Amazed

This is currently my favorite worship song and I thought I'd share it with you! I truly am amazed by God's love and faithfulness towards me:)

Want to Follow God?

You don’t need to DO these things to be a God-follower, but these are things that have helped me on my journey. Things I have tried to teach my children and maybe they’ll help you too:

1. Make time for God. Set your alarm clock to get up early. Focus your thoughts on Him first and often.

2. Read the Bible and ask God for the one thing to take-away from your reading.

3. Read devotional books. I recommend: My Utmost for His Highest. Practicing the Presence of God. God Calling. (links?)

4. Listen to Christian music and/or praise music throughout the day. It helps to keep you focused on the right thing and protects your thoughts from all the worries of life.

5. Pray with friends—together in person or on the phone.

6. Get advice from other Christ-followers. Look to men and women you respect for encouragement about following God with all your heart.

7. Read biographies of famous Christians. Be inspired!

8. Seek God throughout the day.
a. Talk to Him.
b. Seek His strength.
c. Be encouraged by His word.
d. Believe in His love.
e. Trust in His plan for your life.

2. Have a mission statement for your life. If you could do anything with the talents and gifts God has give you what would it be? Who would you serve?

3. Ask God for the one thing He desires for you to do.
a. He knows His plans for your future.
b. He knows His design for your marriage.
c. He has gifted you with your children.
d. Now what does He want you to do with all these things?

Bead Your Faith

Today I am proudly wearing a “wordless book” bracelet that I made during Parents’ Night at our church’s Awana club. We had a great time doing a craft usually reserved for kids. You might remember making one in Sunday school or VBS. When I think about it, wordless book bracelets are creative way to share your faith. If you don’t have any Christian jewelry or want something new, why not try making one?

Here is what you need:
A thin piece of leather long enough to fit around your wrist after tying some knots in it (one website said 15 inches)—if you can get a piece with a pointy end the final steps will be easier
5 pony beads – 1 yellow, 1 black, 1 red, 1 white, 1 green, and 1 clear (some also add 1 blue bead)

Making your bracelet:
Tie a knot about 1/3-way down the piece of leather
String your beads in this order: yellow, black, red, white, green, and blue if you choose to include it

Tie a knot close to the last bead
String both ends of the leather through the clear bead to connect your bracelet (if you can crisscross them it will be easier to adjust)
Tie off the ends

Now, how do you explain your bracelet when someone asks about it? Here is what each bead means:

Yellow – this bead represents the streets of gold that are in heaven
Black – reminds us of our sin, which separates us from God and heaven.
Red – Jesus shed his blood to save us from the penalty of our sin
White – When we confess our sins and accept Christ as Savior God immediately forgives and forgets, making us pure and fit for heaven
Green – After we accept Christ as Savior, God wants us to grow through studying His Word, prayer, and becoming an active member of His family
Blue – represents baptism, the public expression of our faith

By sharing the meaning of each bead you are sharing the gospel.

So these cool, colorful bracelets aren’t just for Sunday school kids.

Have fun seeing the opportunities to share Jesus that come after making one.

A Random Conversation? I don't think so.

I was waiting to pick up my computer. Waited for three hours as they transferred files for me because my computer crashed. Sometimes I start talking to strangers who work in stores--ladies, of course. My children hate when I do this.

I noticed a young woman working in the phone department sorting through a box of phones. I was drawn to her. We had an amazing conversation. She volunteers through the Lilburn Co-op Young Parents' Group. I asked if she'd be open for an interview for the blog. She said sure. Her name is Kelsey.

1. Tell me about the organization where you volunteer.
Well, the group, as we call it, is a mommy class. It's a young parents group that acts as a support group. We get together the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of every month to relax and learn about ourselves inside and out. It helps build relationships with new people. A lot of the girls in the class now have a strong support group and good friends to turn to.

2. How long have you been serving?
Funny story, actually. I've been involved with this group for about a year and a half. When we first started it was just two other ladies and me. The group kind of sought me out as the main leader. I met one of the ladies when she came in the restaurant where I worked. We just started talking. We had similar issues and she gave me a lot of good pointers. Since then, our group has grown to reach between 20 and 30. It's a blessing to see that these girls come from all different backgrounds. We've formed a strong bond.

3. What are you duties?
I do a lot of networking and outreach to single young parents. Being a young person myself, it's easy to relate. Whether it's mental, physical, or emotional, I see a little part of myself in them.

4. How did you get interested in doing this?
Ever since I was a little girl, I've wanted to help people. I never really acted on it until I became a mother. I realized how many people are struggling just to feed their kids and don't take a second for themselves. I had my daughter 12 days before I turned 19, but I had a tremendous support group. It's sad but a lot of girls and guys who have kids that young don't have friends or family to help them. It kills me. I still struggle with things but having my family makes it easier. I need to show others there is someone who cares, even if it's just an ear to listen.

5. Do you have a dream or goal that involves your volunteer work?
I do. I want to have a shelter for young parents. I would love to help give that to others--make little apartments for people who need financial and emotional help. Teach them better ways to survive in our economy. I would LOVE to help single parents and homeless people. Maybe they've made just one wrong choice and need help learning to live again.

6. Can you think of one particular girl whose story stands out?
Well, I do have one girl that gives me serious inspiration. Let's call her Lindsey. She's a single mother to 3 young boys. She and her husband divorced a little while ago. She takes of the boys by herself. The father goes in and out of their lives. She works three jobs to make sure the boys have food and clothes. She struggled with ovarian cancer after the birth of her third child. She doesn't let this get to her because she knows she has to take care of her boys. When she told me this, I just hugged her tight.

7. Any words you'd like to share with our readers?
There are people out there who do care. If you feel like there's nothing left or no one to listen, I assure you there is. young (dot) parents (at) yahoo.com

Thanks for reading. Thanks for letting me interview you, Kelsey. May you one day have your heart's desire.

Book Blog Tour

I'm doing something new this week. I am participating in a Blog Tour for my friends' new book: The Curse of the Spider King.
The friends are Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper. I know the coolest people! That's one of the perks of being a Christian Fantasy Writer.

I got to know them better last year when we did the Motiv8 Fantasy tour of the West Coast.

Inexpensive Christmas gifts

Camy here! Have you started thinking about Christmas yet?

I love Christmas. I mostly like giving gifts to my friends and family. I especially like being able to give them something they’ll really enjoy and could use.

I’m also dirt poor, so the challenge is giving a gift that’s not cheap-looking, but that’s inexpensive to make or buy.

Yarn craft

I’m big into knitting, so I like asking my friends point blank what they’d like me to make them for Christmas. I give options like a scarf, hat, mittens, fingerless gloves, bag, etc. It makes it easy for me, and it guarantees they’ll get what they want. Then I buy the yarn and make something for them.

Do you crochet or do some type of yarn craft? Why not make your gifts this year? You can also learn to knit or crochet really easily online. Believe it or not, I learned to knit from watching knitting videos.
Knittinghelp.com videos
Knitpicks.com community learn to knit tutorials
Lion Brand website for knitting and crochet tutorials

Sewing

There’s a sewing group that meets at my church who have volunteered to show me how to sew, although I haven’t taken them up on it yet. But it makes me think that if I do, I can make cute sewing projects for gifts, too. iPod or phone cases, bags, pillowcases.

If you sew, consider some cool sewing you can do for your friends or family as gifts. Pillowcases in cute fabric are always great gifts and they’re very inexpensive, too.

If you embroider, consider buying something small and embroidering the person’s name or designs on it. Regular or ribbon embroidery can really dress up something that’s otherwise very plain.

Cards

I also like making cards for people to use, because everyone could use thank you cards or birthday cards. I get stamps, colored paper, double-sided tape, and ribbon trim from the local craft store and then go to town. It’s fun because I get really creative, and it’s fast because I can make several copies of the same card really easily.

And if I make several different designs, I can give everyone one or two cards of each design, for a total of a dozen or two dozen cards as a gift. I wrap the bundle of cards in ribbon and it looks great!

If you’re creative and wise with what stamp sets you buy, each card can be as little as 25 cents each to make. There are some stamp sets that are hearts or flowers, with several stamps in the set, and you can mix and match with different colors, different paper, and different ribbon or trim to make different types of cards with the same set.

Are you a photographer? Why not develop several copies of your favorite pictures and paste them to cardstock to make fantastic blank cards to give away? You don’t even have to embellish the cards if you don’t want to, because the photos themselves make the cards special.

Sparkly stuff

Some of you do beading, and jewelry is a great gift to give. Earrings, a pendant, or a bracelet are relatively inexpensive, and you can make them in your friend’s or relative’s favorite colors.

And you don’t have to limit yourself to jewelry. You can also make cell phone charms, bookmarks (see those book thongs in Borders?), zipper pulls. Be creative!

Any other ideas?

What are you considering for inexpensive Christmas gifts this year?

Camy Tang writes romance with a kick of wasabi. Out now is her humorous contemporary romance novel, Single Sashimi, and her romantic suspense, Deadly Intent. She also runs the Story Sensei critique service. In her spare time, she is a staff worker for her church youth group, and she leads one of the worship teams for Sunday service. On her blog, she gives away Christian novels and ponders frivolous things. Sign up for her newsletter YahooGroup for giveways!

God is bigger

When I decided I was going to pursue my dream of being a writer, I was 17 and didn’t know exactly what that looked like. It ended up being a lot of trial and error. First, I learned I didn’t need to send my whole manuscript directly to the publishing houses. There were people called “literary agents,” and I needed to get me one. I read up on how to do that, then I started sending out my query letters.

Then I learned that I didn’t know what genre I wrote for. I did some more research and determined that I wrote Young Adult Fiction. Then I learned that a thing called “Christian Fiction” existed, but I didn’t know exactly where my books fell. Did being a Christian writer automatically mean I wrote Christian Fiction? No. In fact, whether I chose to write for the general market or the Christian, my content needed tweaking. It needed less tweaking if I went the Christian route, so I did that. (Doesn’t that sound like such a spiritual decision? Sheesh. It would be so much nicer if I could say that I prayed about it.)

And after a few more years of trial and error, I started hearing this “platform” word. It was something I needed and didn’t have. A platform is basically anything that gives you name recognition and will help you sell books. I was 23 at the time, quite pregnant, and I’d spent the last six years primarily devoted to improving my writing. I left my “platform” class at a writers’ conference feeling depressed and defeated. For the first time since I’d started on my journey, I wondered if it was really possible for me to be published.

A funny thing happened a few months later—my agent called and said Revell wanted to buy my Skylar Hoyt books.

I knew I should have been excited, and I was, but I kept thinking, “Wait! Are they sure? I don’t have a platform.”

Before we got off the phone, my agent laughed and said, “I just can’t believe it. You have no platform, and you write for a risky genre. I can’t believe you got published.”

And I felt God saying to me, “I can.”

The thing is, God is bigger. He’s bigger than the publishing industry. He’s bigger than cancer. He’s bigger than the government. He’s bigger than financial crisis. He’s bigger than a bad grade, mistakes you’ve made, or regrets you have. Whatever you’re going through today, whatever is burdening your heart—He’s bigger. It’s a thought that comforts and strengthens me, and I hope it does the same for you.

Stephanie Morrill

www.StephanieMorrillBooks.com

Homeward Bound

Today I return to Texas with a full heart after nine days in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. A few highlights: I spent time with my kids and dear friends, spoke to writers at Northwest Christian Writers Association, spoke to women's groups at Beit Tikvah in Renton and Sonlight Community Church in Lynden, met with a book club, spoke at Lynden Christian High School's chapel service, and concluded my time here last night speaking at the Cascade Christian Services Staff & Donor Appreciation Banquet. I've connected with writers, women, teens, and a group that exists to serve the disabled. Sometimes I think the beauty of the body of Christ will make my heart explode.

As I prepare to head home, I'm thinking about heaven and how there will be perfect community and no more good-byes. I long for that day. But in the mean time, loving and being loved sure is fun.

Love well, friends. We have so much to be thankful for.

Simplicity, Beauty, and Transformation

Early summer, I traveled to attend a seminary class, which gave me the chance to hang out in one of my favorite areas of California, in the Santa Cruz Mountains near Mount Hermon. I had a little time before I arrived at the home where I would be staying, so I stopped at a deli to grab a bite to eat.

A shop next door looked intriguing. After I ate my dinner, I noticed the open sign still hanging, so I stepped inside and browsed through the unusual items, some brand new, some antique. I found a quirky but beautiful glass bowl and lifted it to the light. It was priced reasonably. I sat it down and moved on to explore the rest of the shop. In the end I bought the bowl. I knew just where I would put it in my home.

This purchase was part of a decision I had made just a few months before. I wanted to simplify and beautify my home in ways I hadn’t yet done since moving into the ministry house where we lived. My time and financial resources are limited for this project, so I decided to make one or two simple changes in a room, then move on to another, make a change, take another room, make a change . . . you get the picture. That way each room would receive some attention and all would gradually transform.

Sometimes the change involved throwing or giving away things we no longer used or needed. Sometimes it meant finding something new (at least for us), like the glass bowl. I’m not going for House Beautiful here. Just warm, welcoming, and an expression of who we are.

The plan felt do-able. As I began, I realized this was fun, encouraging, uplifting. Even as simple as each change was, I felt the subtle transformative impact on the overall look and feel of a room or my home.

I’m far from done. This will take a while. But that’s okay. I’m enjoying the journey.

This all sounds a bit familiar to me. This thing of changing a little bit at time is very much like what God has been doing in my life since I met him in high school. I’m so glad that when I quietly prayed to ask him to forgive me and change my life, he did forgive me entirely, and he changed my heart. Those were huge and noticeable as have been other changes where God has really dug into an area of my life. But many changes have come slowly over the years—a few in this area of my life, a few in that one.

And God’s transformative work goes on to this day. Getting rid of stuff not needed in my life. Simplifying what I’ve made complicated. Beautifying areas that are dingy or dowdy.

And I hear God say to me, “I’m not done. This will take a while.”

I smile and respond, “I’m okay with that, God. I’m enjoying the journey.”

“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit”

(2 Cor 3:18 NIV).

Have a beautiful, transformative week!

Jan

http://www.jankern.com/

http://www.choose2livefree.com/

Teens and the bad rap ...

Choices, Choices

A few years ago I helped a family member purchase a money order to mail to her daughter who lives out-of-state. It seems her boyfriend kicked her out, and she’d been staying in a hotel. Unfortunately, she ran out of money, and her boss from the local diner had already fronted all he could. This person needed money quick, and she didn’t know where else to turn.

Around the same time a friend of mine related the story of being startled awake by her son. It was 3:30 a.m. when the phone rang. Her son had been partying and needed a ride home. Though my friend had to work the next morning, she jumped out of bed and hurried to her son’s aid.

Does this sound unusual? Maybe not. People find themselves in binds like this all the time.

Well, what if I told you that these people in trouble were 50 and 55-years-old? That’s right. They experienced adolescence in the 1960s, yet here they were not straying far from their old ways.

Many times teens get a bad rap for being irresponsible. Teens drive too fast. Party too hard. And don’t make wise choices about their future.

Well, as far as I’m concerned, wise-decision making has more to do with a right heart-attitude than with age. I’ve seen teens make very wise choices . . . ones that their older acquaintances should try to copy!

Proverbs 1:15 and 18 says, “Don’t go along with [sinners], my child! Stay far away from their paths . . . they set an ambush for themselves; they booby-trap their own lives! Such is the fate of all who are greedy for gain. It ends up robbing them of life” (NLT emphasis mine).

For the past few weeks, I’ve been wearing a white wristband similar to Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong. It says these words: “Choose Life.” On the surface the meaning is pro-life, of course. But to me this bracelet also reminds me to choose life in all the decisions I make.

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 says, “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him” (NIV).

Choosing life means choosing God’s way. It’s choosing to seek Him instead of the world’s answers. It’s choosing hope, peace, abundance, and faith. It means serving God and loving people, instead of attempting to find happiness through live-in boyfriends and all-night-parties. It means not booby-trapping your own life by making bad choices over and over again.

Each of us messes up. I have too many times to count! But being “grown-up” means realizing those mistakes and deciding to take a better way. As Psalms 119:30 says, “I have chosen the way of truth” (NIV). Truth as Jesus gives it--not as Hollywood tries to display.

So the next time someone tries to give teens a bad rap, be sure to tell them differently. Let them know you’re choosing life. You’re choosing not to bobby-trap your future. Choosing blessings instead of cursings.

After all, your choices are good choices when you choose God’s choices for your days!

Get up, stand up

The other day I got some news that I hoped wouldn't be coming ... but it came anyway. It was publishing related. It was bad. In fact, it really stank.

So I posted on Facebook about it and right away the notes started coming in. Are you okay? Is everything all right? Then I realized that not everyone thinks in terms of books, like me (imagine that). My friends thought that something had happened, and were flocking around me to help.

Once they heard the truth--yes, everything's fine, there's just this hiccup with the books, it's okay--they still gave me virtual hugs and everyone went on with their day. But it put things in perspective for me, you know? There is more to life than the things that are right in front of us--things that are so close to us that maybe they block the view of everything else. Life still contains chickens, and pie, and good friends, and things that make us laugh. Today the Lord even gave me more words for my NaNo book than I ever expected. Our Father is endlessly good.

And did I mention there was pie?

Shelley B.

http://www.shelleyadina.com

Growing up--Letting Go

Maybe some of our teenage readers feel like your moms cling too much. Won't give you your space. Want to talk all the time.

Maybe some of our mom readers are struggling with letting our grown or almost grown children go. I was.

It's hard.

I wrote about letting my son Thomas go. He's eighteen. For me, letting go has been a process. He's my youngest child. My baby. His sisters are in their twenties. We lost a baby boy before Thomas was born. Maybe this has something to do with why I had a hard time letting him go. I don't know. He broke his leg on his seventeenth birthday at football practice. Of course, I tried to baby him. That didn't work.

You can read about us in the November issue of Guideposts or find it on their Web site at www.guideposts.com. The title of my story is "A Change of Season." Sign up on their site to read it.

Can anybody identify?

One good thing. Thomas is pleased with the story I wrote. He showed his friends. :-)

Love,
Julie

So, How's That Working for You?

I like this expression that has eased into our society's collection of idioms. It has humor and a point. Humor with a point is good.

I have to admit, I don't like "No problem." Or even worse, "No problemo." as if that were legitimate Spanish. Instead of a gracious "you're welcome," or "my pleasure," "no problem" just sounds like a brush off. So "no problem" doesn't work for me.

But I digress.

The reason I like "So, how's that working for you?" is that it makes me laugh. I once had a box of books that I was giving away. A friend selected several to add to her bookshelf and lighten mine. In the box was a book about an apple cider vinegar diet. She held it up and asked, "Does this work?"

I pointedly looked down at my very round self and said, "no."

As flawed human beings, we have a tendency to persist when the evidence before our eyes should deter us. A young man has trouble attracting the attention of a certain young lady. He talks louder, laughs louder, makes inappropriate noises, and wonders why she's always looking the other way. Someone needs to say, "How's that working for you?"

A teen wants independence so she sneaks out, prevaricates over where she has been, and lifts a couple of dollars from her mother's purse on a regular basis. Her parents tighten the reins and keep a very close eye on her. "Hmm? How's that working for you, young lady?"

It's not as difficult to change behavior if we look at the truth. When I run head on into the same frustrating situation over and over again, I ask myself what brings me to this point.

It's still funny, and not nearly as humiliating, if I ask myself "So, how's that working for you?"

God has a way of helping us when we are honest with ourselves.

Friendship

Today I’m meeting my very best friend Tara for coffee. What used to be a common occurrence is now quite scarce; after getting married in March, she moved 2 ½ hours away. We have been friends since we were 9, which means I have far more memories that include her than those that don’t! True friendship is such an amazing gift.

When we first met we really didn’t like each other- she thought I was wild &
rambunctious, and I thought she was shy & boring! Oh how far we’ve come :)

She has been more than just someone to go shopping or get pedicures with; she has been someone to share my life journey with, to encourage me in the Lord, and someone who I can have a blast with. I remember in middle school all the sleepovers we had and the secrets we shared.

Then in high school supporting each others dreams and standing by each other no matter what. At 16 we both went on our first overseas mission trip to Kenya together. It was an experience I will remember the rest of my life- and when I look through my photo album she is in every picture. It’s so much more fun to mock two people’s bad hair styles and frumpy clothing! One of our craziest and most hilarious adventures involves a trip to Atlanta, being insulted by a homeless man we were trying to help, and me getting my face closed in a subway door filled with wide eyed on lookers!

I truly believe that our friendship through those most difficult years spared me from pain and has helped make me who I am today.

Over this past year we have both had the privilege of standing next to each other as we witnessed the other taking her vows. Life has taken many turns and we have been separated by states and continents for years at a time, but each time we pick up where we left off.

What was once dreaming of being able to drive and sharing our secret crushes, has become talking about weddings, married life, and hoping and praying that neither of us have ugly kids! The thing is- I’m still me and Tara is still Tara, even after all these years.

John 15:13
" Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends."

Rainy Day Reading--Suggestions Welcome!

I have two gift certificates for two different bookstores, and I really could use your help.

One of these is for a local store that sells general market books. It’s located in the quaint, historical section of my town. I’ve always loved going downstairs to the children’s section. The store owners have made it cozy, colorful, and inviting. Upstairs they have a little bit of everything. I'm already thinking of a few books I've spotted there during past perusals that I hoped to read someday.

The other certificate I have is for Barnes & Noble. I can spend hours browsing their shelves. Which book should I get? Or is there something new I've never thought of?

Rainy days are here, and aren't those some of the best days to spend with a good book? But I’d love to get your ideas on how to use my gift certificates.

To make it more interesting, I've turned this into a give-away.

Here's how it works:

Leave a comment with your book idea and a creative reason why I should read it on one of my rainy days. Be sure to include your e-mail address so I can contact you if you win. Include it with extra spaces or brackets so those creepy spiders don't phish your address.

One winner will receive a rainy day package of your choice.

My women’s devotional, Take A Closer Look—for Women, accompanied with rainy day surprises.

OR

More teen oriented: Live Free Journey—Small Group Study and God Allows U-Turns for Teens, with some fun rainy day surprises in this one as well.

Oh, just so you know--I love fiction and nonfiction. My interests are all over the place, so don’t hesitate to suggest something that is either the latest must-read or something unusual or uncommon. Feel free to offer more than one book suggestion, but each must have its own creative reason why I should read it on a rainy day.

Can't wait to hear your suggestions!

Jan

http://www.jankern.com/
http://www.choose2livefree.com/

An introduction

Hey guys! My name is Stephanie Morrill, and I’m thrilled that Sarah asked me to blog here a couple times a month. Since I’m far from being a household name, here are a couple things you should know about me:

1. Today is my birthday. I’m 26 and regularly surprised to find myself surrounded by such grownup things—a husband, a daughter, a mortgage payment, a sedan, and a CostCo membership.

2. I live in the Kansas City area. It's where I did most my growing up, and where I imagine my daughter will do hers as well. Ben and I briefly lived in Orlando right after we got married, but grew tired of cockroaches, tourists, and air you can practically drink with a straw.

3. I write books for teenage girls. My debut novel, Me, Just Different, released in July. It’s the first of three books in The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt series. Out with the In Crowd comes out in January and So Over It next July. Rather than do a big plug here, I’ll just say you can visit my web site, http://www.stephaniemorrillbooks.com/, to read the first chapter of Me, Just Different, sign up for my newsletter, and follow my journey as a young author.

4. My only talents are reading, writing, and drinking coffee. Remove any of those three from my day, and I get majorly cranky. For as long as I can remember, I’ve preferred spending my Friday nights curled up on the couch with either a notebook or a good novel.

5. A big question I’ve been asking myself recently is, what does it mean to live a life fully surrendered to God? Particularly now when my writing career regularly pushes me out of my comfort zone. My life has changed drastically in the last two years, first with a baby and then with a book contract, and I tend to be such a control-freak that surrendering to God is a real struggle for me.

Hope everyone has a great day! I’m off to dig into some Starbucks Java Chip ice cream. It can’t be a bad birthday when there’s coffee ice cream around.

Bullies

Camy here! I was just talking with a friend whose daughter has had to deal with bullies at school.

Her theory—and I think I agree—is that a lot of times, bullies can tell when a kid is loved and cherished at home, and out of jealousy, they target them to bully.

When I was in high school, I was the shy, quiet, geeky girl. If someone threatened to slap me, I’d cower and probably go into the hallway to cry.

These days, I’m a bit more confident because Jesus made me more confident. I can better trust in who I am in Christ and how He makes me a better, stronger person. So these days, if a bully threatened to slap me, I’d probably tell them that if they did, I’d laugh and point while the teacher sent them to the principal.

I wish I’d been that way in high school, rather than the nervous girl crying in the hallway. I wish I’d been able to stand up to bullies, because the pain of a blow to the face would be nothing compared to the consequences they’d face with the teachers and other adults in authority.

But in a way, that quiet girl made me who I am. I am more sensitive to other quiet, shy, geeky girls because I was one.

But I’d still tell them to stand up to the bullies.

Here’s an excerpt from a book about another shy, quiet girl who reminds me of me!

A Little Help from My Friends
by
Anne Dayton & May Vanderbilt

Zoe is used to being overlooked. As the youngest and shyest Miracle Girl, she was happy to fade into the background last year. But when she sheds her baby fat and shoots up four inches the summer before her junior year, everything changes. Now she's turning heads at school, and this new attention is beginning to strain her relationship with her sweet, serious boyfriend, Marcus.

Pressure builds when Zoe's assigned partner for history class is Dean Marchese--a handsome New York transplant who isn't afraid to show her how he feels.
Just when she needs her three best friends the most, the Miracle Girls are suffering from boy troubles of their own.

Even Zoe's rock-solid home life begins to shake underneath her when her parents' relationship frays in the face of serious financial burdens. As this uncertain year of growing pains comes to a frenetic head, the quietest Miracle Girl must find her voice at long last and take control of her own destiny . . . with more than a little help from her friends.

Excerpt of chapter one:

Camy Tang writes romance with a kick of wasabi. Out now is her humorous contemporary romance novel, Single Sashimi, and her romantic suspense, Deadly Intent. She also runs the Story Sensei critique service. In her spare time, she is a staff worker for her church youth group, and she leads one of the worship teams for Sunday service. On her blog, she gives away Christian novels and ponders frivolous things. Sign up for her newsletter YahooGroup for giveways!

The World at Your Doorstep

I've heard of people posting a sign near the door of their home, dorm room, or wherever they live, simply stating: "You are now entering the mission field." It's a good way to look at life no matter where you are, but this weekend I found myself in a place where it's impossible to feel otherwise.

Sarah, our son Luke's fiancee, lives in an apartment complex in Dallas that houses refugees from all over the world. I was in town Friday morning for a speaking engagement, so I hung around to spend the evening with Sarah. When I pulled into her complex entrance, it was like passing through an invisible curtain into another country, or rather, a bunch of other countries all jumbled together.

The first two men I saw walking along the street had smooth, brown skin and ruggedly beautiful facial features. They wore colorful garments, including scarves on their heads, and something resembling a skirt hanging below their jackets. I guessed they were probably from an Asian tribal group, but I have no idea which one. As I drove slowly toward Sarah's apartment, I saw people of every imaginable ethnicity outside enjoying the beautiful weather. Children ran and played in the street. I tried to imagine what it would be like to be driven from your homeland, then transferred from a refugee camp to America. Most of them don't speak English. Some have lost track of family members or watched their loved ones perish in violence. Looking into their faces, it was surreal to think the swanky Northpark Mall was less than a mile away.

I took Sarah out to dinner, then we returned to her apartment for a "slumber party." (Later, as we drifted off to sleep, we laughed wondering how many young women have their future mother-in-law over to spend the night. I highly recommend it!) At one point in our conversation I asked Sarah if the various ethnic groups in the complex get along well with each other, and she said many do but sadly some do not. They form gangs and then commit crimes or pick fights with other gangs. Car break-ins are common. Some men who live right below Sarah and her roommate sometimes heckle them and have even come upstairs drunk in the middle of the night and beat on their door.

Sarah seemed a little hesitant to answer some my questions, perhaps because she knew my mother-heart would want to snatch her out of that environment and hide her away someplace. And I confess that was my first impulse. But I know Sarah has a "you are now entering the mission field" heart. She moved to this complex intentionally, and the apartment she now shares with a friend she will share with my son come February. They believe God intends for them to go on the mission field overseas some day. It only makes sense then that, in the meantime, He has brought the mission field to their doorstep.

Funny side story: Several times in the night I heard a car alarm go off. Combined with the report of frequent car break-ins, that must have been what prompted a really ridiculous dream, in which I woke up and looked out the window to find my car had been dismantled and pieces of it riveted to other cars all over the parking lot. It felt so real and frustrating, I even thought, "I wish this was a dream! How am I going to get all the pieces of my car back?"

I'm pleased to report that, when I really woke up, I took Sarah out to breakfast in a car entirely unmolested by marauding bands of multicultural midnight welders. I asked her to bless the food, and I was struck by the way she began her prayer. "Thank you, Lord, for waking us up today." The whole prayer had the fragrance of God's nearness in the simplest of moments and smallest of gifts. It's the kind of prayer that rises from a soul that has been bought with a price and knows she is not her own. As her beautiful faith breathed blessing on our breakfast and the day ahead, I realized that I would never wish Sarah and Luke out of a life that presses them into God moment by moment. A life where wisdom isn't optional, discernment is required, and trust is standard equipment--as necessary for getting where you're going as remembering to grab your car keys. You go knowing He covers you with the shadow of His wing and is bringing His will to pass with perfect faithfulness. He goes before you, behind you, and with you. Though your mind plans your way, He directs your steps. He guards you through the night. He wakes you up in the morning.

You know all this. And you also know that, when you open your door each day, you are entering the mission field. With Him. I can't think of a better way to live. Can you?

Trying New Things

Do you like trying new things? I love trying new things- as long as I’m good at first attempt! It has taken me awhile to realize that it is possible to enjoy the process of mastering a new skill; the key for me is to not expect perfection and get so frustrated that I want immediately to give up.

My latest new endeavor is Tennis. I recently got married, 4 weeksago in fact, and my husband Brian is very good at Tennis. I have heard that to build a good marriage it is important to find things that you can enjoy doing together as a couple. We are both athletic, but unfortunately he is good at all the sports that I stink at, or have never played in my life- Tennis being one of them. I decided that I should give it a go, after all it’s a sport that you can play your whole life, and anyway how hard can it be to hit a little ball over a small net?

Boy was I wrong!! Hitting the ball didn’t seem to be the issue…I think I would have hit it all the way to China if there was no fence, it was getting the ball to go where I wanted, or better yet, just on the court would have been nice. I even tried grunting like they do on TV, it didn’t help me hit any better but it makes your opponent laugh which can work in your favor! :)

I really felt like giving up after that first, and even second and third time, but I am determined to conquer this new challenge. My goal is to take lessons and practice so that one day I can beat my husband!!

Influence

I spent a fun and TOTALLY exhausting day speaking to six public high school classrooms about writing. The teacher called and invited me a couple of weeks ago after he noticed my niece, Heather, reading one of my books.

"What you reading?" the teacher had asked.

"One of my aunt's books."

"Really?"

"Yeah, she's an author."

"Does she live around here?"

"Yeah, in town."

"Do you think she'd be willing to come in a speak to our classes?"

"Sure, I'll ask."

So, there I was talking to teens all day long about how I write, why I write, when I write ... and their favorite question ... answering about how much money I make. (They were highly disappointed to find out I wasn't a millionaire, living in a big house, with fancy cars!)

This was just another object lesson I've had lately about a topic I've been thinking about ... influence. About the people who take time to listen to my thoughts--through books, through blogs, through speaking and even in my everyday life. I have a voice, opinions and beliefs. I have something to say and--by gosh--there are people who really want to listen.

Before arriving in the high school classes the teacher had warned me. Many of the teens had respect issues. Many of them talked out of turn. Many had a lot of problems in their lives. Be prepared. I have to say that though standing in front of teens for all that time was tiring, they were great. They listened, they asked appropriate questions, and they truly seemed interested in what I had to say. Maybe it was because they knew I volunteered to take time out of my day to be there and share with them?

This morning a verse came to mind during my morning devotions, "Whatever you have done to the least of these, you have done to me," Matthew 25:45. In our society teens could be considered the least of these. They look weird. They dress weird. They think differently. They have no respect for authority. Or so we believe. But hasn't the same thing been said of every generation ... including mine and yours?

Tuesday, between classes, I had a chance to sit down and chat with a multi-pierced girl. She was formerly from California, too. We talked about Montana, the weather, and about going to a new school. She was interesting and kind. If I had more time I would have enjoyed taking her out for coffee just to hear her heart.

That night, after all the classes were over, after I shuttled my daughter to guitar lessons/basketball practice, after I had touched base with my friend Kristen on the phone, and after I'd taken my 13-year-old Christmas shopping at the only place he could afford (The $1 Store), I was pushing my cart mindlessly through Target on my way to get milk (and something that I could throw into the oven for dinner) when a voice broke through my fog.

"Hi!" It was a teenage boy with a big wave. "Remember me? I met you at school today."

I did remember him ... a face in a classroom out of six classrooms, yet also a cool kid I'm sure I would also enjoy getting to know if I had a chance.

So, what did all of this have to do with anything? INFLUENCE ... and taking the time to be one and give some.

You never know what difference you'll make to a friendly boy, a multi-pierced girl, and everyone in between.

1 Corinthians 16:8 says, "Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.” ... Or make it known at your local high school.