Because of the punishing nature of the gods, men and women worked hard to live in a way that pleased them. Religions today teach the same things. People caught up in religions work to adhere to whatever the religion deems important – whatever is necessary to live righteous, devoted lives. But the one thing religions, both ancient and present day also share is a complete lack of confidence in having achieved their goal. Has their religion promised them eternal life? Can they know this side of death whether they have achieved it?

“Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3

“I write these thing to you who believe in the name of the son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” 1 John 5:13

Most people caught up in religions also do not know they are infinitely loved.

“The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: ”I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3

Soon after God created men and women, he taught them about relationships. The man and the woman walked with God in the garden, had intimate conversations with him. They knew him and he knew them in a way we can only begin to imagine. But after they ruined that fellowship by breaking God’s trust, that intimacy was broken. And nothing they could ever do would fix or restore it.

Though that would not stop men and women from trying.

“I, the LORD, speak the truth; I declare what is right…Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood, who pray to gods that cannot save…there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me.” Isaiah 45:19-21 selected

Every attempt to restore what was lost in Eden, has resulted in a religion. Some with creative, imaginary gods, others with the true God distorted. Often, the gods were superhero types made in the image of men or animals or heavenly bodies, or some kind of combination, who controlled the lives of those beneath them.

Religion cannot save a single soul. Religion does the opposite in that it drives a wedge of pride between the person following the rules, rituals, and regulations and God. Religion cannot offer true peace and love and hope.

Even today, if you ask most people in any religion if they know for certain they will gain heaven or paradise by their good, righteous lives, they will tell you no. Their faith has no assurance, no intimacy with the god they serve.

There is also a distinct lack of love.

That is not to say religious people are not loving. Nor even to suggest that people of various faiths in differing cultures lack the capacity for love. Their religions may even teach love for each other as brothers and sisters in their shared faith. But they don’t see God as a loving father who longs for them or Jesus as a loving, self-sacrificing bridegroom, who for the joy of spending eternity with his bride (his people) submitted to the shame of the cross to win her.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

And I wonder – do religious people of the world feel loved?

“God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have ever-lasting life.” John 3:16

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” I John 4:9-10

Most religions, ancient and present-day, understand the need for the sacrifice to appease the wrath of God. What they don’t see is that only one faith teaches that God was already appeased by his own son’s death on our behalf. The great, gracious love of God gave us paradise regained when he sacrificed himself for us – to restore the trust, the intimacy that was broken. Jesus did this because he loves us and wants to be with us forever. No other faith on earth has ever been able to say that. But it is up to us to believe in Him.

Selah~

The woman’s impatience at first almost amused me. If she could have seen how she looked, she might have thought twice about her curt gestures. But then I thought – how often have I done the same thing? How often am I impatient with people in line ahead of me or drivers who do things that frustrate me? Am I any better? Ugh…

Body language reveals far more than words. And it sends a message to those watching whether I realize they are watching or not.

While the written word can also convey a message, it can sometimes be misconstrued where no body language, no face to face engagement is possible. Something said in innocence, with teasing intent, cannot always be conveyed even by smiley faces and email winks. And a serious tone, however carefully worded, can be taken to mean something more than is intended. How often do I try to read between the lines and attribute motive behind written words where perhaps no motive or a different motive was in the mind of the writer?

How easily we judge each other! And yet not one of us can read minds. Even body language can lie. That woman in the car behind me sure looked like she was impatient and angry with me by her scowl and flicks of her wrist, but maybe she was angry at something else. I don’t know what raised her ire, or how bad her day had been. If she had a sick child at home who was desperately in need of medication, her anxiety would have made sense.

I wonder how often we change our opinions of one another based on things like this – things like motive, which we cannot see in an email or blog post or even in that tell-tale body language we do see face to face. How many mind games do we play trying to assume things that might not be true?

Perhaps this is why God tells us to bear with one another in love. Be a little less quick to judge another’s motives and a little more aware of how my own actions will be judged by those around me. But bearing with others in love means sacrificing my need to be right, my need to be offended, my need to be accepted…and so much more. Bearing with others is hard work.

I suppose if loving were easy, it would be worth far less.

Selah~

I have a lithograph picture (in the white frame) that we bought in Israel. Several are spaced about the house – the two in my office still need frames. They were drawn of Hebron and Jerusalem in the 1800s – very inspiring.

The day before we left for California, my dad ended up in the hospital. We were concerned that he could be seriously ill and feared having to cancel the trip. Fortunately, that did not happen. He is back and the nursing home and doing well.

Changing time zones and sleeping on an air mattress wreaked a bit of havoc with my body. Readjusting to meal times and sunlight coming too early, filtering through the supposedly light-blocking blinds has been a challenge. I need the room to stay darker longer – I’m not a morning person. I think I need a sleep mask! :)

One of my former critique partners, Maureen Lang, is coming for a visit next week! She’ll be on her way to a convention, and I just happen to live along the way. I can’t wait to reconnect with her in person. I get to share some new recipes I recently discovered – I just hope they turn out good the second time around. :)

Time to veg and watch a movie – Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. Should be interesting…

Shalom~

After five miles uphill and down in Solstice Canyon, over dirt and then traipsing down the beach to put my toes in the water, I think I walked off the calories of the food. We hiked to a small waterfall and saw the ruins of a house that had been built to be “fireproof”, set into the side of the hill. If you look closely in the picture, you can see some of the buildings. The owner had designed all sorts of watering systems to protect the home, building much of it from stone, but after the owner’s death, the home fell into disrepair and succumbed to fire after all. Nothing is “safe” in this life.

On the way home, we stopped at Leonidas Chocolate Cafe, known for their Belgian chocolates. Pricey, but oh, so delicious! Tops even Sees brand, which I am happily bringing home with me. We stopped in Santa Monica again for lunch today and could have stopped once more at Leonidas, but alas, I opted to wait. Perhaps I will request a box for Christmas. :)

On Sunday, we went to church at Mosaic where the guys worship. Erwin McManus is the main pastor/speaker for the church, and he spoke at this campus. The church does not own any buildings, but rather, rents a various locations – a high school, a nightclub, and more. When we pulled into the parking garage, the lights were out. Unfortunately, power was out in the entire building, so a team of workers had set up chairs and sound system outside in a kind of courtyard. Erwin’s daughter Mariah played acoustic guitar and led the singing. She has a beautiful voice. I have followed some of Erwin’s messages on podcast, so it was a treat to hear him in person. We briefly met him afterward.

We saw Predator with the guys and some of their friends for the early evening show on Friday. The show seemed like it carried a bit of Lost and Survivor mixed together. Action adventure with a sci-fi twist. At least the blood was green most of the time, so I only closed my eyes a few times. A girl who lives with all men learns to enjoy strange movies…

It feels like we have driven all over Los Angeles. Some of the architecture reminds me of the home my grandparents lived in in Canoga Park many years ago. I still have cousins in the state, though we did not take time to look them up as we only had a week with our boys. Since the guys moved out here, my heart has been divided between Michigan and California. I have hopes of retiring here someday, but after spending a week in L.A. traffic, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t enjoy living in Los Angeles. Too many people, too little space. And it is true, everything costs more here. They charge you to park most places either in a parking garage or at a meter doing parallel parking. I do not care for parking garages, and I cannot parallel park to save my life.

Today we went back to Venice Beach, the main beach we visited a year ago when we drove the guys out here. We passed the same hotel we stayed at while they looked for an apartment. In my mind’s eye, I could see the Penske truck parked along the side of the road.

We walked along the shore and then traipsed the boardwalk, something I missed last time. Very touristy this time of year. I would not enjoy being a street vendor.

We ate at the Urth Caffe for lunch. I wish we had these back in Michigan. Great food. Organic coffees and teas and specialty sandwiches, soups, and salad made from healthy ingredients. Kind of like Panera only better. I’m finding veggie sandwiches more and more to my liking. The one I tried today had eggplant. Yum!

Los Angeles is a melting pot of cultures with a variety of cuisines. We have tasted southern barbecue, Caribbean, Mexican, unique vegetarian sandwiches and pizza, seafood, and more. Maybe next time we’ll find a good Italian or Chinese place. I have new recipe ideas to experiment with once we’re home. There is a new health food store we visited with some interesting flavored coffees and sprouted breads. Michigan needs some of these stores.

When we left Michigan last week, we escaped some of the heat wave surprised to find it 20 degrees cooler here. But as our plane takes off for home, California is supposed to finally get its summer. We saw more clouds than sunshine – something we are much too used to in Michigan. But I am grateful for every minute here.

Of course, the reason for coming wasn’t the weather. It was to spend time with our guys, enjoying their company. Someone once told me that when your kids move away, the time you do get to see them is more concentrated and quality. I can see how that proved true for us. Though my body is ready for its own bed (air beds are only so comfortable), I’ll miss them so much. It’s been a great vacation!

Now I’m praying for a comfortable seat and an uneventful, safe flight home. Until then~

Selah~

While Randy has been working on his car, I’ve been painting window frames and sills. We had new windows put in during late May and they replaced the sills and built new frames around them. Of course, they weren’t finished. So I’ve been filling the nail holes, sanding them down, priming, painting and cleaning each one. I finished the downstairs yesterday – wore myself out on the biggest picture window – with a few to go upstairs. Now that the windows look so nice, though, I want to paint all of the walls! We’ll see how much I can done this summer. :)

I spent the afternoon watching the end of BBC’s version of Pride & Prejudice and now I’m watching (for the fourth or fifth time) The Fellowship of the Ring. These are among my favorite all-time stories. I still like the Keira Knightley version of Pride & Prejudice best, but the BBC version was good. I love period pieces – the costumes, the ability to take you to places you can’t travel in this life. The Lord of the Rings trilogy is probably the best movie series ever made.

I decided to get rid of my acrylic nails because the nails underneath them were too thin. Real nails are better, if I can just stop picking at them when I’m trying to think of what to write. I made the mistake of slowing prying them off forgetting that I had bought acrylic nail remover for just such a purpose! I had put it in the cupboard and forgot it was there. Oi! Sometimes I think I have too much going on in my head. Too many worlds, too many words! You know it’s bad when you get on the scale to weigh yourself but forget what it said, or you stand in the shower and can’t remember if you washed your hair! I chalk it up to our brains being like a computer and mine needs more ram. Plenty of hard drive, just not enough memory.

Our family increased by one this past month when a new great-nephew was born! I’ve seen pictures, but have not yet had the chance to hold him. He’s beautiful!

Well, The Fellowship of the Ring is drawing me away and I need to do my sit-ups. I think the exercises are starting to take a little effect.

Happy 4th to all – “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” May our nation return to trust in Him alone.

Selah~

1. A Shore Thing; Otter Bay, Book 2 by Julie Carobini– A Romance from B&H. A fiery, eco-friendly young woman leads the fight against a large development in her beachfront hometown while falling for the architect assigned to the job.

2. Back on Murder; A Roland March Mystery, Book 1 by J. Mark Bertrand — A Suspense/Mystery/Thriller from Bethany House. Homicide cop Roland March attempts a comeback as corruption and a high profile case threaten to sink him.

3. Beautiful Bandit; The Lone Star Legends Series by Loree Lough — An Historical from Whitaker House. When rancher Josh Neville rescues a terrified woman who calls herself Dinah, she unwittingly leads notorious killers to his door, putting him and everyone at the Lazy N in jeopardy.

4. Beyond Summer; Blue Sky Hills Series, Book 3 by Lisa Wingate — Women’s Fiction from Peguin Group/NAL. Tam Williams discovers the blessings of community when her father is jailed, and the family moves to downscale Blue Sky Hill where her new friend, Shasta might lose her home to her father’s shady mortgage company.

5. Bride in Training; Man’s Best Friend Series by Gail Gaymer Martin — A Romance from Love Inspired. Troubled lives lead to loneliness, Emily and Martin learn, until the Lord teaches them he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.

6. Cattleman’s Courtship by Carolyn Aarsen — A Romance from Love Inspired. Cara Morrison has to fix the past before she can face the future.

7. Doctor in Petticoats; Sophie’s Daughters Series, Book 1 by Mary Connealy — A Romance from Barbour. A burned out doctor is called in because he’s a man, while the town’s lady doctor does all the work and keeps the doctor from cracking up.

8. Driftwood Lane; 3rd in Series of Stand Alones by Denise Hunter — A Romance from Thomas Nelson. A love story set on Nantucket Island.

9. Firestorm by Kelly Ann Riley — A Romance from Steeple Hill. A firefighter falls in love while trying to find her father’s killer.

10. Flash Point; Emerald Coast 911 by Stephanie Newtonr — A Suspense/Mystery/Thriller from Love Inspired Suspense. Courage Under Fire.

11. Heart of a Cowboy; Helping Hands Homeschooling Book 2 by Margaret Daley — A Romance from Love Inspired. Zachary Rutgers is perfectly happy with being a loner until he discovers he has a son and must deal with buried feelings concerning Jordan Masterson.

12. Love Finds You in Calico, California by Elizabeth Ludwig — An Historical from Summerside Press. A young seamstress struggling to survive in a booming mining town is pressed into a marriage of convenience with the local livery owner.

13. Minnesota Moonlight 3-in-1 Collection by Becky Melby & Cathy Wienke — Romance from Barbour. An ex-con, a storm chaser, and a footloose musician˜three unlikely heroes for three women learning to trust God…and the men He’s brought into their lives.

14. Nightshade; Discarded Heroes Series Book 1 by Ronie Kendig — A Suspense/Mystery/Thriller from Barbour. This Former Navy SEAL is fighting a new battle–the home front!

15. Prodigal Patriot; Vermont Book 1 by Darlene Franklin — A Romance from Barbour Heartsong. How can Sally and Josiah battle through the barriers separating Tory and Patriot to find love and forgiveness?

16. Ransome’s Crossing; The Ransome Trilogy, Book 2 by Kaye Dacus — A Romance from Harvest House. Disguising herself as a midshipman to get to her secret fiance, Charlotte Ransome faces danger–and love–crossing the Atlantic.

17. Rodeo Redemption; The Rodeo Royalty Series, Book 1 by Teri Wilson — A Romance from White Rose Publishing. Josie Turner would rather forget she was ever crowned Rodeo Queen. Can former rodeo cowboy Luke Anderson mend Josie’s heart and can one rodeo weekend help them both find redemption?

18. Seeds of Summer; Seasons of the Tallgrass – Book 2 by Deborah Vogts — A Romance from Zondervan. When a former Miss Rodeo Kansas queen returns home after her father’s death to care for the family ranch and her two younger siblings, what follows is a summer full of change, life-lessons and an unexpected romance with the new minister in Diamond Falls.

19. So Over It; The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt Series Book 3 by Stephanie Morrill — General Fiction from Revell. Senior year is over and Skylar Hoyt is ready to forgive and forget. Or at least forget.

20. Song of Solomon by Kendra Norman Bellamy — A Romance from Urban Books. How can he convince her that she’s his God-given mate when she’s already wearing a wedding ring?

21. Stars in the Night by Cara Putman — An Historical from Summerside Press. Step back to 1942 Hollywood as Audra Schaeffer tries to find her sister and a killer before it is too late.

22. The Crimson Cipher by Susan Page Davis — An Historical from Summerside Press. When Emma’s father is murdered, she’s hired to do the job he could have had–helping track them down by breaking their ciphers.

23. The Engineered Engagement; Kennebrae Brides Series Book 3 by Erica Vetsch — An Historical from Barbour Heartsong. Sparks fly when a shipbuilder finds himself engaged to the wrong girl.

24. The Seeker; The Shaker Series Book 3 by Ann H. Gabhart — An Historical from Revell. The story brings alive the strikingly different worlds of the Southern gentry, the simple Shakers and the ravages of war in 1860s Kentucky.

25. The Way to a Man’s Heart; The Miller Family Series, Book 3 by Mary Ellis — A Romance from Harvest House. When all the men beat a path to Leah’s diner, her parents don’t breathe a sigh of relief until she narrows her suitors from half a dozen down to one.

26. Where the Dogwoods Bloom by Myra Johnson — A Romance from Barbour Heartsong. Jilly Gardner left Blossom Hills ten years ago, determined never to return, but when Cam Lane calls to ask for her help, she finds she can’t say no.

Happy reading~

As I study to write a biblical novel, I read various sections of Scripture and pray for guidance. Not everything a story needs is found within the primary biblical text. Sometimes other Old Testament or even New Testament books give insight into what went on during those times. I found this true as I wrote about David’s wives and it is true again in telling the story of Abraham and Sarah.

What I didn’t expect as I was nearing the climax of Sarai’s story, was to find a verse that so well explained why God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. But God surprises me with verses in His Word all the time. I think He might even enjoy tucking truth into the most unlikely places. Or answer questions later in His Book that we might miss if we don’t read the whole thing.

That happened this week. I opened to Ezekiel a week or so ago and the verses that caught my eye so intrigued me that I decided to start at the beginning. So each morning I’ve been reading a chapter or so, which brought me to chapter 16 a few days ago. The passage is talking about God’s anger with Jerusalem for her many sins, and when we get to verses 48-50 God tells Jerusalem why He destroyed her sister Sodom.

“As I live, declares the Lord GOD, your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done. Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it.”

The NIV puts it this way:

“As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done. ’Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.”

If we only take the story in Genesis 19 as basis for Sodom’s destruction, we would assume it was their sexual sins, which would fall under “detestable things” that caused their downfall. But this list in Ezekiel clearly speaks of far more. It is also interesting to note that haughtiness (pride), excess of food, and prosperous unconcerned ease were at the top of God’s list. Can we in American churches not relate to this? Have we become proud, overfed, and unconcerned with the needs of those less fortunate? Has haughtiness taught us to sit in judgment on others – even on fellow believers? How often have those without Christ looked at His people and seen pride and anger, even hatred for those who are not like them, rather than compassion and concern and love? Where is the joy of the Lord in our lives?

I am saddened and humbled by these verses in Ezekiel, but they are also quite eye-opening as I try to see the things Lot and his wife saw, as I envision what it might have been like to live there. Not so very different from the society I see around me today. But the verses are also a wake-up call to me to take care to watch my own attitude, to pray to keep myself from growing arrogant and self-satisfied and unconcerned with those in need.

I think there is a reason God lists these things in the order in which He does, because when we let ourselves grow proud and overfed and unconcerned, it is that much easier to slip into doing the other things that God detests – things like lying, killing, devising wicked schemes, spreading strife among brothers (Proverbs 6). And of course, the sexual sins Sodom is known for most.

Why did Sodom really fall?

Many reasons, whose details you can read about in Genesis 19. But in truth, their downfall didn’t start with sexual sin. It started with pride.

Selah~

Some people have asked me about how the cover is put together – where do they get the models, etc. I don’t know how all publishers do this, but I’ll try to explain how they’ve handled mine.

When an author’s book moves through the publishing process, she is sent a Titling Questionnaire. In that list of questions, which includes much more than suggested titles, is a question asking for cover design suggestions. This is where my Idea Boards (see earlier blog posts) come in handy because when I make my Idea Boards, I search for photos of my characters. For David’s wives, I searched Google for Jewish actresses.

When I find one who comes close to what I picture, I print it, cut it out, and paste it on my board. I also keep a .jpg file of it on my computer and when that Titling Questionnaire comes through, I paste it in the body of the document.

When the design team starts looking for stock photos for the cover, they have that picture as a guide. Each time they have either found someone very similar, or found a model that fits my character even better than my choice.

As far as I know, models for Michal and Abigail were stock photos with new costumes set in place. For Bathsheba, things were different. At first, I was sent two different poses of a model – stock photos they thought to use. I made a few suggestions on how I would like to see them tweaked and told them which one I liked best. Then I waited. But apparently, those photos didn’t work out to do what they’d hoped, so they started over and I think they chose a live model this time. They sent me preliminary photos, which I thought were stock, but when they said they could pose her differently, lengthen her hair, and make other changes I envisioned, I realized they must be doing an actual photo shoot. I never asked for sure, so don’t quote me on this, but I think so. :) Either that or they did a lot of work in Photoshop!

After the pose was taken, I got to see the cover again only without the palace in the background. That’s when the design artist does his magic. When the final cover was sent to me, I was ecstatic. I thought Michal was awesome! And when they did Abigail, I loved it just as much. But Bathsheba – wow! I hope my design team stays the same for all my books. They do fantastic work!

Now I hope the quality of the story fits the cover. :) I love this book and hope my readers will fall in love with David and his wives, will see them in a fresh light, and realize God’s love and mercy evident on every page. The book releases March 1, 2011. The website pages on The Wives of King David website will be available in November 2010 where you can read a sample chapter and download Bible study and Book Club questions – and I’ll be working on a Facebook page too.

In the meantime, you can pre-order the book on Amazon, which means as soon as it is available, they will ship it. Sometimes they get the book sooner than it’s scheduled release. To all my readers – thank you for your patience. And thanks for letting me share this journey with you!

There is something amazing that happens in my spirit when I pick up my Bible and read a whole book or several chapters at once, stopping to ponder a word or a verse or a phrase. It’s not the quantity of the material read that matters, but the time taken. It’s when God becomes a priority, a desire, someone I want to spend time with.

I’ve heard it said that even Christians today are fairly illiterate when it comes to the Bible. And I know lots of people who either don’t read the Bible and know they should (producing guilt) or they read it out of obligation. When has any relationship ever lasted that was based on guilt or obligation? We don’t treat our best friends that way. Hopefully, we don’t treat our families that way either. People we care about are people we want to spend time with.

When I haven’t talked to my mom in a few days, I miss hearing her voice. If my husband was out of town on business, I’d want a phone call at least once a day. When I haven’t gotten a chance to talk to my closest friends in a while, I feel the absence.

Sometimes I wonder why people come and go from our lives. Was I negligent in caring about their needs? Did I focus too much on myself? Or was the issue theirs alone and had nothing to do with me? Not everyone we meet will want to become close friends. We can’t make people like us.

But the great thing is, God already likes us – and loves us in spite of ourselves. He created us for a relationship with Him and then with other people. That longing I feel to spend time with Him, comes from my inner being, and is something He placed inside each one of us. But it’s up to us to feed the craving.

Sometimes we fill those cravings with the wrong things. If my body craves something salty and I usually feed it French fries, then when I need salt, it will probably think French fries. If I satisfy my sweet tooth with chocolate, I might develop a chocolate craving. (Not such a bad idea.) And if I fill my life with busyness instead of quiet times with God, my heart will seek to stay busy to fill the craving. What my heart needs isn’t more stuff to do, but rather someone to share that stuff with.

We all long for love, but then tend to forget that love is who God is. We crave love because we crave God. To know Him means we have to spend time with Him, to desire Him. Not out of guilt or obligation. But because we want to be with Him, as He longs to be with us.

Do you feel it? Do you sense the craving in your soul for God? If not, just ask Him to give it to you. The Psalmist tells us: “Delight in the Lord and He’ll give you the desires of your heart.” Most especially when that desire is Him.

Selah~

But distractions popped up several times this past week, and my to-do list keeps growing instead of shrinking. Someone did not get the memo that I want to take July off! The rest of the windows were put in on Thursday and they look great! Except for the fact that now we have to fill, sand, prime, and paint the frames of each one. And since Randy has plans to paint his Mustang this summer, the job of window painting falls to me. But that’s okay. I’ve decided one window a day – or one window over two days should allow me to finish by the end of June, yes? I did one window (a small one) today, so hopefully, I’ll be able to stay on track.

Yesterday we celebrated my mom’s birthday (a little early). Ryan and I made her a cheesecake, her favorite dessert. Family gathered together and we had a good time sharing stories and laughing together.

A few months ago I tried acrylic nails. I’d never done anything like that before, and since I tend to pick at my nails when I’m stuck trying to create a scene writing, I figured this would be a good thing. What I didn’t know then, I wish I had. Apparently, fake nails can weaken your natural nail, and in my case, it made some of them paper thin. I don’t know for sure yet, but am planning to let them fall off as they grow out and hope they heal quickly. I love how they look and enjoyed the pampering, but the cost to pocketbook and health of the nails is more than I realized. That’s not to say it’s a bad thing for those who want them, just that I wish I’d known the side effects from the start. I should have done more research ahead of time.

The other night we had a beautiful sunset, and I snapped this picture with my cell phone camera looking through one of our upstairs windows. God knows how to paint such beautiful pictures.

Lots of deadlines await me this week, hoping to finish them all by the end of the month. After I finish the first draft of Sarai, I hope to take a break from most writing commitments during the month of July. Galleys for Bathsheba should be arriving soon after, or perhaps during that month, and it will be nice to be caught up on everything else when it comes. Of course, I say that now, but something always comes up to change that. One can hope. Even writers need a vacation, yes?

This past week week was crazy, and at times felt overwhelming, but some weeks are like that. Today, to start a new week, I spilled tea on myself during a church service. Never had that happen before – the top popped off when I picked it up after resting it between my knees. Won’t do that again! Fortunately, it didn’t spill much and there was no damage or lingering stains. I’m grateful for that!

The rest of the day proved better. I accomplished some things after church and got to chat with one son and a dear friend over Skype. A new week awaits. Looking forward to what God has in store.

Selah~