Tag Archives: elk lake publishing

“Almost Christmas Again”… Thy Will Be Done

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Not my will but yours.

This refrain appears throughout the story Almost Christmas Again—the heart’s cry of a young lady trying to find love, yet finding nothing but closed doors. (Did I mention? Almost Christmas Again is the title of my contribution to a recently released book of six stories: Christmas From the Heart: A Collection of Christmas Romances.)

If the woman in the story had pried open one of life’s earlier doors (figuratively) due to her own stubbornness, she would have settled for less than God’s best and most likely found herself living in regret.

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? We are all prone to inept human nature trying to take control.

Only by actively choosing to lay aside our will can we accept the perfect will of the One who created us, loves us, and works all things for the good of His people.

Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.

-Luke 22:42

What a profound example Jesus sets for us in this verse as he pours out his heart in agony to the Father before his crucifixion. One mark of true Christian maturity is recognizing that our will may not be in alignment with what is best, and then begging God for His will to be done instead of our own. Let’s all focus on embracing this week with a thy will be done mentality and watch how God moves in our lives!

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And for all of you looking for a cozy, romantic, festive read with an eternal perspective, I hope you’ll consider checking out the story Almost Christmas Again in the compilation book Christmas From the Heart: A Collection of Christmas Romances. I personally love that the six different stories aren’t full length; less of a commitment, yet still a fun escape during the busy holiday season! 😊

I’d love to hear from you in the comments below! Also, let me know what your all-time favorite Christmas book (or movie!) is. I’ll go first – to be honest, I haven’t read a ton of Christmas novels, but the movie White Christmas will always be at the top of my list! Now it’s your turn! 🙂

Trust–More Than a Back-Up Plan

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When I had an idea for a book about two years ago, I put it on the back burner in my mind. Who has time for writing when you’re raising/homeschooling three kids, right?

One weekend my husband and I went on an overnight road trip without the kids. On the way home, somehow we decided to make a list of hopes and dreams. Anything went.

Onto the list it went. “Write a book.”

I didn’t know we were going to delve deeper into our list items, although I should have, being married to Chip and all. 🙂

“What would you want to write about?” he asked.

“I don’t know…I sort of have an idea I’ve tossed around.”

“Well then, let’s get it on the calendar and you can start writing!”

*uh…*

And so it began. I took an evening, hid away on our back porch with the laptop, and started writing. The story poured out of me. After about a zillion rounds of editing (being brand spanking new to this and all), I finally had a completed manuscript. But then I was left wondering, “what now?”

After reading stats on how few manuscripts get accepted by agents and publishers, I was tempted to quit. But I loved my story. I believed in it, and continue to believe (as basically every Christian writer says) that God gave me this story to tell. I had to trust that he would get his message out however he thought best.

Maybe I would send it around to a handful of agents/publishers and if I didn’t get any bites I could pursue self-publishing (which is a completely valid option; doesn’t need to be last resort, fyi).

After reading over and over how important networking is for writers, my husband and I attended an amazing writer’s conference (Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference). We learned a ton, made some friends, each won an award for our respective manuscripts (awesome!), and finally, on the last evening, we met Deb Haggerty. Deb owns a publishing company (Elk Lake Publishing Inc.) and “publishes what she likes,” as she put it.

She viewed the print-out of Chip’s story, Under the Dancing Tree, and offered him a contract on the spot (it released a couple months ago – check it out on Amazon, it’s a perfect Father’s Day gift!). She invited me to send my proposal after the conference, which I did. I had to trust that if it didn’t work out with Elk Lake, God would lead me and my story where he wanted us.

Even though I knew it could take weeks or even months to hear back, I was so nervous and excited I checked my email every hour or so. Less than 24 hours later, I heard back five words I’ll never forget.

Power Up has a home.

My heart almost stopped. I told Chip. I called my mom. I couldn’t stop smiling (smiling’s my favorite).

And so the roller coaster began. While Deb agreed to publish it, she requires all her authors to have literary agents. That felt like a potential dead end. Not a lot of literary professionals are keen on middle grade book ideas, unfortunately. I had to trust that if God opened a door with Elk Lake, he would lead me to an agent.

A couple months later I signed with an agent and was signing a contract with Elk Lake to publish Power Up. A happy ending, right? Except it was just the beginning.

Thoughts plagued my mind – what if nobody likes it? What if nobody buys it? What if, what if, what if.

The publishing process has its stressful moments, and I remember one evening after everyone else was in bed, sitting alone with my anxious thoughts, lost in worry.

Then I heard a quiet voice.

You say you trust me, but worrying about it all shows that you DON’T trust me. Give it to me; you can trust me.

It was a sobering moment for me. So I took a deep breath and attempted to do just that. Staying on top of the worry is an ongoing, but worthwhile, effort. My instinct tells me I have every reason to worry and be anxious. But giving in to the worry only reduces the gift that Jesus offers (to carry me/my burdens and work it all out for good) to a back-up plan.

Though my book, Power Up, is really close to being published, it’s down to getting the final details right. Worry still tempts me. What if, what if, what if…

But I don’t want to relegate Jesus’ faithfulness to my back-up plan. He’s got his plans for me and for this book all in the palm of his hand, where they’re safer than any place I could ever dream.

What does your journey of trusting God look like? Are you handing your burdens to him in full trust? Is he simply your back-up plan for when you finally reach the end of your rope?

I pray you’ll find the courage to trust God more than ever before, in whatever circumstances you’re experiencing, and have faith in his ultimate goodness and love for you. Even when life is messy, he is a trustworthy God, of this you can be sure.

Power Up

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Do you ever wonder if there’s more to life? If what you’re experiencing is really all there is to experience? You’re not alone. I’m excited to share this post today to hopefully bring you some encouragement, and also share what’s been going on with me in my writing journey. Let’s jump in!

The way I see it, there are three types of people in the world.

1.The first type of people are not Christians. They don’t know God, or if they do know him, they certainly don’t understand him, which is why they have not yet accepted him.

2. The second type of people are Christians. They have accepted God and Jesus and they try to go to church regularly and be good people.

3. The third type of people are also Christians. They have accepted God and Jesus, and have opened their lives to the workings of the Holy Spirit. They do their best to love others with the love God has shown them, and they seek and listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Think for a second…are you a 1, 2, or 3? I’d venture to guess that most people who care to read this blog identify with 2 or 3. And if you’re a 1 and you’re still reading this – thank you! I’m so glad you are!

Lots of people identify with number 2. I’d say that’s where the majority of American Christians have landed. It’s a great place to be, but if you stay at number 2 for too long, you may begin to get restless. You may find yourself wondering if there’s something that you’re missing; more to the puzzle than what you’re seeing.

Let me just say this: if you’re a Christian, and you find Christianity boring, there is more to it! It doesn’t have to be a dull life filled with potlucks and polite greetings (I’m a fan of both of those things, by the way).

The Holy Spirit is the piece of the puzzle that so many people are missing, but they don’t even realize it yet. All Christians have access to the Holy Spirit, but we have to choose to let him actively work in us and through us. We have to choose to seek him out and listen to him when he speaks to us (and he will speak to us!).

The Holy Spirit is what turns a hum-drum Christian life into a daily adventure. It brings the spiritual realm alive. And when we realize that the King of Kings has issued us a personal invitation to work with him, up close and personally, each and every day, it’s sort of mind blowing, don’t you think?

Have you ever been walking through Target or Walmart and felt a nudge from God himself to pray for a stranger passing by? That’s the Holy Spirit, and it will rock your comfortable world. Have you ever felt like God was showing you something about another person and asking you to pray for them during your own personal prayer time, when you otherwise wouldn’t have known what was going on with them? That’s the Holy Spirit. He’s like Jesus without a body, living inside us, in constant communication with us. Or as constant as we’ll allow and recognize anyway. I’m telling you, it’s an adventure!

If it sounds a little scary or unpredictable, be assured – it totally is. But it’s also incredible and life changing, and with practice, it starts to feel more normal. And anyway…lives aren’t changed inside comfort zones.

Some may think the Holy Spirit is only for adults, but that couldn’t be further from the truth!

As a mother of three kids ages ten and under, I can say with confidence that many children’s church programs don’t expect enough from kids. Our family has visited quite a few churches, and I can see that it’s becoming more and more common to provide lots of entertainment, water down the lesson to include a feel-good moral, and send kids on their way. (Let me interrupt myself to say I’m not intending to criticize – leading kids’ church is hard work and I have great admiration for those to do so.) I’m sure the leaders have good reasons for going this route, but from my view, this is producing a culture of “church kids.” Church kids are great, don’t get me wrong! But I want more for my own.

I want to raise Jesus kids. Spirit kids. Kids who know they have the power of the living God himself living inside of them, accessible at the drop of a dime. Guiding them, encouraging them, and inspiring them to love the world recklessly.

And that’s why I wrote Power Up, a novel targeted to kids age 8-12. It’s a book where readers will follow an eleven-year-old girl named Lexi on a journey of transforming from a “church kid” to a “Spirit kid.” It’s an entertaining, messy, grace-filled journey of doubt and trust and empowerment.

You see, two years ago I was looking for Christian fiction books for my daughter. Everything I found was floofy (aka non-substantive). “Be a good kid and say your prayers while living your otherwise secular life” type stuff. All well and good, but my kids wanted something meatier. Something that painted a picture of what an active Christian life could look like. Something that inspired them to greater depths. And I couldn’t find it.

So I wrote it. Power Up is scheduled to release from Elk Lake Publishing around May 2019.

If you believe it’s a worthy goal to help 8-12 year olds transition from “church kids” to “Spirit kids,” would you pray with me? Pray that Power Up will make it into the hands of those who need it most. Pray that eyes are opened and lives are changed. Pray that God is glorified and the Spirit empowered. And pray that I can handle all that is asked of me when it comes to marketing and such, as it’s a bit overwhelming to think about for this introvert. Thanks for joining me on this journey – it’s so good to have you along. Your support and encouragement means the world to me.

Now let’s revisit the beginning of this post real quick. The Christian’s journey should always be evolving and growing. Are you a Christian? If not, ask yourself why not and then seek answers. Email me if you have questions that you can’t get answered and I’ll do my best to help.

Are you a God and Jesus Christian? Then think – do you want to grant the Holy Spirit access to your daily life? I promise, you won’t regret it.

Are you a God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit filled Christian? Then what can you do to open the door even a little wider for the Spirit? Give him the wheel even more fully. (This is where I am, by the way. I can always give the Spirit more control over my life.)

My prayer for you today is that you’ll take a next step. A baby step. Whatever size step you can handle right now. Give your life to God, let the Holy Spirit lead, and let the adventure unfold. And don’t forget to enjoy the ride.

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