Curve Balls

Last night I made a to-do list, and worked on my mindset to be productive today. I’m trying to be more schedule-oriented since my chores constantly expand. Once I get comfortable with my life, something changes and makes me reevaluate it all.

My career is moving with leaps and bounds. I’m so amazed and thankful for all of the new opportunities God has given me. He has opened doors for me that I never considered, and made ways for me in places that appeared hopeless. He has blessed me tremendously with what I like to call once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, and yet they unsettle me.

Every day is filled with challenges and unknown circumstances. My fear is ever present in unknown situations. While it may turn out to be a wonderful experience, the first initial step out of my comfort zone is terrifying.

Yes, I want to advance my career. I don’t intend for my life to be filled with a huge list of regrets. Nor do I want to lie down on my God, and stop doing His work. Balance is what I need. And that comes from God.

God is always in control. Regardless of how unsettled I feel, God is steady and strong. If I were always in control, then I wouldn’t need God. I would forget to pray, read my Bible, and listen for His instructions. I would take pride in completing each task and never look up with a thankful heart. As it is, I know where my help comes from. I experience the terror in my heart with each new challenge, and realize the exact moment when God steps in and speaks peace to my soul.

The enemy loves to overwhelm me and torture my thoughts. When I’m overwhelmed each task, big or small, is too much for me to handle. My mind races and is unable to focus on the task at hand. And when I’m struggling physically, it all seems harder.  

Last week, I was in the bed for a few days. The pain was overpowering. I felt so defeated and worthless. Regardless of how strong and positive I try to be, those attacks leave me shaken, and remind me of the fragility of life.

God has given me the beautiful gift of life, and I don’t want to take a moment of it for granted. I desire to walk with my Lord, and continue on the path He has given me. It’s not all going to be sunshine and gentle breezes. Storms and heartaches will accompany us all at times.

We may not always understand our situation. For me lying there in pain was a horrible feeling. Now I can see that God was blessing me to pray and getting me ready for the next step. My tears were not void, they had a purpose.

I hope to never appear ungrateful for the wonderful opportunities and good things God gives me. Each step on my journey is important—the fear, heartache, uncertainty, faith and joy. It all teaches me how to live for God and do His work.

I’m so thankful that during my darkest hour, He blesses me with a spark of hope. Pictures of children holding my books, with smiles and love, certainly brighten my life and give me the strength to keep getting up—regardless of how many times I get knocked down. Each one touches my heart greatly.

To say I’m thankful doesn’t seem like enough. God has given me so much. I owe it all to Him. I’ve learned we can’t out give God. He is a wonderful paymaster!



He is kissing Zippy. So precious.

Just when I think it couldn’t possibly get any better—it does.

My books “Underneath the Scars” and “Zippy and the Stripes of Courage” have been nominated for the 2013 CSPA Book of the Year Award, in their category. Please take a moment and vote for them at http://www.christianpublishers.net/13votes/ (only if you feel like voting for me). I truly appreciate your kindness and support! Regardless if I win or lose, it was a GREAT honor to be nominated.

Have a wonderful day and DREAM BIG!

P.S. ShadeTree Publishing has other books nominated in different categories, if you be so kind and vote for them as well.

Release Day and the Writing Process

Today is the wonderful day that I get to share my book with the world. It’s exciting and scary, and reminds me of the day when my children  first went to school. Emotions, both happy and sad, accompany me. And God blesses me to remember the journey and celebrate His wonderful gift.

People ask me all of the time about my writing process. I’ve been asked to teach writing classes and critique manuscripts. Each time the opportunity is presented I always reply, “I can’t teach others to write books. I don’t have a clue what I’m doing.”

As the author of three published books, I’m sure they wonder about my statement. Perhaps it appears that I don’t want to help others or that I do have a secret I’m just not willing to share. I don’t know how my thoughts and feelings turn into a book, but I have decided to share my method.

It’s writing day. I have set aside the whole day to devote to my newest masterpiece. Before I create the next bestseller, I should probably check my email. Oh, I have new message on Facebook. Of course I need to check it. While I’m there I should probably scroll through my newsfeed, look at pictures, and interact with my family and friends for a moment. Then I see a status directed from Twitter, which reminds me to check my account. An hour later, I have successfully networked with all of my media sites.

Now, it’s time to write. I open my word document and stare at the blank screen. It intimidates me. I take a few deep breaths and reach for my coffee cup, only to find it empty. I go in search of a steaming cup of coffee only to realize the laundry is piled up. Well, I can definitely do laundry while I’m writing—it’s called multitasking. I throw the clothes in the washer, go back to my desk, look at the blank screen, and start typing.

Thirty minutes later, I delete everything recorded and decide to go to the bathroom, which reminds me I need to scrub my toilets. How could I possibly write a book when my toilets need to be cleaned? After that chore it completed, my clothes are ready for the dryer. When I sit back down in my chair, I realize it has been awhile since my email was checked. After I have successfully wasted another hour, the blank screen mocks me.

Then the realization that I don’t have a clue what I’m doing emerges, and I feel so incompetent. I don’t know how to write anything to help anyone. But that’s what I want to do—help others. So I try, and try, and then try again.

I pray and ask God to guide me. I want to write books to glorify Him. I listen for the still small voice that encourages me to write from my heart.

Inside of me is a story that no one else can write. It is mine and a gift from God. Our experiences, trials and tribulations, success and ability to defy the odds, are what inspires and encourages other hearts. I write with prayers and an abundance of tears, laughter and smiles. I record my thoughts and feelings, first for me, and then for others. I write many versions of the same book, and dig deep within myself until I feel there is nothing left for me to give.

I ask God to allow my book(s) to help at least one person, and the first person helped is always me. I learn from the process and from opening my heart and mind. Each time God rewards me with a beautiful gift for my efforts.  

He is a wonderful paymaster!

Today, I remember the struggle and joy of creating a book. While I don't know the exact formula, I’m so thankful God blesses me to write for Him and His glory.

Below, in bold letters, is my favorite part from “Zippy’s Big Difference”. The power and emotion in these words humble me. It reminds me we all have a purpose and a choice.

For a moment, Zippy wanted those black stripes. He wanted to be normal just like everyone else. But then he also wanted all of the beautiful things that God had planned, just for him.

I hope you will allow Zippy and I to share our story with you. I hope you will invite us into your home and heart. Most of all, I hope you will be inspired and blessed by the difference God put inside of you.

 

 

Sharing the Love

Life can often take us to unexpected places, with turns and valleys unaware. For me it’s about constantly modifying and finding new ways to surpass my obstacles. Hence the reason I have not blogged in a while.

Obstacles, problems, valleys, and challenges are all part of life. No one gets to select the easy button and decide to live without them. We do, however, get to choose how to handle them. My new goal is to start each day with prayer for guidance and understanding, and then read God’s beautiful words of comfort, hope, peace, and strength. Now more than ever before, I need God to guide me along my journey. It doesn’t matter the size of our enemy, God is always bigger. And I believe when we seek Him with our whole heart, not allowing anything or anyone to derail us that God will help us to prevail.

God has an appointed time for everything. When I write my books, my heart is often heavy and my hardships increase. God has lessons for me to learn and new wisdom for me to attain. The gift of wisdom and knowledge is often painful, but the reward is priceless.

Regardless of the battle, the victory is always worthwhile.

In less than a week, my new book will be released.

 

All the pain and suffering, tears and prayers, cannot compare to the joy of holding it in my hands and the blessing of sharing it with others. It makes me feel like God has given me a very special gift, and a great responsibility.

The things required and expected of me are not always easy. It is a constant struggle for me to overcome my fears, defeat the enemy always trying to stop me, and do His will. I get so sick before every single school visit and appearance that I even have trouble sleeping the night before. I literally have to force myself to go. Each opportunity produces a new obstacle.

My first school visit with Zippy’s Big Difference was done with a leap of faith. I wasn’t able to read my new book without crying, but I trusted God would help me. And, He did. The second school visit, I was so sick I could barely stand up. The nausea overwhelmed me and I had to talk to myself the whole way there.

You will not be sick. This is only your nerves. You can do this. How can you make a difference if you allow the enemy to defeat you so easily?

Every day I continue to try. I agree to interviews and appearances even though I know it will be hard for me. I schedule school visits knowing the trial each one brings. I also know the joy of touching another life. God has blessed me with His amazing love and the desire to share it. He gives me such beautiful stories, and enough faith to believe I can make a difference in some life, somewhere.

My books are more than words and book sales. They are a testimony of God’s greatness in my life, and how His amazing love and mercy transformed me.

Please help me share the love and help others.

1.      Review my books online.

2.      Ask your local library to buy my books.

3.      Recommend my books to family and friends. Tell organizations dealing with differences and hardships about Zippy.

4.      Read my Zippy books to a child. You can visit schools and hospitals, too.  

5.      Above all, help me pray that God’s will for my life and books be done.

Thank you for reading the words of my heart and supporting me. It means so much to me.

Until next time, may God bless you.

Who Are You Really?

I was watching an interview with Oprah and she asked her guest this question. It made me stop and think and examine my life for a moment.

Who Am I?

I am a child of the King. I am a survivor of Amniotic Band Syndrome. I was born with a purpose and prospered with love. I am nothing, but my God is everything to me. He is the one who blesses me with everything I am.

It is because of His grace and mercy that I am a mommy, wife, daughter, sister, friend, survivor, author, witness, servant, etc. He is the One who created me. He is the One who teaches me. He is the One who molds me. He is the One who prospers me. He is the One who loves me and blesses me to share His love. He is the One who holds me secure and shelters me from the storms. He is the One who allowed me to live—when I should have died.

 

There is something so beautiful about living a thankful life. To wake up each morning and know there is a purpose for your life, far beyond your own understanding. There is a great peacefulness in knowing God has a plan. And it all works to your own good.

There are times when I feel like my feet are dragging through mud and I’m not going anywhere or accomplishing anything. There are times when I feel so small in this great big world. There are times when it all seems hopeless. And that’s when God intercedes and reminds me to do what is possible for me to do and leave the impossible to Him. 

I love it when He gives me a little glimpse of where is all started and how far He has brought me.

Only God could take a person ashamed of her scars and make her thankful for them. Only God could take a person afraid of her own reflection and make her a window for Him. Only God could take a tragedy and turn it into a blessing.

I am a living testimony of His greatness.

Sometimes I think about it. God could have taken me as a baby and I would have never had to suffer. And the end of my journey would be the same. However, it was God's will that I live. It was His will that I live my life for Him. And that’s what I try to do.

I am a work-in-progress. I have tons of faults and failures, but I continue to try. I love deeply and am loved even more deeply. I don’t have all of the answers nor questions to life, but I know the One who does.

By the grace of God, I am blessed to be many things, but the most important is a sinner saved by His wonderful grace. It’s not who I am that matters, but He who lives in me.

Who are you really?

My Family

Sometimes I forget how blessed I am. I often forget to whisper a thank you from my heart for all of the ways God blesses me each day. However, those beautiful blessings are always there, whether I acknowledge them or not. And there are times when I just know God has blessed me far above anything that I could ever repay or deserve.

He has blessed me with the most amazing family. There is love in each branch of my family tree and every aspect of my life. When I think about my family I’m awed by this amazing love. And I think about how it all started. I think about the roots and the solid foundation on which it was established.

It started with love.

There were two people who fell in love and were joined by God. While they loved each other, they also loved God. He was the center of their life. They prayed and served Him and discovered the meaning of life. They had children in love, they raised them in love, and they showed them the depths of their love every Sunday as they took them to church. They never placed conditions on their love or tried to contain it, but they gave it freely and nurtured it. They passed it down from generation to generation.

• Proverbs 13:22 (KJV) A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.

 

They stayed focused and grounded on the importance of life. They knew God and family are the most important part of life. And they didn’t tell their children these things, but they showed them through the course of their life.

In my family, when one hurts we all hurt. When one suffers, we all suffer. We don’t have to compete for anyone’s love, there’s always enough for everyone. When one needs help, we all do our part, not expecting anything in return. We love each other and it shows. We continuously work on our relationship. We check on one another. We pray for one another. We continue on the path laid before us by our ancestors and embrace the amazing foundation on which it was established.

It was established by God.

My grandparents belonged to God and prayed for their children to be saved. And the cycle continued through every generation. Salvation and love are what bonds a family together. Without God there is no perfect love. He is the center and the solid foundation on which the grandest things occur.

So often we get so distracted by our everyday life that we forget what truly matters. We forget to show our love or to be forgiving. Instead of embracing God’s precious and priceless gift, we turn away from it. We make excuses and justify our bad behavior. We think if we are the one to pull away from our loved ones or build a wall around our heart we won’t be hurt. However, we are only hurting ourselves.

 I have a natural family that is so precious to me. I can’t even find the words to express my love for each and everyone. And I have a spiritual family that is just as precious or more to my heart. Regardless of what I go through or how bad I act, there will always be a big Godly family that will love me unconditionally. They will request prayer for me at church and then kneel before God on my behalf. They will not judge me— only love me forever and ever. They will forgive my faults and failures and always be there for me when I need them. Even if try to push them away. They will ask God to be merciful to me, even if I can’t remember the last time I stepped into God’s house. The will hug me when I finally come home and make me feel so welcome.

They will pray for my children and unlock the kingdom so they may be saved. They will gather around me when I’m sick and dying and comfort my loved ones who are grieving. They will visit me in the nursing home even if I don’t remember my name.  They will always be there to help me carry my load and pray with me.

Sundays are not for sleeping in, shopping, etc. They are for going to His house and showing the world you do love God. They are for praying and hearing the prayer request of the church. They are about crying out in one mind and one accord unto God. They are about supporting this amazing, loving family that gives so much without expecting anything in return.

Whatever your situation, I pray you make your way to God and His house. And come to love this amazing family as much as they love you!

Turning the Other Cheek

Some people will always have something bad to say. They will always focus on finding something ugly verses the realm of beautiful surrounding them. They love to be a negative, hateful, opinionated, let’s bring everyone else around us down and wallow in self-pity, kind of person. But you know what, I refuse to allow the Eeyores of life to bring me down.

 

Be miserable, if you want to. Think of the light at the end of the tunnel as a train ready to run you over, if you want to. View your glass as half empty with a gaping hole in the bottom, if you want to. However, I chose to see the blessings and rainbows in life, instead of dwelling on the heartaches and storms.

 

Life gets hard. There are always disappointments and heartaches to bear. There are always times when things seem hopeless. There will always be times when people test your limits and push you to see how much you can take. There will always be people who assume the worst of you and say things that are hurtful. There will always be times when you feel defeated. There will always be times when you are thrown inside the fiery furnace, and the enemy declares victory. However, when we look to God, He can always take the absolute worst situation possible and mix it with His amazing love, grace, and mercy and make it into a beautiful blessing. After all, He’s the one who takes carbon and mixes it with extreme heat and pressure to form the diamond.  

It’s hard when people say hurtful things or treat you badly. It’s so hard to turn the other cheek and not lash out at those who hurt us. It’s hard for me to understand at times why God allows these things to happen. And then I think of how the world treated Jesus. It’s not us they don’t like, but God who lives in us.

• Psalm 109:3 (KJV) They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.

However, God wants us to love them. He wants us to pray for them. He wants us to surround them with kindness. He wants us to live for Him.

Most of my life, I have worried about what other people think of me. I remember trying so hard to make others like me that I was afraid to be myself. And then God gave me wisdom, knowledge and understanding.

God is the only one I need to strive to please. If He is satisfied with me, then who cares what other people think of me. They don’t give a righteous judgment anyway. God is the only one with the ability to judge the heart and the efforts we make. He is the only one with the ability to see the truth and the whole picture.

I would rather for the whole world to hate me and be angry with me, than for God to be angry at me. I’m so thankful He always loves me, regardless. He doesn’t put His foot on me and push me into the ground when I mess up, but rather picks me up and comforts me in His arms of love.

Let them hate me and my love for God. Let them hate me because I’m obedient to my Lord. Let them speak evil of me and try to discourage me. Let them throw me into the lion’s den. My God will protect me. He may not prevent me from being hurt, but He will help to me forgive and use the hardships to shine my light a little brighter. During the midst of the heartache, in the eye of the storm, He can give me a smile and a testimony to praise Him. He can make my heart so thankful to suffer for His glory.

When I keep my eyes on God, all I can see is the good.

 

Godly Lessons

You know it’s going to be a great writing session, when you type the title and two hours later haven’t progressed any. However, that’s when I know there is something lurking beneath the surface. That’s when I know I need to stop listening to everything around me and listen to what’s inside me. Writer’s block for me is the signal to stand still and let God move.

Sometimes I have to get myself out of His way. I have to evaluate situations and meditate. I have to listen, when I feel the urge that He wants to talk with me. I have to turn aside from everything I know, and realize I don’t have a clue what needs to be done or even how to do it. God always gives us instructions, however they are not always what we want or think might work.

Yesterday, I lost the stone out of my engagement ring. I was devastated as I looked down into the gaping hole that was once the most beautiful part. It was gone and the void was astounding. And I was saddened for the times when I never noticed its beauty or took the time to be thankful for it and what it represents. It reminded me how quickly life can change and how the things we love can be taken away—in an instant.

 I had been doing so many things that I had no clue where the stone might have fallen. To retrace my steps seemed overwhelming. I had been cleaning like a mad woman for hours. There was a part of me that instantly gave up and declared it gone forever. And there was another part of me that longed to find it.

My husband comforted by promising another ring, but some things just can’t be replaced. So I listened to my heart and it took me to the very spot when I first noticed it was missing. And lying on the bottom bunk bed of my kid’s room was my stone. I was putting sheets on the top bunk when I noticed it was gone.

I was so thankful to hold it in my hands and so thankful I had listened to the still small voice that had guided me. God is always a presence in every situation. He’s the voice that urges us to look again at a stop sign or to check the stove one more time. He’s the voice who gives us warnings and directions. It’s up to us to heed them or ignore them.

The center is always the best and most important part. The center of a marriage is love. The center of family is love. The center of life is God. If you remove the center then all you have is an empty shell.

I feel like I am a constant work-in-progress. The devil is always seeking whom he may devour. He is always filling our lives with obstacles and hardships. However, when we look to God, He has always has a plan. Every day is about being the best that we can be. It’s about trying one more time, when we have failed numerous times. It’s about trying before you decide to quit.

There is no easy button in life. There are no magical formulas to accomplish your goals or dreams. It takes hard work and persistence. It’s about being honest with yourself and working to overcome your faults and failures. We are all viable and important!

Lastly, I would like to remind you there is never an exception anywhere that allows you to be mean to another soul. Don’t be a bully and strive to hurt others. It doesn’t make you respected or important. It makes you miserable.

Don’t be the type of person to knock someone down, and then kick them. Help them up! We can’t control how other people treat us, but we can control how we treat them.

What if God treated you how you treated Him? He doesn’t lash out at us for our wrongdoings, but blesses us with His amazing love.

Love is the greatest weapon in battle. Just think of how Jesus defeated the enemy that crucified Him. He asked God to forgive them and then He died for their sins. Instead of lashing out with vengeance, He emitted unconditional love.