By the Windowsill

~Cyber Monday – All Books $.99!

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It’s Cyber Monday! Today only, all of my novels, including my new release, 24 Days Before Christmas, are only .99 cents for Kindle! My children’s book, A Year with the Potters is $.99, as well! Links below!

24 Days Before Christmas: December has fallen on the tiny town of Poinsettia and, with it, the Christmas season. The Singh and Winter families are already feeling celebratory, as they begin sharing family traditions and memorizing Christmas carols.

Things take a decidedly unexpected turn, when their neighbor and good friend, Ebenezer Bell, comes home from vacation and can’t find his brother. Blood on the carpet, an absent vehicle, and missing fingerprints start to point the finger at a possible crime.

When James Hoffman moved his sister and daughter to Poinsettia with the bright idea of opening a bookshop, he expected things to be tight, but not this tight. The readers of Poinsettia seem to be few and far between, and James is beginning to second guess his decision. His sister insists on trusting the God that he doesn’t even believe in, but when he discovers an old enemy, bringing his buried anger back to the surface, even his sister’s trust is shaken.

Carols and crime, memories and mystery, doubters and danger – will there be a merry Christmas after all?

Journeys of Four: When four young people, walking down completely different paths in life, are confronted with what it means to truly be a Christian, they are faced with either repentance and redemption, or a complete rejection of their faith.

Grandmother’s Letters: A mystery. A treasure hunt. A stack of old letters. A curious girl. A grumpy old man. A dramatic poetic journalist. A miserable law student. And a giving family. The prayers and legacy of an ordinary woman acts as a thread, drawing these together in an unexpected way.

A Year with the Potters: In April they met new friends, in August they got a kitten, October they learned about Martin Luther, November brought a pet Black Widow, and January gave them a Biblical lesson in perseverance. What else is in store for the Potter family? (Possible Age Range: 8-14)

Or you can just go to my Amazon author page and see all my books from there!

And don’t forget about my Sale for signed paperbacks for Christmas gifts! Ends December 15th! :)

To the KING be all the glory!

~The Reality of Fantasy…

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imageI’m staying with the Marr family again. I’ve been here for three weeks now. Over that, actually. This is my fourth visit in two years. When I first came, there were six little ones and, as of last week, there are now eight Marr youngsters, ages eleven and under.

I always dreamed of being a part of a large family with many siblings close in age. Even as a little girl, I used to imagine I had many more siblings than I did. As I got older, that dream translated to a hoped for future, where I might get to be the mother of large brood of children close in age. Here, I get to see first hand what that dream would look like. I get to see the sibling interaction, the parental interaction, and, when Mama resting after Baby came and Daddy is at work, I get a taste of what it’s like to be in charge of a bunch of little people.

It takes a lot of work to run a house and direct seven children throughout the day. Work of all kinds. Physical work as I make meals, wash laundry, sweep floors, rock a tired child, chase a curious one, bake bread, or clean the kitchen. Mental work as I answer questions about the identity of Andy’s newest lizard pet, Rosy’s school assignment, tell Lizzie a story from my childhood, or explain to Gracie what I think a Scripture verse means. Emotional work as circumstances arise and I find the need to correct or reprove wrong behavior, as I try to continue answering questions even after the subject (in my opinion) has gone beyond beating a dead horse, as I struggle to know exactly how to explain what I believe about something and why, or when, no matter what I do, Philip just can’t seem to help crying unless I’m either holding him or I’m right within his view because he doesn’t feel well and doesn’t know what to do with himself. It takes all kinds of work, in no particular order, throughout the day. Every day.

It wears you out. I go to my room at night, collapse into bed, and fall asleep earlier than I think I should need to. Or I imagine things that I’ll accomplish after supper is over, only to decide that sitting down to read or write is, at least, productive in its way and I can sit while I do it.

The work doesn’t quite ever end. It will keep going much longer than I’ll ever have energy for.

You can plan, but better not plan too strictly. Children can manage to cause approximately sixty distractions, of various kinds and demands, every hour. Which means, that project that I expected to take ten minutes, might take more like an hour and a half. Just getting a cup of coffee or tea made might end up taking all morning.

The last thing I’ve learned though? I love it.

I love these children and I love the experience. Yes, I get exhausted. Yes, I’ve come to a point once or twice where crying seemed preferable to chasing down the baby or trying to get the floor swept or the next meal ready. But I wouldn’t trade the days I get to spend here for almost anything. I love hearing about Andy’s newest discovery, seeing Bekah’s eyes light up when I ask her to help me with a project, getting running hugs from Philip, talking about random things with Rosy, making Ruthie smile, explaining things to Gracie, laughing with Lizzie, or cuddling Susannah. I love singing with them, showing them how to do new things, or reading the Bible while we all try to crowd as many of us as possible onto one couch. I love their cheers of joy over such simple things like when I promise to grill their sandwiches for lunch or tell them the next popsicle flavor I want to try or pull out the next episode of Jonathan Park to listen to. I love watching them work and play and laugh and live together.

Oh, it’s not perfect. That fantasy of childhood and early adulthood has lost some of its rose colored hue. It’s a lot of work and children aren’t perfect. And I’m not even a parent here. I’m more like an older sister. I don’t do all the work, obviously, since their parents do a lot. I’m just a helper. I’m not perfect either. The fantasy now has more of the harsh lines and sharp corners of reality showing, but somehow that just makes it sweeter.

Do I still dream about a family of children some day? The other day, someone commented about me helping out here, and followed it up by asking me how many children I hoped for some day. My answer came rather quickly. Fourteen.

Now, I have no idea what the LORD plans, but, yes, that is still my dream. Even with all the work and weariness and everything else that comes with it. And I know it’s more of everything when you’re the parent. It’s long term and more intense. I know that. I still pray that I’ll get to experience it one day with a family of my own. That someday, my fantasy will become a reality, if it’s His will.

To the KING be all the glory!

~Immersion

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As an author, I try to often be studying my craft, so that I can strive to be the best writer possible. Sometimes this means spending hours in thought over certain aspects or principles that I am trying to implement or comprehend. At other times, it means reading what others have to say about writing or studying what others did right or wrong in their own works by picking them apart while I read them. (Have I mentioned lately the genius of Mr. Dickens, the fascination of Mr. Tolkien, or the charm of Agatha Christie??)

As I study these things, trying to push myself to greater excellence, I find that I analyze more and more. I can’t just watch a film or read a book without measuring character arcs, critiquing the storyline, and judging the motives behind the character’s actions.

The more I immerse myself in the knowledge of story excellence, the less willing I am to just accept any ol’ storyline unquestioned and the more likely I am to measure every tale by a standard of quality, to see how it measures up.

When I was considering this, it dawned on me. This isn’t merely true of writing. This principle applies to far, far more.

It’s good to recognize poor story-telling and weak protagonists. I plan to continuing working on that. Still, what happens if I apply the same principle to higher, more important things?

When I immerse myself in the Word of God, reading my Bible and talking to the LORD, my spiritual radar goes up, just like my story excellence radar. I begin to more easily recognize those things which are contrary to the nature of the LORD and His law, both in my own life and in the world around me, as well as in the many worlds of fiction that I may enter.

On a related note, problems can arise, if I enjoy the written studies over those of God’s Word. If I prefer to read about character arcs instead of memorizing Scripture. When I decide to puzzle out the best way to structure scenes, instead of talking to the LORD.

One is my natural bent. The other includes war. I need no invite to study writing; I gravitate toward it with no difficulty. My Bible, however, can easily be ignored if I listen to my flesh; the flesh that invents a dozen excuses for why I had better “wait until later.” Yet, when I immerse myself in the Scriptures, draw near to God by talking to Him and listening to His voice, then I’m not only more spiritually aware, I am far more at peace and fulfilled.

My prayer is that, while struggling to perfect my craft, I will never loose sight of what should be my true priority; focusing on the LORD and increasing my knowledge of Him. “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?” Mark 8:36

Knowledge of writing excellence is worth nothing, if not used to glorify the LORD. If used properly, it can be a mighty tool. If wrongly, it can be little better than a distraction.

No matter what our work is, be it writing, engineering, musical composition, singing, architecture, or the every day duties of the house, let us continue to study our craft, tempered with more liberal amounts of study in God’s Word and time spent with the LORD. That way we can, prayerfully, glorify the LORD by doing our best in all things, while remembering Who to put first.

To the KING be all the glory!

~Trust

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I first started writing this sometime in late November or early December. I just never got around to posting it.

Oh, the questions children come up with! Recently, I had a conversation go very much like this:

Someone came up with something quite silly. I’m not sure what it was.

“Your parents trust me more than that!” I answered.

Then, one of these sweet girls replied, quite seriously, “How do you know Daddy and Mama trust you?”

How do I know they trust me?

I know they trust me, because they put their seven most precious earthly possessions in my care. They let me look after you and your brothers and sisters.

I change diapers on all three of your youngest siblings. I get to make your meals. I help several of you with your schoolwork. I’m allowed to sing you all to sleep at night, when you’re just too tired to relax and Mama or Daddy need to rest. I get to give you hugs, take you outside to do the chores, read you books, and tell you stories. They let me take care of you when they’re in the room and they leave me alone with you.

They trust me.

I know that if they had any reason to believe that I would be anything but trustworthy, I would, at the very least, be kept under close supervision. I probably wouldn’t be here at all. Your parents regard you as a precious charge, given to them by God, and they are very careful about that charge. And you know what? That makes their trust all the more valuable.

Do they know I’m not perfect? Yes. They couldn’t help but see that. They also know that no person on this earth is going to be so. But by the grace of God, I want to prove that their trust is not unfounded. That I will fulfill their expectations of faithfulness. And where I fail, they trust the LORD to still be in control.

But do you know what else? They are setting an earthly example of how I should live my spiritual life.

It’s so easy to say that I trust the LORD. Words can be easily spoken. But if I truly trust the LORD, I will show it. I’ll leave my most cherished plans in His care, knowing that, unlike me, He won’t even make a mistake. I’ll leave the care of those I hold most dear, in His loving hands, knowing, that unlike me, He won’t fail in anyway.

I might not always like it, but I need to act, when I say I’m going to trust Him. Without the action, the words are empty.

No, I didn’t say all of that to a six-year-old girl. And no, the allegory isn’t perfect. But the LORD used it and I’m thankful.

“Dear Lizzie, I know your parents trust me, because they allow me the privilege of helping to taking care of of you, your brothers, and sisters. I hope that others will be able to see that I trust the LORD even more, because I leave to Him the charge of what I hold most dear.”

To the KING be all the glory!

~A Year of Thanksgiving…

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IMG_7550If you happen to be friends with me on Facebook, then you are probably already aware of my Thankful posts. Which means you can skip this paragraph and move onto the next. For those of you who don’t know, every day from January 1st to December 31st, I posted a status every day, listing at least one thing that I was thankful for.

So, I asked myself: in a year of Thanksgiving, did I learn anything? And if so, what did I learn?

Every day, even on the worst and most painful days (and yes, I’ve had a few really, really hard days this year!), there is always something or someone that I can be thankful for. Now, I did do my best not to repeat things I was thankful for in my statuses (which I also recorded in my journal for most of the year.) Not because I wasn’t thankful for them on more than one day, but I didn’t want ten posts in a row of “I’m thankful for the pretty weather!” or “I’m thankful that I’m alive!” (And yes, I can really see myself doing that, if given half the chance!) I made exception for events – I believe I was thankful for going to church more than once, as well as Bible Studies, and a few more things. Or, if I put a repeat in a list with other things, since I didn’t always put a sole thing in the list. For the most part though, I tried to come up with something new – usually brought on by a specific person or event on that specific day – that I was thankful for. All this made it even more of a challenge; sometimes just to my level of gratefulness and other times to my memory as well!

Another thing I learned was the variety of things I really could be thankful for. One definition of being thankful, is to be “conscious of benefit received”, and in my case, conscious of benefit received from the LORD. There are more things than I would ever have imagined – things I would never have thought to be thankful for in the past. For instance; color variety – can you imagine living in a world of black and white? Or hearing – I’m so thankful that I can hear! Even (or especially!) when that ability is being assaulted by a bunch of people making random noises at the same time. Yes, I know, if I grew up with either of those two alternate realities, I wouldn’t necessarily know the difference. But I can be just as thankful for those, as I have been for baby cuddles, reading time, my Daddy, or people who make me laugh. This year taught me to look outside of my predefined box of what I should be thankful for.

Possibly the most difficult thing I have realized during this challenge, is just how unthankful I can be. There were nights that I sat in front of my journal or Facebook, staring at the empty page or status bar, wondering what on earth I was going to be thankful for. Really, how pathetic is that? Even on my worst days, how pathetic is it, that I can even sit and wonder about what to be thankful for?

Which brings me to my last and possibly most expected, cliché, or obvious paragraph; I discovered just how many blessings the LORD really has bestowed on me and just how thankful I really should be! It really is incredible! He has poured so many blessings on me, that it’s amazing!

And yet…

And yet, even though I list them, I don’t always remember them. You would think, after 365 days of taking time to be thankful – truly thankful, mind! I wasn’t just typing something up to fulfill a challenge! – You would think that I would always be looking from a grateful perspective in my life. At least, most of the time! Yet, I don’t.

I should be praising the LORD, even in the midst of difficulties. I should be singing His name, even when I want to hide under a rock. I should be remembering His mercies, sharing His blessings, declaring His faithfulness at all times! Yet, far too often, I grumble, I complain, and I am ungrateful.

I do hope and trust that I have learned to be more thankful in the last months, but I know I’m far from finished learning. I could oh-so-easily forget the lessons from this year, but I pray that I don’t.

Now, 2013 has come to a close and we’ve begun the New Year. Will I continue with my thankful exercise? I think so. I think I hope so. I still have so much to learn in the area of thanksgiving! I pray that the LORD continues to teach me and may I learn ever so much more this year, than last!

To the KING be all the glory!