they are the writers
They lower the ropes deep, deep into the well until they hear the ripples on the surface, and they dip their bucket until it's fully submerged, and then they pull. They heave, hand over hand, raising the heavy-laden vessel, to the brim and overflowing, until it meets daylight, and they hold it out, spilling over, so we can drink. And they quench our parched lips with their words yet leave us longing another sip, like hot tea that warms from the inside out but still makes us thirst for more. And with delicate tools they etch images on the sheer panels of our minds so we see them when we...
shadowed by grace :: a review
Shadowed by Grace is a historical Christian novel written by Cara Putman and published by B&H Publishing Group. Set in World War II, the story gives a glimpse into the work of the MFAA, or the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives program, an organization formed by the Allied armies with the express purpose of locating and protecting works of art and other items of cultural importance that had either been stolen by the Nazis or hidden for safekeeping. The novel zeroes in on the stories of Captain Rachel Justice and Lieutenant Scott Lindstrom, whose lives intersect through their...
launch day interview with lisa-jo baker
Today is LAUNCH DAY for the memoir, Surprised by Motherhood: Everything I Never Expected about Being a Mom! To celebrate, I am thrilled to share this interview with Lisa-Jo Baker, author of the book. Lisa-Jo is here today to answer some questions about her book and why she believes motherhood should come with a superhero cape. As a brief introduction, Lisa-Jo Baker and I have basically "been there, done that, gotten the same t-shirt," so to speak -- only backwards. She wears the shirt and mine is a reflection in the mirror, with the logo of life appearing in reverse. She...
angry birds
We bounced on the black surface of the trampoline, carefree and still counting our age with one hand. Suddenly an unidentified flying object swooshed past, narrowly missing our beach blond heads. My sister and I instinctively ducked, and Whoosh! Another near miss. That time we realized it was a bird. An angry bird. We screeched and took cover under the taut fabric of the trampoline. Our favorite outdoor entertainment had recently been moved into the shade of a tree in our backyard so our dad could mow the grass that had grown high under its previous position. Little did we know,...
surprised by motherhood – a review
Last week I had the privilege of telling Lisa-Jo Baker's readers why her new book, Surprised by Motherhood: Everything I Never Expected about Being a Mom, is different from other parenting books. I may have included a Shrek reference. To read what I wrote on her site, click here. This week I'm over at Ungrind Webzine, sharing my original review of Surprised by Motherhood. My review starts like this: I’ve been that mother who has cleared off four shelves of bread at the grocery store while on hands and knees, crawling, straining, grunting to reach her son’s lost Matchbox car that he...
we forget
It's Five-Minute Friday over at Lisa-Jo Baker's, and today the word is MIGHTY. We hunch over from the burden. We slog through the mire of life, one step at a time. We fret over unpaid bills and pray that the paycheck will stretch to the end of the month. We read the news and lose sleep over health care uncertainties, government policies, turmoil overseas, gas prices. We fear the unknown, the what-if’s, the sharp turns in the road ahead. We feel weak, afraid, without control. We forget that we serve the One who has parted seas, defeated...
in which I question whether platform building can hold hands with Christianity
Those who rub shoulders with the writing and publishing world will know that ‘platform building’ is a serious buzz word these days. Literary agents are telling authors they have a quality manuscript, but won’t get anywhere until they’ve built their platform to X amount of blog, Twitter and Facebook followers. While I understand the need for platforms for marketing and publicity purposes, questions rise in my mind as to how self-promotion can mesh with the calls of Christ in the gospel. An upcoming seminar by Band of Bloggers poses the very same questions: “There’s a lot of pressure today...
an open letter to criticism
It has been my privilege to be part of a community group called (in)couraging Writers, through the lovely website and ministry, (in)Courage.One of our assignments in the group was to write a letter to our inner critic, specifically the voice that prevents us from writing. So, without further ado, here is myOpen Letter to Criticism:Dear Criticism, Many would seek to dismiss you entirely, to throw the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak. I admit, whenever you have appeared in these parts, the steel wall has quickly shot up in resistance and defense. Yet to reject you altogether would...
that time i got lost on a mountain
It’s Memoir Monday, and the story pulled out of the hat of memoirs this week is one about downhill skiing. Or the lack thereof, as it may be. After sharing the account a few weeks ago about how I almost died while whitewater rafting on a trip with my dad, maybe I shouldn’t mention that this memorable event also happened while on vacation with my dad. It wasn’t that he was a negligent father, by any means. It just so happened that all of the exciting stuff transpired on his watch. But I digress. So, we were skiing out west. There were five of us on that trip -- me, my dad, his girlfriend,...
when the brand new bag of potato chips is half empty
In six days, my eldest will turn twelve years old (seriously?!). He has been counting days in anticipation for over two months, it seems, to the point where his excitement has become contagious amongst his younger sister and brother. As he mentally ticks days off the calendar, the clock ticks with its usual rhythm, the pendulum of emotion in the house swinging back and forth like a toddler’s mood. The temperature in the house sways from one extreme to the other from one second to the next. Heartache to happiness. Delight to despair. And we’ve all heard that happiness is different from...
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