When Creativity Stops Flowing

“May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Ps 19:14)

This blog post almost didn’t happen. Writing an original blog post each week along with other fresh material can be a daunting task. Because I write in a devotional format, I don’t feel comfortable just throwing something up on my blog for the sake of meeting a deadline. I approach each entry thoughtfully and with prayer so that the Lord can use my words for his purposes.

I maintain a long list of possible blog post topics, but even though I had potential subject matter on hand, I couldn’t dredge up the words to pull it all together this week. When I prayed for guidance, I heard…silence. And then I realized that the silence, the lack of an idea, the difficulty writing a coherent blog post, was the idea for this entry. Continue reading “When Creativity Stops Flowing”

Lessons from Year Three as a Small Business Owner

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” (Prov 16:3)

This month, I celebrate my three-year anniversary as a full-time professional writer and editor. Each year of this journey, I’ve looked back on the lessons I’d learned the year before. In year three, I learned the following:

  1. My health is a priority.

Continue reading “Lessons from Year Three as a Small Business Owner”

What I’ve Learned from Autumn

“He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down.” (Ps 104:19)

Although the calendar says it’s autumn, it has yet to feel like it here in Oklahoma. We often don’t see much of autumn at all―the weather stays in the 80s and 90s as it is now before dropping sharply into the 40s and 50s. The leaves simply die and fall from the trees. Last year, we had a banner year with record amounts of rain and riotous colors on the trees.

In spite of the warm (hot!) temperatures, my heart feels that autumn is upon us. As the seasons change, I’m reminded that although change is hard, it can also be beautiful. Here are a few lessons I’ve learned from autumn. Continue reading “What I’ve Learned from Autumn”

The Power of Taking a Break

“…he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone…” (Mt 14:23

When I co-founded Prestige Prose over four years ago, I didn’t know what running my own business would actually be like. I had always worked for others in jobs with salaries and benefits. When I left one of those jobs to run Prestige Prose full time, reality set in quickly. I have no sick leave, no annual leave. For a while, I worked so many hours that weekends, too, were just two more days to work. Continue reading “The Power of Taking a Break”

2019 Mid-Year Goal Check

“For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jer 29:11)

We’ve reached the halfway point of 2019. Yikes! Where did the time go? Before any more of 2019 slips away, I’m evaluating my goals for the year. In the past, I’ve broken my larger, yearly goals into smaller, monthly goals. I didn’t do that this year, and I’ve noticed my progress has lagged.

I set goals in seven different areas: health, financial, work, personal writing, Oklahoma Writers’ Federation, Inc. (OWFI), spiritual, and relationships. For each of these categories, I set two to three overarching goals for the year.

Having so many goals felt necessary in order to move forward, but overwhelming at the same time. I decided to focus most of my efforts on one area: health. Continue reading “2019 Mid-Year Goal Check”