The Greatest Achievements In Life

The Greatest Achievements In Life

Having just left a writers’ getaway weekend and contemplating my writing and life work, I’m asking myself, what is the greatest achievement of my life so far? What will my legacy be?

No one event stands out in a life punctuated by a series of small successes. I had a successful teaching career and left at the top of my game. I have written three books and worked on more for others.

I’ve raised two children into decent adults who have completed university degrees and contribute to the community in a meaningful way.

I have a 27-year marriage with an amazing man who encourages me to be all that I can be. We are transitioning into a life of us both being full time ‘creatives’ after a life of corporate success. We may have had bumps along the road, but we love and live together happily with lots of laughter and adventures.

I travel to Cambodia regularly to train teachers as part of Transform Cambodia. The lives of 1800 children are being transformed through the opportunity to be educated and I get to play a very small part of that.

When my son was in Year Three, I found out he couldn’t read. He used to ask why he couldn’t read and called himself a loser. I was determined that he would not reach high school and struggle.

 We tried many ways of helping him through learning difficulties. Finally, in Year Seven we felt he had caught up with his peers enough not to feel inferior. 

The first time he sat up in bed with me and read his own book while I read mine, brings tears to my eyes even now. When he won an academic award at Year Seven Graduation I felt like all the effort was worth it.

Even in Year Eleven some of his difficulties resurfaced as the work challenged his weaknesses. However, he got through TEE and this year sees him complete a Commerce degree, majoring in Sports Management and Marketing. I’m so glad I fought for my boy and that long the way he learnt to work hard and be responsible for his own progress.

It’s the seemingly small things in life that may become our greatest legacy. The things that perhaps others don’t see. That aren’t necessarily going to get your name up in lights or earn you a million dollars.

So, what is my greatest achievement?  What do I want to create in the next season of my life that will leave a legacy? It’s not one particular thing, but I know that whatever I do will not be completely about achieving goals for personal gain.

The greatest achievements

are those that benefit others.

Dennis Waitley

According to Jesus the greatest achievement in life, our legacy, will not only be what we’ve been able to do for ourselves, but what we’ve done for our friends, family, neighbors, and complete strangers.

God has not called me to be successful. He called me to be faithful

 Mother Teresa

Elaine Fraser

www.beautifulbooks.co

Instress - Can you see what I see?

I’ve recently been studying poetry as one aspect of a particular English course I’m doing. Of course, I wouldn’t call myself a fan of poetry, in fact I never read poetry. Over the years I have memorised Banjo Patterson’s ‘Mulga Bill’s Bicycle’, which I think is classic Australian humour, and also John O’Brien’s ‘Said Hanrahan’, which to me is an anthem to my father and his mates. Other than ‘Roses are Red, Violets are Blue…etc’ I haven’t had a lot of time for poetry. But university courses have a way of insisting you pay attention to things that you wouldn’t ordinarily look at.
I chose to do an assignment on late-Victorian British poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins. I found Hopkins, as a person, a rather sad and intense person, but as I looked at one of his poems, ‘God’s Grandeur’, began to appreciate something about him and about the craft of writing in particular.
Gerard Manley Hopkins was brought up in a High Anglican Church family, but in his early adult years, he converted to Catholicism, and was so moved by his religious experience that he committed to the priesthood. He had written some poetry already, but felt that the writing of poems was a self-indulgent ambitious pursuit that did not fit with the life of self-sacrifice that was demanded of being a Jesuit priest. Apparently he burned those early poems.
However, as he progressed, he had read the writings of a medieval thinker who sparked in him an idea that he at once espoused and he used. The idea of what he called ‘Inscape’. It was the notion that the poet or artist would capture the particular detail and intricacy of a God created landscape, creature or object, and paint it either in words or art to show the brilliance of God’s creative ability. In taking this approach to writing, he felt that it fit in with his fierce commitment to God as a priest. He also introduced the notion of ‘Instress’, which simply put means the experience and emotion that an ‘Inscape’ evokes in a reader. Can the reader capture the full picture and experience that same sense of appreciation that the writer has when looking at the scene first hand.
When I began to think about these ideas as related to the work that I do as a novelist, I wondered how I would measure up. Actually, I don’t do a lot of detailed description of people, countryside or animals. The reason I avoid it is because, as a reader, I often get annoyed and bored with an author’s long and painstaking effort to paint the scenery. And sometimes I feel really annoyed when the author shows me what the character looks like, and it is different to how I’ve already imagined. I want to connect with the emotional side of the story, and get on with the rollercoaster that is complication and resolution in a story.
But when I was forced to sit and carefully analyse Hopkins poem, I began to appreciate how he used words to carefully paint the picture of ‘God’s Grandeur’. Each word was carefully chosen and then crafted together with the rest to form the poem. I felt as if I could connect with what he was trying to paint in words. It was a satisfying experience.
I don’t know that I am necessarily going to run out and buy volumes of poetry, but I certainly appreciated what I had seen in this man’s work, and in his ideas.

About fourteen years ago, when one of my writer-mentors had asked me to work on description in my work, I wrote a short piece of ‘inscape’. I don’t think I’ve ever included it in any of my novels, but I thought I’d share it here, and see if the ‘instress’ causes you to see what I saw.

The Setting Sun during Autumn

The sun drops behind clusters of gum tress and it is merely the rays that filter through to give the glorious effect. The sun’s rays seem to be almost a liquid gold that washes through the trees, leaving them sparkling and shining. To say the colour was rose would be equally as accurate as to use the word apricot. Our western aspect is one of vegetation, but when it is dripping with the day’s last rays of sunshine, it comes alive with a picture of God’s jewellery reflecting off the normally mundane dark green.


Meredith Resce

Author of ‘The Heart of Green Valley’ Series, ‘Cora Villa’ and many more.

New release ‘The Greenfield Legacy’ written in collaboration with Paula Vince, Rose Dee and Amanda Deed.

Check out book trailers :



http://bit.ly/CoraVillaTrailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWAb7xhtCnA

Regrets?

Last summer, whilst browsing in an antique shop, I stumbled across this book. Dorothy's Difficulties. It made me laugh - enough to dig my phone out and take a picture. I thought it might inspire a blog post... someday.

Fast forward to now... and I regret walking away without buying that book. It's pretty, it's vintage style and how cute would this have looked on my shelf? Really, what was I thinking to leave it behind? 

An olde worlde book with my name on it? 

Someone slap me. 

Ok, not too hard, because this week, I've had my own generous dose of difficulties. A bucket full. One of those jumbo sized troughs people use to wash small elephants. So, a book like this might have come in handy. 

Not to add my difficulties to the ones our heroine already has. But perhaps, I may have glued in a few blank pages here and there. So I could hold onto the words whispered to me by dear friends and God himself.

Because difficulties were never meant to stay bound in books. All alone. They're meant to be delivered to God, as cares only He can hold. And in return, He delivers words to raise us up and cheer us on. 

Words like these from my reading in Galatians. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity let us do good to all the people and especially to those who are in the household of faith. Gal 6:9

Yes, I regret not buying that book. For one who can hardly walk out of a thrift store empty handed, I can't believe I turned my back on Dorothy's Difficulties. But I can always hand my own storms over to the One who calms and encourages. For every difficulty I surrender, He has a word of comfort.  

That, is something I can never regret. 

(But, why oh why did I not buy that cool book?) 

***

What wonderful finds do you wish you'd taken to the counter? Are there any books you regret not buying when you had the chance?

Blessings for a wonderful weekend, dear friends,

May you know God's words of comfort and deliverance,

Dotti 

***

Dorothy Adamek lives at Crabapple House with her Beloved, their three teenagers and five pampered backyard chickens. She writes historical romance, Aussie style. Follow her love of all thing yesteryear at Ink Dots.

Off to the Getaway

Alright, so call me obsessed! All I can think about this week is The Word Writers Getaway which starts on Friday. I'm so excited, I've had butterflies in my tummy since Monday. There are so many reasons why I'm looking forward to this trip:

1. I get to fly. I love to travel and flying is right up there. No, seriously, I have been known to embarrass other passengers by whooping in the midst of turbulence.
2. I get to thaw out. Melbourne has been far too cold for far too long this winter just gone. (Queensland had better put on some exceptional weather for me.)
3. I get to escape wifely and motherly duties for a few days. Don't get me wrong, I love my family to bits and will miss them, but it will be nice to have a break from the domestic routine.
4. I get to learn stuff. I'm looking forward to all the different workshops - POV, story structure, marketing, book trailers, the list goes on. I know I will bring home a head full of new ideas.
5. I get to work on my manuscript. Love the editing room.
6. I get to discover new books. There will be a number of book launches, and a huge range to buy from as well.
7. Oh, and I get to launch my new novel, Black Forest Redemption, and together with Meredith Resce, Paula Vince and Rose Dee, launch The Greenfield Legacy.
8. I get to attend the CALEB Prize awards dinner. What a great night that will be!
9. Best of all, I get to hang with plenty of like-minded passionate-about-books people. I'm looking forward to late night chats, brainstorming with other writers, general fellowship. This is the stuff Anusha was talking about in her blog the other day - belonging and community. Connecting with other writers is the part I look forward to most of all.

So, for those of you who are NOT attending this year, I have just given you a bunch of reasons why you should go to the next one. And for those of you who ARE attending, I'm looking forward to meeting you.

What do you appreciate most about writers conferences and the like?

---

Amanda Deed resides in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne where she fills her time with work, raising a family, church activities and writing historical romance novels. Her new novel, Black Forest Redemption, was released on the 1st of October this year. For more information, see:
http://www.amandadeed.com.au/
http://amanderings.wordpress.com/

A Jigsaw versus a Body

When my family arrived in Australia (almost 14 years ago now), one of the first things we did was to hunt for a church to join. Every Sunday, we’d visit a different church. Having worshipped in the Baptist church since my husband and I were married, we were drawn to three Baptist churches in the area. One was very large, one was very small and one was in between. After some thought and prayer and several visits, we felt that the Tea Tree Gully Baptist church would suit our little family best.

The people were friendly and welcoming. We enjoyed the worship. The children’s programs were great – an important consideration for our eight year old son. A wide range of ages was represented in the flock, from bonnie bouncing babies to wise white-haired elders. And yes, the size of the church was just right! Our first years there were happy ones and I soon made a few friends. Every Sunday morning after service, I sipped my morning cup of tea while enjoying a blessed time of fellowship with them.

The services strengthened me greatly in my faith and so I looked forward to my Sunday mornings. One Sunday, I looked for my friends but they weren’t to be found. To my consternation, I heard that they had decided to leave TTGBC. I was very sad. I’d grab my cuppa and look for someone else to chat to – but often I’d not find anyone. My cup of morning tea didn’t taste the same.

It was embarrassing to hang around sipping tea, while around me swarmed lots of chattering people. I rate myself as friendly rather than unfriendly, but I can be painfully shy. I hate to butt into other people’s conversations. And so – I started to feel very lonely in church. A misfit. A bit like the piece needed to finish a jigsaw puzzle but the wrong shape, size and colour for it! I have to admit that there followed a period of several years, when I was often tempted to leave our church.

Why did I stay on? Simply because each time I wanted to leave and sought God about it, He said ‘No’. And who was I to resist God?

Some years later our church moved. Guess where! Right near our home. We now had less than a five minute walk to get to church. What luxury! We loved the new building – a modern spacious one. It was situated right next door to my son’s school. How easy it was to get there. Very simple too to get to my volunteer job at church, now only a hop step and a jump away unlike the earlier 1 ½ hours away by bus. Wonderful!

Little by little I got to know the church folks and they me. I began to make friends. When we went through difficult seasons, our pastors blessed us greatly by their support, their encouragement and their prayers. I became very active as a church volunteer as we ministered to the community. I began to feel a delicious sense of belonging. I didn’t even mind if I had no one to talk to after service. But you know what? I usually found plenty of people to chat to, with our without my tea cup in hand!

Yes, I finally belonged. It was an awesome feeling. How thankful I was to God that He didn’t allow me to leave when I pestered Him about it. How thankful that I’d obeyed Him. I thanked God that my church, its pastors, its flock and it’s worship had added much richness into my life.

We writers are part of a Christian Writing Community aren’t we? Do we need each other? Yes, of course we do. Yes, you and I do need each other. And you know, collectively we can make a far bigger difference to our world far more than we could ever do as individuals. At church last Sunday, the sermon spoke clearly to me. The preacher talked about the difference between fitting in and in belonging.

She said that if we try to ‘fit in’, it means we need to change.
But if we “belong” it means that we may come as we are.

Isn’t that lovely? We writers belong. We don’t need to change who we are or what we do. We don’t need to “fit in” to a jigsaw puzzle of writers. One of us might write romance stories; another mystery novels. One might write non fiction and one may write short stories. One writer may be a children’s writer while another writes YA novels. It doesn’t matter that we don’t all write the same genre of books. In fact, it’s preferable we don’t. We need variety in the body. That way, we can fulfil the niche in the Christian market by joining together to provide the variety of books that are needed to serve our world.

Do you feel you belong? In your family, in your community, in your church and in our writer’s group? Belonging is such a vital part of life. We were all made to belong.

A jisaw puzzle has to fit in just right. The pieces have to be exactly the correct shape, the right pattern, the right colour. Thankfully God has not called us to be a giant jigsaw puzzle. No, He has called us to be a body – each with a special function. We all have diferent aspects of life to bring to the body. As individuals we contribute. Through our strengths; through our backgrounds; through our experiences; through our knowledge; through our writing; through our giftings; through our walk with God.

If one person suffers, we all suffer. If one rejoices, we all rejoice.

1 Corinthians 12 reminds us that we are all important in the body of Christ. The eye cannot say it doesn’t need the foot. The hand cannot say it doesn’t care about the kidney. The nose cannot say the ear is not important. We have all been touched by His grace and redeemed. Redeemed to sing the praises of Him who called us all out of darkness into His marvellous light.

Do you sometimes feel a misfit? Please remember that you don’t need to change your ‘shape’ to fit in. In the Kingdom of God, everyone belongs. It’s a promise from the Master Himself. And He's the head of the body isn't He? He should know!

Yes, my friend, you can come as you are. You belong!


Anusha loves playing with the English Language and also loves connecting with people. She's blessed to be part of this wonderful writing community Down under who seek to lift God's name through what we were created to do. You will see her sitting on her garden swing enjoying God's creation, typing away at her much loved computer or drinking in the beauty of her world as she walks around her beautiful neighbourhood.

You can also visit her at her website Dancing in the Rain:
http://anusha-atukorala.webnode.com/blog/

Her first book 'Enjoying the Journey' was published in June 2010. She hopes there will be many more hitting the bookshelves in the not too distant future!

On the Bookshelf

Most writers I know have a collection of writing books that they turn to or books have inspired them and been helpful in some way with their writing. Of course these books may not all be books about writing. Sometimes they may be novels or poetry that strikes a chord because they are so honest, or beautifully written, or such great examples of well-drawn complex characters. So I thought I’d share few of the myriad books that are on my shelves. Some of them are by Christians others are not. They are in no particular order but more as they come to mind as I glance around the room.

Writing Books

Walking on Water - Madeleine L’Engle. This is one of my absolute favourites.

Bird by Bird - Anne Lamott

Write His Answer - A Bible Study for Christian Writers - Marlene Bagnull

Indelible Ink - 22 International Christian writers discuss the books that shaped their faith – compiled by Scott Larsen

Shouts and Whispers - twenty one writers speak about their writing and their faith –edited by Jennifer L Holberg

A Writer’s Book of Days – Judy Reeves

Walking on Alligators - A Book of Meditations for Writers - Susan Shaughnessy

The Invisible Child - Katherine Paterson

The First Five Pages - Noah Lukeman

The Plot Thickens - Noah Lukeman

Wild Minds - Natalie Goldberg

Escaping into the Open - Elizabeth Berg

How to read a Novelist - John Freeman

I’ve just finished reviewing this and among the interviews with a host of well known writers, it has some interesting practical information. You can find my review here http://www.livejournal.com/users/orangedale/

Take Joy - Jane Yolen

Poetry

Rilke Selected Poems – English translations by CF Macintyre. I picked this up second hand for a couple of dollars at a Lifeline book sale. What a bargain!

Far from Home - Poems of Faith, Grief and Gladness - Andrew Lansdown

Birds in Mind –Australian Nature Poems – Andrew Lansdown

Flame Tree - Kevin Hart

Other Non Fiction Books I Treasure

John Doe Disciple – sermons of Peter Marshall

Mr Jones Meet the Master – sermons and prayers of Peter Marshall

My first experience of Peter Marshall was watching the film A Man Called Peter with Richard Todd and then reading Catherine Marshall’s story of her husband. So well did Richard Todd play the part of Peter in the movie that when I read the sermons, it is his voice I always hear in my head. I have most of the Catherine Marshall books.

Another author have myriad books of is Madeleine L’Engle. I may not always agree with everything she says, but she makes me think more deeply, a bit like our own Anne Hamilton. I’ve just finished reading one of her books for the third time.

God’s Poetry – The Identity and destiny encoded in your name – Anne Hamilton

Novels

The Friendly Persuasion Jessamyn West

I bought this book after I saw the movie, Friendly Persuasion. It remains my favourite movie and one of my favourite books. I would have liked Except For Me and Thee written by the same author and concerning the same family but I haven’t got it yet. I'm working on it.

Nine Days by Toni Jordan. From a writerly point of view, this is a great example of voice. The story is told in nine chapters each in first person from a different family member over a span of years. Be warned though some chapters contain a little strong language, which seems sadly to be so much a part of today’s books. If you can ignore that, it is worth reading as a writer to learn about voice.

Caleb’s Crossing - Geraldine Brooks. Again this is another which impressed me with its story and voice, though sadly I don’t have this one on my shelves... yet. It’s coming.

I’ve never been one to confine myself to reading only Christian fiction. I read widely so the bookshelves also include a raft of other authors including Nicholas Sparks, Fannie Flagg, Jodi Picoult, Gail Godwin and many others as well as some Aussie Christian fiction authors including Paula Vince and Mary Hawkins.

And there is one book I turn to often, but it does not live on the bookshelf but on the desk, the table near the armchair or wherever I happen to be at the time and that is the Bible.  Where else can you find a book with true stories, poetry, stories, action, prophecy, proverbs and wisdom, symbolism, and picture language,  songs, dreams and their interpretations, etc not to mention the fact that it is the way God speaks most clearly to His people. Through the bible we are introduced to the ultimate hero – Jesus.

Dale writes and reads fiction and poetry. Her latest novel Streets on a Map, was published by Ark House Press.  Prior to that Dale has had seven children’s books and Kaleidoscope a collection of poetry published. Many of the poems in Kaleidoscope have been previously published in Australia’s literary magazines. She has won prizes for her poetry and has been published in several anthologies.
More information about Dale can be found at www.daleharcombe.com or on her Write and Read with Dale blog http://www.livejournal.com/users/orangedale/

Who is your super hero?

            Recently my husband went to speak at a conference run by University students. The young woman who was to introduce him asked him a couple of interesting questions beforehand, in preparation for her introduction. The first was ‘Who is your super hero?’  The second was ‘If you had magic powers what would you like to do with them?’

            My husband was stumped! With a lifetime of experience behind him as an engineer, business manager and CEO, he found the questions bemusing at best. Aspiring to live life like Spider Man, or having Harry Potter powers are very far from his mind set.

            ‘Whatever happened to the values of ‘down to earth responsibility, hard work and commitment’? he later asked me. ‘Why does the younger generation long to escape into fantasy?’

            He introduced his talk to them by challenging them to face the realities of life and to strive to bring about productive, practical changes in their world.

            I must say I agreed with him. As a writer of historical fiction, I am focused on understanding the mistakes and the achievements of those who have gone before, and trying to inspire readers to learn lessons that will help them make the best decisions for their lives. I love to imagine the personal experiences, conversations and interactions of my characters and to pour into them qualities and insight that I believe will inspire and challenge my readers. But my stories are all very down to earth, and based on real people who faced great challenges and struggles.

            This does not negate my desire to present readers with the love of God and the amazing changes He can bring into a person’s life. I believe fully in the power of God to bring about the miraculous, but I believe that the work of God is grounded in our daily walk on this earth and our interactions with the people around us.

            I am often disturbed by the tendency of many young people these days to escape into fantasy, to live half their lives (or more) in some virtual reality they can create digitally, or to interact for the most part through their computers, phones, I-pads etc rather than spending time with real people in real conversations about real issues.

            Am I just old fashioned? I know there are have always been beautiful nursery rhymes, fairy tales and fables, with great lessons for the young, and also great newer stories set in fantasy, which for some readers provide wonderful challenges and inspiration to live the best kind of life. However last week I saw a preview of a new kid's movie where four mythical characters team up; the sandman, tooth fairy - and I think Santa Claus and the Easter bunny were the other two - to help children make the most of their lives. Are we crossing a line into fantasy which is dangerously misleading?
           Perhaps it’s a stage of life thing? Do young people learn better through fantasy and older people through real life experiences? Or perhaps there are many roads to learning, and potential for getting lost along any of them?     

            Recently I read “Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power.”  Of course that appealed to me, but may be that's just my age. Or have I lost the child in me too soon? What do you think?  

Carol has written seven novels based on her family history in Australia.

The Oakes Family Saga includes Suzannah's Gold, Rebecca's Dream and The Price of Peace.

The Turning the Tide series includes Mary's Guardian, Charlotte's Angel

and Tangled Secrets with Truly Free to be released in 2013.

The Face of Forgiveness, Carol's fourth novel, can now be read in serial form

under the title Forgiving Michael  http://www.carolpreston.blogspot.com

You can read more about Carol's other novels on her website  

http://www.carolpreston.com.au or find them on http://www.amazon.com/author/carolpreston

Or you can contact her on http://www.facebook.com/writingtoreach

I am still learning

I read recently that the little sentence ‘I am still learning’ (‘ancora imparo’ in Latin) was one often used by Michelangelo, even in his later years. As well as achieving so much as a painter and sculptor, Michelangelo was also famous as a poet, engineer and architect. He was indeed a lifelong learner, always trying new things, always perfecting his skills and pushing the boundaries.

No, I am not in Michelangelo’s league in any way!  But I definitely relate to that little sentence ‘I am still learning’! In fact, I realised this again only this past week, as I struggled to understand what my daughter was explaining to me about buying a second website domain name and requesting the providers to ‘point the domain’ in a particular direction, according to which company was hosting my new site.

‘Oh, it means if someone pops your domain name into the internet, then the people who hold it will know where to send them ... it's like putting an address on a letter so the postie will know where to deliver it.’

Hmmm ... okaaaay!

Then I began thinking. Since I started my writing journey in 2004, I have learnt many, many new things. Back then, I had no real idea how one was supposed to go about writing a novel. I had studied some English in my original university degree. I had belonged to a couple of writers’ groups over the years. I had attended short courses and seminars at the NSW Writers’ Centre. I had read books and online articles about writing. And I had certainly written a wide variety of things, including teaching materials, studies, sermons, short stories, innumerable essays—and many, many letters. But there was so much more to learn, I discovered. Yet now, having written six novels, I find there are so many more aspects of writing I have yet to grapple with and master. Yes, Michelangelo, I too am still learning.

But it is in the area of book promotion, particularly via the internet, that I have had to learn the most. When I began selling my first novel, I did not even have a website initially. A few years later, I can remember very reluctantly becoming a Facebook convert. In mid-2009, I began my own personal blog and since then have written over 150 posts for that. I then joined a couple of group blogs and began posting there when my turn came around. I also joined Shoutlife and Goodreads somewhere along the line. And now I have an Amazon author page as well. What will be next, I wonder? Not Twitter. I refuse to ‘tweet’!

But my steep learning curve has also extended beyond the internet. Last year, I experienced being interviewed via phone for a couple of radio programs. That was indeed a novelty. Now this year, I took part in filming a book trailer for my upcoming non-fiction book—despite being convinced that is one skill I could well do without.

The things I need to learn never seem to end. Yet would I have it any other way? God has much more for me to do and say and write yet, I believe. So it is up to me to do my best and to follow God’s leading in it all, to listen and learn and trust God will guide and undertake.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your on understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. Prov 3:5-6

Jo-Anne Berthelsen lives in Sydney but grew up in Brisbane. She holds degrees in Arts and Theology and has worked as a high school teacher, editor and secretary, as well as in local church ministry. Jo-Anne is passionate about touching hearts and lives through both the written and spoken word. She is the author of five published novels – Heléna, All the Days of My Life, Laura, Jenna and Heléna’s Legacy. Her first non-fiction work, Soul Friend: the story of a shared spiritual journey will be released in October and a sixth novel, The Inheritance, in 2013. Jo-Anne is married to a retired minister and has three grown-up children and three grandchildren. For more information, please visit www.jo-anneberthelsen.com.

Hi. My name is Helen, and I am one of the newest additions to the Christian Writers Downunder  list of bloggers.

I never actually envisioned that I would be added to such a list; after all, I'm not exactly the epitome of Christian living at its best. Don't get me wrong, I'm not out every night breaking the Ten Commandments or anything; but I do tend to allow my circumstances to take my focus away from God more than I ought. When I know I should be praising, instead I tend to stamp my frustrated size 11 feet and throw spiritual temper tantrums.   

Some days I am overcome by an overwhelming sense of insecurity; I shrink away from both God and people, struggling to find anything likeable about me, inside or out. I doubt my character - as a mum, wife, friend and Christian - and run a personal CCTV loop of my faults through my mind, over and over again.

It can be a stormy sea of emotions to navigate; from a writing perspective I can sometimes feel like such a phony, writing on the goodness of God and his wonderful love, when in reality I feel a million miles away from both his goodness and his loving presence. But over the years the Holy Spirit has taught me a tenet of faith that has released me from questioning my legitimacy to write for God. It's a revelation that has become crucial to my life, in every aspect:

No matter how I feel, the truth of Jesus Christ will always be true. 

Aha! A rhema word indeed! God has so very gently shown me that when I write, I write from the heart. And in my heart of hearts is a deep-seeded love for God, an unshakeable trust in the truth of His Word and a delight in sharing the inspired encouragements that He whispers to me. 

So when I feel that I am being tossed around on that wretched sea of uncertainty, I can rest in the knowledge that I am safe, for His truth is my anchor - and it is unfailing, able to withstand the roughest of seas I come up against. 

What a relief it is, to know that I don't have to strive to feel holy enough to share the love of God;  to realise that my writing is acceptable to Him because of who He is, and the truth that He drops into my heart to share.

Blessings, 

Helen

My FaithWriters Profile page

Ask For What You Want

Did you know that God desires to give you not only what you need in life but also what you want?  For so many years I thought it was only OK to ask for what you really needed to get by, that God only gave you just enough, and to ask for anything more was not right.

Reading Luke 18 and the story of the woman persisting with the judge until her petition was answered, speaks mountains to me.  This woman knew she was right in asking for what she wanted. She was a widow that had been wronged, and in Old Testament law she was due justice.  She was in right relationship with God and so she never gave up in asking for what she wanted.

The same is true of us in prayer. Jesus knows the desires of our hearts and waits for us to open our mouths and ask Him.  He waits patiently for us to come to the realisation that He wants to give us more than we could ever ask for.  I am not talking about prosperity gospel, I am talking about practical things, like wanting our writing to be the best that it can be, for Him to open up new doors of opportunity to share our work and heart.  He wants to be the one we go to to increase business and ministry opportunities. He wants to be the one that receives glory for all we do, not just the things that seem more holy.  All things we do are holy unto God, when we follow Jesus. 

So many times as writers and Christians we are knocked back.  Time and time again we struggle and toil, some of us for a great many years. 

DON'T GIVE UP.

If God has placed a dream in your heart, a promise that you know is from Him, hold fast.  Never give up.  Continue to pray and believe that God will answer your prayer.  And I ask that this week  God will provide a new revelation to you of that dream, that promise that was given solely to you.  God will will not fail in His promise to you.

Nicole Watson
www.samsheart.com.au
www.comefollowmewatsons.blogspot.com

Perfection – you are far far from me! (Like, I can’t even see you from here!)

In a semi-serious extension of Rita Stella Galieh’s proofing blog (below) I want to take the opportunity to admit that I am far from perfect. This will not be a great surprise to those who know me. They are perpetually reminded that I am not perfect, but this week highlighted just how imperfect I am.

Without going into the grisly details of this revelation, I will just say that proofing is not my thing, and I was reminded of that fact. I am not what you would call, a details person. I am happiest in a creative state where stories flow easily and characters come to life, not in the tedious world of correct spelling, punctuation, and picking up mistakes.

Don’t get me wrong – I know that to be a better writer I must strive to work hard on the technical aspects of the craft. It just seems that I never quite get there. I lack the talent and aptitude for it. So in my state of distress over a troublesome issue I flicked onto this Christian Writer’s Downunder blog and read Rita’s post (below).

I laughed and laughed, and I realized that I am not alone (bless you, Rita). There are others out there like me. What a relief. Then I had a great revelation. Instead of beating myself up over my lack of proofing ability I need to concentrate on improving my mistake catching eye, and get to know a few more proofing geniuses willing to check my work. Because at the end of the day – it’s far better to giggle when we find these things, not proclaim the end of the world.    

Rose Dee is the author of the 'Resolution' series. Her latest release is 'A New Resolution'; the third and final book in the series. 

Visit Rose at: http://rosedee.com/

What Happened to Proof Readers?

Good question

Especially in newspaper headlines. You've seen them, those silly statements and awful spelling. Oh, I know it's all about the pressure of deadlines. Or as my friend used to say, that's all for the gnus, now come the head lions! (Sorry about that.)

London couple slain. Police suspect homicide
(They may be on to something!)
Red Tape holds up new bridges
(You mean there's something stronger than Duct Tape?)
 War dims hope for peace
(I can see where it might have that effect!) 
Local high school dropouts cut in half      
(Chainsaw Massacre all over again!)

Well, we may not be journalists, but we also have to watch out for those tricky dangling modifiers. They can sneak into our work without us being aware. I've caught myself time and again.  An example (I didn't write,) Roaring down the highway with screeching tyres, the woman just managed to step out of the way.

Thankfully I found my creative mistakes before the editor or final proof reader did. And I get chills to think of them slipping by unnoticed until some reader points them out, sigh! Still, they make for entertaining reading when you discover someone else's mistakes.

Found on church bulletin boards, these items badly needed proof reading:
* Ladies, don’t forget the rummage sale. It’s a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.
* The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.
* The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been canceled due to a conflict
*.For those of you who have children and don’t know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
* At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be ‘What Is Hell?’  Come early and listen to our choir practice.
* The Rector will preach his farewell message, after which the choir will sing: ‘Break Forth Into Joy.’
* During the absence of our pastor, we enjoyed the rare privilege of hearing a good sermon when J. F. Stubbs supplied our pulpit.
* Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24th in the church.  So ends a friendship that began in their school days.
* The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment, and gracious hostility.
* Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM – Prayer and medication to follow.
* Miss Charlene Mason sang ‘I Will Not Pass This Way Again,’ giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.


Rita Stella Galieh is currently working on another manuscript and sincerely hopes she will not fall into any of the above humbling traps.
http://inspirationalromance.blogspot.com

Friends With Benefits

The “checking Facebook” ritual which takes place several times throughout the day is essentially very much the same as crossing a village square, exchanging greetings and pleasantries. It is a way to check how people are doing, what they are talking about and how they are feeling. Facebook makes it possible to receive an immediate update on important personal events and which news stories that people are currently discussing. Mikael Eriksson Bjorling

It seemed easier to connect and not get lost in the crowd when living in a small town. In the city it’s easy to get into your own little world and disconnect from others. Facebook has become a bit like a village for me with quite a few benefits and thought I’d share them.

10 Benefits of the Facebook Village

1.   Connecting With Home: I travel for several months of the year and Facebook helps me keep in contact with home. Earlier this year I was in Antarctica and the Internet was so slow, sending an email took about an hour, however, Facebook only took a couple of minutes. All over the world, free Wi-Fi creates the opportunity to connect with home instead of expensive phone calls.

 2. Sharing the Joys and Sorrows: The joy of weddings, engagements and other significant events can be shared through photos and status updates. The sorrow of loss can also be shared and comfort given.

3.Reuniting Friends and Family: Every family has some dysfunction and mine had family feuds when I was growing up. I’m not sure of the ins and outs, and wasn’t personally involved but lost contact with cousins I loved. I’m now in contact again because of tentative messages and sharing on Facebook. Meetings have been arranged and reunions have been sweet.

 4. Connecting With The Past: Ex students and colleagues have contacted me on Facebook. I’ve caught up with ex students and colleagues all over the world through Faceboo. I was able to help one person with significant problems by connecting her to our community services after seeing her difficulties on Facebook.

I’ve also had messages from people who’ve read my books and been impacted by them.

5.  Prayer: I used to attend a prayer group, then it became a prayer chain on line. Now, I get alerts through Facebook for prayer requests. Recently two significant prayer points came via Facebook. One for a boy seriously injured in an accident and another for a couple working with refugees.

 6. Connecting With My Children: My children and their friends added me as friends. Facebook has helped me to connect with my kids’ friends in a different way. I see them at church or in my home, but sometimes you get to know them a little more through Facebook. I also get to see to see what they are doing in my home while I am away! Good thing they are all responsible.

I connect with my kids’ partners through Facebook too. They are part of the family in real life but also online.

 7.  Bringing Others Closer: Isolated people can connect with others. My mother in law is isolated as she is a full time carer. She connects with people through Facebook and has even found long lost school friends.

 8. Building Community: I have seen community in many ways such as helping someone find a house to rent, buying and selling furniture, supporting small businesses and encouraging people who are down are just some of the benefits.

9.  Being Inspired: I find quotes for my books, inspiration for writing and inspiring quotes to contemplate.  Encouraging each other’s artistic and creative endeavours helps those of us working in isolation to keep fresh and inspired.

10.  Becoming Involved: Quite often there is a call to action or service that we become aware of through Facebook. For example, the recent First Home project was successful in enabling a young couple to purchase a home to share with refugee families. Check it out: https://www.facebook.com/FirstHomeProject

Instead of just checking our Facebook page, we need to participate in real life too. The days of people cooking for families who are sick, of helping to mind children and to go and just sit with someone lonely should not be forsaken but enhanced.

Facebook can be used as a tool to: “let us consider how to stimulate one another and to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another”. (Hebrews 10:24 and 25)

By Elaine Fraser
www.beautifulbooks.co

The Best Laid Plans

I admit I’m a planner. I like to know what I ‘m doing and where I’m going. Mostly.  Occasionally  I will get a twinges of spontaneity, but mostly I’m a planner, which is fine except that life sometimes has a habit of messing up those plans.

For example recently my husband and I had planned to go to Sydney where our son and daughter and their respective families would gather for celebrate a special family birthday. We try to do this whenever a family member has a birthday. But like this time, it doesn’t always work to plan. Two days before the planned celebration, my husband came down with one of the dreaded viruses going around. Despite prayers for a quick miracle healing, in the end we realised it was not going to happen. As you can imagine we were very disappointed.

It happens in the writing life too. Sometimes we have plans for a character and that character refuses to co-operate, while another character becomes insistent we tell their story instead. Or it may  be that we put  a lot of work into a project only to find health issues keep interrupting it and pulling you down so that no writing is getting done. Yes, I’ve been a victim of that one a bit in the last couple of years. When that happens, we have a choice. We can either give up or put it all in the too hard basket. Or can accept this is the way it has to be for now, but that doesn’t mean giving up. Stubbornness is not a bad attribute for a writer to have. I will get back to my project as soon as the situation changes.

Sometimes your book will not turn out as you hoped. The publisher may produce a cover that does not help the book, or the editing may not be up to scratch and this happens even with traditional publishers these days as editors are overworked. I have recently read some shockers in a couple of books published by a large traditional overseas publishers, like the one which mentioned Jesus turning the wine into water. Really!  That’s not what my bible says.

It may a reviewer who just doesn’t get it and makes comments about the book that leads you to believe they didn’t understand where you were coming from. Reading is such a subjective thing. I’ve just finished reading a children’s book and my initial reaction was that the book was pointless.  Thinking maybe I was missing something, I gave it to someone whose opinion I trust and their reaction was similar to mine.  Both of us could not understand why the publisher had chosen to publish this book at all, especially given the cost involved in publishing a book.  Yet this was from a large and well know publisher. Maybe we are missing something, I don't know.

As well as reviewing on my  Write and Read with Dale blog http://orangedale.livejournal.com/I review books on Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/and am constantly amazed at how several people can give a book 4 or 5 stars and then someone else comes in and claims it is the most boring book out and gives it 1 star

The writing life is not easy. That’s why it’s important to have writing friends and groups like this where we can support, and encourage each other  and spur each other on when we are feeling down , when the writing is not going well, when life interferes and stops us writing, or when covers or reviews are not as we hoped.

 

 

Streets on a Map, Dale’s latest novel was published by Ark House Press. Prior to that Dale has had seven children’s books and Kaleidoscope a collection of poetry published. Many of the poems in Kaleidoscope have been previously published in Australia’s literary magazines. She has won prizes for her poetry and has been published in several anthologies. She has also written bible studies and Sunday school lessons.More information about Dale can be found at www.daleharcombe.com or on her Write and Read with Dale blog http://www.livejournal.com/users/orangedale/