Creative Juices

Yesterday I posted what turned out to be a fun little summer bucket list. All the things I love about summer that I don't want summer to end without my taking the time to enjoy them.  I also promised that I'd tell you something else I love about summer. Here it is. 


Summer gets my creative juices flowing, though you wouldn't know it by how little I write anymore. Just take these three images for example: 

 



If I were alone in this place, I could write a novel in a week. It would tell the tale of unlikely young love, one, that changes both characters for the better but is doomed from the beginning to end.

Romeo and Juliet meets Greece and takes a joy ride through the twenty first century.

Source: sunsurfer.tumblr.com via Teresa on Pinterest

Here I would write about a modern day Pharoah's daughter, a woman who had the envy of everyone around her, she possesses everything anyone could ever imagine for her, but she feels empty, lonely, like there is a greater calling on her life. When an unexpected opportunity arises she jumps in head first thinking this is her chance to do a little good for this world, unaware of how significantly her bravery will change her life, and one day, change the heart of a nation. 

Source: flickr.com via Teresa on Pinterest

Answering the call of salvation and following the Lords will means a breaking of bonds to sin and living a new life in Christ. But for this character those bonds are her loving family, her give-anything-for-you friends, and the only home she has ever known. Sometimes, when choosing between good and better there is no definitive answer. Will she be able to see the beauty and feel the Lords blessings when the pain of leaving her past is looming over the horizon? 




Which story would you most enjoy reading?
Do these images bring different characters to mind for you?

A {roaring} Review

Won’t you join

 

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – don’t edit; don’t second-guess.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Must: leave a comment for the person who linked up before you – encouraging them in their writing!

OK, are you ready? Give me your best five minutes on:
Roar…

The Realtor pulls onto the property and they instantly fell in love, as he unlocked the door the dad and young daughter start drooling, she's dancing throughout the living room and he's grinning for the first time. "This is it!" They proclaim loudly, jumping up and down "our new home, our new life." The exotic world is introduced to the characters and viewers so perfectly, so carefully that everyone can feel hope filling up their lungs for this family for the first time since the movie reel began spinning. But the Realtor has a secret, he's clamoring to get a word in edge wise, stammering about how perhaps this isn't it, perhaps they need to know more. When all of a sudden the room is filled and shaken with a tremendous roar. 

If you've seen the film then you know the next line is "it's a zoo" but it's hardly a secret what happens next for those that haven't seen it as the movie is called "We Bought a Zoo." I saw this movie about a week ago and was deeply touched by it, I fell in love immediately and have reflected back on it multiple times since then. In fact, I want to see it again. There were so many themes, so many family traits/quirks that I admired, there was simplicity, beauty, and healing woven into each scene. The only thing I did not like, was the language. I was relieved that I hadn't taken my son to it (though it was PG and I highly considered it) because there were several bad words unnecessarily littered throughout it. 

That aside, this movie reminded me about the good in story telling, the joy in bringing a viewer, reader, or listener through an emotion whirring and life altering (for the characters involved) experience. This movie was an experience, one I'm glad I was able to be a part of, one that's encouraged me to be a better mother and wife, and left me wondering about what the rest of the Lords plan has in store for us.  

"All you need is 20 seconds of insane courage, and I promise you, something great will come of it." 

What an amazing week it has been for me. After being convicted and making an unexpected commitment on Monday, I've enjoyed watching the Lord work in me, and through me. I've had more pageviews on my blog this week than I had in my my first few months of blogging, and received a handful of encouraging notes. I'm excited and encouraged by having so many new faces, I do hope that you will connect with me through comments, friend follower, twitter, networked blogs or some other rss feed and return often. 




My first week without TV has been enjoyable, but not quite all I'd hoped it would be. I've had extra time to read or pick up in the evenings and have mostly gone to bed earlier, however I have not had immediate success rising early. I have gotten up before my family every day this week to read my bible and pray, but not early enough to devote time to my project. I've spent much time researching, praying, and pondering said project, which I believe is helpful, but I need to take that leap of faith and jump right in. Hopefully next week with out TV will be when it clicks. 

With that out of the way, I'm again joining The Gypsy Momma for Five Minute Friday.

The first Friday of the new year.

Let’s do it. Let’s just write without worrying if it’s just right or not.

For only five short, bold, beautiful minutes. Let your mind and your words and your heart fly free; wild – no editing, no over thinking.

Change

Change can be subtle or dramatic,

temporary or permanent,

predictable or unexpected.

It can whisper it's way into your life 

as unnoticed as the leaves changing colors, 

or barge in like the uninvited house guest

and make itself at home on your clean sofa. 

It can feel like the fleeting excitement

and joy surrounding a fling with summer,

or the lasting pain that freezes itself 

into a mothers broken heart. 

It can be magical 

like snow on Christmas morning, 

or deceiving like blue skies that open up

and rain on your wedding day. 

We expect life to be altered when we

graduate high school, get married, have children. 

Often we overlook the impact friendships

gained or lost during these times will leave. 

A new look or style could be more 

than a new cut or shirt,

but the signs of a maturing mind, 

a healing heart, or personal acceptance. 

Death, illness and injury can leave wrinkles

so distinct that looking back you can plainly see 

the difference between who you were before and after. 

Support, laughter and prayers can leave beauty marks

so evident that others will clearly see 

for years to come. 

Change is unique to the individual,

life altering, constant,

inevitable. 

My worst enemy 

and my greatest asset.

I wouldn't be who I am today,

believe what I do,

trust so completely,

grieve so compassionately,

or live so fully 

without the changes 

that have molded and shaped me.

The pain that has taught my how to cry,

the friends who have showed me how to laugh,

the faith that helps me do these simultaneously,

are irrerplaceable. 

Change shall not define me, 

but point to the One who does. 

Grateful for Discipline and Obedience

Father God, 

I haven't ever been a morning person. 

My dad teased that he was worried about me going off 

to college because he didn't know 

who would get me out of bed in the morning. 

I've had friends, one in particular, who talk about

 the beauty of the wee hours of the morning. 

Just before the sun comes up, 

with her cup of hot tea, and her bible. 

She will leave Facebook statuses that are poetic and inspiring

...and I admired her time with you from a distance, 

a safe distance of about 9:00. 

But these last few weeks Lord, 

as I've been striving to reach a personal goal, 

one I feel you have been waiting on me 

to accomplish for years,

 I've discovered this beauty that she speaks of. 

I still dread that moment in which my alarm goes off,

 but Lord I love having a few hours with only you, 

reading and then creating as you would lead me to. 

I love how my mind is open, crisp and un-infiltrated. 

Before social media, rambunctious children, 

misplaced things, spilled milk, and long drives, 

fight each other for room in my mind. 

I especially praise you today, for the verses I read 

just as I was feeling too tired to function, to create. 

"Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; 

I do not fight like a man beating the air. 

No, I beat my body and make it a slave 

so that after I have preached to others, 

I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." 

1 Corinthians 9:26-27

If I had gone back to bed, 

I would have felt defeated, 

instead the reward of listening to you was 

sweet, encouraging, and energizing. 

Thank you Lord, for not giving up on me, 

and not being content with letting me give up on myself. 
Amen


Linking this up with


a beautiful inspirational blog I just stumbled upon

Ideas, Journals and Cheerleaders

Gracious Lord-Father God, 

Today I am grateful for the rich color of the idea journal 

I've had since my college graduation. 

I thank you for the ideas that it now contains, 

for the inspiration I feel just from having it near me 

and the encouragement and reminder that it is.

Lord, I thank you for this sweet inscription from my roommate,

 for the way You bring this and other written or verbal compliments 

and encouragements to me when I need them the most. 

I praise you for the cheerleaders in my life, 

friends, church family, and blog readers, 

whom You are using to push me to do more with my time 

and my talents. 

Thank you Lord for the gift of writing, love of writing, 

help me to continue being obedient in using it 

to bring glory and honor to you. 

Amen

Choosing to Listen

This morning the ladies in our church gathered together for a wonderful ladies breakfast, and I had the honor of leading the devotional or testimony. As my first or second speaking engagement since graduating college, I basically just read something I wrote for them. The first time is a learning experience, right?

Anyway, here are the words I felt the Lord lay on my heart last night, I hope that you will enjoy them.

God bless. 

___________________________________________________________

Bundled up in a bathrobe, clutching a cup of warm apple cider I sit, finally attempting to figure out what to say. For weeks I have been praying about this message, trying let the subject grow and wrap it’s way around my heart. Pleading with the Lord to give me something tender and yet convicting, personal and yet relate-able.

The more I prayed, the less I felt compelled to write about. The more I begged God to show me the message, or to give me the time and passion needed, the busier and more chaotic my life became, the more cluttered and clouded my mind was.



Even now I’m struggling to put words onto paper. To pour my heart out and hope it turns into something magnificent.



It occurs to me that two things may be simultaneously happening.



The first thing is that the devil knows what I’m up to and has been doing everything in his power to shut me down. To cloud my life and my mind with closed day cares, backed up sewers and Micah’s persistent anti-sleep 2-3 hour battles before nap and bed time. He knows what I’m up to, he knows each and every one of you who are here and what the Lord wants you to hear, and he does not want you to hear it.



The second thing that could be going on, is that the Lord is desiring to challenge me, to use what the devil is doing, to increase my obedience, to stretch my creativity, to create a God honoring message, something beautiful that will transcend the here and now, something that each of you will take on with you throughout your weeks and remember upon when the Lord desires you to. A challenge to create something beautiful, for His glory, out of nothing. Literally.



Isn’t that just like those two,the perfect characterization of each?



The devil constantly digging his feet in, pulling you in three different directions, slamming doors in your face just as you are about to walk through them, blowing up garbage disposals or a babies diaper when the Lord needs you the most.



Our father, patiently waiting for us to respond in obedience, defeating all of the devils nasty tricks by stretching the creativity, and working all things out for good, and  creating something even more beautiful and precious than what would or could have been without the challenge.
I can think of so many different examples of this in my life.



Vague examples that many of you have probably experienced as well, such as a friendship rooted more deeply through a shared trial, a lesson learned about my son through a trip to the ER, a conviction on my friendship skills through the hurt and pain of changing relationships.



Beauty (so to speak) from ashes.



Then there are the personal ones specifically related to my life and my experiences, those that I can’t hide from, that have everyday reminders.



The pain and heartache that surrounded my youth as my mother battled Multiple Sclerosis, has been re-birthed into reluctant acceptance because the time was used ultimately to teach me important life lessons, reveal things about myself and my personality that may have taken several decades to figure out otherwise, and show me how important it is to trust the Lord through trials.



The surprise and joy over finding out I was pregnant just as the devil had used a doctor (and cancer) to try and strike fear and panic in us over our future family possibilities.



Most recently the blessing of a new home, perfectly suited to meet our every need (now and in the future), after heartache and pain over losing out on several other homes, waiting as contentedly as possible for nearly 7 years while the Lord brought us to and through our medical trials preparing us financially. The blessing is that much sweeter.



I realize that I’ve clearly mentioned two different types of trials. Those from the devil, specifically geared towards choking you up, and those that the Lord is clearly trying to teach you something through. It is my belief that nothing that happens will surprise the Lord, He knows far more than we could imagine, and that it is His desire to USE each and every circumstance God breathed or not to teach us, to transform us, and increase our faith, our blessings. However, I also believe that the devil will use each and every circumstance God breathed or not to cause us to stumble, to choke us up, busy our lives, strike fear and panic in us, cloud our minds and hearts so much that we cannot hear or see the Lords hand.



Sipping on my second cup of hot apple cider, I feel it’s warmth spreading throughout my being. I blow gently into the cup and the heat returns tenderly kissing my lips and cheeks, I feel the peace of the Lord coming over me at last, a sweet and warm reward for choosing to be still and listen.



What situations do you have in your life right now, big or small that the devil is trying to use to shake your faith, but the Lord is trying to use to bless you?

_____________________________________

I'm linking this post up to one of my favorite bloggers Sarah at Racing Towards Joy for her Picture-less Tuesday link-up.


If your visiting from Racing Towards Joy, welcome to my blog. I hope the Lord blessed you during your visit and that you'll feel welcome to stay awhile and look around.


Make sure to leave a comment and your blog link so I can thank you for coming by!


God Bless!

Five Minute Friday: Remember

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Most importantly: leave a comment for the person who linked up before you – encouraging them in their writing!

OK, are you ready? Give me your best five minutes on:

Remember…

I remember a time when we called each other sisters.
A day when your voice was as familiar as my mothers.
I remember the feeling of your hand in mine as we skipped to Arcadia.
A time when the sound of your laughter could lift even my biggest worries.
It doesn't feel like so long ago, when you and I were best friends. When nothing in life was greater than the bond that held us together. When I called your parents Mom and Dad, and ran away as your brothers chased us through the leaves calling us names. I remember lying on the couches late into the night sharing our deepest 11 year old secrets, laughing about nothing, making up a secret language and secret codes.

I remember saying that we would be best best friends, sisters, forever.
I remember dreaming about our wedding days together, pledging as young friends to be maid of honors.

But then the memories shift, as life got a hold of our sweet innocence, the things that connected us together slowly lifted, and our friendship ever so slowly drifted away. I remember how each phone call, each visit was farther apart than the last, until a time where the next one never came.

I remember checking the mail daily, for your RSVP to my wedding. I remember it never came.

My dear memory, my friend, my sister...I(still)LYITSW

The Purpose Driven Blog: The Blarb

Last Sunday I wrote part one of this post about my blog and the purpose of it. I'm retitling it "The Purpose Driven Blog: The questions" as it lists questions that I had begun pondering as a result of fumbling all over myself when asked about my blog. If you didn't read last weeks post, I highly recommend doing so, so that you can join me in laughing at myself. I realize that this post should have come Monday or Tuesday at the latest to be a true follow up, but I have honestly been reflecting on and praying about these questions all week.

I guess the best place to start is by defining the "blarb." A hard thing to do, as I sort of just made the word up, or spoke it mistakenly on the spot. What did I mean by blarb? I really do wonder. Perhaps I meant blurbs "basically it's just a bunch of blurbs," but that doesn't really make much sense either. Malarkey seems like a good fit. Just a bunch of malarkey. What exactly is malarkey then? Other than being a fun word to say.

Noun: Slang: insincere, meaningless, or deliberately misleading talk; nonsense

also ma·lar·ky
noun
Slang

Exaggerated or foolish talk, usually intended to deceive: “snookered by a lot of malarkey” (New Republic).

 Oh, ummmmmm, okay maybe not. My blog certainly might occasionally be nonsense, foolish, and exaggerated (from time to time) but it is most sincerely sincere, and most definitely not intended to deceive. Which brings me back to calling it the blarb. What is it about my writing or about my site that would cause me to dub it as something so meek, and insignificant?

This is a really hard question for me to answer. I truly can't figure out what to write and have started this paragraph about 6 times now. I think the main issue comes down to self worth and confidence in my passion and ability to write. That same inkling of doubt that kept me from writing much of anything over the last several years springs back up and makes me question certain posts I'm working on. Which has lead to several drafts that end up in my post list and stay there indefinitely. Usually when my posts have stretched to a week between or beyond, that's when there are likely one or two drafts floating in the middle of nowhere. Reasons posts don't make the cut include: I'm lacking confidence, I'm not sure they fit in this space, I'm either afraid it's too preachy or too irrelevant, or I've run out of space, or time.

One of my main hang ups with this blog, and my identity, my purpose, my posts, is comparison to other bloggers or blogs. I often look at a post and begin to think it's getting to be too long. Not because the writing isn't relevant or flowing well, but because Bloggers X Y and Z are excellent at keeping their posts concise and to the point, short and yet eloquent and thought provoking. A few weeks back I read some blogging advice that claimed "in order to increase your readers, make sure that your posts are well written, short, and to the point so that readers know they can pop in for a minute and then be on there way." Well, I thought there was some truth to that, and yet that very sentence made me wiggle with anxiety, and truthfully it threatened to stifle my ability/desire to write blog posts.

I mentioned that I have trouble keeping my posts short to my friend and she said simply "yeah, well your a writer."

I hesitate to give myself such a title, feeling like maybe I haven't earned it, like a pilot has to earn his wings, or a cop his gun. But she's right. I don't write as often as I'd like because of time, but when I do sit to write, time ceases to exist. I no longer worry about what the next thing on my to do list is, but instead focus on making sure that what I'm working on is perfect. Not in a grammatical sense per say, but in a heart sense. Each thought needs to flow succinctly into the next, even this post about posting, I've been tweaking and perfecting.

I think some of the "blarb" on this site comes from that desire to post just to post, in order to keep my statistics up, or posting something shorter in order to meet the audiences supposed demands. Even my husband just mentioned that people look at an article to see how long it is before committing to reading it, so yes there is some truth to my concerns. However, if I don't commit to writing what's in my heart and staying true to who I am, then my writing is going to continue to feel insignificant to myself, and therefore I'll write stuff that's insignificant in the grand scheme. 

Of course I want my readership, my followers, and my statistics to increase, but I want that to happen because people see my heart for what and Whose it truly is. If I continue trying to write in order to fit into a blogging norm or ideal, then I'm not allowing the Lord to use my writing to it's fullest capabilities. If I continue to focus on Bloggers stats and the Internets standards for a successful blog, then I'm forgetting that the Lords standards are different than ours and that even one lost sheep was more significant to Him than 99 others.

In my next post I plan to share my top five favorite posts that I've written to date, and my top five highest views. What are your favorite blog posts? What brings you back day in and day out to see what I've been up to? Join me next time when I work through my subject matter, my audience, my passion, I'll share your thoughts and hopefully find a suitable answer for "What do you blog about?"

The Purpose Driven Blog: The Questions

Last night we were with friends and one of them asked me "What do you write about on your blog?"
Enter opportunity for me to talk about something I love, something I'm proud of, and something I've been trying to do, not for me, but for the Lord for the last 9 months or so, and what do I do with that opportunity? I blunder it up.

Go with me there for a minute. I had just stood up to go get the boys to start cleaning up the bedroom upstairs, when he asks me this question. I responded quickly, but my response was a total cop out. I completely choked. In the amount of time it took me to decide what to say, I had a whole series of questions in my mind.

Why is he asking?
What if he (our good friend also happens to be our pastor) doesn't approve?
Has he read my blog, is this a test?

Seriously. How is a girl supposed to answer so many questions at once?

I ended up spitting out some really vague rubbish. "Oh life. Answered prayers, lately it's been a lot about my blessings, prayer requests." Now, imagine this is a movie your are watching and here I start walking up the stairs, away from the group, still trying to answer what I blog about "A lot of random thoughts about life and faith," now I say one last thing, from almost the last step, a little louder but not really to anyone "just blarbs really."

Blarbs? What are blarbs? Can we say AWKWARD?!?!?!!!!!!!!

So this morning while doing my make up for church I got to thinking.

What do I write about?
Why couldn't I come up with a better answer?
Was I just trying to be humble and make it seem like no big deal?
If I keep writing and talking about my writing like it is no big deal, will it continue to be "no big deal?"
Is that what I want?
Is the consistency and frequency of my writing being affected by my lack of drive, vision and purpose? 

I wondered too about my stats, about my readers, my topic. Who am I writing for? I really want to be writing for the Lord, I want to be focused on what He is doing in me and through me.  How do I know then, if I'm measuring up to that standard?

I decided today I really need to pin down a purpose. I need to write a mission statement so to speak, rewrite my goals (as I discovered this week many of my 101 in 1001 days goals have vanished into cyber space--many of which were about writing), and I need to figure out my audience, my subject, my purpose.

Stay tuned dear friends, I'm excited about the writer this exercise, focus, and dedication to the Lord will bring.

Inspired

I have been hesitant to sign up for Twitter, I really didn't know a whole lot about it, but I figured my social time is tapped out on Facebook and I didn't really need another way to connect with my friends. Well I was wrong, so far anyway, Twitter has meant very little about connecting with my friends. In fact, last I checked the only follower I know personally is my sister. Love you!

what i'm loving wednesday

Fiction Friday: Followers Choice (Part 1)

Title Pending

“Jimmy, please? Can’t you make an exception this one time?” Clara asked, following behind her boss as he pulled the chairs off the tables.

“No.” He replied.

She tied her apron around her waist, tucked a few strands of her strawberry hair behind her ears and huffed as she started on the next table. “This is supposed to be the worst snow storm to hit the Midwest in 14 years.  Nobody will mind if we’re closed for a few days.”

“No.” He said without so much as even turning around to glance at her.

“But the whole town will be shut down. Half of it already is.”

Friday Fiction: Followers Choice

Tomorrow is Fiction Friday. As a fun challenge, I want to take suggestions from my "followers".  To participate simply click the follow button on the side of my page enter the appropriate information, then leave a comment under this post with your idea. These suggestions could be anything from the topic, character, or story line to writing style, time period, or genre.

All ideas and suggestions are welcome :) The crazier the better! This is your chance to pick what I write about.

Looking forward to this. I'll select the "winner" tomorrow by noon, and plan to have the post up by midnight.

Let the games begin!

Fiction Friday: Who Am I?

It was the day that I'd been waiting for. The day each of us had been waiting for, and for me it had finally come. The day should have held hope and excitement like sun and fresh air, but instead the day dawned cold and misty. The men came and began securing my belongings, making sure each items was accounted for, they meant well, but I overheard them talking about my new home, about how I was a face picked out of a "catalog".

101 Things in 1001 Days

I’ve restructured my list by categories, so that I can easily find things based on particular areas of my life. Some of these goals are things I’ve said I was going to do years ago, but never put down on paper and/or never followed through on. Some of these are hard for me to accomplish and I will probably have to start 3 times over (sticking with a budget for 3 months straight, yikes) or more! Some of these goals felt optimistic when I put them on paper, like potty training Micah (let’s not get too ahead of ourselves here) then I realized that in 1001 days Micah will exactly the same age Owen is now and Owen will be in Kindergarten. Talk about an eye opener, “quick scroll down and add potty training to the list!”