Flip Flop Gratitude

At first, it annoyed me. Three pairs of flip flops strewn across my entryway. A plastic baseball bat peeking out from under the hall table. A baseball mitt carelessly tossed onto the third step.

It was late, and I was tired. I wanted to yell. But as I started picking up the remainders of a beautiful, breezy day, it was as if God whispered in my ear, “Be thankful.”

“But God,” I started to say, “they’re old enough to know better. They need to pick up after themselves.”

“Be thankful,” the still small voice said again.

Someday, when they’re grown and gone, I’ll wish for flip flops to litter the hallway rug. I’ll give anything to hear the laughter of my children playing a game of baseball in the front yard with their friends... and see the plastic bat peeking out from under the hall table.

So for now, I choose to be thankful. I choose to remember that even though my children are “old enough to know better,” sometimes they forget. Just like I do. And if God can be patient with me and all my faults, then I can pick up a pair of flip flops every now and then.

And be thankful.

School in the Woods...

This afternoon we took our homeschool studies to Mounds State Park for a romp on the trails. The woods were softly decorated with the most delicate spring wildflowers, like these pretty Wild Phlox...

 intricate Shooting Stars...

and cheery Wild Geraniums.

While the girls were busy jogging down the trails...

Trey found a little cave just his size!

We even met a new "friend" - although he really didn't seem all that happy to meet us!

And we almost had an encounter with a bear cub... Oh, wait, that's a tree stump! ;-)

These are the days I cherish, the extraordinarily beautiful days that remind me what a gift God has given me in the form of three beautiful children made in His image. "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights." James 1:17

Leaving a Legacy

The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it. ~ William James

Until I had children, I never thought much about legacy. Wasn't that something elderly people pondered at the end of their lives? After all, everyone always talks about leaving a legacy, as if it were something you could only do AFTER you left this life. But is that really true? Are we only leaving a legacy or are we building one day by day, with every word spoken and every action performed before the watchful eyes of our children?

Lately, my husband has been researching the history of our area, and what he has found has completely revolutionized my view of the phrase leaving a legacy. Since we homeschool and have a flexible schedule, we decided to spend a few days last week to take a "legacy field trip" of our area. We embarked on our first day with a sense of mystery and excitement, about to uncover the secrets of our county.

One of the places we visited was a spot along the White River (above), which was once the site of a mission built by Moravian missionaries. In 1801 John Peter Kluge, his wife Anna Maria, and 24-year-old co-missionary Abraham Luckenbach bravely journeyed from Goshen, Pennsylvania to Madison County, Indiana to evangelize the Delaware Indians. They were the first white people in our area.

These missionaries endured unbelievable hardships, loneliness, and discouragement as they sought to share their faith with the native Americans. Although many of the Delaware Indians came to believe in the missionaries' Jesus, they were persecuted and often killed for their new found faith. After five years, the disheartened missionaries packed up their belongings and left the area, feeling responsible for the lost lives of their converts.

They were now confronted by the grim reality of their situation. They were not merely in danger themselves. They were bringing death to the poor creatures whom they were seeking to save.... They gathered together their little belongings, and, on September 16, 1806, the missionaries, with the two little sons that had been born here to Brother and Sister Kluge, and a few faithful Indian converts, bade a sorrowful farewell to their home in the wilderness and turned back on the long journey to civilization and friends. The mission to the Delawares on White River was ended. ~ from History of the Moravian Mission Among the Indians Along the White River in Indiana

I'm sure as they tearfully left their home in the wilderness, the Kluges didn't think they were leaving much of a legacy behind in Madison County, Indiana. But God knew otherwise. Little did they know that the area they left would one day be the site of the world headquarters of the Church of God and home to hundreds of Protestant churches.

This bronze tablet (above) still stands on the roadside in honor of the missionaries who dedicated their lives to show the Indians the love of the Great Creator. Though they thought they had failed, in God's eyes they were more than conquerors.

As parents, we, too, may often think we're failing. We're not good enough examples. We grow weary, we snap, become impatient with our children, don't show enough love. But if we seek God's help and wisdom while building our legacy, we can be sure that His will WILL ultimately be carried out in the lives of our children in His perfect time. So instead of waiting to leave a legacy, start building one today!

Psalm 103:17-18 ~ From everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children - with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

Edit Yourself!

Editing, rewriting, second draft, revision... no matter what terms we use, this part of the writing process is inevitably the part we all dread. After all, it's hard work to edit your writing, and writing is supposed to be fun, right? Ummm... well, yes and no.

At a writer's conference I attended last fall, New York Times best-selling author Jerry B. Jenkins addressed editing issues in a session called "Thick-Skinned Critiques." A few brave conference attendees sent in the first page of their manuscripts and let Jerry have at it. And have at it, he did! The normally mild-mannered writer was like a surgeon during the Civil War, brutally hacking away limbs with no anesthesia. OK, maybe he was a bit more gracious than that, but by the time he was finished, the page was definitely bleeding with editing marks. (He actually used a green pen instead of a red one; maybe he thought it would look less brutal that way.)

In a nutshell, Jenkins' main advice to writers was simple: Less is more. Omit needless words. "Avoid throat clearing," he said, "and get on with the story!"

Here are a few of the tips he gave -- words of wisdom from someone who has sold millions and millions of books.

1. Avoid subtle redundancies. Change "He blinked his eyes." to "He blinked." What else are you going to blink besides your eyes?
2. Give the reader credit. Resist the urge to explain. Example: "Marian was mad. She pounded the table. 'George you're going to drive me crazy!' she said angrily." Jenkins deleted "Marian was mad" and "she said angrily." We already know she's angry by her actions and dialogue. Good point!
3. Don't put quotation marks around words or phrases you think your reader won't "get." See? I just did it! 
4. Delete the word that.
5. Avoid telling what's NOT happening. "She didn't say anything."
6. Don't use the term "literally" unless you mean it. "My eyes literally fell out of my head." Really? That's scary!
7. Use strong nouns and verbs, but avoid being an adjectival maniac. "The brilliant, glowing sun set against the ominous, dreary background of the creepy, haunted house." Ugh!
8. Avoid the words up and down. "She sat down on the couch."
9. Avoid attributing dialogue (he said, she said) unless absolutely necessary. Sometimes this is more distracting to the reader.
10. Avoid hedging verbs. "He frowned a bit." "She gave a half smile."

Try out these nuggets of wisdom the next time you're self-editing. In the words of Sean Connery (from the movie Finding Forrester): "Write the first draft with your heart and the second draft with your head."

The Future of Publishing?

And so the debate continues... what IS the future of the publishing industry? I love, love, LOVE this YouTube video that Jan Stob, senior editor at Tyndale House Publishers, introduced to her workshop attendees (yours truly being one of them) at a recent writer's conference. Stick with it until the end -- there's quite a surprise waiting for you about halfway through. And it's absolutely amazing.

Me? A Traitor?

At first I felt like a traitor. Hunkered down under the covers, a soft glow illuminating my face, while my early-rising husband slumbered beside me. Noiselessly, I turned each page by tapping my finger on the edge of the screen. But the more I read on my Nook for iPhone app, the more I began to like it. I justified my traitorous actions by reminding myself that I still loved real books, and I would never cease to purchase the paper and ink tomes that lined my bookshelves. Really. Scout's honor. After all, I've been a writer and editor all of my adult life. How could I possibly abandon real books for digital ones? Of course, I couldn't. I wouldn't. Never!

Does anyone else feel pangs of guilt when reading an e-book? Maybe it's just me. Every time I swipe my finger across the screen to turn the page, I feel like I'm single-handedly contributing the demise of the printed page as we know it.

So, what's a reader/writer to do? I've finally come to terms with the fact that it's not an either/or decision. When it comes to e-books vs. real books, I can have my cake and eat it too. I love the portability and convenience of the e-book, but for me, a digital reader can never replace the tactile experience of holding a book and turning real pages. And guess what? It doesn't have to! So why limit myself to one or the other?

And for writers... the opportunities in e-book publishing are phenomenal. Just last week, I heard an informative webinar on publishing your book digitally. My eyes have been opened to this mysterious new world of e-books, and I like what I see. Do you?

For more great info on e-publishing, check out these helpful blogs: http://www.thecreativepenn.com/ and http://www.bookbuzzr.com/blog/.

Facebook and Twitter and Youtube... Oh my!

Ten years ago, Facebook didn't exist, and "twitter" was the cheery, chirping sound you heard from birds on the other side of the window pane. Now, it's hard to imagine our world without these social media phenomena.

A few months ago, I attended a writer's conference where Holley Gerth of http://www.incourage.me/ presented an amazing workshop on "10 Trends Every Writer Needs to Know." Holley played the above video clip, "Socialnomics."  The power of social media presented here will absolutely blow you away.

Our world is changing at the speed of light. Social media provides Christians with the awesome opportunity to shine the light of the gospel to a hurting world. Are we using our "small talk" on Facebook and Twitter for good? "Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:16