Investing in the Future

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Mt. 6:19–20)

When I was in high school, one of my teachers encouraged all of us students to go to college and earn a degree in case we married and experienced one of the three Ds: death, divorce, or disability. She strongly advocated that we all—boys and girls alike—needed to be able to support ourselves should the worst happen.

Her prompting isn’t why I went to college, but it did confirm what I already knew—investing in myself and my future was a smart thing to do, and I’ve never forgotten that lesson. Continue reading “Investing in the Future”

A Time to Create

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” (Eph. 6:10)

In last week’s blog post, I wrote about the difficulty I’ve had lately with being creative. This past weekend, I attended the virtual Oklahoma Writers’ Federation, Inc. (OWFI) conference. Attending the conference, learning from fellow writers, and mingling (even virtually) is always a boon for my creativity.

This year, the conference coordinators took a chance on me and allowed me to conduct two workshops on self-editing practices. I’ve done a lot of speaking over the years, but this was the largest event where I’ve been invited to speak. Continue reading “A Time to Create”

The Hope of the Resurrection

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Pt 1:3)

Christmas and Easter are both big celebrations for Christians. Even those who don’t believe celebrate these holidays, too, but in much different ways than we do.

As a child, I didn’t understand the importance of Easter. The church I grew up in was more focused on what you wore than on passion plays or sunrise services. I remember scrambling to arrive at church early so we could find a seat and wearing a new dress (I loved to dress up). I couldn’t figure out where all the people came from. I knew everyone at church, or so I thought. Continue reading “The Hope of the Resurrection”

CREATE: Writing Goals for 2021

“But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded” (2 Chron 15:7).

In light of my word for the year, “create,” I’ve set two major writing goals for 2021.

I’m getting closer to finishing my first Christian cozy mystery novel, which I’ve titled Death by Dice: A Bunco Club Mystery. You may not know the story behind this book, but it’s been quite a process. I started writing it in early 2016 as a novella, and I completed it about a year later with 20,000 words. Then I decided to challenge myself further and add enough content for a complete novel. It’s taken several years and multiple starts and stops (I’ve quit for up to a year at a time twice due to health and family emergencies). Since last April, I’ve written steadily, and now I have a completed draft at just over 64,000 words! I’m making final revisions, and I’ll send it to my content editor and beta readers within a few weeks. Thanks to all my friends who checked in and held me accountable for finishing this project! Continue reading “CREATE: Writing Goals for 2021”

Top 10 Posts in 2020

As 2020 comes to an end (finally!), I wanted to share my top ten blog posts for the year. COVID-19 was, of course, a major theme running throughout my blog posts this year. On the whole, I looked for positive things to share in my posts. The following posts have resonated most strongly with you, my readers, over the last eleven months: Continue reading “Top 10 Posts in 2020”