I’m not a big fan of suffering. I prefer to avoid it. Completely. And who would blame me? We live in a culture that values ease, peace, and prosperity above all else. Our own Declaration of Independence declares that we are endowed by our Creator with the right to the pursuit of happiness. Now I’m a big fan of the Founding Fathers,… [ read more ]

A few weeks ago, our community lost a young man in Afghanistan. He’d been there less than three weeks. I didn’t know the soldier or his family, but I was so moved by the outpouring of support from our citizens. While people lined the highways and gathered to protect the grieving family from protesters, I began to read… [ read more ]

Are you feeling a little blue? Post-Christmas malaise settling in? Are you thinking that there will be no more gifts for a year and you’re a bummed about that? Well, then I’ve got great news! The fine folks at Tyndale House Publishers will be giving one of my blog readers a copy of Tony Dungy’s latest book, The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge . **If you… [ read more ]

One of the things I am most thankful for is that my husband is a reader. I come from a family of readers and I’m not sure what I would do if I couldn’t share my love of books with him. I’m always on the hunt for authors Brian will enjoy, but he reads with… [ read more ]

I think the truest test of the power of a book is whether or not it lingers in your mind long after you’ve turned the last page. And if, in the lingering, it inspires you to change. Based on that definition, One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp is a powder keg in hardback. I was a little skeptical at first. I… [ read more ]

Prayer is not my specialty. I believe in it. I’m a big fan of it. At least, I think I am. The harsh reality is that while I have good intentions, my follow through leaves a little, something, a lot to be desired. I find myself wondering if it really makes any difference? If God… [ read more ]

I am a total Martha. Not Martha Stewart. Trust me. The decorating gene chuckled, laughed, snorted hysterically as it skipped by me. I’m talking about Martha. From the Bible. I am often “anxious and troubled about many things” and I am not above pointing out to God that “Hey, I’m busting my tail here and… [ read more ]

Some of the first “grown up” books I can remember reading were in the historical fiction genre. “Prairie romances” I think they’re called now. These days, I still love reading books set in a different time, where the plot and characterizations are influenced by the mores of the day and both time and place are… [ read more ]

I’m thrilled to kick off the blog tour for Social Media Marketing for Writers . Edie Melson is one of my favorite people. She has taken me under her wing and carved time out of her schedule to mentor me as I navigate the winding path to publication. Here are a few things you should know about Edie: 1. She is the… [ read more ]

I read a lot of books on writing. I have to. I blog about them once a month, over at  The Write Conversation . And so far, I’ve learned something valuable from each book I’ve read. However, I can’t say they’ve all been page-turners. Useful? Absolutely. Pleasurable reading? Not always. Let’s face it. Some books on the craft of… [ read more ]