New Book Release - Jan. 1, 2015

Watch for your postcard announcing the release of my debut book, "Discovering God in Everyday Moments - 180 Devotions for Women." (Barbour Publishing). The release date is January 1, 2015, but friends who have ordered on-line received them in December (in time for Christmas).

You can order this book through any of the following resources:

Barnes & Noble (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/discovering-god-in-everyday-moments),

Barbour (www.barbourbooks.com),

Amazon. If you choose to order through Amazon, please help a missions pilot by ordering through his blog site:
http://thestrattons.typepad.com/intheair/profile.html,

or ChristianBookstore.net:(http://www.christianbookstore.net/discovering-god-in-everyday-moments-jan-by/catalog-6127626/)

I've recently discovered this devotional will also be available in Spanish.

How exciting!

Pastor Tom Doyle of E3 Ministries, who has authored several books(https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/96933.Tom_Doyle), has requested a translation in Arabic and Farsi to bring hope to the Christian believers to whom he ministers in the Middle East. No word, yet, on this possibility.
Please keep this wonderful pastor and his family in your prayers, too!

Here's a gifting idea:
Although the book won't be available until after Christmas, you could print out copies of the cover to wrap up for loved ones on your gift list. They'll feel blessed to get the second gift a couple of weeks later.

Look for God, 

our creator and benefactor,

in everyday moments.
He is there...always!

Voting Advice for General Election - Amendments

Here's my advice for voting on the Constitutional Amendments, which will appear on the Florida ballot in November:
VOTE NO ON ALL OF THEM.

If you believe these amendments are good for the State of Florida, bring them up to your State Representative. Let the legislature vote to enact them. It's much easier to amend or repeal a legislative act than to change or repeal an amendment to the state constitution.

Here are the facts:

No. 1 - Water & Land Conservation. Dedicates 33% of net revenues from existing excise tax to acquire and restore Florida conservation & recreation lands. This is already being done, rendering this a moot point.
Vote NO.

No. 2 - Use of marijuana for individuals with debilitating diseases as determined by a licensed Florida physician. Allows caregivers to assist patients' use of marijuana.
The term "treatment centers" means any entity that acquires, cultivates, possesses, processes, transfers, transports, sells, distributes, dispenses, or administers marijuana. In other words, the pill mills our LEAs have shut down will reopen as pot shops with no restrictions on locations (like next to a school or daycare center).
The term "caregiver" means a person who is at least 21 years of age. No professional licensing or background check is required. They can be felons or drug dealers, or drug addicts.
The term "debilitating disease" could be anything from back pain to having trouble sleeping. No Rx from a doctor is required to obtain pot.
The term "qualifying patient" places no age limit on the user of pot. This means teens and children can buy pot without parental consent or knowledge.
Don't call it medical marijuana; that is already legal in this state. The man who is pushing hard for this amendment has his own self-centered agenda. And he knows he won't get this passed by the congress in Tallahassee. (On a personal note, our neurologist has NOT suggested using pot to lessen epileptic seizure activity.)
Vote NO.

No. 3 - Prospective Appointment of Certain Judicial Vacancies.
Currently, the governor may NOT fill an EXPECTED vacancy until the current justice's or judge's term expires. This amendment would give the governor authority to pre-appoint a judge or justice to an expected vacancy when the current judge or justice faces mandatory retirement age or fails to qualify for a retention election, or is not retained in an election. Three supreme court justices will age out during the election cycle of 2019.
Vote NO.

Three "no" votes will get you out of the voting booth in a few quick minutes!

1944 - 1948 Tampa, Florida Research Project

My latest fictional work, "Miss Ellie's Orange Tree," begins in Tampa, FL in 2014. The third chapter moves the action to mid-June of 1944, where the bulk of the story takes place.
Researching this time period has been both exciting and fascinating. Here are a few newsy items I discovered:

1. The Gandy Bridge once had a toll and a draw bridge.
2. A B-17 crashed into a house in Abdella Street in May. Only one casualty came of this incident because the neighbors rushed in to rescue the airmen. They didn't know the term "first responder" back then.
3. A ham sandwich at Newberry's lunch counter cost 10 cents.
4. Clark Gable and John Garfield both came to Tampa to film wartime movies and documentaries.
5. A hurricane crossed the bottom portion of the state in October.
6. Tampa had a network of streetcars.
7. The Tampa Theatre had air conditioning!
8. Kennedy Boulevard was Grand Central. Interesting note: had they not changed the name I would be known as a SOGCS instead of a SOKS (South Of Kennedy Snob). But in those days, not much was north of Grand Central.
9. Tampa U was a two-year junior college.

Times were difficult back then. They sacrificed for the war effort, unlike today. No one asked IF you went to church, but WHERE did you attend. Perhaps their faith in a living and loving God gave them the strength to live through and win a world war.

If you have any tidbits of newsy items from 1944 - 1948 in Tampa, FL, feel free to post a comment.

Name That Kitty! Contest

I found this adorable kitty, made of resin, at my favorite thrift store, Life’s Treasures, on S. Dale Mabry in Tampa. With that sweet face, how could I resist? My husband’s voice demanding, “No more junk in this house!” rattled around in the back of my mind as I carried the critter in my basket throughout the store in search of other treasures. So, I took it back to where I’d first found it and put the kitty back on the shelf. What do you think happened next? It jumped right back into my basket! Okay…so it had a little help. But I honestly put it back three times, and each time returned it to my basket. I actually let go of it the second time. That sweet little face almost begged me to take it home. I’ve justified the purchase (50% weekend so it was half price!), by telling myself I’ll keep it at work.

Now I need your help. The kitty doesn’t have a name, so I’ve created a contest to

NAME THAT KITTY!

The winner will receive a free copy of “Chicken Soup for the Soul – I Can’t Believe My Cat Did That!” Among the many amusing and heart-felt stories are my two, “Mewsic Critic” and “Taming My Ogre.”

The Ottawa Herald recently profiled “Mewsic Critic” in one of their articles.

Another of my cat stories, “Trick or Feat,” will be included in CSFS’s next cat anthology, “The Cat Did What?” due to be released in September 2014.

 

So, put on your creative thinking cap and

NAME THAT KITTY!

Contest ends July 31, 2014.

 

Every Challenge is a Blessing

Blessings from Heaven...

In the midst of my full time job, my writing assignment, and keeping track of my husband's doctor
appointments & medications, discouragement has been lurking in every shadow. But, thanks to Dr. Stephen Bramer (of Dallas Theological Seminary) and his message at Bayside Community Church yesterday (5/11/14), I can stare down those discouraging "I can't do it!" thoughts. In Haggai 1:13, the Lord says, "I am with you." Wow. God doesn't expect me to handle all this by myself. He is with me, ready to help. The first thing that came to mind is to give thanks for all the blessings this flood of stress has provided.

Blessing #1: My full time job. I work with a wonderful group of people who are kind and patient. I have benefits that include medical insurance, paid vacation, paid sick leave, a retirement plan and little perks given at our considerate boss' discretion.
Blessing #2: My writing assignment. What an honor it is to write about finding God in everyday moments. He's there...even when I'm trying to pull words out of a rock to put on my computer screen. My creativity sails smoothly, then WHAM! I hit a brick wall.
Blessing # 3: The brick wall I hit means it's time to take a brief break and rest or take a walk. A change of scenery will bring back the creative juices.
Blessing #4: My husband's appointments & medications have made a difference in his health issues. While I'm still trying to find the blessing hidden within his ailment, we've been blessed with a doctor who looked beyond the surface to find the real cause of the troubling symptoms. He prescribes medications that won't damage the liver, as so many drugs do. And he truly cares about us.
Blessing #5: With all these challenges washing over me, I used them to prove God is in everyday moments!

BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD!

 

(I confess I don't know where I found this picture of the angel sprinkling blessings from heaven. Probably from Free Clip Art. I would like to give credit to the person who created it.)

Florida Christian Writers Conference



(L-R) Connie Pryce, Moi, Taryn Souders

The Florida Christian Writers Conference is one of many blessings I experience every year (when the Lord allows).  I meet new friends, like roommate Connie Pryce of Daytona Beach, and catch up with long-time-no-see friends, like Taryn Souders. Here we're enjoying our breakfast in the Word Weavers Members dining room.




Yvonne Lehman presents 2nd Place Award for Romance Novel
"Unforgettable"

The Awards Banquet on Saturday, March 1, brought a smile to my face when my yet-to-be-completed novel, "Unforgettable" won 2nd Place in the Romance Genre. What a special treat to be presented the award by author and conference organizer (Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference)Yvonne Lehmann. With more than 3 million books in print, she is the authority on writing Romance novels.

Devotional Writing Class with Susan King of Upper Room



Since Barbour Publishing so graciously extended my deadline for the devotional, "Discovering God in Everyday Moments," I took Susan King's (Upper Room) class on ... writing devotionals. Susan is a great teacher (college professor of English and Literature), and has a wonderful sense of humor. She reinforced some of the knowledge I already had about writing devotionals, but also taught me a few new tricks of the trade I needed. I'm already doing some quick edits of my finished devotionals.

My lack of posts to my blog are due to my intensive writing project, which I hope to finish soon.

What a blessing to write for the Lord!

Discovering God

I'm progressing on my work for hire project with Barbour Publishing.
It's a wonderful opportunity to share 180 devotions of Discovering God in Every Day Moments. This exploration into God's word has been a divine blessing to me. I had discovered Him in my writing a long time ago. When I sit down in front of my computer, I don't type the first word until I have prayed for the Lord's guidance. This is a prayer He answers every day.

My deadline is the first of March, but, since the Florida Christian Writers Conference begins 2/27, I'll submit the devotional in its entirety to my editor the early part of that week. That means I won't be available on-line until AFTER the conference.

These books include some of my first works that Barbour deemed worthy of their standards. I truly appreciate their confidence in me and thank God for another discovery of Him in every day moments...more opportunities to tell others about the love of Christ.