Out with the old, by Myra Johnson

Certain times of the year naturally bring a sense of newness and anticipation. When I was growing up, it was always September and the start of a new school year. In my adulthood, I get a similar feeling as the old year rolls into the new. Taking down the past year’s calendar is like closing a door, often on plans and goals that never saw completion. Hanging this year’s calendar is my chance to re-evaluate and begin again.

After dumping, culling, and reorganizing our kitchen junk drawer!

The problem sometimes, though, is holding on too tightly to things from the past—possessions, attitudes, perhaps even relationships. This winter my husband and I have tackled some heavy-duty purging of closets, shelves, and drawers. We found stashes of outdated computer accessories, ancient cordless phones, small appliances we’ve rarely used, expired contact lens solution (I haven’t worn contacts in 10 years!), and all sorts of other odds and ends. It’s amazing how much space we reclaimed by getting rid of useless junk.

Anybody else have a quesadilla maker lying around from the 1990s?

Cleaning up our attitudes can sometimes make an even bigger impact on our lives. A biggie for me is wasting time worrying over situations I have no control over. Another is harboring resentment over real or perceived slights. Do either of these emotions serve a helpful purpose? Usually not. 

Coming May 2019!

There are times, though, when our emotions can clue us in on faulty relationships—a friendship gone sour, a family member we just can’t seem to get through to anymore. When we’ve tried every possible step toward reconciliation, including fervently praying for God’s intervention, sometimes the only remaining option for preserving our own spiritual health is distance. The heroine of my upcoming Love Inspired romance, The Rancher’s Redemption, must do just that as she seeks freedom from the effects of her abusive first marriage.

Are there things in your life that are unnecessarily taking up space? Start with the simple things—that bulging bookshelf or overstuffed closet. When my husband went through his clothes, he discarded at least a dozen T-shirts, and probably still has twice that many! (Don’t ask me why!) Besides, it’s always possible that something you no longer use could fill a need for someone else.

~~~~~~~

Myra Johnson writes emotionally gripping stories about love, life, and faith. She’s currently at work on a new Love Inspired mini-series, Hill Country Haven, with returning characters from Her Hill Country Cowboy and Hill Country Reunion. The first book in the series, The Rancher’s Redemption, is slated for a May 2019 release.

Also look for the updated editions of Myra’s earlier romances:

Autumn Rains

Romance by the Book

Where the Dogwoods Bloom

The Horsemen of Cross Roads Farm  (3-book collection)

Myra is a three-time Maggie Awards finalist, two-time finalist for the prestigious ACFW Carol Awards, winner of Christian Retailing’s Best for historical fiction, and winner in the Inspirational category of the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Awards. Originally from Texas but currently residing in the beautiful Carolinas, Myra and her husband love the climate and scenery, but they sorely miss bluebonnets and real Texas barbecue! The Johnsons share their home with two very pampered rescue dogs who don’t always understand the meaning of “Mom’s trying to write.” They’ve also inherited the cute little cat (complete with attitude) their daughter and family had to leave behind when they moved overseas.

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Allie Pleiter on 2019 Word--then what?

Many of us mark the dawn of a new year by choosing a word to set the theme for the coming 12 months. I’ve done so for the past several years, and some of our authors have already shared theirs on this blog.

This year, my word is “STEADFAST,” and its sister-word, “STEADY.”

What then? Once a word has found you—for a truly believe the word chooses you as much as you choose the word—what do you do? I’ll share what I do, and hope you’ll share what you do.

First, since I believe God sends me the right word for the year, I ask Him to bless my exploration of it. I pray for eyes to see the lessons it has to teach me, and to see the many places it inevitably shows up in my life once it is chosen.

As a woman of faith, the Bible is my first discovery ground. Steadfast shows up in scores of verses. Here are a few of my favorites:

2 Chronicles 27:6

Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before the Lord his God (emphasis mine)

Psalm 112:7

They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.

Isaiah 26:3

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

1 Peter 5:10

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

A dive into the dictionary brought me lots of motivating synonyms: 

• resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering
• even and continuous in development
• moving without deviation from course

And the insightful fact that “steady” is also a verb and an exclamation.

Then I always wander through Pinterest, building a board from the images I collect there. This often unearths new quotes, pictures, and sometimes even products. For example, did you know what there are artisans who will make you jewelry with your word for the year? Or that there is a beloved fairy tale called The Steadfast Tin Soldier?

I wasn’t surprised to discover that the heroine for my upcoming July book, Wander Canyon Courtship, finds the hero particularly steadfast. I always think our creative selves know things before our conscious minds do.

What will make this a “steadfast” year? I don’t yet know. But I’m excited to find out.

Have you chosen a word for 2019? Do you do any of these explorations or have some new ones to suggest?

A New Year and lots to celebrate--Lenora Worth

Hi and Happy New Year. This is the first Friday of 2017. I had hoped to accomplish a lot this week but not everything fell into place. So I'm off to a bad start. But I have a whole year to get things right.

I did let go of some things I had scheduled for this year. Sometimes, in spite of our best efforts, we just can't do it all. I'm finishing up some projects and I'm about to get into the thick of things with a new multi-book contract for Love Inspired and Love Inspired Suspense.

I will also be celebrating twenty years with Love Inspired Books this year. I sold to LI in 1996 and my first book, The Wedding Quilt, came out at the end of 1997. So I've been here since the beginning. The other day I walked into a big bookstore and became overwhelmed with the many, many books I wanted to buy and read. I thought "How did I ever get one published?" Now I'm at seventy-five books and counting. Recently, I reached a milestone with LI and Harlequin. Sixty-five books published with this particular publisher! But I'm still not sure how I did it!

So I plan on celebrating a lot this year. In February, I'll enjoy the release of the fifth book in my "Men of Millbrook Lake" series. I will miss these characters and the small Florida town of Millbrook Lake. But I hope you'll be able to read this last installment:

And I plan to actually read more books this year, too. You can help someone else read by taking a picture of yourself with a good book and posting it to Twitter with the hashtag #magicofstorytelling

Disney will make sure a child gets a book if you do!  Here's what I shared:

I hope you have a year full of good books, good friend and great times. What are your plans for this new year?

Peace, Peace, Peace

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.”  ~~John 14:27

Deb Kastner here. I have many friends who, as the new year dawns, ask the Lord for a “Word for the Year,” something on which they can focus their lives. I barely held on to 2015 by its coattails, so I wasn’t even in a frame of mind to be able to ask the Lord for a special word.

He gave me one anyway. In church over the past couple of weeks, the word “peace” has stood out to me, almost as if it were being said louder than any other word in the service. In the choir we’re singing, “Still, Still, Still.” The second verse is, “Peace, Peace, Peace.”

And boy, could I use a little bit of that. Though I didn’t ask for a specific word, I did ask--repeatedly--“Just one week, Lord, without any drama? Without anyone getting sick or with car troubles or with major appliances breaking down?”

Peace. Yeah. The Lord knows exactly what I need.

But peace is a two-way street. It’s not just finding peace, it’s giving it away. St. Francis of Assisi is credited with this poem:

And because the Lord tends to speak to me best through music, here’s a beautiful John Angotti song based on St. Francis’s poem. “Make Me a Channel of Your Peace.”

https://youtu.be/Q-gTzbxcUEs

Do you have a “Word for the Year?” Please share below!

Wishing peace to you and yours in this new year and always.

Deb's newest release, A Daddy for Her Triplets, will be available January 20th wherever Harlequin Love Inspired books are sold.

Happy New Year!!

Turn off the lights the party is over for 2014…but wait!

Jolene Navarro here and I'm going through my end of year reflections and find this has been a great year for me, but I have dear loved ones that just want to close the door on 2014.

So what are my resolutions inspirations for the next year?

I could say lose weight be healthier, no impulse shopping  save money, & write more words, but I think I want a bigger life then these imply (plus I like to keep it real).

What do we need to find our life's purpose?

I thought about the lessons I try to teach my students that will take them past high school and into life. In a mirror moment I realized I still need these lessons too. A great check list for us all as we head into a new year.

Embrace Failure. Failure is an integral part of being human. Failure means you’re trying, learning, and growing. Don’t let the fear of failure keep you from living fully. Do you know who Sara Blakely is? She was raised by a father that taught her to celebrate failure. That was put to the test when she failed her state bar to become a lawyer – more than once. What she became was the world’s youngest female billionaire by developing a product called Spanx. You should look up her story and all the failure she used to fuel her dream. You can’t let fear of rejection or ridicule hold you back, you might actually need to embrace it. 

Create your own community. In the mid 1800s there was a movement that changed how the world would forever look at and judge art. Impressionism was incubated at Café Guerbois.

How did a small group of people accomplish this fete? By meeting together regularly, challenging and debating with each other on the idea of art and what makes it art.

They had heated disagreements over the “rules” of art. Artist such as Manet, Monet, Renoir, Cezanne and Degas made up this widely diverse group, and their creative energy paved the way for generations of modern artists.  

Steve Jobs said collaboration works best when ideas are met with brutal honesty and are forced to explore a deeper purpose. I doubt Degas ever patted Manet on the back and said he had pretty pictures. They didn’t just dream of being artists, they wanted to set the world on fire with their passion despite what the established art world told them.

Six years ago I made the resolution to try and write for commercial publication. I went online and found SARA (San Antonio Romance Authors), and my writing greatly improved because of their questioning and tough critique.  I also learned about the realities of being published. Like selling one book would not pay off my mortgage.

I believe I’m published today because of them. They also introduced me to others that changed my life.

In June, for the last three years I have made my way to West Texas A&M to a writers week sponsored by Jodi Thomas.

The first year I made the five hour trip alone and it was worth it. For five days, ten of us met for almost five hours a day in a class led by Alexandra Sokoloff. It can border on magical. It was a full week of brainstorming and being pushed by this small group to find that twist in my story to make it unique. I learned that the ideas are there, the details buried deep within my brain.

Side benefit? Lifelong friends that “get me” in a way no one else ever will. And most of all, urge me to get it written and put it out into the world.

Resilience – this might be the most important. The ability to keep going on faith alone when it might seem you have no reason to. 

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6. We want to know why life isn’t fair, why this or why her. We want to know why certain things have happened.  I believe in most situations it is senseless to deliberate, to spend hours pondering why. Instead, it is more powerful and ultimately healthy to trust God and use our time meditating on his word to ensure we are on a God-ordained path. A journey only He understands.

 “…Weeping may endure for a night. But joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5. Tough times hit us all and some so much harsher than others. But this too shall pass and joy will be yours. Even death has its own victory.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9. We might shut him out, but he never leaves us. God is always with me so I don’t have to submit to fear and discouragement! We were created to be courageous. So be bold in strength and courage that God will give to you if you only ask.

As you go into 2015 may you:

            1) Embrace Failure

          2) Create and Support a Community       

      3) Be Resilient

Don’t be afraid to turn on the light and expose your dreams to the world. May 2015 be your best year yet. 

We were made to be courageous -Casting Crown

Goals, Motivation and Conflict

Deb Kastner here, wishing everyone a Happy New Year!

Goals.  Motivation.  Conflict.  I’m sure most of my writer friends have heard these three words slung together at one time or another.  Authors use them a lot, especially when we’re first forming our stories.  We identify what’s important to our characters, what drives them to pursue those goals (motivation), and what conflicts could potentially get in the way of them succeeding (in a novel, the more conflict, the merrier).

As the New Year quickly approaches, I find myself evaluating 2013—what worked for me and what didn’t, goals on which I progressed and those I quickly scrapped, the life changes I’ve been through, what 2014 is shaping up to be, and what I’d like it to look like.

This is the time of year I look at Goals, Motivation and Conflict in an entirely different way—as they apply to my own life.  

GOALS

What are my hopes and dreams for 2014?  Are they realistic?  Specific?  Can I break my goals into pieces so I can celebrate small successes along the way?  Do I have an appropriate number of goals?  Am I stretching myself as a person or overwhelming myself?

MOTIVATION

When it comes to New Year’s Resolutions, I find it easy to overdo.  I want to write faster, read more, eat less, lose weight and save money.  All noble goals, to be sure, but I’ve discovered that if I don’t have the motivation to back those goals, they drop off within the first week or two and I’m back to my old, familiar habits.

Every year for—well, ever—“Lose Weight” was at the top of my list, and it was always the first thing to drop off after the new year began.  Why?  Because while I knew I wasn’t where I needed to be weight-wise, there were many other more pressing items ahead of that goal.  Last year I finally recognized that I needed to be serious about weight loss in order to help me live a healthier lifestyle.  I researched and studied and learned what would work for me.  And then I put my plan into action.  My motivation changed—and so did my weight.  I’m not done with my weight loss journey yet, but I’ve seen the difference the changes in my lifestyle have made and I’m committed to continuing down that path.

CONFLICT

Here’s where the rubber meets the road.  I’ve made my goals measurable and specific, so I know when I’ve reached the finish line, or at least made progress.  I’ve prayed and examined myself and have found the motivation in my heart to pursue those goals.  Yep.  I’m sure about it.  These are things I really want to do this year.  But what happens when I have a bad day, when I fall off the diet bandwagon or don’t get my word count in?

Life happens.  I hit walls, I am tempted down the wrong path, or something truly urgent interferes with my plans.  Like the characters in my novels, things get difficult sometimes.  I’ve come to realized it’s what I choose to do when I hit those bumps in the road that makes the difference when I look back at the end of the year.  If I have strong goals I really care about, and if I continually look to God for course-corrections, I’ll weather those distractions and failures and continue the path I’ve set for myself.

So what about you?  Do you make New Year’s Resolutions?  Have you considered your motivations in making those goals and the conflicts that may arise?  How did you do with your goals in 2013?  And what are you most excited about for 2014?

CUPID TO THE RESCUE

Rugged and tough deputy sheriff Eli Bishop isn't scared of anything.  Except dogs.  When he's assigned a K-9 partner, he thinks things can't get any worse.  Then he learns who'll be training him.  Local vet Mary Travis is sweet as sugar...but she's also Eli's ex-fiancee's sister.  Revealing his humiliating phobia to her is not an option.  Neither is developing feelings for Mary--who's built her career around the dogs Eli fears.  When a terrible storm hits their town, Mary and Eli must find the courage to work together and save lives--and fall in love.

Deb Kastner's book Her Valentine Sheriff is a February 2014 release.  You can purchase it here.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Merrillee here, wishing you all a fabulous new year. Often in a new year, we think about how we can do things better. We want a new beginning, and we can have that new beginning in Christ. I'm going to share a few scriptures that talk about a new life. Let's start the new year with the word of God.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Epheisians 4:22-24 (NIV)
²²You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

1 Peter 1:3-5 (NIV)
³Praise 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, ⁴and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, ⁵who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

Do you have a favorite scripture or an inspiring thought to start the new year?

The New Year is Coming!!!

The new year is coming and I have to say that I'm looking forward to it. My excitement has nothing to do with anything that has happened this year good or bad it is simply the idea of a new year that I love. It's a little bit like when I begin a new book. I love the book I've just spent months working on and finally finished (there is nothing more satisfying than the feeling of finishing a book but by the time I finish I'm usually worn out and some of the excitement comes from relief that God's enabled me to reach a hopeful, happy conclusion once again). But a new blank page...wow, that excitement brings with it a new energy that has nothing to do with relief, but more to do with anticipation of what will come. It is a wonderful feeling. Since I'm what is called a seat of the pants writer or an organic writer (which means I start with an idea but not a firm plot) the book is as much an adventure for me as it will be for the reader. So the blank page has a similar feeling for me as a reader would feel upon beginning the to read a new book.

I look at a new year with the same hopeful anticipation. I wonder what God has in store for me. Yes, I wonder if there will be sadness and I pray there won't be, but I know that God is in control and that He can make all things work together for my good and I know that He has wonderful things in store for me. They may be small beautiful events that I must watch for carefully or I might miss them and their blessing. Or they might be big, blindingly blatant things--like my son's wedding this last year to a wonderful young woman whom I love like a daughter--this was the highlight of my year.

Either way the idea of a whole new year is exciting and I can't help but look at this new year with that excitement and hope. I wonder what does God have in store for me? Already I know I have 4 books coming out in 2009, a blessing a dream come true, so I have a bit of a sneak peek at what the year holds. But also and more important with the new year I'm wondering what can I do for God this year? I'm looking forward to watching for opportunities to be a light for Him.

Yes everyone the new year is coming and I pray for each of you that it is a blessed and wonderful year!

What has been the highlight of your year? Or what is your hope for this new year?

Happy New Year everyone!!!
Debra Clopton