Writing plans for June

My writing schedule for the month of June will be a continuation of ideas and queries from the month of May.  The only new thing that has occurred is that I am officially looking for an Editor. I had to!
I have read and proofed Prayers of Motherhood for so long, that I no longer could look at it with a discerning, and critical, eye. So, I began looking for a fresh pair of eyes.

So far, I have only had the free consultation of the first few paragraphs.  Just to see what is suggested for me to change.  Once I have giving the suggestion a thorough look over, then I will make my decision to either go with this Editor or look for another.

When I needed a break from Prayers of Motherhood, I wrote poetry.  Poetry is the form of writing that helped me the most as a adolescent and teenager, and has continued to be a form of release for me as an adult.  To say that this is my favorite form of writing would be an understatement.  For this reason, I am pleased to announce that I have finished my first chapbook manuscript; A chapbook is a collection of poetry. 

So, now I am researching publishers accepting submissions.  Please go along this ride with me.

See you guys next time!

What I have been up to

It has been a while since my last blog post.  What have I been up to?

• Marketing Revised: Prayers of Motherhood. Specifically, researching new ways to market it.  Social Media did help me to introduce my book to potential readers, but now I need to come up with additional ways to advertise it.  So that interest and sales will continue to increase.
• Researching and querying Literary Agents to represent a children's book series I have written.  Threshold and Grandpa explains Bible Verses and principles to children, of any age, without being preachy.
• Working on, compiling, a poetry book titled Any Given Sunday Morning.  This is a collection of poems that tells what a typical Sunday consisted of as a child growing up in North Carolina in the mid 1960's to early 1980's.  A manuscript I plan to enter into a poetry contest.
• Looking for a part-time job.  I only want 20-25 hours a week. 
• Being a single mom of a thirteen year old boy.
• Trying to grow closer to God.

Well that is all that I have been up to lately.  It may seem I have been up to a lot; but not really.  Because, I did not work on everything on the same day.

Love you guys!!  Write to you next time.

Book update

This is the cover shot to Revised: Prayers of Motherhood

"...Early the next morning I stood in my bathroom holding a white stick with a pink plus sign in the window.  In a state of shock I prayed: ..."

The above quote is an excerpt from the newest addition of my book titled Revised Prayers of Motherhood.  Which is available for purchase, in paperback, through Amazon or downloaded to Kindle. Make sure to put in the search box Revised:Prayers of Motherhood.

Please feel free to leave an honest comment and an honest review of the book.  Also you can send me a message at: momsclub456@gmail.com.

I hope that you will enjoy.

Update

Hey, Guys!  Sorry for the lapse in between blogs.  But sometimes life happens.  Nothing major or life changing occurred; I have just been busy with life.

Here is a few hints to upcoming blogs.

  I have a thirteen year old son who is in the 7th grade.  Knowing that he feels more comfortable talking to and asking male family members for advice, I began looking for a devotional that was written by other teens or males in their early twenties.  After researching it a while I found exactly what I was looking for.

   The revised version of Prayers of Motherhood is available through Amazon and Create Space.  A blog is coming giving you an update of the changes and corrections that were made to the original book.

   A three or four part series on Understanding the book of Songs is planned.  This series will give you some ideas on how I interpreted it.

  I hope you are as enthusiastic about the upcoming blogs as I am. 

I will see you in the next blog

Psalms: Problem and Answers

Today while I was doing my bible study out of the corner of my eyes I noticed the explanation summary for Psalm 142.  The summary said, and I quote,:

"A prayer when overwhelmed and desperate.  When you feel cornered by our enemies, only God can keep us safe." (Life Application Bible; NIV; Zondervan)

This book was written by David while he was in the cave.  Feeling stressed out and desperate he prayed:

"When my spirit grows faint within me it is you who watch over my way,  In the path where I walk people have hidden a snare for me.  Look and see, there is no one at my right hand; no one is concerned for me.  I have no refuge; no one cares for my life." (NIV) (Psalm 142:3-4)

Have you ever felt like that?  As if you are suffocating from the problems in your life and that there is no one there to help you? What do you do when you feel this way?

David says: "I cry out to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy,  I pour out before him my complaint; before him I tell my trouble."

Jesus left us the gift of prayer so that we could speak to God on a one on one basis any time of day or night.  So, when there is no else who is there for  us we can always, like David said, we can pour out our complaints before God.

So, when you feel distraught with no one else to talk to take it to God in prayer.

S. O. A. P

During my daily quiet time with God I am always looking for a way to better understand his word in order to grow closer to Him.  So, I prayed to God to give me a better understanding of his way.

The answer came to me one day while I was watching a video and a woman was explaining how to use the acronym S.O .A,P. 

Letter by letter the acronym means Scripture, Observation, Observation, and Prayer.

Scripture: Write down the scripture that you are trying to understand,

Observation: Where, when, why, and under what circumstances was the verse said or written.

Assessment: How does the verse affect you in your life or any given situation that you are in.

Prayer:  Ask God to give you understanding of the verse or praise him for giving you understanding,

This occurred a few days ago.  Since then I have adjusted it to fit me and my daily Bible study,  I do not always use the O (Observation) part of the acronym.  So instead of the acronym spelling SOAP it now spells SAP: Scripture, Assessment, Prayer.

I hope that this helps you in understanding God's words.  Please feel free to adjust it according to your needs.

God did not allow this to happen!

Today, January 30, 2016, I clicked on my Social Media to find, in my Suggestion to Watch list, the breaking news of the shooting and killing of six at a Mosque in Quebec, Canada.

How am I sure that God did not let this happen?

One of God commandments, that he instructs us to follow, says; "Thy shall not kill." (Exodus 20:13)  Ask yourself, why would God instruct us to follow this commandment when he would allow others to be killed.

God's words are not contradictory!

In fact God's word instructs us on how we are suppose to treat foreigners. 

In Leviticus 19:33-34 God instructs Moses on how he wanted him and the Israelites how to worship him and gave them a guidebook on holy living.  During these instructions he says: "When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them.  The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native=born.  Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt.  I am the Lord your God."
 

If God did not allow this to happen then who did?

Satan knows that he has limited amount of time left before the second coming of Jesus Christ.  So, he is feeding off of people's spiritual weakness and deep rooted hatred for others.

This is why we must dress in the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:13-17) everyday.  Praying as we take each and every step.