A Step in the Write Direction--December 9, 2013--Advent devotions

A Step in the Write Direction

December 9, 2013

Update: I was excited to get my copies Thursday of the new anthology Grandfather, Father and Me—Memories, Poems, and Good Food. This is the third—and as far as I know, the last—of  the Memories trilogy, following the Christmas one and Grandmother, Mother and Me….I “accidentally” fell in to the Agent career the last couple of weeks. My friend from our critique group signed a contract for her novel, then I also signed a contract with a new friend who wrote a great book on recovery from an unexpected divorce. It’s at a publisher’s now….Don’t know how far I’ll go with this new venture, but…who knows?...What was first diagnosed as cellulitis in our daughter’s foot two weeks ago turned out to be a broken bone, so she’s walking with a “boot” now. Praying for a quick healing and for her boss that she will give her desk duty for two weeks.

Thought for the Day: “As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison” (Nelson Mandela).

Laugh for the Day:

 1. The fattest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.

 2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.

 3. She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.

 4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class, because it was a weapon of math disruption.

 5. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.

 6. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.

 7. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.

 8. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.

 9. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.

 10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

Song for the Day:

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

            —“Be Thou My Vision” (Dallan Forgail, 8th Century)

Writer’s Tips: (Christmas devotions continued from Preparing Your Heart for Christmas Advent book).

A Cry for Help

In my distress I cried to the Lord, And He heard me (Psalm 120:1).

Our four-year-old son marched boldly to the front of the church and prepared to sing “Away in the Manger.” He had sung it without a hitch in the rehearsals but, unfortunately,

not with the microphone. When he hit the first note, his voice echoed back at him. He jumped back, startled, which brought laughter from the audience—and tears to his eyes.

I left the front row and knelt before him, helping him get started again and finish the song—this time to applause.

How many times have we cried for help in our distress and Someone came to our rescue?

•  When we were in doubt over which road to take in life

•  When we were depressed over an unending illness

•  When we were worried over too many bills and not enough money

•  When we grieved over the loss of a loved one or friend?

•  When we were convicted over sins in our lives

At those times, Someone knelt before us and helped us get started again. That Someone was God’s Christmas Gift to us—His only Son. And someday when we reach the end of our performance, we’ll receive not applause, but a “Well done, faithful servant.”

Lord, thank You that when I cry out for help, You are there to rescue me and help me begin again.

 Have a good week spreading the

gospel through the printed page.

Donna Clark Goodrich

dgood648@aol.com

www.thewritersfriend.net

http://donna-goodrich.blogspot.com

"A Step in the Write Direction--the Complete How-to Guide for Christian Writers"

"Preparing Your Heart for Christmas"--31 devotions for the Advent season

"Healing in God's Time"--story of Dave Clark, songwriter

"The Freedom of Letting Go"