Michele Chynoweth's Blog, page 4

Digging Deep…

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Have you ever felt as though your well has run dry? Like you are completely exhausted, burned out, have nothing left to give? I believe that is when we need to dig down into our souls to find the strength and renewal only our Creator can give. Lately I’ve been feeling overwhelmed again, lining up too many commitments in my zest to say “yes!” to book promotion events, book coaching projects (of really good books I must add that I could not deny) and speaking/teaching engagements to spread the Word or help other writers. But these noble “calls” have left me a bit crazy to the point where I lost my cell phone on the plane trip home to Maryland from a Kentucky writers conference. If you’ve ever lost your cell phone, you know the dread of losing all of your contacts and photos and your only means of communicating with the world. So I panicked a little and then dug down deep to pray for peace, and got a new phone. Fortunately everything was backed up on the I-cloud! 

I realized I need to slow down, find balance again, and refill my empty well – or better yet, allow God to fill it.  And that’s where the digging down deep comes in. When I get in over my head, I tend to ‘suck it up’ and think I just need to put my head down and charge ahead on my own strength, thinking if I can just spend a little more time and energy (even though there’s not much left), I can plow through my work pile and somehow survive. But what happens to a well (or picture a plant or earthen vessel of some sort) when it undergoes more pressure and heat? It cracks and eventually breaks, sometimes beyond repair. We are those earthen vessels and in order to keep giving (pouring out refreshment for others) we need to be filled up from within – from God.

But how? We can fill up our dry, thirsty souls with God’s Word, with prayer and meditation and by spending time with God, by believing we are enough.  We need to have faith that God will help us to overcome our difficulties and obstacles, even our overloaded schedules, if we let go and let Him. Just like He did for the questioning Samaritan woman who came to draw water.  “Jesus said to her, ‘Will you give me a drink?’  (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?’ (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.’ ‘Sir,’ the woman said, ‘you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?’ Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life’.”  (John 14: 7-14)

We need to dig down deep to not only survive but to live peaceful, joyful lives. In my new novel, The Jealous Son, Eliza Trellis eventually “loses” her two children and completely goes off the deep end, not wanting to live under the weight of such tragic loss. Her faith eventually brings her through it all. I know women, friends, who have lost children and have managed to go on and live joyful lives.  I also remember when my father was diagnosed with Stage 4, inoperable pancreatic cancer over three years ago. He was given a few months to live. At first he didn’t want to go on…but then he dug down deep for that will to live, started going for treatments and since has seen the college graduation of one his grandchildren, the birth of two great grandchildren and celebrated his 80th birthday with friends and family.  Although I cannot (and hope I never have to) imagine the immense pain that comes with losing a child or finding out you have cancer, I hope that I would be able to draw from the reservoir of strength and hope I have from building my relationship with God.

I pray that when life’s challenges, no matter how big or small, come our way and we feel burned or burned out, we can dig down deep within and allow God to fill our “wells” (souls) with His refreshing peace, joy and love so that we can in turn let it flow out to others who are thirsty.

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For more information on my latest novel, The Jealous Son, a modern murder mystery based on Cain and Abel, or to purchase the book, visit my website “Books” page: https://michelechynoweth.com/books/#the_jealous_son
or: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07S7FKL8P/ref

Get Closer to God

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My kids have often asked me, “Mom, why do you write Modern Day Bible Stories?” Of course they would prefer that I write what they would say is “hot” (‘you know, something like 50 Shades of Grey’) and that would immediately make us all rich and famous.  I tell them today that I trust that God gave me the desire to write contemporary suspense novels based on Old Testament stories, that’s it’s His will for me, my purpose. But for a long while, years even, I couldn’t answer the question because I asked it myself…

…until the day someone told me that reading one of my novels, The Runaway Prophet based on the Book of Jonah, brought them closer to God. Another told me they went back to church again after reading my first book, The Faithful One, based on the Book of Job. Still another young lady asked if she could talk to me after I spoke to a small women’s church book club that read my novel, The Peace Maker, based on the story of David and Abigail, saying apparently she was married to the same man as the character in the book, US Senator Darren Richards, who is a behind-the-scenes narcissistic, abusive alcoholic.  And I realized that God’s plan might not necessarily include me becoming a rich and famous author. It might…but it might not. I realized what’s more important – that if my novels help just one person get closer to God, I am answering God’s call.

In my newest novel, The Jealous Son, a modern murder mystery based on the story of Cain and Abel, Eliza Trellis (aka Eve) is at a very low point in her life where she is suffering from loss, heartache…and an addiction to pain pills. She is browsing in a bookstore when a Bible accidentally falls onto her foot. So she picks it up and sees it’s the Bible of her native Navajo heritage known as “Diyin Bizaad.” She buys it, starts reading it and manages to muster the courage it takes to find recovery and relief from her pain through faith.

I truly believe that God gave us His Word so that we can get to know Him better and live according to His will and plan for us. It even states this in the Bible itself: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) Today I not only hope, but rest in the knowledge, that in writing contemporary bible-based novels  I am spreading His messages to readers today so that they may get a little closer to God. And that is enough for me.

Is it enough for you to answer God’s call even though you may not see immediate rewards? I pray that no matter what job we are called to do, we all do it for the glory God and can rest in the knowledge that our work serves God by serving others.

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For more information on my latest novel, The Jealous Son, a modern murder mystery based on Cain and Abel, or to purchase the book, visit my website “Books” page: https://michelechynoweth.com/books/#the_jealous_son
or: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07S7FKL8P/ref

Thankful for Your Gift?

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Recently I found myself facing a few difficulties in launching my new book, The Jealous Son…with technology, with people, with time. Basically things weren’t working fast enough and the way I wanted them to. And while some people have surprised me with their support and encouragement, there have been others who, let’s just say, have let me down, or at least it feels that way. I always have high expectations, which can sometimes lead to resentments.

I actually found myself wishing at one point that God had not given me the gift of writing, nor the desire to be a successful author. Why couldn’t I just be happy with working a nine-to-five job, I asked Him. I even voiced this complaint out loud to my husband. And immediately I was sorry I said it, much less thought it. I realize that God has called me to write Modern Day Bible Stories – contemporary novels based on Old Testament stories in the Bible. And I actually love the writing part. It’s the business part of which I’m not particularly fond.

And then I heard a fellow Christian author, who was having difficulty too, say that often, the closer we get to doing God’s will or building His Kingdom, the harder Satan works to thwart our efforts – and the harder we have to pray. I need to remember I have been given these gifts from God…the desire, ideas, ability to write my books…and that I need to use them for His glory. I also need to learn from the tests and trials to depend on Him more, and that it’s all a journey, not a destination, one that has led and will continue to lead to incredible opportunities if I stay open to them.

Jesus told his disciples while He was here on earth, “Truly, I tell you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I am doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:12-13) John wrote these words in the Bible to give to us today. How amazing that we are to do greater things than Jesus Himself! But we have to believe we can, even when the going gets tough, and ask for His help.

It gives me renewed hope in this season of Pentecost that God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, all will provide me the help I need and everything will all work out if I just keep using my gifts to the best of my ability for His glory.

Are you thankful for your gifts? I wouldn’t trade mine for anything! Lord, help us to be grateful for the dreams, the desires, the talents, even the tests you lay before us.

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For more information on my latest novel, The Jealous Son, a modern murder mystery based on Cain and Abel, or to purchase the book, visit my website “Books” page: https://michelechynoweth.com/books/#the_jealous_son
or: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07S7FKL8P/ref

Experiencing Joy

[image error]Joy. I only usually feel it when I am present in the moment – experiencing something good and allowing myself to really feel it. Where I live in Maryland, Easter is usually a time for joy because of the season of spring and all it brings…flowers blooming, the trees turning green, kids playing outside, fresh air and warm sunshine. Yet, why do I wait for Easter and spring to feel joy?

Perhaps it’s not that I’m waiting so much as being reminded in this season…that the dead of winter is over, that new life is beginning again, that Jesus was resurrected. But I know I can feel joy any time I can remind myself to feel it – by being grateful for what I have,  who I am and Whose I am…that God loves me by giving me so many gifts – family and friends who love me, work I enjoy, a purpose in life. The birds and flowers are just the icing on the cake.

Jesus said the Kingdom is at hand right here and now. “When asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, ‘The kingdom of God will not come with observable signs. Nor will people say, ‘Look, here it is,’ or ‘There it is.’ For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst’.” (Luke 17:20-21)  I believe this means we can experience the Kingdom of God today – through experiencing joy. “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17)

Joy also takes time. Time to be still and reflect on God’s goodness, to be fully present, to actually take the time to experience it. For me it’s when I stop for a minute and BE with my husband, my children, my grandchildren or even when I’m by myself – to BE with myself and God. Not just for the Kodak moment but for real. It’s not only when I do the things I love but when I love the things I do…dancing, swimming in the ocean, walking on the beach, soaking in the sun, reading a good book, gazing at the stars and moon. It can be as simple as waking to a new day (although usually not until I’ve had my first cup of coffee) or laying my head down at night knowing I did my best that day – and it can be at any moment in between. Of course it’s not sustainable at all moments. We are only human and need to feel all of the emotions humans feel.

I heard it said on a radio talk show today that Jesus came in human form to experience all of our limitations so that He could fully relate to us…and we could fully relate to Him. We don’t see Jesus feeling joy all the time. At times He even experienced grief, sadness, loneliness, despair. But he did talk about feeling joy too…and of course gave us a simple formula for feeling it: ” If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” Feeling God’s love is the ultimate joy, and to feel it we have to keep His commands which start with this: To love Him with all of our heart, mind and soul and to love our neighbors as ourselves. We have to love God, love ourselves, and love others. It only makes sense that love and joy are reciprocal then.

What do you love about yourself? What do you love to do? Who do you love to be with? If you can answer these questions there’s a good chance you are feeling joy every once in while if you allow yourself to feel it.

God is Love. And loving God brings joy. I pray all of us allow ourselves to experience a few moments of joy today!

How Holy Week Can Change Us…

[image error]“Pain is the touchstone of progress.” This saying, by Bill Wilson, the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, used to really get on my nerves when I heard it said the first time or two. That’s because I didn’t understand it. I wanted to avoid pain at all costs. Now I know that for change to happen, there is usually some pain involved that precipitates it. Or, as I’ve also heard it said, “the pain has to be great enough” for a person to make a change. I know this was true for me when I got sober…and I know it’s true for everything I go through in life. It’s also true for our kids-yet it’s hard to watch them go through their growing pains because we feel their pain too, wishing we could take it away. And yet, in the end, we can’t. I’m sure God watches us feeling the pain of the mistakes and bad choices we make.

I believe the saying rings particularly true this time of the year in the Christian walk of the Passion during this week known as “Holy Week.” Jesus had to go through the pain of death on the cross to save mankind and show us the face of God through His resurrection. How much pain Mary must have felt agonizing over her son’s death. And  yet, she had to let Him go so He could walk the road to His destiny and believe that God had a plan-in short have faith everything would be okay. I believe we  must also trust everything will be alright because God has a plan…for us, for our children, for the next generation.

Perhaps this week is an especially good time to look inward at ourselves, be in touch with any pain we are experiencing, and pray to have more faith that God can help us to make whatever changes are necessary this week to remove that pain so we can experience the true joy of our risen Lord this coming Easter Sunday. Maybe that involves more prayer, more meditation, more reading and reflection of the Gospels, confession and reconciliation. But I believe we also need to be gentle with ourselves as Jesus was with the “sinners” he saved – like the woman caught in the act of adultery. To do what it takes to be free of our fears, resentments and pain – to be free to go and “sin no more.” Because I also believe the Buddhist saying that “pain is inevitable, suffering is an option.” If we are too hard on ourselves, we get stuck in the suffering, feel sorry for ourselves, and miss the silver lining.

Everything is possible if we turn our will and our lives over to the care of God. In the chaos of our increasingly fast-paced and hectic society, Holy Week is a reminder to pause and ponder, to try to grow and be transformed just a little bit each day and not let this greatest of all weeks fly by us like every other. Let us be grateful for the pain and progress we go through and be open to all of the wonderful changes God has in store for our hearts this Holy Week.

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Eph. 3:16-19) 

I hope you have a blessed Holy Week and a Happy and Joyful Easter!

DARE to Walk with Jesus

[image error]I was truly humbled yesterday as a small crowd gathered in the library of the Immaculate Conception Parish Center in Elkton, Maryland where I was giving a Lenten workshop titled “DARE to Walk with Jesus.” The room was packed, standing room only…with fellow parishioners, familiar faces of friends I hadn’t seen in a while and new friends I hadn’t met yet. We had a bit of technical difficulty at first which got us off to a late start (someone made the comment afterward that the “enemy” was truly trying to fight me) but I was moved as I spoke to those gathered, many who shed a few tears and told me I was brave to share my story of how I was led into recovery, challenged as a Christian, called as an author and speaker, and invited to share the ways the Church helps us walk with Jesus.

Before I even got in my car to venture to my destination, I was having breakfast with my husband who had made plans to attend my talk. (He’s always my number one fan, bless his heart, as he always hears my first drafts of my speeches and helps me to “edit” them.) Luckily I had run through my presentation the night before with him, because as it turns out I suggested he not attend the day of. Why? Because he had something more important to do. Someone very close to him needed him to visit when no one else could. He was torn, of course, because he really wanted to support me as well. But summoning up the Jesus within, I encouraged him to go pay the visit…and to be Jesus to that person in need. And I realized in that moment, and especially looking back, that while I knew God was with me and those gathered in the room talking about walking with Jesus, He was also tugging at my heart at the breakfast table too.

My talk (being the writer that I am) focused on the acronym, D.A.R.E. (Decision, Action, Reconciliation, Exploration). First, we need to Decide to walk with Jesus. In Step 3 of the 12-Step Program, we “made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him.” It’s the key called willingness that opens the door to the rest of the steps – and makes the journey possible. I believe we need to renew this decision each and every day. Then we need to take Action – and the Church gives us so many opportunities and tools. Prayer, meditation, attending Mass, the Stations of the Cross, the Easter Triduum/Passion services (Holy Thursday through Easter Sunday) doing volunteer work and corporal works of mercy (feeding the hungry, helping the poor and homeless – and yes, visiting those “imprisoned” whether it be physically or emotionally) and so much more. We also need to cast our resentments and fears aside so they don’t block our way. We can do this through Reconciliation…repentance and forgiveness – both of others and of ourselves. And then we need to set a course of Exploration to continue the journey both through Lent and Easter and even beyond – to allow the Holy Spirit whom Jesus sent to work within us to continue to do His work here on earth.

Walking with Jesus can be collective – and certainly very individual or personal too. At the end of my presentation we all took a rock and wrote one word on it to remind us of something we need to focus on with just two weeks of Lent to go. For me the word that comes to mind is Present. I need to be present here and now, not regretting the past nor worrying so much about the future, not being in such a hurry all the time. And I need to be present to others to really be open to walking with Jesus. It was only because I was present at the breakfast table with my husband that I could feel God work through me.  It turns out that this was the common thread running through all of the readings at Mass this Sunday. In Isaiah (43:16-21) it said, “Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; see, I am doing something new!” Then in the second reading (of St. Paul to the Philipians) it said, “Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus.” And finally in the Gospel, Jesus is talking to the woman who committed adultery: “Go, and from now on do not sin any more.” We only have today. What step can I dare to take today to walk with Jesus?

Giving Up Stress for Lent!

[image error]As some of my friends, most of my family, and definitely my husband know, I have been working extra long hours lately in my author, speaker and book coaching business. With a new book ready to launch, several big speaking opportunities on the horizon (March 28 as the lunch keynote at the Global Rescue Mission Conference at Sunday Breakfast Mission in Wilmington, DE, April 7 as a workshop presenter for the Lenten mission at Immaculate Conception Parish in Elkton, MD, April 27 as a featured author at the Showcase of Christian Authors in Salisbury, MD and May 9-11 as the keynote at the 2019 Busti Church of God Women’s Retreat in Painted Post, NY…and that’s just within the next two months!), and providing book coaching services for several authors, I am…well, shall I say the “S word”? Stressed.

And I’m very sure God does not want us to live our lives stressed out doing His will and fulfilling His purpose. Excited, joyous, passionate, yes. Stressed, overwhelmed, panicked, no. So I decided that every time I fast, give up sweets, give up meat on Fridays and even think about my Lenten sacrifices, I will also deliberately give up stress too. How? First I believe we need to be aware of when we’re feeling stress so we can in turn, let it go. For me, I either worry about the future or regret the past – usually it’s worrying I don’t have enough time to get everything done, or fretting that I should have started sooner. None of that is within my control. So to remind myself I need to stay in today, one day (or sometimes one hour) at a time, is a good practice for me…asking myself what do I have control over right now? Second, I try to set priorities and to have balance. For example, I was tempted to get up early and work today but instead, I got up early and went swimming at the local Y. That one hour of exercise motivated me to do more with my time and feel better about myself than two hours of extra work would have done. Third, I try to turn my energy from a negative form – stressing or worrying – into a positive one of taking action. What is the next best thing I can do? What can I cross off my list, even if it is a small thing, so that I can feel victorious instead of defeated? Fourth, I need to spend a little time each day being at peace…whether that means at rest, in meditation, doing yoga stretches, treating myself kindly or even just saying a prayer to let anything stressful or negative go.  And last but certainly not least, I need to ask God for help, whether it be for more faith in His plan, more hope for the future, or just to be more grateful – which always brings about a little more happiness.

Today is full of limitless possibilities and choices – sometimes opportunities will come my way, and sometimes disappointments – but always I can choose to give up stress and be my best. I already feel better writing this so I hope you feel better reading it! We all only have right here, right now. Lord, I pray we all can live a little less hurried today, be kinder to ourselves and others, and remain grateful and peaceful knowing You have us in the palm of Your hand.

Have a less stressed, more blessed day!

Feeling Unqualified?

[image error]I was sitting in church yesterday when it suddenly hit me…Lent starts this Wednesday March 6 (Ash Wednesday) and I have been invited to be one of two workshop presenters at our parish (Immaculate Conception of Elkton, Maryland) for the Lenten season…which means I will be speaking before my peers, my church family and friends on April 7, just a month away…the same people who were sitting in the pews beside, behind and across from me that very morning in Mass! I suddenly felt unworthy and unqualified. Who was I to talk about “Walking with Jesus”? (the theme of the parish Lenten mission this year). What do I possibly have to say that will inform or inspire people in my church, many of whom I’m sure are far more qualified than me to speak on the subject? I felt a sudden fear clutch my heart as I sat there during the Mass, trying to listen to the readings.

And then there was the first reading from Sirach (27:4-7): “When a sieve is shaken, the husks appear; so do one’s faults when one speaks. As the test of what the potter molds is in the furnace, so in tribulation is the test of the just. The fruit of a tree shows the care it has had; so too does one’s speech disclose the bent of one’s mind. Praise no one before he speaks, for it is then that people are tested.” Wow, really? It was about a speaker being tested! And then it dawned on me…I was feeling a sense of “pride in reverse.” Who was I to be called to speak to my peers? Well, who was I not to be? (I think I heard God ask). And then I heard these words: “God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called.” Those words paraphrase what the Apostle Paul tells us in his message to the Romans (8:30-31): “And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

God, perhaps, didn’t have the parish invite me because I am the most qualified theologian, speaker, or even Christian fiction author. But because I have gained some practice sharing my story of overcoming hardship in recovery from addiction through a 12-step program that enables me to work on casting my fears and resentments aside enough to be able to have faith, find my purpose and walk with Jesus, well, maybe I was able enough. And sitting there, the fear started to be overtaken by a sense of joy knowing down deep that if I pray hard enough God will guide me to speak the words He wants me to say and give me strength, courage and capability through the Holy Spirit. In other words, if I let Him, He will qualify me despite myself!

What if Moses had let his speech impediment keep him from leading the Israelites out of capitivity in Egypt to the Promised Land? (Actually he tried to argue that God should perhaps choose someone else who could actually speak well…but God qualified him by pairing him with his brother Aaron who could speak for him!) What if Peter had suggested Jesus find another guy to start His Church seeing that he was just a fisherman? What if I said to my parish priest, you know, I’m really not that good after all so I’m going to bow out?

So I will continue to pray for faith in God’s plan, hope in the Holy Spirit’s guidance, the knowledge that Jesus is the way and all I need to do is follow Him one step at a time, and an open mind and heart. Let’s all say yes when God asks us to do Him a favor!

Love starts at home…

[image error]With Valentine’s Day nearing, it seems only fitting to talk about “love.” St. Valentine was a Christian saint and martyr who died as many martyrs do because he refused to renounce Jesus. As legend has it, Valentine also cured a blind girl and sent her a message before his execution signed “your Valentine.” Another legend purports that as a priest, Valentine used to defy the Roman emperor by performing Christian weddings to keep men from going to war. No matter, we all know that love is important to God. It is mentioned over 550 times in the (NIV) Bible; we know that “God is love” (John 4:16) and from the Gospels that Jesus told us the most important commandments are to “love God with all our heart, with all our mind and with all our soul” and “to  love thy neighbor as oneself.”

So how come it’s not so easy to love all of the time, and in fact, can be very difficult?  Some of you know that my husband and I have a blended family of five children (and now two grandchildren). Just recently my step-daughter came home from Australia where she was going to school and working as an au pair. She and I had often butted heads, as they say, in the past; this was the child who, two weeks prior, refused to be in our wedding (I forget what she was mad about – I don’t even think she remembers as it was over eight years ago…and luckily she changed her mind on our wedding day!)  But as we both have grown since then, we had gotten to a good place in our relationship when she left over two years ago to be abroad. Still, change is hard, especially as you get old and set in your ways! I am choosing to be loving – even when I don’t feel it – because I know that this is how God wants me to be. And I realize that love must begin at home if we are to ever show it to strangers – the homeless, the hungry, the poor, the orphaned.

As St. Paul so eloquently writes, “Love is patient, love is kind; it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs. Love takes no pleasure in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things; Love never fails.” 

Is there someone in your life – friend or family member – who you might take for granted or even hold a grudge against? I think we must look at the people, especially those who live with us…as worthy of our love, and take action to do and say loving things every day to stay in spiritually fit condition when it comes to following that all-important command of Jesus. For every person is a child of God, so in loving others, we truly are loving Him…and also realizing He loves us at the same time.

Happy Saint Valentine’s Day to all!

 

I Still Have a Dream…

[image error]I have been working lately on putting together a “vision board.” It seems to be all the rage (even though many motivational coaches and speakers have really been talking about how a person’s future success is, in part, determined by his or her goals, mission and vision for many years, namely a few that I’ve heard including Jack Canfield, author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books and The Success Principles.) Over the years I have written down my vision, mission, goals and a plan to achieve them but looking back it seems I always fall short of them…so I figured it’s time to do something different and embrace a visual vision board complete with pictures (I have already tapped the Triple A magazine for all of the places to which I want to travel!)

Today seems like an apropos time to bring up dreams and visions as it is the anniversary of the death of US reverend and political leader Martin Luther King, Jr. who made famous the line “I have a dream” in his speech by the same name. King was an advocate for peace as was our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…who, by the way, I discovered in planning my own keynote speech last fall, was not only a visionary of course, but a planner! In my keynote speech at the 10th Annual Vine & Vessels Christian Writers Conference in Georgetown last year, I employed Bible quotes to get across several of my points to the writers assembled. My topic was “Pen to Purpose” and several of my key points involved purpose, passion, perseverance, platform and planning. I found that Jesus Himself said in His talk on the ‘Cost of Discipleship’, “Which of you, wishing to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost to see if he has the resources to complete it? Otherwise, if he lays the foundation and is unable to finish the work, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This man could not finish what he started to build.’ Or what king on his way to war with another king will not first sit down and consider whether he can engage with ten thousand men the one coming against him with twenty thousand?” (Luke 14:28-31)

Sometimes I struggle between planning and striving to reach my own dreams to become an internationally renowned author, speaker and book coach – or at least being able to do continue these callings I believe God put on my heart and write contemporary suspense novels based on Bible stories to better get across God’s messages to readers today – and “letting go and letting God” so to speak, relying on my faith in Him “Who can do all things.” In writing this, I realize it takes a whole lot of both – both planning and faith to carry out God’s will and purpose in our lives.

So just for today, I still have a dream, I will keep relying on God to help me fulfill it, and I will finish my vision board and plan for 2019 to help make it a reality. I pray that each of you has a dream in your heart as well and works hand in hand with God to make it come true!