What Calms You Most? by Zoe M. McCarthy

My dear friend’s hip was in bad shape. She experienced much pain, especially at night. She could no longer sit on the floor with her great-grandchildren, and this devastated her. It determined her to schedule surgery for the love of her little ones. While she waited months for surgery, she didn’t let her pain keep her from coming to Bible Study. During the study, she told us that when she was with us deep in God’s word, her pain left her. The surgery went so well the doctor sent her home the following night. She has left me two phone messages. Praising God often, she said she no longer has pain, only soreness.

Zoe M. McCarthy

The bolded sentence above touched me and made me think of others in great physical or emotional pain.

Are you anxious, fearful, in pain, and sleepless?

Perhaps you have a

• book releasing in a few days,
• speaking engagement,
• pitch scheduled with an editor or agent,
• test results pending,
• surgery tomorrow,
• court appearance looming,
• appointment to face a foe,
• a child in the hospital,
• house inspection, or
• a trip on a rickety jeep in a foreign country.

Have you ever thought the following activities might calm you?

In God’s presence,

• shop for toys and school materials for four six-year-olds with a friend and together fill the children’s Operation Christmas Child boxes,
• gather with close friends, ask them to lay hands on you, and then tell humorous stories about each other,
• attend a Bible study that goes through a book of the Bible line by line,
• read Billy Graham’s and Corrie Ten Boom’s autobiographies or the biographies of George Müller, Oswald Chambers, or Eric Liddell.
• knit or crochet a shawl for someone that’s in a similar situation as you while watching inspirational movies,
• pray for the needs of a hundred people, then write notes to fifteen of the ones you prayed for,
• read through and pray the psalms, or
• memorize the twenty-third psalm and ten verses to recite in bed at night.

Pick one activity now and do it. If you’re concentrating hard enough, you won’t have room to host pain, fear, or anxiousness. May God bless you.

About the Author

A full-time writer and speaker, Zoe M. McCarthy, author of The Invisible Woman in a Red Dress, Gift of the Magpie, and Calculated Risk, writes contemporary Christian romances involving tenderness and humor. Believing opposites distract, Zoe creates heroes and heroines who learn to embrace their differences. When she’s not writing, Zoe enjoys her five grandchildren, teaching Bible studies, leading workshops on writing, knitting and crocheting shawls for a prayer shawl ministry, gardening, and canoeing. She lives with her husband in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Zoe blogs regularly at www.zoemmccarthy.com.


Cooking Up Kisses (Five Sweetly Scrumptious Novellas)

Cooking Up Kisses (Five Sweetly Scrumptious Novellas)

LOVE ON A DARE BY MARY MANNERS
Alana Mulvaney’s life is in a holding pattern. Consumed by day-to-day operations of the family business, Alana has no time for fun or romance. But a little fun and a whole lot of romance is just what Alana’s sisters have in mind when they learn childhood friend Donovan O’Reilly has returned to town.

HUMMINGBIRD KISSES BY DELIA LATHAM
Toni Littlebird believes that when she meets the man God created for her, she’ll know—and she’ll love him in that very moment.
But then Dax Hendrick roars into Hummingbird Hollow on a noisy, crippled Harley, stinking up the air and chasing away her beloved hummingbirds. One look into the intruder’s eyes and her heart sinks. He’s “The One.” She’d been right about knowing, but wrong about something far more important: She will never love this man!

HEARTS ON THE HARBOR BY ROBIN BAYNE
Cara Peyton is content with her life, her trendy Baltimore bookshop is perfect for her. But when her ex turns up to remodel the store, asking for a second chance, she’s torn and unsure about risking her heart again. Can he convince her to trust him, and God, before the job is finished?

HIS VALENTINE PROMISE BY DORA HIERS
Another Valentine’s Day and Quinn Randolph prefers to spend it with her sweet rescue lab. Who needs men and their broken promises? Especially Pierce Karson’s! Years ago, his desertion shattered her. Now he’s trying to steal the property she targeted to expand her florist shop! Pierce only wants to belong…and for Quinn to choose him. His Valentine Promise…

THE INVISIBLE WOMAN IN A RED DRESS BY ZOE M. MCCARTHY
Candace Parks lives a passionless life in Richmond. The computer programmer returns to the empty family home in the Blue Ridge Mountains solely to evaluate her job, faith, and boyfriend. Her high school crush, Trigg Alderman, who barely remembers her, visits his Gram next door. Sorting her life out? How about nothing of the sort!É

Writer's Block or Writer's Fear by Heidi Chiavaroli

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines writer's block as "the problem of not being able to think of something to write about or not being able to finish writing a story, poem, etc.” 

I'm not convinced I've ever suffered from writer's block. I seem to have tons of ideas—especially those juicy new ideas. 

Recently though, I've experienced what I like to call writer's fear. What I define as "the crazy notion that putting nothing on the page is better than putting something horrible on the page."

Perhaps you can relate. You have that story idea marinating in your head—it’s juicy, yummy, and you can’t wait to share it.

But hold on there. What if your idea loses its juiciness when you actually put it on paper? What if it runs out of flavor? What if it’s not even a good idea to begin with? After all, things always sound so much better in your head…don’t they?

Ridiculous, right? And yet I succumb to this fear all too often. Over and over again, I have to remind myself that “God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (New Living Translation) 

Amen! If God has given me a spirit of power, then I don’t need to fear. He’s already done the hard work. I simply need to follow his prompting, whether it be to serve in a certain way, show love to a coworker, or write! J 

So go ahead, live in power and love and self-discipline. Write that first word. That first sentence. That first paragraph. If it helps, look at the clock and see how many words you can write in thirty minutes. Any small accomplishment or mile-mark is helpful. You can do it. God himself has given you his power. 

Have you ever experienced writer's block or writer's fear? How did you overcome it?

Heidi Chiavaroli is a writer, runner, wife, mother, and grace-clinger—not necessarily in that order. Ever since taking her first trip to Plimoth Plantation with her sister, mother, and grandmother at the age of nine, she has been fascinated with history and its significance to today’s people and culture. Heidi is the winner of ACFW’s 2014 Genesis Contest, Historical Category. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, two sons, and Howie, her standard poodle. Learn more about Heidi on her website: www.heidichiavaroli.com.

Don’t Be A Flea by Heidi Chiavaroli

Heidi Chiavaroli

My son’s karate teacher is a storyteller. The kids love this. After a hard workout of blocks, five swords, and roundhouse kicks, he gathers the students around him on the mat and tells them a story that will encourage them in their quest to be a Black Belt.

Last week the story was about fleas.

That’s right. Fleas.

Stay with me.

He told them about an experiment done where fleas were put in a jar. And what do fleas do? They jump. Those fleas in that jar jumped away to their little heart’s content. They jumped so high they hit their heads on the top of that jar, but kept right on jumping.

And jumping. And jumping. And jumping.

For hours. And hours.

They didn’t stop. They didn’t give up and take a rest.

Good for those persevering fleas, right?

Well, finally the scientist took the lid off the jar, assuming the fleas would jump out—free at last!

But they didn’t.

They did, however, keep right on jumping. Just high enough to save themselves the pain of hitting their little heads on the cover. Just high enough to miss out on their true potential—freedom.

I think sometimes as writers we tend to be like those fleas. We might push ourselves to a point, but then we settle in. We get comfortable with writing inside the box—or jar, if you will. We write safe. Write what we know. We might not risk the pain of possible rejection by stretching our abilities, by writing honest, by stripping ourselves bare to allow our true voice to shine through.

But the only way we’ll grow, the only way we’ll reach more people with our message, the only way we’ll achieve our ultimate potential, is if we step out of our comfort zone.

My son’s karate teacher calls this having an indomitable spirit. I love that. I want to have an indomitable writing spirit. I don’t want to be a flea. I want to push myself. Be a little risky. Maybe get those rejections, maybe even some criticism. If I’m willing to step outside my comfort zone, not everyone’s going to like it.

But that’s okay.

Because I don’t want to be a flea. I want to pursue this writing journey with stubborn persistence. I want to give it my all.

I want an indomitable spirit.

****

Heidi Chiavaroli is a writer, runner, wife, mother, and grace-clinger—not necessarily in that order. Ever since taking her first trip to Plimoth Plantation with her sister, mother, and grandmother at the age of nine, she has been fascinated with history and its significance to today’s people and culture. Heidi is the winner of ACFW’s 2014 Genesis Contest, Historical Category. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, two sons, and Howie, her standard poodle.
www.heidichiavaroli.com

The Inspiration Behind Aloha Rose—When Life Comes Full Circle by Lisa Carter

A college friend once shared her struggles regarding her adoption. The unanswered questions—despite a loving, adoptive home—about the most fundamental of identity issues such as who she was, where she came from, why she’d been given up for adoption, and what all this meant for the person she’d become. A void lingered inside her that she yearned to fill.

Now years later, she related how she'd located her birth father in Hawaii and how a wonderful, new chapter in her life had opened. Through a difficult personal journey, she and her family had come full circle. As we laughed and cried, rejoiced and remembered the pain along the way, the seed of Aloha Rose, was born. Just as Laney Carrigan in Aloha Rose and the Lokelani quilt come full circle.

Like a lot of us, Laney and hero, Kai Barnes, are on a journey, seeking family and a place to belong. A huaka'i, no matter our journey, requires truth, heart and extraordinary courage. The kind of courage Laney and my college friend displayed in traveling halfway around the world to find a family. The kind of courage required of those who seek God.

For Laney, it is an issue of forgiving those who’ve hurt her in the past. For Kai, it is a matter of forgiving himself. At a crossroads, how each answer this dilemma will determine whether they can be free of the pain of the past and find God’s best for them. There are many people trapped inside wounds. Myself included. Wounds that have scabbed over but never healed. They yearn to be free of the gaping pit inside themselves and to climb out of the hole that scars their life.

At the heart of Aloha Rose are questions we each must answer with God’s help—finding true freedom and real wings to fly to be the person God intended for us to be all along. The chains of our past can only be loosed in Christ. Our guilt, fear, and the past must be nailed to the Cross.

What do you truly believe about grace, the power of the Cross, and its sufficiency to save? At the Cross is where guilt meets His forgiveness. Where confusion meets His peace. Where loneliness meets His companionship. Where the lost find direction. There is a place at the foot of the Cross for the hurt and wounded, like Kai. Like you and like me. A place for restoration of relationships, like for my friend.

Will you—will I—choose to trust the Cross? Maybe the hardest thing to do. Maybe the only way you and I can ever truly come full circle to who we were meant to be.

I hope Aloha Rose will make you laugh. Perhaps make you cry. But most of all, warm your heart with the greatest of loves, God’s love for you.

Learn more at www.lisacarterauthor.com. For behind-the-scenes photos, visit the Aloha Rose board on Pinterest at http://www.pinterest.com/quiltsoflove/aloha-rose-by-lisa-carter/.

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Lisa Carter

As a frequent speaker and vocalist at women’s ministry events, Lisa Carter shares her own journey of faith regarding the sufficiency of the Cross and His grace in her life. Aloha Rose, a contemporary romance in the Quilts of Love series, releases in November 2013. Her debut romantic suspense novel, Carolina Reckoning released in August. She and her husband have two daughters and make their home in North Carolina. When she isn't writing, Lisa enjoys traveling to romantic locales, quilting and researching her next exotic adventure.

Aloha Rose

When Laney Carrigan sets out to find her birth family, her only clue is the Hawaiian quilt in which she was found wrapped as an infant. Centering her search on the Big Island and battling fears of rejection, Laney begins a painstaking journey toward her true heritage. Kai Barnes, however, is determined to protect the people he’s come to regard as family. He thinks Laney is nothing more than a gold digger and blocks every move she makes toward her Hawaiian family. As their conflict escalates, it puts at risk the one thing that Kai and Laney both want most—a family.

Sometimes He Calms the Storm by Charles Arndt

Angie here. My husband’s devotional was accepted for ChristianDevotions.us. I'm so proud of him, I’ve posted it below with their permission. But I'm not just posting it because I'm a proud spouse. You may remember that my theme for 2012 is “fear not.” It seems that every time I turn around, God is telling me to be strong. It's even the central truth of my husband's devotional.

So, what am I afraid of in my writing journey? Oh, just starting, ending, editing, failing. I’m afraid of letting people down and afraid of letting myself down. But mostly I’m afraid of letting God down.

And yet, God still speaks to me.

And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. Matthew 8:26 

Buckets of rain crashed sideways into the side of the house. The wind howled a mysterious sound. It was one thirty A.M. and flashes of lightning illuminated our dark bedroom. It was a storm. A bad one.

"Should we go to the basement," my wife asked? 

"Uh-huh" I replied. 


She quickly gathered our twelve-pound red poodle and started toward the basement. I grabbed a flashlight and guided her down the cellar steps. There in the corner of the basement we listened to the thunder crash. Flashes of lightning illuminated the room as the storm howled overhead. I prayed the Lord would look after us and take care of us. Then, as suddenly as it came, the storm was gone. 

After we emerged through the darkness from the basement, I sat in the comfort of my easy chair and watched the lightning move farther and farther away. I was in awe of God's power. 

Man, in all of his wisdom and knowledge, cannot come close to producing anything like we had just witnessed. I remembered the time Jesus and his disciples sat in a boat while a fierce storm tossed the craft back and forth. They, like us, were scared, but He was with them. In their fear, the disciples woke Jesus and pleaded for safety. “Where is your faith,” Jesus asked and then told the storm to be still. Instantly the storm listened and the waters were calmed. 

If He is so powerful that even the storms and weather listen, what's our excuse? Shouldn't we pay attention when he tells us something? O ye of little faith. Listen and see what He tells you to do. Sometimes it's hard to hear through the noise and distraction of the storm but He always answers, in His time. Listen and have faith. He is in control. 


Are you afraid today? Is God still speaking to you?

Used by permission Christian Devotions Ministries

Charles Arndt enjoys writing Christian devotionals, hunting, fishing and riding his Harley. He and his wife, Angie, live in the middle of a big wood outside a small town in South Carolina.