Determined Diligence

Welcome to this week's a 2 z: Take 2

and the letter D.

I survived last week. Barely. It was a humdinger of a week, and not in a good way. But hey, it's over and we're moving on. Things are looking up. Way up. =) And I'm Determined to look UP.

February starts...tomorrow. Are you ready for it? I just might use Determination and Diligence as my words for February.

This week I'm determined to finish editing my current manuscript and get it to my wonderful agent, Linda Glaz. In February I'll be diligently knocking out weekly amounts of words so I can arrive at my desired destination.

If you're joining us for the a2z: Take 2 meme by posting on your blog this week about the letter D, be sure to add your name and the link to that particular post in the linky gadget here.

Take Flight: Only You

It's time 

for another

Take Flight Challenge!! 

Are you ready?

This week it's relatively easy--compared to some things I have up my sleeves, and it's one all of us can do, even if we choose not to post on it. ;-)

I saw this on Facebook this weekend and it was like being clobbered with a 2x4.

So, this week's Take Flight Challenge is to zero in on ONE area where you are stopping yourself and clobber it back.

Then, let's meet back here next Monday, 'fess up and tell how we tackled that dirty dog and how it went. Let's cheer each other on!

I know what I'll be working on and I'll let you know how it goes on Monday.

Now, don't be thinking all the Take Flight Challenges will be this easy or this vague. I'm just softening you up for a biggie that's in the pipeline. ;-)

See you next Monday with the linkie for this Take Flight Challenge...

Desert or Promised Land?

Resolutions and goals. Words that make me cringe because I fail so often. For many years I thought that by simply not making any goals I'd be safe from falling short and failure, but I was wrong. I've found that I wander aimlessly without goals.

Recently I finished reading through the Pentateuch and I was reminded that I'm not the only one that tends to wander. Israel spent 40 years wandering in the desert and there's a very good reason for why they did. Fear. I have a lot in common with the Israelites.

Israel was ready to enter the Promised Land. Moses said to them,

“See, the Lord your God has placed the land before you; go up, take possession, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has spoken to you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 1:21 NAS

Wow! What a place to be in! A place many of us have been in. A place where we know what path God wants us to follow.

But Israel wanted more information. (Boy, does that sound familiar!) They asked to send spies into the land and God consented. So Moses sent 12 spies into Canaan and when they returned, they reported to the people not only about how good the land was, but also how big and formidable the people were. Israel took their eyes off how awesome their God was (is!) and all He had done for them and focused on how big the people, their obstacles, were. Big mistake.

Canaan was their Promised Land. Their destination. Their goal. When they focused on how impossible it appeared it was for them to reach their Promised Land, they chickened out. Something I'm well acquainted with.

Numbers 14:22-23 and 35 tells us what God thought of their response “Surely all the men who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it...In this wilderness they shall be destroyed, and there they will die.”

I don't know about you, but I don't want to die in the desert.

As we slide toward the end of January, let's remember all that God has done for us, focus on Him, and press on. Let's go in and conquer the land and the goals God has placed before us this year!

God's promise to Israel all those years ago is still good today, for us.

“Do not be shocked, nor fear them. The Lord your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you...in all the way which you have walked until you came to this place.” Deuteronomy 1:29-30 NAS

So tell me, are you heading for the Promised Land or still wandering in the desert?

Cccrashed

Welcome to this week's a 2 z: Take 2

and the letter C.

Okay, it's Confession time:
Due some Carelessness on my part, I've let a few things slide here and I'm now running like Crazy to do. See, the accountability I've set up here helps me tremendously, but unfortunately, I don't have similar accountability in home and family things and there are several chores I've crashed and burned on. Sooooo, now I'm playing catch up. And it's not fun. Maybe this time I'll learn my lesson.

But you guys can still have fun without me. =)

If I can get my act together here, I'll be back on Thursday with another Take Flight Challenge. IF...

So tell me, what are some things you put off doing?

If you're joining us for the a2z: Take 2 meme by posting on your blog this week about the letter C, be sure to add your name and the link to that particular post in the linky gadget here.

White Knuckled Praying

Snow and ice are not on my list of favorite things in life. In fact, they're on the other list—yanno, the list of things I'd rather skip for the rest of my life. Since my family is rather fond of eating, I had to brave the roads to get some groceries. Living out in the middle on nowhere means that we're on our own getting to a main road, which may, or may not, be cleared. I was fortunate. The road was partly cleared. Unfortunately, the part that was cleared was the other lane. I was on packed snow and ice, which meant I went slowly and did a lot of white-knuckled praying.

Sin is a lot like snow and ice. It may look pretty and even dazzle your eyes when the sun hits it, but it obscures the road and makes for dangerous travel.

Road crews, bless them, often work through a storm so they can keep the roads clear and safe. How many times I have failed to have the road crew of my life working steadily, and how often has ick (sin!) built up as a result? Far too too many times! You would think that after as much time as I've spent in white-knuckled prayer while navigating through the muck that I would learn.

Without having the wheels of my life on God's solid surface, I'm liable to slide and go off the road. So what am I to do? I need to pull out the shovel and get to work.

Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem,
that you may be saved.
How long will your wicked thoughts
lodge within you?
~Jeremiah 4:14

I need to spread the salt of God's Word and allow it to melt through the snow and ice, the sin in my life, so I can clear it off and get rid of it. Only by removing it will I get down to the solid traction of a life built on the Rock, on Christ.

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of the soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. ~Hebrews4:12 (NAS)

As God's Word works in my life, I need to be diligent about removing the sin that the Spirit loosens. If I don't remove it, it acts like slush does on a road. It grabs my tires and pushes me every which way, including off the road.

I acknowledged my sin to You,
and my iniquity I did not hide;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord;”
and You forgave the guilt of my sin.
~Psalm 32:5

The best part is that God says that He's removed my sin—as far as the East is from the West. (Psalm 103:12) But He doesn't just remove my sin.
I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned against Me and by which they have transgressed against Me. ~Jeremiah 33:8

So if you, like me, find yourself doing some white-knuckled praying from slipping and sliding due to unconfessed sin, you might want to take a moment to stop and spend some time clearing the road so your tires run on the Rock-hard, full of traction, path of God. Don't forget to liberally sprinkle the salt of God's Word and let it do its work in your life.

Leadership in Small Groups

Okay, I have to admit, this post started as a rant awhile ago but I decided this frustration was an opportunity to think about leadership and what makes a good leader of a small group. I'm part of several small groups and I lead a small group or two, so this is something I'm very interested in and pay attention to.

What makes a good leader--specifically of small groups?

• A listener. Being tuned in to your group's ideas is smart. Often a synergy will form--maybe not with the group as a whole if it's larger, but often with a core group of people, where their ideas feed each other's and the compilation is better than just one person's ideas. There needs to be a leader who will listen to the ideas, suggestions, and preferences, put them together, boil them down and say "Okay, this is what we're going to do.".
• Accepting the buck. A leader, even of a small group must be able to say, "This is where the buck stops."
• A decision maker. If no decision is made, the group stalls out. If there are five variations of the decision, the group and its efforts are splintered.
• A clear leader or nucleus lead team. Otherwise there's confusion and distrust. If the nucleus lead team isn't 100% on the same page, friction and division will develop almost immediately. There is much to be said for united fronts.

These things seem to be necessary even in small groups where things are run, for the most part, democratically. Often the person the group members look to is the founder, the person whose idea it was to start the group. When they don't step to the plate the group often stalls, stagnates, or splinters. It's not pretty to see happen and isn't fun to be a part of.

So tell me, what are some other things you've noticed a leader of small groups needs to do?

B is for Book Love

Welcome to this week's a2z: Take 2 and

the letter B.

What can I say, B is Books and here are some GREAT Books we've been reading recently here at my house...

Cooking the Books

by Bonnie Calhoun

After her mother dies from a heart attack, Sloane Templeton goes from Cyber Crimes Unit to bookstore owner before she can blink. She also "inherits" a half-batty store manager; a strange bunch of little old people from the neighborhood who meet at the store once a week, but never read books, called the Granny Oakleys Book Club; and Aunt Verline, who fancies herself an Iron Chef when in reality you need a cast iron stomach to partake of her culinary disasters. And with a group like this you should never ask, “What else can go wrong?”

A lot! Sloane begins to receive cyber threats. While Sloane uses her computer forensic skills to uncover the source of the threats, it is discovered someone is out to kill her. Can her life get more crazy?

Patty says: I totally loved Cooking the Books. Bonnie's sense of humor cracks me up and I could not keep from laughing. I planned to read a little every day so I didn't fall behind with everything else in life, but that idea didn't last long before I settled in for duration. So glad I did. I needed the laughs and Cooking the Books was a recipe for fun. Don't miss this one!!

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Where Wildflowers Bloom

Book 1 in the new Sisters at Heart series by Ann Shorey

How far will she go to follow her dreams?

The War Between the States stole a father and brother from Faith Lindberg--as well as Royal Baxter, the man she wanted to marry. With only her grandfather left, she dreams of leaving Noble Springs, Missouri, and traveling west to Oregon to start a new life, away from the memories that haunt her. But first she must convince her grandfather to sell the family's mercantile and leave a town their family has called home for generations.

When Royal Baxter suddenly returns, Faith allows herself to hope that she and Royal will finally wed. But does he truly love her? Or will another man claim her heart?

Esther says: I really like Where the Wildflowers Bloom!! Curt and Faith drew me in from the start and made me wish I could be there and meet them.

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When the Smoke Clears

by Lynette Eason

As a member of the North Cascades Smokejumpers, Alexia Allen always takes care of the equipment that keeps her safe. So when she nearly dies in a fire due to equipment failure, she knows something is up. Ordered to take time off while the investigation continues, Alexia makes a last-minute decision to recuperate at her mother's home and attend her high school reunion. Yet trouble seems to be following her, and within hours of arriving home she's involved with murder, arson--and a handsome detective. But the conflicts ahead are nothing compared to the ghosts of her past. As she strives to remember and forgive her family history, she must also decide if the secret she's been guarding for the last ten years must finally come to light.

Chock-full of the suspense and romantic tension readers have come to expect from Lynette Eason, When the Smoke Clears is the explosive first book in the Deadly Reunions series.

Abby says: When The Smoke Clears is definitely a book that keeps you on your toes! I've been reading as fast as I could to find out what happens next.

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And, next on my list to read...

The Next Target

by Nikki Arana
Would You Share Your Faith If It Would Cost You Your Life?

It only took one bullet. Austia's friend and student fell dead. And with a glimpse of a newspaper headline, the young and recently widowed Austia knows more about what happened than the police. From that fatal night, Austia's secret outreach to the U.S. Muslim community-in the guise of English language classes-becomes a target. Local Muslim extremists set their sights on ending her ministry and even her life. And the women she ministers to will be next.

A thick web of deceit closes in around Austia, and her circle of friends becomes smaller by the day, even as she finally opens herself to the idea of falling in love again. But who can she trust? Facing a spiritual battle that proves more treacherous than it at first seemed, Austia's convictions are tested to their limits and her heart becomes primed for breaking. She must ask herself: how much she will risk to stay true to her herself, her faith, and to the lives of the women she serves?

Patty says: I've not read The Next Target yet, but I've been anxious to read it since Niki told me about it many months ago, when she was working on it. Can't wait to jump into in, even though it's not my usual reading fare. The girls and I might wrestle over who gets to read this one first!

~*~*~*~*~*~

So tell me, read any good books lately?

If you're joining us for the a2z: Take 2 meme by posting on your blog this week about the letter B, be sure to add your name and the link to that particular post in the linky gadget here.