Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Sub...what?

Submission.
In some circles, this word has quite a different meaning (not mentioning the shades of you-know-what, the books that were unfortunately all the rage last summer). But in the context of Christianity, we do have a deeper meaning, a better meaning, for submission.

It means giving control of our lives to Christ, submitting our will to His.

It means putting someone else ahead of ourselves. Like my husband.

It's not easy, but it is freeing.

My friend Sara has written a new book about Biblical submission in the context of a 21st century marriage. It's wonderful. It's coming out in just two weeks.

Order it from her today, and she'll autograph it for you. And in upcoming days, I'll be writing my review and asking some pertinent questions about what it means to be a 21st century wife following Godly principles.

It's going to be fun!



Thursday, July 11, 2013

Just keep swimmin'



Kristen, a fellow Air Force spouse and writer friend, asks this question today on her blog. And I read it, and it resonated with me.

Why do I even try? Why do I even bother to write?

If you look at my blog, you'll see that I really haven't bothered. I haven't carved words from my heart onto the blank page lately. It's been a long time since I felt passionate about writing anything about myself. In fact, the last time I wrote from any sort of passion was at Wives of Faith, and it was about our flag and our response to those who misuse it.

I get wrapped up in the smallness of my life and my blog. This tiny little corner of the internet where I've been writing for years. I get in my head and not on the page, and that is not healthy for me. Even my journal, which by this point in the year should be more than half full, sits virtually empty in the middle.

I also get bogged down in the knowledge that I don't have any one area of expertise. I've dabbled in things my whole life, but I'm not an expert in any one thing. In a world where platform is preached and experts are sought out, I don't really stand out. I'm not the best writer out there, or the best teacher, or editor. I'm not the best and most involved Air Force wife, or ministry wife. I haven't written a book.

I don't have any answers, and I don't have much more to add, except to say this: I will fight for your right to express yourself, and I'll teach you how to do it better if you ask. But maybe I need to be content with my own little corner, writing for God and not for my own fame or glory. I need to, in the immortal words of Dory the fish, "just keep swimmin.'"

And maybe--just maybe--God will grow it into an oak tree.

Wednesday, July 03, 2013

CFBA Presents: Widow of Gettysburg by Jocelyn Green

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Widow of Gettysburg
River North; New Edition edition (April 12, 2013)
by
Jocelyn Green


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jocelyn Green is a child of God, wife and mom living in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She is also an award-winning journalist, author, editor and blogger. Though she has written nonfiction on a variety of topics, her name is most widely recognized for her ministry to military wives: Faith Deployed. Her passion for the military family was fueled by her own experience as a military wife, and by the dozens of interviews she has conducted with members of the military for her articles and books, Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives and its sequel, Faith Deployed...Again: More Daily Encouragement for Military Wives. She is also co-author of both Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq & Afghanistan and Stories of Faith and Courage from the Home Front (forthcoming, May 2012). Her Faith Deployed Web site and Facebook page continue to provide ongoing support, encouragement and resources for military wives worldwide.





ABOUT THE BOOK

When a horrific battle rips through Gettysburg, the farm of Union widow Liberty Holloway is disfigured into a Confederate field hospital, bringing her face to face with unspeakable suffering--and a Rebel scout who awakens her long dormant heart.

While Liberty's future crumbles as her home is destroyed, the past comes rushing back to Bella, a former slave and Liberty's hired help, when she finds herself surrounded by Southern soldiers, one of whom knows the secret that would place Liberty in danger if revealed.

In the wake of shattered homes and bodies, Liberty and Bella struggle to pick up the pieces the battle has left behind. Will Liberty be defined by the tragedy in her life, or will she find a way to triumph over it? Widow of Gettysburg is inspired by first-person accounts from women who lived in Gettysburg during the battle and its aftermath.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Widow of Gettysburg, go HERE.