Next Saturday at 6 P. M. I’ll be at one of my go-to places, Coffee Cottage, in Newberg, Oregon.
I love doing in-person book signings. It’s where I get to see you in person and hear your stories and listen to your news. We can hangout and get to know each other better.
And, well, I also love coffee, so it’s a win-win.
I’ll have my books with me, especially my new release, Shine the Light.
Shine the Light is connecting with people in a way I didn’t anticipate. I didn’t realize how rare it was to have a main character with mental illness-and what that means to people who fight that battle or love someone who does.
When I first started writing about Shannon, I knew she’d overcome a lot. And even with her overcoming and being a successful adult, there were scars and hidden things she needed to deal with.
Like so many of us, growing up wasn’t easy for Shannon. My desire was to reveal her character in a way that made her accessible to people that suffer from bad childhoods, or for those who love people who did.
But I didn’t truly know how important that would be. I’ve heard from readers that Shannon’s story isn’t unique. And that her fight to overcome is inspiring. How it’s given them hope.
It’s a reminder to me how important our own stories are, and how sharing them creates empathy and can bring comfort and peace in a world running short on grace.
So I hope you’ll do that with someone. Share your story. Find another who needs a listening ear. Who needs a shoulder. You’ll be surprised at the impact it makes.
And if you’re in town next Saturday, come share with me. I’d love to listen.
At long last and with great anticipation, Shine the Light is available! I’m so excited. You can order it from any online retailer, or HERE through my publisher. If you hop to the WhiteFire site, you can read the first two chapters of any of my books for free! It’s a great way to see what the books are about. ALSO, all of my books are available signed!
If you are like me, you LOVE to have books signed by the author. Unless you happen to be at a book signing from that author, that is a huge undertaking and often can’t happen! So this is an exciting thing!
Also, you’ll notice that today (Monday), Tuesday, and Wednesday my first three novels will be offered on ebook for 99 cents respectively. That’s huge!
I hope you can take advantage of these sales. Tomorrow I’m going to share more about Shine the Light and what some lovely reviews and endorsers are saying. Please come back and check it out!
People have asked me why I don’t write fluffier stories–not that they’re complaining, mind you! The easiest answer: that’s not what is on my heart.
My books always connect to a need I see in the community. I see brokenness, and I often see people responding poorly to that brokenness because they can’t imagine how it would feel. So I write to shine a light on those issues in a way that hopefully brings understanding and compassion. Empathy. And my books always point to the giver of hope–Jesus.
Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (italics emphasis mine)
ESV
One of the most powerful things you can do for another is to validate their situation and pain by coming alongside them and just listening, maybe cry with them, and pray. Make sure they know they aren’t forgotten.
Mostly,though, I write about hard things because we all face them. In our lives, our loved one’s lives–things can be…well…hard. Sometimes even traumatic. And I want people to know their trials aren’t being overlooked. That they aren’t alone. Even though they might be facing the unimaginable, God still loves them. And if they belong to God through Jesus, He can make something beautiful out of those hard things. Nothing is wasted with Jesus. Your struggle can have meaning, and it can be used to touch lives and bring healing to them–and to you.
Is there someone on your heart right now you need to encourage? A few simple lines in a note, an email, or even a text can make all the difference in the world to them.
I used to struggle with fearing not. I know that bad things happen. There have been plenty of bad things in my life and in the lives of those I love. So, the old standby of sayings “well, what could happen?” or “it could be worse” (honestly, who wants that?), they never worked for me. I have a super good imagination (see WRITER) and I’m a professional trouble-shooter (sounds much nicer than pessimist), so my brain is very active.
I used to struggle with fear. And then I didn’t. I do have my short moments, mind you. But I spent a long time in biblical study on fear and in prayer about fear. Through meditation with the Lord, over a period of many months, I uncovered several key incidences in my life that lead me to worry and fear. I’ll tell you what I did when I faced them: I wrote them down and burned them one by one. I prayerfully asked God to heal me of those things and to teach me not to fear. Because the opposite of trusting God is fear. I had to ask myself: Did I really mean it when I said I trusted God? Mostly. I did mostly.
And I realized mostly wasn’t enough.
This year my husband was unemployed for several months. We’d been here before, and I did all the things you do when your income is cut off—I reorganized our budget, I called people and put things on hold, we cut back on everything. All the reasonable things you do. And then? I sat around in a panic and worried…NO. In fact, I didn’t fear. I wasn’t even tempted to fear that my husband wouldn’t find work. Neither of us was (fear can be catching…and I guess the lack of fear can be catching, too!) In fact, several times I actually forgot he wasn’t employed.
Did I have a memory lapse? No. I trusted God.
Do bad things happen? You bet they do. Lots. But through those bad things, God has always provided for us, comforted us, carried us, walked with us, and I knew—really knew—He would do it again. So we prayed and asked for our needs to be met and didn’t fear. This was a cognitive decision we made and Jesus sent His Holy Spirit to settle this into our hearts in a way I had never imagined possible. Let me tell you, the peace that comes from this is incredible. It overflows. And it sticks.
I’ve faced a lot of scary health things in my life. I used to fear. I used to hate the unknown, the long time it took to get a diagnosis, the in-between when my very good (see WRITER again) imagination would take hold of me. But, when I had to face the foundation of my faith, and my trust in God versus those fears, I’ve let it go (no, not like the sappy song). I trusted God for the outcome. WHATEVER THE OUTCOME. It is well with my soul. Seriously.
Here are some verses I read to remind me not to fear. They remind me that Isaiah, Moses, Jesus, and Paul had a lot of earthly reasons to fear. And instead, they bent their knee to the Father, and their pen to paper, to share with those of us still in the battle. They are commands, they are promises, they are God’s great Word of Truth.
I hope they help you, too.
Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:13 For I, the Lord your God,
hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not,
I am the one who helps you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. (and Jesus quotes this!)
Deuteronomy 31:8 It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.
Mathew 28: 18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
1 John 4:16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
Romans 8: 35-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
May our Lord remind you of His great love for you,
Last Saturday I spoke to the women at Calvary Chapel in McMinnville, Oregon about thankfulness. They were so warm and welcoming. I hope they’ll invite me back again one day. If you are looking for a home church in that area, definitely consider spending a Sunday morning there.
In a nutshell, I shared that our trust in the Father and any subsequent peace is all rooted in our thankfulness to Him. Through our thankfulness in His daily provision in spiritual matters, hardships, and joys, we are opening up lines of communication with God and deepening our relationship with Him– and seeing his provision, shows us He is trustworthy in all things. And through that trust, we know, because God is in control, we can have peace in all circumstances–just like Paul (see Philippians 4). This takes discipline, but the rewards are eternal!
Sometimes when we are in the thick of conflict or tribulation, it’s hard to count our blessings. But Paul gives us a good list to start with:
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Phil 4:8-9)
When we become mindful of God’s provision, even in one thing, we will begin to see another and another, like a thread being pulled through fabric, bringing it all together.
I pray your Thanksgiving celebration, be it large or small, is full of peace and thankfulness of heart, a time where you can number and see the blessings and great provision the Lord has for you.
In other news:
Book sale/Signing at Christmas Bazaar
I’ll be at the Hillsboro Chruch of the Nazarene (click here for address) on November 18th from 9 A.M until 3 P.M for their Christmas Bazaar. I’ll be meeting with readers, selling, and signing books. The organizer assures me there will be goodies and crafts and all manner of good things! I would love to see you there!
Hold the Light releases August 15th. YES, I said August 15th. I know!! Right?!? SO excited. And I’ll be smack in the middle of the stupendously awesome Oregon Christian Writers Summer Conference. Talk about a fun week! All the things! I’ll also be mentoring at the conference, so if you’re a budding writer, sign up and let’s chat!
There’s a rumor I’ll have my author copies in time for the conference, which makes my little author heart go pitter-patter. (Update: I HAVE THEM. THEY ARE GORGEOUS!!).
There’s really nothing like waiting for a book-baby to show up. Okay…maybe a real baby. But a book baby is the very next best thing. To me.
I’m already getting feedback on the book, and it’s wonderful to hear that my prayers in my intentions and hope are touching hearts and bringing people comfort and encouragement. That’s the second best thing to holding the book baby–touching others with big ideas that I’ve had hidden in my spirit for some time. ALSO Hold the Light will be released in audio book form for the vision impaired and audio book lovers!
How can you help a girl get the word out about her book? Share this post, pre-order Hold the Light and please, please, please write reviews!
To pre-order, click HERE. And thanks so much in advance!
To an artist, the light is everything. So what is Amber supposed to do when facing blindness?
Amber spent her life adapting first to being abandoned by her birth mother as a toddler, and then to the death of her adoptive father in her teen years. Now she s moved past all that, loving life as an independent woman: she has a job as an art instructor and the perfect apartment.
But when a routine eye appointment reveals she’s losing her sight, life comes to a halt. Pressures come at her from all sides. Her mother, her boss, her boyfriend and her closest friend, Shannon, all have ideas about what’s best for her.
Even after her blindness counselor, Ethan, befriends her and opens her eyes to new opportunities and the possibility of a deeper relationship, one haunting question remains: How could the God she loved all her life turn everything upside down again?
