Don't Miss It!

Here's a question for you. It's a hard one if you plan to answer it honestly. I don't need to know your answers unless you want to share them, but here's what I want to ask you.
How big is your God?
Think about it.
Is He just a convenient name you call on when you're feeling desperate? Do you only think about Him for a few minutes on Sunday morning, before your mind begins to wander and you start looking at your watch and wondering how long the sermon is going to take?
Do you keep Him in a pretty little box, limiting His power only to what you see and have been taught to believe?
Or do you bask in the presence of His glory this morning, knowing full well that only through Him will you take your next breath? Only through HIm will you make your next decision, take your next step...

I have no idea where most of you are in your lives. I know a lot of people have experienced hardships that I cannot imagine. I know I've been blessed to have a pretty good life, and although I complain, stress out and get discouraged, my trials are minimal compared to some of the things others are going through.
But God cares about all of us, no matter where we are, what we're doing or even how we feel about Him!
Do you know that? Do you believe it?
Don't miss it!

He's speaking to you in ways you can't even imagine.

Here is my example for today.
As you may know, we're building a new home. We had planned to sell our current home, but the sudden downturn in the economy has affected that decision. We're definitely not going to get the price we'd hoped for if we decide to sell right now. Stress levels have been pretty high and yes, I've been worrying.
Funny how those old habits are so hard to break. When I read His word and hear Him say "Why worry..." I tend to follow that up with a "But Lord..." Know what I mean?
Well, this morning driving home, I had the news on and there was a report about our housing market.
It wasn't good. Oops. There goes the worry generator...full speed ahead.
Back home, I'm sitting here posting my Twitter update about the bad news, feeling pretty grim.
Waiting for the repairman who's been hooking up our new stovetop to come pick up his check.
He arrives, I deliver the check and then it happened.
This older gentleman who I've never met before this week, takes my hand. "The Lord wants me to pray for you."
And he did.
And He did...through His servant who obeyed His Father.
I had no idea how much I needed that moment. Maybe a minute or two, but a moment so filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit that I can hardly write this through my tears. I am so humbled and so in awe of a Father who loves me so much that He would use a total stranger to speak to me and express that love, reminding me that He is the ONLY thing I need.
Houses will come and go, prices will rise and fall, even this world will one day pass away, but His love endures forever!
God is with us. Around us. Right in front of us.
He desperately wants to minister to us, to heal us, to love us. Whether we know we need it or not.
Don't miss it.

All About Bermuda!

Okay, since a few of you thought my platform should be Bermuda, here goes. On Mondays I will share a little of my island home with you. Feel free to ask questions or suggest topics.

Where are we located?

This is a common question and I never cease to be amazed by the answers to it. So, I'm not going to tell you. Take this handy dandy little quiz and give me your answer and I'll tell you next week.
NO research on the internet allowed!

a). Off Papua New Guinea
b). Somewhere in Florida
c). Near Jamaica
d). England. by Belfast.
e). Off the coast of North Carolina

Okay, good luck with that.
So, first things first, if you're going to come to Bermuda, here's what NOT to expect:

Starbucks. Yep, there are none. Sorry, Rachelle. I can make you a mean cappucino though.
A Mall. Again, no such thing. Well, we have a pseudo mall, a little shopping arcade called The Washington Mall. I have no idea why it's called that. We do have some nice shops, so all is not entirely lost, but if you're coming expecting to find J.Crew, Ann Taylor, The Gap...you're out of luck.
And I stay here. Bermudians do leave the island to shop on a regular basis. You can get to JFK by nine am and be home again by seven pm. If you have the bucks to drop on the airfare of course.

You will also not find many franchises as they are no longer allowed. We do have a KFC though only God knows why. No McDonald's or any of the other fast food places. Thus Bermudians live ten times longer than the rest of the world. (I made that up btw).
No AMC. If you want to go to the movies, you will have to put up with midget sized screens and seats, and projectors that break down on a regular basis.
Not much night life. Most of you are probably asking what that is anyway so no matter. If you're really bored you can listen to the tree frogs.

Okay, so why come to Bermuda at all?
How about this?

Or this?


Bermuda is Beautiful! Plain and simple. Tranquility at it's best. We have worked hard to maintain our classic island charm steeped in British tradition. We are not a ritzy, commercialized vacation destination with skyscrapers on the beach and street vendors on every corner. Times have changed some since I was a kid, and a bit of that charm has been lost in my opinion, but I still believe in Bermuda and her ability to offer a vacation paradise. If you want to kick back, relax on the beach and swim in the ocean, then this is the place for you.
We're a small island, 24 square miles long and about four wide, so it won't take you too long to explore. Just don't rent a moped. That's another post, but really, if you value your life, take a cab or bus. Water sports abound, tennis and golf readily available. You can even go horseback riding on the beach at sunrise! Not that I ever have.
We also have wonderful restaurants! I should know.
A disclaimer: If you're looking for a cheap holiday, you won't find it here. But if you want to splurge and spoil yourself, this is definitely the place for you! Of course some of you will be able to stay in a lovely little guest cottage at Chez West. I hear it's not that expensive.

Well, I hope I've wet your appetite just a little. I will be back next week with more information and hopefully you'll have some questions for me.

Who Am I? Don't ask.

If you're a writer, you know what platform is. We've all heard we need to have a 'platform', something like a springboard from which to launch your career. A lot of authors are also speakers, they write devotions or play the banjo...you know, something that makes them stand out in a crowd.
So what do you do when you don't want to stand out? Seriously, it's a valid question.
I've always been extremely shy, stop laughing right now, I mean it, I have. I hate being pulled out of a crowd or being noticed in any way whatsoever. I abhor those shows that require audience participation and avoid them at all costs. When the kids were small and we took them to a magic show for instance, I'd cringe when they would ask for volunteers from the audience and then start picking people out at random. Don't ask me how I got this way, I just did. My biggest fear of entering the Genesis competition was 'What if I actually won?" I'd have to get up on stage and make a speech. Holy Moses! Fortunately, that's never been a problem, I've never even placed.
So what then am I to do if by some miracle, let's say there's a total eclipse of the sun and all the planets are aligned and God looks down on me and grins and says, "Watch this, I'm gonna give her the shock of her life..." and wow, some wonderful editor decides to offer me a publishing contract.
I need a platform. I'm going to have to promote myself, right? Ack.
Can I do that over the internet? Do I have to leave the house?
Help me out here, folks. How do you overcome your shyness? How do you build a platform before you're published?
I'm told that having a blog is a good start. So for all of you five followers, thanks for reading!
So now that I've got that off my chest, let's drag me out of the box a little.
Anything you want to know about me? Ask away. Never been to Bermuda, want to know what it's like? Throw some questions at me. Maybe I'll make living in Bermuda my platform. I don't think
too many CBA authors can claim that one!
Okay, I'm waiting. And I promise to be polite. And not stammer.
Much.

Is It All Doom And Gloom?

How many of you are already sick and tired of hearing what a terrible year this is going to be? Raise your hand, don't be shy.
Yes, reports on the economy are bleak, businesses are closing, people are being laid off, gas is going up again, and it's said that trying to get published at this particular point in time is akin to trying to cross the Atlantic in a rowboat. So what's a gal to do?
More importantly, what's a Christian gal to do?
We're told not to worry about anything, right? Not the food we eat or the clothes we wear...why worry about tomorrow when today has enough trouble - paraphrasing, but you know, He's got a point.
Now I admit, we do need to be sensible. It's probably not a great time to go out and buy that red BMW you've been eyeing, and maybe you'll have to cut back on those trips to Starbucks, but is all lost?
Are you battening down the hatches for the predicted storm or are you going to weather it out, feet planted firmly on the ground while the waves crash around you?
I have to admit, some days I'm not sure what to do. I have some friends in dire straits and I know for sure tougher times are not what they need right now. But I do know that God is on their side. It's really hard to remember that sometimes when you listen to CNN or your local newscast, isn't it?
It's hard to put on a smile when you've just watched a good chunk of change disappear into thin air.
I don't think there's anywhere in the world that won't be affected by the US economy. Everyone is going to be feeling the pinch. I guess my point is this: Don't lose heart. Don't let things of the world have the upper hand and defeat the spiritual truths that God wants us to stand on.
These may be uncertain times, but there is one thing that IS certain.
God. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He is Everlasting.
So put your hope in Him. He will bring us all through the storm. He will provide and He will bless us if we remain in His will and follow His lead.
Weeping last through the night, but joy comes in the morning!

Follow Me!

Wow, is it just me or are there new things to click on every time you turn around? Twitter this, Facebook that, Blog this... I'm going to try not to get overloaded with technology because it can really cut into that writing time! Anyway, I've added the Follow Me feature to my blog - so if you drop by on a regular basis and want to follow me, just click on the link on the right side of the page. So far I have no followers! If you are the first you will win a free trip to Bermuda...
Ha, just kidding, but I can try to send you some sunshine!

A New Year!

Are you ready for it?
Did you celebrate the coming in of 2009 with joy, bells and whistles and hopeful anticipation of what
the coming year may bring? Or did you burrow deep beneath the covers, enveloped in darkness, trying desperately to ignore the whole thing...
I've done both. This December 31st however, I did celebrate. We had some good friends over, ate and enjoyed the fellowship and rang in the new year together. I don't think we sang though, shame.
To be honest, I'm a little mixed about the coming year. It's easy to get overwhelmed when I think of all that lies ahead. We'll be moving, which is very exciting, but also means we have to pack up this entire house, and sell it. Scary.
My son will turn sixteen this year. Very scary. He'll be driving a motorbike. Terrifying.
On the other hand, a new year brings new opportunities and second chances. I'm excited about that.
I'm not great at making resolutions or goal-setting, but this year I would like to become more disciplined in everything I do. I definitely need to get organized, but the first area I'm going to tackle is that of my spiritual focus. Because I believe if I get that right, everything else will get just a little bit easier. I've signed on to The One Year Bible website, which will give me readings every day. My goal is to do this as soon as I sit down at the computer, BEFORE I check email and Facebook.
This is going to be tough, but I think if I set the page before I go to bed at night, then when I get up it's already there. If I click out of it and do something else, my computer will throw a pie in my face. I'm telling you, these Macs are genius.
Not really, but you get the idea.
My writing goals for this year are exciting. We're going to pitching a new manuscript pretty soon, so I'm determined to keep a positive outlook no matter the response. It's all in God's hands anyway and the less I worry about it, the better off we'll all be. (Agent breathes sigh of relief...) I'm looking forward to starting a new book that's been simmering in my head for a while. I still haven't mastered the whole plotting thing, but I have to start getting something down on paper.
I'm going to do my best to keep blogging, even though I have a very small readership at the moment. Which leads me to one last point. If you ARE reading, please leave a comment and let me know who you are. I do enjoy talking to myself, but it's more fun if I know people are actually listening. Don't be a creep, be a friend.
And Happy New Year!
Shalom.