3 A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. 4 “Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley; 5 … Read more
One of my Facebook friends posted What flower are you? When I saw there were only nine questions, I took the quiz. And guess what? I’m a lily! You are artsy and elegant. Your imagination allows you to place yourself in other people’s shoes, which allows you to easily understand and sympathize with those around you. … Read more
39 And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. 40 When He arrived at the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41 And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down … Read more
I grew up in a non-liturgical church that didn’t observe Lent. As a child, I wondered why other Christians went around one day in the spring with a black cross on their foreheads. As an adult, I became an Anglican and learned about the liturgical tradition. Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the penitential season … Read more
January 16th is Religious Freedom Day. Our religious beliefs are at the very core of our being, so religious freedom is one of our most precious freedoms in the US. Unfortunately, we see that freedom eroding for Christians as more and more institutions—from the courts to private businesses—fear offending someone. I haven’t read anywhere in … Read more
Added 9/20/11: Registration for this conference closes at midnight Eastern time on Thursday, September 22. If you haven’t registered yet, do it now. Even if you’re interested in only one or two of the sessions, you need to register to attend the ones you want. ================== The International Freelancers Academy has declared September 23, 2011 … Read more
Yesterday, Palm Sunday, began the holiest week of the Christian year. The week began with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, but the “Hosannas” of the crowd quickly turned to cries of “Crucify Him!” Jesus shared a Last Supper with His disciples, then prepared to die. He bore my sins and yours on the cross. He … Read more
Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. In my Ash Wednesday post last year, I shared that growing up in a non-liturgical church, I didn’t understand Ash Wednesday or Lent. Now I appreciate this special season of penitence in preparation for Easter. Often Christians give up something—a favorite food or activity, for example—for Lent. … Read more
As mentioned in Part 1, the term memoir can cover many types of writing. Usually a memoir is focused on one aspect of the author’s life. Perhaps you lived through an important historical event, and you want to share how that event affected your life. Maybe you overcame a problem, such as illness or abuse … Read more
In the last installment, we talked about what authors can do to make their blog books more successful. Now we’ll look at advice for hosts. Start by reading 30 Tips for Blog Tour Hosts by Helen Ginger. Helen hosts many authors, including me, at her blog Straight from Hel, and she’s used her experience and the … Read more