My (Not-So-Glamorous) Word for the Year

A few years ago, I decided to choose one word to focus on each year. This word usually stems from a place within my heart that God is speaking to.

In 2014, I chose the word Hope from Isaiah 29:11. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Throughout the year, God worked through this word to teach me more about Himself and the calling He's placed on my life. It was a wonderful word to meditate on. I love HOPE.

This year, a new word settled in my heart. One I wouldn't choose on my own, but one I feel God wants me to think about often, and put into practice. The word is Discipline, from Hebrews 12:11. "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." (Italics mine.)

This word is much less glamorous than last year's word, but it means a great deal to me for many reasons. God has blessed me with many privileges, but with them come a great responsibility. I feel disciplined in certain areas of my life, but I need to get better in many others. Some of the areas God is calling me to discipline are: time management, sleep, exercise, healthy eating, etc.

Interestingly, I was all set to focus on Discipline after the New Year. Starting last Monday, I was going back to my workout schedule, I had my shopping list ready, and I went to bed early on Sunday night to get into a better sleeping habit.

But I had a hard time falling asleep, and when I woke up early to exercise on Monday, I had a sore throat and I felt crummy. My entire family (minus one), ended up with Influenza and Strep Throat. I didn't leave my house for six days. Six. For me, that's unheard of.

My well-laid plans to focus on Discipline went to the wayside.

I felt terrible. My first week of Discipline was sabotaged by life's circumstances. I didn't exercise. I didn't eat as healthy as I had hoped. And my sleep schedule was totally messed up.

But I learned a great lesson this week. Discipline isn't always about accomplishing a to-do list. It isn't necessarily about exercising, or sleeping, or eating the right foods.

Often, Discipline is all about submitting.

Submitting to my limitations, submitting to God's plans when I have other ideas, submitting to my husband (yes, I said it), even when I want my own way, submitting to my list of priorities, even when they aren't always fun, and submitting to a healthy lifestyle.

Discipline is about doing the right thing, even if I don't want to. It might hurt in the moment, but later on, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace when I've been trained by it.

Your Turn: Do you choose a word to focus on each year? If so, what's your word for 2015?

New Year: New Blog Focus

I heard a quote recently, and I've been pondering it a great deal.

“The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches, but to reveal to him his own.”
― Benjamin Disraeli

I love sharing the blessings God has given me, especially here on my blog. I do it to reveal His goodness and grace. But this quote made me realize that sometimes the best way to reveal God's goodness and grace is to help others see the blessings in their own life.

With that in mind, I've decided to use the new year as an opportunity to restructure my blog. I still plan to share my passions for writing, family, faith, history, and Minnesota--but I hope to do it in a way that exhibits the goodness of God, and reveals His blessings in everyone's lives, and not just my own.

Here are some ways I plan to do that:

1. I'm taking part in a 21 Day Challenge to be Clutter Free in 2015 with author Kathi Lipp. I plan to blog about this experience and what I learn about God's eternal blessings for all of us as I de-clutter my life.

2. I'm also on a launch team to help promote a new book by Roger and Kathi Lipp called Happy Habits for Every Couple. My husband and I have agreed to participate in a 21 day challenge to a happier marriage, and I'll blog about our experiences here.

3. I will share my love of history through fun posts about objects, people, places, and events that have shaped our world. Through history, we can see the Hand of God at work, and understand His great love for us.

4. I've lined up amazing authors to join me here on Wednesdays. Each person will offer a giveaway and will talk about their stories and writing. I have every genre in Christian Fiction covered, so there will be something for everyone.

5. I will continue to share my perspective on family, faith, and friendships, and how we can recognize the blessings in our daily lives.

6. I also plan to share some recipes and tips about healthier eating to encourage all of us to honor the bodies God has blessed us with.

These are just some of the ways I hope to reveals the riches in all our lives. It's going to be a great year! I hope you'll join me often as we explore the vast and incomparable wealth of God.

Your Turn: I'd love to hear your suggestions. How can we help reveal the riches in other people's lives?

2014: A Year for Dreams

"We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort." ~ Jesse Owens, American Athlete

I'm reaching for some big dreams, ones I've dreamt about most of my life. In 2014, I signed my first two writing contracts. It's amazing to live in the midst of a dream come true. I'm honored and humbled to be here.

This year, I felt confirmation that any dream God places in our hearts can come true, if we're willing to discipline ourselves and work hard. Reaching for a dream isn't about perfect timing, or perfect circumstances, or perfect people.

It's about a perfect God and His perfect plan.

If we sit back and wait for everything to be perfect before we pursue our dreams, we will never reach for them. How many times have we said: "I'm too busy," or "When the kids grow up," or "When I'm retired"? God is looking for ordinary people to do extraordinary things. He's looking for people who are living busy, ordinary lives. When He called His twelve disciples, that's exactly what they were doing. If they would have said: "Jesus, can you wait until things settle down at work before you ask me to follow you?" they would have missed out on the greatest adventure of all time.

C.S. Lewis said: "The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is."

Everyone is busy. We all fill our sixty minutes an hour with something. Could we not fill some of those minutes pursuing the dream God placed in our hearts?

God called me to pursue publication during the busiest season of my life, while parenting four small children. My twin boys were not quite two years old at the time. It was probably the most inconvenient season for God to ask me to pick up my pen. It has challenged and refined me like nothing else could, but it has also given me some of my greatest blessings.

Has it been easy? No. Has it required sacrifices? Yes. Have I been disappointed, rejected, tired, frustrated? Yes.

Am I happy I answered the call? More than I can ever say.

But this dream isn't about me--or you. A dream is a gift from God. It's a Seed from Heaven, planted into our heart soil, waiting to grow and bear fruit for His purposes. It's designed to further God's kingdom and bring glory and honor to Him. In the process, it makes us feel truly alive and brings an abundance of joy.

How can we say no?

My prayer for 2015 is that you reach for the dream God placed in your heart. Answer His call, go on the greatest adventure of your life, and change the world. Sixty minutes an hour.

Your Turn: What stops you from pursuing your dreams? What was your favorite memory from 2014? What are you most looking forward to in 2015?

~ ~ ~ ~

EXTRA! EXTRA! EXTRA!

 

I have some fun guests lined up for 2015! Every Wednesday I will welcome a fellow author to my blog for fun interviews, guest posts, and lots of giveaways! My first guest will be one of my favorite authors, and dear writing mentors, Susan May Warren. She'll be joining me here on Wednesday, January 14th to talk about her newest release, Always on My Mind. But I'll be back before then to talk about my favorite subjects: history, Minnesota, writing, faith, and family. See you in January!



Novella Edits

I started blogging about my writing journey almost three years ago. It hardly seems possible! The past few years have been truly incredible and I've so enjoyed sharing the journey with you.

This week I took another step down the path toward publication. I received edits for my second novella, A Groom for Josette, releasing July 1, 2015 with Barbour Publishers. It's thrilling to see the editor's email come through!

I've been blessed to work with an incredible editor at Barbour. She's been so kind and complimentary, yet she isn't afraid to tell me what needs to be changed or addressed in my stories. I eagerly welcome her feedback. I love making my story better and the best way to do that is through editing.

When I write something, and read it over and over again until I can almost recite it from memory, I tend to stop seeing the obvious. An editor comes to the story with fresh eyes and can help me identify areas that need a bit of work. It's not her job to change the story, but to strengthen it.

It's also fun to get back edits, because they come a few months after I've finished the story. This helps me to go back into my manuscript with my own fresh set of eyes. It's a blast to revisit the hero and heroine--like chatting with old friends.

I will send my revised story back to the editor and she'll go through it one more time, then send it back to me for any last minute changes. After that, I won't see it again until it's printed!

I can't wait to share this story with you. I hope you enjoy reading A Groom for Josette as much as I've enjoyed writing it.

Your Turn: If you're a reader, do you have any questions about the editing process? If you're a writer, what is your favorite stage in the story-making process?

FACEme Tour ~ Dare to Show Your Beauty

Are you ready to FACEme? The real me? The one without makeup?

My writing friend, Jaime Wright, asked me to participate in this blog tour. At first, I was a bit hesitant. Show a picture of myself without makeup? I've never left my house without applying my mascara. Seriously.

But I sensed God had something to say to me, so I told Jaime yes.

As I think about makeup, I don't just limit it to the cosmetics I apply on my face. Makeup can be worn in any area of our life where we see imperfections.

Generally, I don't wear a lot of makeup when I'm at home, because that's where I'm able to let my hair down and be real.

When I first met my husband, I wouldn't be caught without my makeup on! But it doesn't take long before you start revealing your true self to the ones you love, both your inner and outer self--imperfections and all.

I'm so thankful my family thinks I'm pretty, no matter how I really look.

The same is true with God. I've been downright ugly before Him--yet He thinks I'm pretty. He says I was made in His image. God is beautiful beyond description...doesn't that make me the same?

There's no amount of makeup on Earth that can cover up your true blemishes with God. He sees it all, and He still calls you his beloved.

I love being real with my family and with God.

Now it's time to take my makeup off and be real with all of you. My greatest desire is that it will cause you to feel comfortable being real with me.

I've had people tell me that my life looks perfect, and I feel that this wrong impression keeps them from drawing close to me. I'm not perfect--no one is. I think we make a big mistake when we look at someone else's life and think they've got it all together.

Some of us have just learned how to apply "makeup" to cover up the blemishes in our lives.

Have you ever had a fight with your spouse on the way to church, but when you arrive, you bury the fight behind a smile, and no one knows you've been fighting? Have you ever seen an unexpected visitor coming up the sidewalk, and you shove everything in the entry closet (or the oven, like my sister), so your house appears clean? Have you ever been on the phone, with your hand over the receiver, so the other person can't hear your children fighting, or the toilet flushing?

All of those things are forms of "makeup." A way for us to cover up the truth, because we don't want others to see our imperfections.

But here's the thing. I don't feel like I can bond with a friend unless she's real with me. If she's been in a fight with her husband, and actually admits it to me--I feel like she trusts me. When I go to her house, and it looks just as messy as mine, I feel like I can invite her to my house without cleaning for days. When we're on the phone, and I can hear her children fighting in the background, it makes me feel like I'm not alone in my mothering.

If a friend doesn't take off her makeup with me, she probably won't become a close friend. I want to see her true self, blemishes and all, so I'm not afraid to show her my true self.

And that's what I long to do today. Reveal the true creation God designed. No makeup. Just me.

I want to be real with you, so you can be real with me.

So here I am.

And since we're keeping it real, here is a picture of me after a day of cleaning, shopping, and breaking up fights between my children.

 

My daughter saw this picture and said I look happy--I think I just look tired.

 

Each of us needs to realize we don't have to wear "makeup" at all times. It's good to find friends who see us at our worst and still love us. God made us beautiful, exactly how we are. Let this verse be the cry of our heart: "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well" (Psalm 139:14).

You are God's creation and you are wonderful! Together, let's face the world without our makeup on!

I'd love to see you post a picture without makeup today! Use #FACEme and don't forget to follow the #FACEme Tour!!

Nick Kording
Lindsay Harrel
Joseph Courtemanche
Gabrielle Meyer
Jaime Wright
Carrie Wisehart
Emilie Anne Hendryx
Andrea Nell
Sarah Baker
Kristy Cambron:
Rachel Britz
Cara Putman
Stacy Monson
Laurie Tomlinson
Katherine Reay
Katie Ganshert

Your Turn: Do you wear makeup every day? What blemishes in life do you tend to "cover up" the most? Do you have a friend who keeps it real? What do you admire about that person?

I'd love if you'd "like" my Author Facebook Page. You can find it here.

ACFW, Writing, & More

It occurred to me that I haven't written a blog post in two weeks! I've been trying to stay consistent, and post on Thursdays, but the month of October has been a busy one.

I returned from the ACFW Conference in St. Louis at the end of September with so many amazing memories tucked away in my heart. I learned from some of the best in the industry, strengthened old friendships, and created new ones. I attended my first author reception with Barbour Publishers, went to my agency's reception in the hotel lobby restaurant, and pitched my story ideas to a handful of editors. I laughed until I cried, I talked about writing for hours and hours, and I watched some dear friends win important awards. I was encouraged by wonderful people who I respect and admire, I was inspired by writers who have paved the trail, and I was humbled by people who went out of their way to help me on my writing journey.

With my GLAM Girls: Lindsay, Alena, & Melissa.



Jeanne Takenaka receiving the MBT Frasier Award.

Two of my favorite historical romance authors (and teachers)!
 Jody Hedlund and Karen Witemeyer.

With Barbour Editor, Annie Tipton, at the Barbour Reception.

With my editor, Becky Germany, at the Barbour Reception.

With my writing Fairy Godmother, Sarah Forgrave. :)

With Susan May Warren, my amazing writing mentor.

The 2014 ACFW Conference was one of the very best. I truly feel as if it could not have gone better.

Upon returning home, I saw my first cover, which was an amazing dream come true. I worked on my second novella, A Groom for Josette, which is due to my editor by November 1st. I also wrote two story synopses to submit for possible future projects, and I started brainstorming my next full length novel. Amidst all of that, I began revising my last full length novel, as well. At one point, I had five different stories bouncing around in my head, demanding attention!

Right now, I'm only working on one of them. All the other things have either been accomplished, or put on the back burner until later. This next week will be dedicated to preparing for my agency retreat in Monterey, California.

When I return from the retreat, I will be prepping to teach my first writing workshops! My good friend Melissa Tagg will be joining me in Minnesota on November 15th to present the workshops. The first is titled: Unlocking the Mysteries of the Publishing World and the second is: 10 Ways to Hook a Reader. I'll share more as the date approaches.

After that, it will be time to start my next full length novel! The one I plan to write has been on my heart for the past couple years. I have great hope for this story. It's unlike any other story I've written, or read. We'll see what God has planned.

Your Turn: What have you been doing this month? What season of the year tends to be busier for you?

My First Book Cover!

I can hardly believe I'm writing this blog post today! Do you see that cover?!?! It has my name on it! And tucked inside the book, right in the midst of some incredible novellas, my first story will be printed. My story!

That's amazing to me, and a testimony to the faithfulness of God. He planted the dream, He watered it with His word, He sent sunshine upon the fertile soil of my heart, and He has made it grow.

Dreams really do come true, and this book is proof.

I began to dream of being a published author when I was nine years old, and twenty-five years later, I'm looking at my very first book cover.

Do you have a dream? I know you do. Is it dormant, or is it at the very forefront of all you say and do? Does your dream scare you, or empower you? Do you feel as if you'll never achieve what you've dreamed? Or are you certain it will one day be yours?

No matter where you're at on your dream journey, have hope. God placed the dream there like a tender little seed, and He wants to see it grow and flourish, until it produces fruit.

This book is the fruit of my dream--the first fruit. My dream is still in the process of maturing. But someday, with God's grace, I hope to bear an abundance of fruit from this dream.

Your Turn: I'd love to hear about your dream.

~ ~ ~ ~

The Most Eligible Bachelor Collection releases on May 1, 2015, but is available for pre-order here.

I'd love if you stopped by my Amazon Author Page and liked it! You'll find the page here.

And if you'd like to learn more about my story, Four Brides and a Bachelor, which will be a part of this novella collection, please go here.