased and relieved.” Both of those are feelings. The same dictionary defines the word grateful as “showing an appreciation or kindness.” Gratitude goes to a deeper level, it is being aware that your appreciation stems from something outside of yourself such as a higher power.
The teacher in me would ask you to circle the verb and underline the noun. So, play along with me. The definition of thankful was “pleased and relieved.” Both of those words are feelings. However, grateful is defined by showing something. What are we showing? We are showing appreciation and kindness, which are actions.
How do we show someone they are appreciated? We can take them out for coffee, write them a letter telling them how they have been helpful to us, or make them a dinner. Showing kindness, can be smiling, hugging, or simply using good manners.
The Thanksgiving holiday is around the corner. My hope is you will have an opportunity to spend time with someone you care about. In some traditions, people at a Thanksgiving meal will go around the table and share what they are thankful for. Some might say, “I’m thankful for my friends, my house, or my car.” While others might say, “health or wealth.” But when we get up from the table, and the holiday is over, are we still thankful or do we stop thinking about the things we just talked about at the table?
When it’s mid-December and the lines are long in your favorite department store, and traffic is backed up due to Christmas shoppers, are you thankful? Thankfulness and gratitude go hand in hand-in-hand. It is much easier to have thankfulness than gratitude. Thankfulness can be fleeting, but gratitude requires action, thought, and critical thinking.
Gratitude stems from a cause, and becomes the effect. For example, if you have a friend who is sick with a terminal illness and you are seeing the impact on their life, you may think to yourself, I am so grateful I am healthy. Someone else’s pain has caused you to see the goodness in your own life, and from that stems gratitude.
UC Davis Health states, “The practice of gratitude can have dramatic and lasting effects in a person’s life,” said Robert A. Emmons, professor of psychology at UC Davis and a leading scientific expert on the science of gratitude.
“It can lower blood pressure, improve immune function and facilitate more efficient sleep. Gratitude reduces lifetime risk for depression, anxiety and substance abuse disorders, and is a key resiliency factor in the prevention of suicide,” he said.
Practicing gratitude also affects behavior. Studies have shown that grateful people engage in more exercise, have better dietary behaviors, are less likely to smoke and abuse alcohol, and have higher rates of medication adherence – factors that translate into a healthier and happier life.”
1 Thesallonians 5:18 states, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
This week, spend some time reflecting. Are you thankful or grateful, or both? God tells us in many verses in the Bible to be thankful, but also calls us to action as Christians. We may have to work at having gratitude or showing gratitude, but as the physicians above shared, we will feel physically and mentally better if we practice both.
Blessings Sweet Friends,
Stacy
October 8, 2021
Do you know God’s plan?
Do you ever have days that you wish God would open up the heavens and call out your name, and tell you the answer to the question you have? Do you wonder if you are following God’s perfect plan for your life? How do you know that you are following his plan?
I’m not going to lie, this has been tough for me as a Christian. There is no map or playbook that is given to each one of us the day we are born that tells us what path to follow. Or is there?
Well… in a sense there is a playbook. The Bible is the playbook for Christians. It may not give us specific answers to our questions, such as work for this company vs. that company. But, it does tell us, “If I delight myself in the Lord, he will give me the desires of my heart.” Psalm 37:4
What if the desires of our heart are not good for us, such as overindulging in alcohol or drugs? Will God succumb and give us the desires of our heart? The real question is, if we are delighting in the Lord and walking with him, why are we desiring to take pleasure in things that are harmful to us, such as overindulging in alcohol and drugs?
In Hebrews 12:10, “Our earthly fathers disciplined us for a little while, as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our good, so we may share in his holiness.” To me, this verse says, God is good enough to bring us back on track if we stray from his plan. But, we need to stay in contact with our Father, so we can hear his voice.
When you have a large decision to make, do you shake a magic 8 ball? Or do you seek God’s face? Do you look to the astrological signs or to the God who created you?
Whatever decision you are facing in your life, whether it is a new job, a move to a new city, or a smaller decision, it can seem monumental at that time. Remember, your Heavenly Father wants to be the one you to come to.
Blessings Sweet Friends,
Stacy
September 21, 2021
Are you wearing your “Jesus Suit?”
Have you ever felt like you’ve known someone well, then you see a different side of their personality, and it takes you by surprise? That happened to me recently. I have been friends with someone for a long time. My friend has always been mild-mannered, soft-spoken, and used kind words. So when we were out to lunch and her order was brought incorrect, two times to the table, I was shocked to see my friend launch into a tirade at the server. It was though, there was a Jekyll and Hyde moment, and I was observing a split personality.
I remember not only being shocked by the actions of my friend, but also embarrassed at how she was acting in public towards another person for something insignificant. When the waitress left, my friends cleared her throat, tilted her head a few times as if trying to shake some sense back into herself, and started talking again about our topic as if nothing happened.
I looked around at other tables, who were still reeling from the chaos that had ensued. They were obviously still talking about her antics, but she had turned them on and off like a switch. Was I just now seeing a side of my friend that I didn’t know lurked below? As she talked, I began to wonder what other things I didn’t know about my friend. I allowed my imagination to get the best of me, and allowed myself to think the worst.
Nothing was ever said about our lunch together. Looking back, I should have said something, but I was in shock and I didn’t want to upset her further.
Do we really know the people in our lives? Do we know their true identities? How would we know if someone is a Christian or not? Colossians 2:2 says, Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 2:5-10, Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.[b] 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. We are told as Christians to put our sins to death. That means anything that separates us from God should be taken out of our lives. If it consumes our time, and our thoughts, and pulls us away from God, it is not for our good. We are told in verse 9, to put on our new self, in the image of our creator. Meaning we should be a living witness of Christ.
Therefore, when people look at me, they should be able to see, Christ in Me. Do my actions, my words, my deeds reflect God and his love? If not, they may drive people away from Him. I heard a pastor use the phrase “Jesus Suit.” He was telling teenagers to put on their “Jesus Suit” and be the image of God when they are at school. I love that term, “Jesus Suit!” It is a daily reminder, that we are a living witness to what God has done in our lives.
Are you a positive reflection of what God has done in your life? People are watching.
Blessings Sweet Friends,
Stacy
September 13, 2021
Meet Armand Ruci, Publisher
Armand has become a friend of mine through a group on Twitter. Armand is a Writer, Teacher, and recently added Publisher to his resume’. If you are looking for someone to publish your book and take you through the process step-by-step, he’s your guy! Armand is passionate about everything he does, and you can reach him via his websites and links below.
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Armand Ruci Author Interview
When you are not writing, how do you spend your time?
I enjoy reading about the life stories of others that have come to this country before myself and this is a topic that I am immersed. I do enjoy walking and spending quality time with my lovely wife who is a great cook.
How do you discover the eBooks you read?
I usually go to Amazon and look at the great variety of books that they offer. Smashwords is another great venue where I get to enjoy new authors and their books.
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
The first story I ever wrote was back in high school and this is a Police Athletic League contest about the stories that grandparents told me, so I told the story of my grandpa and his struggles with a dictatorship.
What is your writing process?
I am what they call a slow but steady writer and like to take my time and really get into my writing by clearing my head and focusing on what I would want my readers to enjoy.
Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
I remember reading Tom Sawyer and that was the best book I have ever read because it took me to a different world, and I will never forget it.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Tales from the Great Recession and it is inspired by the last economic downturn that the United States experienced in 2008 up until 2011.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write whenever I am inspired to do which for me happens to be while I drive to the city. I have found a nice park by 70th Street and York Ave and it gives me such inspiration that I was able to write a book in a month and publish it on Amazon
What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are many authors that have inspired me such as Hemingway, Steinbeck, Salinger, Orwell, Nabokov
What are you working on now?
I am working on a new book which doesn’t have a title yet so it is a work in progress
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I like to use wordpress to publish all of my excerpts and medium.com is great too
Do you have any advice for new authors?
I think that it is important for new authors to write about subjects that they are truly inspired by and not let anyone tell them that they cannot write because we are all capable of doing so.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Live life to the fullest
What are you reading now?
Lolita by Nabokov
What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to publish a third book and just started an LLC called AAR Publishing and invited all new writers that want to get published to join me and let’s make it happen.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Lolita
Grapes of Wrath
War and Peace
Author Websites and Profiles
Armand Ruci Website
Armand Ruci Amazon Profile
Armand Ruci Author Profile on Smashwo
Author Websites and Profiles
Armand Ruci Website
Armand Ruci Amazon Profile
Armand Ruci Author Profile on Smashwords
September 7, 2021
Kaleidoscope
In 1814, Sir David Brewster did experiments on light polarizations by creating reflections between plates of glass. He continued with his experiements and continued noticing reflections that would take different shapes as he moved the mirrors. The kaleidoscope was patented in 1817 by Brewster and sold as a toy, but had value for a pattern designer.
Now scientists understand more thoroughly, that a kaleidoscope works by reflecting light. Light travels in a straight line, but when it bumps into something it changes direction. Today’s kaleidoscopes have mirrors at both ends, and when you point the kaleidoscope toward the light, the light enters the kaleidoscope and reflects back and forth between the shiny surfaces inside the toy. As a young girl, I did not understand the science behind the kaleidoscope given to me for Christmas,. But the magic behind the beautiful colors and patterns that the kaleidoscope made were intoxicating. The toy made trips with me to Mississippi while I was in the backseat of our station wagon, and I pointed my toy towards the sun and kept myself busy looking at the beautiful colors swirling around. I loved the symmetry of the shapes, and I would predict which shape would come next as I would slowly turn my toy.
Have you ever considered that people are like kaleidoscopes? To learn how to walk, talk, and be independent, we mirror the actions of others in our lives. As a teacher, my hope is that my students can mirror my actions and I can have a positive impact on who they become as future citizens of this country. If I behave with wonder and love, will my students also look to the world with wonder in their eyes and love in their hearts? If I act dreadful to others, speak ugly behind people’s backs, will my students mirror that as well? The fact is, we are programmed to learn from others from the very beginning. As tiny humans, we cannot survive if someone doesn’t care for our basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter. But to truly thrive, we need someone to be the light in our lives, just like the kaleidoscope needs light to produce it’s beauty. It is not enough to do tasks for people, to bring them dinner or to wish them Happy Birthday if there is not light behind those actions and words.
The true magic behind the kaleidoscope is the light. Jesus was sent to this earth, to be the light of the world. The most absolute truth is, that without Jesus dying for our sins, we would not have eternal life. It is the very best gift you can be given, but just like any gift you’ve ever been given, you must receive it. It is the only gift that matters.
Kaleidoscopes bring happiness to children for the beautiful shapes and pictures they make. Imagine the joy a relationship with Jesus, “The Light of the World,” can make in the lives of those you love.
Blessings Sweet Friends,
Stacy
September 3, 2021
Milo the Doodle Cat
Y’all please check out the book my friend April Stults authored. It is a beautiful book for children that teaches them to think independently and critically. This beautiful soul endorsed my book so please get one soon!
August 31, 2021
Who Defends You?
When you were little, did you stand behind your mom or dad’s legs and hide to protect yourself from strangers? I remember when my daughter was little, she would stand either between my legs or behind them when she didn’t want to talk to strangers. I was her protector.
As my kids grew older, if another child at school was bothering them, their Grandma would always say, “Does Grandma have to drive up to that school and take care of business?” She then got the nickname Grandma Mafia which has stuck. Truth be known, I think she likes the nickname.
In the Old Testament, Joshusa 1:5, “No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” God reassures Joshua that he will always defend him, always! God understood that Moses had just died and Joshua was going to be opposed by pagan armies. God knew that fear is contagious, so he encouraged Joshua he would be with him.
When was the last time someone told you that they would stand by your side no matter the circumstances? It may have been when you took marriage vows, or spoke to a family member or business partner. Today, in our society, promises do not have the same meanings they used to have. Marriages end in divorce more than 50% of the time. Let’s face it, it is hard to trust another human being. Why is it hard to trust another human? For exactly that reason, we are HUMAN!
Only God almighty can make promises and be taken at his word Every Single Time! So if the God of Moses and Joshua can promise to defend you and stand by your side, he will do the same thing for you dear one.
You can put your head on your pillow tonight with the comfort that God’s promises are 100% true. Every single one of them! So next time you feel like you need someone to defend you, remember… you have almighty God to defend you each and every second of the day and night!
Blessings Sweet Friends,
Stacy
