Lisa Lickel ~ featured author ~ plus monthly book give-away





Lisa Lickel ~ Living Our Faith Out Loud

Today, I'd like to introduce to my readers, Lisa Lickel.  She has been a good friend and encourager to me since we met through the John 3:16 Network of Christian writers.  I enjoy her writing style and her vitality.  I've asked her to tell us about herself and her writing.  Please be sure to take a look at  her blog and her website for more information, and leave a comment after the interview for an opportunity to win her book.

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I’m delighted to be here with you. Rose has done a marvelous job with her blog, and I’m so proud of her.  Thank you, Rose, for hosting me today. 

I’m a Wisconsin-made product, born and raised. On a recent road trip my traveling companion, who’s just as proud of her home state as I am, asked me whether I’d ever thought of living elsewhere. Of course not, I told her. I love the change of seasons. I even enjoy the blizzards and the mosquitoes. My husband, a high school science teacher, and I raised two wonderful young men who took equally wonderful wives. No grandchildren yet, but I have a grand kitty I adore. 

My writing history began seriously in 2001 when a historical society friend told me, “You should be a writer!” after seeing my press releases about our group. I took the Christian Writers Guild apprentice course while I was a church secretary, and began to sell magazine articles before I graduated.  

The first novel I wrote placed in the top ten of the First Novel contest in 2004, but it took a few more years before I signed with my first agent and sold my first manuscript in 2007. Meanwhile I’d been writing freelance for local newspapers and selling more articles and writing like nobody’s business. I’d racked up more than a dozen novels and a children’s book series that I hope will be published this summer.  

My first novel appeared in 2009 with Barbour’s Heartsong: Mysteries Book Club, and I’ve published one or more novels, mostly with independent publishers, ever since. I have three books coming out this year. I spent a couple of years learning about developing an audience (platform-building), how to market myself (terrifying), and how to keep growing my craft. Networking is vital in any business, and writing and publishing is no different. 

Recently, I’ve gotten the rights back to my first two published novels and resold them to my new publisher in Canada. MuseItUp is not in a Christian Booksellers Association publisher, but to me, they are doing the best job I’ve seen outside of the “big time” publishers.  

I like to write stories that define and defend contemporary families.   Here is a list of a few of my novels: 

The Map Quilt 

The Last Bequest 

Healing Grace 

Meander Scar 

You can read more about my novels on my website: www.lisalickel.com. This is what a real writer does: Find a publisher who is proud of their inventory and works with authors to put out a great book. Use the editors to learn and grow in your work. Figure out which battles are worth the cost. Sit in the marketplace and sell your wares. Be ready to delve into great conversation. Most of all: Delight in the work of your hands and share it with enthusiasm. 

“If you have a message of encouragement for these people, please speak.” Acts 13:15, NIV

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Lisa is offering a copy of her latest book, a mystery, Meow Mayhem from Whimsical Publications, either pdf version or in print, as a gift to one of our blog visitors.

Now available from Amazon in Paper back and e-book; available from Smashwords in other e-formats.

 

In this delightful story,  Ivy Preston keeps other people’s secrets for a living. When a small town mayor invites Ivy Preston and True Thompson to move their businesses to Apple Grove, can their love survive the sudden rise in crime? 

 

After being left at the altar, Ivy Amanda McTeague Preston uproots herself and her cat, an Egyptian Mau named Memnet, from her boring and lonely life to start over at the urging of Mayor Conklin, a fellow pedigreed Mau owner. Truesdale Thompson is ready to move in a fresh direction with his life. A private man whose physical wounds are the only outward sign of a tragic accident in his past, True and his cat, Isis, open a branch of his trendy little bookstore and coffee shop in Apple Grove. When Ivy takes a mysterious message while the mayor is away on business, only Ivy’s criminology professor mom and True believe there’s something rotten in Apple Grove. Can Ivy carry on her romance with True while saving the town from further Mayhem?

My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you--I, whom you have redeemed.  Psalm 71:23 NIV

Now, for an opportunity to receive a copy of Lisa's mystery, Meow Mayhem:

At least ten readers must comment and share in order for there to be a book give-away. So come on everyone. It's easy.  Join in. Follow these steps to qualify for the random drawing.

1. Leave a comment on this blog (my favorite part!) which includes your name and email address if you want to be included in the drawing. You can comment without leaving your email if you don't want to be in the drawing. I will use your address to contact you if you win. To leave a comment, click on the pencil icon or the word comment at the end of this blog post.

2. Share this blog post on Facebook so your friends will read about it and visit too.

3. Tweet, tweet, tweet IF you have twitter, and mention the book give-away on your own blog if you have one. It would be great as well and an extra perk for me if you would become a follower of this site, so you won't miss a single post.

Complete these steps by 11:00 a.m. Saturday, March 9th.   A winner will be announced here on Monday, March 11th, so be sure to check back to see if you've won. 

Thank you so much for participating in the monthly give-away.  This feature of Write Moments with God is so much fun for me.

May God give you His peace and keep you safe in the palm of His hands, my friends.



 

 

 

The Sobering Truth about some *F* Words

Little redbird not minding the rain~he sat there for a long time.

And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not.  Luke 22:31-32a

It rained practically all week; the toilet ran over and I had to call the plumber; the dog ate my son’s new boxers; I got a nasty cold.  What a week!  And that’s not the half of it. 

Frustrations piling on—stealing our money, our time, our sense of well-being—can lead to fear.

Fear—fear of not being able to do what we need to do, fear of failure.
 

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to test you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.  1 Peter 4:12
 

The truth is this.  I am no exception.  Everyone deals with these kinds of frustrations.  They are minor obstacles really in the big scheme of things--minor irritants compared with what most of this world’s population must endure on a daily basis.  Hardly worth wasting the breath it takes to grumble.  Such is the human condition.

And what’s more.  We’ll always have to deal with these petty obstacles in this fallen world.  Conditions cannot always be ideal.  It’s just not possible on this pilgrim journey.  Heaven is promised for a future reality.

Oh yes, Satan will try to sift us and shake our confidence in God.  Shake our confidence in who we are in Christ Jesus.

Look to Jesus.  I say this to encourage myself as much as to encourage you. 

Our circumstances cannot control our outlook. 

Our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ is the principal reality.  I want that to control my perspective.  Our faith in Him is what matters most in our everyday moments. 

Faith is the victory over all our frustrations and fears.

For whoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. 1 John 5:4

 

Rainbows along the way~photo courtesy of Eileen DeCamp

 

Thank you for visiting Write Moments with God.  Please feel free to leave your comments below.  I love to hear from you.  May God grant you peace from all frustrations and fears as you look to Him the author and finisher of our Faith.  Blessings...

 

Where Have You Placed Your Trust?

Thomas Jefferson's home~Monticello~Charlottesville, Virginia~photo courtesy of Eileen DeCamp

 

Yesterday while walking to my car across the parking lot of the grocery store, I caught sight of a shiny coin—a nickel.  As I leaned down to pick it up, I saw that it was heads up.  I smiled.

“In God We Trust”

I said it over to myself.  “In God We Trust.”  I’m so proud of my country that chooses to emboss such a fine declaration on its money.    Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal. (Isaiah 26:4)   Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  (Proverb 3:5)

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. (Psalm 118:8-9)   Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.  (Psalm 40:4)

Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Selah  (Psalm62:8)

So, here’s the thing.   In God We Trust is embossed on our money.  But is trust in God embossed on our hearts?  That’s probably a good question to ask ourselves every time we notice those words on our money.

 

And again, "I will put my trust in him." (Hebrews 2:13a)

Thank you for visiting Write Moments with God.  Please consider leaving a comment below.  I really enjoy reading them.  May God be with you and bless you richly.

How Interruptions Can Be Defining Moments--All the Way to Golgotha into Life Eternal

 

In The Church of the Most Holy Trinity, Augusta, GA

We really never know what God has in store for us each day.  We make our to-do lists, plot our best-laid plans.  I’ve been thrown off my game, time and again, because my plans were disrupted, only later to see how masterfully God wove people, places, times, and events together.  He has the master plan.  What I need to do is ask Him to lead the way; I will take up my cross, and follow Him. (See Matthew 16:20)

Today I want us to think about someone—Simon the Cyrenian—whose day was disrupted by a most defining moment of history.  He indeed followed Jesus all the way to Golgotha.

There isn’t much recorded about this man in the Scriptures, and I am not a theologian, but this is what I’ve found.  Simon, from Cyrene, a city in Libya, had come into Jerusalem from out of the country possibly  to celebrate the Passover.  Maybe he had his sons with him (I don’t know).  He had two sons, Alexander and Rufus.  Rufus is referred to by Paul in his letter to the Romans as one “chosen of the Lord”.  (See Romans 16:13)  Since the Apostles had spoken to people from his region telling of  the wonderful works of God  (See Acts 2:11), it’s possible Simon was a believer.  But I don’t know if he was or not.  This is what we know.

And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the  country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.  Mark 15:21

And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it for Jesus.  Luke 23:26

I can imagine the soldiers snatching Simon by the shoulders, pulling him out of that crowd which lined the streets, and making him bear the cross on which Jesus would be crucified.  I imagine he was terrified,  little knowing that he had been overtaken by a divine assignment. 

He carried THE CROSS all the way with Jesus to Golgotha.  And I believe he stayed with Jesus, witnessing his crucifixion, and the crucifixion of the two thieves, and the agony, and the darkness and our Lord’s death.  I believe Simon carried that cross all the way to Life Eternal, and his family too with him.

And today, knowing what we know, we all might say, “Let me, let me, let me bear the Savior’s cross!”  We would volunteer gladly to help carry that burden for our Lord Jesus Christ. 

We should shout for joy because Jesus has told us how we can do just that. 

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.  Matthew 25:40

Don’t be surprised if God gives you an unexpected opportunity to do an act of mercy and kindness and by so doing lets you help bear the Lord’s cross.  We all need a Simon, and we all can be one.

One of my favorite photos ever courtesy of Aaron Barton

 

Thank you for visiting Write Moments with God.  Please consider leaving a comment below or writing me at writemoments@gmail.com.  I love to hear from you.  God be with you always.

What's in your heart? by Lou Ann Keiser guest blogger

Roses in Paris -- photo courtesy of Collage of Life

It’s Valentine's Day.  Everywhere--hearts, flowers, cards, and chocolates.

Everyone is in romance mode. 

Prince Charming is at the door. 

His heart is in his smile. He has a huge bouquet of red roses in one hand and a several-pound heart-shaped box of chocolates in the other. 

Or not. 

I don’t know about you, but this whole scenario smacks of too-good-to-be-true. It’s more than a little bit fairytale. 

Let’s see what the Bible has to say about hearts. 

See Ecclesiastes3:11.  He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. Interesting: the Hebrew word for world means “everlasting, evermore, perpetual.” So, we could read this phrase, “he hath set eternity in their heart.”  

Everyone, male and female, was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). We obviously aren’t made physically in His image, since God is a Spirit. This has to mean that we have a soul. In contrast with plants, animals, rocks, and seas, we have a soul. It’s our heart. 

By the sixth chapter of Genesis, God was already displeased with man’s heart. 

And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart (verses 5-6). God’s heart was grieved because of man’s heart. 

A bleak commentary indeed regarding man's heart. 

The good news is:  

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).

That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:15).

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). 

Did you notice the Valentine words?  Love.  Gift. 

It doesn’t stop there.  

God promises to cleanse believers when we confess our sins to Him (1 John1:8-9). The

psalmist David put it this way: Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit

within me (Psalm 51:10). 

As much as we might romantically desire the flowers and chocolates, isn’t the real condition

of our heart much more important? 

The Truth says: 

 

God loves us. 

He loved us so much that He sent His only Son to die for our sins.  This love is free and available to everyone.  God’s forgiveness is eternal.  God’s love is so much higher than human love.

 

David said, talking about God’s care, Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I

cannot attain unto it (Psalm139:6).

 

This Valentine’s Day, let’s look for more than flowers, chocolates, and romance.

 

Let’s let God take care of our hearts!
 

Lou Ann Keiser

 

Lou Ann Keiser is a missionary pastor's wife with over thirty years of ministry experience.  She loves teaching the Bible. She is a mother of two married children and a grandmother.  She and her husband live in a quaint town in Europe.  I'd like to thank her for being my first guest blog writer.  To read more about her, visit her blog at In the Way.

 

 

Thank you so much for visiting Write Moments with God.  I will return with one of my own devotions for the next blog post.  May God be with you.





The Life Giving Power of Words -- PLUS the Winner of This Month's Book-Give-Away

Sardis Methodist Church -- where I went to church as a little girl and sang in the children's choir

The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.  John 6:63

One of the benefits of my Southern Protestant heritage is that I know all the words of all the songs in the hymnal by heart.  I’ve sung them hundreds of times—heard them pounded out loud on the piano every line and verse.  I remember walking down a dirt road as a child singing hymns at the top of my lungs without a care in the world.

Sing them over again to me,

Wonderful words of Life;

Let me more of their beauty see,

Wonderful words of Life. ~Philip P. Bliss

We learned the absolute life-giving value of the Word of God  incorporated into the songs we sung and found in the Holy Bible (also learned verses by heart, weekly, from colored index cards).

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. Matthew 24:35

There’s much recorded in the Scripture about words—not only God’s Word, but the words we speak and the power of the tongue.

Think about it for a second and you will remember kind words spoken to you that ministered peace as sweet as a sip of iced tea.  Likewise, you will remember harsh words spoken that struck your heart like fiery darts.  You might even recall hurtful things you've said to others.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.  Proverbs 18:21

We’ve all experienced the consequences of  idle chatter—backbiting, gossip—our own as well as that of others.  It’s hurtful.  It tears a person down.

 Jesus condemned it.

But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak they will give account of it in the Day of Judgment.  Matthew 12:36

I tried to speak some life-giving words this week to  someone  who was crying because of careless words that had been spoken to her—words that had hurt her heart, making her feel good-for-nothing and unloved. 

I took my time before I spoke, carefully choosing the few words that I thought might offer her hope, build her up, and minister God’s grace like a healing balm to her open wound. 

 I know I must resolve to always be so careful with my words.  They are powerful.

 

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  Ephesians 4:29

Please consider leaving a comment on today's blog.  I love to hear from you.

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Now to announce the winner of Alice Wisler's devotional Getting Out of Bed in the Morning: Reflections of Comfort in Heartache.  Congratulations to Kathleen Belongia who is our winner.  Thanks to all of you who participated.  Alice and I both were thrilled to read all your kind and encouraging comments. May God's grace be with you all. 

 

 

Alice Wisler, featured author, plus monthly book give-away

Alice J. Wisler's new devotional and a picture of her son Daniel
 

It's my pleasure to introduce Alice Wisler as our guest author today.  Alice Wisler has written a devotional for those who need comfort in heartache. Having lost her son Daniel to cancer, Alice has the sensitivity and empathy to speak right to the heart of those who hurt. This devotional is relevant and encouraging, and leaves the reader with the confident hope that God will sustain them and help them face each new day.  It's for anyone struggling with heartache from any kind of loss--of a loved one, a career, health or finances, hopes and dreams, divorce.  As I read this lovely book, I thought of friends with whom I want to share it. So I invited her to be our guest today.  I hope you enjoy the interview which follows.

You have had a heartbreaking experience with grief; could you talk a little bit about that?

My son Daniel died after cancer treatments in 1997.  He was three when he was diagnosed with a malignant tumor in his neck.  He was four when he died in my arms after a staph infection entered his compromised body. The day was Groundhog Day, so every year when the little rascal is looking for his shadow to predict the onset of spring, I am remembering my little rascal—a beautiful blond-haired boy who loved his mama and had a great sense of humor.

 

What is one of the greatest hurdles when it comes to dealing with grief?

I think we are surprised at how long grief takes (how long the journey through it is) and what an impact grief has on each aspect of our lives. The loss of Daniel challenged my faith, my beliefs—my very core.

 

How does service to others help overcome grief?

Doing for others means getting out of yourself, so to speak, and letting others enter your life.  You begin to see that others have sorrow, too.  Others are hurt and need understanding.   By helping to meet the needs of others, you help yourself (a remarkable truth from God’s economy).

What is the main takeaway of you new devotional, Getting Out of Bed in the Morning?

Life is tough and grief is real.  Being human isn’t easy.  God provides for us as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, sustaining us so that we can carry on.  He is full of compassion, love, forgiveness, mercy and grace.

You have a lot of writing exercises in your book.  How important is writing through heartache?

If you ask me, it is vital.  Writing saved me.  When Daniel died, I needed to pour my pain onto paper and have my journal share in holding it.  I wrote all the time. Now I teach online writing courses (Writing the Heartache) and speak at conferences on the value and benefits of putting pen to paper. Writing is inexpensive therapy, a great gift from God. I hope you’ll visit my website to learn more about my workshops.

Besides this devotional, what else have you written?

I have written five novels and two self-published cookbooks in memory of kids. 

Rain Song (Christy Finalist)

 How Sweet It Is (Christy Finalist)

 Hatteras Girl

A Wedding Invitation

Still Life in Shadows

All my novels take place in the South.  Even though I was born and raised in Japan, now that I live in North Carolina, I have learned the beauty of sweet tea and grits.

How does your family handle having a mom and wife who is behind her laptop most of the day?

My three kids are used to seeing me spend the majority of my time writing or heading out the door to speak.  My oldest, Rachel, who is now 22, drew a picture of me years ago when Elizabeth, my youngest (now 15), was a baby.  The drawing had Elizabeth in the baby seat/carrier on the carpet and me at my computer with my foot rocking the carrier.  My hands, of course, were on the keyboard, eyes glued to the screen.  My husband Carl likes me to quit work each day by 5 pm and spend time with him so I honor that request.

Read more about Alice at http://www.alicewisler.com

I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. Psalm 40:1

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Now, for an opportunity to receive a copy of Alice's devotional, Getting Out of Bed in the Morning: Reflections of Comfort in Heartache.

At least ten readers must comment and share in order for there to be a book give-away. So come on everyone. Join in. Follow these easy steps to qualify for the random drawing.

1. Leave a comment on this blog which includes your name and email address if you want to be included in the drawing. You can comment without leaving it if you want to as usual.  I will use your address to contact you if you win.  To leave a comment, click on the pencil icon or the word comment at the end of this blog post.

2. Share this blog post on Facebook so your friends will read about it and visit too, tweet it if you have twitter, and mention the book give-away on your own blog if you have one. It would be great as well and an extra perk for me if  you would become a follower of this site, so you won't miss a single post.

Complete these steps by 11:00 a.m. Saturday, February 9th. A winner will be announced here on Monday, February 11th, so be sure to check back to see if you've won.  Thank you so much for participating in the monthly give-away.

May God be with you.