My Patreon will launch in 1 week! I took all the results of the poll and I have hopefully created fun and appealing tiers. About my Patreon: I'm trying something new for the next 6-7 months. If it works, I'll continue, but if I end up not liking it, I'll stop it in September or October. I will be starting a monthly subscription membership on a new Patreon account. I will be posting the chapters of my current book ( Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 7 ) so you can read ahead of when the ebook will be edited and published. My current plan is to post 1-2 chapters weekly. One reason I’m switching things up is that I want to get closer to my readers and build a tighter, more intimate community with you. You can comment on each chapter of my book, give a reaction, ask a question, or even correct mistakes. My books will become a dialogue with you. If you subscribe to my Patreon, you'll be charged monthly and have access to all the benefits for the tier you subscribe to. The
Captain's Log, Stardate 07.05.2006
For all you writers—check out my Story Sensei critique service Summer Sale! Get a 10% off coupon just for entering!
Blog book giveaway:
My Thursday book giveaway is LOVE ONLINE by Kristin Billerbeck and Nancy Toback.
My Monday book giveaway is RECONSTRUCTING NATALIE by Laura Jensen Walker.
You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. On FRIDAY (not Thursday), I'll draw the winner for LOVE ONLINE and post the title for another book I'm giving away—PLUS . . .
Save the date! On Friday July 7th, to celebrate the release of THE REDEMPTION by M.L. Tyndall (my good friend), I'll be posting a contest for a free book AND two free tickets to see the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Curse! But you can only enter all day on Friday, July 7th!
FIRST: I just joined Fiction In Rather Short Takes--FIRST (see button on the sidebar near the bottom). It's a group of bloggers promoting Christian fiction and helping readers discover new authors and/or new releases from their favorite authors.
Here is something really different. But really cool.
Author (and blogger) Brandilyn Collins has written a novel that comes out in August called Violet Dawn. It is part of a new series she has started called the Kanner Lake Series. She sent out Advance Reader Copies to those who requested them and asked them to choose a character that they liked. Then she asked the readers to send her a make believe post from the character for a make believe blog by the 'Kanner Lake' make believe
residents. This is going to be an actual blog full of ficticious bloggers written by real bloggers who liked Violet Dawn. Confusing? Well, it begins today, July 5th! Go check it out by pressing the button for Java Joint!
Bible study: I have two Bible studies—one is the Blog Bible Study going through Captivating, and the other is Desiring God’s Own Heart by Kay Arthur, going through I Samuel.
Lucy from my Blog Bible Study said something really insightful—even though I don’t always agree with this Captivating Bible study, I remember it much better after I put the book down than my Kay Arthur Bible study (usually), even though I don’t disagree with Kay Arthur’s study at all. And it might be because Captivating is challenging me more than Kay Arthur’s study.
I am being reminded of things from Kay’s study, and most of the time, it’s the reminders that are important (see thoughts below). But I’m so intellectually engaged in the Captivating study, it’s memorable to me even though I’m not completely captivated by it.
That’s pretty astute. Thanks, Lucy.
Anyway, back to Kay. I really am getting things out of this study. This chapter in Kay Arthur’s study looked at David’s actions, and how he had complete faith in God, desiring to show His power over Israel to the Philistines.
Does my strength come from God? I like to think it does, but I know I probably act on my own most of the time. How to submit more to God? How to know what He desires for me?
Then I was reading Job last night and this verse gave me a great deal of peace:
The fear of the Lord is true wisdom;
to forsake evil is real understanding.
Job 28:28
The fear of the Lord is what I desire. His wisdom is what I desire.
Do you struggle with something similar to my struggles?
For all you writers—check out my Story Sensei critique service Summer Sale! Get a 10% off coupon just for entering!
Blog book giveaway:
My Thursday book giveaway is LOVE ONLINE by Kristin Billerbeck and Nancy Toback.
My Monday book giveaway is RECONSTRUCTING NATALIE by Laura Jensen Walker.
You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. On FRIDAY (not Thursday), I'll draw the winner for LOVE ONLINE and post the title for another book I'm giving away—PLUS . . .
Save the date! On Friday July 7th, to celebrate the release of THE REDEMPTION by M.L. Tyndall (my good friend), I'll be posting a contest for a free book AND two free tickets to see the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Curse! But you can only enter all day on Friday, July 7th!
FIRST: I just joined Fiction In Rather Short Takes--FIRST (see button on the sidebar near the bottom). It's a group of bloggers promoting Christian fiction and helping readers discover new authors and/or new releases from their favorite authors.
Here is something really different. But really cool.Author (and blogger) Brandilyn Collins has written a novel that comes out in August called Violet Dawn. It is part of a new series she has started called the Kanner Lake Series. She sent out Advance Reader Copies to those who requested them and asked them to choose a character that they liked. Then she asked the readers to send her a make believe post from the character for a make believe blog by the 'Kanner Lake' make believe
residents. This is going to be an actual blog full of ficticious bloggers written by real bloggers who liked Violet Dawn. Confusing? Well, it begins today, July 5th! Go check it out by pressing the button for Java Joint!Bible study: I have two Bible studies—one is the Blog Bible Study going through Captivating, and the other is Desiring God’s Own Heart by Kay Arthur, going through I Samuel.
Lucy from my Blog Bible Study said something really insightful—even though I don’t always agree with this Captivating Bible study, I remember it much better after I put the book down than my Kay Arthur Bible study (usually), even though I don’t disagree with Kay Arthur’s study at all. And it might be because Captivating is challenging me more than Kay Arthur’s study.
I am being reminded of things from Kay’s study, and most of the time, it’s the reminders that are important (see thoughts below). But I’m so intellectually engaged in the Captivating study, it’s memorable to me even though I’m not completely captivated by it.
That’s pretty astute. Thanks, Lucy.
Anyway, back to Kay. I really am getting things out of this study. This chapter in Kay Arthur’s study looked at David’s actions, and how he had complete faith in God, desiring to show His power over Israel to the Philistines.
Does my strength come from God? I like to think it does, but I know I probably act on my own most of the time. How to submit more to God? How to know what He desires for me?
Then I was reading Job last night and this verse gave me a great deal of peace:
The fear of the Lord is true wisdom;
to forsake evil is real understanding.
Job 28:28
The fear of the Lord is what I desire. His wisdom is what I desire.
Do you struggle with something similar to my struggles?
Comments
I was 9 years old when I accepted Christ as my Saviour. I thought that now I was perfect, that Christ lived in me and because He was perfect I was too. Yet I was still doing wrong things like kicking my brother. When I sprained my toe doing that, I accepted that that was my punishment. I also was either never told or did not grasp that we have to read God's word daily to get closer to him, to become like him. Once I realized this, all the things I had done wrong and all the ones I hadn't done, I was filled with an ocean of guilt.
And yes, I still struggle with this and a lot of other problems. Sometimes I think I have a lot of "head-knowledge" in this regard but not enough "heart-knowledge". And yet I know God *is* close to me and takes care of me.
Just yesterday it became evident again. I badly need someone to help see myself as a person of worth or rather, to disregard those people who want to put my worth in question. I think you recently talked about that, Camy. I feel God has allowed this for a reason. But anyway, I met this woman again with whom I'd shared classes for fibromyalgia 2 years ago. She is doing mental health counseling. Now this is definitely not all the counseling I want. I want to meet with a Christian too be it a pastor or whomever else God has in mind for me. I think I need to see both aspects of the of the problem
Right now, of course, it's especially hard to find help because there are so many people on vacation. Maybe this counseling will be just a stopgap and that I won't be able to touch the deeper issues until I can speak with a Christian counselor. But I feel I do need support now before I fall into the depths again.
The question for me now is: Did this meeting with Doris come through God's intervention or not? I immediately thanked God but in hindsight, will he use a seeming non-Christian to help me?
Also enter me in the contest for Reconstructing Natalie. Sounds like a fun book!
I love it when you talk about your reactions to your bible studies...you always seem to have something insightful to say and hit that proverbial "nail" on the head. I can relate to your questions about relying on God's strength...I desire more of God, and to walk in fulness and oneness with Him, but when I really stop and think about it, I realize just how much I put "me, me, me" first. It's a constant process to work at crucifying the flesh!!
I have decided to try to post my review of Tyndall's book on Friday as well...yours is the 2nd blog I've come across that has dedicated Friday as "Pirates/The Redemption" day! :)