We just bought a new house.

We’ve been searching for one for about two years now and this opportunity came as a great deal over Christmas.

Everything was finalized on Valentine’s Day and then….

the real work started.

The house has wallpaper in every room but two. LOTS of wallpaper. Wallpaper with two borders and various different patterns.

Most of my evenings and lunchbreaks have been spent peeling wallpaper. It’s a slow, laborious project – and as I sit with a spray bottle and scraper in hand, I think about God.

Yeah, I know. What does God have to do with wallpaper?

Well, I guess the wallpaper has more to do wtih us than God. You see, taking down wallpaper reminded me of God’s refining work in our lives.

God peels back the layers of our sin to get to the heart of us. Some pieces slide off easily – we freely give them up to the Lord. Some pieces need a little extra pull, tug, or vinegar-water mixture – but then they’re off too.

But then there are those extra sticky parts of our lives. The sins that seem glued to the very framework of our souls. The secret desires. The besetting sin. The craving.

Those take work from the Carpenter of our Souls.

Through circumstances, trials, and the work of other people, God scrapes away at our sin until he reaches the wall. And like most walls after the wallpaper has been removed, it needs some major repair.

Christ sweeps in and patches up the holes with his love and mercy. Places the puddy of his grace in the broken places. And seals the wall with the promise made in His blood.

Our salvation.

So….

Wallpaper reminds me of Jesus.

And how much I REALLY never want to have to peel it again.

EVER!

But praise God, He doesn’t give up on me as quickly as I want to give up on my project.

And when He’s all done – the end result will be ‘out of this world’

What’s better than a well-written devotional?

A well-written devotional with Jane Austen flare.

Thomas Nelson’s newest devotional, simply entitled A Jane Austen Devotional,  is a beautiful blend of Jane Austen’s writing and spiritual insight. Excerpts from Austen’s classics are used as examples to address specific biblical topics ranging from jealousy, marriage, patience, and unconditional love. Author Stephanie Woosley brings out the best and worst of Austen’s characters with an underlying current of Christ’s love throughout.

Not only is it well-written, but it is also short enough for a busy woman to handle. It succinct, beautifully-written, poignant, sweet, and at times funny (as only Austen can write).

If you’re an Austen fan, or just looking for a very accessible devotional, I’d recommend this one.

Beautiful.

Well, she’s done it again!

Mary Connealy has created a fantastic story filled with humor, sass, intrigue, and lots of near-death experiences – but this time she included so many more kisses. Wooohooo!!! Loved the new twist. I’ve always liked sweet and sour

So the sweet? Audra Gill, Ethan Kincaid, and two adorable babies…oh yeah, Seth Kincaid is sweet too (just crazy)

The sour? A dark cavern that houses a secret scar for the Kincaid brothers, particularly Ethan - and a bunch of outlaws who plan to kidnap Audra’s girls to black mail her.

And the storyline?

In Too Deep is the second book in the Kincaid Brides series. Ethan Kincaid keeps everyone at arms length by donning a smile and shrugging off responsibility….until he’s forced to marry newly widowed Audra Gill.  Despite his attempts to ignore his growing feelings for his sweet (yet sassy) wife, he begins to realize that he does care – and that terrifies him as much as his childhood cavern of lifelong scars. Caring means possible pain. But Audra and her two little girls wiggle their way into his heart and when their lives are threatened by a bunch of money-hungry outlaws, his fears might just be realized. Will he be able to overcome his fears to save his new family or will the pain of the past paralyze him?

My two cents:

Oh. My. Goodness! In my opinion Ethan Kincaid is one of hte most beautiful characters Mary has ever written – for this reason: His growth is so gradual, subtle, and very real. There’s a unique quality about the way she writes him that helps the reader push aside his superficial charm and fall for the vulnerable man underneath. Despite his insistence on ‘not caring’, he cares deeply for people – so deeply that he’s carried around the weight of a childhood accident his entire life. The gradual self-awareness Ethan shows is a beautiful indicator of how love battles against our insecurities to build our confidence. Mary allows the reader to see the depth of Ethan’s care before Ethan (himself) even realizes it.

Audra’s kindness and directness draw him from his perch of uncertainty. It’s a beautiful example of how we grow through the love shown to us. Love is wonderful plant food for the heart.

And as I mentioned before, Mary gets much more liberal with the kissing scenes. YAY! I’m quite fond of kissing

Go, Mary! And I can’t WAIT to find out what happens to crazy Seth- the third Kincaid brother.

To learn more about Mary’s books check out www.maryconnealy.com

and you don’t think you’ll fit through it?

What do you do?

Ever been there?

Sometimes God’s best way to refine us is to challenge us. It automatically tosses us ‘out of control’ and (if we’re good little kids of the King) we have to run to Him for the answers.

So many times in my life, God used situations that looked way too impossible to stretch my faith and trust in Him. It’s a good moment to resize our thoughts and remember His plans are best.

As a child of the King of Kings “we KNOW that all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose”

even if the window looks small

Blessings,

Ever feel like that phrase describes your life?

It seems like it might describe a lot of people’s lives during this time period. Everyone’s in a hurry, but most things are ‘fast food’. Life is filled with rush, rush, rush – and then….waiting.

And we certainly don’t like the waiting.

But there’s something to be said for the waiting. It’s usually through ‘waiting’ that amazing things happen.

There are LOADS of verses in the Bible that talk about ‘waiting for the Lord’. Here are a few:

Psalm 5:3 “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my request before you and wait expectantly.”

Psalm 27:14: “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait on the Lord.”

Psalm 37:7:  “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him;”

Psalm 38:15: “Lord, I wait for you; you will answer, Lord my God.”

Isaiah 26:8: “Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws,   we wait for you; your name and renown  are the desire of our hearts.”

Isaiah 30:18: “Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;  therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice.  Blessed are all who wait for him!”

Have I made my point yet?

We may not like waiting, but it serves a very distinct purpose or God wouldn’t have put it in His Word so many times.

Waiting not only refines us. It not only builds anticipation, but it also gives us more opportunity to give up our control and trust God for the outcome.

It’s usually not easy.

Waiting 9 months for a baby.

Waiting for the diagnosis from a doctor

Waiting for the right person God has planned for you to marry

Waiting for publication (or at least an agent

Waiting to purchase a new house (I REALLY understand this one right now)

Waiting for Christmas morning, or the end of the school day, or the chocolate bar stashed away in your desk drawer

But God uses all of our waiting to prepare us for the ultimate waiting…

His return.

So, for what are you waiting?

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Okay.

I admit it.

I’ve not been the best blogger lately.

In fact, I’ve been offline more in the past 3 weeks than I’ve been in probably the last 3 months.

I’ve hit one of those life-bumps which pull you away from the cyberworld which can be so time-comsuming and thrusts me headlong into the real world. My life. My job. My family.

And it means that writing gets shoved somewhere between the laundry piles, ungraded papers, and packing boxes.

Last week it was REALLY bothering me because I have that same problem most other writers have: My imaginary friends want to come out to play and won’t leave me alone until I get their stories out on paper.

Which made last week all the harder because I received scores back from a contest in which I didn’t do very well.

So I kicked myself around a little, emailed Tina Radcliffe for some positive kicks to counter my very negative ones, and did what I usually do when faced with disappointment:

1. Eat Chocolate

2. Put the crits away for later (when I’m less likely to toss my computer across the room)

3. Eat Chocolate

4. Pray

5. Email someone who understands

6. and…er…did I say ‘Eat Chocolate’ already?

But you know what? My plight is not a surprise to God. In fact, He’s right in here the thick of it with me. I’m in HIS HANDS – so of course He knows what’s going on. In this moment I have an amazing opportunity.

Trust Him

or Despair

The latter leads to untrue thoughts, miserable feelings, and impotent actions

The former leads to incomparable peace, indescribeable joy, and an immeasurable sense of value.

Which to choose?

That’s a no-brainer.

It may take a few more reminders to keep me on the right path, but I know that the One who holds me, helps me to stay on His path.

I’m may be off-line, off-balance, and off-kilter, but in God’s book I’m right on Target when I trust in Him

Blessings,

WWII.

Intrigue.

Romance.

Priceless Treasure.

It’s all there within the pages of Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey’s newest novel, Chasing Mona Lisa. The unique combination of these two authors’ voices prove to increase the perspective in this novel with a nice blend of fast-pace, historical detail, and male-female interest. With the rich scene of a world at war as a backdrop, this book offers a fantastic glimpse into the German occupation of France and the conflicts, personalities, and determination of individuals caught in the middle. I loved the detail combined with enough romantic moments to whet a ‘romance lover’s’ whistle

A good read.

This book is available January 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group

It’s the beginning of a new semester for me – which is one reason why I’m behing on my blogging.

When the responsibilities of a new semester begins, I’m afraid the writing and the blogging have to move aside and make room for the paying job. 

BUT – I learn so much through my job as a clinical instructor and teacher at East Tennessee State University. I also have the remarkable opportunity to work with families touched by Autism.

This week I had one of those wonderful experiences that happen all to seldom. I went into a school and the teachers were excited about learning new ways to support the kids in their classes who had Autism diagnosis. No hesitations or arguments.

General interest, compassion, love, and excitement.

It was a wonderful experience and renewed my faith in the fact that God has teachers ‘out there’ who love children – and still love learning.

One of the most fabulous books I’ve found which celebrates the different ways kids on the Spectrum view the world is called I Am Utterly Unique by Elaine Marie Larson. It’s colorful illustrations and optimism turn the ‘historically’ negative view of Autism on its head.

Unique – and processing the world in a different (not disordered) way – necessarily.

God creates so many different people in the world, and He creates them for His glory. People who see the world from a different perspective, people who are quiet, people who are loud, people with disabilities you can see, people with disabilities you can’t see. People! To quote a children’s song (which would probably be considered politically incorrect now) “red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.”

You are ‘utterly’ unique because you were designed by the hands of a Loving Father!

It’s pretty easy to take New Year’s Resolutions too far.

Most of the time that’s not my problem. I don’t take them far enough. But sometimes the reason behind most New Year’s Resolutions is that we’re not satisfied. There’s something we need (or want) to change and we make a resolution to do it. Why do we wait until Jan 1? It looks cooler, I guess.

Inspired by my five year old,  I have a lifelong resolution this year that I want to keep. It’s not something I can keep on my own. I have to have help.

Here’s the gist:

Every day, at some point in the day, my five year old says this phrase “I love this day”.

Every day.

This week, however, it hit my heart in a way it hadn’t before. Beyond her sweet voice and simple words a deeper voice resounded…This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.

So many times we allow everything else expect the Lord to rule our hearts and direct our emotions. Instead of having a thankful heart, we find so many ways to be discontent.

This year, with the Lord’s help, I want to take on the attitude of my daughter and ‘love the day’. This day.

It doesn’t mean trials, pain, and difficulties will not come. Those are a given in this world. But it does mean that my attitude should reflect the hope of Christ. My vision should be from heaven-shaded glasses. My choices should reflect someone who rejoices in the Lord.

And when I fail to ‘love the day’ (as most of us fail at our resolutions at one point or other), I can rejoice in the knowledge that I cannot ‘rejoice in the day’ without God’s help (and his constant reminder).

There is so much to find hope and joy in when you are loved with so GREAT a love as God’s love.

So – to quote the historically great thinker Junior Asparagus from the acclaimed movie Madame Blueberry :

A thankful heart is a happy heart

I’m glad for what I have - that’s an easy place to start

For my home on the ground for God’s love that’s all around

That’s why I say thanks every day.

I love this day.

Blessings,

I’m up at the Writers Alley sharing some insights from fabulous authors about how to write that first sizzling scene between your hero and heroine. Stop by and check it out at http://thewritersalleys.blogspot.com.

Oh what fun!