Amanda Stephan's Blog: God is Good, God is Great, page 40
September 24, 2012
Try A Little Illustrating
I have always admired illustrators and have doubly admired those who can write and illustrate. From time to time, I dabble with drawings; but I know realistically I will probably never illustrate one of my own books. However, that doesn't mean I can't have fun practicing and that is just what I did recently after watching a segment with Jarret J Krosoczka the famed author of the Lunch Lady series.
Jarret shared a live segment from his studio where he showed viewers how he draws the comic style pictures for his books. He began by showing how he started his illustrations with rough sketches done in a blue colored pencil. Why a blue pencil you ask? Apparently, blue pencil will not show up when the finished product is scanned into the computer and there is no erasing involved this way. Once he had his rough sketch done, he shared that he normally used indian ink to outline, but for time and drying purposes he used a sharpie for his live performance. Once that is done, he then scans the pictures into his computer and proceeds to color them.
I'm not sure exactly what program he uses for his coloration; but having decided to try my hand at creating an illustrated character, I used the paint program. I created a girl I have named Susie Q, and although it is apparent that I need to work on hands quite a bit, I was pretty happy with the results.
This made me think what a great art project this would be for kids. Have them create a character, color it in on the computer, and then create a story to go with it. A perfect start for future authors!
So ends another episode of Kids Korner with me, Children's Author Aileen Stewart. Join me next week for another exciting episode same krazy time, same krazy channel. And feel free to drop by my personal blog Aileen's Thoughts any day of the week for even more on reading, writing, and life in general.
www.BooksByAmanda.com
September 23, 2012
Christian Devotional - A Heart Guard
Are you guarding your heart?
As we make our way through the Armor of God, today we’re
looking at the Breastplate of Righteousness. Previously, we’ve discussed how so
many Christians walk around completely naked and vulnerable to the attacks of
the enemy. Next, we looked at the belt of truth that we must tie around us that
we are surrounded only by truth and not believing a lie from the enemy. Today,
we must look to guard our heart. (You can find those previous weeks by clicking on the Sunday tab above.)
Ephesians 6:13-14
Therefore, take up the full armor of
God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done
everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING
GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT
ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.
A breastplate piece was a chest protector that was
designed to cover and protect the vital organs of the soldier. In the same way,
we must guard our heart spiritually as well.
Attacks
Throughout the Bible, God emphasizes the importance of
loving God. Jesus even goes so far as to indicate that the greatest commandment
is to love the Lord our God and then second is to love our neighbor as
ourselves. Our heart is vital to our ability to be obedient to God and to
demonstrate our love for Him on a daily basis.
Satan loves to attack us by making us question our love
of God and His love for us. I know while going through tough times, I heard the
tempting whisper of the enemy, “If God really loved you, He would let this
happen to you.” Or, “How can you say you love a God who would let this happen
to you?” These attacks are arrows aimed directly at our heart. If we are not
wearing our breastplate of righteousness, we will find ourselves vulnerable.
Righteousness
So what is righteousness? What is this breastplate made
of that will deflect these evil attacks on our heart from Satan. Righteousness
is simply doing what is right. As long as we hold to the truths that we have
put around us with the Belt of Truth, then we will be in prime position to act rightly
based on these truths.
By acting rightly, by being righteous, we will be able to
deflect those attacks from Satan. Instead of wondering about God’s love for us in
the midst of difficult circumstances, we will be able to confidently remember
the truth that God loves us, no matter what, and then act rightly even in the
midst of difficult circumstances.
Are you acting rightly? Are you guarding your heart in the
midst of difficult circumstances? By acting rightly based on the truths that we
know, we will be able to withstand the attacks that Satan has targeted toward
our heart.
Kristi Burchfiel, Christian devotional author and speaker
Living in the World – Living out the Word
Check out my website and daily devotions either on my blog or on my Facebook page
**Check out my newest release: The Daily Devotional Series: Psalm, volume 3 now available on Smashwords and Amazon**www.BooksByAmanda.com
September 20, 2012
5 Revision Strategies to Improve Your Writing
We have now been in school for one month. Students are beginning to stretch their writing muscles, and many have "finished" their stories. It is time to introduce revision. Revision is seeing your work with new eyes. It is asking yourself how you can make your story better. As adults who have been writing for years, we know this ourselves. But have you ever struggled with the execution of "making your story better"? That's such a vague line, isn't it?
I created a poster listing five strategies I learned while reading material for an online class last year. While many strategies were listed within the material, I chose five that I thought my third graders could understand and put into practice.
I am sharing them with you because they are certainly applicable to any writer of fiction, and some would even apply to writers of nonfiction.
1. What is happening inside me? How do I feel?
This strategy was designed specifically for personal narrative, but couldn't we apply it to our characters as well?
2. Write five new leads. Choose the one that best grabs the reader.
I once had another author tell me every beginning was important in a book. The cover is the first opportunity to grab the reader. Then its the first sentence of the book. Then the first sentence of each chapter. So it follows logically that we would want the very best "firsts" in our writing. Sit down and try this one. I've done it myself and it's very interesting to come up with five different ways to begin a story. There is always one that jumps off the page when I'm finished, and it's usually not the first sentence I wrote!
3. Write five new endings. Choose the best one.
If I can make my beginnings better, I can certainly try the same for my ending. With third graders it's usually encouraging them NOT to end with "THE END".
4. Write more about one sentence.
Have you ever been rereading your work and thought, "That seems pretty choppy." That is the perfect place to try this strategy. How can you better share with your readers what is happening in that spot?
5. What can I leave out?
And now we have the opposite of strategy number four. Sometimes when I am trying to get from point A to point B in my story, I find myself (and my characters) trudging through muddy waters. This is when I need to ask myself, is this scene necessary? Or is that paragraph important? Or even, is that word helpful? If the answer to any of these questions is "no", I consider hitting the delete button.
Just as I hope these strategies will help my third graders grow as writers, I hope they will give you a new approach to revision in your own writing! After all, a good strategy is a good strategy...regardless of our age!
Happy writing,
Karina Harris
www.karinaharrisauthor.com www.BooksByAmanda.com
I created a poster listing five strategies I learned while reading material for an online class last year. While many strategies were listed within the material, I chose five that I thought my third graders could understand and put into practice.
I am sharing them with you because they are certainly applicable to any writer of fiction, and some would even apply to writers of nonfiction.
1. What is happening inside me? How do I feel?
This strategy was designed specifically for personal narrative, but couldn't we apply it to our characters as well?
2. Write five new leads. Choose the one that best grabs the reader.
I once had another author tell me every beginning was important in a book. The cover is the first opportunity to grab the reader. Then its the first sentence of the book. Then the first sentence of each chapter. So it follows logically that we would want the very best "firsts" in our writing. Sit down and try this one. I've done it myself and it's very interesting to come up with five different ways to begin a story. There is always one that jumps off the page when I'm finished, and it's usually not the first sentence I wrote!
3. Write five new endings. Choose the best one.
If I can make my beginnings better, I can certainly try the same for my ending. With third graders it's usually encouraging them NOT to end with "THE END".
4. Write more about one sentence.
Have you ever been rereading your work and thought, "That seems pretty choppy." That is the perfect place to try this strategy. How can you better share with your readers what is happening in that spot?
5. What can I leave out?
And now we have the opposite of strategy number four. Sometimes when I am trying to get from point A to point B in my story, I find myself (and my characters) trudging through muddy waters. This is when I need to ask myself, is this scene necessary? Or is that paragraph important? Or even, is that word helpful? If the answer to any of these questions is "no", I consider hitting the delete button.
Just as I hope these strategies will help my third graders grow as writers, I hope they will give you a new approach to revision in your own writing! After all, a good strategy is a good strategy...regardless of our age!
Happy writing,
Karina Harris
www.karinaharrisauthor.com www.BooksByAmanda.com
September 18, 2012
DIY Linky!
If you haven't read my lotion bar recipe you're missing out! :)
One evening while I was sitting in my writing chair, I needed some lip balm. A day on the boat in the hot, blistering sun will dry anyone out like a prune. But I digress. Knowing what was in the lotion bar that was sitting on my nice little table right…next…to…me, I swiped some across my prunish lips.
And they smiled. And pronounced to my children that this was the best lip balm in the entire world. (Yes. My lips did this of their own accord. I didn't force them to say it.)
Another great idea was born.
That night, I waited until everyone in our household was asleep and I snitched every half empty container of lip balm that no one wanted to use anymore for some reason or other. Some were said to be slimy. Some were accused of being chalky or gritty. (Ick. I know.) There were at least two that had melted almost entirely out of their tubes. Poor things. (No. You may not ask why these weren't just thrown away. See previous post regarding not wasting.) So I gave them a new lease on life. With my own homemade, non-greasy, gritty, slimy, or additive infested lip balm that my lips had already fallen in love with. Yep, I did. I made another batch of those little lotion bars, but instead of putting them all into the silicone molds, I squirted that warm balm into those now cleaned and rejuvenated cases. And let them cool down.
Apparently I need to make more. Because I can't find those tubes anywhere. I suspect my daughter, son, and husband have stolen them. Shameless hooligans.
Amanda's Upcycled Lip Balm
2 oz beeswax
2 oz coconut oil
1 Tbsp Olive oil
Essential oil of your choice ~ Eucalyptus, peppermint, vanilla, lemon
Recycled lip balm tubes ~ cleaned and dried
1 turkey/chicken marinade injector ~ cleaned or unused
Combine the beeswax and coconut oil in a microwave safe container.
Microwave on high, stirring at 45 second intervals.
While waiting for the mixture to completely melt, combine olive oil and several drops of essential oil. Cinnamon leaf or Vanilla are great ones to try. WAIT! We could try them together...ARGH! I have no beeswax left! If you try this, let me know how it turns out, please?
Stir until blended together.
Once beeswax and coconut oil are completely melted, stir in olive oil mixture until well mixed.
Using the new, unused Turkey marinade injector (the funny part? Hubby doesn't have a clue where all his injectors go) suck up some warm liquid. Make sure it's quite warm, or it'll be difficult to suction up.
Insert injector into cleaned and supported lip balm tubes. Inject liquid until it reaches the very top.
Set on countertop until completely cooled.
Once completely cooled and firm, twist bottom up until lip balm is slightly above the rim of the tube. Trim off uneven top and save the cut off part for another use!
Hide several in secret places from your husband and children or you won't have any... ;)
These projects will only be available for a limited time.
These will be removed and added to my
*Exclusive, Member's Only*
page on my website for Newsletter Subscribers.
Like what you see here today?
Join my monthly newsletter and get lots more freebies!
Join Today!
Amanda Stephan~Christian Author
BooksByAmanda.com
www.BooksByAmanda.com
The *Best* DIY Natural Lip Balm Ever!
If you haven't read my lotion bar recipe yet, you can do so here
One evening while I was sitting in my writing chair, I needed some lip balm. Because my hands aren't the only part of me that gets chapped. Trust me. A day on the boat in the hot, blistering sun will dry anyone out like a prune. But I digress. Knowing what was in the lotion bar that was sitting on my nice little table right…next…to…me, I swiped some across my prunish lips.
And they smiled. And pronounced to my children that this was the best lip balm in the entire world. (Yes. My lips did this of their own accord. I didn't force them to say it.)
Another great idea was born.
That night, I waited until everyone in our household was asleep and I snitched every half empty container of lip balm that no one wanted to use anymore for some reason or other. Some were said to be slimy. Some were accused of being chalky or gritty. (Ick. I know.) There were at least two that had melted almost entirely out of their tubes. Poor things. (No. You may not ask why these weren't just thrown away. See previous post regarding not wasting.) So I gave them a new lease on life. With my own homemade, non-greasy, gritty, slimy, or additive infested lip balm that my lips had already fallen in love with. Yep, I did. I made another batch of those little lotion bars, but instead of putting them all into the silicone molds, I squirted that warm balm into those now cleaned and rejuvenated cases. And let them cool down.
Apparently I need to make more. Because I can't find those tubes anywhere. I suspect my daughter, son, and husband have stolen them. Shameless hooligans.
Amanda's Upcycled Lip Balm
2 oz beeswax
2 oz coconut oil
1 Tbsp Olive oil
Essential oil of your choice ~ Eucalyptus, peppermint, vanilla, lemon
Recycled lip balm tubes ~ cleaned and dried
1 turkey/chicken marinade injector ~ cleaned or unused
Combine the beeswax and coconut oil in a microwave safe container.
Microwave on high, stirring at 45 second intervals.
While waiting for the mixture to completely melt, combine olive oil and several drops of essential oil. Cinnamon leaf or Vanilla are great ones to try. WAIT! We could try them together...ARGH! I have no beeswax left! If you try this, let me know how it turns out, please?
Stir until blended together.
Once beeswax and coconut oil are completely melted, stir in olive oil mixture until well mixed.
Using the new, unused Turkey marinade injector (the funny part? Hubby doesn't have a clue where all his injectors go) suck up some warm liquid. Make sure it's quite warm, or it'll be difficult to suction up.
Insert injector into cleaned and supported lip balm tubes. Inject liquid until it reaches the very top.
Set on countertop until completely cooled.
Once completely cooled and firm, twist bottom up until lip balm is slightly above the rim of the tube. Trim off uneven top and save the cut off part for another use!
Hide several in secret places from your husband and children or you won't have any... ;)
These projects will only be available for a limited time.
These will be removed and added to my
*Exclusive, Member's Only*
page on my website for Newsletter Subscribers.
Like what you see here today?
Join my monthly newsletter and get lots more freebies!
Join Today!
Amanda Stephan~Christian Author
BooksByAmanda.com
www.BooksByAmanda.com
September 17, 2012
Links for 2012-09-16 [del.icio.us]
Saudi- Aramco continues to investigate cyber attack - Middle East North Africa Financial Network - MENAFN
(MENAFN - Arab News) Saudi Aramco continues to investigate the malicious virus that attacked the oil giant's computer network on Aug. 15.
The investigation of this incident is still ongoing, the company said in a statement to the media yesterday.
Referring to news reports in some sections of the international and local media regarding the findings of the investigation, Saudi Aramco said We want to emphasize that these reports are not based on real facts.
7.4billion rogue trader: Trial told of City worker's gamble in UK's biggest banking fraud
MasterCard announces new EMV liability shift deadline for ATMs
Social engineering tactics are vast and varied, and we see all sorts of methods being used on a daily basis by malware authors, in their attempts to compromise your machine. One such method that we see often is malware being distributed as an alluring or enticing link or file, and we know that some users (that are perhaps not as cautious as they should be) might click on such links, open such file, or accept file transfers from unknown sources…
As has been noted previously, the use of Unicode characters such as the Right to Left Override (U+202E) to alter the appearance of a file name, in an attempt to trick the user into clicking on that file, is not new. But that doesn't mean that this method is not used much; actually, we see this happening regularly.
Java zero-day leads to Internet Explorer zero-day | ZDNet
While looking around a compromised server that was being used to exploit Java vulnerabilities, a security researcher stumbled upon another exploit that he claims affects fully patched versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 and 8.
Eric Romang found four files on the server: an executable, a Flash Player movie and two HTML files called exploit.html and protect.html
When users visit the exploit.html page, it loads the Flash movie, which in turn loads the other HTML page, protect.html. Together, they help drop the executable on to the victim's computer. At this point, attackers have everything they need to drop whatever applications they like on the victim's machine, whether it is to join a botnet or conduct attacks. In this case, the dropper executable installs another program when the victim next logs in.
(MENAFN - Arab News) Saudi Aramco continues to investigate the malicious virus that attacked the oil giant's computer network on Aug. 15.
The investigation of this incident is still ongoing, the company said in a statement to the media yesterday.
Referring to news reports in some sections of the international and local media regarding the findings of the investigation, Saudi Aramco said We want to emphasize that these reports are not based on real facts.
7.4billion rogue trader: Trial told of City worker's gamble in UK's biggest banking fraud
MasterCard announces new EMV liability shift deadline for ATMs
Social engineering tactics are vast and varied, and we see all sorts of methods being used on a daily basis by malware authors, in their attempts to compromise your machine. One such method that we see often is malware being distributed as an alluring or enticing link or file, and we know that some users (that are perhaps not as cautious as they should be) might click on such links, open such file, or accept file transfers from unknown sources…
As has been noted previously, the use of Unicode characters such as the Right to Left Override (U+202E) to alter the appearance of a file name, in an attempt to trick the user into clicking on that file, is not new. But that doesn't mean that this method is not used much; actually, we see this happening regularly.
Java zero-day leads to Internet Explorer zero-day | ZDNet
While looking around a compromised server that was being used to exploit Java vulnerabilities, a security researcher stumbled upon another exploit that he claims affects fully patched versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 and 8.
Eric Romang found four files on the server: an executable, a Flash Player movie and two HTML files called exploit.html and protect.html
When users visit the exploit.html page, it loads the Flash movie, which in turn loads the other HTML page, protect.html. Together, they help drop the executable on to the victim's computer. At this point, attackers have everything they need to drop whatever applications they like on the victim's machine, whether it is to join a botnet or conduct attacks. In this case, the dropper executable installs another program when the victim next logs in.
When Two Books Collide...
A few weeks ago I was speaking with our children's librarian, Miss
Robin, about a plagiarism issue a friend of mine from the UK is having.
This apparently made her think of two very similar books she had read
that were published only a year apart. She became very excited about the
matter, found both books, and requested that I read them to see what I
thought. The first book was entitled Where the Ground Meets the Sky and the second The Green Glass Sea.
Since I was in-between books I took them home and decided to compare the
two. Both books were set in the 1940's during World War II and happened
to be about the secret facility in Los Almos where scientists and
mathematicians from around the world were working
to create the atomic bomb. After reading both books, I came to the
conclusion that no plagiarism was involved, but I did understand why
Miss Robin might have thought there was. Each book used a young girl who
was above average intelligence for the main character, each book had a
cat and a dog mentioned, each book had a group of boys with a secret
club house, each book had a second young girl totally opposite the
first girl as a second main character, and each book used similar
terminology. The terminology similarities make sense to me since each
author was clearly using words and terms from the nineteen forties, but
there were enough differences in the writing and style of each book to
rule out plagiarism.
In case you are wondering what I thought about the books in general, I will give a short review for each. I read Where the Ground Meets the Skyfirst, so I will begin with it. I love Jacqueline Davies very
descriptive style of writing which pulled me in from the beginning. It
was a superbly well written book about a horrific true life event, but I
was saddened that the main character's mother seemed to be either an
atheist or one of those people who simply can't decide what to believe.
As a Christian, I would have preferred to see a character who believed
in something, but that aside it was still a well written story. The
ending is quite sad and has the mother unable to cope with what her
husband had helped to create, but that is probably a realistic outcome
for this chapter in mankind's history.
Despite its award winning status, I didn't enjoy The Green Glass Sea
by Ellen Klages nearly as well. This was not because it was poorly
written, but because it was written in either a different person or tense then what people normally write in. The unusual use of person or tense kept
throwing me when I read. I did keep reading, however, and found that
this book also had a sad ending with the main character's father being
killed in an automobile accident.
Although both these books seemed historically accurate for fictional
stories and both portray sad situations that were probably accurate to
the time period, I personally tend to like happier endings. But if you
don't mind sad endings, then perhaps you might want to check out these pieces of historical fiction for yourselves.
So ends another episode of Kids Korner with me, Children's Author Aileen Stewart. Join me next week for another exciting episode same krazy time, same krazy channel. And feel free to drop by my personal blog Aileen's Thoughts any day of the week for even more on reading, writing, and life in general.
www.BooksByAmanda.com
September 16, 2012
Christian Devotional - Life sagging?
What’s holding up your life?
This week we’re looking at the Belt of Truth, part of the Armor of God that we each need to put on every single day. Without the armor, we’re running around naked, just begging Satan to attack us. If you missed it, you can find the article with the overview of the Armor of God by clicking on the Sunday tab above.
I find it interesting that, of all pieces of armor that God lists here, He starts with the belt of truth. See Ephesians 6:13-14a:
“Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth…”
Gird your loins. That’s such a fun, never used phrase. Basically it refers to, “cinch up your britches,” as my grandma used to say, or “pull up your pants and tighten them,” as I say to my kids. So what are we supposed to tighten around us to keep everything up? According to the Bible…truth.
Truth is what is to envelop our daily lives. Truth keeps us locked in and focused on God. Truth helps us to detect Satan’s lies before we fall head-long into them. Truth enables us to walk without tripping over our own short-comings and failings. In essence it solves the “baggy pants syndrome” of our life where we can’t move because we’re too busy being tripped up by all Satan’s lies.
What is truth? That’s actually not the right question. The correct question is: Who is truth? The Bible says in John 14:6 that Jesus identifies Himself as the Truth. He is the standard we are to wrap around our lives every moment of every day. We are to look at situations through His lens of Truth. We are to act and move based on what He says because He is Truth.
As you look at your life today, no matter where you are or what you’re facing, God’s Truth, or Jesus Christ, is the foundation for how we should approach it. Just because the adage “What Would Jesus Do?” has become increasingly cliché over the past years, doesn’t mean that it’s not still the correct way to assess a situation. We should still be asking ourselves that question in every situation because it’s the very answer for how we gird our loins with truth.
So what lies are we hearing and believing today? Wrap them up in the Truth! Use the Truth of God to lift up any misconceptions or lies that Satan may be trying to tell us so that we don’t trip over them as we prepare to stand firm. Take a few minutes and think about what lies you are being fed right now by Satan. Jesus has overcome them, and so can you as you use the Truth of God to hold up your life.
Kristi Burchfiel, Christian devotional author and speaker
Living in the World – Living out the Word
Check out my website and daily devotions either on my blog or on my Facebook page
**Check out my newest release: The Daily Devotional Series: Psalm, volume 3 now available on Smashwords and Amazon**
Lonely Hearts ~ a sweet Christian Romance
The Price of Trust ~ Christian Romantic Suspense
http://www.booksbyamanda.com
This week we’re looking at the Belt of Truth, part of the Armor of God that we each need to put on every single day. Without the armor, we’re running around naked, just begging Satan to attack us. If you missed it, you can find the article with the overview of the Armor of God by clicking on the Sunday tab above.
I find it interesting that, of all pieces of armor that God lists here, He starts with the belt of truth. See Ephesians 6:13-14a:
“Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth…”
Gird your loins. That’s such a fun, never used phrase. Basically it refers to, “cinch up your britches,” as my grandma used to say, or “pull up your pants and tighten them,” as I say to my kids. So what are we supposed to tighten around us to keep everything up? According to the Bible…truth.
Truth is what is to envelop our daily lives. Truth keeps us locked in and focused on God. Truth helps us to detect Satan’s lies before we fall head-long into them. Truth enables us to walk without tripping over our own short-comings and failings. In essence it solves the “baggy pants syndrome” of our life where we can’t move because we’re too busy being tripped up by all Satan’s lies.
What is truth? That’s actually not the right question. The correct question is: Who is truth? The Bible says in John 14:6 that Jesus identifies Himself as the Truth. He is the standard we are to wrap around our lives every moment of every day. We are to look at situations through His lens of Truth. We are to act and move based on what He says because He is Truth.
As you look at your life today, no matter where you are or what you’re facing, God’s Truth, or Jesus Christ, is the foundation for how we should approach it. Just because the adage “What Would Jesus Do?” has become increasingly cliché over the past years, doesn’t mean that it’s not still the correct way to assess a situation. We should still be asking ourselves that question in every situation because it’s the very answer for how we gird our loins with truth.
So what lies are we hearing and believing today? Wrap them up in the Truth! Use the Truth of God to lift up any misconceptions or lies that Satan may be trying to tell us so that we don’t trip over them as we prepare to stand firm. Take a few minutes and think about what lies you are being fed right now by Satan. Jesus has overcome them, and so can you as you use the Truth of God to hold up your life.
Kristi Burchfiel, Christian devotional author and speaker
Living in the World – Living out the Word
Check out my website and daily devotions either on my blog or on my Facebook page
**Check out my newest release: The Daily Devotional Series: Psalm, volume 3 now available on Smashwords and Amazon**
Lonely Hearts ~ a sweet Christian Romance
The Price of Trust ~ Christian Romantic Suspense
http://www.booksbyamanda.com
September 15, 2012
Letting Go of the Good Things
Sometimes life demands a shift of focus and a change in our priorities in order that we might accomplish God's purpose in a given season of our lives. Occasionally that means that we must step back from areas of Christian service or a well-paying job we love, which are good things that benefit others and give us joy, to seek the better things God has prepared for us, such as rest, time with our families, and the joy of getting to know Him just a little more intimately.
If you find yourself feeling a little restless or anxious in your spirit, ask God if there is something in your life that you may need to release in order to find the better thing He has for you. Perhaps God is calling you to release a position of service or ministry that have meant so much to you in your Christian walk because He wants someone else to have the opportunity to serve and bless others.
Saying "I can't do this anymore, at least not now," doesn't mean we have failed or are no longer able to handle the heavy load of responsibilities we carry, but it does position us to better understand and do God's will. The greatest joy we can experience as God's children is living in the center of His will. There is no place I'd rather be!
Lonely Hearts ~ a sweet Christian Romance
The Price of Trust ~ Christian Romantic Suspense
http://www.booksbyamanda.com
If you find yourself feeling a little restless or anxious in your spirit, ask God if there is something in your life that you may need to release in order to find the better thing He has for you. Perhaps God is calling you to release a position of service or ministry that have meant so much to you in your Christian walk because He wants someone else to have the opportunity to serve and bless others.
Saying "I can't do this anymore, at least not now," doesn't mean we have failed or are no longer able to handle the heavy load of responsibilities we carry, but it does position us to better understand and do God's will. The greatest joy we can experience as God's children is living in the center of His will. There is no place I'd rather be!
Lonely Hearts ~ a sweet Christian Romance
The Price of Trust ~ Christian Romantic Suspense
http://www.booksbyamanda.com
September 12, 2012
Faith as a Mustard Seed
She was such a young pup. We loved her dearly and it has nearly broken our hearts that we had to let her go. We got her when she was 8 weeks old. Jonna picked her out of the litter. She held each of the tiny little heartbreakers that were chasing their mother, trying to fill their young stomachs, and held them on their backs, watching to see which pup would be the most submissive.
Leia came home with us that day. She got into so much trouble over the next couple of years. We think back to those memories and we laugh now. Like the time I walked into the dining room and found her on top the table licking a plate. Trust me, Leia never did that again. She was only 3 months old. Of course being a lab she grew fast enough to get into lots of things she shouldn’t of.
One time she was out running the countryside and she came home, knocking on the sliding glass door with her nose. I let her in, fully intending to scold her for running off, but the assault on my senses, mainly my nose, sent us both in the direction of the bath. She had found some manure and apparently found rolling in it quite enjoyable. I wasn’t happy. Nor was I happy when she decided I needed to be paid back for leaving her alone for a particularly long day. That night she ate the sole out of my Birkenstock tennis shoes. That was a pricy payback.
I still find a black hair now and then and am reminded of her love and dedication to our family. I enjoy reminiscing with my family about her, although my son’s tears often cause me to change the topic of conversation quite quickly.
The other night we were laughing at one of her antics. We were at the dog park, walking. She was running ahead, loving every minute of her freedom. She saw some ducks sitting in the middle of the pond and took off at a full run for the ducks. The pond was covered in green slime, so I can fully see where she thought she might be able to “run” on water. Imagine her surprise when she got about five feet of momentum going into the pond and sunk. Her head twisted and looked at us (she really thought she was human) and her expression said “Hello…why didn’t you tell me? She swam back to shore, shook off and sat there staring at those ducks.
We had a good laugh, remembering her face and the utter disbelief that the ground gave way to water.
Later on, I got to thinking about this lesson from our beloved dog and how much we are like her. We see something we want and having full faith we take off at a run for it. When we sink, fall, stumble or fail, we look to our heavenly Father and wonder what happened. We had the faith. We fully believed we could walk across that water and get those ducks. We certainly had the faith of a mustard seed, right? Then what gives?
Often times we forget to check with God first. Before we take off running across the water, we forget to ask if it is His will for us to get those ducks and we find out the hard way if the answer is no, or possibly not yet. We sink. We get wet. We stink from the green muck floating on the pond and we often get the people around us wet with the shaking off of the stuff.
If only we would always seek out God’s ways and His will before we act. He has everything in control. And he wants the absolute best for us.
31 Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Matt 6:31-34 (NKJV)
Thank you for taking the time to grow with me this Wednesday!
Darlene Shortridge, author of Until Forever and Forever Blessed.
www.darleneshortridge.com
Lonely Hearts ~ a sweet Christian Romance
The Price of Trust ~ Christian Romantic Suspense
http://www.booksbyamanda.com
Leia came home with us that day. She got into so much trouble over the next couple of years. We think back to those memories and we laugh now. Like the time I walked into the dining room and found her on top the table licking a plate. Trust me, Leia never did that again. She was only 3 months old. Of course being a lab she grew fast enough to get into lots of things she shouldn’t of.
One time she was out running the countryside and she came home, knocking on the sliding glass door with her nose. I let her in, fully intending to scold her for running off, but the assault on my senses, mainly my nose, sent us both in the direction of the bath. She had found some manure and apparently found rolling in it quite enjoyable. I wasn’t happy. Nor was I happy when she decided I needed to be paid back for leaving her alone for a particularly long day. That night she ate the sole out of my Birkenstock tennis shoes. That was a pricy payback.
I still find a black hair now and then and am reminded of her love and dedication to our family. I enjoy reminiscing with my family about her, although my son’s tears often cause me to change the topic of conversation quite quickly.
The other night we were laughing at one of her antics. We were at the dog park, walking. She was running ahead, loving every minute of her freedom. She saw some ducks sitting in the middle of the pond and took off at a full run for the ducks. The pond was covered in green slime, so I can fully see where she thought she might be able to “run” on water. Imagine her surprise when she got about five feet of momentum going into the pond and sunk. Her head twisted and looked at us (she really thought she was human) and her expression said “Hello…why didn’t you tell me? She swam back to shore, shook off and sat there staring at those ducks.
We had a good laugh, remembering her face and the utter disbelief that the ground gave way to water.
Later on, I got to thinking about this lesson from our beloved dog and how much we are like her. We see something we want and having full faith we take off at a run for it. When we sink, fall, stumble or fail, we look to our heavenly Father and wonder what happened. We had the faith. We fully believed we could walk across that water and get those ducks. We certainly had the faith of a mustard seed, right? Then what gives?
Often times we forget to check with God first. Before we take off running across the water, we forget to ask if it is His will for us to get those ducks and we find out the hard way if the answer is no, or possibly not yet. We sink. We get wet. We stink from the green muck floating on the pond and we often get the people around us wet with the shaking off of the stuff.
If only we would always seek out God’s ways and His will before we act. He has everything in control. And he wants the absolute best for us.
31 Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Matt 6:31-34 (NKJV)
Thank you for taking the time to grow with me this Wednesday!
Darlene Shortridge, author of Until Forever and Forever Blessed.
www.darleneshortridge.com
Lonely Hearts ~ a sweet Christian Romance
The Price of Trust ~ Christian Romantic Suspense
http://www.booksbyamanda.com
God is Good, God is Great
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