One of the workshops I attended at the WCCW 2023 conference was called Chronically Creative: Balancing Writing with Mental Illness, taught by Chris Morris. Out of all the wonderful speakers I think I got the most out of his workshop. The number one takeaway for me was, my depression is not a sin that needs …
I had to take a few days to recover from my trip to California. Between travel, the WCCW Conference, visiting relatives, and coming home only to jump back into other commitments, I’m ready to settle in and write. On the first day of the conference, I attended an intensive workshop on marketing with Marci Seither. …
I went looking for a song I used to sing—Thou O Lord—because I’ve been feeling down on myself. I came across this one: Lifter by Housefires and thought I would share it instead. Feeling down is a place no one wants to stay in. God started showing me scriptures of encouragement. Will you go on …
She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” Genesis 16:13 NIV You are not a second thought or an unknown. You are not less important or unseen. Your worries and concerns are not …
Are you like me? For most of my life I considered myself shy. Doing new things would fill me with anxiety to the point of avoidance. The only way I could go to a new restaurant or attend a party was if I could go with someone familiar. The fear response in me, out of …
I have been feeling down on myself and lackluster. I want to attribute it to the season, my weight, or my pain flaring every time I try to do something. But, could it be more? The scripture that came to mind was Paul talking about not doing what he wants but what he hates (Romans …
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT Lying in bed this morning my thoughts …
You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.Psalms 56:8 NLT After I broke my wrist I became emotionally hypersensitive. The slightest thing would bring me to tears. At first, I thought it must be my pain medication. I stopped …
Dogs, blogs and God — What do these three things have in common? I might call them my touchpoints or my anchors. Let me explain. Yesterday we made the hard decision to euthanize our sweet Bella. She was 17 years old, and in poor health. It was a sad, awful day. But life goes on …
1. It’s easier said than done. My last post I discussed shifting from surviving to thriving. An awesome concept, truly inspired by the Holy Spirit. But this morning, as I laid in my bed after waking at 3:30, I realized my first point: it’s easier said than done. In this next paragraph I’m going to …
The Far Reaches of Grace 