By Jerri Kelley For weeks now I have been trying to write this blog. I have sat at my computer, tapped keys, erased words, left with nothing done. Prayed some more only to hear quiet. It is a privilege to write for each of you, and I want to offer you something worth reading, and instead, I have nothing. Maybe …
Freeing Righteousness
By Christine Sunderland My latest novel, Angel Mountain (Wipf and Stock, 2020), calls each of the four main characters to seek meaning in their lives. It says despair not, for your Creator loves you. Despair not, for the law of love will free you. Despair not, for angels of righteousness are on the mountain and in the caverns, lighting the …
The Faith to Finish
by Laurel Blount I’ve heard that 97% of aspiring writers fail for one specific reason. They don’t finish their books. It’s a staggering statistic—but after talking with many hopeful writers, I believe it. Even after they’ve pitched the book at a conference and been invited to submit, even when they’ve had an encouraging ‘revise and resubmit’ from an editor, their …
Resurrecting Righteousness
By Christine Sunderland Angel Mountain is a resurrection story, so I was pleased the novel was released shortly after Easter last year by Wipf and Stock Publishers. One of my main characters is Abram Levin, a Jewish refugee who converts to Christianity in his later years. He spends his last days in a sandstone cave as a hermit, singing, praying, …
A Little Sprig
By Terri Gillespie “For who despises the day of small things . . .” Zechariah 4:10a, TLV My husband and I knelt in the brittle, dry earth and dug a hole to plant a Cyprus tree. The event was part of an Israel tour I had coordinated. Since the 1900s, Jewish people and people who support Israel have purchased trees …
Called to be Light in the Darkness
By Lana Christian Photo by Nathan Jennings on Unsplash John Krasinski’s program Some Good News was a light in the darkness of 2020. Between March and May, it garnered more than 72 million views and 2.5 million YouTube subscribers. We sure could use more SGN episodes (hint, hint, ViacomCBS). But 2021 hasn’t eased authors’ social media comments about lack of …
Approval versus Love
By Tara Johnson Approval and love are not the same thing. It’s taken me a lifetime to figure that out. I desperately want people to like me. The thought of someone being displeased with me in any way causes my stomach to curdle. What’s one way to shake that cold feeling of dread? Work harder. Be more agreeable, more likeable. …
How to Photoshop Your Moods
By Kristi Holl In addition to a Covid family death, I lost two friends in December, plus my last (and favorite) uncle. Along with grieving, these losses caused a severe autoimmune flare-up for two weeks. With Christmas around the corner, I found it difficult to feel the joy of the season. And writing? That felt out of the question, so …
There Is A Cause
By Shirley Gould This year is finally coming to a close. Can you say Praise the Lord? With Christmas behind us and a new year around the corner, it is a good time to reassess where we’ve been and make goals for the future. 2020 has numbed us into a stagnant state with its quarantines, mask-wearing, and social distancing. As …
In Everything Give Thanks—Even in “Plot Twists”
by Linda Thompson As authors, we love to hand our characters plot twists. And we expect them to face them with resilience and fortitude. But what about those times when life hands us our own wild cards? Something we expected doesn’t turn out like…we expected. 2020 has dished out plenty of those. Amen? For many, this past Thanksgiving weekend epitomized …