Archive for the 'Uncategorized' Category
August 9, 2006 @ 3:30 am | Filed under: Uncategorized
August 7, 2006 @ 11:55 pm | Filed under: Uncategorized
A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.
Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups – porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite – telling them to help themselves to the coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones."
"While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself, adds no quality to the coffee in most cases, just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink."
"What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups… and then began eyeing each other’s cups."
"Now consider this: Life is the coffee, and the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us."
God brews the coffee, not the cups……….enjoy your coffee!
August 6, 2006 @ 7:51 pm | Filed under: Uncategorized
"The Mother-child relationship is paradoxical and, in a sense, tragic. It requires the most intense love on the mother’s side, yet this very love must help the child grow away from the mother and to become fully independent." —- Erich Fromm
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I sat in church this morning and fought back tears the entire time.
Was it a touching service, you ask? A moving message, maybe? Was God speaking to my soul, was that it?
Most likely, yes, to all the above. I was touched, moved deeply by a message, though not that of my pastor. And yes, God was indeed speaking to my soul. As only He can.
Eighteen-and-a-half years ago I entered through a sacred portal and became a member of an equally sacred breed of women. It was a secret society of sorts, and I have to say that I was admitted with no training, very little knowledge of duties and requirements, and absolutely no clue about what future dues might be required of me.
I became a mother.
Since then, I’ve been on a journey to learn all that I can about this noble calling and what it means to hold the title ‘Mom.’ I’ve run the gamut of emotions and – really, honestly – do so on any given day or occasion. Joy, sadness, exhileration, pride, anger, disappointment, back to joy again.
Been there, done that. Have the T-shirt to prove it.
What I’ve learned is that these emotions are a direct result of something even larger. L-O-V-E. The love that I have for my children.
They now tower above me in height, and their deep voices no longer resemble the little boy babble my mind refuses to forget, but…when they say my name, "Mom"…well, they are my little boys all over again.
And now I find myself at yet another sacred portal and I’m hanging back a bit, balking, but knowing I will walk through soon enough, and quite sure that I’m just not up for it yet.
I wonder if I’ve imparted enough wisdom, shared enough truth, endulged enough ambition, loved enough to last a lifetime…
What hurts the most is knowing that regardless of the answers I come up with to my own questions, time is up. Ready or not, my first-born is leaving the nest in a mere ten <gulp> days.
Even as I wrestle with the pain of cutting the apron strings (whoever came up with that saying sure knew what they were talking about) I struggle with guilt over my feelings.
Other mothers are sending their sons off to foreign soil to fight for our country. Still others are saying a much more final good-bye as disease or tragedy claims their family.
I’m sending my boy to college.
That’s a good thing, for crying out loud. Something to be celebrated, something to be cheered.
And yet the tears have begun. With a heart full of parental pride, I am the one cheering loudest, I am the one with the party hat and celebratory dinners. I am his Number One Fan, and that will never change.
But I’m also aware that a phase of our life is changing and the landscape of our family will never again be quite the same. I’m sending a boy off to college but he’ll come back a man.
While I know that he will continue to turn to us (at least I hope he will) for advice and reassurance, I also know that the good sense, integrity, and honesty that we’ve attempted to instill in him will be what anchors him from this point on.
And, most importantly, his relationship with God.
I pray that he remembers the lessons we’ve tried to teach him. I hope that he treasures the many lengthy lectures I’ve felt "led" (I’m sure he’s coined it something else entirely!) to give him over the years.
I trust that he will take the past groundings and disciplinary actions and each learning curve he encountered and use those times as reflection points and make sound decisions based on the knowledge he learned in those moments.
But if he can only remember and employ one thing, I want that ONE THING to be his relationship with God. I’ve always told my boys that everything in life has a way of working out if you just continue to TALK. TO. GOD.
Talk to Him.
About everything, and about nothing. An open line of communication with the One who loves them most is my wish for Nathan right now and through the coming years.
As his mother I’ve instilled this. And now, as hard as it is and as many tears as it’s taking to plow through this adjustment period, I know I have to grow still in my spirit and trust that those lessons have long since taken root and that fruit will one day blossom in Nathan’s life because of one very simple – yet vital – thing.
He continued to talk to God.
August 3, 2006 @ 2:36 pm | Filed under: Uncategorized
"When I sit down at my writing desk, time seems to vanish. I think it’s a wonderful way to spend one’s life." —Erica Jong
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Writing is such a solitary effort and, many days, a writer can find herself enclosed in her writing space for hours upon hours, with only a couple of characters whispering sweet-nothings in her ear and another handful clamoring for their turn in line.
Writers love these characters, for sure. They are, after all, the reason we stumble to bed, weary and deep in brain-fog, after a grueling day spent at the keyboard. That sounds like a bad thing, you say?
Just the opposite. There are very few things that are as invigorating as pushing your way through the myriad of issues, conversations, and complexities surrounding a character and knowing (or feeling)that you’ve done that character justice.
Still, writers need those "skin-on" relationships too and we love to know our readers and have our readers know us. So if you’ve ever wondered about the writer behind the name and the personality behind the picture, then you’ve come to the right place today!
Here are thirteen inspirational writers/authors who warmly invite you to visit their writing space. Grab a cup of coffee, herbal tea, or a Diet Coke (’cause, hey, we’ve got ours!) and then sit with us as we tell you a little bit about the spaces we go to be inspired and – hopefully – to inspire!
I’m having to assign a new post for each author due to Typepad’s limitations on photos. Enjoy and be sure to visit each writer’s website and blog! Leave comments for either me or any of my writer friends!
Blessings, y’all! –Staci
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We’ll start with me!
I office in the "sitting area" of our bedroom. My dream is to one day have a honest-to-goodness real office with a door that shuts and a window with a view. But, until then, this corner of the house has served me well.
This is a picture Mike snapped the night I completed my first manuscript, back in 2001. Yep, the hair is wild and those ARE pjs, I’m afraid. But I’ll never EVER forget that feeling of euphoria!
I tend to sit down at the desk around 9:00 each morning and, during the school year, I write until about 2:30 or 3:00.
This year will be a whole new adventure. Nate will be away at college. Jorge will be in his Senior year and working part-time. Mike will be traveling two or three days a week, And I will have classes of my own two days a week.
While I don’t really know what my schedule for this year will be yet, I do know that I’ll be making lots more writing memories right here, at this very desk…
August 3, 2006 @ 2:35 pm | Filed under: Uncategorized
Amy Wallace is the author of the newly-contracted Defenders of Hope series. Her debut novel Ransomed Dreams, will be released by Multnomah in March 2007
My writing space is sort of like my writing life~ it has to be fit in whenever or ho
wever I can manage it. 
So my desk and computer occupy a little cubby of our basement family room~ along with three other desks, my homeschool stuff and our antiquated TV and stereo system. The fact that we have four desks in this small room makes me smile. There’s my scrapbooking desk, my husband’s mega computer because he is a techno-whiz, and not to be left out, my kiddos have a computer also. I sure hope it’s true that the family that prays together as well as plays on the computers together, stays together.
I especially like this space to write because on my desk are reminders of things that inspire me. I have pictures of my girls and goofy things my best friend has sent me~ like the plaque that says, "Lord, keep your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth." And the orange cone that says, Stressed spelled backwards is desserts. These things make me laugh and remind me that I’m well loved.
There’s also a container of sand that one of my students at church brought back from the beach for me. It reminds me of my favorite place in the world. So does the picture of my family on our vacation last May.
When my writing music is on~ a set of 5 CD’s from old hymns to Casting Crowns~ my writing space becomes a portal of sorts through which I put my hand in the Lord’s and slip into another world.
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Visit Amy to learn more about her upcoming writing projects!
August 3, 2006 @ 2:34 pm | Filed under: Uncategorized
Deb Raney is at work on her fourteenth novel. Her books have won the RITA Award, the HOLT Medallion, the National Readers’ Choice Award and the Silver Angel from Excellence in Media. Deborah’s first novel, A VOW TO CHERISH, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title.
I’ve always said that even if we lived in a mansion, I’d never move my writing desk out of the corner of our living room. Good thing it’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind, because we moved to a new home last summer, and for the first time in my thirteen-year writing career, I have my very own dedicated office…and I love it!
It has helped me to close the door on all the other things that desperately need doing: laundry piled halfway to the ceiling, that list of errands by the phone that I’ve already put off too long, and dust that powders the bookcases and mantle (didn’t we dust when we moved in?)
I love my office space, but even so, I find my creativity is spurred by moving around, so I often write on the back deck where I have a wonderful view of the yard my husband has landscaped, mostly using native Kansas prairie grasses and wildflowers.
August 3, 2006 @ 2:32 pm | Filed under: Uncategorized
Lisa Ludwig works fulltime as a Payroll Specialist, and lives with her husband and two children inTexas. Her first novel, Where the Truth Lies, which she co-authored with Janelle Mowery is scheduled for release in spring of 2007 from Heartsong Presents: Mysteries, an imprint of Barbour Publishing.
This is one of many of my favorite places to sit and write, when I’m on my laptop of course. It’s a quiet corner, but not so isolated that I can’t see what my family is doing and be a part if I choose.
Above my head, my family looks on from a photo mounted on the wall. Beside me sits a picture of my grandfather, who passed away many years ago. It whispers sweet encouragment.
August 3, 2006 @ 2:32 pm | Filed under: Uncategorized
Lena Dooley and her husband, James, have been married since 1964. Theirs was one of those love-at-first-sight relationships. They were married three months and three days after they met. Lena knows that James truly was God’s gift to her. They are absolute opposites, but that means that his strengths are her weaknesses, and her strengths are his weaknesses. Together they make a more perfect whole.
When my daughters got married and left home, I turned one of the bedrooms into an office. My husband took this picture of me sitting at my desk. My wild side came out when I bought this chair. Rowr!!
When I’m in the office, most people don’t bother me. However, if my husband sticks his head in the door with some kind of plans for us, I always leave the office and join him–unless I’m on a drop-dead deadline. He honors those. I made the choice some time ago that I didn’t want him to ever be jealous of the writing. So he takes precedence most of the time. He supports me emotionally, spiritually, financially, and physically, so I tell him that every new book is OUR project, not mine alone.
August 3, 2006 @ 2:31 pm | Filed under: Uncategorized
Jen Keithley is the mother of four young children – two boys and two girls. So, for Jen, finding the perfect quiet writing space proved to be a challenge. Until the day she found THE answer, that is!
Lots of people go somewhere quaint with good coffee… or some beautiful part of their house. Not me. I go where I don’t have to see my messy house. My kids are at home with the hubby and I go where the soda flows free… well almost free! 
And I’m TOTALLY…loving it!
August 3, 2006 @ 2:31 pm | Filed under: Uncategorized
Rene Gutteridge is the author of several novels, including Ghost Writer (Bethany House Publishers) The Boo Series (WaterBrook Press) and the Storm Series (Tyndale House Publishers.) She lives with her husband, Sean, a musician, and their children in Oklahoma City.
My writing space is like an ocean-front view for me.
When I look into the computer screen I’m in a far away place. It’s usually not this neat. I just did a big clean up. 
I hate filing, so papers pile up like crazy. I definitely work better when it’s organized, though. It’s in my bedroom. The desk was a gift from my husband, who actually put it together! It took him ten hours!
