On New Year’s Eve 2016, close to midnight, some friends and my family sat down in our living room and wrote out lists. These weren’t resolutions, these weren’t tasks for the year, these were dreams we had. We talked about serving a God that could do anything, and that filled me with such hope. My list was comprised almost entirely of things that I couldn’t make happen on my own.
I wanted to see a friendship restored.
I hoped to see my sister married.
I dreamed of seeing a family member, that we didn’t talk to much, come back into fellowship with us.
And there were other things on the list that were smaller but also dear to my heart. I guess, if you wanted the short version, I wanted to see God move some of the mountains in my life.
Now I sit here, and 2018 is here.
My sister isn’t married.
I lost a dear friend.
The family member feels farther away than ever.
As if this wasn’t enough, I have struggled with things that I have rarely, if ever, had to struggle with before.
Praying for relationships, even when there doesn’t seem to be any hope of restoration.
Watching a sibling go through something I couldn’t understand and didn’t know anything to do to help.
Walking alongside friends who are dealing with marriage, pregnancy, and miscarriage.
Sitting with my good friends and being the only person who has never even had a guy express interest in me, much less dealt with a serious relationship.
Feeling a restlessness like God is preparing me for something, but having no idea what.
2017 was nothing like what I expected. I cried a lot. There weren’t the happy endings that I was hopefully expecting on that New Year’s Eve in 2016. Yet, I was given some pretty amazing gifts this year.
I lost a friend and gained a new appreciation for God’s grace. An appreciation that I honestly don’t think I have ever had before.
My sister had a broken heart, and I watched my family pull together, be stronger after healing, and experience an outpouring of love from others.
A family member wasn’t restored, but God has taught me never to give up hope, never to stop praying, and to always have a heart open to receive them.
I’ve found that while I might feel alone, I never am. Not only is God always with me, he normally sends people as well.
Despite my apathy in looking for it, God led me to a church home. It isn’t perfect (when you let people in what do you expect?), but it is a wonderful community of believers.
I was privileged to watch several friends pledge their lives to another. I loved watching lifelong dreams come true for these godly people.
I got to meet some authors that I have dreamed of meeting for a long time.
My most treasured gift of the year? Being able to hand Jesus all my broken dreams, my hurts, and my failures and know that He is going to make something beautiful out of it.
I’m almost afraid to make a dream list for 2018, but I think I am going to. I serve an amazing God. He doesn’t always give me what I want, but I know that He always has my best interest at heart.
Earlier this year, one of the girls that is part of my street team offered to help me with promoting my books. I have been so blessed this year to have her help. In fact, I don't think I would have done well sales wise without her. I was so excited when I heard that she was flying from New Zealand and making a stop in Houston, Texas. We were able to spend a couple of hours together.
She and her family were delightful! It was a gift to finally speak in person.
Homeschooled Authors has been my passion for years now. This year, I got to meet a lot of them, Starting with Rachelle. In March, I had the privilege of sharing my favorite city with an author all the way from England.
C.R. Hedgcock and enjoyed a lovely time seeing the Alamo, eating at the Republic of Texas Cafe, and riding along the river in the river taxi. It was an amazing time of fellowship, exploration, and faith. Listing to that awesome British accent was fun too.
I pray one day we can meet again.
Once upon a time, there were some girls that got together and did a blog called Meditations of His Love. It was a devotional blog and the girls who were part of it got to be pretty good friends. Most of them stayed in touch long after the blog was no longer around. One of those people was Rachelle Rea - the daring girl.
Rachelle and Sarah stayed in contact over the years. In fact, Sarah got to read an early version of what was to become the Steadfast Love series. This year, these two friends got to hug for the first time on a rainy day in Charleston.
It has been a dream of mine to meet Rachelle in person. She was the one who got me to start texting, she was the person I dedicated A Different Kind of Courage too, and we have shared a lot of good and bad times together.
I'm very grateful that I got to meet Rachelle. Have you read her books?
Yeah, we all have been there. However, things like this are made even more complicated if you don’t know the deadline.
I started writing There Was Always Laughter in Our House the night Grandpa Leroy gave me the title. Early in 2017, he started having some serious health issues. I went to visit him, and I read him some of the stories within the book. However, as I saw his health decline, I worried and prayed. I wanted to hand him a copy of the book – the book that was dedicated to my two adopted grandparents. I’ve already had to change one dedication to “In Loving Memory of” and I really didn’t want to do that again for a while.
God is a giver of good gifts. I was so blessed to present the very first paperback copy to the Casts this week.
I had thought it would be impossible to get the book done in time. I was so afraid this moment wouldn't happen. Praise be to God, it did.
What is a deadline that you thought you were going to miss this year, but God helped you meet?
Consider it pure joy when…
Your sister’s heart is broken
When the wedding doesn’t happen
When the longtime friend tells you that she can’t be your friend anymore
When there is so much going on, and you can’t share it
When you are tired of looking for a good church
…because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James tells us always to consider things joy. It seems this is a lesson I keep having to learn and I got a crash course in it this year. Perhaps it would be more correct to say I crashed the course. I learned what true joy was a long time ago, but I got a repeat lesson this year. I may not have failed the course, but I lost sight of choosing joy. However, I want to learn from this year and do better at rejoicing the next, no matter what happens.
I think that theme came out in my Christmas short story that is releasing today called For My Good. I don't think God expects us to stand up and go:
"Hooray! My heart was broken!"
or
"Yippy! Did you hear what I got to do this year? I got to watch my sister's heart be broken! Praise God!"
Yeah, that isn't the kind of God I serve, and it isn't what this passage is talking about. What it is talking about is that I can have joy in the midst of every one of these situations. God is working all these things out for my good. That is the great hope that we have as Christians - none of our pain is purposeless. Nothing I have gone through in this year is for nothing. I know God is going to use it for my good and so that I can comfort others. Just knowing that there is purpose to it is an amazing feeling.
After today, I'm going to talk about some of the awesome gifts I've been given this year. I don't want to lose the really cool things that have happened just because of a few bad things. However, before we have moved on, tell me what has been one of the hardest things you have had happen to you this year. You can either share in the comments. If you don't want it public, just say so at the beginning of the comment and I won't publish it.
Age Appropriate For: 14 and up
Best for Ages: 14 and 16
Description: All teens wrestle with the question "Who am I?" and wonder, What makes me special?
Though these questions linger for life, they are most intense in the teen years, where confusion, awkwardness, and a desperate grab for identity reign. So how does a young person answer these critical questions? Where do young men and women find their significance, worth, and value?
True Identity is perfect for parents and youth workers to give to the teenagers (14-16) in their lives to help them in their journey. Drawing on experiences and wisdom from a wide array of experts, the book provides compassionate answers to help teens discover who they really are, emphasizing their identity in Christ above all other ways our culture defines them. As the book walks teens through the steps to make their faith their own, it highlights healthy independence and God-honoring relationships.
Honestly, I’m not sure what to say about this book. Finding your identity in Christ is a message I’m passionate about. I expected to love this book. I ended up skimming through it. I know this book was targeted to teens, but that wasn’t why I was disappointed. I think I went into this book with the wrong expectations.
I have to be honest enough to say the whole book started with a story that gave me a bad taste in my mouth. The story (Who Am I?) was great for illustrative purposes, but as I know the family involved, I also know the heartache that story caused. Most people won’t have that reaction, but I need to be honest and say that it affected me negatively.
When I see a subtitle like this book (Finding significance and freedom through who you are in Christ) I come expecting a biblical starting point. This book started with issues teens are facing today such as gender identity, sexual orientation, and the like, and provided Bible answers. I was expecting the book to be about our identity in Christ and then perhaps address some of these issues on the side.
I think this book has a lot of good things to say. There is a lot of biblically sound advice that is great for teens. It just wasn’t what I was expecting.
I received this book from the publisher for the purpose of writing a review. I was not required to write a positive review. All the thoughts expressed are my own.
I grew up listening to the Micheal W. Smith song. This version is at the end of the amazing series Sue Thomas FBEye. It struck a chord with me today. I personally had to let a friend go of this year. I didn't want to, but you can't force someone to stay your friend.
I will keep praying for her. I miss her so much. I know the hardest part of love is letting go, but I do know that there is a greater love that holds us both. Perhaps God will bring us together again someday.
I went and got my hair cut.
I had cut it before in 2013 and this summer I had about four inches taken off. After thinking about it for a couple of months, I decided I wanted a break from taking care of my long hair. I also really enjoyed the length of my hair then. So...
 |
| Forgive the fact I don't have the best camera on my phone |
Of course, this picture is with my hair still slightly damp. I forgot how much my hair curls when it is this short. I'm sure you will see pictures of it in the coming days.
Yesterday, I got to babysit two precious little kids. The little boy is about a year-and-a-half, and he was fussy, but he loved playing piano with me. Playing the piano yesterday showed me that I am rusty and I need to make it a bigger part of my life in the coming year. I love it, and it is good for relaxing me. I found this awesome book at the thrift store, and while some of it is a bit simple, I love it! I'm using it as a springboard to pick out the pieces I love.
Today, I got to hang our (via the internet) with my friend and fellow author, Jessica Greyson. We are hatching plots - the kind of plots you'll love us for. I can't wait to tell you all about it!
.jpg)
.jpg)
