Bring On '08!

Yes, I'm ready for a new year.
In many ways, 2007, soon to be history, was a year of challenges. Personal, spiritual, emotional.
One thing I learned about myself, which I already knew but ignore most of the time, is that when
the going gets tough, I tend to hide under the covers.
I really hate that. I'd love to be able to face a challenge head on, confident in knowing that no matter what it is, how difficult or seemingly insurmountable, God will see me through. I know that in my heart but my head often races ahead and decries faith in favor of doom and gloom.
The amazing thing is, God comes through despite my pitiful lack of faith.
How gracious He is.
When I weep and fall apart at an unexpected turn in the road, I know I fail Him as well as others who may look to me for direction. So the cart has tipped over and apples are running away into muddy ditches...I still have the apple orchard. Next year, there will be a new crop. A better crop.
And I pray I will respond in a different way when challenges come.
Nobody likes to be hurled into the ditch. It's messy. It hurts. You may even come out with a few bruises. But it's necessary. It's how we grow. At those times we learn what it is to fully rely on God. I think God uses those experiences to teach us yet again that He is the only constant in this life.
I know even now, hours away from this new year, that it's going to be a challenging one.
We're building a house. Exciting, but very stressful.
I'm writing a book that will hopefully sell, thus God willing, I'll finally embark on a career as a novelist. One who actually sells books. How cool would that be? More excitement, yet I know there is much hard work ahead.
We have a beautiful daughter who's turning into a woman before our eyes, and a son who seems to be growing by the second. Awesome and terrifying in the same breath.
Life is full. Rich in blessings and ripe with promise despite the uncertain times we live in.
But I want more. More of Him.
Jesus.
I want Him to be my life breath. My heartbeat.
The reason I do what I do.
The reason I am who I am.
I've fallen short one too many times, but I'm sitting up, taking His hand, and letting Him pull me up out of the mire and on to the path of righteousness again.
I press on. And I pray this year, I will not fail Him.
Because I know one thing for sure.
He will never fail me.

Merry Christmas!

I'll be taking off for a while. We're getting ready for Christmas, my daughter is home from university, and I'm
looking forward to much needed family time and hopefully a bit of rest and relaxation - after the turkey comes
out of the oven!!
I pray you and yours will enjoy a very blessed Christmas, and I shall return in the New Year.

What does the future hold now?

We're just hours over a major election here in Bermuda. The fight was a nasty one, the outcome pretty much expected.
Unfortunately I feel this morning that Bermuda has turned a corner and is spiraling downward.
I'm sorry to say I don't really care for politics. From what I've experienced in the past ten years, my country is going backwards, not forwards. I can only anticipate more of the same. But the majority has spoken.
Be careful what you wish for.
I'm fortunate not to have young children at this point in time. I'm sorry to say if I did, I'd be packing my bags.
I fear for the future of this island. I was born and raised here. It is my home. Yet I feel somehow unwelcome and not represented by those who claim to care for all Bermudians.
But I can rest in the knowledge that God is STILL in control.
I do not need to fear my future. I can rest in Him. I know He will take care of me and my family. And He will guide us
in decisions that need to be made.
For now, I suppose it's with a great deal of caution that I welcome in 2008.
I am greatly saddened that in such a time as this, racism still rears its ugly head here in Bermuda and appears to rule over wise decision making.
Hatred is spewed by those who have been elected to lead us. We have cast a vote in favor of immorality and corruption.
Soon I fear we will no longer be singing God save the Queen or God save anything...
God save us from ourselves.
God save Bermuda.

Tradition

Almost everyone I know has some kind of tradition revolving around Christmas.
Some people hang popcorn and cranberry garlands on their tree. Some open their presents
on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day. Some go carol singing. The list goes on.
Every family has at least one thing they do a little differently.
I've decided we also have a family tradition.
We get sick.
Each year without fail, one or more of us comes down with something right around the holidays.
Some years it's been the flu. One year I had such severe neck pain I could hardly move.
This year it's my son's turn to carry on the family tradition.
He's got Chicken Pox.
Yep. We always wondered if he might have contracted a mild case of them when he was a baby,
because when his sister broke out with them at age nine, he remained immune. We even went as
far as having her spit on him...okay, well, no, we didn't. But you get the idea.
He never got them.
I was just saying to my sister I should get him tested to see if he has the virus...
I guess God figured He'd answer the question Himself.
Poor Chris. He broke out yesterday with just a few spots, but feeling really sick. Today he's covered.
Thankfully the rest of us have had them, so we're okay, but he will have to miss more school.
This is one family tradition I'd like to break.
Let's pray that next year we'll make a new tradition! I don't much like this one.

Light At the End of the Tunnel...

I'm sensing a theme here...
If you are a writer, you know that the journey to publication is long, and sometimes painful. Unless you write because you know you're called to it by God, it's tempting to just give up.
I've been there.
Too many times to number over the years, I remember thinking, "Forget it! It's not worth the agony. I'll never make it."
I really wanted to give up.
I didn't.
I'm so thankful for the many wonderful writer friends I have who stood by me on those days and urged me to keep going.
I'm enormously grateful to the mentors God has given me, who give so willingly of their time and effort, and actually tell me that
I AM a good writer! No, I don't pay them.
As each year passes, getting published seems to become more difficult.
Most publishing houses won't look at your work unless you have a literary agent, and some literary agents won't look at your work unless you've been published! Perhaps this sheds a better light on the temptation to give up!
I've been at this for more years than I'm willing to share with you, but I can tell you that I've recently crossed the border between No Man's Land and Now We're Getting Somewhere!
I have a literary agent willing to work with me toward my goal of publication!
There is light at the end of the tunnel!
So what does that mean?
I'm glad you asked.
It's means that I have someone in my corner. Someone who believes in my work, and trusts I can do what needs to be done
to give it the best shot at publication. It is really exciting to be able to get this far.
It does NOT mean I automatically have book contracts being tossed at me.
If only...
To an unpublished author, however, having an agent working with you means you have a better chance of your work being taken seriously at a publishing house. Don't forget though, YOU have to do the work first! Your agent is not a ghostwriter, nor does he or she possess a magic wand that automatically skyrockets your novel to bestselling status. That would be pretty cool, but I don't thik it works that way.
Perseverance. A willing and humble spirit. An open mind. And a desire to follow your God-given dream.
That's what works.
For me at least. And for many other writers I know.
So if you're truly committed to becoming a published author, put the time in. Join writers groups, (American Christian Fiction Writers ROCKS!), go to conferences, make connections online and in person i.e. Network. You never know who you may run in to that just may be a stepping stone on your path to publication. God loves those Divine Appointments.
Believe in yourself. This is tough for many of us, but it's going to be hard for anyone else to take an interest in what you've got if you're not sure it's a winner yourself.
Be good to yourself. Do not forgo your times with God, or friends or family for the sake of writing 2,000 words a day.
Pray, pray and pray some more. Listen to God and do what He tells you.
Love what you do and know that there IS light at the end of the tunnel!
And lastly, my favorite saying: "When it's not fun anymore, stop."