Ready for a month of amazing deals, freebies, and fun stuff? Well, this is your month! A lot of author friends have joined together to make July an amazing month for all of us. I get to kick things off today with a free Christmas short story. You can click on the image below or go here.


Did I mention that we are doing a pretty awesome giveaway? Well, we are!


I was running behind on my work so one of the other things that is included is an audiobook of Emmeline!
a Rafflecopter giveaway


LINK TO GIVEAWAY
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/483ac2ab25/?

Not in the USA? Not a problem! We have a giveaway for our lovely readers outside the USA (which will also include an Emmeline audiobook).
a Rafflecopter giveaway


LINK
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/483ac2ab26/?

10 years! I've been writing on this blog for ten years. I started this in 2008 on my birthday. I was a new 18-year-old who was lonely but had big ideas. This blog celebrated with me when I published my first book and when I finished my trilogy. I shared about my struggle with depression, and how God showed me that my darkest moment could also be my finest hour. I could go on about all the things I've been through with this blog but...I've got a party to get to today.

I'm so blessed by the ten years I've had here, and I look forward to the next ten years...with a couple of changes. Yes, I've been stressed out lately about the lack of posts. It's one of the many things that I've been stressed about in my life. In fact, I had a meltdown Sunday afternoon. Mom hugged me, talked to me, and said some things would need to change. One of them, I decided, will be this blog.

Before you panic (thank you, one person, who panicked), I do plan to keep blogging. However, I plan to do more video posts once a week instead of even trying for daily posts. Sometimes, I act like I have the same workload I did when I was eighteen when my life has become much more active. Here are a some of the other changes I'll be making.

• Taking it easy for the month of July
• Refocusing on Jesus and his priorities, not my own accomplishments (or lack of them).
• Spending more time interacting with people. My computer is nice but...not that nice.
• Cutting out projects and tasks that are getting in the way of highest callings and goals

Jessica, Sarah, Kesley

Arrival was a bit chaotic, as we registered, I hurried to a faculty dinner, and we found our way around. The next morning, we were eager to start our classes and enjoy the mountains.






Of course, I got to meet some great people. I met Paula 11 years ago when I went to the conference the first time.

It was hard to say goodbye, but we had a lovely drive to the airport. Kelsey and I had already said goodbye to Jessica, who had left on Saturday.

I've been thinking a lot about the Sabbath of late. Why? There are a lot of deadlines and projects that feel like they have to be done...yesterday. For years, our family has kept all electronics other than our phones off on Sundays. We even turn off the internet. It is amazing how restful it is when you shut everything off.  We also don't plan on a lot of chores other than the things that have to be done.

On the flip side, I've been reading in the gospel where the religious leaders took this principle too far. They had come up with extra rules that made it a burden. They would water their animals but were angered when Jesus healed. They made the Sabbath so much about not working, it became a burden just to keep up. Of course, this was never what God had intended.

I went back to that first rest that God took. Those two verses that I shared at the beginning seem so simple on the surface. Take another look. When you are looking for the why behind the Sabbath, those verses say a lot. The biggest of which is that God cares a whole not about us. After all, the God who never grows tired or weary. He didn't need a break, he was setting an example.

The first part of the verse also stood out to me. He had finished what He had been doing. He hadn't finished all His work he would ever do (clearly since He is still working on me), He finished creation and took a rest.

Sometimes there are things that need to be done that spill over into my Sabbath. However, so many times, I'm giving into the tyranny of the urgent and missing the blessings that God has for following His plans. I've had a lot on my plate right now. It is hard to stop everything on Sunday, to not write that book review, schedule that blog post, or do just a little editing. Yet, I keep coming back to those passages of scripture.

This is something each of us must examine for ourselves. After all, Jesus also made it very clear that not all work was bad and that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

What do you think?