Fascinating Friday Feature – Not What I Expected

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by Linda Wood Rondeau When God first called me to write, He gave me Ephesians 3:20 as a promise: “Now tohim who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his powerthat is at work within us.” (NIV) I filled with excitement. “Yeah! I can imagine a whole lot, Lord.” I dreamed of moviesadapted from my novels. I imagined my books flying off the shelves in bookstores. I visualizedmy name and books on bestseller lists. None, of course, has happened as of this writing. Not what God promised. I heard when I wanted to…

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Fascinating Friday Feature – Creative Droughts?

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Writer’s Block. You often hear this term mentioned as if that inner mechanism that helps writers spew out strings of meaningful words is somehow turned off. Stuck. Out of order until further notice. This may happen at times, but for me, it goes much deeper than that. Personally, I can always write. Give me a blank journal page, and I’ll ask enough questions to figure out how I’m thinking and the reason for it. My handwritten notes are part prayer and part praise. A partial download of the heaviest parts of the previous day, along with a partial discovery of…

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Fascinating Friday Feature – Trimming the Edges

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Slice. Turn. Slice. I can hear the sharp sound of that long metal blade so clearly in my mind, along with my school-teacher mother’s soft voice. “Watch your fingers. Take your time. Line it up to the gridlines so it will be straight.” She had brought home a sheet of laminated math flashcards that showed everything from fractions to multiplication and division on them. The answer to each problem could be found on the back. They were lined side by side, but linked together by the sheets of plastic and needed to be separated. At age six, I was too…

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Girl’s Weekend Inspires Girlfriend Gathering Series

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Several years ago a few of my close friends decided we would meet in Colorado for a girl’s weekend. The Fall leaves lit the mountains with brilliant colors. The four of us met for time to relax, refresh and revive. We laughed together, cried together, prayed together, looked at scripture together and did some fun activities together. It was an amazing weekend and each of us left refreshed. We felt such comradery that weekend. Though each of us have busy schedules, we know we can count on each other to be there to support, encourage, and pray. Soon after that…

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Who said I wanted to be an author?

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I was in fifth grade when my teacher interrupted my daydream, “Linda, I don’t care if you do grow upto be a famous author, I’m going to teach you math so you can balance your royalty statements.” My classmates turned to stare at me, while I stared back at my teacher in shock, thinking, An author? Who ever said I wanted to be an author? Even though Mrs. Davis’ words foretold my future, I didn’t get it, dream about it, or add ‘writing abook’ to my life’s goals. Instead, when I graduated from college, I got a job in the…

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9-1-1. What is your emergency?

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“This is 9-1-1. What is your emergency?” I don’t often reflect publicly on the fifteen years I served as a 9-1-1 Operator and Police Dispatcher for the city of Nashville. This was my first career-type job as a somewhat sheltered eighteen-year-old girl, and I was quickly stationed on the midnight shift where all the action took place. Each night at 10:00 p.m., I proudly donned my navy blue civilian uniform and entered through security gates, metal detectors, and controlled access doors into a windowless room with nothing but computer screens in every direction. We served as the hub of activity…

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How Can God Be Jealous?

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by Ava Pennington In the process of writing Reflections on the Names of God, I enjoyed exploring so many familiar names and attributes of our awesome God. But as I continued to dig deeper into His names and attributes, I came across several that were difficult to understand. For example, Exodus 34:14 tells us one of God’s names is Jealous because He is a jealous God. Saying God is jealous sounds strange, doesn’t it? Jealousy is a powerful emotion. It can devastate relationships and destroy lives. So why would the eternal, sovereign, almighty God name Himself jealous? When God says He is a jealous…

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Picture Anyone?

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By Susan G Mathis As a child, I used to play with a Brownie that I found in my attic. At the time, I thought many of the old things in the attic were “junk,” but now I see them as treasures and write many of my childhood finds into my stories. In Rachel’s Reunion, a photographer uses the professional Century Camera to take a portrait of Rachel. But he more often uses his trusty Brownie. George Eastman’s invention of photographic film camera changed the world. By 1900, the company had developed box and folding cameras. The most popular, simple,…

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Why Writing is My Hobby–Not Gardening or Flowers

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By Linda Wood Rondeau There’s a reason I don’t garden and writing is my main ambition. Historically, I kill anything I try to grow. That’s why, when our VBS director gave me a pot of flowers, I asked my church friends to pray for the plant. Many years ago, when I was still young and thought I might have inherited my mother’s skill with flowers, I planted zinnias in front of my trailer. I dreamed of enjoying their beauty as I looked out the window while washing dishes. I dutifully tended the project, going out several times a week to…

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