CHOSEN

    Recently, I was offered a contract to write for a company I haven’t worked for before. I had been waiting to hear from them for a little while, was thrilled to know they wanted me, and immediately and happily accepted. After that, I was petrified.
    What had I just agreed to do?
    What if I couldn’t do it?
    What if they didn’t like me???
    Never mind that I have fourteen traditionally published books and three more coming out this year. Never mind that I’ve been writing professionally for more than twenty years. Never mind that this is something I very much want to do.
    Never mind.
    Never mind.
    Never mind.
    All I could hear was that accusing little voice in my ear telling me that I’m a fraud, and this time, this time, mind you, they were all going to realize it.
    By the time I went to bed that night, I had absolutely no joy in this wished-for news.
    How am I going to do this?
    What if something happens?
    Why would they want me?
    Before I went to sleep, I did my scheduled Bible reading. It’s something I do every night, and what I read was something I was quite familiar with, something I had read many, many times before:

Exodus 31:1-6

Then the Lord said to Moses,“See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you:

    When I read it this time, the words fairly shouted at me. God had chosen these men and fitted them to do what He had given them to do. God had chosen me and fitted me to do what He has given me to do.
    He, the Lord of Glory, the Immortal, Invisible God, the Alpha and Omega, had made me a writer, had called me to learn my craft and given me the ability to do what He made me for. No, what I do isn’t as grand and glorious as preparing His house of worship, but I wasn’t called to that. I wasn’t called to pastor a mega-church or have multi-million-selling gospel albums. I was called to do the work He sets before me to the best of my ability and in a way that brings Him glory.
    Just as we all are.
    I think my very favorite Bible verse in times like this is Isaiah 41:13: For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, “Do not fear. I will help you.”
    I went to sleep that night with a smile on my face, knowing He’s got this. And whatever you are called to do for Him, He’s got that, too.


Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.

Poison Control

Do you recognize this plant?

Yes, it's the time of year when this obnoxious weed invades my yard. Leaves be three, leave it be, they say. Yeah, well good luck with that, unless you intend to spend the next four months indoors. In my little corner of paradise, poison ivy grows everywhere.

It's pretty easy to spot twining up the trunk of a Japanese cherry tree.

It's not as easy to see in the grass.

And here it cleverly hides among cute, inoffensive English ivy.

Every year I get out the sprays to rid my piece of ground of this itch-inducing plant. I'd rather not resort to chemicals, but there are few alternatives to ridding oneself of a plant that can't be touched. Did you know that a person can get a poison ivy rash without even touching the plant? All you need is to come into contact with something (gloves, shoes, clothing, pets) that brushed against the leaves. (This actually happened to one of my aunts, who got a reaction from washing her husband's blue jeans. Sounds like as good an excuse to avoid the laundry room as any.)

But here's the worst part. No matter how much I fight the creepy creeper, it always comes back the next year. Just when I think I've won, it invades from another direction.

As I had the spray out for the third time this year, I realized it's a lot like the sin in my life. I fight it constantly, but every time I think I have it under control, I find it growing in another spot. Like poison ivy, this is a battle I will fight for my entire life. Fortunately, I don't fight alone as there is one who gives me the ultimate victory.

Blessed is the one
    whose transgressions are forgiven,
    whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord does not count against them
    and in whose spirit is no deceit.

When I kept silent,
    my bones wasted away
    through my groaning all day long.

For day and night
    your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
    as in the heat of summer.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you
    and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
    my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave
    the guilt of my sin.

    -- Psalm 32:1-5 (NIV)

How to Overcome Self-Doubt

Self-Doubt: (noun) lack of confidence in oneself and one's abilities.

I don't know a writer who hasn't struggled at times with self-doubt. Lately, I've been wondering if we’re too quick to blame ourselves for our stinkin’ thinkin’.

Spirits (both angelic and demonic) have personalities and specific functions. I think what we call "self-doubt" is a demonic spirit speaking lies in our minds and hearts, yet Self-Doubt does it sooooo well that we think the thoughts are our own.

In his book Waking the Dead, John Eldredge writes tells a story that came from the life of Catherine of Sienna. See, Catherine was in the midst of prayer when her mind/ears/heart were assaulted by blasphemous words. She cried out to God for help. At this point many (okay, all) of us could say, "Been there, done that."

God revealed to Catherine that those words didn't come from her heart because her heart was good (Ezekiel 36:26-27). Likewise, if you have been redeemed in Christ, your heart is good. God equips us for the things He has for us to do.

Well, Catherine knew that God was greater than the demonic spirit attacking her so she called out to God to take it away. But God said no. Huh? Yep, God said, "No, do it yourself." That's when God opened Catherine's eyes to the spiritual authority she had because of the blood of Christ covering her, because Jesus said all authority He had He has given to us.

Did Catherine command it to leave and it left?

No. It took months of taking authority and commanding it to permanently leave. Eventually she was free of the harassment.

Consider this: Maybe you, me, we are plagued with self-doubt because we've never taken authority over the demonic spirit named "Self-Doubt" and commanded it to leave.

Can't we do all things through Christ who strengthens us?

ABOUT GINA

Gina Welborn worked for a news radio station until she fell in love with writing romances. She's the author of eight inspirational romances, including the 2014 Selah finalist "Mercy Mild" in ECPA-bestselling Mistletoe Memories. She serves on the ACFW Foundation Board by helping raise funds for scholarships. She is also the webmaster for the Southwest Oklahoma Corvette Club. Gina lives with her pastor husband, their five Okie-Hokie children, two rabbits, three guinea pigs, and a dog that doesn't realize rabbits and pigs are edible.

Austen in Austin: Volume 1  

featuring If I Loved You Less

The first novella in the Austen in Austin collection, based on Jane Austen’s Emma Hotel heiress Emmeline Travis knows true love. After all, thanks to her, her former governess is now happily married to the livery owner who works next to her father’s hotel. Austin banker Noah Whitley knows Emmeline. He has no qualms with insisting that his best friend’s matchmaking skills are more coincidence than reality. While Emmeline is determined to prove him wrong by matching her lovelorn protg with someone besides the local beet farmer, Noah realizes telling her to do something is one thing. Stopping her is another. When Emmeline’s schemes implode and her own heart is broken, Noah knows confiding the depth of his feelings to her would be far easier . . . if he loved her less.


Available at Amazon in print and digital format.

We're All In This Together

The past year has been a tough one. There's no way I would have gotten through it if not for the support of my friends and family. So it seems like a good time to pull this post out of the Inky Archives. Originally published in August 2011, it means more to me now than ever.

by Jennifer AlLee

Human contact. It’s one of those essentials of life that we often overlook. Oh sure, we have contact with our immediate families, but that’s not always enough for every situation.

Take the writer, for example.

Writer’s think differently than normal people. We see what ifs everywhere. We hear the voices of our characters talking to us… and we talk back. We also deal with more assaults to our self-esteem and emotions than you’d think. Often, they come from outside sources, but just as often, they come from ourselves. Talking to a spouse might help, depending on the severity of the situation. Nine times out of ten, the non-writing spouse won’t understand why it’s a big deal.

So what’s a writer to do when she feels particularly vulnerable, her armor more dented than the surface of the moon? Reach out to the only people who truly understand her: writing friends.

You can take the word “writer” and substitute any other you choose: Secretary, CEO, pastor, teacher, stay-at-home mom, dental hygienist, and on and on and on. Sometimes, the only way to get out of the doldrums is to have your friends pull you out. And the best friends for the job are the ones who know what you’re going through.

Of course, God knows this.

And let us consider one another in order 
to stir up love and good works, 

not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, 

as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, 

and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. 

(Hebrews 10:24-25, NLT) 

He’s talking to members of the early Christian church. There was a bunch who really needed to band together. They were persecuted. They faced attacks on a daily basis. Who else but another Christian would understand? Notice, He doesn't tell them to get together and pretend that nothing bad has happened. He doesn't tell them to ignore each other’s pain. He tells them to exhort each other, lift each other up.

In our modern world of emails, Facebook, and such, there’s no excuse for being alone. A timely email message from a friend across the country means just as much as going out for coffee and a chat with your friend from across town. Take some time to reach out today, whether you need to be uplifted, or you think of someone else who could use an emotional boost.

 We’re all in this together.




JENNIFER ALLEE was born in Hollywood, California, and spent her first ten years living above a mortuary one block away from the famous intersection of Hollywood & Vine. Now she lives in the grace-filled city of Las Vegas, which just goes to prove she’s been blessed with a unique life. When she’s not busy spinning tales, she enjoys playing games with friends, attending live theater and movies, and singing at the top of her lungs to whatever happens to be playing on the car radio. Although she’s thrilled to be living out her lifelong dream of being a novelist, she considers raising her son to be her greatest creative accomplishment. She's a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, and Christian Authors Network. Her novels include The Pastor’s Wife, The Mother Road, A Wild Goose Chase Christmas, Last Family Standing, and Vinnie's Diner from Abingdon Press; Diamond in the Rough, Vanishing Act, and Curtain Call from Whitaker House and co-written with Lisa Karon Richardson; the novella Comfort and Joy in the Christmas anthology, Mistletoe Memories from Barbour; and A Worthy Suitor from Harlequin's Heartsong Presents.

I Don't Like to Read Christian Non-Fiction for Women

Time for a Book Picnic

by Gina Welborn

I subscribe to Crosswalk.com's Daily Updates. Yesterday they sent  me an e-mail with this article:

5 Books for Christian Women who Don't Like to Read Books for Christian Women

Oooh. How intriguing! But then--

Hmm, do I like reading books for Christian women? I do like reading non-fiction. Maybe it's talking about fiction. But how many "women's books" uninterest me? Maybe I'll find a new book I'd actually enjoy reading. Needless to say I had to click on the link.

Andrea Lucado wrote:

If you relate to any of the below, the book recommendations that follow are for you:

• Your brow furrows with confusion when an author refers to you as her “dear sister” or a “daughter of the king.” You are not this lady’s sister—you’ve never even met—and “child of God” will due.
• If you have to read one more book about how to better organize and manage your life, your time, your kids and your marriage, you are going to run away and give up on everything altogether. All of those areas seem to be hanging by thread no matter what you do and you would like your reading time to be escape time. Just tell me a good story.
• You would rather read about someone’s imperfect life that is remaining imperfect, than read about a woman who used to no have it altogether but now she does and here’s how you can too. Vulnerable stories speak to you more deeply than success stories do.

Umm, yes, I relate! I have been known at times to think, "If I see another Christian lady all decked out in purple and driving a car with a license plate BLESSD or 'I'm not perfect, just forgiven,' I'm going to puke on her and then on her car."

I remember reading a book that began about lies women have been taught. By the time the author got to the section on marriage, birth control, and parenting, I quit reading. Once she's married and raised a few kids, then I'll listen to the "wisdom" she's gained. Most of the book, though, was good.

Let’s All be Brave: Living Life With Everything You Have by Annie F. Downs (Zondervan)

How often does fear hold us back from the very things we most want to taste, touch, and experience? The call to be brave isn’t just for one person—it’s for everyone. Let’s All Be Brave is more than a book, it’s a battle cry. Annie challenges us to live boldly, she calls us to step into those places that require courage, and she gives us the help to take the next step forward—even when it’s scary.
This non-fiction, essay-driven book opens the door to many different views of courage—nudging, encouraging, and inspiring readers to be brave whenever given the chance. Kindle Price : $3.79


Girl Meets God: A Memoir by Lauren F. Winner (Shaw Books)


The child of a Jewish father and a lapsed Southern Baptist mother, Lauren F. Winner chose to become an Orthodox Jew. But even as she was observing Sabbath rituals and studying Jewish law, Lauren was increasingly drawn to Christianity. Courageously leaving what she loved, she eventually converted. In Girl Meets God, this appealing woman takes us through a year in her Christian life as she attempts to reconcile both sides of her religious identity.
Used hardcopies as low as $0.01
New hardcopies/paperbacks as low as $2.99

 
Passion and Purity: Learning to Bring Your Love Life Under Christ’s Control by Elisabeth Elliott (Revell)


Very few books on dating have stood the test of time like Passion and Purity. Its much-needed message remains strong and hopeful in an age when doing whatever "feels right" is common practice. Using her own life as an example, Elisabeth Elliot guides singles of both genders and of any age on how to put their love lives under the authority of Jesus Christ. Passion and Purity covers dating issues such as: •how to know which person is the right one to marry •loving passionately while remaining sexually pure •the man's and woman's role in relationships •putting God's desires ahead of personal desires •how far is too far, physically This best-selling book now has a new cover, an updated interior design, and a foreword from popular author Joshua Harris.
 Use copies as low as $0.01
New copies as low as $5.97





Lizzy and Jane by Katherine Reay (Thomas Nelson)

Lucado writes, "If Francine Rivers and Karen Kingsbury just aren’t your thing, give Katherine Reay a try. Her novel is a delightful and honest tale of two sisters, cancer and a restaurant."

Reay is a 2014 Carol Winner for her novel Dear Mr. Knightly.

Kindle $9.99




Cold Tangerines: Celebrating the Extraordinary Nature of Everyday Life by Shauna Niequist

Cold Tangerines—now available in softcover— is a collection of stories that celebrate the extraordinary moments hidden in your everyday life. It is about God, and about life, and about the thousands of daily ways in which an awareness of God changes and infuses everything. It is about spiritual life, and about all the things that are called nonspiritual life that might be spiritual after all. It is the snapshots of a young woman making peace with herself and trying to craft a life that captures the energy and exuberance we all long for in the midst of the fear and regret and envy we all carry with us. It is both a voice of challenge and song of comfort, calling you upward to the best possible life, and giving you room to breathe, to rest, to break down, and break through. Cold Tangerines offers bright and varied glimpses of hope and redemption, in and among the heartbreak and boredom and broken glass.
Used copies as low as $0.61.
New copies vary from $3.79 kindle and $11-12 print copy.

I've put Let's be Brave, Girl meets God, and Cold Tangerines (all new copies) in my Amazon cart. Do any interest you? Have you read any of these?

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

A year ago (almost this week) hubby and I saw WICKED on Broadway. We bought the cast recording and listened to it over and over again during the drive from New York to Oklahoma. On the first listen, our kids were "huh?" By the time we reached home, they were begging to see the musical. They did. In OKC a couple months later. In June we took them to see it again in Tulsa. We are WICKED fanatics.

I keep waiting for someone to ask, "But did you read the book?" Umm, no, but my oldest daughter has. "Have you read the original, the one that stated it all?" Umm, well, I read the first four chapters when I was writing my next Heartsong release, THE MARSHAL'S PURSUIT.

Last month I put other things aside and finally read L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (written in 1900). Don't think you know the story. Read it.

  

AN INVITATION TO LEAVE THE KNOWN

As she travels to Oz, Dorothy meets three others who are also desperate to find the "one thing" they think they need so very badly. 

"Did you speak?" asked the girl, in wonder.

"Certainly," answered the Scarecrow. "How do you do?"

"I'm pretty well, thank you," replied Dorothy politely. "How do you do?"

"I'm not feeling well," said the Scarecrow, with a smile, "for it is very tedious being perched up here night and day to scare away crows."

"Can't you get down?" asked Dorothy.

"No, for this pole is stuck up my back. If you will please take away the pole I shall be greatly obliged to you."

Dorothy reached up both arms and lifted the figure off the pole, for, being stuffed with straw, it was quite light.

After Dorothy attended to the Scarecrow's external bondage, she invited him on her journey to the person who had the answer to his internal need. She did the same with the Tin Man and Cowardly Lion. Each had the choice to accept Dorothy's offer of a the possibility of a better life, or to reject it. 

THE JOURNEY IS NOT EASY.

A friend once said to me: "I think I'm just feeling out of sorts, out of control. Things are not peaceful in my heart or my soul right now. I think God wants to work something in me, and I need to allow Him to, but it has been difficult. When the Bible calls it refiner's FIRE, it isn't whistling dixie."

The refiner's fire is hot and unpleasant. Forget going home to Kansas if it means enduring poppy fields, wicked witches, winged monkeys, fighting trees, hammer-heads, or giant spiders. Put me back on that pole. Yes, it scratched, but I was used to it. I knew what to expect. Hide my oil can. Doesn't help my complexion anyway. Let me posture in denial of my fears. Being a scardy cat keeps me out of the ER. Because even though I survived this calamity, I know--I KNOW--something bad will happen again.

Get me off this yellow brick road, Lord. I am tired of running this race. I am tired of fighting the good fight.

In Strong Women, Soft Hearts, Paula Rinehart puts it this way: "People often complain of such things during the season of life--like someone drilled a hole through their souls. While everything looks the same on the outside, they feel hollow and restless, bored in ways that make no sense."

"But that isn't right. The King of Beasts shouldn't be a coward," said the Scarecrow.

I know it," returned the Lion, wiping a tear from his eye with the tip of his tail. "It is my great sorrow, and makes my life very unhappy. But whenever there is danger, my heart begins to beat fast."

"Perhaps you have heart disease," said the Tin Woodman.

"It may be," said the Lion.

"If you have," continued the Tin Woodman, "you ought to be glad, for it proves you have a heart. For my part, I have no heart; so I cannot have heart disease."

"Perhaps," said the Lion thoughtfully, "if I had no heart I should not be a coward."

"Have you brains?" asked the Scarecrow.

"I suppose so. I've never looked to see," replied the Lion.

"I am going to the Great Oz to ask him to give me some," remarked the Scarecrow, "for my head is stuffed with straw."

"And I am going to ask him to give me a heart," said the Woodman.

"And I am going to ask him to send Toto and me back to Kansas," added Dorothy.

"Do you think Oz could give me courage?" asked the Cowardly Lion.

"Just as easily as he could give me brains," said the Scarecrow.

"Or give me a heart," said the Tin Woodman.

"Or send me back to Kansas," said Dorothy.

"Then, if you don't mind, I'll go with you," said the Lion, "for my life is simply unbearable without a bit of courage."

"You will be very welcome," answered Dorothy, "for you will help to keep away the other wild beasts. It seems to me they must be more cowardly than you are if they allow you to scare them so easily."

"They really are," said the Lion, "but that doesn't make me any braver, and as long as I know myself to be a coward I shall be unhappy."

Some of us need to reclaim our bodies, others need to reclaim their minds, and many more need to reclaim their hearts so that they may really live. In their book Sacred Romance, Brent Curtis and John Eldredge share: 

"In the end, it doesn't matter how well we have performed or what we have accomplished--a life without heart is not worth living. For out of this wellspring of our soul flow all true caring and all meaningful work, all real worship and all sacrifice."

God does not desire any of us to live in any form of bondage.

Jesus said, "The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give [you] a rich and satisfying life."

"Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good....Listen, that you may live." Isaiah 55:2, 3 (NAS)

I love how Rinehart writes, "What God asks of us is both simpler and more profound than adherence to a system of beliefs or following a set of rules. He asks us to walk in an honest pilgrimage where we let Him show us what real strength, and real love, are all about." That's one yellow brick road I want to travel. 

Dorothy stood up and found she was in her stocking-feet. For the Silver Shoes had fallen off in her flight through the air, and were lost forever in the desert.

Aunt Em had just come out of the house to water the cabbages when she looked up and saw Dorothy running toward her.

"My darling child!" she cried, folding the little girl in her arms and covering her face with kisses. "Where in the world did you come from?"

Well, Aunt Em, I was on this awful, amazing, scary hard adventure to find a way back home. Along the way I met some friends who, like me, decided we were tired of the life we had and knew we wanted to really live, so we followed a golden path to Someone who showed us how to reclaim our minds, hearts, bodies, and find our way home. 

I don't know what holds you in bondage, but I want you to know that you are not alone. A trained professional can be reached here or here or here.

Serious Question of the Day: Is there any one area of your life where you feel God is stirring in your heart to move you out of the stands and onto the playing field?

Non-Serious Question of the Day: Which character in The Wizard of Oz do you most relate to.