Exciting News

Psalm 37:4 English Standard Version
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

I promised you some exciting news. I just signed a three-book-contract with BelleBooks for a cozy mystery series. The first book is scheduled to come out in the spring of 2020!

If I could do a cartwheel, I would. Instead, I'm feeling truly blessed and thankful! God is good!

Something Exciting is Coming Up

I'm taking this week off, but I plan to share something exciting next week. I'll give you a hint. I've dreamed of this for a long time!


God has delighted me, and I'm so thankful!

Psalm 37:4 English Standard Version
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Zach Williams - No Longer Slaves (Live from Harding Prison)

I'm no longer a slave to fear. We all have fears, and I find this song so powerful.

Here are a few scriptures on fear:


Joshua 1:9 New International Version
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”


Matthew 6:34 New International Version "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Psalm 23:4 New International Version "Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me."

And another beautiful verse is Psalm 34:4 New International Version "I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears."

How amazing is that? If you struggle with fear, open your Bible and be comforted.

El Paso Challenge

After the El Paso shooting, Ruben Martinez challenged others in his community to remember the victims with acts of kindness. What an amazing challenge, but the thing that makes it more interesting is that Ruben is only eleven years old.

This child is daring us to honor the victims. At first the challenge was to do twenty acts of kindness. It's risen to twenty-two acts of kindness today. These are not random acts of kindness. I feel like we are to be intentional in performing these acts.

If you need help coming up with ideas, Ruben has some to share. Mow a yard, visit a nursing home, pay for someone's lunch or dinner, donating for families in need, taking flowers to the hospital, or writing a letter to someone telling them how great they are.

If we perform twenty-two acts of kindness, I think we'll want to keep performing acts of kindness. Wouldn't it be great if Ruben's challenge made the world a better place?

I know nothing about Ruben's faith, but I do know he's a child. A child of God. He's important to God, his family, me, and the world.

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” Matthew 18:1-5

People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
Luke 18:15-17

Desk Update

I continue to find better ways to be productive and more efficient. The What's Best Next study inspired me to become better organized.

One of the biggest things I got out of What's Best Next for my life as an author, is to schedule my writing time in blocks. For instance, I'll write for say two hours. During those two hours, I don't check social media. I don't rotate laundry or start preparing dinner. I use the block of time to focus on my work in progress.

I also discovered I'm more alert in the mornings and late at night. I know this doesn't make sense, and I've decided to choose mornings as my writing time. I believe it's healthier for me to get up early and work while the sun is up.

In the early afternoon I struggle with drowsiness. So, I'm not going to feel guilty making myself coffee in the afternoon. I may even go for a short walk to energize myself. Then I'll write for another block of time.

In order to help keep my desk organized, I created two more work spaces in my office where I can spread out research and my vision board.



Matt Perman's philosophy is if we're more productive with our work, we'll have more time to do good for others. He says, “The biblical call on our lives is not to do good randomly and haphazardly. Rather, God calls us to be proactive in doing good — even to the point of making plans for the good of others.”

Philippians 2:3-4 says, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."

To sum it all up, if I'm more productive with my work, I'll have more time to help others.

So, did I get my desk organized? It's better. Not perfect, but better. My dad has some funny quotes. One of them is, "I can find anything in three tries." And he always does find what he's looking for.