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Currently available on Amazon.com for only 99 cents!
WOW, what a blessing! I've only finished story #3 and am really enjoying this collection of stories! Several are written by international authors, which gives them an additional interesting flair. Just good, clean, well-written stories & romance!
I look forward to reading the next six stories -- will ration them out to enjoy this collection as long as possible. :)
I just finished this book and LOVED IT!
Get the Kindle version FREE TODAY ONLY on amazon.com. Check it out!
Debuted as #1 Inspirational Romance Hot New Release.
Hit #1 in 10 Bestseller Categories.
Top-Rated.
It's Anne of Green Gables Meets Rattle & Hum. Worlds collide.
by Kathleen Rupff
If God were a baker
You’d be his “special of the day”
His top-secret ingredient
His favorite flavor
His cherished recipe
You’d be the chocolate chips
The “only the finest ingredients”
You’d be – organic
If God were a baker
Every day would be a special occasion
To share you with others
He’d make you for friends
And mail you to distant relatives
He’d have you first thing in the morning
And last thing at night
He’d rave about you all day long
And finish each sweet crumb
With a sigh of satisfaction
If God were a baker
He'd share your goodness with the world
You’d bring healing and wholeness
Wherever you went
Your tenderness lighting up the darkness
Your aroma reviving the faint
Your sprinkles bringing laughter
Your frosting making dreams come true
And joy would fill every belly
It applies to all creatives. Thank you, Mr. Arnold!
For original post click here.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 09, 2015
Your Beautiful, Rowdy Story
by Allen Arnold
If your attempts to write are met with distraction, disappointment or disheartenment, it’s worth asking why.
The natural reasons may seem obvious – no free time to write, struggles with craft, or roadblocks from the ever-changing publishing industry. Perhaps it’s the time drain of staying active in social media.
But you don’t live in a natural world.
You live in a supernatural world.
And if you know that God has given you the gift of story and you are actively pursuing that calling with Him, then your writing will face spiritual opposition.
As followers of the Way, we have an enemy. Satan opposes both the story we are living and the stories we are writing. I’m convinced he has a unique hatred for those who create worlds with words because they remind him of the Creator. God is the Author of Life. The closest Satan can get to this title is the Author of Lies. I think he burns with envy when we join creative forces with God and are taught – as sons and daughters of the King – how to breathe characters into existence and give birth to worlds.
Hafiz, the 13th century Persian poet, offers this gem: “The small man builds cages for everyone he knows – while the Sage, who has to duck his head when the moon is low, keeps dropping keys all night long for the beautiful, rowdy prisoners.”
That’s worth reading again. Our enemy is the small man who tries to keep us prisoners. God is the Sage continually dropping keys of freedom into our scarred hands. The enemy does his best to keep us caged so we never awaken to God’s invitation of life and creativity. Yet God is our heroic rescuer who will not be deterred. His invitation is not merely freedom – but a life of intimacy with Him. Don’t miss this. God doesn’t just want you free. He longs for your presence.
If you are not actively creating with God, then the story you are giving birth to has no power. Sure, it may be well crafting, entertaining, and even evoke an emotional response. But it will have no eternal spark. Only co-creation with God adds that.
So the enemy tries to keep us imprisoned, numb to our true identity. That’s why
he rages as God relentlessly drops keys to the beautiful, rowdy prisoners. Because once we are awakened and set free, we can’t help but tell beautiful, rowdy stories of life, freedom, rescue, and love.
Redemptive art flows naturally from a redeemed artist – whether the themes and stories are explicit or implicit. Some of the stories will be categorized as Christian Fiction while others will be General Fiction. I don’t think God loses sleep about how we categorize stories. The Kingdom is full of all kinds of redemption stories – many neither safe nor G-rated. Over the ages, these stories have stirred reader’s hearts towards what is true, noble, and authentic. That is why God commands us to fill our minds with these thoughts and stories in Philippians 4:8-9. It is a foundational passage for artist because what we consume influences what we create. Consider the movies, television shows, songs, and novels you are drawn to – and whether each injects life or poison into your creativity.
I hope you sense how your calling is seen from the spiritual realm. You gift of words carries immense power. You become far more than a storyteller when you enter into Creative Fellowship with God. That’s why your novels may be opposed in ways you’ve never considered. Knowing your creativity has an enemy isn’t a reason to be fearful or hesitant. But it is reason to actively walk with God in every part of the creative process.
God longs to create with you. That’s the foundational reason he gave you the gift of words and stories – so the two of you can do this together. And from that intimacy, the stories that are born can help awaken the hearts of readers. But only in that order. Intimacy with God always comes before impact for God.
See your time of writing as being on a playground with God. Run where he runs. Pause where he pauses. Laugh as you taste the rush of imagination and ideas with the Creator. Savor his smile. Cry with him.
You will also want to consecrate your creativity each day. Here is a consecration prayer specifically for Christian artists you might find helpful.
You were a beautiful, rowdy prisoner. Now you are free. Don’t stop being beautifully rowdy as you write. The world desperately needs more stories that are dangerous for good. In fact, God has already dropped you the keys to do just that.
Allen Arnold loves the epic adventure God has set before him. From the mountains of Colorado, he leads Content & Resources for Ransomed Heart Ministries (led by John Eldredge). Before that, he spent 20 years in Christian Publishing - overseeing the development of more than 500 novels as founder and Publisher of Thomas Nelson Fiction. He was awarded the ACFW Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. But that doesn't really describe the man. Allen savors time with his family, craves the beach, drinks salsa by the glass, is hooked on the TV series "Once Upon a Time" and is passionate about helping storytellers tell better stories from an awakened heart.
BOOK RECOMMENDATION I have a new category for my favorite books of all time. The Chronicles of Narnia are my favorite children's books. Elderberry Croft: The Complete Collection is my favorite book for grown-ups. Check it out! A Multiple, Award-Winning Classic I haven't smiled, laughed, or cried as much reading a story(ies) as I did with "Elderberry Croft: The Complete Collection"! I loved it ALL... It gave ME hope! I hope this story wins lots of awards, so as many people as possible will read it and be as enchanted and blessed as I was/am. I can't begin to understand the depths of the author's skill and craftsmanship in writing such a collection of stories-- I love it and admire her and her precious gift. I am thrilled to learn that there's a sequel... YEA!! The whole series is available now for a Kindle price of $2.99. Or check out Elderberry Croft: Volume 1: January Breeze, February Embers, March Whispers for FREE! Author's website: http://beckydoughty.com/ |
POP ARTIST MICHAEL ALBERT
While listening to Red Velvet Cupcake Murder (A Hannah Swensen Mystery) by Joanne Fluke, I was inspired to try her
'Pink Lemonade Cookies'. I adapted the recipes using orange juice concentrate for lemon. Recipes: cookies & frosting
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