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Julia's Story: The Real Story of the Leaning Tower

My ten-year-old Julia penned a really clever story. I thought it might be fun reading. Feel free to comment, to encourage her writing!

***

The Real Story of the Leaning Tower by Julia DeMuth

Some people would say that the leaning tower was made of pizza, or it leaned because of an earthquake. But let me tell you the real story.

In Italy there was a small bakery called the Cinnamon Delight. The owner, Francis C. Jones, was the best baker in all of Italy. People traveled miles just to eat his cinnamon delight. Then people in France started going to the bakery. Then after some time, all the bakeries in France were out of business. So all the bakers in France had decided to make a bakery right across from the Cinnamon Delight. Francis did not like this one bit so he went to France to make a proposition.

He said that whoever made the tallest cinnamon stick would have all the opponent's money. The French agreed. The French thought they were the best so they waited until the last minute. But Francis did the exact opposite of what the French did. He worked day and night. When Francis was done, he thought the cinnamon stick needed a little more pizzas so he added different colored polka-dots. And he knew he was ready.

The French, on the other hand, had a ten-inch cinnamon stick and for their pizzas, they had no cinnamon on it. But they thought they were ready for tomorrow.

The next day the French saw to their amazement that Francis wasn't there, and they laughed. Then a little boy came and said, "Francis has done it! If you don't believe it, turn around."

As the French chefs turned around, they saw everyone from France and Italy hollering "Francis," or "Wooohooo!" The Italian cinnamon stick was at least 200 times bigger than the French cinnamon stick.

"Where is my money?" asked Francis.

"Well, why not put it on a grassy landscape as a monument," asked a chef.

"Sounds good," said Francis.

But, sadly, Francis died from the Black Plague when his monument was put up. But after hundreds of years, the polka-dots turned gray and the cinnamon stick turned to stone. And it leaned because of a massive meteor.

Some say that they still smell the cinnamon when they visit the tower. But the leaning toward should be called the Leaning Tower of Polka-Dot Cinnamon Stick.

Closing Statement: American Christianity?

Sorry about the freaky white glowing eyes above!

Here is what I would've said had I had the time during the Living Christianly in a Post Christian Culture. We had so much to say, we ran out of time. I pray these words stir and challenge you.

****


If I could give every Christian a gift it would be this: to send him/her to another country, particularly one where materialism isn’t firmly entrenched. Taking ourselves from our culture, then reintroducing ourselves back into American culture is an important first step if we want to be engaged and pure within our culture. Why? Because we cannot accurately see how deeply entrenched the word “American” is connected to “American Christianity.” We’re Christ-followers with a consumer mindset. Until we walk dusty roads through countries where folks value community yet worry about daily bread, we will have an incomplete view of life and theology.

Last summer, my son Aidan who was 12 at the time traveled with me to Ghana, West Africa. We went because of his God-breathed dream—to see a well dug for the village of Sankpem. While there, Aidan danced with villagers. He listened. He shared the gospel with Muslims and saw several give their hearts to Jesus. Together we heard our friend Paul say, “For ten years I never knew when my next meal was coming.”

Aidan came home changed. Our family, because of France and Ghana, sees America like a Potemkin village—a series of strange and beautiful facades masking the spiritual poverty inside. We are determined, by God’s grace, to understand who Jesus is and how He wants to interact with folks here. We’ve come to understand that love for people and broken authenticity is what this world needs to see the irresistibility of Jesus—not more programs, more clever marketing campaigns, more hype.

Living in a post-Christian culture takes the kind of spiritual sensitivity that can see beyond politics into the face of Jesus Christ—He who engaged unsavory folks, yet followed His Father perfectly. That calls for radical relationship and a determination to know Jesus profoundly today. It calls for an abandonment of the idea that true life comes from buying or acquiring a commodity. It calls for a radical re-engagement in the lives of people.

I am not afraid of the shift in our culture. Why?

• Because the majesty and capability of God is greater than my finite understanding of culture.
• Because a shift causes us all to exegete the Christian culture we’re a part of, learning to see what is truly biblical and what is simply cultural.
• Because genuine transformation doesn’t come from the outside in; it comes from the Holy Spirit renewing us from the inside out.
• Because any time we’re shifting, we realize how unsteady the ground is, and it makes us cling all the more fiercely to the Rock.

The shift in worldview is simply another opportunity to live out the redemptive story of Jesus.

My son Aidan understands this, though he may not articulate it thus. Now thirteen, he longs to return to Ghana, and he’s taken up the cause to continue to build wells there, letting go of his own slice of the American dream pie. He does this because Jesus has transformed him from the inside out, and he’s opened up his mind to the vast beauty of God’s needy world. He is engaged, yet striving to be pure. He’s just an average teenager, but his dreams for the world have expanded and his Ameri-centric view of Christianity has shifted.

It’s my prayer that you also would dare to look beyond the four walls of our nation to dream big for the Kingdom of God. Let the transformation start with you and Jesus. Dare to engage, yet do so while holding the hand of Jesus—the irresistible Savior.

Christian Book Expo: The Lowdown

Susan Meissner and I at the Christian Book Awards banquet

She won! The Christian Book Award for fiction (for The Shape of Mercy)

Celebrating with Rachelle Gardner and Beth Jusino.

On the Christianity Today panel.

The Christianity Today panel: Stan Guthrie (standing), Andy Crouch, Ruth Haley Barton, Donald Miller, Me, Randy Frazee.

The good: The Christian Book Expo was well-planned, well-staffed, and provided a lot of amazing opportunities to hear and meet authors and speakers. The signage, programs, and staff were professional and helpful. I was particularly impressed by Christianity Today's involvement in staffing some amazing discussion panels and raising important issues. I thoroughly enjoyed my time on our panel, Living Christianly in a Post Christian Culture. This will be aired on Tangle.com eventually, and I'll share that link in case you're interested in seeing it.

I was a bit nervous, though. I felt a bit like I didn't belong among these amazing, accomplished speakers and writers. But as I sat down, the Lord said, "Mary, I'm going to speak through you. Relax. Trust." So I relaxed. And trusted. I was amazed at how beautifully I connected with the audience (to God be the glory). I had several people come up to me afterwards, and then more emailed later. I'm thankful that my words had impact. Tomorrow I'll post what I said on Relevant Blog.

The Christian Book Award ceremony, sponsored by the ECPA, was elegant and fun, particularly since I had the privilege of cheering for my friend Susan Meissner who WON! The evening did run long because actors/actresses read about each book (and that could've been shortened). But all in all, good food, great company, and a well-run show. One thing that did startle me at least seven times was the announcer's voice. It came over the PA system at different times, and the voice sounded like God. Scared me a bit.

The bad: I ached for the folks who put the CBE together--so much sweat and toil to see so few come. It was hard for me to enjoy myself knowing that the event failed to live up to expectations. I know publishers and the ECPA must've lost money. I know I did. (Though I live in the Dallas area, we stayed in a hotel to avoid traffic.) Instead of a projected crowd of 10,000 people, we probably had 2,000 or less. As a local, I had a haunting feeling that few would show up. Why?

• No billboards.
• I hadn't heard any radio or seen any TV advertising. (I live in the metroplex).
• It was spring break for all of North Texas.
• The convention center is frustrating, and parking is not free. (And if folks are like me, they avoid downtown Dallas.)
  
• The cost for entry was prohibitive. And then folks still had to buy books.
  
• But mostly, people simply didn't know the CBE existed. I talked to the manager of our church bookstore, and she hadn't heard about it. She should've heard about it some way. I did see people I knew there, but only because I had personally advertised the Expo on my blogs, facebook and shoutlife.
  

The godly: I had some really cool divine appointments. I had the privilege of praying for several people over the course of a few days. One lady I prayed for had a special needs child (something I don't have much in common with). But I felt led to pray for her. Afterwards another lady approached her, said, "I am sorry I overheard, but I wanted to encourage you." She had a special needs child who is now an adult, and she was able to encourage and minister to this frazzled mom.

I met a few bookstore owners, which was wonderful. I had great conversations with several people. I had significant conversations with my agent and several of my close writing friends. And I heard some really cool things from folks that made me want to keep writing. (Sometimes you just need encouragement. Hearing that people continue to think about the characters in Daisy Chain long after they've shut the book warmed the cockles of my writerly heart.) And hanging out all weekend with Susan has been so much fun.

What I think: I believe this show should continue with some tweaking. My recommendations:

• Have the event at a local megachurch. Most Christians in the area know where Prestonwood Baptist is and would be happy to drive there. Parking is free. Plus the cost of the venue would be much less than the convention center. (They have a cafe, too.)
  
• Emphasize the expo as a conference, like Women of Faith (People of Faith?). Have speakers speak in breakouts and sign their books in the same room they speak in.
  
• Make the expo part of the program a bit smaller, so setting up a booth isn't cost-prohibitive.
• Have great food available via an affordable caterer.
• Partner with bookstores in the area to promote and possibly staff the bookselling aspect of the event. (I know they did do that with Family Christian Stores, but I'd love to see independents also be involved.)
  
• Continue with high impact speakers on a larger stage with worship. Bill the event as THE place to go for spiritual growth, reconnection with Jesus, and revitalization.
  
• Start advertising now.
• Partner with local churches. Get a commitment from several that they'll buy bulk blocks of tickets for their people. Try to establish a liaison with every church in the area, someone who would be willing to promote the event to their church.
  
• If the event is more like a "Get close to Jesus" event (like Women of Faith), I believe you can charge admission.
• Have a Dallas-area task force that will work hard to promote the event to the Dallas Fort Worth church and bookstore community. Having someone on the ground to spearhead logistics and advertising will really help.
  
• Think of ways to incentivize on every level. Ask: How would an event like this specifically benefit publishers? Authors? Readers? Attendees? Speakers? Build in incentives to attract folks.
• Continue the Christianity Today panels.
• Staff the Expo with seminary students (who always need extra cash).
  
• Blitz the airwaves months in advance.
  
• Make use of local authors to not only promote the event, but to help coordinate and brainstorm what would help this event be successful in Dallas.
  
• Give the expo an outlet that will bless the world. Instead of simply having it be about spiritual growth, tie it to a global issue like AIDS orphans or adoption ministry or serving our brothers and sisters in the Middle East. If there is a benefit outside of the event, folks will also be drawn in. (I would love it if my fifty dollar entry fee helped fund a well project, for instance).

I really hope we can do this event next year, and I truly believe it can be wildly successful on every level. I'm willing to do my part. So even if the event (which was well executed) wasn't successful in terms of attendance and participation, I believe it has merit.

Come to the Christian Book Expo!

Like many other authors, I'll be at the Christian Book Expo this weekend. If you'd like to stop by and say hey, here's where I'll be:

Thursday:

• The Christian Book Awards. I'll be sitting with my dear friend Susan who is nominated for a very cool award. Info is here.

Friday:

• 2:00--3:00 PM, Booth 428: American Christian Fiction Writers, signing Daisy Chain
• 3:30--5:00 PM, C Ballroom 3 & 4. Christianity Today Panel: Living Christianly in a Post-Christian Culture
• 5:30--7:00, Booth 1110 Harvest House Publishers, signing Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture.
  

Saturday:

• 10:00--11:00, Booth 513, Zondervan, signing Daisy Chain
• 12:00--1:00, Booth 1110 Harvest House Publishers, signing Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture.

I'd love to see you!

Unless a seed falls to the ground and dies...

John 12:24: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit."

This is our friend Rebecca who died in late 2008 from Malaria. Below is a report about her funeral and the result of it from Pastor Isaac Wuni.

"As we celebrated our anniversary, we also prayed for an opportunity to reach out with the gospel. Just consider how God can sometimes be found in unexpected places. How did this happen? The church lost a young lady in October 2008. At the cemetery where we went to bury this girl, one of the grave diggers was touched by the burial message I preached. After the burial he told someone that he was touched by the message and wanted to give his life to Christ. He sought for my contact number and called me some time later in the day. When we interacted he told me what happened during the burial. My assistant and I shared the gospel with him and he gave his life to Christ. We visited him at his house the following week to encourage him. He expressed interest in coming to church. He has since been very faithful. When we visited him the second time he told us to come and start a church in his community. So the church prayed about the invitation and concluded that God was leading us in that direction. Today we went to greet the chief and elders of the community and to inform them we want to start a church there. He and the elders welcomed the idea with enthusiasm. From there we visited his own father and other family members and they were all happy that we are coming to start a church there."

I have a feeling Rebecca is rejoicing in heaven over this man's life and the church that will start. Even in death, God is glorified and His kingdom is spread.

A Grand Marketing Experiment

Pay it forward!

Here is a great marketing experiment, concocted by my friend Pam. She felt she couldn't write a review for Daisy Chain because she was intimidated by all the writers who had written reviews here. So she said, "Mary, here's what I'm going to do. I have three books. I'm going to give them to friends with this caveat: If you like the book, you can have this copy for free, but I'd like you to pay it forward by buying a book for a friend who you think would like it. If you don't like the book, just return it to me." So, if you have an extra copy of Daisy Chain, would you consider trying this experiment?

• Give it to a friend.
  
• Say it's free (but if she doesn't like it, she returns it to you)
• If she likes it, she keeps it, then agrees to buy another copy for a friend.
• She tells her friend the same thing. And the Daisy Chain begins!

If you do this, let me know. I'd love to somehow track this. (haha!)

Friends part four

Eternal perspective extends friendships forever

Our friendships today whet our appetites for heaven. Speaking with my friend Sue on the phone is painful—in that I’d rather the conversation not end. Having a Mexican lunch with Renee feels cut short. Receiving a funny card from another Renee resonates laughter right to my toes. Hearing Holly pray for me makes me wish the Amen wouldn’t come. What is beautiful about heaven is that we will be able to connect in the deepest possible way with our existing friends, and friends yet to be made. And, we have the privilege of connecting deeply for eternity.

Joni Eareckson Tada in her book When God Weeps summarizes the embryonic state of friendships on earth and a desire for more: “I love [my friends] so much that I want to pass through them, reach the other side, to know them fully, be one with them . . . I can’t on earth. I’m on the outside of their heart’s door, always wanting to get in, get closer, even while relishing their company. My longings are eased knowing that in heaven I will ‘get in.’” (p. 207)

Part of the beauty of eternal perspective is that God will use us to help populate heaven with more friends. The thought of heaven and the reality of hell enable us to be proactive and redemptive in our choice of friends. God may want to use us to help bind up the wounds of a hurting friend—to help ready her for an eternal task. He may want us to befriend our Buddhist neighbor and share His loving forgiveness with her. God’s desire is that none would be sent to a Christ-less eternity. In His plan, He chooses to use us as His rescuers. It’s amazing to me that He chooses us to bring others to Himself, to help Him populate the streets of heaven.

Having an eternal perspective enriches our friendships—past, present and future. It empowers us to cling to the God who dares to call us His friend. It helps us anticipate new friends who often come in surprising packages. It opens our eyes to God’s friend-shaped sanctification journey. It prods us to be about the business of populating heaven and enjoying our friends forever.

Friends part three

Eternal perspective enables friendships to sanctify us

When we head to the Christian bookstore to buy a flowery gift book for a friend, we certainly wouldn’t gravitate toward the title Thanks for Making me Angry and Messing with my Selfishness. Part of living life for eternity is asking God to change our hearts, to move us from selfishness to selflessness. Although I sometimes wish the sanctification process would occur in a vacuum, I’ve come to understand that God uses the friendships in our lives to hone us and make us more like Him.

God designed the Body of Christ to grow up together: “Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” (Ephesians 4: 16 NLT) How beautiful that scripture sounds! How hard it is to implement! Especially when some people in Jesus’ fold are hard to love.

Mattie (not her real name) phoned and told me she’d be flying to visit me for a week. My calendar was full, including work. Still, I cleared some things and tried to make her stay enjoyable. It was not. Through tears, she told me how selfish I’d been not to spend more time with her. When she got home, she returned all the letters I’d ever sent her and ended our friendship. I never heard from her again. Although I knew her reaction was a bit extreme, I thought a long time about my selfishness. Echoes of her rebuke stay with me today, teaching me the dangers of me-centered living.

The most important friendship lesson we learn is forgiveness. I had to forgive Mattie for sending back my letters, just as she has (hopefully) forgiven me for my selfishness. Not only does God’s amazing forgiveness effect eternity—we can now go to heaven because of the gift of His Son on the cross—but it also enables us to forgive those friends who have wounded us. Paul encourages us in Romans 12:18: “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Forgiveness is the ticket to living at peace with friends. It’s not the same as reconciliation—an act that takes two people. As much as we can, we must forgive. Some friendships will end, like Mattie’s and mine. However, even then, I can rejoice because of eternal perspective. One day, Mattie and I will be blessedly stripped of our sinful natures. We’ll be able to see each other as we were meant to be: fully sanctified. I look forward to sipping tea with Mattie in heaven someday.

God also uses the Matties in our lives as mirrors to our character. He uses difficult friends to smooth away our prejudices and unkind reactions. He uses close friends to say the hard things. Proverbs 27:5-6 says, “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” One day a friend told me, “Mary, you have many talents, but you seldom realize others’ talents.” Ouch! Yet, those words have ricocheted through my head every time I meet someone new. I want to honor the gifts of others now, because someone dared to point out my character flaw.

Have 9 Days of Meaningful Conversation around your dinner table! Free!

I developed these nifty conversation starters while we were driving home from vacation. I grew tired of the game high/low around our table where we all shared the high of our day and our low. This had become monotonous. So I came up with 150 conversation starters to jumpstart our family of five's chatty interaction around our table. The result? It worked! We learned so much more about each other in those 150 days.

If you're interested in having a free sample of nine starters, click here.

If that piques your interest, you can purchase all 150 as a download here.

Consider this from my book Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture: “The more we value conversation and discourse, the more we cultivate discussion in our home, the better equipped our children will be. Some have called this developing our child’s ‘emotional intelligence,’ helping them to be able to interact in any situation. As we engage our children, we nurture this type of intelligence, where children learn instinctively how to think about the world and how to interact with the people in it.”

So make a (free!) investment in your family dinner times right now. The free starters are here.

Friends part two

Eternal perspective initiates surprising friendships

I’ve been surprised by the friendships the Lord has placed in my life—more often because they are not the friends I initially thought would become lifelong companions. Like Samuel, I’ve been dismayed by friends who come wrapped in unusual packages. “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’ (1 Samuel 16:7b)

Heidi, one of my dearest friends, was not someone I initially had affinity with. From all outward appearances, we seemed like Laurel and Hardy. She enjoyed fixing cars; I enjoyed fixing gourmet meals. She was content in her singleness; although I masked mine with “God wants me to be a missionary,” I was not content and wanted to be married. In the initial stages of our friendship, we played a gentle tug-of-war with our personalities. At one point, we separated. We were heading down different paths and it seemed like our friendship was over.

But God had other plans. From His vantage point in heaven, He knew we needed each other. After nearly ten years of sporadic communication, Heidi called and wanted to visit our family in Texas for a week. Her visit was a gift. She, still single, played with my children as if they were her own. She encouraged me in my desire to be a good mother. We connected deeply that summer week as we talked about her new friend Mike. When she went home, Mike became her fiancé. That Christmas, I stood next to her as her only attendant when she said her vows.

I thank God He looked at our hearts and put us together. I am glad the God who weaves our tapestries from birth to death strings some surprising friends through our weaving. Corie Ten Boom said, “Every experience God gives us, every person he puts in our lives, is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see.” Today, Heidi is one of my closest friends. She is someone who will drop everything and pray for me. God knew I needed her in my life, despite our outward differences.

A way to attend Mount Hermon at a discount

My friend Camille has written a lovely tribute of the Mount Hermon conference. And, she's highlighting a way to get a discount. If you are serious about your journey toward publication, you really should make the necessary sacrifices to attend a conference this year. And, hey, I'll be there teaching BOOT CAMP FOR WRITERS! Come one, come all!

Here's Camille:

******

Mount Hermon Christian Writer's Conference, being held April 3-7 2009, has made a tremendous offer. If you have never been to this conference, and if you register to attend between March 9-April 1, AND if you mention on your registration form that someone who is already registered (like me or someone else that you know) has invited you, you will receive $200 off the price of the conference!

The regular cost varies according to your room choice, it ranges from $845 and up - so minus $200 if you take them up on this offer and attend this 5 day conference for $645. This price includes EVERYTHING: conference tuition, materials, accommodations, totally excellent food, (it is really good!) snacks between sessions, and all the editor/agent appointments and high quality workshops, morning tracks and keynote evening sessions you would expect from a professional writer's conference. The morning mentoring tracks are awesome too (10 students-to-1 teacher, intense daily critique sessions) but you need to sign up for those ahead of time and those cost a little extra.

Check out the conference here.

But even though it is a professional conference, the atmosphere is casual, serene and inviting. Mt Hermon is a sprawling, secluded campground nestled into a gorgeous redwood forest and includes scenic hiking/running trails. The evening sessions are awesome, beginning with a sweet time of worship (I love it when hundreds of people from various places and backgrounds worship the Lord together...makes me think of what it will be like in heaven...). The setting is beautiful, peaceful and inspiring! Of course, the company isn't bad either. You'll meet editors, agents and Christian writers from every facet of the media. I made some great friends with whom I still keep in contact. It really is a wonderful conference. I came away from it last year full, excited, changed and inspired.

If you sign up, I or the person you mention will get to share in the savings too. So everyone will benefit! If you have never been to Mt Hermon and you register BETWEEN MARCH 9 and APRIL 1st and give the name of the person who invited you, that person will also get $200 refunded back from our conference cost. I think this is a huge offer on their part, and certainly makes going to a high quality Christian writer's conference more affordable for us all.

Are you up for it? I had the most amazing time last year. I hope you will consider going with such a huge discount being offered. It is well worth the price! And southwest air is running some pretty cheap fares now. Let me know if you decide to go on my invitation. I would love to see you there.

In Awe of God's Grace,
Camille

~~~~~
Camille Cannon Eide
http://portlandchristianwriters.blogspot.com
EXTREME KEYBOARDING
www.camillecannon.blogspot.com

Friends part one

The Lord's been stirring me about friendships lately, how precious they are, how unusual they are, how unpredictable. I remembered an article I wrote a long time ago that never saw the light of day, but became fodder for a talk I give about eternal perspective and friendships. So for the next several days, I'm going to post parts of that article, then wrap it all up with some recent stories of friendship. I pray this series blesses you, makes you want to hug your friends, and gives you great perspective on the thrilling and sometimes problematic journey of friendships.


“I’ve dreamed of meeting her all my life . . . a bosom friend—an intimate friend, you know—a really kindred spirit to whom I can confide my inmost soul,” said fictional Anne of Green Gables.

Whether we’re sensing hormones for the first time in a rush of I-need-chocolate adrenaline, or we are flashing red with night sweats, we think about our girlfriends or our lack of meaningful “bosom” friends. With an increasingly mobile society as our backdrop, and a life scheduled to the nanosecond, we seldom take time to develop one of God’s beautiful gifts—women’s friendship.

In our Christian subculture, we’ve heard some familiar terms—eternal perspective, purpose-driven life, a life God rewards. How can developing a heart bent toward eternity and a mind focused on eternal reward affect our friendships? If we live life today in light of wanting to hear “Well done, good and faithful servant” on THAT day, how will that longing change the way we view the women God puts in our paths today? Below are several ways:

Eternal perspective celebrates the one true friendship

I’ve been guilty of running to friends when life gets chaotic and painful. I am more apt to dial a phone number than to hit my knees and cry out to the Maker of all friendships. Having an eternal perspective places earthly friendships in their proper perspective. Author Dee Brestin, in The Friendships of Women expands this notion: “As women, our tendency toward dependency on people is our Achilles’ heel. We forget that our only security is God, and we trust instead in each other.” (p. 160)

I’ve been smothered by women, and I’ve smothered others. I’ve been disappointed by women, and I’ve disappointed others. I’ve placed undue trust in women, and I’ve violated trust. I now realize keeping my friendship with Jesus first is the best thing I can do for my friends. I need to run to Jesus, flooding Him with my worries and fears because He is the only One who won’t leave me. He’s the only One equipped to shoulder my burdens. Psalm 9:10 puts it beautifully: “Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.”

A few years ago, I wore out my friend Stacey with my constant neediness. Instead of companion, I made her chief counselor and called her whenever I felt tears sting my eyes. Eventually (thankfully!), she pulled away. In love, she said, “Mary, you need to turn to Jesus first. Only He can heal your heart. I’m happy to be here for you, but I can’t be Jesus. Turn to Him.” Her words seared my heart—the way words do when they burn truth. It’s been a wonderfully excruciating journey to set the phone back down and instead call on Jesus when I hurt. My strained relationship with Stacey mended after I repented of making her an idol and turned to the jealous God who wanted all my heart and affections.

Featured at Forensics and Faith

Seatbelt Suspense author Brandilyn Collins hosts me today on her blog, Forensics and Faith. There, I share about how this idea of My Family Secrets came about. If you're interested in developing creative marketing ideas, this might just intrigue you. You can read the post here.

Two Truths and a lie contest

If you'd like to win all my novels autographed, consider participating in the Daisy Chain Two Truths and a Lie contest. All the instructions are here. I'll pick the best truth-teller (or liar!) next Monday.

And for the sake of competition--not that I want to win my books, though--here are mine. Which is the lie? (And just for the record, I'm making these international, to secure my international girl of mystery status.)

1. I learned to surf on my honeymoon in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, but my time was cut short by jelly fish stings.
2. The worst pizza I had was in Holland, a pasty white crust sporting a raw egg on top.
3. I hiked to the top of Mount Crear in British Columbia with a 75-pound backpack alongside a group of folks from Young Life. I was seventeen.

So which is the lie? Heeehehhheheee.

Divine Dance of Praise and Lament

There are times when I know at the core of my being that I am deeply loved by God. There are times when His presence feels so close I can feel His breath. Times of melody and elation.

Then there are times when I'm in the trenches with King David, composing my own lament psalms from the notes of my life. Where God seems far and my problems loom large.

Today was both of those--a psalm of praise, a psalm of lament--all combined into one girl. And the backdrop of it all is the keen knowledge of my own frailty.

Today I am thankful for this: God is strong in my weakness. He shines brighter in my lament. My own insecurities and securities form like tiles on a floor, creating a unique stage for Him to dance upon. Oh how blessed I am for the divine dance.

Daisy Chain trailer

You'll see the essence of Daisy Chain in this trailer, including the underlying theme of family secrets. What about you? What have you kept secret all these years? Begin the journey of healing by sharing your secret today.

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My crazy friend Mike . . .

. . . wrote this to me today:

Mary, I just now got back from my local Lifeway store where I happily purchased Daisy Chain. Then I talked the nice cashier lady into buying a copy as well.

And I hope this is okay...but since they didn't have your book tagged as "Read With Discernment", I took my crayons out of my breast pocket and spent some time marking them up for you. I hope it helped. They said I couldn't come back.

Mike

(NOTE: extra credit writing exercise...let's see YOU use the word "crayons" and "breast" in the same sentence!)

Successful Book Launch!

Stack of books. Great news: they sold out! I had to sell some I brought from home as well!

Flowers from Zondervan friends. What a blessing those folks are.

It's so fun to meet with the actual folks who will read the book! (and sign it personally!)

The amazing bookstore: Legacy Books.

Stories of books!

We had a steady stream of guests.

They had a flat screen behind me with the book cover and a synopsis. This is me talking briefly about the book and answering a few questions.

Bookmarks.

The amazing cake! The book of Daisy Chain was edible and raised 3D from the cake. It was a marbled cake with buttercream frosting and chocolate ganache filling. Yum! Thank you, Michele!

All in all, a very successful event. I'm so thankful for my new friends at Legacy Books, for Michele the cake lady, for the cafe at Legacy for providing beverages, for the troop of folks who came from the Dallas Christian Writers Guild, the Rockwall Christian Writers Group, UT Southwestern, and for so many from LakePointe Church. What a blessing the time was. I am humbled and thankful.

Only two other authors had sold out a book signing, (and I sold more myself), so it was considered a huge success. Thanks, Kyle, at Legacy for a terrific program.