Tag: writing

Get Your Butt in the Chair

Today's guest post comes from a friend with whom Guy and I laughed ourselves silly during The Great 2010 Washington DC Snowpocalypse following the National Prayer Breakfast (we might have, at moments, engaged in the alternative--tears and hair-pulling--but laughter proved more helpful). We prayed together and then got stranded together in the gorgeous hip-deep snow we waded through … Continue reading Get Your Butt in the Chair

Find Your Passion and Move Forward

I had the honor of working with today's guest post author for six brief years when he was a recently ordained pastor and we were young marrieds with Baby #1, playing the see-saw game of ministry-life balance. Neal was gracious in so many ways, asked hard questions that led to meaningful conversations, encouraged us at every turn, … Continue reading Find Your Passion and Move Forward

An Expressive Outlet

Create Challenge Guest Post Day has made Wednesdays my 2016 favorite day of the week! As a writer, there is so much about today's post that resonates with me: the desire/need to release words into the world; the joy in the process and relief at its end; the writing-editing tension; and procrastination, because laundry. When we attended … Continue reading An Expressive Outlet

What’s Your Dance Party?

I've been thinking about "YES!" This word, "create," requires saying Yes to life, to invitations, to play, and, sometimes worse, to those things that intimidate or downright scare me. Don't get me wrong. I'm all for saying "NO!" as necessary. I believe in it. Oh baby, YES, we have to say NO! from time to … Continue reading What’s Your Dance Party?

Meatless Monday – Bean & Sausage Stew

Fall consistently fills my plate with too much busy-ness. Transitioning kids and family back to school. Swamped at work as new programs kick off and we begin (never soon enough) holiday preparations. This year: add three weeks of Sick Kid, wading through piling-up school/homework and negotiations with teachers and administrators; countless hours of specialist appointments; and … Continue reading Meatless Monday – Bean & Sausage Stew

Thankful Thursday – Sweet Friends

A week ago I was asked: If you could spend one day with someone - celebrity/historical figure/anyone - who could help you grow in your vocation, who would it be? I write, so my mind easily wandered to writers. But I'm also easily intimidated. I don't want to spend time with someone too in/famous who would have me too quickly tongue-tied-tripping over … Continue reading Thankful Thursday – Sweet Friends

Which Way Do I Go?

Calling all creatives! I have a serious question to ask: What do you do when you've lost your mojo? When you've gotten out of sync with your own rhythm, lost your own groove? I'm part-way through a project I'm pretty excited about. Well, I'm part-way through the first part, but that's something, isn't it? It's … Continue reading Which Way Do I Go?

100th Post: Pay It Forward

Guy bought a car last week since our household now claimed three drivers and two cars. We swore we would not buy a car, but this deal was almost too good to pass up. We almost passed it up anyway. The car was older and bigger than Teen wanted, had a lot of miles, and lacked a good … Continue reading 100th Post: Pay It Forward

The Book Thief

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak My rating: 5 of 5 stars I just closed this book, dried my eyes and blew my nose, and still haven't caught my breath... Ouch. War and death, pain and beauty. Life's worst and best in an ugly-beautiful stew. Despite having heard the accolades, I didn't want to read … Continue reading The Book Thief

Still Writing

Still Writing: The Perils and Pleasures of a Creative Life by Dani Shapiro My rating: 4 of 5 stars Writers process life through the persistent act of writing. So reading writers on writing is tantamount to reading about intentional living. Intentional because writers, like the rest of us, have to create rhythms of life in … Continue reading Still Writing