Janet Sketchley's Blog: Tenacity, page 61
August 26, 2016
Guest Post: How Busy is Too Busy?
A few months ago I came across Jonny Diaz’s song “Breathe.” (If you haven’t heard it, I encourage you to check it out on YouTube.)
There’s a difference between hitting the ground running in the morning and go, go, going until you collapse into bed at night and having a full schedule.
Image Credit: Pixabay
How do you set a reasonable schedule and avoid becoming too busy?
Here are some questions to ask:
Do I get to the end of the day and experience a sense...
August 24, 2016
It’s All About Him
For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.
Romans 11:36, NLT*
If our lives were fiction, we’d each think we were the main character.
Some of us are passive, some active, but we’re each affected by the circumstances and individuals around us. Our minds process, evaluate, react, and scheme, as we try to make the best lives we can for ourselves and for those in our care.
That doesn’t mean we’re selfish, although sometime...
August 22, 2016
Review: Out of Circulation, by Heather Day Gilbert
Out of Circulation, by Heather Day Gilbert (WoodHaven Press, 2016)
Katie McClure is the only one in her family who wanted to follow her father’s footsteps into the FBI. Instead, she works in the library in a rural Appalachian town and lives in an apartment that’s only steps away from her mother’s house.
When masked intruders invade the library with guns – and call Katie by name – her mother hires a handsome stranger to protect her. Ace Calhoun claims to be a freelance bodyguard, but he has ul...
August 19, 2016
Novel Research: the fun and the strange
“What’s the strangest tidbit you discovered in researching your novel?”
That’s a question I like to ask other writers in interviews. Or, “what’s the most interesting thing you learned,” or “what was the most fun to research?”
Today I’m asking myself those questions. Writing suspense novels means most of what I research is unpleasant. Sometimes I even wonder if someone in a uniform will show up at my door to take away my laptop. I try to get the difficult topics out of the way first, so I can...
August 17, 2016
Taught by Trouble
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.
Romans 5:3, NLT*
When trouble comes, or something goes wrong, how often do we respond this way? Or do we react instead, taking it personally? Like it’s one more thing to fight.
Paul writes these words in the midst of teaching about the right relationship and peace with God that we’ve received, the “undeserved privilege (verse 2)” we’ve been given through Christ. He highlights God’s gr...
August 15, 2016
Review: Echoes, by Kristen Heitzmann
Echoes, by Kristen Heitzmann (Bethany House, 2007)
In this conclusion to the Michelli Family series, we follow Lance and Rese’s story (and their house full of family and friends) but the main plot introduces us to Lance’s sister, Sofie, and child protection worker Matt Hammond.
You could start with this book, but you’d miss the chance to know the characters better. I recommend starting with book 1, Secrets.
Echoes is perhaps the heaviest read in the series, because of the emotional abuse cert...
August 12, 2016
Heart”wings” Blog
Just letting you know about a blog for Christian women: Heart”wings” began as a private Facebook group and has grown into a public blog as well. The writing team posts Monday through Friday as follows:
Monday Memories
Tuesday Testimonies
Wednesday Words
Thursday Thanks
Friday Focus
For a healthy dose of Christian fellowship, pour yourself a refreshing drink, navigate to HeartWings Blog, and get acquainted.
August 10, 2016
Remember and Rejoice
So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.
Romans 5:11, NLT*
New Christians are so vibrant and full of joy. Whatever our spiritual “age,” let’s think about what relationship with God means:
no dread, or fear of punishment no hopelessness about our lives confidence to approach God with our needs (see last week’s post) peace in our spirits forgiveness and cleansing from our sins changing character and behaviour h...August 8, 2016
Review: Secrets of Sunbeams, by Valerie Comer
Secrets of Sunbeams, by Valerie Comer (GreenWords Media, 2016)
Chickens… and a goat… in the city? Yup. Eden Andrusek discovered the bylaws in her Spokane neighbourhood allow such things, as long as the goat is a small one.
Pansy, the goat, is like family to Eden, who’s still grieving for her parents and sisters after a car crash five years ago. Pansy also gets her into trouble. Like when the little goat escapes the fence and chows down on the new neighbour’s architectural drawings. Is it any...
August 5, 2016
Christian Speculative Fiction Anthology
What’s more exciting than having something published? Being published in the same project as a good friend or a loved one! Last year I celebrated the release of Hot Apple Cider With Cinnamon, an anthology with a short poem of mine that also included a true story by my mom, Beverlee Wamboldt, and stories from two others from my local writing group, Ruth Ann Adams and Laura Aliese Miedema.
This year I’m celebrating RealmScapes, an anthology of science fiction and fantasy stories, which has a st...
