By Darlene L. Turner There’s something gripping about a story cloaked in shadows. The kind that makes your heart pound, your breath hitch, and your eyes race across the page. But as a suspense author who also writes with a spiritual message, I’ve learned that the most powerful stories aren’t just drenched in darkness—they carry the flicker of light that …
The Promised Land of a Writer
by Ruby Cline Lee In Numbers 13, the Lord told Moses to send spies into the promised land, which resulted in conflicting reports: the land flowed with milk, honey, and . . . giants? Sadly, the undercover agents felt like tiny grasshoppers compared to the Canaanites. Not to mention, their fortified cities loomed—large and impregnable. In Chapter 14, the Israelites …
A New Headshot?
by Marilyn Turk At a recent writers’ conference, one of the speakers advised the attendees to get new headshots to keep their profiles up to date. A headshot, in case you didn’t know, is the photo of just your head, the picture of you that goes on the back of a book or on your website, Facebook page, etc. It …
An Odd Verse about Writing
by Dwight David Croy Let me share with you a verse that you may think is counterintuitive to fiction writing. II John 1:12 says, “Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete.” This …
Jot and tittle
by Dr. Dwight David Croy In Matthew 5:18 it says, “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” Literally, it means, “not one stroke of a letter” will pass away. In Luke 16:17 it says with a Greek variant, …
God’s Mighty Hero
by Maureen Miller “You need to be brave, like Gideon,” God said. “Who… me?” I replied, then busied myself. Maybe he’ll go away. But, of course, God didn’t go away. Instead, he repeated, “Be like Gideon.” He’s serious, I thought. Still, I argued. “But Father, I’m not courageous like Gideon. In fact, I’m really more like—” “Gideon,” God interrupted, “Remember, …
Well Done, My Good and Faithful Servant
by Roxanne Hicks My husband and I live on the edge of the Rocky Mountain range and are blessed with abundant wildlife which also call this home. On any given day, we’re likely to watch a variety of animals scamper, or amble, through our pastures. One morning while sipping my coffee, I witnessed a good-sized flock of wild turkeys pick …
Visible Virtues: Tangible Temperance
by Christine Sunderland @Chrisunderland Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent for many Christians. It is a day when we act out what we believe to be true, that we will live and we will die and we will be resurrected by Christ. And so an ashen cross is drawn on the forehead as we hear the words, …
Chasing Perfect Optimism
by M.D. House @real_housemd Jesus was an optimist. That seems a trite thing to say, doesn’t it? It was easy for him to be positive all the time, right? He was the Messiah, for heaven’s sake. He had a direct line to God, and angels were on call to help him. And yet, he often wept—not just for what was …
REST in Your Writing
by Susan Lyttek @SusanLyttek Today, as this posts, is my birthday. As with most of us, even if I vow not to, I compare the current me to the me of a year ago. Did I accomplish what I planned? (absolutely never) Did I grow closer to God and family? (almost always) Do I like the person I’m becoming? (never …