June 4, 2012

15 Habits of Great Writers: Jeff Goins



For as long as I could remember, I loved to write.

I remember taking pencil and paper and making squiggly lines in all shapes and sizes before I even knew how to form correct letters of the alphabet.

There were times when family member would proclaim excitedly that it looked like I had written a letter a, e, or o.

It was my favorite pastime, scribbling and doodling on that blank piece of paper.

I remember looking up at signs adorning the tops of our schools hallway, and not being able to read any of them. I was so anxious to be able to read and to write actual words.

When I was finally able to put together words... i took off. I was advanced in both reading and spelling in school.

I was unstoppable.

I wrote my first poem at age 7. I no longer have it, but it was about a red bouncy ball (before Dora or Boots were even a thought in anyone’s minds.)

I wrote shorts stories, and poems constantly from that point forward.

I remember the excitement I would feel when I would receive a new tablet for school, or any other time of the year for that matter.

The smell of the new paper, the white clean pages all just waiting, asking, to be written on.
I would spend hours on hours just writing.

It was a way of escaping for me... I was either writing or reading at any given time.

I would win every essay or writing contest I entered in the years that followed, and I've always second guessed myself when it came to my writing.

You know what... never once, never ever once, did it occur to me that I might be a writer.

I don't know where the epiphany came from. Maybe it had something to do with an inkling of a desire to write a book... which lead me to do research on writing and getting books published to see if it was even a feasible idea. I came across this e-book...  You Are A Writer... and for some reason, I realized... I might be a writer.

Why this thought never occurred to me before that point I have no idea. How a few small sentences in an e-book could bring such revelation in my life is unfathomable to me, but it did.

I don't know where things will go from here, but I know I can't wait to see how God will use the desire of writing he placed in the heart of a little girl to bring Him Glory.

The author of that e-book, Jeff Goins, is having a link up, 15 day writing challenge he's titled "15 Habits of Great Writers"

I've included the link below.

So if you are a writer, or someone who just likes to write, perhaps you would consider joining with us?

There's no cost at all involved, it's absolutely free, and who knows what revelations you might receive in those short 15 days.


See you there!



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June 1, 2012

Five Minute Friday : See



When you’re checking out and the clerk on the other side is being rude, can you see?

When you make it home and your children are fusing and fighting with each other, can you see?

When your husband is a little grouchy, can you see?

When the teen with purple hair and tattoos crosses your path, can you see?

Can you see beyond the actions…

Can you see beyond the exteriors…

Can you see beyond the smiles of the women at church?

Can you see beyond the shyness of the little girl with the balloon?

Can you see the their very being?

Can you see to their soul?

There’s a reason…

There’s a reason why that clerk is rude, what has happened to her that morning, what has happened to her in her life to make her react in such a way?

What kind of a day, what kind of stresses have your children, your husband gone through?

That teen with the purple hair and the tattoos… has anyone ever been there for them?

Has anyone ever shown them the way? What part of them are they trying to mask, to cover up?

The women who hide behind smiles… while their hearts are breaking in two.

The little girl who’s sadness brings her to be withdrawn, everyone mistakes it for shyness…

How can you be there for them today?

How can you change the pattern?

Don’t go on without seeing… without stopping… and truly seeing. 


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COFFEE SAMPLE WINNER!!!

and

The Winner Is......


Congratulations!!!

I've contacted you via email, and am awaiting your response!


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May 31, 2012

My Kids Are Part Time Morning People


My children are part time morning people.

Yes they are.

A typical school morning in my home- I begin to wake the children at 6:45 a.m.

Me: Wake up lovelies (because you know they all look peaceful when they sleep… like little angels)

I walk around to each childs bedside and gently nudge them, trying to wake them slowly.

They grumble and mumble and say that they are up and I walk away to get myself ready to face this bright new beautiful day that the Lord has made.

15 minutes later I realize that it’s still quiet… it shouldn’t still be quiet.

So I walk around to each bedside of each child and say a little firmer: You need to wake up right now, because I don’t want to be late bringing yall to school or getting to work myself (we are from the LOW South, and we say Ya’ll)

They open their eyes and look at me, sit up in the bed and assure me they are up…
So I go on my way to finish pinning my hair up in any resemblance of a bun I can manage and after all of 5 minutes head back into the bedroom…

Where all four children are, still, Fast Asleep.

I’m in a rage now and furious, all nudging gently and waking them slowly has since LONG gone out the window and I stand there clapping my hands loudly and screaming that if they do NOT get up right this instance I am going to pull them out of the beds by their toes… and almost do.

Finally they pull themselves out of the bed, crying that they don’t feel good and they are tired and they don’t want to go to school… but it doesn’t phase me at all... because I’m tired and I don’t want to go to work either.

After they are up, one eye cracked open the other still fused shut, hair in a mess half up in the air, the other half stuck fast to their face by dried saliva, they walk around like zombies trying to find their items.


With 5 minutes left to spare before we HAVE to be in the car and driving on the highway…

 One can’t find her belt.

One can’t find his shoes.

One can’t find her homework.

One’s still crying thinking I’ll give in and let her stay home.

We pile into the car with hair brushes flying, belts and shoes being pushed on and one of them says:

“Why can’t you wake us up earlier in the mornings?”

I grip the steering wheel a little tighter and say a silent prayer for Peace, for Grace, for Jesus to be shown through me instead of Satan who wants me to turn around and rip their heads off.

After the kids are dropped off at school, and I drive to work in the quiet, I take in a DEEP breath, and exhale slowly… we survived another morning… another week.

Friday Night: We can sleep in tomorrow morning, Thank you Jesus for days of rest… I need this to recover from the weeks past.

Saturday Morning 6:00 a.m. : I wake to noise… what’s that noise? Kids… all up… all happy… all watching t.v. or outside… all dressed… no one is crying, they found everything they needed to get dressed, and no ailments to be heard of.

My kids are part time morning people. 


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Prompted by Mama's Losin' It!
Mama's Losin' It
Prompt 1.) Is your child a morning person? Share a story that supports your opinion.

May 30, 2012

We Need To Say Yes and No More Often!


I opened an article and began to read…


We need to say Yes more often…  
it said…
Let go of the word NO… the resistance!
Say Yes, Thank You, Please… that’s the way! That’s the yes!

I closed the article and opened another that read…

Yes, It’s OK To Say No! How to prevent the over commitment that leads to overwhelm.
No, it’s a small yet powerful word, one that can improve our lives and make us more valuable to those we say it to… those we want to help in this world.

In this information age, sometimes we can become bombarded with so many different views and opinions that it can make our head feel as if it will spin completely off the top of our shoulders.

Feeling as if we are being pulled in two completely different directions, it’s sometimes difficult to figure out which way is the correct one.

It’s a wonder to me how we can be at such conflict within ourselves.

How is it that we can both feel as if we have taken on too much, that we are overloaded and can’t seem to catch our breath all day long… and at the same time still feel guilty for thinking we are not doing enough… that we somehow should be able to do more than we already do?

I was curious to see if there was anything in the Bible regarding these feelings and I should have known that I would find what I was looking for… in this one book I can find the answer to almost any question or dilemma I seem to be facing at any given moment.

These are the verses I found regarding this subject.

Romans 12:2 – Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Matthew 6:33 – But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Philippians 1:6 – And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Jeremiah 17:9 – The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Amen…  who can understand it?


Maybe the most significant of all...


2 Corinthians 10:12 - When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.

Don’t worry about what the worlds standards are… you are called to stand apart from the world and its standards.

Seek the Lord, seek His face first and foremost and He will give you discernment regarding your to-do list!

We often hear the term “Follow your heart”, but according to Jeremiah 17:9, the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick!... so by all means do NOT follow your heart. Instead pray and ask God for His guidance. Ask Him what His will is for your life because you know what… He’s the only one who will never lead you astray.

So whether you choose to say YES or NO to the situation or circumstance you are faced with today, remember to seek Gods will and allow Him to be decision maker.

  

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