Poem of the Day

THE WAR WITHIN

I'm here again
Face to face with doubt
Struggling to keep my sanity
Looking for a way out

Depression creeps in
Like cobwebs in the heart
Wanting joy but finding pain
Not knowing where to start

I've tried so many times before
To give it all to You
But time and time again I find
It's easier to say than do

Please take it all God,
Take all my pain
And bring the Son
To shine away the rain

These hands are weak
And too quick to hold sin
My spirit surrenders
But not the flesh within

In my mind confusion dwells-
A war within my soul
Flesh against my spirit fights
Who will win control?

the THREE THINGS

Hello everyone! Today I want to talk about the re-focusing of my publishing efforts.

I've had to really think about how to proceed when I get to the end of my agent list, which is getting close. I'm not done querying yet, but I've been reflecting on the process and have come to realize there are three things that go a long way in helping you secure an agent. And here they are:

1) Endorsements/referrals - this means having published authors who have read your book, liked it, and are willig to be quoted as saying so- and who will refer you to their agent so that they'll read your query a bit more closely.

2) Publishing credits- if you can sell an article to a magazine or newspaper, this will positively affect your query.

3) Face-to-face meetings with agents- this is done at conferences. Many agents will only accept queries from writers they've met at conferences or who are referred to them by one of their current clients (#1).

So... I have decided I need to seek after one or more of these three things. The one I can begin to work on most quickly (which means you can too) is getting something published in a magazine or newspaper. This isn't to say I'll be successful right away, but it's something I can take action on. So I've pulled out my trusty Writer's Market and have begun looking for opportunities to submit freelance work. (I suppose I need to also actually write something.)

Next, I have to get serious about getting to a conference. Unfortunately, I will have to wait until at least February. I don't have time to save up for the ACFW Conference in September, nor am I able to leave my son that soon because he is still nursing. So, the next one is the CWG Conference in February. That's a long time to wait! And patience is not one of my virtues. But it's the only way to get a shot at some of the best agents in the industry. So a few months of waiting should be a no-brainer. A conference is also a good place to meet authors who may endorse my book or refer me to their agents. Of course the friendships to be made will far outweigh this benefit, but networking is important.

So, I'll need to start saving my pennies! I'm not sure how I'll do that. Maybe I'll have a couple of candle parties. Or maybe I'll even sell an article or two and use that to help pay for a conference. Amazing how all that could work together, huh?

*In the meantime, I'll let you in on a secret (shhhhh): I have an idea for another novel percolating in my brain.

The idea isn't even in the infant stage yet. Not even an embryo- more like a zygote. But it's there and it's growing. It's exciting to have this new idea to hold onto while I make my way impatiently down the publication road. I've mentioned it to only a couple of people, and you will be the first to hear about any progress I make right here.

Let Freedom Ring!!

Galatians 5:1
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (NIV)

Today is a day for celebrating our independence, for expressing gratitude to those who shed their blood to bring us liberty. That bloodshed began at the cross two thousand years ago. I thank God that I live in a place and time in which I can freely praise Him, with no threat beyond perhaps the ridicule of a few neighbors. Thank the Lord for our founding fathers who boldly stood upon the Bible in forging this nation, and left us a legacy of godliness!
*******
George Washington
1st U.S. President

"While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian."

--The Writings of Washington, pp. 342-343.

Thomas Jefferson
3rd U.S. President, Drafter and Signer of the Declaration of Independence

"God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever; That a revolution of the wheel of fortune, a change of situation, is among possible events; that it may become probable by Supernatural influence! The Almighty has no attribute which can take side with us in that event."

--Notes on the State of Virginia, Query XVIII, p. 237.

"I am a real Christian – that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus Christ."

--The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, p. 385.

James Madison
4th U.S. President

"Cursed be all that learning that is contrary to the cross of Christ."

--America's Providential History, p. 93.

James Monroe
5th U.S. President

"When we view the blessings with which our country has been favored, those which we now enjoy, and the means which we possess of handing them down unimpaired to our latest posterity, our attention is irresistibly drawn to the source from whence they flow. Let us then, unite in offering our most grateful acknowledgements for these blessings to the Divine Author of All Good."

--Monroe made this statement in his 2nd Annual Message to Congress, November 16, 1818

John Jay
1st Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and President of the American Bible Society

"By conveying the Bible to people thus circumstanced, we certainly do them a most interesting kindness. We thereby enable them to learn that man was originally created and placed in a state of happiness, but, becoming disobedient, was subjected to the degradation and evils which he and his posterity have since experienced.
The Bible will also inform them that our gracious Creator has provided for us a Redeemer, in whom all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; that this Redeemer has made atonement "for the sins of the whole world," and thereby reconciling the Divine justice with the Divine mercy has opened a way for our redemption and salvation; and that these inestimable benefits are of the free gift and grace of God, not of our deserving, nor in our power to deserve."

--In God We Trust—The Religious Beliefs and Ideas of the American Founding Fathers, p. 379.
*******
Happy Independence Day! Be Safe and Be Grateful!

*all quotes obtained here

THE BLOOD

The Lamb of God
Slaughtered by men
The Lamb of God
Killed for our sins

And the blood that flowed,
The blood that poured,
Was freely given for us-
The ones He adored.

The blood that dripped
From the tear-stained face
Of the Son of God
Who died in our place.

God veiled in flesh,
The Living One died,
I AM became nothing,
The love was despised.

And the blood of the Lamb
Who was sent from above
Was taken in hate…
But given in love.

The blood that was shed,
The blood that fell,
All this so that I
Might be saved from hell.

***
by: Michelle Massaro