Steadfast - Guest Blogger, JoAnn Durgin

Happy Wednesday!

Last week's book winner is Anna. Congratulations!  I've sent your name and email address to Melody. I'm sure you'll hear from her soon.

Today's guest is JoAnn Durgin. Welcome, JoAnn.

JoAnn Durgin is the author of five novels in the popular Lewis Legacy Series as well as the Amazon bestselling Catching Serenity. Her novellas include Meet Me Under the Mistletoe, Starlight, Star Bright, Sleigh Ride Together with You (coming for the 2014 Christmas season), and Echoes of Edinburgh.

A member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and the Louisville Christian Writers, JoAnn lives with her husband and three children in southern Indiana.

She’s recently *retired* from her paralegal position to write full-time. She loves to hear from her readers at http://www.joanndurgin.com or http://www.facebook.com/authorjoanndurgin.


JoAnn knows all about taking a leap of faith.

Losing a job is tough—even when you see it coming around the bend and recognize its inevitability. Funny how the date becomes ingrained in your memory. for me, that day came on Monday, November 9, 2009. When two of the law firm's partners walked into my office and closed the door.

I knew. My heart fell to my feet. “Sorry, but there’s just not enough work...”

Afterward, still in a daze, I worked all day and finished my projects as best I could. I might have been "let go," but I wanted to walk away with my head held high, with my dignity intact.

Technically, I was “laid off,” but no matter what it’s called, I still felt as though I’d failed. I worried that I'd let down my bosses, clients, and co-workers. Mind you, I'm normally a positive-thinking person, confident and secure in my abilities. Still, I couldn't help wondering, Will they think I've done something wrong? Will my friends abandon me now?

After those initial doubts,and only a few tears, I gave it over to the Lord and trusted that He had a plan for my life.

Let me backtrack a minute and give you a bit of my background. For years and in several states where we'd lived—with a six-year break in the Philadelphia area to raise our three small children—I’d worked as a legal secretary and enjoyed my work very much. On my website, I state that I've “been around in the nicest sense of the word.”

In the Boston area, I worked part-time for a small law firm in scenic, historic Concord (and, fittingly, drove by Louisa May Alcott’s childhood home every day), as I eased back into the working world again. Then I accepted a position five minutes from home (a good thing in snowy Massachusetts!) and worked for a one-man law firm.

When our family moved back to my native “southern” Indiana in late 2005, I was excited to be offered a job working in a prestigious downtown Louisville law firm. After 18 months as a legal secretary, I was promoted to a paralegal position. Along with that advancement came the expectation of meeting a threshold of monthly billable hours—the bane of existence of attorneys and paralegals everywhere. But when the work isn’t there, the paralegals are often the first to go.

Sometimes when we take a leap of faith, we risk losing it all. I will never regret moving from a “safe” position as a legal secretary to a paralegal position. If I hadn’t taken the position, I might always wonder what if ...

One of the biggest blessings is that I was given a generous severance package. What a blessing during the busy holiday season!

Never one to sit idle, I needed a plan. After years of being a pastor’s wife with all the responsibilities that entailed, and with our kids now older and more self-sufficient, I was back “home” in Indiana with unexpected time on my hands. I started to read Christian fiction again, something I’d sorely missed. I’d always loved reading and writing, and had earned a journalism and English degree before leaving Indiana the first time. I’d also been writing full-length novels since our time in Philadelphia.

Before the layoff, an idea had formed in my mind. I pulled out my old manuscripts (about six) from beneath our bed and literally blew dust bunnies off the notebooks. I read through the last manuscript I’d written, about a decade before, through fresh eyes, and it was almost as though someone else had written it.

Called Awakening, I recognized it could be the beginning of a series based on the love stories of various members of a Christian mission organization called Team Work—but I only had half of the story. Contemporary Christian romance was increasing in popularity at the time, as well as book series. I figured why not try to get one of them published?

After much prayer, I knew Awakening was the one.

You can read the entire story of my path to publication on my website at http://www.joanndurgin.com.

Long story short: I searched high and low, but couldn’t find the missing half. All I had were antiquated small diskettes in a box. I continued to write more books and periodically tried to access the files on those old diskettes. Nothing. Over and over again, I’d get this message: “Can’t be read.” I told my husband, “We need to go to our knees.”

One day, I inserted the diskette as I’d done so many times before. A message popped up on the screen: “Do you want to read it as text only?” After hearing the churning noise and seeing the hourglass symbol, my book popped onto the screen! In English, not hieroglyphics. To this day, I still get chills. Not only was it my book, but when I printed it out and lined it up with what was in my notebook at home, it was only half of the book—the missing half! When I put them together, it was seamless.

I know the Lord gave my book back to me. Then he confirmed it; “And the Man said Peaches!” is on my website.

On May 1, 2010, I received a publishing contract and Awakening became my debut novel and released in November 2010. Four years later, I’ve now released four more books in what has become The Lewis Legacy Series (the prequel coming next month!), a standalone novel, and four novellas.

In late March 2010, I began another paralegal job in Louisville. This past August, I took another leap of faith to full-time author! The Lord also paved the way for that to happen in a way only He can.

Sometimes you need to take a leap of faith in order to better understand God’s abundant grace and mercy. Even if you fail, rest assured that God always has a divine plan. What we consider to be a human failure can often turn out to be one of God’s biggest blessings!

Trust Him to guide you. He’ll never let you down. His answer isn’t what we, in our impatience and limited understanding, expect. It’s so much better! Like the lyrics of a beloved hymn of assurance tells us, “God Will Take Care of You.”

Yet those who wait for the Lord, Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary. Isaiah 40:31

Thank you, JoAnn. Isaiah 40:31 is one of my favorite verses.

JoAnn would like to offer a free e-book to one of you. But, she is going to do something special, by allowing you to choose from one of the three gorgeous books below. 

All you have to do is leave a comment and you will 

be entered in the drawing.

    

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

Steadfast - Guest Blogger, Melody Carlson

It's Wednesday! Which means I have a guest blogger. It's an absolute treat to welcome the very prolific author, Melody Carlson. 

Melody and I met more than twenty years ago at a writing conference. We were both just setting off on our writing careers. She's a valued friend. And it is a special pleasure to have her here.

Make sure to read through this entire blog so you can find out about Melody's giveaway.

By the way, our winner from last week is - Brenda.

  Congratulations!

I'll make sure Ann Shorey gets your email address.

 About Melody. 

Over the years, Melody Carlson has worn many hats, from pre-school teacher to political
activist to senior editor. But most of all, she loves to write!

In the past few years, she has published over 200 books for children, teens, and adults--with total sales of over six million copies. Several of her books have been finalists for, and winners of, various writing awards. Melody is the recipient of a Romance Writers of America Lifetime
Achievement Award.

She and her husband have two grown sons and live in Sisters, Oregon with their lovely Labrador retriever, Audrey. They enjoy skiing, hiking and
biking in the beautiful Cascade Mountains.



How We Survived a Year of Downsizing...Just Barely

About a year ago, my husband and I made the decision to downsize. Sounded simple enough. Sell the home we’d been in nearly twenty years, get into something smaller, enjoy more freedom and less maintenance.

Easy-peasy, right? Ha! Twelve months later we’re still worn out, beat up, and I can’t even find the butter dish.

Although I had writing deadlines, I wasn't too concerned about this downsize. Staging our home, preparing for open houses, random showings (to people with no intention of purchasing) proved a challenge, but I could handle it.

In the middle of winter, we got the crazy buyer who wanted to purchase our house "with everything included" (my underwear drawer too?). Although her offer was far less than our asking price, we attempted to "negotiate". And she insisted on visiting our home for hours at a time (although we weren't allowed to see her face!). To our  relief, she changed her mind.

In early spring we lowered our price and got a serious buyer, but she wanted us to check on building permits. We'd never heard of anyone doing this before, but our nearly forty year old house  was solid and well built. Why wouldn't it be permitted? Because the offer was contingent on  this, and because our realtor encouraged us, we naively went to the county and inquired.

Talk about opening a can of worms—the county “opened a file” on us. And that’s where the real nightmare began.

Because we live in rural Oregon and because the county's old records were sketchy at best, we were forced to jump through a bunch of ridiculous (and expensive) hoops that made us both question the county's sensibilities as well as our own sanity. But there is no turning back--the county's "file was opened" on us, and they threatened "legal action" if it didn't get closed.

During this “permitting” period, which stretched on and on, I drew blueprints of all five buildings on our property, all while trying to maintain my writing schedule. My husband was forced to dig around foundations, open up walls, hire engineers, electricians, plumbers, etc.. All to prove that our home was sound and solid (something we already knew). And we even unearthed proof of county permits (records that the county had lost!).

The whole thing felt like pure craziness and the stress levels got higher and higher.

Just about the time I started wishing for a forest fire to end the madness (our home was in fire country) my husband lugged all the required letters, reports, photographs and blueprints to the
county—along with his checkbook to pay for permits. But when the clerk told him the total, he nearly had a heart attack. He came home and told me the amount, and I felt physically ill.

It was so upsetting that I did what any writer would do—I wrote a long letter to the head of the building division. I explicitly told him everything we’d been through, how much money we’d already spent (jumping through their endless list of hoops) and how shocked we were to discover the cost of permits. I also told him that I planned to write our story for the local newspapers—a cautionary tale to homeowners who might naively step into the building division and inquire on permits for
older homes like we’d done.

The head of the division emailed me back that same day. We exchanged several interesting emails and he finally invited us to return to the county for permits. My poor husband went back—hoping for a miracle—and was informed that the county had accidentally added an extra zero to our permit fees (a zero that equaled thousands of dollars!). But the best news was that the county had decided to waive most of our permits—and they closed our file that very week. We would’ve celebrated—except that we were too drained. Did I mention the gray hair and stress-weight gains?

But we were hugely relieved to close the sale on our house and move into our ‘new’ home in town. Never mind that temperatures were in triple digits or some moving “volunteers” didn’t show, we were just glad to be on our way. And even though this “fixer” house wasn’t nearly as beautiful as the one we’d sold, we were happy to get into it.

The plan was to rent from the sellers for a couple of weeks until closing. We used that time to hold a massive and exhausting garage sale (a half-size meant half our stuff had to go). And then we continued unpacking, organizing, and preparing for some major remodeling (stacks of hardwood flooring, appliances, etc. were crammed into the living
room).

But at least we were downsized. Right?

Wrong.

Just one business day before we were to close the sale, our loan guy called to inform us we had no financing. Never mind that we’d been approved and locked-in, or that we’d paid for the appraisal, which passed. Our loan guy admitted that he’d overlooked something—his financial group didn’t grant “corporate” loans.

We'd told  him right from the get-go that because of my writing, we're a corporation. He'd said 'no problem.' Now he was saying 'no loan.' We were moved into a house that we'd promised to purchase - and now we had no financing? Talk about stress!

To make a long story short (and this one might inspire a novel someday) we closed our house sale (on our anniversary in August). the remodel is nearly finished now - and looks good. And I  might go out and buy a butter dish today. but if you think downsizing is easy ... you're either watching HGTV or reading fiction.

If you’ve read this far, you’re eligible to win a signed copy of my latest book, The Christmas Cat. One of the hardest things about this downsize biz was allowing our old neighbors to adopt our Maine Coon cat Harry (the book’s dedicated to him). But we knew he’d be happier in the old neighborhood—and we spared him the stress of relocating.

Garrison Brown inherits his grandmother's six cats and a mission. 

Find good homes for Gram's beloved pets. 

But some of the cats are elderly, and it's almost 

Christmastime, plus Garrison has cat allergies - and, 

oh yeah, there's a secret cash incentive. 

Melody, I can't imagine going through all that you did. I'm praying for lots of stress free days ahead. Enjoy your new home. 

Your book sounds like fun. I'm definitely getting a copy. I need a good for Christmas.

Readers, for an opportunity to win this book all you have to do is leave a comment and your email address. I will announce the winner next Wednesday.

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

Steadfast - Guest Blogger, Ann Shorey

It's Wednesday, guest blogger day. And today my guest is Ann Shorey, a dear friend and writing comrade. I'm so glad she could join us. Ann has a special giveaway offer so make sure to read to the bottom of the page.

ANN SHOREY has been a full-time writer for over twenty years. Her writing has appeared in Chicken Soup for the Grandma’s Soul, and in the Adams Media Cup of Comfort series. She made her fiction debut with The Edge of Light, Book One in the At Home in Beldon Grove series for Revell. Her latest releases include Love’s Sweet Beginning, the third book in the Sisters at Heart series, and a novella in the Sincerely Yours collection, also from Revell. She’s tempted to thank Peet’s French roast coffee and Dove chocolates when she writes the acknowledgments for her books.
She may be contacted through her website, www.annshorey.com, or find her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AnnShorey.




Words of wisdom from Ann Shorey:


STEADFAST IN THE STORM

In February of 2012, I started writing Love’s Sweet Beginning, the final novel in my Sisters at Heart series for Revell. The deadline for the novel was the end of January, 2013. Eleven months is a long time, and I started off with a bang and moved right along into the story.
Then my mother-in-law died on February 29. My husband comes from a large family, and our home is the place where everyone congregated for the week or so before, during, and after the funeral. But by mid-March I was back to writing.
In April, hubby had rotator cuff surgery. He’s a real estate broker, which necessitates spending a lot of time behind the wheel of a car. Of course, he couldn’t drive with his arm tied to his torso during the recovery phase, so I drove him to and from work and to and from appointments—for six weeks.
By now I was beginning to worry about making the deadline, but figured I could redeem the lost time by writing for longer hours during the fall when hubby went hunting and I had the house to myself.
He did go hunting, but while he was gone I got the flu and was very sick for a couple of weeks. He came home, left again, and unbelievably I got sick again. By now we were into the holiday season and I was in full panic mode. When January rolled around, I was 30,000 words short of my contracted word count, with less than 30 days to finish the book.
I rose in the middle of the night so panicked my brain was numb. I laid the problem before the Lord, like Hezekiah did in 2 Kings19:14-15. As I prayed and listened, ideas came and I’d jot them on a yellow legal pad. After further prayer the next morning, I’d go to my computer and continue the story using the prompts the Lord had provided. Night after night this continued as the ending of the novel took shape. The book was completed and ready to be turned in exactly on time, without a day to spare.
My editor’s reaction? She said it was her favorite book in the series.
  The Lord’s presence with me during those days kept me centered on Him, rather than on my own inadequacy. It’s a lesson that has stayed with me. He’s never far when we call on Him—in fact, He’s right there. We just have to reach up. He’s waiting.
In the acknowledgements at the back of Love’s Sweet Beginning, you’ll find these lines: “Speaking of prayer, the Lord should be listed as co-author of this book. As the greatest creator of all, He is my guide. All glory goes to Him.”



Thank you Ann. I needed to hear this.

And here's the book Ann was working on when she 

panicked and sought God's help.

I love this book!

It isn’t Cassie Haddon’s fault that she has reached the age of twenty-five without possessing any useful skills. Until the war, she always had servants to wait on her. Since then, she and her widowed mother have moved from place to place, relying on family to care for them. Now she’s forced to find work to support them both. What isn’t in her plans is falling for Jacob West, a local restaurateur and grocer. She needs a job and he needs help.

Love’s Sweet Beginning is a tale of two people from very different backgrounds finding common ground and the hopes of a bright future together.

TODAY AS A SPECIAL TREAT, ANN IS OFFERING A 

FREE COPY OF LOVE'S SWEET BEGINNING. 

All you have to do for a chance to win is leave a comment along with an email address and you will be added to the drawing.

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

Steadfast - Guest Blogger Marlo Schalesky

Being steadfast and pushing forward in difficult times can feel like you're climbing a mountain. You're nearing the peak, but your lungs are starved for oxygen and every muscle is screaming. You want to quit. 

Sometimes my life seems to be all about mountain climbing. How about yours?

I got to thinking that maybe it's time to hear from others who have done some of that climbing. From now through December I'll be hosting a guest blogger every Wednesday who will share insights on their own journey's up mountain sides.

Today, I'm thrilled to welcome the illustrious Marlo Schalesky.

Marlo is the award winning author of nine books, including Wrestling with Wonder, a Transformational Journey through the Life of Mary, as well as Empty Womb, Aching Heart, Hope and Help for Those Struggling with Infertility. Her fiction includes RITA finalist Shades of Morning, the Christy Award winning Beyond the Night, and ACFW Book of the Year winner Veil of Fire. the author of nearly 1,000 articles, Marlo is also a small business owner and a graduate of Stanford University (with a B.S. in chemistry!). She has earned her Master's in Theology, with an emphasis in Biblical Studies, from Fuller Theological Seminary.

Marlo lives with her husband, six  young children, eight horses, six cats, two parakeets, one rabbit, one rat, two dogs, three chinchillas, five goldfish, and one lonely betta in a log home in Salinas, California. (Note: Critter numbers may change without notice, especially if Marlo attends yet another adoption event for rescue animals ... to her husband's chagrin.)

From Marlo:

I hold a book in my hands. It's called Wrestling with Wonder, a Transformational Journey through the Life of Mary. It released last week. I hold it and I shake my head because I know there's no logical reason that this book should be a book.
     But it is a book, and a story, a testimony, and a wonder. A thing somehow born when I was done ... when I was undone. It was born when I had just had it with writing, with life, with everything that made my days the crazy mess that they were.
     Wrestling with Wonder was born on the day when another rejection broke the proverbial camel's back, when I couldn't go on, when I crumbled like a sad little rag doll on the floor of my laundry room.
     I share this story in the book's introduction. Here's how it happened, when God saw me when I was done, and undone, and showed me the truth that kept me pressing on:

It happened like this:
     My palms press into the cold tile of the laundry room floor. Harsh, unyielding, the sound of my pain lost in the steady thumping of the dryer, the slosh of cleansing clothes, and the wicked whisper of words that for the moment, I believe.
     I am Esau. Unloved. Unchosen.
     I am Cain. Rejected. Cast away.
     What am I doing here, a broken mess on the laundry room floor? To my shame, it isn't even tragedy that has driven me to my knees. It's not my 20 years of infertility. Of discovering that despite all my prayers, all my hopes, all the long and painful procedures. I am not pregnant again. I've been there. But not today.
     It's not my six miscarriages. Not hoping beyond hope, cradling a belly that's supposed to hold new life, and losing. Again. I've been there too. But not today.
     It's not a dead father, a difficult childhood, a death, a divorce in the family. Those have brought me to my knees, made me wrestle, made me weep. But not today.
     Today, it's nothing, really. And it's everything. It's a hundred little things piled up on a day my husband is away on business, my baby just threw up, the toddler is crying, and I received another rejection. A small one, telling me I was unchosen. Unwanted. Passed by.
     I should be happy anyway. After all, life is good. It's good enough. But I'm not fine. And I'm not happy. Instead, I am on the floor, listening to the thump and slosh and crying out to a God who I'm sure doesn't care. And all the pain is back again. Of miscarriage and infertility, of death and disappointment. Of rejection, of hope lost. I feel it all again, and I am undone.
     Why? Why am I a ragged mess, a broken child? Why am I a woman weeping on the floor when I'm supposed to be writing a talk on the wonder of God's immeasurable love? When I'm supposed to know, supposed to believe, supposed to no longer doubt? But I do doubt. And wrestle. Again. Still.
     Who am I? Who is this God I say I believe, I say I trust?
     Slosh. I hear the sound. And in it, a whisper. Less than a whisper. Only a wisp. It is not easy to become clean. You must be tossed, spun. Beaten.
     Thump. It is a long process. Hot. Harsh. Unyielding.
     And I see. I understand. A bit. A glimpse. A tiny glimmer of who I am. Who God is.
     I shudder and push myself up from the hard tile. Cold on my fingertips. Chilling. God? I watch the clothes tumble and spin. I watch. And breathe.
     Then, I glance left to the changing table. The place where baby often squirms and shouts, cries, and struggles as I work to make her clean. The place where she has grown from a tiny bundle that knew me only as a blur and scent, to an almost-toddler who can hear the whisper of my voice from the other room and know that Mommy is near. 
     I step closer and run my hand over the terrycloth surface. I love her, but when she lies here, she doesn't understand. She knows she doesn't want to be here, she wants to get down and play. But I make her stay. I hold her still. I clean her. I do it because she is my loved one, my daughter, my favored child. But she doesn't understand my love.
     I don't understand His. But the glimmer widens.
     Perhaps I am not Esau. I am not Cain. Instead, I am like another woman who knelt in the darkness, waiting to be cleansed. A woman who wept and did not understand. A woman whom God called "highly favored" and yet who found herself at a cross, with all her dreams crushed, all her beliefs challenged.
     And that's when I see it. I am Mary. The favored one. Not the cute little figurine in my Precious Moments nativity set. Not the peaceful-looking statue holding the form of a baby in my childhood church. But the woman for whom God's favor looked like a stable, like rejection, like kneeling at the foot of that bloodstained cross.
     What if God's blessings don't look like good health, secure finances, and fulfilling relationships? What if His favor includes pain, poverty, sorrow, and even death? What if it's about a hundred little things that seem to go wrong? What if favor is found through shattered dreams and on cold tile floors. That was Mary's life. And it is mine.
     What if ...
     I am not Esau.
     I am not Cain.
     I am Mary.


     And that's how God broke through to me that day. That's how this book was born. That's how I pushed through being done and undone. I found truth in a laundry room. I found that God was not who I expected him to be, that he never had been, and perhaps that was okay.
     So I got up, I tried again. I walked forward one stumbling, unsteady step at a time. And I told God that I would write what he would show me about Mary's life. I would dig. I would search. I would be faithful to the journey of her life, and mine. 
     I would just be faithful. That's it.
     The rest would have to be up to him. If he wanted it to become a book, if he wanted that book to be published, if he wanted it in the hands of others who could benefit by joining the adventure of Mary's journey ... well then, that would take some kind of miracle.
     And today, I hold a book in my hands. I hold it and I shake my head because I know there's no logical reason that this book should be a book. But God has shown me that he is rarely who I expect him to be; he rarely does what I expect him to do.
     But all I have to do is be faithful, one shaky step at a time. The rest is his job.

     Maybe I like it that way.
     
  

         

         

You've never seen Mary, or her God like this!

Who is this God? Who is he who calls us to surrender and then leads us on a journey of twists and turns, ups and downs, unlike anything we could have ever expected? Who is this God who calls a young girl to birth a Savior and then watch him die on a Roman cross? Who is he who fulfills every promise and yet shatters every expectation?

Come, join Mary, Jesus' mother, on a journey of discovery. Hear the angel's call, walk the long road to Bethlehem, give birth in a barn, search for a lost son, kneel at the foot of a cross, and experience the wind of the Spirit. Come, walk with Mary, and find your own  journey in hers.

Because life rarely turns out the way we planned ...

Because we lose the wonder in the disappointments of life ...

Because being highly favored does not mean being highly pampered ... 

Because Mary shows us God -- Passionate, breath-taking, and unpredictable.

Thank you, Marlo. I can't wait to get a copy of this incredible book.

My friends, grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

Quiet Moments With God - Thankful?

I was not having a good start to my day when I sat down to read my Bible this morning. It was one of those days when my body felt like it had a giant toothache, plus life has been extra stressful recently. I'd started reading a devotion when my daughter sent me a text. Soon we were in a text conversation. We were both having a bad morning. So we got to talking about God and prayer ... and thankfulness.

By the time we said good-bye, I felt better. We'd both prayed for one another and decided that being thankful was a good way to begin our day. 

I went to some scriptures about thankfulness.

Hebrews 12:26, 27 says, "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire." 

Wow. We get are part of God's kingdom!

I went on to Ephesians 5:20, which says, Always giving thans to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Everything? Really? 

If God is watching out for us and we have entrusted out lives to him, then we can thank him for everything. He sees the beginning and the end and always knows what's best for us all. And I don't see any scripture that says we should be thankful only when life is going exactly the way we want. Sometimes the most beautiful parts of life come wrapped in plain brown paper.

I decided to begin this morning with thanksgiving. 

My first thought was about church yesterday. It was so beautiful to be there with my family. Sarah and Kelly and their five children sat with my mother and my husband -- they took up nearly the entire front row. I am SO thankful that we were there together worshiping God.

This morning when I sat in my comfy chair in my bedroom, Bible in hand, I looked out on a green forest, spattered with the colors of autumn and with an azure blue sky as a background. I am SO thankful for God The Creator, the grandest of all artists.

And the best - time with my daughter. Time to pray for one another. I am SO thankful for her friendship and our shared faith.

As it turns out, all that thankfulness made me feel better. My pain is still present, but doesn't feel unbearable anymore, and I am looking forward to a day filled with surprises and blessings.

What are you thankful for?

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

Life In 100 Words Or Less -Sweetie Pie

It's lovely to be someone's Sweetie Pie. That's an endearment my mother uses for me these days. I love being her Sweetie Pie.

Her life is imperfect, but she chooses to see its blessings. And when her aged hands cradle my face and she smiles at me I feel as if I'm bathing in the sunlight of love.

January 9th she'll be ninety, and I'm overwhelmed at the thought. I never expected to have my mother for so many years. I cry over God's gift.

How amazing to be her Sweetie Pie. Are you someone's Sweetie Pie? Whose?

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

The Journey - Fight On

The last year has been a time of getting up off the mat and continuing to fight, pushing forward, refusing to give up, and trusting God with my choices. 

I wrote and launched the revised The Journey of Eleven Moons, created a new book, Where Eagles Soar, and started another called To Dance With Dolphins. And I did all the other things people do, plus stood up to my ongoing battle with pain.

My recent release, Where Eagles Soar, was the most difficult writing project I've ever done. There was so much to learn - memoir writing is not fiction, and fiction is what I know how to write. I worked on this project independently, which means I had to maneuver through the publishing process without a partner, though I did have kind friends who were willing to answer my endless list of questions. More than once I was ready to give up. I cried some and prayed a lot. In the end, I managed to reach the finish line ... kind of. The job continues as I do my best to introduce this incredible story and its courageous heroine to the world.

Why? I had a purpose - fulfill God's will. 

I think Lily and her story helped me find courage. She grew up in the midst of unrelenting hardship and survived because she didn't give up. She's still that way. I've watched her push through physical and emotional pain, disappointment, adversity, and fear. But her faith remains strong. I admit that sometimes I've thought she ought to be easier on herself, rest more and not push so hard. But those decisions are hers, not mine. I stand back and admire God's work in her.

So, how do we know when to keep pushing toward a goal, to dig down for more strength or to cry uncle and let it all go? How do we know the difference between God's call and our own?

I don't think we always know. But God is full of grace. 

After my accident in 1991 I slipped into what felt like a bottomless pit of depression. After months of doctor visits and physical therapy I learned I'd never be the person I'd once been and that pain would be a constant companion. It was the Lord who reached down and lifted me out of that pit. And it was his promise to walk with me that helped me move forward. I've pushed on, sometimes when resting would have been best. And I've rested when I should have worked harder. In the end, the Lord has used it all.

There have been times in my life when I just couldn't keep on keeping on. How about you? Have you had to just let go? In those times when you felt you had no more to give, were you able to dig down and find strength and courage to push forward? 

How did you do it? What was your greatest help? And how did you feel on those occasions when you knew it was time to simply rest?

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

Featured on Lena Nelson Dooley's Blog

While I'm out researching my new book project I still have friends doing their part to get the word out on my most recent release - Where Eagles Soar.

Thank you Lena Nelson Dooley! 

Lena is featuring me on her blog today. She got me to talking about things like - how I came to Christ, my most embarrassing moment (still blushing), and my new book.

Stop in, leave a comment and you'll have a chance to win a free book!  

http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

I'm going to be traipsing through San Francisco today, but I'll be checking in from time to time and responding to your questions.

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

The Journey - Brokenhearted?

Reach out to the Brokenhearted. 

I dedicated my new book, Where Eagles Soar, to the brokenhearted. There are so many. And we need one another.

My heart and mind have been with those who suffer. It's quite possible Lily's memoir has something to do with that. I think of all the years she spent in the Alaskan wilderness and all the people who crossed her path who didn't help, but could have. However, not everyone turned their backs. There was - a neighbor who swooped in and saved her, soldiers who came alongside to offer kindness, their skills, and strong backs, even a man who was just driving by in a truck who rescued her from certain death, and a new friend in a new world who gave her a chance at a new start.

Would we have been one of these? So many in our communities suffer. Do we know them? The one's who need a ride to the grocery story or to church, the child who lives with physical or verbal abuse, the elderly who are locked away from the world who need to know they are still valuable, and the ones who are hungry or depressed. Is there something we can do to help? Are we willing to love the way Jesus asked us to love?  His love is faithful. His love is unconditional. It endures forever.

We can't do what God asks if we look away. 

How do we find the strength and courage to make a difference? I've been inspired by great books like The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boon, Or Tim Hansel's You Gotta Keep On Dancing,  and Same Kind of different Just Like Me written by Denver Moore and Lynn Vincent. Lily Sanders memoir, Where Eagles Soar is one that makes me look. Read your Bible. It is our guidebook to truth and inspiration. 

So, where do we begin? How do we help? Meeting needs - pay a power bill, fill a gas tank, provide food for empty bellies, give a smile and a kind word or loving arms that hold and a shoulder to catch someone else's tears. It might mean a call to a counselor or for county assistance. And sometimes we call in law enforcement. 

We do what is needed. 

Sitting back and waiting for something to get better rarely ends in positive results.

We cannot be afraid to see with open eyes, to see the truth.

The Lord came willingly to this earth to teach us His Father's truth and then to die on our behalf. He offered us new life. He is a lifeline, but he asks us to throw that line to others. Are you offering a life line to the people around you?

Toss it, then pull that dear one to safety. You'll have a friend for life. And a cheerful heart to carry you through life's storms. 

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

World Blog Tour

Hi there.

My dear friend and writing buddy, Ann Shorey, invited me to join

the World Blog Tour. Ann and I met years ago at an OCW Summer
Writing Conference. She was a student in one of my writing classes, and it was clear she was a gifted writer. We are now part of the same critique group and Ann can always be counted on for insights that make my writing better.

ANN SHOREY has been a full-time writer for over twenty years. Her writing has appeared in Chicken Soup for the Grandma's Soul, and in the Adams Media Cup of Comfort series. She made her fiction debut with The Edge of Light, Book One in the At Home in Beldon Grove series for Revell. Her latest releases include Love's Sweet Beginning, the third book in the Sisters at Heart series, and a novella in the Sincerely Yours collection, also from Revell. She's tempted to thank Peet's French roast coffee and Dove chocolates when she writes the acknowledgments for her books.
     She may be contacted through her website, www.annshorey.com or find her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AnnShorey.


Last week Ann posted on the blog tour. Make sure to stop in at http://annshorey.blogspot.com/2014/09/writers-world-blog-tour.html and see what she has to say about her place in the writing world and what her writing life looks like.

As part of the tour, each writer was given four questions - the same four questinos. Here's how I answered mine.

• What are you working on?      

     I'm in the midst of a book launch, my first non-fiction memoir. It's the most difficult project I've ever done. Memoir writing was a whole new beast for me. It took a great deal of time to master then I put in hundreds of hours of research and story writing.The woman who lived this tale grew up in the Alaskan wilderness in the 1940's and 50's. Her father taught her how to hunt, work as a hunting guide and run a trap line. He also taught her all about brutality. But she had a sweet mother and the Great White God who loved her.

     I'm also working on my first contemporary novel. - a story about lost hopes and dreams, friendships and a special journey that helps my beloved characters reclaim their dreams.

     This is a season of change and discovery for me.

• How does your work differ from others in its genre?

     We each have our own path to follow. 

     I choose tales that confront difficult issues. People are imperfect and I strive to present the truth about real people and God's workings in their lives. The destination is not to end a tale by tying it all up in a pretty bow, but to bring it to a satisfying conclusion that motivates, causes one to think, and maybe even cry a little.

• Why do you write what you do?    

My favorite books are about people who overcome the odds. Life isn't easy. When I write I want to entertain, but I also hope to encourage readers to not give up, to hang onto hope, to push forward and believe they are valuable ... because they are.

• How does your writing process work?  

I need a map, so to speak. When an idea for a story drops into my mind I usually know where it will end, but how to get to its destination requires tools. I begin with research, lots of it, then I create a story arc, a detailed outline, character outlines and timelines.

Even though I have a plan when I begin writing a story my characters have been known to wander off and lead me down unexpected paths. I love it when they reveal a deeper meaning of a story than I had intended in  the beginning. Some of my best ideas come from wayward characters. I love traipsing after them.

Thanks so much for spending time with me. Now it's my turn to hand off the blog tour baton to Janice Hanna Thompson. If you haven't met her yet, you're going to love her. She is multi-talented and a lot of fun. 

Janice is an award-winning author who also writes under the pseudonym Janice Hanna. 

She got her start in the industry writing screenplays and musical comedies for the stage. Janice has published over ninety books for the Christian market, crossing genre lines to write cozy mysteries, historicals, romances, nonfiction books, devotionals, children's books and more. She particularly enjoys writing light-hearted, comedic tales because she enjoys making readers laugh. In addition, she enjoys public speaking and mentoring young writers.

Janice formerly served as Vice-President of CAN (Christian Authors Network) and was named the 2008 Mentor of the year for ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers). She was thrilled to be named the 2010 Barbour/Heartsong Author of the Year, with three books on the top ten list for that house. Janice is active in her local writing group, where she regularly teaches on the craft of writing.

Her online course, "Becoming a Successful Frelance Writer" (www.freelancewritingcourses.com) has been helpful to many who want to earn a living with their writing.

Janice is passionate about her faith and does all she can to share the joy of the Lord with others, which is why she particularly enjoys writing. Her tagline, "Love, Laughter, and Happily Ever Afters!" sums up her take on life.

She lives in Spring, Texas, where she leads a rich life with her family, a host of writing friends, and two mischievous dachshunds. She does her best to keep the Lord at the center of it all. You can find out more about Janice at www.janiceathompson.com or www.freelancewritingcourses.com

Make sure to continue on to Janice's blog to find out more about this inspiring author.

 http://janiceathompson.com/blog/category/janicethompsonauthor

Life in 100 Words or Less - Running the Race

Little things can bring joy.

I had a cardiac stress test today. I was nervous. I'm in poor condition.  With a glance at my cane and learning about my bad knee, neuropathy in my feet, and bad back the tech suggested a chemical test. 

Nope. I was determined. 

I’m wired up. Ready. Start walking. Not bad. Speed and incline increase. Still okay. Incline angled up again, speed increased. I push on, sucking oxygen.

I didn’t give up! I worked it!

We got the readings needed. All looks good. I'm stoked! 

A little thing ... maybe. But there’s a smile on my face and in my heart.

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

Where Eagles Soar - A Glimpse

Where Eagles Soar is finally available for readers! For those of you who haven't gotten a copy yet, I'd like to give you a glimpse of what you'll find inside the cover. 

Chapter One
Page One

     My people were story tellers. My dad was a story teller. And I’m a story teller too. But more than that, I am a truth teller. I know about life and death, hope and desperation, riches and bankruptcy. A bankruptcy of the soul, and the beauty of God and his truth—how it shines when it is held up alongside the twisted, ugly lies of the Evil One.

      Sometimes the way we begin our life has little to do with where we end up or who we become along the way.

      And sometimes it has everything to do with it.

      There are people in this world who walk around all scarred up inside—angry and never able to find their way. But for some, scars make them stronger and show them a better way to live.

      I’m one of those. And I want to tell you my story.

      Most of my life I lived in a muddle of love and brutality, raging inside. Mama was good and kind and her life was one of sacrifice. Daddy didn’t know how to love. He only knew how to get what he wanted. And no one had better ever get in his way, not even family.     
     Living with ruthlessness can turn a person sour, like milk left out in the heat too long. That was me. But I learned I could be better, only it took a great God, a lot of years, and a miracle to show me the way. 

_________

Where Eagles Soar is a true story. I want you to meet Lily ... to know her, and so I wrote this tale as if she is sitting across the table from you and telling you about her life.

I hope you'll get a copy of this powerful tale. It could change ... everything.

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

Where to buy the book: 

http://amzn.to/1qKh2ME
http://bit.ly/1t3ZPkZ https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/465968 http://bonnieleon.com/html/books.html

Quiet Moments With God - Out of a Pit

Today was rough, and I was up during the night, troubled. I decided to spend time in God's Word, a place where he often meets with me. I took my Bible and went out on my deck and sat down. With darkness all around I read, while boisterous crickets serenaded me. I knew the Lord was all I needed, I longed to tuck myself in close to him, beneath his arms where I'd feel his presence, his peace and am reminded how much he loves and cares for me.

I started reading in Psalm 40. The first three verses say this, "I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the  mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord."

What a precious verses. My eyes felt the sting of tears. All I needed to do was reach out and take his hand.

     I needed him and ...
          he turned to me and heard my cry. (Wow, he heard me)
          He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and mire. (Free of the mire weighing me down)
          He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me.(My father walks alongside a toddler and helps.)
          He gave me a new song to sing. I will praise him.(Precious, merciful Lord. Praise you!)

     Many will see what he has done and they will trust in the Lord.

Do you live in a dark place? Have you lived in such a place? You don't have to possess enough strength to lift yourself out of that place of despair. Reach out to the Lord and he will take your hand, pull you up, and set you on solid ground, then watch over you there. You never have to be alone - never forsaken.

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie



   

Life in 100 words or less - No Worries

Do you worry? 

As a teenager I put off school work, then I stressed about it. If I’d done what the teacher asked I’d have had a lot fewer stomach aches and better grades. I still put things off, only now my Heavenly Father is the one asking.

This morning I read about Mary at a wedding in Cana. She was worried about the wine. When she tells Jesus, he’s unconcerned. Mary went to the servants and said, "Do whatever he tells you."

How much simpler life would be if we did what he told us.

No worries. 

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

The Journey - Where Eagles Soar

Sometimes life makes no sense and we can only trust in God's greater purposes. That is where we begin with Where Eagles Soar.

Discovering this incredible story, writing it, and finally publishing the tale has been a long and difficult journey. It's also been gratifying and enriching.

A local woman, I'll call Lily, contacted me and asked if I'd be interested in writing her life's story. I was in the middle of a series and couldn't take on another project and had to decline. Lily called me a couple of times the following year, but I was committed to other projects then, as well. 

And then we met.

I was doing a local book-signing and Lily stopped in. I liked her right away. I could tell she was the real deal. She told me a little about her life and I couldn't stop the tears. I knew in my heart that I was supposed to write her story.

We spent hundreds of hours on this project. Lily came to my home often and we talked about her life and looked at family photos. Some days were pure joy and others were heart-wrenching, especially for Lily. It's not easy reliving some of the events in our lives.  

And now there is a book that tells Lily's amazing story. Her tale is inspiring and gut-wrenching. Lily is an incredible woman. 

I hope you'll get a copy of the book and discover a world you never dreamed of  -  Intriguing. Beautiful. Terrifying.

ABOUT THE BOOK

     In 1947 Lily Sanders moved with her family to a homestead at the edge of an Athabaskan village in the Alaskan Territory. It was an ideal location for her father, a mountain man and hunting guide. It also provided a place where the world could not see his brutality.

     Seeking her father's love and approval, Lily traipses the mountain trails at his side, learning to bring down big game and to work as a hunting guide. She runs her own trap-lines, faces down wolves and mushes her dog team in local races.

     A heartless act by her father, leaves Lily brokenhearted and strips away any thread of hope that one day he might love her. She vows to never forgive him and turns to the powerful bond of love she shares with her sweet-spirited mother and her many sisters. Together they share the adventure, beauty and heartache of their wilderness life.

Even a mother's love is not great enough to overcome a deeply rooted bitterness like Lily's. Only the love of God can set her free.

Available on ebook and soon in print version.


Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

Quiet Moments With God - Amazing Love

People will always let us down.

We're just folks, weak and needy. We try to love well, but we fall short - we're imperfect, only human.

There is only One who loves perfectly, who loves always. Only One we can count on to never let us down.

My expectations of others and of myself are often unrealistic. Such expectations can leave me feeling trampled upon, disappointed, tearful and even angry. I've expected too much.

Last Sunday, I cried through most of our worship time, overwhelmed by the truth that God is the only one who will always love me - never disappoint me.

I knew that. I know that. But sometimes in the midst of my chaotic life I forget. And I set myself up for a big let down. Silly me.

I am comforted to know there is a Perfect Love.

"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken, nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you."

Isiah 54:10

God offers these words of comfort. We can be certain He will always be there for us, even when we don't deserve His love, even on our worst day. He won't let us down. He will love us, anyway.

Praise to a God of mercy.


Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

Life In 100 Words or Less - Middle/First Child

It’s not easy being a Middle/First - #3 of 5, fighting for a place in the family and trying not to be invisible while driven to be perfect.

I wasn’t an easy child, just ask my mom. I took glee in instigating conflicts, was determined to be me and no one else, but wished I was athletic like Bruce, smart as Craig, gifted like Myrn and gutsy as Leslie.

I didn’t know I was special.

I’m still something of an emotional muddle – a middle/first – complex, driven.  But now I see I’m unique and lovable and finely crafted by the Supreme Craftsman.

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

Where are you in your family's birth order?