Bugs!

One of the perks of country life is the bugs. Lotsa bugs! And where do they end up? Splattered on my windshield, of course. It's bad enough right now that seeing through the bug gutts at night is especially tough. Even with using the windshield washer fluid and the wipers right away, it's not easy to get them off. And then those gutts bake on as the van sits in the blazing sunshine all day, making it even tougher to get them off.

Driving home from church the other night all those bug gutts got me to thinking...

Unconfessed sin in our lives is a lot like those bug gutts. They make it hard seeing where we're going, they smear all over the place, complicating things and making even more of a mess. And the longer sin is in your life, the harder it'll be to clean. But if you take care of the sin as it comes, it doesn't smear and is easier to confess and take care of before it bakes into our life.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ~1 John 1:9 NAS

Let's take care of those bugs and that sin 
before they bake on to us!

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September and Structure

I'll freely admit that I'm a free spirit...and love it! But the summer is over and it's time to get back to some structure. *pout* So, I'm gonna have fun structure! ;-)

• Tuesdays will once again be author spotlights (with book giveaways!) 
• Wednesdays will be author interviews (with a 2nd chance at the book giveaway!)
• Fridays are our online Bible study days. We're starting Beth Moore's study on Esther and you're all invited to join us. 

Next Friday, September 10th, will be our introduction to Esther so we can start Week 1 on the 11th. Week 1's lesson recap will be on Friday the 17th and I'd love to have you join us. You can purchase the book at the Lifeway Christian Bookstores, through the Lifeway site, or through Amazon or CBD.





So, there's some structure for me. =]

My favorite online mag: Exemplify

For months now I've wanted to share Exemplify, my favorite online magazine, with you, and for months something has come up and I've missed telling you about it. But THIS month I was ready and watching with a plan. =]

God has given Kristen Schiffman a gift and a vision for this magazine and it's evident from cover to cover, every issue. Be sure to read this month's issue on Spiritual Endurance. It's a winner!

Don't forget this week's author spotlight with Sarah Sundin! She's giving away a copy of A Memory Between Us and it's an excellent book! I'm reading it now. Here's Sarah's spotlight and her interview. You can enter the giveaway twice: once on each post. =]

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with Sarah Sundin (Giveaway)

Welcome back to Patterings, Sarah!

What verse is special to you right now?
John 15:5 is my theme verse right now: “’I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing’” (NASB). Everywhere I look, this concept and this verse keep popping up, a firm indication that the Lord wants to get my attention and teach me the importance of abiding in Him.

What do you do in your free time?
Can you hear me laughing? My kids are in high school and middle school, so I live in my car—go, go, go. I used to sew a lot, but the tiny portion of my brain that’s creative is now given entirely to writing. Thank goodness writing relaxes me.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Tough question. If you’d asked me this question as a teenager, I would have filled several pages (messy, too quiet, and big hips for starters), but now I’m more comfortable with who I am. Now I see God gave me all my personality traits, even the ones I don’t like, for a reason. If you look at the Bible, you see how God used all sorts of people—bold Paul, impulsive Peter, melancholy Jeremiah, insecure Moses, fearful Gideon, dreamer John, etc. How exciting to see God work through imperfect people—and through imperfect me!

Which character in your new release most interested you while you wrote?
It has to be my heroine, Lt. Ruth Doherty. She fascinated me. On the surface she is so strong she doesn’t need another human being—and she has a great sense of humor. But underneath she has deep hurts and shame. It was fun for me to tease out what made her the way she is and to watch her change and grow.


Tell us about your Wings of Glory series.
A Memory Between Us is the second book in the Wings of Glory series, which follows the three Novak brothers, B-17 bomber pilots with the US Eighth Air Force stationed in England during World War II. The first book, A Distant Melody, came out in March, and the third book comes out August 2011. Each book stands alone.

What part of writing do you enjoy the most?
Almost everything! I enjoy historical research, to the point of getting ecstatic when I found copies of the pilot’s manual for the B-17 bomber and the Army Air Force B-17 training film. Sick, really. But I also love the pre-writing stage, the actual writing, even the editing. And my favorite part of all is when I’m deep in a scene and it flows.


What sparks a story for you?
It can be anything. The idea for the very first book I wrote (never to be published) came from a dream. Story ideas have come from “what if” questions raised in other books I was writing, movies I’ve seen, people I’ve met, news stories, or historical incidents—often a combination of these. The spark for A Memory Between Us came when I had an idea about a poor girl who makes a shameful decision to help her family. What would the consequences be? What would she be like when she grew up? What would happen if she met my hero? I really liked what happened when the two of them started bantering, and I couldn’t wait to write their story.

When is your next book due out and can you tell us about it?
The third book in the Wings of Glory series releases August 2011. Lt. Raymond Novak prefers the pulpit to the cockpit, but his stateside job training B-17 pilots allows him to court Helen Carlisle, a widowed mother who conceals her pain under a frenzy of volunteer work. The sparks of their romance set a fire that flings them both into peril. Ray leaves to fly a combat tour at the peak of the air war over Europe, while Helen takes a job at a dangerous munitions yard and faces an even graver menace in her own home. Can they both find the courage to face their challenges?

Sarah is giving away a copy of A Memory Between Us. To be entered in the book giveaway, leave a comment by Friday, September 10th and check back on Sunday, September 12th to see if you've won. You can enter twice--once on each post in this spotlight (part 1 posted yesterday). If you want to guarantee that you're notified if you win, then leave your email address in the comment, otherwise, you can just check back and email me through the button in my sidebar.
**Annoying little disclaimer: This giveaway is open only to U.S. addresses. By clicking on the Amazon link above or in the sidebar, and purchasing, I will receive a very small percentage of the sale.

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meet Sarah Sundin (Giveaway!)

Sarah Sundin lives in northern California with her husband and three children. When she isn’t ferrying kids to soccer and karate, she works on-call as a hospital pharmacist and teaches Sunday school. Her first novel, A Distant Melody, was published by Revell in March 2010, and A Memory Between Us comes out September 2010.

You can find Sarah online at her website www.sarahsundin.com and her blog.



A Memory Between Us

Can they overcome the past to find a brighter future together?

Major Jack Novak has never failed to meet a challenge--until he meets army nurse Lieutenant Ruth Doherty. When Jack lands in the army hospital after a plane crash, he makes winning Ruth’s heart a top-priority mission. But he has his work cut out for him. Not only is Ruth focused on her work in order to support her orphaned siblings back home, she also is determined not to give her heart to any man.

As the danger and tension of World War II rise to a fever pitch, Jack and Ruth will need each other more than ever. Can Jack break down her defenses? Or are they destined to go their separate ways?

From the English countryside to the perilous skies over France, A Memory Between Us takes you on a journey through love, forgiveness, and sacrifice.

Reviews

"Sundin’s excellent grasp of historical context provides vivid details of military life during the war in Europe. This rich tale will delight historical romance fans."--Suzanne Woods Fisher, bestselling author of The Choice and The Waiting

"Sarah Sundin seamlessly weaves World War II aviation history with a deeply emotional romance to continue her fabulous Wings of Glory series. She displays a talent that destines her for stardom in the genre."--Cheryl Bolen, winner of the Holt Medallion, Best Historical Romance

"Fans of historical romance will be captivated by this exciting story. From the first page, Sarah Sundin planted me in the midst of World War II and into the lives of her characters. This captivating romantic ride through the fascinating and horrifying days of World War II is a must-read."--Bonnie Leon, author, the Sydney Cove series and Alaskan Skies series

Purchase
You can purchase A Memory Between Us from CBD and Amazon:


Sarah is giving away a copy of A Memory Between Us. To be entered in the book giveaway, leave a comment by Friday, September 10th and check back on Sunday, September 12th to see if you've won. You can enter twice--once on each post in this spotlight (part 2 coming tomorrow). If you want to guarantee that you're notified if you win, then leave your email address in the comment, otherwise, you can just check back and email me through the button in my sidebar.
**Annoying little disclaimer: This giveaway is open only to U.S. addresses. By clicking on the Amazon link above or in the sidebar, and purchasing, I will receive a very small percentage of the sale.

See you tomorrow with an interview with Sarah!

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Ugly Crops

Some of the fields we drove past today were oh-so ready for harvesting and I noticed a few things about them.

They're UGLY!
Scraggly, scrawny stalks with their ears hanging down.

But those ears would be a thing of beauty to a farmer. They were fat and plentiful. And that, my friends, is the purpose of planting field corn, or any kind of field for that matter. The harvest is the important thing, not the beauty or location of the field, or anything else. It's all about the crop.

We can learn from those ugly fields.

In our spiritual lives, our beauty isn't important. Sometimes it's seemingly the ugliest ones that have the biggest harvests. Have you ever noticed that? They're more concerned about having a bountiful crop for their Farmer than they are about being beautiful to those driving past them.

Our culture today is all about beauty and location and position, but we have it all wrong. It's just hard to remember sometimes when it's all around us. I'm tempted to glean an ugly stalk of corn after the harvesters have gone through and bring it home for my deck post, just to remind me that the harvest is important, not the beauty.

Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest. ~Matthew 9:38

Did you see whose harvest it is? It's not ours! It's God's harvest.

So tell me, how's your crop looking?

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What Day Is It?

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind and my head is still spinning. I may not know what day it is, but I can sure tell you when I need to be in town or to the college next in order to have the kids where they need to be, on time.

My two oldest are doing dual-credit classes at a local junior college and although the bulk of their classes are online (Thank God!) they still have to be there 3 days a week for a couple hours. And then Esther (#3 in the line-up) started drivers ed this last week, so she has to be to the local high school in town every-other-day. Yesterday was a bonus day. I had to have 2 of them in different places at the same time, and Jim wasn't able to run the opposite direction for me.

On top of that, my writing responsibilities have been heavy (but fun!!) this week.

So, I'm tired. Big deal. And I have a cold. It will blow over. (Pun intended!)

But through all this craziness and busyness and running, I've been blessed. God has strengthened me, kept my head screwed on, and kept us safe on the roads as Abby, my older daughter, has been logging in driving experience so she can get her licence in September. And there have been a few close calls.

From where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord...He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber...the Lord is your keeper; ...the Lord will protect you from evil; He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever. ~Psalm 121

Isn't it good to know that even when we don't know which end is up or what day it is, God knows!! And He's got it all under control!

So tell me, what have you been up to?
I've missed you guys!

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Online Bible Study: Esther

You're invited to join us
for an online Bible study!

I talked with the ladies at the Bible study I attend, and we've decided to study Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman by Beth Moore. I'd like to invite you along for the journey! Each week we'll do the daily work in the book individually, then on Fridays I'll post a lesson review here—for our group meeting time.

I know there are many who cannot make it to a local Bible study group—for years I couldn't for one reason or another, but we can still connect and have some of the Bible study fellowship and ACCOUNTABILITY here. I'm planning on memorizing each week's memory verse and digging deep and knowing I have people checking in really helps spur me on.

Speaking of starting—our first, introductory group meeting will be posted here on September 10th. That gives us time to get our books so we're ready to start digging into our lessons so we have Week #1 completed on September 17th. I'm excited about getting started!

Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman
Join Beth in an in-depth and very personal examination of this great story of threat and deliverance. She peels back the layers of history and shows how very contemporary and applicable the story of Esther is to our lives. If you've ever felt inadequate, threatened, or pushed into situations that seemed overpowering, this is the study for you. Just as it was tough being a woman in Esther's day, it's tough today. This portion of God's Word contains treasures to aid us in our hurried, harried, and pressured lives.

You can purchase the book through Amazon or your local Christian book store (the LifeWay stores seem to have the best price).




For those of you interested in joining the study, but you don't know how to leave comments, it's real easy. Between my signature, just below, and the bar of flowers, there's a line that says: Written by Patty Wysong. In purple you'll see a number and the word Comments. Click the word Comments and it will bring up a little pop up screen where you can type in your comment. Select Anonymous and leave your name in the comment.

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