A Cup of Comfort!

A Cup of Comfort of Bible Promises is due out March 18, 2010, but my story was submitted in 2007 -- that was THREE years ago!

Last week, I signed contracts for two books in the Chicken Soup series that are due out in spring/summer 2010 and those were submitted in September 2009.

Hurry up and wait is the phrase you need to get used to in publishing. There are many reasons for a book to be delayed and some of them are cost-cutting measures (yes, we're in a recession!), but when you have a story that you've been "sitting" on and waiting to be "birthed" -- it sure is hard to wait!

I look forward to sharing my story with you; it's one of my favorites. It was how God was faithful to His promises and provided for us before we left for Sicily as missionaries.

It's not surprising as we begin this new chapter in our lives (going to Ecuador) that God would postpone the printing of this story for such a time as this (maybe we needed a refresher course!).

Sometimes we all need to take a "cup of comfort" in the stories of our lives and revel in the fact that God's promises are just as real today as they were yesterday!

Leave a comment on one of your favorite Bible promises and I'll enter you in the drawing for the book -- scheduled to be released March 18, 2010.

Living Life Passionately,

Happy New Year!

I need to rename my blog -- "The Infrequent Blogger." It seems that I'm posting only on holidays...Christmas and New Year's Eve!

Where did this year go? Are you asking yourself the same question?

It's good that we have a moment of reflection each year to re-evaluate our purpose and maybe throw out some of the things in our agenda that don't fit with what God would have us to do.

I'm in the process of sifting through priorities and asking God for wisdom. This will be a life-changing year in so many ways: a son who is getting married on May 30, 2010; my husband who is retiring and entering a new phase of his life; a book coming out in the spring (Moms of Sons), and working on another one (Coffee Lover's Devotions to Go).



It's been a year of travel with my dear friend, Kathy Pride and her mom, Val. What memories we've had along the way (and Austria was by far the best part of the "world" tour!).

To see the snow-covered alps greet us each morning was breathtaking. It made me want to re-think my career and become a travel writer. Then my knee gave out and I thought, "Maybe I should just sit still for a while." And while I was "sitting" my hubby's back gave out (just as he was recovering from surgery #2 for his broken hip). Two days before that we discussed retiring in Quito, Ecuador! There's something in my spirit that screams "adventure," but then reality sets in...we're not getting any younger!

I'm excited for 2010, but I'm also pausing to be grateful for the opportunities that God has given me in 2009 to minister, to travel, to write, and to do the things that I love the most. What a joy, what a privilege, and what an honor to be able to wake up every morning and know that I'm doing exactly what I've always wanted to do!

I want to leave you with a bit of wisdom for 2010. Remember to always have a "Plan B" -- just in case!


















Wishing you a joyous and prosperous New Year!

Be Still and Know that I am God!

"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth." ~Psalm 46:10

As I watched the last tiny fishing boat come into port last evening, I glanced up at the sky and saw it light up. The sun had already dipped below the horizon, but that’s when the real “fireworks” began. Sunsets are gorgeous, but the true beauty occurs right after the sun has disappeared. It doesn’t turn dark, but rather it becomes more brilliant —turning shades of red, orange, yellow, blue, indigo and violet—the colors of the rainbow. How reassuring to know that when it seems like the sun is setting in our life (whatever that may be…sickness, tragedy, loneliness, despair...), it’s really just the beginning of God’s light to shine in our lives.

As we drove out of Sandy Cove last evening, we saw this sign as a reminder of what we had witnessed—not only in our lives this past summer—but as God’s promise to all of us.

Blessings to all of you who have faithfully prayed for Mark's recovery!