Springtime - A Season of the Spirit by Marianne Evans

Marianne Evans

Allow me to push back the hands of the clock by a couple of weeks. For a number of reasons, I ached for a spirit boost. Much weighed me down, and I longed for rejuvenation. For pure joy.

So, there I was, a 50-something, playing a spirited game of ‘chase’ through the backyard with a chattering, giggling 14-month-old. My grandson dropped by for a grandpa and grandma visit and the day was picture perfect. A glimpse of spring in all its glory. I sat next to my grand-joy and watched in fascination while he plucked grass blades and explored little sticks with the high-beam focus of a scientist on the brink of great discovery. Then, just as quickly, he looked to the sky in wide-eyed wonder as he examined the cotton ball clouds and bird life. His absorption and happiness froze me still for a time.

I fell into a much-needed sense of awe that has lingered in my soul and carries me now through a somewhat dark period of unexpectedly burying a dear and close family member.

I close my eyes and see his unencumbered joy as soft breezes skimmed his skin, sifting through his hair. He found delight by simply bouncing on his bottom in the cool, sweet grass. His smile and laughter, and even his singing, carried to us while we took him on a stroller ride through our neighborhood.

His reaction to the world around him left me thinking about passion, uncomplicated happiness, and that spontaneous burst of happiness that can take a soul by storm and lift you high.

Jesus advised: Focus on the moment. Don’t re-hash the past or fret over the future (of course, I paraphrase here… ::smile!::) We’re not in the past any longer, and only God knows the future. Live for now. Savor every blessing that comes to life in every season of your life.

Those moments, that truth, is helping me to find ‘spring’ – not just in the changing of the seasons, but in the attitude of my heart as well. Happy Easter season, friends, and tell me, how do you find and celebrate your own Resurrections? 

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Marianne Evans is an award-winning author of Christian romance and fiction. Her hope is to spread the faith-affirming message of God’s love through the stories He prompts her to create. Devotion, earned the Bookseller’s Best Award as well as the Heart of Excellence Award. Hearts Communion earned a win for Best Romance from the Christian Small Publisher's Association. She is also a two-time recipient of the Selah Award, Then & Now for Best Contemporary Romance and Finding Home for Best Novella. Marianne is a lifelong resident of Michigan and an active member of Romance Writers of America, most notably the Greater Detroit Chapter where she served two terms as President.

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Amy Monarch is a tireless volunteer at the Dupont Rescue and Recovery Center, an establishment for the destitute founded by her mother. There, Amy has kept her identity a carefully guarded secret. She is actually Princess Amelia Marguerite Louise DeLaGrande of Remeth. Working at Dupont offers the opportunity to serve in blessed disguise.

Fresh into a promising career in commercial real estate brokerage, Patrick Sawyer returns to the picturesque isle of Remeth intending to reconnect with his collegiate study abroad friends and figure out 'what's next' in his life. Since his father's passing, the world he knows leaves him uninspired. He volunteers at Dupont during his visit and becomes enchanted by Amy.

But Amelia is trapped within a silken web. When she reveals who she is, Patrick pulls back. He's not interested in royalty--at all--but how can she ever break free? How can she find a way to service and God's plan for her life? Most of all, how can she reconcile the call she feels toward a remarkable man who may be 'common,' yet is 'uncommon' when it comes to matters of the heart?

Are We Only Looking for a Healing Miracle? by Zoe M. McCarthy

In studying and teaching the Gospel of John this year, I’ve learned to look at people suffering from long-lasting conditions differently. I see many as strong, heroic, and doing their Father’s work.

Familiar Joni Eareckson Tada has progressively suffered quadriplegia, chronic pain, and breast cancer. Actually, I don’t think suffer is the right word. The more correct word is used. She has learned to use the physical attacks on her to do her Father’s work. She has received the bonus of a much closer relationship with her Lord.

In the article in Christianity Today, “Joni Eareckson Tada on Something Greater than Healing” by Sarah Pulliam Bailey, Joni relates, “In John 14, Jesus says, ‘Anyone who has faith in me will do … even greater things than these.’ We tend to think Jesus was talking about miracles, as if Jesus were saying, ‘Hey guys, look at these miracles! One day, you’ll do many more miracles than me!’

“The thing that Jesus was doing wasn't necessarily the miracles. He was giving the gospel; he was advancing his kingdom; he was reclaiming the earth as rightfully his. When Jesus gave that promise, he was saying, ‘I'm giving you a job to do, my Father and I want the gospel to go forth, and I promise you’ll have everything you need to get that job done, and you’ll do an even better job than me.’ Jesus ministered for three years, and at the end, he had a handful of disciples who half-believed in him. After Jesus went to heaven and the Holy Spirit came down – my goodness, Peter preaches one sermon and thousands believe. That’s the greater thing that God wants us to do.”

Joni goes on to list the types of medical persons who ask her the tough questions about her illnesses and her faith. She is delighted at the chance to answer their questions.

Perhaps you are thinking, “Well that’s the convictions of one celebrity invalid. Many other Christians don’t see their suffering that way.” That’s true, but I am seeing more and more who do.

Take friend John for example. After a diagnosis of MS, he went about his Father’s work. From his wheelchair, he has become a Christian lay speaker, gives the children’s message in church, and he and his wife deliver shawls and pray with suffering people in the community. What an example of hope for children and adults. He says he has enjoyed a much deeper relationship with the Lord since the onset of his illness, and that he’s thankful that God healed him from a recent serious fall so he can continue to serve his Lord.

Before I thought of these two examples, God showed me how Jesus used healing miracles as signs to reveal that He is the Lord who came to save people from their sins. Some examples are: healing the man at the Sheep Gate pool, the royal official’s son, and the man born blind. Jesus was faithfully doing His Father’s work. Although Jesus compassionately healed, calling people to faith, change, and doing His Father’s work as disciples was his priority.

The Lord Jesus was full of joy after leading the Samaritan woman and her townspeople to faith in Him. He told His disciples that doing His Father’s will was his food (John 4:34). Doing our Father’s work will fill us with joy too.

Today’s Upper Room devotion spoke of how we are to embrace what God is doing in our lives. As Jesus told the church in Philadelphia in Revelation 3, God has placed before us open doors of opportunity that no one can shut. No matter what our condition is, we don’t want to miss those opportunities. Paul understood this. He said: “But one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.” (Philippians 3:13)

Whatever God has called us to do is powerful work. He gives us the miracle of His power to do His work.

Are you suffering from a “thorn in your side” or something more debilitating? Can you be about your Father’s work, even if you’re only able to offer intercessory prayers for others?

Are We Only Looking for a Healing Miracle? Click to Tweet.

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Zoe M. McCarthy believes the little-known fact that opposites distract. Thus, she spins Christian contemporary romances entangling extreme opposites. Her tagline is: Distraction to Attraction, Magnetic Romances Between Opposites. Her first novel is Calculated Risk. She has two more contemporary romances and a nonfiction book to help writers ready their manuscripts coming out soon. She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She enjoys leading workshops on the craft of writing; speaking about her faith; planning fun events for her 5 grandchildren; and exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains, where she lives with her husband, John.

Learn more about Zoe M. McCarthy at her website: http://zoemmccarthy.com

Calculated Risk

What happens when an analytical numbers man meets a mercurial marketing Rep? Romance is a calculated risk…

Jilted by the latest of her father’s choices of “real men,” Cisney Baldwin rashly accepts an invitation to spend Thanksgiving weekend with a sympathetic colleague and his family. Nick LeCrone is a man too much her opposite to interest her and too mild-mannered to make her overbearing father’s “list.” Now, Cisney fears Nick wants to take advantage of her vulnerable state over the holiday. Boy, is she wrong.

Nick wants little to do with Cisney. She drives him crazy with all her sticky notes and quirks. He extended an invitation because he felt sorry for her. Now he’s stuck, and to make matters worse, his family thinks she’s his perfect match. He’ll do what he can to keep his distance, but there’s just one problem—he’s starting to believe Cisney’s magnetism is stronger than he can resist.

Purchase links for Calculated Risk: http://zoemmccarthy.com/books

Focus on Joy by Angela Arndt

Carolina Jasmine Against a Stormy Sky

An uplifting Wednesday night Bible study collides with one brutal gunman consumed with hate. Nine lives lost. Countless forever changed. A world grieves.

I live in South Carolina, only two hours away from the Holy City — Charleston, South Carolina. I’ve passed that church so many times. I heard that pastor speak in our Senate last month. Tonight, network and cable news reveal every hateful detail of the villain’s murderous plot. Nine men and women who loved the Lord and died as martyrs.

Sometimes we have to look past the pain and grief to find our joy again. Look for that tiny bit of yellow against a vast expanse of gray. Romans 12:21 says, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." The good is there, we just have to change our focus.

Writers are sensitive souls. We grieve deeply when tragedy knocks, whether it is at our door or someone else's. Our souls connect with others across the country, across the world. How can we build fictional worlds when real ones have been forever destroyed? But John 1:5 reminds us, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

You may be facing writer's block today because of the Charleston tragedy, inhaling the information, taking it to heart. Pray for those afflicted by tragedy, but stop watching the news reports. Check out of social networks for a day or two if you need to.

Try pouring your grief into another kind of work. Steven Curtis Chapman was inspired to write Charleston, a beautiful song that reminds us: love overcomes evil with good.

Here's a few other ideas to help you focus on joy:

• Allow God’s love to heal your heart. Wait until you hear your story again. 
• Each one of the Charleston families refused to inherit the hate from that killer. Instead, they offered forgiveness to the man who killed their mother, father, sister or brother. That’s God’s power at work. If hate is filling your heart, pray that you’ll be able to forgive.
• Focus on today, not tomorrow and what-ifs. Focus on the present, not the past or what-could-have-been.
• Seek God’s joy with all your heart. You can find several good online devotions through YouVersion.com (where you can download a mobile app) or BibleGateway.com. 
• If you can’t work through your grief, ask for help. Don’t stop until you find someone who will provide it. Don't let it fester within you.
• Recognize you may need to spend some time alone. It’s hard to do if you have a family, I know. Go to your bedroom. Go to your bathroom! (I remember what it’s like to have a six-year-old following you around.) Ask a friend or a family member to watch your child(ren) for an hour or so. Breathe.
• Take care of yourself. Remember that you’re more than a writer. Don't beat yourself up if you can't write, right now. Just do what you are able.

There comes a time, after the weeping, when we allow God’s power to heal our hearts. A time when we can focus on joy.

About the Author

Angela Arndt

Angela Arndt enjoys writing mysteries set in small Southern towns. Coincidentally, she, her husband, and their three very large dogs (a lab mix, Staffordshire terrier, and a 12 pound poodle) live in the middle of a big wood outside a small Southern town. She would love for you to visit her website, http://www.angelaarndt.com, or her team blog, http://seriouslywrite.blogspot.com.

Enjoy His Best by Susan Tuttle

Susan Tuttle

If you’ve seen me around other social media sites recently, you’ve seen this verse:

Enjoy the best of Jesus. Romans 16:20 (MSG)

Those five little words are making an imprint on my heart this holiday season. Enjoying the best of Jesus. What a command. And one we need to grab onto. I’m checking it out in all aspects of my life and wonder, how do we do that with our writing?

We ask Him.

“Lord, what is the best you have for me with my writing?”

And I’m not talking success. I mean, sure, we’d love to see our books in print, but what if his best for you far surpasses a physical book in your hand? What could be even better? Forgiveness. Unconditional love. Breaking through bondages. Healed hurts. Sealed memories. Joy…ohhhh, JOY!

See, each book we write, each devotional we type, each article strung together…they are not meant to only change those around us, but to minister to our very own hearts, too. That’s because God uses that gift he’s woven into you to bring you his very best also. Yes, it’s simply amazing that he’ll use it to touch others, but sometimes we forget while we’re ministering to those around us, he wants to minister to us.

So this season I’m challenging you to wake up each day and enjoy the best of Jesus. All his best qualities:

Healer – Psalm 30:2
Lover of Our Souls – Jeremiah 31:3
Redeemer – Isaiah 47:4, Matthew 1:21
Bondage Breaker – Isaiah 9:4
Restorer – Joel 2:25
Comforter – 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Joy-Giver – Psalm 16:11
Conqueror – Romans 8:37

Add your own to that list, because he is all you need! Enjoy all he has to offer! Don’t leave a scrap of it behind! It’s the very reason he came. AMEN!

(Oh, I know, exclamation points in writing, but little periods just weren’t doing it for me. If we can’t get excited about what God has done for us, I don’t know what we’ll get excited about! ***smile*** Have a very Merry Christmas!)

About Susan:

Susan Tuttle is a homeschooling mom of three who is crazy about coffee, dark chocolate, and words—both reading and writing them. Combine that love of words with her passion for leading women to a life-changing encounter with Christ, and you’ll find her crafting Inspirational Contemporary Romance stories laced with humor, love, and healing transformations. When not cheering on her Ironman hubby, chasing the family dog, or tackling complex math problems to teach her kids (yes, even the third grader), you can catch Susan at her blog, Steps.

Inexpressible and Glorious Joy by Lillian Duncan

Lillian Duncan

Do you remember when you were first inspired to write? Have you found joy in your calling? Lillian Duncan is here to encourage us as we kick off another writing week. ~ Annette

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.

(1 Peter 1:8 NIV)

This verse brings a smile to my lips and heart. The question is how do you find that inexpressible and glorious joy?

First, we must become a child of God, but what happens after that? I’m sure there are many paths to finding that inexpressible and glorious joy, but for me it’s been pursuing my God-given dream—to be a writer.

Following my dream has given me joy and a purpose in my life. I can’t imagine how empty my life and heart would be without my writing.

The specifics of your God-given dream are different from mine. Whatever they are, they will bring you joy and a purpose not only when you reach their fulfillment but during the journey as well. Our dreams are important to God, His Kingdom, and this world. Paul talks about this:

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

(1 Corinthians 12:4-7 NIV) 

As each of us follows our God-given dreams, they will work together for the common good of all. Imagine a world where dreams come true, where each of us is free to be the person God created us to be, where each of us experiences that glorious and inexpressible joy that comes from pursuing and reaching our dreams.

It sounds pretty awesome, don’t you think? But real life is real life. We have bills to pay and responsibilities to meet. I am not advocating giving up your job, running off to Tahiti to become the writer, artist, or whatever you’ve always dreamed of. But with prayer, I’m sure you can find a way to pursue your dream and still live in the real world.

And somewhere in the middle of the process, you’ll find your glorious and inexpressible joy. 

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Lillian Duncan writes stories of faith mingled with murder & mayhem. She writes the type of books she loves to read—suspense with a touch of romance. Whether as an educator, a writer, or a speech pathologist, she believes in the power of words to transform lives, especially God’s Word. To learn more about Lillian and her books, visit: www.lillianduncan.net or www.lillian-duncan.com. She also has a devotional blog at: www.PowerUpWithGod.com 

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Deception

Twins are supposed to have an unbreakable bond, but Patti and Jamie have serious relationship issues. They haven’t spoken since Jamie ruined Patti’s upcoming nuptials years ago. When a niece she knows nothing about telephones, Patti must unravel the yarn of Jamie’s life and her mysterious disappearance.

Detective Carter Caldwell takes his job seriously, and it's his job to keep Patti and her niece safe. But Patti is determined to help find her sister. As the investigation grows more dangerous, Carter begrudgingly admits the safest place for Patti is at his side.

Each step in their journey leads them closer to the truth but pulls them further down a road filled with danger and deception, where each will battle for survival and the lives of countless Americans.

Is The Drive For Success Stealing Your Joy? Part Three by Rita A. Schulte

Rita A. Schulte

Last week Rita shared with us how our beliefs can ruin our joy. Today she helps us change our perspective so we can reclaim our joy again. I hope you've enjoyed this series. ~ Angie

Looking through a different lens 

Solomon was a wise man. In the book of Ecclesiastes he poses a powerful question, “What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?” Some people read this book and think it’s depressing and filled with ancient philosophies. I would argue that it’s extremely relevant for today because it examines what people believed, and how those beliefs impacted how they viewed life.

Solomon was a searcher. His searching mind examined life to see what was behind people’s motives. He received fame and became greater than all who went before him. He obsessed about success and every worldly pursuit. His conclusion: “Vanity of vanities.” This word means “emptiness, futility, or meaninglessness.” Solomon decided there was only momentary pleasure for all his toil, and each time he repeated it, he got less enjoyment from it.

Solomon counted the cost for success and concluded that nothing would satisfy. No amount of fame, fortune or pleasure. We too must ask ourselves if all the “chasing after the wind” will ultimately satisfy our souls. The point of Ecclesiastes is that God intends for us to have joy, but real joy comes from the hand of God and begins with accepting that He is in charge no matter what circumstances or disappointments we face. When we understand that, we can view rejection through a different lens, one that assures us that God is still up to something even though we’ve been let down.

When we look through the lens of possibilities we can change or modify our beliefs about success and failure. Here are a few discouragement busters to consider:

• Focus on the bigger picture 
• Watch for negative self talk 
• Place your faith in God not in your circumstances 
• Cultivate gratefulness 

What disappointments are you facing today? What beliefs are robbing you of the joy that is already yours in Christ? Begin today to cultivate an attitude of gratefulness by refusing to let the drive for success steal your joy. Thank God that he has gifted you as a storyteller---then sit back and enjoy the journey!

About the Author

Rita A. Schulte is a licensed professional counselor in the Northern Virginia/DC area. She is the host of Heartline Podcast and Consider This. Her shows can be heard on 90.9FM in Lynchburg, Va. and 90.5 FM in NC, and on BlogTalk Radio, and the Womens Radio Network.

Rita writes for numerous publications and blogs. Her articles have appeared in Counseling Today Magazine, Thriving Family Magazine, Kyria and Living Better at 50. Her book on moving through the losses of life will be released in 2013. Follow her atwww.ritaschulte.com, on FB at http://www.facebook.com/RitaASchulte and twitter @heartlinepod. Her blog, Life Talk Today is www.ritaschulte.com/blog.