Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. The LORD has made everything for its purpose. (Proverbs 16:3-4 ESV). When my husband and I decided to build a turn-of-the-twentieth-century farmhouse on family land, searching for the old and neglected became our daily routine. Old doors with multiple layers of paint, antique washstands, and 1920s sinks caught our eye. We saw the potential and imagined what they could be. Dozens of tarnished century-old doorknobs, hinges, and escutcheons required hours upon hours of scrubbing with steel wool. Pulled from their home in rusty buckets, they were renewed and… 

When I attended my first writer’s conference back in 2010, I knew nothing about the craft. It didn’t take long for me to realize I had much to learn. I was ignorant of writing and publishing terminology. As I mingled through the crowd, I remained in the background, feeling out of place. With pen in hand, I jotted down the unfamiliar terms they mentioned to look them up and figure out what they meant—terms like synopsis, proposal, point of view, transitional sentences, etc. They excitedly chatted about agents, editors, and one-on-one appointments, unaware of my fear that they’d see how… 

  Have you ever wondered how we are supposed to navigate this thing called life? How do we make wise decisions, understand our fellow man, and be people of integrity? The answer is simple yet requires a focused commitment: surrender to Christ and follow Him. The world has a lot to offer. Some are good, some are not so good, and our choices determine our outcome. The Bible is our go-to source and trusted GPS to guide us into all truth. The book of Proverbs contains many truths about how we can live a godly life, stay focused, gain wisdom… 

Have you ever ridden a roller coaster that jerks you around, goes into a tunnel, and you can’t see what’s ahead? Suddenly, you’re flipped upside down, and the sound of a waterfall rises above screams. Water splashes your body before emerging back into daylight. It was the exhilarating thrill of the unexpected that took your breath away. The next thing you knew, you were searching for another equal or greater experience. Though your joyride only lasted two to three minutes before revealing the pivotal outcome, the desire for more surged through your body. Reading romantic suspense, suspense, or thrillers works… 

QUESTIONS! Children are notorious for asking questions. They are busybodies and inquisitive, and they will keep asking until you answer them. People do not intimidate them like they might do as we mature. “What’s that?” “Why can’t I play in the street?” “Where does milk come from?” “How did you get bigger than me?” These are simple questions, but we must answer them so they will learn. The same goes for adults. The first writer’s conference I attended over fourteen years ago blew my mind. I knew writing had become my calling, but I was clueless about how to get…