How Could You?

In light of everything that's going on in the world, right now, today, How could you?

Sure, Bruce Jenner is a mess. Earthquakes are devistating parts of our world.

My own first-born son and his family are battling his cancer and Chemo treatments. My daughter is having expensive-to-fix transmission problems. Our other house, in Kansas, has been delayed closing because of a horrendous  hail storm and needs roof, gutter, window, etc repair before the mortgage company can close on the sale. I'm sure our new owner is chomping at the bit to move. I'm sure she's given notice to her apartment and is now begging them to let her stay...one more week...one more week...I'm sorry, I need one MORE WEEK.

Yeah, we feel it.

Everything we want to do is on hold for the closure too. We preface everything with WTHS (When The House Sales)...

But...I fell in love with two chocolate and tan dachshunds and pledged by deposit to receive them when they are eight weeks old. How could I? You know, it's okay. Sometimes in the midst of worrisome events in our lives, we just have to do something that makes our heart glow with joy and lightens our spirit.

And, frankly, this is another one of those things I've wanted for decades and never could get before.

Which brings me to another point I voiced to my husband yesterday...I am in a season in my life that is so wonderful! God has enriched my life so much. I am learning more and more about God's love, mercy, righteousness, protection, power, etc, etc, etc. I have a steady routine of reading and learning from the Bible every day. I feel like I forgot to brush my teeth if I don't read the Bible first thing in the morning. I call it "Coffee with Christ."

My husband is so good to me. I feel loved by him all the time. I never question his feelings for me...and I couldn't have said that before. And because of him, I am able to fulfill dreams I have had for YEARS.

I am writing and publishing books.

I was able to care for my mother in her last four years of her life, and I have been able to take over guardianship of my special needs sister, LeeAnn.

All without worrying about how it will affect my marriage.

Because my husband loves me so much, he is willing to take my challenges on as his challenges.

We have moved to Colorado...something I've wanted since I was a kid. We have pets that we adore.

My children and grandchildren are welcome in our home anytime and my husband loves them as if they were fruit of his loin. (He's an amazing step-dad to them all.)





 We have enough. Not too much so that we remain humble. Not too little so that we become bitter.

And I have friends who are so dear to me....to us, who also know they are welcome in our home whenever they want or need to come.

And...soon our little Chocolate delights will come to live with us...and I cannot wait!  I'm so excited.

Nelli and Delli at 4 1/2 weeks

 I have gathered various (silly) things I think they will need in preparation of their arrival...well their being released from the breeder at eight weeks.

Janet Flick, Flick Kennels

She's so sweet to me too. Janet Flick of Flick Kennels in Westcliffe. She allows me to come see "the twins," as they refer to my Nelli and Delli, anytime I want, during their customer's visiting hours 2:00 - 4:00 pm.  She doesn't rush me. She sits with us and visits with us, answering our multitude of questions. And we discuss other things too. She is teaching a Fidget Quilt class at the Westcliffe college. That's a quilt with various textured fabrics, what nots sewn in for Alzheimer's patients to lay in their lap and "fidget" with. It's very soothing for the recipient and I wish I'd had one or two for Mom when she lived with us. (BTW Alzheimer's is a terrible disease!!!)

LeeAnn and Me at BBQ

Weenie Race about to begin!

  I'm so obsessed with these baby dachshunds, I have scoured the internet for information on care, training, and feeding. I've Pinterest hundreds of things relating to dachshunds and pinned every picture taken of "the girls" during our visits. I even attended a Weenie Race at our local Holy Smoke BBQ last weekend.





So, here's what you're really waiting for.  Yesterday's photos of Nelli and Delli.  They are five and a half weeks old. Their ears have gotten longer than last we saw them, but they are entering the Pinnochio phase of their growth (as Janet calls it) where their noses will grow longer and their ears will get even longer.

Delli on left, Nelli on right

Delli on left, Nelli on right

Delli, not interested in camera

Delli, okay I'll pose.

My precious pups.
Delli on left, Nelli on right, me in the middle (LOL)

June 21, they come home.  I'm so excited, I have labeled every day on the calendar with the countdown. 16 days from today (BTW).

What are you doing to make yourself happy? Do you delight yourself in the Lord? Please remember me when I say, Don't let the turkeys get you down! Do something that makes your heart glow with joy. GOD BLESS YOU!!!

How could you? How could I not?

Storm Chase by K.M. Carroll

I'm so excited to present this book. Released on Amazon.com November 20, 2013. (The same day the author gave birth to a baby girl, by the way) Kessie and I have known each other for about two years. I met Kessie on a chat Forum established by Jeff Gerke called Where the Map Ends. She invited me to join a critique group, spin off from that forum. My interaction with that critique group was invaluable and I cannot thank Kessie enough for scooping me under her wing and letting me play with her friends.

But enough about me!

Kessie stopped by to chat, and I asked her a few questions. I thought you might be interested in knowing what she said, so, pull up a chair and fill your cup...

Here is our conversation:

I think Christian Fiction writers always have an amazing God moment or two when they write their stories. Did you have one? What was it?

For me I think it was a whole God process. While writing, I found the Marcher Lord Press website and visited the forums. There I found a link to the Sandbox critique group. The Sandbox proceeded to pummel Storm Chase while I put it through multiple drafts. If God hadn't guided me to the critique group, I wouldn't have really learned to write and edit. I wouldn't have met Dana Bell and had multiple stories published in anthologies. Really, God's hand has been on my entire writing journey. It's wonderful. :-)

Why did you choose to write Storm Chase?

The story that became Storm Chase has been part of my life since high school. It's my husband's story, you see. He's been writing it and rewriting it for years. Finally, one day I got sick of it and said, “I'm going to write it for you and then it will be DONE.”

Ten drafts later, it finally is.
 
 Are any of your characters based on a real person? Can you tell us who?

Carda is a caricature of my husband. Naturally we had to change Carda quite a bit, though!
 
Your dialog was spot-on for the age of your characters. How did you do that?

I love writing dialogue and listening to people talk. I have a bunch of teen and adult siblings, and I love listening to them and the slang they use. They also coin hilarious phrases and say really funny things with a completely straight face. My kids, although younger, are the same way.
 
What inspired you to write this story?

Well, I was writing my husband's story, really. But a lot of other influences crept in—Lovecraft and Diablo influenced the angel-with-tentacle-wings. I'm a fervent admirer of Diana Wynne Jones's work, and I adore her multiverse, and the way she wrote magic happening in the real world. In later Spacetime books I go nuts with the multiverse aspect.
 
I happen to know the male main character in this book drives a particular car, would you like to tell the readers why his car has special meaning to you?

When we got married, my husband drove a red 1990 Mazda Miata. So of course Carda did, too! Although my husband no longer owns that car, it lives on in Storm Chase. I have fond (albeit terrifying) memories of zipping along the highway in that thing and almost getting blown off the road in storms.
 
 I also know you just gave birth to your fourth child, but do you have hobbies, other interests besides writing and taking care of the kids?

I've been in art class since I was little, and taught art to kids for about five years. I swap between writing and drawing to rest my muse. I also adore videogames and computer games, usually of the simulation sort: SimCity, The Sims, Rollercoaster Tycoon, and the like. I love building things.
 
Can you tell us something interesting about you that most people do not know?

My preferred pet is a reptile. Lizards, usually. Snakes don't have eyelids and can't give you sarcastic sideways looks. I had iguanas growing up—and then bearded dragons became popular, and I always wished for one. But I have small children, and small children do not mix well with reptiles that consume crickets and mealworms. (Hint: Twenty-five escaped crickets inside your house is a LOT.)

That's very true, and wise of you to realize it's not your season to have reptiles. But, when the kids get older...  Right?  Thank you for stopping by! I have enjoyed our chat.  And if you'd like to know more about Kessie, scroll down. And I'd love to hear from you in the comments.

About the Book

Carda is the Strider of Chronos. But figuring out what that means may cost him his life.
Struggling through high school in Phoenix, Arizona was hard enough, but now Carda’s hands are burning with magical fire and lightning. Worse, they affect time and space. Now all kinds of people want Carda dead, from a killer angel to the head of the extra-world Council.
Fortunately he has allies—his twin sister Michelle manipulates gravity with dance. His rival Indal is secretly a time mage—until Carda accidentally turns him into a werewolf. There’s Ben, a black time-traveling lizard. And Xironi, a gorgeous catgirl with a growing crush on Carda.
Together they face the most horrifying enemy of all—an inept mage with far too much power. This power unleashes a chaotic subspace storm that consumes worlds—and Earth is next on the menu.
Young Adult fantasy, 12+


It's available for 99 cents at Amazon.com

About the author

K. M. Carroll got her start writing fanfiction, which she did for the majority of her teens. After marrying her high school sweetheart, she began collaborating with him on what became the Spacetime Legacy series. She also enjoys painting, raising chickens, and cooking delicious meals. She currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her husband and four children.

You can stalk, I mean contact Kessie at: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kessie.carroll

Website: http://spacetime.netraptor.org

Blog: http://netraptor.org/blog

Email: netraptor001 (at) hotmail (dot) com

http://spacetime.netraptor.org

http://netraptor.org/blog

Women's Role as Helper

 

What is our role as women?

A joke: In the beginning, God created man. At the end of the day, He stood back and looked upon man and said, "This is good, but I can do better." Then he created woman.   {cue laugh track}

The bible tells us in Genesis 2:18, "The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” (emphasis mine).

So we are to be a helper. And we are to be suitable for him.  What does that mean?

If I were to walk up to you and you were trying to work in your garden, but you didn't have any tools. You were digging with your hands. I could hand you my tools, a rake, a shovel, gloves, etc. and that would help you very much. Right? Well, I'm going to give you some tools to help you be the helper God would have you be.

As Christians, we are told in Galatians 5:22, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control." 
Okay, we know we are to strive to be all these things at all times. But what are we, as women, supposed to do to be what God intended us to be for our husbands?

1 Peter 3:1 says, "Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, ² when they see the purity and reverence of your lives."


Again, I ask: What does that mean?  Well, I think there are two things we woman are called to do by God for our husbands.

1. Be the best Christian we possibly can be. We do that be reading the word of god. The Bible. Do you read your Bible every day? It's an excellent habit to have. For one it puts the Word in you and allows the Word to work from within you. Then when a situation merits, the Word will come to your mind and you will be able to apply it, quote it, make a valid , Godly point. But another advantage is internal. By getting God's word inside of you, it will nurture you when you are at your wits end. And we all know we women get at our wits end a lot! God's word will give you guidance to handle all things appropriately. Even if that means simply closing our mouths and not saying a word! A tool to begin reading the Bible is a one-year reading plan.  This is one put together by a local radio station KJIL here in SW Kansas. There are others, but if you don't have one, you may borrow mine!

2. Prayer. I believe our role as women and helpers who are suitable for our husbands means we pray for them. We pray for ourselves, our husbands, our children, and then for others. We pray and pray and pray. How long do we pray?

Remember this: PUSH.  Pray Until Something Happens.
I'm reminded of the lyrics by John Waller: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc7orBfhEmk 
While I'm Waiting by John Waller
I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Takeing every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

What I did, while I waited for God to do what God does:
I joined teams at the church, Hospitality, Prayer Warriors, Breakfast Committee, and Praise and Worship.  At work, (I managed a Car Rental Company) I made a commitment to help Church rentals by setting a reduced price for their rentals and never charged them mileage.

These things were my seeds. I planted these seeds with high expectations that my harvest would be the answers to my prayers.

Now. Here's a tool for prayer. If you aren't sure what to pray or how to pray, here's a place to start.  Ephesians 3:14-21. But here's the key!  Every time the passage says "you" or some form of it, substitute the name of the person you are praying for. Even if it's yourself, use your name instead. 
Ephesians 3:14-21: "For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family^[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen {insert name} with power through his Spirit in {insert name}'s inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in {insert name}'s hearts through faith. And I pray that {insert name}, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that {insert name} may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

This is such a powerful prayer. Pray it over your husband daily, for 30 days and see for yourself. It will move mountains and change hearts and minds. Pray it over yourself. Pray it over your children. Other prayers in the Bible work the same way, but this is a good place to start.

So these are your tools. This is my interpretation of being a Helper and Suitable for him.
1. Read the word of God daily, from now on until the end of your days.
2. Pray. Pray until something happens.
3. Plant seeds while you wait on the Lord to answer your prayer (reap a harvest).

What do you think? Have you experienced any of these things and seen remarkable results? Tell me about it. I love to hear what God has done.

God Magnifies the Little Things You Do.

Several years ago, the Lord downloaded this message to me. I was sitting in church listening to the sermon about Jesus dividing the five loaves and two fishes. We've heard this story so many times that it's almost boring to us. But, suddenly the Lord gave me a thought.

What if the mother of that little boy had not made that lunch?

What if she had said to her son, "When  you get home, I'll serve you dinner. So, be home before dark."

Let's look at the story in the book of John:

John 6:5-9 (NIV)

⁵ When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” ⁶ He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

⁷ Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

⁸ Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ⁹ “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

(Emphasis are mine).

 

Jesus took a small lunch, two fishes and five loaves, and fed five thousand men plus an unknown number of others (women, servants, children). This small lunch fed the same number of people that it would have taken more than half a year's wages to purchase enough food to give each person A BITE.

 

The mother of this boy thought nothing of the lunch she packed for her son that day. It was a routine, ordinary thing for her to do.

 

BUT if she had not made that lunch, Jesus would NOT have had anything to multiply.

 

However, because she did make this small, ordinary lunch for her son, Jesus was able to bless it and multiply it to feed thousands of people. PLUS! the bible goes on to tell us...

 

John 6:5-12-13 "¹² When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” ¹³ So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten." 

(Emphasis are mine).

 

Twelve baskets of leftovers were gathered and sent home with the boy.

 

This mother's routine, ordinary act of love, a lunch for her son, was blessed by God and came back to her multiplied beyond measure.

 

The bible says in Matthew 16:40 "The king will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

 

What ordinary, routine thing do you do everyday, every week, every once in a while, that God blesses and multiplies to bless others? And then returns it to you in an immeasurable amount?

 

It's just something to think about.