Meet your favorite Christian authors, learn to write...

Wow, I can hardly wait for the American Christian Fiction Writers Conference in Dallas, Texas, my birthday weekend September 21-24.

What a birthday present, seeing once again all these fun and talented people,

...Brandilyn Collins, Randy Ingermanson, Terry Burns,











fans who lost their heads over sweet and suspenseful Kathryn Mackel ...

listening to great teaching, buying more books--well, maybe just a few more books--getting them autographed.

Part of the schedule includes a free to the public booksigning with a huge room full of the following authors ready to sell and autograph their books for you on Saturday afternoon, September 23rd at 4:45 p.m.

Just walk into the Marriott Forums. You do not have to be a guest or attend the conference to come in:

Clark, Dorothy J.
Clopton, Debra
Coble,Colleen
Collins, Brandilyn
Cox, Carol
Daley, Margaret
Davis, Bryan
Davis, Mary
Davis, Susan Page
DeMuth, Mary
Dobson, Melanie
Dooley, Lena Nelson
Dyson, Wanda
Eakes, Laurie Alice
Gibson, Rhonda
Gist, Deeanne
Griffith, Marilynn
Gutteridge, Rene
Hauck, Rachel
Higgs, Liz Curtis--also Keynote Speaker
Higman, Anita
Hunt, Diann
Jenkins, Nancy Jo
Johnson, Jennifer
Kinnard, Deborah
Martin, Gail
McDonough, Vicki
Meissner, Susan
Nelson, Jill Elizabeth
Paul, Donita K.
Paul, Kathleen
Perry, Trish
Peterson, Tracie
Pleiter, Allie
Raney, Deborah
Sattler, Gail
Sawyer, Kim
Springer, Kathryn
Taylor, Donn
Thompson, Terri
Turansky, Carrie
Warren, Barbara
Warren, Susan
White, Elizabeth
Whren, Merrillee
Wise, Timothy
Woodsmall, Cindy
Worth, Lenora

If you want to write good commercial Christian fiction, this is the place.

And the market is booming.

Agents, and publishers of evangelical Christian publishing houses will be present to lecture and teach.

And they schedule appointments to meet writers and hear pitches of our books.

If you don't have a book ready to sell but would like to learn, then come, mingle and meet the people who can help you. Go to the website above for more information.

"WHAT WAS THAT CRASH?" and I take off...

...after dh as he hobbles down the hall toward destruction. Not really. Well, sometimes.

He just got a new cast two weeks after that foot surgery. We get home, he struggles out of my car and I spot a remarkably large Wolf spider just inside the garage. "Oh, look!"

Then, "Noooo!" as dh brings his crutch down on the hapless beast.

I'm bending down, making sure the spider is dead, ready to put it out of any arachnid agony, when I hear a swish, THUMP. The house we bought has a slick, finished garage floor, a la the previous owners, and dh had put his gutsy--and I mean that literally--crutch down, slid across the garage and crashed against his car.

I take his arm and laugh as my heart settles back down into my chest. "See, God don' like ugly!" Well, he wasn't really being ugly. He was rescuing us.

But my heroine learns God don' like ugly. When her mother-in-law confesses a deed from her past, Maggie's reaction to the secret is less than sweet. Maggie has secrets of her own, and right now, they are making her mean.

You frown. You know what it's like. : )

Lightening up! : )

Wow, after posting some heavy thoughts the last few days, I feel like lightening up a little.

Mark Twain said that the difference between the right word and an almost right word is like the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. Well and good, but I love lightning bugs.

Ever catch some and put them in a jar? I used to as a little girl in Virginia. They're so remarkable. I'd study them awhile then let them go.

As an adult living in Virginia again, I drove with my husband and some neighbors to see the West Point Light. It seems this train man lost his head along the tracks and occasionally went looking for it. LOL All I saw were the most enormous fireflies in the woods along the train track.

But then there were the Marfa Lights way down in Marfa, Texas, where they filmed "Giant." On vacation, after eating at Chuy's, the only restaurant for miles, back then, we sat beside the highway with our kids one night and stared across the prairies. There were farm lights out in the fields, and quite a few planes landing, blinking as they passed behind the trees in the distance, as we waited to see the Marfa lights.

After about half a boring hour, one of the prairie lights suddenly jumped toward the other and back, and the other light did the same. Startled, we realized there were also no big trees out there, it was desert, and those were not blinkin' airplanes.

We had been watching the Marfa Lights.

Anyone else out there ever seen them?

Those occasions were fun, but the best memories were in our front yard as kids with a few little bugs in a jar.

Click here to enjoy some Lightning Bugs! Thank you, Tom.

Comment about your own lights and lightning bug memories if you like.

Mel Gibson's beautiful feet--of clay

No one is more dismayed than I that handsome, blue-eyed Mel Gibson was arrested for speeding and driving drunk, and in his stupor, used the f-word, claimed he owned Malibu, and that he would get back at the officers, or f-words to that effect. : /

But what is even more tragic is that the one who brought us The Passion of the Christ spouted a crude anti-Semitic tirade.

Not to downplay that, but, well, it's also tragic that Moses struck the rock and after 40 years of putting up with the kvetching and tsouris and frustrations of the people he led, he was not allowed to enter the Promised Land.

And it's tragic that Noah obeyed God in blind faith all those years and then, after finally leaving the ark, he planted a vineyard and got very drunk. His kids were no prizes in that, either.

But God knew these people He used would have these failings. And He used them anyway.

He may use me, yet!

He may use a properly contrite Mel Gibson again. I really hope so.

He and the rest have clay feet, but they are beautiful feet.

Because in their own ways those people brought aspects of the Gospel to the world.

Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who proclaims peace,
Who brings glad tidings of good things,
Who proclaims salvation,
Who says to Zion,
"Your God reigns!"

But, that anti-Semitic tirade was not beautiful.

Gibson apologized for the drinking, for the humiliating display, and said he has fought alcoholism all his life and that he has disgraced himself. He humbled himself beautifully and I believe, sincerely.

He said that he said things he didn't really believe in.

But where did it come from?

I pray Mel Gibson, who obviously loves the Lord, will read the passage above and Romans 11 which defends the Jewish people, before he receives the discipline of a loving but just Father:

"Whom the Lord loves, He chastens."

And He made a unilateral unconditional promise:

Genesis 12:3 I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

Blessed by the Jewish Messiah, star of Passion of the Christ, Mel!

I did like a comment I read on a forum:

Pray for Mel ... there probably are few mortal men whom Satan hates more. His pilgrimage is not an easy one. Neither is yours nor mine.

God chose one man, Abraham, whose people He would use to reach the world. And He made a unilateral unconditional covenant with Abraham that included a parcel of land. Forever.

As prophesied, that promise, that land and that--star--have much of the world standing against Israel.

We would all be wise to heed that promise.

My book's secondary hero, David, is spurned by the heroine. He goes to Israel to explore his Jewish roots. My heroine's mother-in-law (who has "beautiful feet") has challenged him to discover the Messiah for himself. David's discoveries, loves and losses teach him more than he ever dreamed.

He returns to New Orleans a different man, stunned, thrilled. And no longer interested in the heroine.

But he now has "beautiful feet." (Maybe I should change the book's title~) How does the heroine react to this new David? She had discovered some feet of clay....

Author Bodie Thoene just left a Comment here. See her blog on my list to the right, for her impassioned thoughts today.

Fox News's looong list of labor pains would be funny--

...if it weren't so serious.

Jesus said it would be like labor pains increasing toward the end, before He returns.

Check this list!

Today, in just one day, mind you, Fox had a whole section devoted to natural disasters. Click on the links:

Special Sections > Natural Disaster

LATEST NEWS•

HEAT WAVE

Another Scorcher of a Day in California
•
California Heat Wave Causes Livestock Carcass Pileup
•
At Least 56 Deaths Probed as California Heat Wave Hits Day 10
•
Florida Lake Swallowed by Sinkhole Reappearing
•
Nearly 250,000 Homes, Businesses Still Without Power in St. Louis After Storms
•
New York Blackout Problem Enters Fifth Day; Thousands Without Power
•
St. Louis Gets Cooler as National Guard Evacuates People Without Power


WILDFIRES
•
6 Firefighters Burned While Fighting Nevada Blazes
•
Firefighters Hope Cooler Temps Will Help Battle Fires in California, Other States
•
Manpower, Equipment Short as Firefighters Continue to Battle California Blazes
•
California Firefighting Crews Need More Manpower, Equipment
•
Firefighters Battle Blaze in Boundary Waters Region of Minnesota
•
California Firefighters Battle Fires Amid Scorching Heat
•
Wildfire Scorches 1,200 Acres on California Island; Blazes Continue Inland
•
Firefighters Set Backfire to Contain California Forest Blaze Caused by Lightning
•
Cooler Temps Helps Firefighters Battle California Wildfires
•
Firefighters Contain California Forest Blazes; Experts Warn of Mudslides
•
California Firefighters Make Progress, Blazes Burn in Other States
•
California Residents Turn to Goats to Prevent Wildfires
•
Thunderstorms May Spark New California Wildfires
•
Thunderstorms May Fuel California Fires
•
Heat, Winds Challenge California Firefighters


FLOODS
•
Red Cross: More Than 100 Dead or Missing in North Korean Floods
•
Rains Cause Midwest Flooding, Tornado Hits New York
•
Mother Dies Rescuing Daughter From Ohio Floodwaters
•
Tornado Touches Down in Colorado, Flash Flood Warnings
•
Heavy Rains Flood Colorado, Washing Out Bridges
•
Northeast Still Struggling After Floods
•
Northeast Floodwaters Recede, Residents Begin Cleanup


VOLCANOES
•
Mayon Volcano Erupts in the Philippines
•
Indonesia's Mount Merapi Continues to Pose Threat
•
Philippine Officials Evacuate Villagers From Volcano
•
Two Men Found Dead in Mount Merapi Bunker
•
Indonesians Trapped in Underground Volcano Shelter
•
Indonesian Volcano Mt. Merapi Spews Gas, Debris
•
Volcano Erupts in Southern Japan
•
Mount Merapi Rumble Forces Evacuation of 3,000 More
•
11,000 Evacuated as Indonesian Volcano Spews Lava, Gas
•
Fears of Eruption Rise After Volcano Spews Lava in Indonesia


EARTHQUAKES (Where are all the 2s we used to see?)•

6.1 Magnitude Quake Hits Indonesia's Sulawesi Island
•
Tsunami Kills More Than 300 in Indonesia
•
7.2 Magnitude Earthquake Prompts Tsunami Warning in Indonesia
•
Earthquake Rattles Southeastern California
•
Strong 6.2 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Indonesia
•
Study: Massive Southern California Earthquake Could Come Any Moment
•
Moderate Quake Shakes Tokyo
•
Two Earthquakes Shake Japan
•
Earthquake Rattles Indonesia's Sumatra Island
•
Study: Earthquakes Can Trigger Far-Off Aftershocks
•
One Killed, Two Wounded in South Iran Earthquake
•
U.S. Tests Earthquake Warning Systems
•
Death Toll for Indonesia Quake Rises to Over 3,500


TSUNAMI•
6.1 Magnitude Quake Hits Indonesia's Sulawesi Island
•
Death Toll From Indonesian Tsunami Hits 547, 323 Still Missing
•
Tsunami Kills More Than 300 in Indonesia
•
BBC, HBO Tsunami Miniseries Sparks Debate
•
Disasters Help Boost American Charitable Giving to Near All-Time High
•
Earthquakes Rattle Tsunami-Warning Drill
•
First Test of Tsunami-Warning System Conducted Since 2004
•
Tsunami Warning System Failed After Tonga Quake
•
White House Issues Tsunami Plan


HURRICANES•
China's Tropical Storm Bilis Death Toll Reaches 530
•
Louisiana Doctors Outraged at Murder Accusation
•
Tropical Storm Lands on Massachusetts Coast
•
Tropical Storm Watch Issued for Massachusetts as Beryl Moves North
•
Future Hurricane Victims Won't Get Spending Cards
•
China Says 115 Killed, Hundreds Injured by Tropical Storm Bilis
•
Report on Rebuilding Louisiana Leaves Out Specific Hurricane Protection
•
Ten Months After Hurricane Katrina, 49 Victims Unidentified
•
Former Presidents Bush, Clinton to Share Liberty Medal
•
FEMA Checks Eligibility of Hurricane Victims Living in Gov't-Issued Trailers
•
Disasters Help Boost American Charitable Giving to Near All-Time High
•
DHS: New York, D.C., New Orleans Still Not Prepared for Disasters


TORNADOES•
Rains Cause Midwest Flooding, Tornado Hits New York
•
Tornado Touches Down in Colorado, Flash Flood Warnings
•
Tornado Uproots Trees, Rips Roofs Off Buildings in Wis.
•
Tornadoes Touch Down in Central Oklahoma
•
Iowa Tornados Leave Devastation, Death in Wake
•
Tornadoes Spread Havoc Through Iowa, Killing One
•
Tennessee Picks up Pieces After Tornadoes Kill 12
•
Tornadoes Touch Down in Tennessee
•
Severe Storms Kill 28 in South, Midwest


Amazing! It goes on forever! It would be funny if it weren't so serious!

He also said it would be like in the days of Noah, people having a great ol' time, oblivious to the signs. If we are seeing the signs, I'm taking another clue from Noah--he believed God and he was lifted above the destruction.

I'm of the school of thought that the Rapture--in the Latin Vulgate version of the Bible, "rapare", to be lifted away--will happen before the wrath of God is poured out.

I believe Revelation 4, shows the church, the born-again called-out ones who believe Jesus is the Savior of the world, will be lifted to heaven above the Tribulation.

That those left behind, as we read on through Revelation, the rest who "repented not" of lists of awful things, are not the Church on earth.

A news article this week told that an Irish farmer unearthed an ancient book, Psalm 86, dropped in an Irish bog a thousand or so years ago.
The National Museum of Ireland said, " this Irish equivalent to the Dead Sea Scrolls is being hailed by the museum's experts as the greatest find ever from a European bog."

It talked about enemies of Israel:

Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God. For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. (Psalm 83:1-4)

Many people say this is eerie. That this is no coincidence.

Yes, evidently, God is paying attention.

But, whether or not we're in the very Last Days, only He knows. This could all pass. But if it's a labor pain, the respite will be brief.

Meanwhile, we need to be about our Father's business--including telling others about Christ--with the evidence of prophecy unfolding before our eyes.

If this is indeed the labor pains, Revelation 3, the seventh and last church age before the Second Coming, could apply to us. The Laodicean Church. Jesus has no good thing to say about it. This church is arrogant, thinking it's so rich, when in reality, it's poor, wretched, miserable, blind, naked.

Because of its lukewarmness, Jesus is ready to spit it out of his mouth.

The good thing is, if that is so, then it's also time for a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit's love and power--for those who will turn their lives around and reach out for Him again.

I'm ready for that, aren't you?

Meanwhile, here's a great website: Rapture Ready.

My husband is hopping (yes, hopping) for a healing....

And maybe cruisin' for a bruisin'!

He just had major foot surgery, and I'm waiting on him hand and--you got it--so that he won't have to move around too much on those crutches and put his weight down on that foot-- {{{shudder!}}}

Do you remember when you were a kid and you got sick and started feeling better--maybe got a little rambunctious and Mom said, "You're going to school tomorrow"?

Yesterday I entered the kitchen to find dh leaving it, both crutches in one hand, his full coffee mug in the other, enroute to his comfy nest in the family room--hopping.

Please pray for both of us~

PS, whoops, he says he was not carrying a coffee mug. Okay. He turned from the coffee pot and hopped off into the sunset. I mean family room. So I just assumed. My bad. But today, he walked with his crutches across some base-ball-size rocks in the garden. If he had turned one rock and--*sigh* See what I mean? I just don't want him to lose his balance and hurt himself.

LOL, wish *I* could go to school tomorrow! ( Full exclamation point warranted.) Lord, send us an angel. : )

Yep. ( See yesterday's question.)

Just scanning today's headlines is so interesting. God bless all these situations and these poor people.


http://drudgereport.com/

Gingrich: We need to recognize that America is in World War III....

Thousands of Foreigners Evacuate Lebanon...

TARGET: TEL AVIV?...

1,000 left-wing activists rally; protest 'Israel's aggressions'...

Mideast crisis drives Bush to colorful language; Bush Caught Using 'S' Word...

(LOL, good photo, though~)

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice backs Israel's military operation in Lebanon; US government says it has agreed to supply Israel with jet fuel to feed its warplanes


Palestinian caught with bomb in Jerusalem...

Blair, Annan call for int'l force...

Putin says Russia will consider contributing troops...
(Gog from the land of Magog? Ezekiel 38--see yesterday)

7.2 Maq Quake...

Quake Triggers Indonesian Tsunami; 5 Dead...

FLASHBACK: Clinton says he would have died for Israel...

And how many times did he invite Arafat to Washington? Hmm.

Well, meanwhile, we need to be about our Father's business for us.



And trust in Him and His angels. God bless.

Did the Prophet Ezekiel write the morning news?

My friends don't have to agree with me, of course.

But I'm of the school of thought that with the political and military alliances in the news today, Ezekiel 38 is unfolding before our eyes.

Eze 38:1
And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Eze 38:2
Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,
Eze 38:3
And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I [am] against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
Eze 38:4
And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts [of armour, even] a great company [with] bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
Eze 38:5
Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
Eze 38:6
Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: [and] many people with thee.

Gog meaning Russia. Persia being Iran!

In other words, it looks like we are the generation for whom all the signs are falling into place.

And we will see the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

I'm not setting a date. But a generation will see the signs and recognize them. Consider these:

Rev 3:3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

Mat 16:3 And in the morning, [It will be] foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O [ye] hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not [discern] the signs of the times?

(He was angry at those who didn't know their prophecy enough to recognize Him as the promised Messiah. One writer said He fulfilled 33 prophecies in one day.)

(That tells me He wants us watching for the signs, though!)

Some are called to write light uplifting stories, others may be called to write heavier themes. One way or another, we are all called to present the Gospel. How we work it out and whether or not it's in our books is as the Lord leads.

Here's a powerful word from God to Ezekiel 33, something that may be applied to some of us in our writing, others, not:

Eze 33:1 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Eze 33:2 Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:

Eze 33:3 If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;

Eze 33:4 Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.

Eze 33:5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.

Eze 33:6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take [any] person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.

Eze 33:7 So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.

The important thing, of course, is to do what God has called each of us to do in our writing.

Here is one of my favorite sources. See what you think.

http://raptureready.com/rr-pre-trib-rapture.html

I think we should type fast! : )

New punctuation mark needed--the frisson ~

In my writers' critique group last night, they read where my heroine Maggie saw the murder and jumped into another cab. They liked the tension of the story and the funny second cab driver, but they also stressed that I use too many punctuation marks!

Well, the woman is overwrought, having just seen a murder! No, just a body, actually~

And this morning, I decided we need another punctuation mark~ And that's it. You just saw it. The "tilde" in Spanish, the "similar to" in math.

Because, doesn't it even just look like a little "whoo~"

Not quite a shout, (or the mental equivalent thereof, Browne & King in Self-Editing for Fiction Writers ) but more emotion than a period indicates, just a little frisson of enthusiasm~

And that's it~ I'm adopting the tilde and calling it the frisson! That is, the frisson~

A lot of us live relatively quiet lives and don't often see bodies in cemeteries, but I have a feeling that in some of these life-or-death situations we write about, if we were facing them in real life and someone quoted us, they would find a period inadequate. I suspect they would use exclamation points in our quotes more than we do in our fiction.

There are cases when a period is too blah and an exclamation point too strong. And without the right kind of punctuation, a sentence's words could be misconstrued and understated.

Words are not always enough. Context is not always enough. That's why we have punctuation. Even so, who hasn't had their email or note misunderstood in some way?

So, here's to a new punctuation mark, the frisson~

Works for me~ : ) What do you think?

Are Christians losing sense...

...of hearing?

My heroine, Maggie, often turned a deaf ear to the counsel of others . When her husband told her, "Get into a playpen with serpents, sooner or later, you get bitten," she did and she did. She dabbled in the occult and paid a terrible price before she was restored to her fun-loving self, to love, and to God.

But she chose not to hear.

I'm talking about going to church and not even knowing our hearing is damaged until it's too late.

"Just 15 minutes of exposure to high-decibel music can cause permanent hearing loss. That's right. Permanent. Research indicates that 30% of rock musicians have a measurable hearing loss. Classical musicians fare even worse - with up to 52% experiencing hearing impairment. That means that members of your praise band, your harpist, your worshippers and your sound crew are all at risk. The good news? Hearing loss can be prevented. "
http://www.shurenotes.com/how8/article.asp?flash=true

I love exuberant praise and worship as much as anybody, and have for years. But the volume of the music in churches is causing hearing loss and people do not even realize it!

65 decibels is the level of normal conversation.

85 decibels is the level of permanent damage to the fine, tiny "hair cells" by which we hear!

100-120 db is a typical concert and some church services and rallies.

Too many churches have that one glaring--or should I say blaring fault.

I suggest that (half-deaf!?) sound engineers and leadership not depend on the meters entirely, but also walk around the service and listen. If it's so loud you must shout over the music, painfully loud or causing ears to ring, it's causing permanent damage. It's certainly not fellowship, either.

Plus, when you're invited forward for prayer for your needs and you can barely share your needs or hear the prayers over the music, that is not music. That is ridiculous!

I would urge anyone with influence in church to beg pastors to keep the decibels below the permanent damage level of 85!!!

Click here and read some of these articles if you doubt this is a major problem.

"Make a joyful noise," the Lord said. He didn't say to make a harmful one. Who wants to go to church to worship the Lord and unaware, go out with damage to one of the five senses with which He blessed us!

Do ya hear what I'm saying? : )

Has your church's music ever hurt your ears? Have you ever wished they'd just turn it down? Comments?