What Matters Most

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Dan Walsh here, writing from Daytona Beach, FL. I know some of you were able to attend ACFW’s annual conference a few weeks ago in Indianapolis. Many who could not, have probably read some of the great articles written about the wonderful time we had (just remembered that old postcard line: “Good time was had by all”).

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Recipe for Greatness…

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Greetings, Dear Friends! Susie Larson here… I have some fun news to share with you. For the past two and a half years I’ve worked as an on-call radio host for a live talk show. In June we launched my new radio show, Live the Promise with Susie Larson. The program airs every Saturday morning from noon to 1:00 CST (you can also listen online). Last week my guest was Chrissy Toledo (daughter of author and Pastor Jim Cymbala – Brooklyn Tabernacle and Carol Cymbala, director of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir). She shared about her prodigal journey away from God’s heart, and…

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Abide

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Happy Monday from Bonnie Leon.   Authors lead busy lives. Writing requires large chunks of time, plus there is the continual process of editing. We’re either working on a manuscript or in the middle of one that’s back from the publisher requiring changes. There’s also marketing do be done, which demands a good deal of our time. Plus we have church, communitiy functions and family fun and drama. Sometimes it feels like there is not one free moment. With those kinds of pressures how do we stay close to the Lord?

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The Phases of Your Dream Come True…

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Greetings, Friends! Susie Larson here… Today I want to connect with you about the very real phases most of us walk through in order to step out and step into our dreams. Maybe you’ve read this famous Hudson Taylor quote before. These words inspire me: I have found there are three stages to every great work of God: It is impossible; then it is difficult; then it is done. 

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We Are Able

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Hello from Bonnie in rainy Southern Oregon.   How often do you feel unfit to fulfill the call of God on your life? Once a month? Once a week? Once a day? More than that?  I don’t keep track, but I know I frequently doubt my abilities as a writer, a teacher, mentor, wife and mother. When I don’t reach my expectations I feel I’ve failed. We’re all uncertain, some of the time, about our skills and our readiness to fulfill obligations. I believe our lack of confidence exists because we rely upon the wrong power source.

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Remain Faithful

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Hello from Bonnie here in soggy Oregon. I'm still waiting for spring.     When I first started creating stories it was just a hobby, something I did for fun once in a while. I never dreamed it would be anything more. But after being side-lined by an auto accident God gave me a new vision, a new way to serve Him. It was through the gift of writing. Though I didn’t fully understand what I was saying yes to, I was committed to the call. God threw open every door, and it was clear that writing books was part of His plan for…

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We Need to Get Out More

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 Blessings to you from Bonnie Leon. Most days do you stay cloistered in your office with your story ideas flying onto your computer screen or your nose in a research book seeking an imperative piece of information that turns out to be impossible to find? That’s the writing life, but there’s more to living than that. And if you’re not experiencing it you’re missing special pleasures offered to us by our Heavenly Father. There is so much to be gained by engaging in the world around us.

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A Two-Way Surge

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Happy 1st Monday (of the month which ushers in spring, I might add!) from Dianne Neal Matthews. Last month I loved Jeanette’s post about sharing in the joys of fellow writers’ successes. It reminded me of a lesson that God taught me several years ago, when I was at one of the lowest points of my life.

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TEAM SPIRIT

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Happy Monday to you from Bonnie Leon.     In all my yeas of writing I've seen very little resentment, back-biting, or mistrust among my writing friends and acquaintances. However, knowing the human condition (we're very self-centered) I understand that all of these emotions, and more, are present in the writing world. And I know my own heart, which is not always pure.

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A Time to Speak…

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Greetings, Dear Friends! Susie Larson here! I post on the last Thursday of each month about the topic of building a speaking platform. Today I want to explore the idea of when it is okay to share about a personal heartache or trial, and when it is better to hold it for a while. While I do believe that sometimes God calls us to step up and share a vulnerable story (while we are right in the midst of it all), most of the time wisdom calls us to give it time, to get on the other side of it,…

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