By Susan G. Mathis I hate conflict. I don’t like getting into disagreements with my husband. I don’t like having a spat with a friend. As a parent, I hated the constant conflict-resolution needed when my two kids didn’t get along. As a teacher, I didn’t enjoy being the one to break up tiffs between pubescent girls. And as a Grandma? Well, let’s just say I sometimes choose to become an ostrich. You get the idea. So when I began writing fiction, I had a problem. Conflict is a main ingredient of a good story, and to write compelling…
Category: Encouragement
This is our archive pageForgive My Little Efforts
Bob Hostetler here, offering another prayer for writers: Father God Almighty, you inspired Moses, Samuel, and others to write when their best tools were papyrus and parchment, reed styli and ink made from crushed berries and plants. For millennia, your servants have recorded stirring and soaring works
Mom’s Legacy
What item in your closet should probably be thrown out? If somebody rummaged through my clothes, they’d most likely choose the ratty ol’ black sweater. It’s faded, a bit threadbare, and stretched out of shape. But it still hangs in my closet…for a reason. When my mother passed away, my sisters and I packed up her clothes. We each took a few as mementos. I chose the black sweater, already worn with age. If I feel a bit down, I slip my arms through the sleeves. It is almost as if my mom is hugging me once again. My mother was…
Can God Use Me?
The Bible’s Faith Hall of Fame is full of people with unimpressive resumes. God seems to specialize in using unlikely people to accomplish His will. Often, in fact, the least likely people demonstrate even greater faith than those who’ve witnessed God’s biggest miracles. Rahab was a female Canaanite (Israel’s mortal enemy) with a disreputable occupation. She lived in Jericho, the first city slated for annihilation as Israel came to conquer the land. Jericho was an evil place. Yet spies who’d seen miracles listened as Rahab was the one giving the testimony about what their God had done—starting with a…
Overcoming Post-holiday Blues
When my youngest daughter was about four years old, I took down the Christmas tree during her nap. Later in the day, I saw her looking out the window toward the tree, which lay on the curb awaiting the garbage collector. She whispered, “Christmas tree, come back, come back.” That made me sad, but I often feel blue after the holidays. The world goes from lively carols, flashing lights, and sparkling tinsel to the grayness of January’s cold weather. Everyone has wrapped and stored the magic. Even the trees extend bare branches to gloomy skies. For weeks, I’ll discover…
An Epiphany!
Tomorrow, January 6th, the western Church celebrates the season of Epiphany which begins with the Magi bringing gifts to the Baby Jesus. The Eastern or Orthodox churches celebrate the day after sunset as the beginning of their Christmas because of the Gregorian calendar. Their gift giving coincides with the Magi’s. When a friend’s child was two years old, she stood in front of the present-crowded tree and sang “Happy Birthday” to Jesus. How surprised she was to find out the presents weren’t for Him! Julie B Cosgrove is an award-winning author and also a faith-based freelance writer who…
Make It Count
By Susan G Mathis My 94-year-old mother’s years of wisdom and experience always seem to balance me and help me reorient myself in this busy world. Now that she’s in heaven, I miss those wise words. Before she passed, I mentioned how fast this year is flying by and how busy my schedule is. She just smiled, shared her wisdom, and aligned my thinking. I thought you might enjoy hearing that wisdom, so here are her secrets to making your days count. Keep God First. Start every day with prayer and surrendering your day to His plans. Entrust that day…
Journalist Chases Story
I was an aggressive young journalist chasing the big story. A young woman had come from Nazareth to Bethlehem with the man she’d pledged to marry. Obviously pregnant, she hadn’t let rumors about her unusual circumstances keep her from making the journey to register for tax purposes. I always did extensive research before an interview, and I’d tracked every tip about these two individuals, Mary and Joseph, unexpectedly cast in the most significant drama in human history. A relative, Elizabeth, confirmed Mary had visited her following a strange occurrence. An angel had appeared to Mary, a virgin betrothed to…
A Muse and the Writer….
Muse: Help? Writer: (Doubled over laughing.) You’re wearing a Santa hat? Muse: Really? That’s your question? Writer: At least it’s not a string of lights. I mean, the grandkids might have plugged you in! Muse: Are you going to help me? Writer: Hang on, I need the picture. Muse: I can’t wait for you to go to sleep. You never know what you’ll find in your stocking. Writer: Uh…one pic is enough. Here, let me help you. Angela Breidenbach writes romance through the ages, hosts the radio show Lit Up, and is in college to get her genealogical studies degree. She’s…
Simple Christmas Joys
Have you ever wondered what it was like that first Christmas? Let your imagination wander. A young engaged couple have to go to Bethlehem and register to be taxed. When they arrive, there’s no place to stay. Finally, they find a stable to bed down. Then Mary goes into labor. What obstacles! (Did Joseph find a midwife or did he help Mary himself? In those days, men didn’t attend a birthing, so what did Joseph think?) Then after all that excitement dies down, shepherds show up saying they heard the news of the birth from angels singing in the…
Recent Posts
- Fascinating Fridays: Christian Fiction – A Tool for EvangelismNovember 8, 2024
- Fascinating Friday Feature – Long Unsolved Family MysteriesOctober 12, 2024
Book Review: Maisie Discovers Her Fingerprint by Sandra ChambersOctober 5, 2024