Blogs You Might Love

The internet is full of blogs. Have you noticed that? It used to be that if you had a blog, everyone read your stuff. But today, there are so many to choose from it’s hard to find the right one for you.

Recently, I’ve found a few that I enjoy, and a few I feel provide something a little different, so I added them to my blog list. Today, I want to highlight them.

Though I read a lot of blogs about writing, this is my MINISTRY blog, so I will not be highlighting the writing ones. If you’re looking for writing information, go to my Writers/Readers blog at InfiniteCharacters.com.

So here are some of my favorites:

Cross and Cutlass—This is fiction author MaryLu Tyndall’s blog. MaryLu writes swashbuckling stories, and has recently decided to complete her Christian Pirate (that’s right, I said Christian Pirate) series. Intrigued? You’ll have to check them out to see. This blog is a bit of a mix of things. She sometimes features good fiction/non-fiction books, tells us about her research or highlights something important from the Bible that is relevant to the day. I love her expression of faith, mostly because she seems to have a deep understanding of the necessary balance of Truth and Grace.

A Girl Like Me—This blog was started by the wives of two of the members of the Christian Rock Band, Tenth Avenue North—Heather Owen and Kelly Donehey. What I love about this blog is the HEART for young women who are struggling in life and in faith. It provides love, acceptance, AND a firm foundation for those who have questions or may have strayed and need a way back home.

SammyA.—This blog is a bit lighter than the one above, though it serves much of the same purpose—helping those who may not understand the message of the Bible and need a non-threatening means of understanding it.

Sacred Outfitters—I just found this one recently while searching for information on preparing Christians for college. Jeff Baxter, the host of this blog, has written about that very topic. What I like about this blog is that it gives firm, in-depth information for those who are ready to dive deeper into the foundations of their faith and want to be able to share it with others.

Everyone’s Story—This is my friend, Elaine Stock’s, blog. She highlights a number of Christian authors who share inspiring stories of God working in their lives.

For other great blogs, check out my sidebar under “Check it out.” I hope you find something that will inspire you.

Other posts you might like:

How the Story of Rudolf Is Like the Body of Christ

C.S. Lewis on Fiction

March of the Minions

Dark Forests and Military Service

You may have noticed the background of Living the Body of Christ has changed yet again. No, this isn’t my ADD kicking into overdrive because I’m bored of the old one. It’s me celebrating the cover art of my soon-to-be-released novella, At the Edge of a Dark Forest.
Whoopie!!!

Look out, March!!!

Here’s the blurb:

Cole Harrison, a war veteran, wears his disfigurement like a barrier to those who might love him, shielding them from the ugliness inside. He agrees to try and potentially invest in, a prototype prosthetic with the hope of saving a hopeless man’s dreams.

Carly Rose contracts to live with Cole and train him to use his new limbs, only to discover the darkness that wars against the man he could become.

At the Edge of a Dark Forest is a modern-day retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Only it is not her love that will make him whole.

This endeavor started out as a series project with my critique partners (June Foster, Gail Palotta, Vanessa Riley and Mildred Colvin), but as the story grew from the inspiration of the military ministries series I did a couple of years ago, it quickly became a labor of love. You see, I have no family who fought in our most recent wars, but I have a few acquaintances whose husbands have. As I considered the men and women who’ve fought and died for my freedoms, I realized I’ve had no real “skin in the game.” This story is my small way to give something back. Additionally, I will be donating 10% of my earnings on At the Edge of a Dark Forest to Military Ministries, a subgroup of Campus Crusade for Christ. I hope it will help to bring God into the healing of our soldiers and their families.

Can you see the cross in the picture above. Tell me below.

Other posts you might like:

Broken by War, Saved by Grace

24 Ways to Put Military Ministries into Action

Sacrifice—No Greater Love

Remember to Live and Love … Before It’s Too Late

If you can’t see the imbed, click here.

This song always makes me cry!

Listen and remember …

The days we are given are gifts from above

Get out and do what you were meant to do

Live and Love!

Thank you, Superchick!!!

Other posts you might like:

God on the Line

March of the Minions

Let Him Steal Your Show

Why Do Anorexics Want to Get Skinnier?

As a former counselor who specialized in working with eating disorders, people would often ask me the question, “Don’t these girls already know they are thin enough?” Hmmm. I couldn’t answer that question. Why? Because when I asked it of my clients I’d often get a perplexed expression in return. They didn’t have an answer. Not one.

Thin enough? What does that mean?

I suppose thin enough would be the kind of weight that makes one happy. You see, the goal of becoming thin, is to be desirable, and even more important, in control. Supposedly, these things make a person happy.

We are told that being thin enough will help us achieve that result, so when it doesn’t (and it can’t), we assume we haven’t gotten there yet. So the only thing to do, is become more of the thing that didn’t achieve the goal in the first place.

I suspect it’s the same for those who have so much money they couldn’t spend it in a lifetime, and yet their primary goal is to accrue more.

Rich enough? What is that?

It’s another attempt at becoming happy. But does it ever get us there? I don’t think so, because it seems those who already have these things are still clamoring to increase them. Yet there are people who have so much less, muddling through the ups and downs of life, in what one might actually call Joy. Yes, they have sorrow, hard times and downright grief, but they are able to bounce back, view the bigger picture and be content. How does one achieve this feat if it can’t be received through riches and beauty?

The answer does not lie in gaining control of one’s life. More control means more responsibility, more worries to work through, more people to manipulate. The answer is in giving over control to the One who knows what to do with it. The One who always has the right answer. The One who thinks you are desirable because He made you perfectly for His purposes—to love and be loved. The only One who can bring you true Joy.

It’s not about becoming thinner, richer or even smarter. It’s about resting in the love of Your Father in Heaven. Now go get some rest :o).

Ecclesiastes 5:10-15 (NIV) “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless …”

Other posts you might like:

God on the Line

A No-Matter-What Kind of Joy

For God So Loved the World