I've just returned from the wonderful American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) conference in Indianapolis. For full disclosure, I work for ACFW, but there's a reason I work for them, and ran for and served on the operating board. I love this organization! Their goal is to train writers in their craft, teach them about the industry and more. But the things I love about conference go beyond the great workshops and opportunities to speak with editors and agents. I love the fellowship and our worship times.
The fellowship with other writers provides the encouragement and support we all need in what is usually a very lonely job. But these fellow writers are cheerleaders. We all want to see each other succeed! I love that spirit.
And our conference also has worship times, where we pause and praise with our great worship band (Rachel Hauck and company are awesome!). So, in the midst of learning, pitching, and enjoying fellowship, we keep our focus on God and send our thankfulness and praise to Him, who makes all things possible.
We even have a prayer room on site. Sometimes dreams are dashed at conference, and some dreams come true. ACFW provides a place to be with God and have him minister to your heart.
Our keynote speaker this year was Robin Jones Gunn. What a wonderful woman of faith and light, and a good writer to boot! She was a marvelous storyteller and gave keynote addresses that spoke straight to the heart.
I could go on and on about the ACFW conference, but there's more on my heart today. Often in our Christian walk (and Robin brought this up during her keynote address as well), we talk about "God showed up."
I use that expression myself, even texting a friend from the conference, that "God had already showed up."
But we need to remember that God's already there. He didn't "just show up." It's up to us to show up...every day...with God, with our prayers, with our quiet time, and in our work. Whether we write, have an office job, are parents, or whatever we're doing. We need to show up with a full heart, trusting that God has placed us there and knowing that God had already showed up long before we began our day.
Things had changed with my own writing direction, and I didn't want to go to ACFW this year. A change away from novel writing meant that most of the classes wouldn't be beneficial and pitching to an editor or agent wasn't in the cards. But as I love the conference, and had my plane ticket, and oh yeah, I work for them (happily), well, I showed up at conference. I showed up feeling a bit lost about my own direction in my career and what God had in store for me.
And guess what? Because I showed up, wow, did God ever bless that!! He didn't show up -- he was already there. He knew what I needed, knew what I was praying about, and knew that I was struggling when I arrived. I obeyed him and showed up where he wanted me to be and filled my heart to overflowing.
He placed people in my path that blessed me, and hopefully used me to bless and encourage others. And it was an amazing and wonderful weekend.
But guess what? I had to show up. I did, and God was there. I'm home now (a little bleary eyed and on brain overload), and God is here.
I need to show up with my prayers and faithfulness to him, and through any upcoming frustrations, bad days, and awesome times and good days -- God is there.
We need to do our best and trust Him with our direction in life. It's up to us to show up...every day.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
A Leap of Faith
A couple of weeks ago, I posted about the "Pioneer Spirit." And the week before that, we talked about "Living an Adventurous Life."
Do you sense a theme here? I'm now struggling with making my own leap of faith, while seeing others around me taking their own and stepping out in faith.
In my life group from church, we have transitions taking place. One couple has just joined us. They were happy and content in their home state, with their family nearby as they raised their own family. Yet he was unhappy with his job --- very unhappy. A friend told him about a job in Texas. They had never been to Texas, never even visited. Yet here was this opportunity for them, and through fervent prayer, and discussions with their family, they took that leap of faith and moved to a state they had never been to and settled here. Thankfully, they found our church and life group and we're happy to welcome them and look forward to getting to know them. God has a purpose.
Sadly, another member is leaving us and moving back to her home state, to care for her ailing and aging mother. She's leaving her job and friends here to go back to her hometown. While her hometown is familiar to her (unlike the couple who had never been to Dallas before), she is still taking her own leap of faith to balance her life with that of honoring her parents, leaving her job and not knowing if this is a temporary move or permanent. Only God knows the plans he has for her.
Finally, another young couple I'm very close to is also leaving Dallas. They are young, still in their 20s and newlyweds. She has a great job opportunity in another major city in Texas, and he is supporting her and so they are moving. It is a leap of faith for them to venture to this city that they've never lived in and know few people. In my heart, I know this is a great move for them and a wonderful opportunity, so off they go on their new adventure.
But not all leaps of faith require uprooting your entire life and moving to a new city. Sometimes a leap of faith can be a new direction in your life, whether it be career oriented or a new church or just letting your kids grow-up and releasing them to the adult world. It can be a change in your attitude, in how you conduct yourself day-to-day.
For me, I'm struggling with a change of direction in my own writing career. It's a strange emotion as I let go of one dream and start to embrace another -- still fearing, still wondering if this is the right decision.
So, it makes me ask: what makes you take a leap of faith? I'd love to hear your stories and ideas. How do you get past fear and even your own emotions? How do you get out of your own way to take that leap?
Do you sense a theme here? I'm now struggling with making my own leap of faith, while seeing others around me taking their own and stepping out in faith.
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| Photo courtesy of: http://transparentwithmyself.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/cliff_jump.jpg |
In my life group from church, we have transitions taking place. One couple has just joined us. They were happy and content in their home state, with their family nearby as they raised their own family. Yet he was unhappy with his job --- very unhappy. A friend told him about a job in Texas. They had never been to Texas, never even visited. Yet here was this opportunity for them, and through fervent prayer, and discussions with their family, they took that leap of faith and moved to a state they had never been to and settled here. Thankfully, they found our church and life group and we're happy to welcome them and look forward to getting to know them. God has a purpose.
Sadly, another member is leaving us and moving back to her home state, to care for her ailing and aging mother. She's leaving her job and friends here to go back to her hometown. While her hometown is familiar to her (unlike the couple who had never been to Dallas before), she is still taking her own leap of faith to balance her life with that of honoring her parents, leaving her job and not knowing if this is a temporary move or permanent. Only God knows the plans he has for her.
Finally, another young couple I'm very close to is also leaving Dallas. They are young, still in their 20s and newlyweds. She has a great job opportunity in another major city in Texas, and he is supporting her and so they are moving. It is a leap of faith for them to venture to this city that they've never lived in and know few people. In my heart, I know this is a great move for them and a wonderful opportunity, so off they go on their new adventure.
But not all leaps of faith require uprooting your entire life and moving to a new city. Sometimes a leap of faith can be a new direction in your life, whether it be career oriented or a new church or just letting your kids grow-up and releasing them to the adult world. It can be a change in your attitude, in how you conduct yourself day-to-day.
For me, I'm struggling with a change of direction in my own writing career. It's a strange emotion as I let go of one dream and start to embrace another -- still fearing, still wondering if this is the right decision.
So, it makes me ask: what makes you take a leap of faith? I'd love to hear your stories and ideas. How do you get past fear and even your own emotions? How do you get out of your own way to take that leap?
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
A Teachable Spirit
My husband and I were talking over the weekend. We both hit milestone birthdays this year, and that seems to have provoked conversation about our journey in this life. The events of our crumbling world have also provoked discussions.
No, I don't have any answers for our nation and world, or for any "mid-life crisis" I may be going through.
What I do know is that no matter what we're doing in our life, with our job, with our hobbies, and even with friends, church and beyond is that we need to have a teachable spirit.
The older we get, we always need to be willing to learn new things, try new things, and stay open to whatever God has in store for us.
I saw this lesson during an ACFW writing conference a few years ago. I was sitting in a class, and across the aisle from me was a well-known, multi-published author, who was scribbling notes from the instructor as fast as I was! That image stuck with me, because although this person was multi-published, she never lost her spirit of learning more about her craft.
Whatever your job is, you need to have an open, teachable spirit. It's too often that sharing ideas or a new way of doing something will bring out a defensive posture in someone else.
Not all new ways of doing something are the best way, but being open and willing to listen can sometimes lead to an updated idea, or determine that what you're doing now is indeed the best way, or lead you down a completely new path.
As Christians, we always need to be studying scripture and learning and growing more in our Christian walk.
Having a teachable spirit can open you up to so many new things and take you in a new direction to something exciting and wonderful.
Especially as I grow older, I want to keep experiencing new things or at least be open to new ideas. I never, ever want to stop learning. It's a way to keep living this adventurous life.
How about you? Did opening yourself up to something new lead you in a completely different direction than anticipated? I'd love to hear your stories.
No, I don't have any answers for our nation and world, or for any "mid-life crisis" I may be going through.
What I do know is that no matter what we're doing in our life, with our job, with our hobbies, and even with friends, church and beyond is that we need to have a teachable spirit.
The older we get, we always need to be willing to learn new things, try new things, and stay open to whatever God has in store for us.
I saw this lesson during an ACFW writing conference a few years ago. I was sitting in a class, and across the aisle from me was a well-known, multi-published author, who was scribbling notes from the instructor as fast as I was! That image stuck with me, because although this person was multi-published, she never lost her spirit of learning more about her craft.
Whatever your job is, you need to have an open, teachable spirit. It's too often that sharing ideas or a new way of doing something will bring out a defensive posture in someone else.
Not all new ways of doing something are the best way, but being open and willing to listen can sometimes lead to an updated idea, or determine that what you're doing now is indeed the best way, or lead you down a completely new path.
As Christians, we always need to be studying scripture and learning and growing more in our Christian walk.
Having a teachable spirit can open you up to so many new things and take you in a new direction to something exciting and wonderful.
Especially as I grow older, I want to keep experiencing new things or at least be open to new ideas. I never, ever want to stop learning. It's a way to keep living this adventurous life.
How about you? Did opening yourself up to something new lead you in a completely different direction than anticipated? I'd love to hear your stories.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
The Pioneer Spirit: Alive and Well
This last week I had the privilege to accompany my friend and newly published author, Mindy Obenhaus, to beautiful Ouray, Colorado for a marketing and promotion trip for her debut novel, "The Doctor's Family Reunion." The book takes place in Ouray, so what better opportunity to make sure the local bookstore and library had copies on hand.
Ouray is a beautiful, historic town in southwestern Colorado. As I learned more about the history of the town, I was amazed by the courage it took for the earliest inhabitants to settle there. It is a town surrounded by mountains (rich for mining), and the terrain is rough. Even today's roads are narrow and filled with switchbacks that make traveling in any adverse weather a challenge.
But the beauty and majestic scenery of this town make it all worth it. And I soon discovered that the pioneer spirit is still alive and well today. In talking with merchants and business owners, I quickly learned that once most people arrived in Ouray, they never wanted to leave. (Believe me, I understand that sentiment). And so, they took a leap of faith.
Take the new owners of the wonderfully restored, historic Beaumont Hotel, Chad and Jennifer Leaver. They lived in Colorado Springs and came to Ouray to celebrate Chad's birthday and enjoy a weekend away. That birthday weekend turned into a life-changing event as they discovered that the Beaumont was up for sale. Something hit the heart of both Chad and Jennifer and they took a great leap of faith, gave up their jobs in Colorado Springs, and purchased this wonderful property. They changed their entire life to live in Ouray and own this hotel/restaurant/spa. (If you're there, you MUST try the fried Brie at the Beaumont Grill. SO GOOD! And take the daily tour of the hotel with Brian. It's great. Tell him I said hello.)
What kind of courage does it take to uproot your entire life like that? It must be the same spirit that our ancestors had when settling the western states.
Brandy Ross of Switzerland of America Scenic Tours and Jeep Rentals had that same spirit, when she left Arizona to settle in Ouray. I think there's a reason Brandy and I clicked so well this week. The tagline on her website asks "What's Your Adventure?" And following my own advice from last week's blog to "live an adventurous life"... well... it seems like we want adventures and leaps of faith in our lives. (And yes, I highly recommend doing a Jeep tour with Brandy's company. What a wonderful experience I will do again and again every time I'm in Ouray!)
Others I talked to in Ouray said similar things...that the first time they laid eyes on this town they never wanted to leave and they did whatever it took to make it work. There's the gal who works as a cashier at the grocery store by day and a restaurant hostess by night. She does what it takes to live in such a beautiful place. Many others work two jobs or take seasonal jobs to enjoy a life like nothing else in Colorado.
We all love to dream about taking a leap of faith like Chad and Jennifer, and Brandy have done. I think that pioneer spirit still resides in all of us, even in a small way.
For most of my fellow writers, it's the perseverance to keep working on their manuscripts and do what it takes to make them shine and get them published.
For others, it could be home-schooling their children and providing the opportunities for more educational field trips, and living that adventure together as they grow into adults.
And for someone else, it's a missionary trip through their church.
So, what's your adventure? What leap of faith do you want to take, whether it's something as big as uprooting your entire life, or as little as being a pioneer in your current job?
After visiting with the wonderful residents of Ouray, Colorado, I can only applaud them and admire their pioneer spirit.
It inspires me to take my own leap of faith, however big or small that might be.
Ouray is a beautiful, historic town in southwestern Colorado. As I learned more about the history of the town, I was amazed by the courage it took for the earliest inhabitants to settle there. It is a town surrounded by mountains (rich for mining), and the terrain is rough. Even today's roads are narrow and filled with switchbacks that make traveling in any adverse weather a challenge.
But the beauty and majestic scenery of this town make it all worth it. And I soon discovered that the pioneer spirit is still alive and well today. In talking with merchants and business owners, I quickly learned that once most people arrived in Ouray, they never wanted to leave. (Believe me, I understand that sentiment). And so, they took a leap of faith.
Take the new owners of the wonderfully restored, historic Beaumont Hotel, Chad and Jennifer Leaver. They lived in Colorado Springs and came to Ouray to celebrate Chad's birthday and enjoy a weekend away. That birthday weekend turned into a life-changing event as they discovered that the Beaumont was up for sale. Something hit the heart of both Chad and Jennifer and they took a great leap of faith, gave up their jobs in Colorado Springs, and purchased this wonderful property. They changed their entire life to live in Ouray and own this hotel/restaurant/spa. (If you're there, you MUST try the fried Brie at the Beaumont Grill. SO GOOD! And take the daily tour of the hotel with Brian. It's great. Tell him I said hello.)
What kind of courage does it take to uproot your entire life like that? It must be the same spirit that our ancestors had when settling the western states.
Brandy Ross of Switzerland of America Scenic Tours and Jeep Rentals had that same spirit, when she left Arizona to settle in Ouray. I think there's a reason Brandy and I clicked so well this week. The tagline on her website asks "What's Your Adventure?" And following my own advice from last week's blog to "live an adventurous life"... well... it seems like we want adventures and leaps of faith in our lives. (And yes, I highly recommend doing a Jeep tour with Brandy's company. What a wonderful experience I will do again and again every time I'm in Ouray!)
Others I talked to in Ouray said similar things...that the first time they laid eyes on this town they never wanted to leave and they did whatever it took to make it work. There's the gal who works as a cashier at the grocery store by day and a restaurant hostess by night. She does what it takes to live in such a beautiful place. Many others work two jobs or take seasonal jobs to enjoy a life like nothing else in Colorado.
We all love to dream about taking a leap of faith like Chad and Jennifer, and Brandy have done. I think that pioneer spirit still resides in all of us, even in a small way.
For most of my fellow writers, it's the perseverance to keep working on their manuscripts and do what it takes to make them shine and get them published.
For others, it could be home-schooling their children and providing the opportunities for more educational field trips, and living that adventure together as they grow into adults.
And for someone else, it's a missionary trip through their church.
So, what's your adventure? What leap of faith do you want to take, whether it's something as big as uprooting your entire life, or as little as being a pioneer in your current job?
After visiting with the wonderful residents of Ouray, Colorado, I can only applaud them and admire their pioneer spirit.
It inspires me to take my own leap of faith, however big or small that might be.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Live an Adventurous Life
This past Sunday, our pastor concluded his sermon series entitled "Empowered." We've been reading from the book of Acts about the early church.
In Sunday's message, he talked about living an adventurous life... a brave life.... a life for Christ.
He noted that in today's world, when we travel, we'll pray for safety. But do we ever pray to have an adventure? Do we pray to have God use us in a courageous way to touch others, no matter what we're doing?
I love this idea of living an adventurous life, not just a safe life.
I've seen a saying on the internet recently that says:
"Life isn't meant to be easy, it's meant to be LIVED.
Sometimes happy, other times rough...
But with every up and down, you learn lessons
that make you STRONG."
As long as I'm strong in the Lord and doing what he wants me to do... then how can we go wrong?
My husband and I have always had a philosophy about our marriage: it may not always be easy, but it's worth it.
So, next time you're praying, don't pray to be safe -- pray for an adventure! It will be worth it.
In Sunday's message, he talked about living an adventurous life... a brave life.... a life for Christ.
He noted that in today's world, when we travel, we'll pray for safety. But do we ever pray to have an adventure? Do we pray to have God use us in a courageous way to touch others, no matter what we're doing?
I love this idea of living an adventurous life, not just a safe life.
I've seen a saying on the internet recently that says:
"Life isn't meant to be easy, it's meant to be LIVED.
Sometimes happy, other times rough...
But with every up and down, you learn lessons
that make you STRONG."
As long as I'm strong in the Lord and doing what he wants me to do... then how can we go wrong?
My husband and I have always had a philosophy about our marriage: it may not always be easy, but it's worth it.
So, next time you're praying, don't pray to be safe -- pray for an adventure! It will be worth it.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Let's Go to the Movies...Or Not
This week's post is purely my own opinion about the state of Hollywood movies these days, so some of you may disagree with my thoughts. That's fine. I welcome varying opinions and ideas.
My husband and I enjoy watching movies and go to see them frequently. Anything we miss on the big screen, we will usually see on pay-per-view. If you've been to our house, you'll see a half-way decent DVD collection as well.
Unfortunately, this past weekend we went to see a movie... and ended up walking out of it. It reached a point where the violence and carnage were just too much. We didn't need to see all of that graphic detail. What was the point? Just for shock value?
Plus, we didn't care about the characters. There wasn't anything truly redeeming or heroic about the main character that made me care if he reached his goal.
It seems like we are at the point in movies where the filmmakers don't trust their audience to use their imagination or be able to discern what's really going on with the story, unless it's shoved down our throat. Every violent, awful detail is now shown, up close and in your face.
And there are some movies where you cannot distinguish between the good guys and the bad guys. Everyone is out for themselves or for revenge, and there's nothing redeeming about any of the characters.
This sparked a discussion between my husband and myself about "growing older" and our "changing tastes" in movies. Well, in this area, I'm glad to grow older. I'm sorry we wasted our money on the movie this weekend, only to walk out of it.
Now my husband understands why I tend to watch certain movies over and over again. Most of the new stuff stinks.
Of course, I blame my film crit professor from the University of Texas (Hook 'Em Horns) for my analysis of movies and watching them again and again.
It was because of his class that I became a fan of Alfred Hitchcock movies (pre-"Psycho"). Hitchcock was a master of suspense by allowing the audience to use their imagination. Sometimes your own imagination is scarier than what you are bombarded with in some of today's films.
Take "Rear Window." When Raymond Burr's character is climbing up the stairs to Jimmy Stewart's apartment. The audience hears the outside door slam, the sound of the footsteps as he climbs, the pause outside the door, Jimmy Stewart's face and his feeling of being trapped with no where to go are all evident, just from the sound of heavy, slow footsteps, and a bead of sweat coming down Stewart's temple. The audience is scared right along with Jimmy! Yes, there's a "fight" scene, but it's tame compared to today's fight scenes.
It's still a wonderfully, suspenseful scene with zero blood and gore.
I hope there's more of a demand for cleaner movies -- still fun, still suspenseful, still romantic -- without gratuitous violence, nudity or crudeness. Truly, it can be done. The group who made "Facing the Giants," and "Courageous" among others is trying to do this. They don't have the top-notch actors (I don't mean to offend there), and Hollywood money backing them up yet, but at least the stories they're telling are appealing and life affirming.
At some point, we have to quit paying to see the overly violent, made with the jerky camera (why this is suddenly so popular, I'll never know) film, and let's get back to stories about characters we care about.
Will Hollywood listen? Well, I'm not the audience demographic that they make movies for. I can only hope my children and the younger generation are really thinking about what they're filling their minds with and where they're spending their money. I guess that would be my prayer.... that we all pay closer attention to what we fill our minds with.
Oh, Jimmy Stewart, we sure could use you now!
My husband and I enjoy watching movies and go to see them frequently. Anything we miss on the big screen, we will usually see on pay-per-view. If you've been to our house, you'll see a half-way decent DVD collection as well.
Unfortunately, this past weekend we went to see a movie... and ended up walking out of it. It reached a point where the violence and carnage were just too much. We didn't need to see all of that graphic detail. What was the point? Just for shock value?
Plus, we didn't care about the characters. There wasn't anything truly redeeming or heroic about the main character that made me care if he reached his goal.
It seems like we are at the point in movies where the filmmakers don't trust their audience to use their imagination or be able to discern what's really going on with the story, unless it's shoved down our throat. Every violent, awful detail is now shown, up close and in your face.
And there are some movies where you cannot distinguish between the good guys and the bad guys. Everyone is out for themselves or for revenge, and there's nothing redeeming about any of the characters.
This sparked a discussion between my husband and myself about "growing older" and our "changing tastes" in movies. Well, in this area, I'm glad to grow older. I'm sorry we wasted our money on the movie this weekend, only to walk out of it.
Now my husband understands why I tend to watch certain movies over and over again. Most of the new stuff stinks.
Of course, I blame my film crit professor from the University of Texas (Hook 'Em Horns) for my analysis of movies and watching them again and again.
It was because of his class that I became a fan of Alfred Hitchcock movies (pre-"Psycho"). Hitchcock was a master of suspense by allowing the audience to use their imagination. Sometimes your own imagination is scarier than what you are bombarded with in some of today's films.
Take "Rear Window." When Raymond Burr's character is climbing up the stairs to Jimmy Stewart's apartment. The audience hears the outside door slam, the sound of the footsteps as he climbs, the pause outside the door, Jimmy Stewart's face and his feeling of being trapped with no where to go are all evident, just from the sound of heavy, slow footsteps, and a bead of sweat coming down Stewart's temple. The audience is scared right along with Jimmy! Yes, there's a "fight" scene, but it's tame compared to today's fight scenes.
It's still a wonderfully, suspenseful scene with zero blood and gore.
I hope there's more of a demand for cleaner movies -- still fun, still suspenseful, still romantic -- without gratuitous violence, nudity or crudeness. Truly, it can be done. The group who made "Facing the Giants," and "Courageous" among others is trying to do this. They don't have the top-notch actors (I don't mean to offend there), and Hollywood money backing them up yet, but at least the stories they're telling are appealing and life affirming.
At some point, we have to quit paying to see the overly violent, made with the jerky camera (why this is suddenly so popular, I'll never know) film, and let's get back to stories about characters we care about.
Will Hollywood listen? Well, I'm not the audience demographic that they make movies for. I can only hope my children and the younger generation are really thinking about what they're filling their minds with and where they're spending their money. I guess that would be my prayer.... that we all pay closer attention to what we fill our minds with.
Oh, Jimmy Stewart, we sure could use you now!
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
The Last Normal Day
What if today was the last "normal" day of your life? What if everything changed tomorrow?
It happened earlier this year with the devastating tornadoes in Moore and Shawnee, Oklahoma.
It could happen to me when it's time for my annual cancer screening (MRI, Mammogram, Sonogram day). What if I don't get the "all clear" words that I'm praying for? What if there's a recurrence?
Any recurrence would be scarier than the one before. Because cancer comes back. It really needs to just leave me alone!
Back to today -- how am I going to spend today?
It really is true that time, friends, family are all so precious. Even after having cancer twice, I still take so much for granted, although I try to hang on the special moments.
It's too easy to get back into the groove and grind of daily life.
But we all need to take a moment and ask, "what if this is the last normal day? What if everything changes tomorrow?"
What will you do with today?
Friday, August 2, 2013
A Different Perspective: A Follow-up
In a new perspective that relates to my recent post on "What Drives You?" (http://www.talkingamongfriends.blogspot.com/2013/07/what-drives-you.html#links
my friend, Ashley Clark offered these thoughts on her blog:
http://ashleyclarkwrites.blogspot.com/2013/07/what-keeps-you-going.html
Take a moment to check out her post.
I'd love to hear your comments and thoughts on either post.
-Becky
my friend, Ashley Clark offered these thoughts on her blog:
http://ashleyclarkwrites.blogspot.com/2013/07/what-keeps-you-going.html
Take a moment to check out her post.
I'd love to hear your comments and thoughts on either post.
-Becky
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