A Step in the
Write Direction
February 10,
2013
Update:A little late today! Spent a nice day after church yesterday morning with my youngest daughter—at a pizza place and the Dollar Tree. Then on Sunday evenings I play the piano for the evening service at our mobile home park. … Found out that the publisher of Rhyme-Time Bible Stories for Little Ones wants a couple more stories, so I’ve finished one on Samuel and am now working on one about women in the Bible to take to my critique group tomorrow. … My husband had an appointment this morning and found out that his defibrillator needs to be replaced again. They're supposed to last 6-7 years. His first one lasted only 2-1/2 years, and this one won't be 2 years old till May, but the "electrician" says it's using up a lot of energy. He'll have to go off the Coumadin for a week or so first. This will be his fifth heart surgery, so appreciate your prayers. … Valentine’s Day is a special day for us as it was 53 years ago February 14 that we were engaged! … I’m sure some of you are busy working on (or worrying about) your taxes. If you want a list of tax deductions for writers, email me at: dgood648@aol.com
Thought for the Day:
“Endurance is not just the ability to bear a
hard thing, but to turn it into glory.”
—William Barclay
Laugh
for the Day:
"What
happened to you?" asked the bystander of the man lying on the sidewalk outside
of the beauty parlor. The man shook his head groggily and rubbed his bruised
chin. "Well, the last thing I remember was my wife coming out of the beauty
salon. I took one look at her and said, 'Well, honey ... at least you tried.'"
Brainteaser: What word begins with 'h', ends with 'n', contains six letters, and contains eight words besides itself without transposing a single letter? (Answer at end.)
Writers’ Tips
(could also be Thought for the Day):
Writer
Charles Swindoll once found himself with too many commitments in too few
days. He got nervous and tense about it. He was snapping at his wife and children,
choking down his food at mealtimes, and feeling irritated every time there was an
unexpected interruption in his day. He recalls in his book "Stress Fractures" that
before long, things around their home started reflecting the pattern of his hurry-up
life style. He said the situation was becoming unbearable. Then it happened.
After supper one evening his younger daughter, Colleen wanted to tell him something
important that had happened to her at school that day. She began hurriedly, "Daddy,
I wanna tell you somethin' and I'll tell you really fast."
Suddenly realizing her frustration, Swindoll answered, "Honey, you can tell me—
and you don't have to tell me really fast. Say it slowly." He has never forgotten
her answer: "Then listen slowly."
days. He got nervous and tense about it. He was snapping at his wife and children,
choking down his food at mealtimes, and feeling irritated every time there was an
unexpected interruption in his day. He recalls in his book "Stress Fractures" that
before long, things around their home started reflecting the pattern of his hurry-up
life style. He said the situation was becoming unbearable. Then it happened.
After supper one evening his younger daughter, Colleen wanted to tell him something
important that had happened to her at school that day. She began hurriedly, "Daddy,
I wanna tell you somethin' and I'll tell you really fast."
Suddenly realizing her frustration, Swindoll answered, "Honey, you can tell me—
and you don't have to tell me really fast. Say it slowly." He has never forgotten
her answer: "Then listen slowly."
* * *
Sally
Stuart says our families are called to love us, not necessarily to support our
writing. Don’t let your time at the computer come ahead of those you love.
Proofreading
Test Answers
A Thankful Hart—or a Heart if
Praise
bye
Donna Clark Goodrich
“Develop an attitude of
praise,’ our pastor told us in his Sunday message. “It will change your
life.”
I tried it. If it rained, I tried to
be thankful it didn’t flood. If it was to hot, I gave Thanks for
our air conditioner. For the ornery boy in my Sunday school class, I thanked
god that his parents cared enough to bring him. It seemed to work—for
awhile!
Then in the next few years, I found
it harder to be thankful? My mother died of cancer. My husband had a
serious car accident that put him out of work for three months. Then, a few
years later he had a heart attack which—along with a number of other health
problems—led to his retirement At the age of 48. Having three teenagers
for seven years increased the stress.
“How can I be thankful?” I
otfen asked. Then one day while I was listening to the the words
of a song a friend was singing at church, the answer came to me: Being thankful
is for things God gives to us; but a
heart of praise is giving thanks for who
He is.
Have we lost our sense of awe when
we are in God’s presence? I remember when our family first moved to Arizona
My son grabbed
his baseball autograph book and we took off for a batting practice where young
players where more than happy to sign their names. Suddenly a tall,
imposing figure walked toward us. I stopped, frozen in my tracks. Joe DiMaggio! I couldn’t speak, but our
son—who knew no fear—ran up to him. “Hey, Joe!” he yelled. “Can I have your
autograph.”
I thought
later, if I felt that much awe for a man who merely played baseball, how much
more awe should I feel when I come before God.
I can still have an “attitude of
gratitude,” but now I realize that God deserves my highest praise—not because of
what He gives me, but because of who he is.
* *
*
Answer to brainteaser: Herein (He, Her, Here, Ere, Re,
Rein, I, In)
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"A Step in the Write Direction--the Complete How-to Guide for Christian Writers"
"A Step in the Write Direction--the Complete How-to Guide for Christian Writers"
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