Advent Family Project You’ll Love

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Hello from Kathy Collard Miller in the Southern California desert near Palm Springs where it’s finally cooling down. I’m looking forward to our “winter” that is never a winter wonderland, but still wonderful. Years ago I created an Advent family activity I called, “Box of Blessings.” It helped our family’s thoughts focus on the true meaning of Christmas. Here are the directions to create it. Wrap a large box with Christmas paper, wrapping the lid separate. Gather 24 visual aids, wrap each one individually, write out tags for each with an object lesson, Scripture and discussion question. (On each tag,…

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Conflict: For every action, there is a reaction: Basic screenplay writing excerpted from HOW TO SUCCEED IN HOLLYWOOD (WITHOUT LOSING YOUR SOUL) Part X

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In every premise, it is conflict that drives the communication forward. To prove your premise you must disprove the negation of your premise. The disproving of the negation of your premise is what actually propels your communication. If there is no negation and no conflict possible in your premise, then your communication will be stillborn, with no direction or goal. Many Christian movies fail from a lack of conflict. They should keep in mind that the world is caught in a spiritual battle; thus, conflict is both necessary and inevitable. Drama means, “to do” or “to perform.” In performance, for…

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You Are the Apple of His Eye

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Greetings from Kathy Collard Miller in the Southern California desert near Palms Springs. Have you had your eyes examined lately? The last time my eyes were examined, I felt tense having that puff of air come toward my eye to test for glaucoma. I knew it was coming and the longer I waited for it, the more tense I became. I knew it wouldn’t hurt me, but it still scared me. I wanted to push the machine away and protect my eye. Do you feel like your eye is one of the most sensitive parts of your body that you…

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God Loves Women!

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Hi, I’m Kathy Collard Miller greeting you from the desert near Palm Springs in Southern California. But don’t worry, it’s a dry heat! Today let’s talk about two women in the Bible: Rebekah and Rahab. God loves women! Not only did He create us, He features women in the Bible. He uses women for His purposes and glory. God values us and yet is honest about revealing the biblical women’s sins and mistakes. We all have been convinced we know best for ourselves or others, yet God hasn’t gotten the memo. In the case of Rebekah, she actually received the…

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The Prayer Warrior: The Syrophoenician Woman

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Hello! It’s Kathy Collard Miller from the Southern Californian desert in the Palm Springs area. From Matthew 15:21-28 and Mark 7:24-30, we learn about the Syrophoenician woman who truly represents a prayer warrior. Her request is dire for her and her daughter. What’s amazing is she is a Gentile. In this account, Jesus goes to the region of Tyre and Sidon, on the Mediterranean coast. This is the only time Scripture indicates Jesus left the land of Israel. Just as he had to go through Samaria to meet the needy woman at the well, so he needs to leave his…

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Tips from the Pros: Dena Dyer

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Greetings from Marti Pieper in lovely Mount Dora, Florida, where October means we’ve turned off our air conditioner and opened the windows. Our weather doesn’t get cold enough to produce leaves with true autumn color, but we do have plenty of pumpkin patches, corn mazes, and the ubiquitous pumpkin spice coffee drinks to help us join the rest of the northern hemisphere in celebrating  fall. Today, I’m delighted to introduce to you a friend-by-writing, Dena Dyer. I “know” Dena from several mutual friendships and of course through the Christian Authors Network, but we have yet to meet in person. Her Texas…

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Tips from the Pros: Ellie Gustafson

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An interview with Eleanor Gustafson and Marti Pieper Welcome back to the CAN blog, Ellie. How many books do you have published? What are a few of your latest titles? I have five published novels. The ones still in print are The Stones: A Novel of the Life of King David and Dynamo. I checked out your website, and both books sound intriguing. Ellie, you were last featured on the CAN blog in 2012. What are the chief lessons you’ve learned about the writing life since then? There’s far more to publishing books than just writing them. That’s the easy…

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Aren’t I Supposed to Work For God?

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Hello from Kathy Collard Miller in the sunny desert of Southern California. One of my main memories from several years ago when I was in bed from a bad back for nine months was feeling unproductive. It seemed at the time unexplainable that God wouldn’t want me to be working for His glory. And if you’re like me, we can easily feel like we need to earn God’s approval. After all, aren’t we supposed to work for God’s glory? If I’m not doing something for Him, it seems like I’m being disobedient. And even unloved and “un-approved.” But reading Matthew 6:25-26…

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What Arrows Assail You?

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Hello from Kathy Collard Miller in the Southern California desert. When I attended my first writers conference in 1980, writing legend Woody Wirt closed the final session by exclaiming, “I want you to say right now, ‘I am a writer.’” I am a writer? It seemed dishonest to say such a thing. After all, I’d only had one article and one short story published. That didn’t seem to qualify as a true “writer.” What was a “true writer”? I didn’t know but I was convinced it didn’t refer to me. But being the People Pleaser I am, I wanted to…

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