God's Job

Yesterday was a blast! I sold about 27 books at work and had so much fun talking to people. While I drove to work, I had a chat with the Lord. I prayed over the sales of the book and the book project. I asked him to help make the selling and the marketing part of being an author a fun joyful experience, because it wasn't my most fun part. I really just liked the writing part and wished someone else would do the selling piece. I also asked Him for financial backing. I need product to sell. I'm willing to go to churches, but it's hard to set appointments with only a few books on the shelf, so I need someone to buy books for me/Him...deposit into the book fund. It was quite a nice little discussion we had.

As the day went on, I sold all the books I had on hand, I sold to folks I wouldn't have even bothered asking before and I sold some of my first book too! I got some ideas for sales, like church bazaars, and possibly setting up a booth at Unity? I will need more books for that, so I need God to come through with the finances. Please people...pray. This is God's deal not mine. I would not have gone this far on my own. He wants these books out there so He'll make a way. Do you have any ideas? I'd love to hear them. Do you want a book? I'd love to sell one! :-)

Stories For Your Enjoyment

I belong to a wonderful website called Faithwriters. There is a bunch of great Christian writers here, who have inspired and helped develop my skills. I am very glad to be a member. I decided to post a link to my writings that I have out on their website, in case anyone wants to read them.

http://www.faithwriters.com/member-profile.php?id=15471

My short story book came out today! I'm very excited about it. The cost per book is 10.00 plus shipping, so if you want a copy, let me know. Send me your address and I'll get a copy to you. Heck! I'll even sign it for you. LOL

Thanks for your support, you guys, really. :-)

Brotherly Love

While staying with my brother this weekend, I learned some pretty interesting things. We chatted, (not near enough) about long ago family stuff, about our kids, (both his two legged and my four legged kind) and life in the fast lane. He wined and dined us, took us for ice cream and was a very gracious host. What I re-discovered is that he's a pretty great guy!

I have missed a lot of years in relationship with him which I regret. It's sad when family members are so spread apart in miles that their relationship never really develop much past the "Hi, how are you" stage. Can I blame the miles? I want to. I don't really want to take responsibility for being a bad sister but knowing me, I will.

My plan forward is to continue praying for strong family relationships. I do see where God has answered many prayers already. I mean, I was comfortable to invite myself to his house, so I didn't have to wait for an invitation. It's good to know the door is always open. It is also open in my heart. I love my brother very, very much, and I'm so proud of him!

Answered Prayer

The premise of my first book started because God didn't answer my prayer in the way that I wanted it answered. I was specific and as detailed as I knew how to be. I spoke it and called it, told folks and well, I just trusted God that it would be as I said. It wasn't. I was devastated! My life shattered, I didn't know how to proceed in relationship with God, since now, I didn't trust Him. I had to dig deep and after several months of living a lonely life without Him, I asked for His help. What He showed me was incredible. My prayer really had been answered. It just didn't look like it. I had prayed for a closer relationship with Him and me not getting my own way brought about a closer relationship with Him. As rough as that sounds, it really did turn out okay.

Yesterday, I got news of a very dear friend, an online writer friend, was in the hospital. The doctors were running tests and it could have been very serious all the way to just an infection. Rallying the prayer warriors, on line, at work...wherever God had people praying healing for him, he came home yesterday with antibiotics for the infection. Now...that was answered prayer! Thank You, God!

Father Figures

How many times have you written a piece at school about "What does Father's Day mean to you?" Well...that is what I'm going to do here, I think. Because I have had so many "father figures" in my life and because today is Father's Day, I thought it would be good.

My first father figure of course was my Dad, Luke Edward Calloway. I loved his name because it was different from most but it was the same as his dad’s. His friends and family called him Sonny. I never knew why, but after I grew up, I figured it was because he was the baby of the family. He was the only boy and the youngest and most cherished. Having a charismatic personality, everyone liked him and wanted to be around him, even his nieces and nephews. Smoking Lucky Strike cigarettes and drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, I remember the combination scent mixed in with the Wild Country cologne on his leather jacket. His smile was big and charming. I was his only daughter and he was proud of me. Why, I don't know. I guess, just because I was his. I sat on his lap a lot and hung around him as much as possible.

When he was murdered around my tenth birthday, my life as I knew it was over. Because it was an unsolved mystery and still is to this day, I went into denial. Even though there was a funeral, I still didn't believe he was dead. I fantasized that someday he would return from the trip he was on. The longer he was gone, the more disappointed I became because he didn't tell me where he was. Eventually, I lost hope that he was coming back for me. Depression grabbed me and wouldn't let go.

By the time I was out of high school, I was a mixed up kid, on drugs, rebellious and hateful towards my stepfather, Hal, my second father figure. I remember when he came to live with us, right before my dad died, Mom married him. He tried to be nice to me, but then he stopped. I felt rejected and I guess at such a young age, decided that I wouldn't ever let anyone hurt me like that again, so I put up walls to defend myself. I began to act out. I started smoking at age eleven, and started drinking and doing drugs by the time I was twelve and thirteen. Whenever he tried to discipline me, I went off on an out of control tantrum. As I replay the scene in my head, I just needed a good old fashion spanking! But of course, that wasn't going to happen. I was too big and too far gone. Having such bitterness and hatred in my heart and no where to vent it, he got all I had. I put as much of a wedge between him and Mom as I could and eventually, their marriage fell apart. Not that it was my fault, but I didn't help it.

The next father figure was Mom's next and final husband, Papa Wally. He adored Mom from the start and wanted to be a part of us kids lives as soon as he met us. After hearing from Mom what all us kids, (my older brother and younger brother) had been through, he felt compassion on us and wanted so much to change our past for us. After receiving Jesus, he became a man of prayer and compassion. After losing my father, I had a hang up on calling another man "Dad" because my dad told me not to. I toyed with Hal, calling him dad and when he made me mad, taking it back or if I felt guilty for calling him dad, I'd stop, until I just didn't call him anything after a while. But I was a grown woman when Papa came into my life, so I wasn't going to call him Dad, although my little brother didn't have a problem with it from the start. Eventually, I thought it would be good for the grandkids to call him Papa Wally. He looked like a Papa Wally and it fit for me too. It was/is a term of endearment.

Mr. Wega, my best friend's dad, when I was in 5th and 6th grade, was a father figure to me. I really loved him. I didn't spend any real time with him, but like me, Licia was the only girl in her family and he loved her the same way my dad loved me. So, when he looked at me, it was a lot the same way my dad looked at me, very familiar and it felt good. He called me, "Buttercup." I melted every time.

Also, Mr. Smith, from church, right after I got saved, he hugged me like I believe my father would hug me. It wasn't a wimpy side hug you get from most men at church, which is understandable, but from Mr. Smith, it was a complete hug that fixed my Spirit too. I don't know how to explain it, but since my dad is gone, I never had a hug from a dad like this until I met Mr. Smith.

And then we come to my Heavenly Father. He has shown me how much I mean to Him and how valuable I am to Him. He has given me a lot of direction for my life. Being His daughter has been an honor and privilege. Calling my name and even changing it. Making promises to me without breaking them and actually following through on them makes me trust Him. Being a Father that I can trust at all times to listen when I need to talk, cry or vent my frustrations, is wonderful. Having a Father that is always available to deal with the stresses and take away the worries of life is precious. Letting him hold me and rock me to sleep when I’ve had all I can take for a day is awesome, knowing I’m not too big for his lap and that my issues are not too dumb or heavy for him to handle.

Father’s have their place in our lives but we can’t do without our Heavenly one.

Here is a link to a story I wrote: http://www.faithwriters.com/wc-article-level2.php?id=9170

Catch up...

Happy Father's Day to all of you dad's out there and to You, Heavenly Father.

I wanted to write something about Father's Day all week, but have been busy getting my Short Story book ready for print and it's on its way to the printer! I'm very excited about that I should have them in a couple of weeks, so look for them and please ask me for them. The title of the book is: Short Stories for Life's Journey and the cover I picked is of a bridge over a rocky area going over a lake. It looks good. The books I'm going to sell for 10 bucks and use that money to get Journey Back to the Lord, Second Edition back up and marketed. I'm very excited. I might use the same printer for the Second Edition, I'm not sure, and I’ll have to see how the pictures turn out when I print them. Anyway, please keep that in prayer. I have to have a new cover for that book too and have picked out a nice one of a cross. So...I've been very busy this week.

Also, Mom and Papa Wally are coming for their vacation from Texas at the end of July, so pray safety for their visit. They will be driving. I worry about them being on the road.

Gary and I are looking forward to our vacation over the 4th! Can't wait, but since Mom is coming, I have a lot of housework to do to keep me busy! :-)

Busy Weekend

This was a busy weekend for me, not a normal one. Usually, I spend most of my time writing, dodging as much housework as possible because, well...I have too much on my mind to write about, but this weekend, was "catch up." Plus, I had some "extra" work computer work that I was getting paid for so that kept me running up and down the stairs. I got quite a lot accomplished and feel good about it. I did not get much writing done, but that is what I will work on this week. Thankfully, I do have a task list that will keep me on track.

Father's Day is coming up and I think I will write something about that. I have some things stirring on the inside regarding all of the fathers in my life. So, we'll see how that plays out.

I'm also getting ready for a trip to Detroit...I say Detroit cuz it's easier, but that's not where I'm going...I'm actually going to the Pontiac area which is north of Detroit...West Bloomfield/Orchard Lake. I'm going to visit my big brother and his wife. It's been way too long since we've visited so my friend, Jeanne and I are going on a road trip. It will be fun. Then when we get back we're going to Frankenmuth for our birthday and 20th anniversary! That will be so much fun! We can't wait to go! Thank God for dog sitters! Yes, Lucy and Wrigley have to stay home, but they don't mind. They get spoiled rotten.

I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel of Christ

In the writing class that I'm taking, it is suggested that Christian writers write devotions everyday. What a concept. I never thought of that. One, it gets them in the Word of God every day, which I surely need! And two, it is short and gets the writing out. So, I think I will put my hand to the plow and give it a shot. The first one, I sent in for my assignment, so I can't post it here. If they choose it, you will be able to read it in the magazine called Reflections. If they don't, then I'll post it here. Until then, I'll start with this one:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the rightewousness of God is revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."

Wow! What a statement. I like to paraphrase sometimes to make things a bit more clear. I am NOT ashamed for it is the power to save everyone who believes. The righteousness of God is revealed and we are moved from faith to faith, never living in doubt. Yikes! That's pretty cool.

All it takes is believing. I believe and I want others to as well, but they don't. I am not ashamed of the gospel but I don't share it like I want to, or preach it like I wish I would. There are so many around me that need to hear the Word of God and need a touch of God but I don't open my mouth. Am I intimidated? I don't think so, but maybe I am. Am I like Peter, afraid of the mockery or worse? I'm not sure. I do know I want to see salvation come to others, so I pray, but then do I pray enough? It seems like there are always thoughts of doubt and condemnation coming in causing me to stumble that makes me lose my focus. I know where the thoughts come from and they are not from God and it is not living in faith.

So, where's my faith? Sometimes, I wonder, but most of the time, it's on God's Word and His promises. If He said it, I believe it. The best part of hearing God's Word once you become a believer is the comfort His Word, the Bible brings to your heart. It makes your faith so strong that nothing can come against it! That is the best place in the whole world to be. Standing on His promises, knowing His truth, believing...no lie from the enemy can penetrate that, no way!

My question to you is this. Are you ashamed of the gospel of Christ? Do you even know Him? Would you like to? He wants to meet you. In fact, He loves you already. Remember, living from faith to faith means not letting doubt inside your head.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for our Savior Jesus, who died on the cross for our sins and gave us the Gospel to be proud of and share with others. Lead those who read this and want you to salvation. Open their hearts to desire Your truth. Show us all how to line up things of the world against Your Word so we know what to believe. Teach us, Oh God, how to pray and believe in faith. In Jesus name we pray...Amen

God Lives in My Life

Today at church, Pastor Gary, had us repeat the phrase, "God lives in my life" a couple of times. Then he expanded on it and asked what types of questions did that conjure up in our minds. A couple that he tossed out for us to think about were: Are you excited about God living in your life? Since God lives in your life and He knows what you did yesterday and today is he pleased with the way you are living? God's power lives in us...are we tapping it? Or are we just having wishful thinking regarding it. I suppose for me the thought of having God's power living in me is quite overwhelming, let alone, God living in me! If I would think about this more often, I probably would think about what and how I said things...my tone and my words.

I would have more confidence in my prayers; I would speak in faith, really believing prayers would be answered, instead of hoping they will. I would live generously sharing what I have with others, knowing that when I run out of stuff, God would provide it again.

So, let me see, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, lives in me and I'm not using it? What's wrong with this picture?

Dear Heavenly Father,

Please forgive my ignorance, doubt and unbelief. Help me to live my life for You with You the leading force, not me. Help me tap into Your power. Please show me the way.

In Jesus name I pray...amen