ACFW Conference Prayer for those unable to attend conference Jeremiah 29:11–For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Father God, Gently soothe us who cannot go to the conference so we aren’t too disappointed. Help us rejoice with those who …
ACFW Conference Prayer: Keynote Speaker (Day 38)
ACFW Conference Prayer for Keynote Speaker, Frank Peretti Jeremiah 1:9–Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. Heavenly Father, we are so thankful for words. We are blessed by Your words and even more so when You place them in our mouths. …
A Cast of Characters
By Shirley E. Gould As we strive to craft amazing manuscripts, our plots and genres are nothing without great characters. An interesting hero or heroine coupled with a riveting plot keeps us at our laptops creating word count. For our characters to be imprinted on our reader’s memory, we continue to search for unique people to put on the page. …
ACFW Conference Prayer: For Audio/Visual Teams (Day 39)
ACFW Conference Prayer for the Audio/Visual Team 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 We give thanks to God always for all of you making mention of you in our prayers. Father, we are so grateful for all the talented people who work so hard to make the annual ACFW Conference a fantastic, unforgettable experience. Today we’d especially like to hold up the ones …
Unexpected Blessings
Unexpected blessings could be waiting for you in your writing life . . . My first winter in Florida, I visited churches to call “home” while there. My church in Ohio I love has a little over five hundred. I visited one church, and I walked into a room of thousands of people. Overwhelmed, I stayed. I loved the kind …
ACFW Conference Prayer: God’s Presence (Day 40)
ACFW Conference – Day 40 Prayer – God’s Presence & Blessing Psalm 127:1 CEB – “Unless it is the Lord who builds the house, the builder’s work is pointless. Unless it is the Lord who protects the city, the guard on duty is pointless.” Father God, we look forward to the conference and everything You have for us there. Like …
Worth It
There’s a doctor in the family now. After years of training, studying, interning, pulling double shifts, observing, practicing, and paying, paying, paying, a nephew-in-law is officially a doctor. I can’t imagine the school loans he’s facing as he takes this step from student to professional. But the investment will be worth it—not because of the salary he’ll earn (it …
Family Reunion
“How are the family reunion plans coming, sis?” “Oh, didn’t you hear? We’re doing a virtual reunion this year.” “What?” “Life is busy, you know. Lots of other activities to work around. Plus the expense. Imagine what we’ll each save on the prices of hotel rooms, food, travel…” “It’s the family reunion! It’s part of the cost of getting …
Power’s Back On
by Cynthia Ruchti Summer storms sometimes mean power outages. A recent storm left our neighborhood without power for five days. The electric company crews were busy around the clock trying to remove fallen trees and repair line damage. Our neighborhood hummed with the sound of back-up generators—for the blessed houses who had one. The generators worked hard to keep frozen …
Editing as Writing, and Writing as Editing
By Glynn Young A friend and fellow writer asked me if I edited my writing as I wrote or after I finished a draft. My answer was yes. I do both. I edit as I write, over and over again, and I edit once the draft is “finished,” if that’s possible. The question provoked a deeper thought. Is it possible …