Naty Matos's Blog, page 55

Testing the waters

One of my struggles throughout the year is finding time to write. I have a regular full-time job. I have a lot of ministry responsibilities. I have an elder mother who somewhat depends on me. So when I'm home,sometimes the cleaning, the finally having a chance to sleep or finally having a moment to have dinner with a friend cuts those moments short. I still manage to do it, but some days are more challenging than others.

I think my biggest challenge is that I'm a night person and have the ability to be up and ready early for my regular job I had to be in bed by a certain time. I'm not complaining at all. I'm very grateful for the job that I have, I'm just stating a fact.

This past week I had the opportunity to see what my life as a full-time writer would look like for the first time. In the past when I took a vacation, it was to do a specific errand or travel. This time I took my vacation time to write. As you all know I'm participating in NaNoWrimo and today starts the second day week of the challenge.

I was concerned that I could not be disciplined enough to be home, do what I needed to do and keep up with my writing. I'm proud to say that I proved myself wrong. Since I'm a night person, I woke up early, not by choice but my dog can't walk herself. I prepared a full breakfast. I have not had one of those in years. I did loads of laundry, worked on my platform for a few hours in social media, read some of my educational blogs, finished the questions for an upcoming interview, by then it was lunch time. I took a quick nap (30 minutes) because I had gone to bed at 3am.  Got up, took a shower and went to my first hosted write-in where I cranked an additional 2k words. As of now I've written a total of 30,000 words and it's just been a week. I know that this is a first draft that requires a lot of revision, but I actually enjoyed the pace of life I had during that week, and I honestly worked harder than my usual weeks.

This gives me hope, that yes, in God's will and in due time, I can be discipline enough to make my gift, my full-time job and lifestyle.

Wrimos, lets keep on writing!!!

Be blessed.

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WF: Running in Circles

I've been wanting to share this song with you for the longest time. I just didn't know the name of it, to find it. Every time I hear this song I can't but feel a great communion with the Lord and an upmost sense of peace, because like the song says, "you're the only one who gives me peace".

No matter what we are going through, we can take five minutes to be revived by the peace that only the Prince of Peace can give.

WF: Worship Friday

Please remember that if you're in need of guidance and inspiration , get a copy of my book "Growth Lessons"  This opportunity ends tonight. Grab this wisdom pearl for just 0.99 cents…just for today using promo code NF98U

Be Blessed!

 
 
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Did Jesus talk about Grace?

There was a recently heated discussion on twitter about Grace. The points of contention where the following:

One side argued that Grace was the invention of born again Christians, but that Jesus never spoke of Grace, therefore there was nothing to it.
The other side argued that although Jesus per se didn't mention the word Grace, his action and other statements implied the concept of Grace.

I think we need to start by defining what is Grace to have a frame of reference. I looked in dictionary.com and it defines Grace as mercy, clemency and pardon. It also says that it's a manifestation of favor especially by a superior.

Starting from this frame of mine, I think that both schools of thought would agree that we consider Jesus Christ our Superior and Higher Power. I found in John 1:14-17 the following scripture "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying,

"This is he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'") Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."

Now if I'm understanding this correctly Jesus is the Word who became flesh. The scripture says he was full of grace and truth. It also says that the law was given to Moses, meaning all those rules about the things we needed to do to be able to obtain favor in the eyes of God, but that grace (meaning clemency and undeserving pardon) came through Jesus Christ.

Jesus actually said that he didn't " come to abolish the Law or the Prophets;but to fulfill them. Truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven" (John 5:17-20)

So does that mean that the other parts of the bible are just as important as his literal words? I think so. Does he call us out of legalism when he says that we should do more than the Pharisees and teachers of the law? I think so too.

As someone who has sinned and have been recipient of the Grace of God, I'm very glad that it does exist. No, Grace is not a license to sin and relay in the Grace of God, which I think is the misconception that those who feel that Grace is not real believe is the interpretation of born again Christians. But I didn't deserve forgiveness for the sins I committed and break the laws established by God and I have to be thankful to Jesus for redemption and Grace and giving me a new opportunity to start again.

Don't forget to check out my new Devotional Growth Lessons, and obtain a 10% discount with the coupon code PN34W.

Be blessed.

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NaNoWriMo has arrived!

…and we shall surrender to the fire that runs through our veins. We shall abandon it all for the upmost desire, the one that will allow the adrenaline to run, the words to entangle and the body to stop breathing…

Oops! I had not seen you there! I'm just getting ready for tomorrow…well tonight. NaNoWriMo starts right at 12:00am and I'll be ready. I did my last trip to the store to stock on goodies for the month.

By now, some of you have gone to your kick off parties and have received tons of tips and advise from experienced Wrimos, but just in case let me do for you a virtual Nano Prep-Kit:

Icy Hot is your friend- I discovered that during my second Nano. When you are going to many write-ins and having many word wars your wrist become unhappy, but you need to continue writing to get through that word count. It works like magic…it does smell, but it'll wake you up to make you write some more.

Fill your pantry with hot pockets and ramen noodles- it's not because of budget reasons. You don't have too much cooking time. Save your grocery money for your write-ins and take that opportunity for a good meal, but unless you have someone else cooking at home… you need to do something quick. You have writing to do! Remember to buy frozen meals for your family if you're the one in charge of meals…it's against the law to cook in November for Wrimos…I tried to warn you!

Coffee- This is vital, you don't need sleep. You can sleep in December. November is for writing. We will allow you a quick nap here and there so you don't hallucinate…although that may help your story.

The rules for Thanksgiving- I use to host Thanksgiving every year at my home. Nano broke me out of that bad habit really quick. Now I allow others the opportunity to cook for three days and have their houses to clean afterwards and I offer to bring dessert; which will be carefully made by a local supermarket. Lessons to be learned.

Treats- buy your favorite treats and reward yourself after different milestones in your word count. Also buy your kids, dog, cat or all of the above new toys and treats so that they have something to do while you're writing.

SAVE YOUR WORK!-Omg! You have no idea how many times we have lost thousands of words, full pages and some have lost their whole work because someone accidentally clicked on the wrong button, the cat decided to crawl over the keyboard, the baby thought the keys looked appealing, the computer decided to die…the thought alone gives me a panic attack. But do not fret. The other thing I've learned is about dropbox.com It's a free storage place for your documents and pictures. You can access it from any computer as long as you have internet access. You can even access it from your Ipad and IPhone. So if the computer dies your novel doesn't go to the grave with it…but not even dropbox can save the novel for you. Do not trust auto save…every 15 minutes or so hit the save button, it takes 1 second and it will save you from a heart attack or pulling your hairs out.

I finally want to say that I'm very excited as this year I'll be hosting some write-ins for NaNoWriMo. YAY! Look in the nanowrimo.org site and go to the forums to find out when there will be a write-in close to you. It's a great experience. For those Pandas in the Atlanta Area that will be going to the write-ins hosted by 'therisingmuse" look out for these two cute faces.

Happy Noveling!

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New Release for Melissa Foster: Come Back to Me

I had the honor of reading the book Come Back to Me before it's official release. This is another great book from author Melissa Foster. It narrates a love-tragedy story of a couple separated by the war in Iraq.  The story is very intriguing and filled with suspense. It really draws you inside and you feel like you're finally a fly on the wall inside the scenes of this book.

The book does have some language. I have to admit that around the second quarter of the book it got a little slow. If it happens to you, push through it…it's so worth it! After that very small snag the story not only picks up, but get's to be absolutely great and it will keep you at the edge of your seat. I know I found myself talking back at the computer screen, like I was trying to talk to the characters. (Yes, I've upgraded from reading on my phone…LOL)

This book talks about the strength of love, resiliency and the mistakes we can make when we run life on assumptions. "Come Back to Me" will be available on Amazon as of November 1rst. If you thought Megan's Way was a must read, you should really pick up this one.

We asked Melissa some questions about this book and this is what she had to say:

Melissa what inspired you to write this book?

My husband was preparing to be deployed to Iraq when this idea came to me. When a loved one is sent into a war zone, all sorts of things go through your head, and of course one of those things is wondering what would happen if he never came back. I took that idea a step further, because I like to spin things into happy little yarns, and let the twists and turns come around after his return.

How did hard was for you to place yourself inside a culture different to yours?

That part of writing was really thrilling for me. It was very difficult, but I truly enjoyed it. Suha is one of my favorite characters, probably one of my favorite that I've written to date. Her personality is so different than mine, and her background, of course, is completely different, providing a challenging project. As for the culture, much of my research was done while my husband was in Iraq. I would provide him with questions and he would obtain answers from the Iraqi people who were on his base and from other Americans who had been stationed there longer and had lengthy exposure to the culture.

What's next for Melissa Foster? 

I'm very excited to be writing my next suspense book, THIRTY SIX HOURS. Here's a sneak peak.

Kara Knight has just thirty six hours to find her way out of her obsessive captor's delusional world. Mistaken for Roland Greer's long-lost fraternal twin, Kara struggles to make sense in the darkness that envelopes her, and plan her escape, as the hours tick away and Roland Greer plays out his plan. In thirty six hours, at the exact moment of their birth, he will take them both into death–never to be separated again.

THIRTY SIX HOURS is a psychological thriller that will make you question your every memory.                              

Talking about new books, remember to check out my new devotional Growth Lessons, and obtain a 10% discount with the coupon code PN34W.

Blessings

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WF:Hold us together

It's going to be alright! Sometimes that's all we want and need to hear, but not always have the opportunity to do so. Even the strongest of the believers have their days of concern and sorrow.

Sometimes you feel like the weight of the world is upon your shoulders and although your faith tells you that there's hope and that in the midst of your tears God will do something absolutely wonderful, you still feel the pain. 

But your spouse is involved in their own issues, and when you call a friend to talk they are happy that you called because they wanted your support over their own problems and you end up again alone in the pain.

I'm here to tell you what you've been needing to hear, "It's going to be alright. Keep your chin up. You know your FATHER, and He will make it alright. You are not alone, I'm standing here with you"

From my heart to yours a big hug.

WF: Worship Friday

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Spiritual Abuse

Researching information for this month's articles I ran into something, that yes, I've seen but it had not clicked in my mind when I thought about abuse and it's the term "spiritual abuse" in a relationship. This relates to when a spouse uses God to control or manipulate the other spouse with the Word of God or an alleged spiritual gift or "power"

These abusers use their spouses faith and a legalistic vision of the Word of God to manipulate, control and undermine their spouses. With this behavior the enforced their authority and the victim submits to avoid consequences not only with their perpetrator but with their higher power, as they believe this is coming from God himself.

The fact that the victims are being abused will make them be more submitted as they think that they must be doing something wrong, as they continue to be criticized or chastised by their abuser. On the other hand this can hinder their faith as they would have trouble understanding why God would allow them to live in such conditions, when it's not God, it's the other person's free will that is attacking them.

Jeremiah 23:16 says "This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD." But if this is your husband or boyfriend, how can you tell?

Study the Word yourself.
If your spirit says something is not right, it probably isn't. Look it up before you agree to do something.
Pray and ask the Holy Spirit for clear direction.
Read the Word in context and not singling out scriptures. Sometimes just reading a few more sentences can bring clarity to the context.
In doubt, research. Sometimes just reading different versions of the same scripture will bring clarity to our notions.
Talk to other Christians (be careful about this one, you don't want someone who is misguided as well)

If you want to identify a potential spiritual abuser, read Matthew 23:1-39 ESV Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so practice and observe whatever they tell you—but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long"

Be safe!

Remember to check out my new devotional Growth Lessons, and obtain a 10% discount the coupon code PN34W

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Book Review: Megan's Way

It's been a while since I've read a book to completion. My hectic schedule doesn't allow to much leisure time to really sit down and read. I had heard about this book and read the reviews in Amazon, and like I do for most purchases, I read the bad reviews instead of the good ones and in my opinion they were not fair at all.

Megan's Way is a true page turner. Let me place this in true perspective for you. I obtained this as an e-book, which is kind of a new concept for me, and my Kindle application is in my phone and I sat for hours in that little screen until I finished because I could not put it down. That's what I mean about a true page turner.

This book has drama, action, love and a gut wrenching plot. I'll try not to spoil much of it, but this is the very sad story of a mother of a teenager, her journey out of this world due to a terminal illness and how she stayed connected to this daughter after passing. She was loved and cherished by those around her, but she was not perfect. Megan is very real and relatable to any women's struggles in life. Megan's Way places in perspective the strong connection between parents and their children. The book also has a spiritual component.

When I walk away from a book I want more than entertainment, I want to learn something from it and Melissa Foster delivered that. This book reminds you the fact that life is very short, that we should not waste time in superfluous issues and move into what our purpose is. Finally I walked away with the reminder that our connections with others is all we truly take with us after we leave this world.

It is a must read book, but if you are very sensitive make sure your box of tissues is close by.

Talking about books, remember to check out my new devotional Growth Lessons, and obtain a 10% discount with the coupon code PN34W. 

P.S. You like books! The Women's Literary Cafe is  having a big 99 cent book event next week. Readers can get 36 books for 99 cents each, plus we're giving away free ebooks and a leather-bound edition of COME BACK TO ME!(Melissa Foster's new book) Check it out at www.womenslitcafe.com.

 

Be blessed

WF: Lord I need you

If there's something that we can't say enough is how much we need God in our lives. We wouldn't even have a life without him. We wouldn't have a future if it wasn't for his Grace and Mercy.

Let's rest in his bosom, just like a newborn child; in total abandonment and filled with peace. Only in the presence of the Lord we can find happiness .

Be blessed.

Just remember to pick up a copy of my new devotional Growth Lessons. Get a 10% discount with coupon code PN34W for a few more weeks. 

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Growth Lessons for e-readers

I know you've all been anxiously waiting for the must read Christian Living book "Growth Lesson" to be published. Although the print version will have to wait a few more weeks, the e-readers will be able to get it right now!

Yes, Growth Lessons is already available through Smashwords and will be available in Amazon Kindle by the end of this week. However Smashwords have a Kindle version, so you may not have to wait after all.

The book is only $2.99, but as a token of gratitude to all my faithful readers, the new release is on sale for the promotional price of: $2.69 using the Coupon Code: PN34W

Get it soon as this offer expires on November 19, 2011

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/97235

 Many blessings!

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