Words That Matter

TO TWEET OR NOT TO TWEET . . .

2011-08-19T16:57:00.001-07:00

Do you have a hard time keeping up with the latest technology? I certainly do, but it seems to me if we don’t keep up with every form of social media available, we get left in the dust.

It took me a while to break away from my PC and buy a laptop. My husband got tired of asking me if I wanted an iPad, and finally bought me one. I rarely have time to go on Facebook or Linkedin and have a hard time keeping up with e-mails from two Yahoo accounts. Add to that, writing, editing, and keeping a blog and website updated.

Now I’m constantly being asked if I tweet. I’ll have to admit—I don’t, but that will probably have to change. In order to do that, my simple little flip phone will have to be traded in for a Blackberry or Smartphone.

Why fight it? It simply is what it is. I have friends who don’t even know how to check an e-mail. They are determined to dig in their heels and go kicking and screaming into the future. Not a great idea in this day and age. We have lots of tools available, but it’s up to us to take the time to make them work for us.

If you are thinking about creating a blog or joining all the other tweeters, I highly recommend a great little resource book by Edie Melson: Social Marketing for Writers: How to Blog, Tweet, & Peep Your Way Onto Amazon’s Best Seller’s List. It’s the best ninety nine cents you will ever spend.

Check it out!

Pressing On

2011-05-31T07:06:00.000-07:00

It seems I’ve adopted a new theme song these days—“The Old Gray Mare Just Ain’t What She Used To Be.” Being in an exercise class with ladies half my age reminds me (in painful ways) how old I really am. (I even attempted a two-hour Zoomba class, which was quite comical.) Climbing stairs at a recent writers’ conference took the wind out of my sails and I reverted to the elevator.

Now my husband has decided it’s time to start riding bicycles with our kids and grandkids. With the first one he bought me, between my short legs and bad back, I couldn’t even get my leg over the bar. So . . . we went shopping again. Without trying out the new bike, we loaded up and headed to a local trail. Five minutes into the ride, I was out of steam and my legs felt like spaghetti.

At this point it would be easy to give up and tell myself I’m too old to keep up with an active family, but that’s not an option. We miss too much and life starts passing us by when we decide to kick back and take it easy.

I’ve learned that the same principle works in my walk with the Lord. If I want to grow strong spiritual muscles and deepen my relationship with God, I have to step-up my prayer life, spend more time in the Word, and live to serve others instead of myself. That which costs us nothing can sometimes hold little value and in this case, the effort is well worth the benefits.

So, maybe I’m not what (or who) I used to be but I’m not yet who I’m going to become. God says our greatest days are ahead and the best is yet to come, and that’s enough to keep me pressing on.

Ode to the English Plural

2011-04-11T08:32:00.000-07:00

Just received this in an e-mail. Enjoy!

We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes,
But the plural of ox becomes oxen, not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice,
Yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.

If the plural of man is always called men,
Why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?
If I speak of my foot and show you my feet,
And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?

Then one may be that, and three would be those,
Yet hat in the plural would never be hose,
And the plural of cat is cats, not cose.
We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
But though we say mother, we never say methren.
Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
But imagine the feminine: she, shis and shim!

Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England . We take English for granted, but if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write, but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?
Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend?
If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?
If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
Sometimes I think all the folks who grew up speaking English
should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane.

In what other language do people recite at a play and play at a recital?
We ship by truck but send cargo by ship...
We have noses that run and feet that smell.
We park in a driveway and drive in a parkway.
And how can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same,
while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language
in which your house can burn up as it burns down,
in which you fill in a form by filling it out, and
in which an alarm goes off by going on.

And in closing, if Father is Pop, how come Mother's not Mop??????

THE STING OF DEATH

2011-03-01T13:55:00.000-08:00

The "sting of death" the Bible refers to, hit our church family last week. One of our members who was in the hospital recovering from surgery, passed away from a blood clot. It was sudden and totally unexpected.
This friend was seventy-two.

Three days after this tragedy, my daughter received a text stating that another church friend had died suddenly from a heart attack. This friend was not even thirty years old.

It seems death is “no respecter of persons.” He shows up as an uninvited guest and wreaks havoc in the lives of people. When death comes calling, all the cares of this life and petty things that keep us upset, annoyed, and frustrated, pale in comparison to the snuffing-out of a human soul. Things seem to fall a little more into perspective and it causes us to do some soul searching and re-prioritizing. It shows what is truly important and deserving of our attention—and what is not.

We’re getting ready to begin a new series at church called One Month to Live. The question is, “What would you do if you knew you only had 30 days to live.” Some people have said they would spend more time with family or take an expensive vacation. Others would read the Bible more, share their faith, or make things right with a friend. My two friends did not have the luxury of planning their last 30 days.

I’ve thought a lot this past week about eternity and how much time and effort I put into things that do not have eternal value. I’ve also realized how critical it is to be ready because we never know when we will cross that threshold.

New Thru 30

2011-01-29T13:04:00.000-08:00

I’m embarrassed to say my Christmas decorations just got put away today. It’s January 29th—almost February. They didn’t even come down until the middle of January, then sat piled on my dining room table for over two weeks.

It’s very difficult when we get so busy and focused on other things that we become blinded to the things around us that are begging for our attention. Every month I tell myself things will slow down and I’ll get caught up, but it never seems to happen. Between a full-time job, a part-time career, a house that refuses to clean itself, and three very busy grandchildren, there are numerous things that go undone.

In the midst of a very busy season at work, writers’ conferences, editing, and trying to keep up with my home and family, there is one thing I have made time for. During the month of January, our church has been reading through the New Testament—New Thru 30—a reading plan to read through the scriptures in 30 days. This is something I’ve done many times, but not in a long time. It was refreshing, energizing, and life-changing. God’s Word got me through a very busy time and gave me the strength and wisdom I needed.

My prayer for 2011 is that God will light my path, direct my steps, and take charge of my “to-do” list, and that I will keep Him first in every area of my life.

How about you?

FREEDOM AT LAST

2011-01-06T08:44:00.001-08:00

I drove a car today for the first time in five months. I am no longer a full-time passenger. It was both exciting and scary as my car left the driveway with me behind the wheel.

When my driver’s license expired two weeks after my eye surgery, I knew I would have to endure the healing process before I got my wings back—I just never thought it would be so long. For five months, my patient husband has taken me on errands and back and forth to work. Now, we both have our freedom back.

It’s amazing how many things we take for granted. I’ve always heard the phrase, “Driving is a privilege—not a right.” My parents said it to me and I repeated it to my kids. Now it has taken on a whole new meaning. It has also made me wonder how many other things in life we take for granted—things like freedom of speech, the right to make our own choices, and the freedom to worship God freely, openly, and without fear.

I am more thankful than ever for the freedoms we enjoy as Americans and the blessings we receive as God’s children. May I never take those freedoms and blessings for granted.

GAINING INDEPENDENCE

2010-10-15T06:28:00.000-07:00

Today I gained another measure of independence. After four weeks of restrictions following eye surgery, I was able to take a shower. What a gift! It might sound silly, but my 3-step process of taking a bath, walking next door to get my hair washed (while wearing a shield to keep my eye from getting wet), then coming back home and removing the shield to wash my face, was tedious.

My restriction of not being able to pick up my granddaughters has also been lifted. I feel like a new woman—almost. Since my driver’s license expired two weeks after the surgery, I have become a passenger until my eye is completely healed and my doctor certifies my ability to drive. Once again, I am dependent on my family and friends.

It’s funny how much we take for granted, especially the ability to do the smallest things for ourselves. We want to do whatever we want, whenever we want and when we lose that ability, it can make us feel useless, helpless, and even hopeless.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve learned that true freedom and independence come when we are totally and completely dependent upon God—dependent upon His love, mercy, and protection—His strength, healing, and deliverance—His wisdom, direction, and provision—dependent upon His rest.

It’s been said that we stand tallest when we’re on our knees. I say the more dependent we are on the Lord, the more independent we are to become all He created us to be.

A BLAST FROM THE PAST

2010-08-08T15:21:00.000-07:00

This past week I took a nostalgic walk through my childhood memories. This journey was made with my best friend from first grade—someone I had not seen in fifty years. We had lunch together and spent the better part of two hours asking questions, sharing about our life, and reminiscing.

What I remember most about this friend is her red hair, time spent at her house, and watching her use her talents as a child actress at the Greenville Little Theatre. We lost touch after second grade when I moved to Florida. She went on to study acting, spent a year in London, and found herself in New York watching and waiting for that “right” opportunity. That opportunity came and she was privileged to be in a movie with Carol Burnette. As time went on, she made more movies and developed relationships with people like Dennis Quaid, Mia Farrow, and David Carradine. It was fascinating to hear her talk about her years spent in the movie industry.

When I asked what made her stop acting and come back home, she told me that there is a glamorous and exciting side of Hollywood, but there is also a dark, seedy side and lots of very evil people. Thankfully, she never had much contact with the less glamorous side. I told her that it seemed like God had his hand of protection on her. She agreed.

We talked about school, our children, and what we are doing with our lives. As we talked, the years melted away and we were kids again. It was a sweet and refreshing time and we agreed to do it again soon.

It amazes me when God brings people back into our lives, especially when we think that season is over. He always has a reason and a purpose. I am thankful for Amy and her friendship in the early years of my life. She was such a blessing and I’m glad that God saw fit to have our paths cross again at this juncture of our lives.

TODDLER TORNADO

2010-07-14T14:45:00.000-07:00

Nothing can wreak havoc like a hurricane, severe hail storm, or tsunami—or can it? What about toddler tornados? They blow through your house like TNT in less than five minutes and leave a path of destruction that takes hours to clean.

Toddlers grab everything within reach and throw it on the floor. I call it the “dump and dash.” If not watched every second, they will dig through trash, empty cabinets, and scurry out the back door. Their eyes will spot the tiniest foreign object on the floor and, within a millisecond, it will be in their mouth. No matter how clean or child-proof, no environment is completely safe.

With a little dose of independence, toddlers have to be told NO continually and removed from harmful situations. They don’t recognize the danger in electrical outlets, hot stoves, or sharp objects. They whine, cry and pitch temper tantrums when they don’t get their way and, yet, we love them with ever fiber of our being, just the way God loves us.

Watching the antics of one, two and three-year-olds, makes me wonder what God thinks when we accept His gift of salvation and go through the toddler stage of Christianity. As “babes in Christ,” we are totally dependent on our pastors, mentors, and fellow believers to help us “grow.” Until God’s Word takes root in our heart, we don’t always know right from wrong. We sometimes stumble along the wrong path, unaware of harmful situations that lie ahead.

Even at our worst—even when we, as adults, whine, cry and pitch temper tantrums because things don’t go our way or God doesn’t answer our prayers in the way we think He should—He loves and patiently corrects us, pointing us back in the right direction.

Just as our babies grow, mature, and become more responsible, we go through the same process in our Christian walk. In the song “Fat Baby” by Amy Grant, there is a line that says: “He wants his bottle and he don’t mean maybe.” There comes a time when we can no longer thrive on the “sincere milk of the Word”—we must be nourished by the “meat of the Word.”

Growing pains are always tough, but they come with the territory. When we strive to reach our full potential in Christ, the rewards are well worth the effort.

GOD'S DOWNLOADS

2010-05-28T08:07:00.000-07:00

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him . . . Ephesians 1:17

My friend was excited as she shared her story with me. “Have you ever watched God download into someone as you were talking to them?”

I immediately thought of all the times I had watched with awe and wonder as God truly “downloaded” his thoughts, ideas, and plans into someone’s heart. It’s that “ah-ha” moment when God is speaking and his child is listening. I thought of all the times it has happened in my own life—those times when I “got it”—instances when God’s plan and purpose were made clear and revelation exploded in my spirit.

Attending a writers’ conference in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina recently, I had the pleasure of seeing God “show Himself strong” on behalf of those seeking his will for their lives and His blessing upon the work of their hands. I witnessed the favor of God as it rested upon those whose hearts were open and pure before Him. One prayer after another was answered and people were knit together with cords of love. As divine connections were made, the presence of God was almost tangible. As the blessings continued, I smiled and rejoiced. I think God did, too.

God desires to give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. He wants to open the eyes of our understanding so we can know and walk in His calling. God is always speaking, always at work accomplishing His will in the earth. When we stop and call on Him, He is ready, not only to answer, but to include us in His plans.

My prayer today is that God will always help me to see the “big picture” and cause me to remember that it truly is all about Him and not me—that I will be “heavenly minded,” listening for His voice, and always available to promote His Kingdom in whatever way He chooses.

2010-04-29T17:38:00.000-07:00

Spring Cleaning

. . .that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word. Ephesians 5:26 NKJV

“Lord, please help me,” I prayed as I drove to work one morning. “I need you to cleanse my heart and take out all the junk that keeps slipping out of my mouth.”

The answer was immediate. “Yes, it’s time for spring cleaning.”

I couldn’t help but smile as thoughts raced through my mind—visions of dust and cobwebs being swept away from old thoughts and attitudes—mold and mildew being eliminated from those dark, damp areas of my soul that hide a “multitude of sin”—the doors and windows of my heart being flung open so the breath of the Holy Spirit could bring the fresh air of new life.

God cleanses us with the washing of water by the Word. I thought about how often we have had to use a pressure washer to clean the baked-on crud off our deck, driveway and log home. The results are amazing. “Lord, use the pressure washer of the Word to clean out my heart and remove all the junk that has accumulated over the past weeks and months—all the stuff I stored up for the winter that has turned rancid and needs to be thrown out.”

There’s nothing quite as refreshing as a good spring house-cleaning. Everything feels fresh and “new.” From now on, I will look at spring in a different way. Not only will I take the time to get my natural house in order, I will spend the necessary time and effort to get my spiritual house refreshed and renewed, as well.

How about you? Are you ready to pull out the needed tools to get the job done—prayer—time in the Word—repentance—reflection and meditation on things that are good, true, lovely, honest, and full of virtue and praise? God is ready to do a “Clean Sweep” (and “Extreme Makeover” if needed). All we have to do is make the decision, roll up our sleeves and get down to business.

Give God permission to work in you and He will do the rest.

2010-02-07T18:03:00.000-08:00

FACE YOUR FEAR

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. II Timothy 1:7 NKJV

“Don’t worry,” my husband said. “You’ll be fine. Just take it slow and be careful.”

“No problem, it’s just rain and slush,” my friend smirked. “If you can’t handle this, how are you going to handle the tribulation?”

“I’m not planning to be here for the tribulation,” I shot back. “You can stay if you want, but I’m outta here.”

The subject of this conversation was my one-hour drive from the foothills of South Carolina to Asheville, NC, and my life-long fear of driving in snow and ice. After a terrifying snow-experience in high school, I have shied away from venturing out in a vehicle ever since.

Several years ago, I faced this fear head-on by driving four hours to Crossville, Tennessee. There was an abundance of snow and I drove in, on, through and around it. When I came safely back down that mountain, I thought I had conquered my fear. Apparently not. Now it was resurfacing and I had a decision to make.

I chose to face it again and headed up the mountain. Twenty minutes into my drive, I called my husband and said, “I have a knot in my stomach the size of a grapefruit.” He spoke words of encouragement, told me again to be careful and I pressed on.

The trees were solid white with ice, snow blanketed the ground, and slush covered the road. I quoted every scripture I knew on fear, peace and God’s protection. I sang, “I have the peace of God in me . . .” I tried to concentrate on the beauty around me instead of my fear and had to remind myself to breathe. I made it.

Two days in the North Carolina mountains, surrounded by snow-capped hills, trees painted with a icy glow, and fellow believers and friends made the trip well worth the effort. My next hurdle was getting back down the mountain—safe, in one piece, and back to the security of my home and family.

Once again, God was merciful, gracious and faithful. As I prayed and kept my mind focused on Him, He lovingly guided and protected me, just like He always does. God has truly not given us a spirit of fear and, when that fear tries to attach itself to us, perfect love—God’s love poured out in our hearts—will cast it out.

What are you afraid of? Recognize it and give it to God. He will wrap His arms around you, fill you with His peace and deliver you safely to your destination.

2010-01-17T15:09:00.000-08:00

The Language of Writing

Learning a second language can be difficult. In the third grade we had a Spanish course on television. I learned how to count to twelve and say the Lord’s prayer—that’s it. Before I became computer literate, I was blown away by terms like: bytes, hard drives, and macros. Years ago, while training to be a certified audiometric technician, I struggled with the words presbycusis, decibels and tinnitus. Now as a freelance writer and editor, I find myself confronted with the “language of writing.”

Today I am weaving words into my everyday vocabulary like POV, beats, show-don’t-tell, queries, syntax, en dash, em dash, ellipses, locution and purple prose. Someone said recently that learning the ropes of writing and editing is like learning and understanding the Bible—the more you learn and think you know, the more you find out you don’t know. In other words, it’s a process, not an event.

Just like anything else worthwhile, there is always more to learn. God gives gifts, talents and abilities and it’s up to us what we do with them. The Bible tells us to study to show ourselves approved unto God, a workman that needs not be ashamed. That certainly means we are to study God’s Word, but He also expects us to learn all we can and be the best at whatever He has called, equipped and anointed us to do. Whatever our hand finds to do, the scripture says, we are to do with all our might.

Continuing education is required in any field and the world of writing and editing is no exception. There will always be conferences to attend, classes to take, books to read, people who are needed to teach, encourage, sharpen and mentor us, and, most importantly, lots of prayer.

What in the world is a blog?

2009-10-30T15:56:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago, the word "blog" was not in my vocabulary and now, here I am creating one. Whodathunkit? Now that blogs and such are firmly ingrained into my psyche, I find there is still much to learn and, thus, the journey begins.

In reality, my journey into the world of writing, proofreading and editing began a little over two years ago when a fellow writer, mentor and friend gave me a swift kick in the hooha and gave me a "to do" list which included: go to a writer's conference; get involved in a local and online writer's group; network with other writers, agents, and editors; take writing courses; and write, write, write. Sound advice from someone who had "been there." I listened and got busy.

Writing has always been a passion and a few years ago that passion was moved from the bottom of my priority list to the top. This happened when someone encouraged me to do so by offering this sage advice; "You're not getting any younger, you know." Another bruise on my hooha, but it got me started. For several years I wrote, stockpiling poetry, devotions, prayers, confessions and fiction. The problem was, I didn't have a clue if my writing was any good or what in the world to do with it. My expectation was, if God wanted me to write and He kept giving me so many words to put on paper, He would have a publisher call me out of the blue and offer me a contract. Not!

Now, with two years of doing things the "right" way under my belt, I see how much time, effort and dollars have to be invested to start moving forward. (Maybe that should be inching forward.) With all my advisors telling me I need a blog or website, I find myself being "kicked" once again. (My poor . . . well, you get the picture.)

The good news is when we "study to show ourselves approved unto God," He rewards our efforts. He has opened doors of opportunity and connected me to many incredibly gifted and talented people who have made this journey sweeter, easier and not quite so threatening. I am thankful for each and every one of them.

So, who's afraid of the big, bad blog? Not me!