You need not expect to get your book right the first time. Go to work and revamp or rewrite it. God only exhibits his thunder and lightning at intervals, and so they always command attention. These are God’s adjectives. You thunder and lightning too much; the reader ceases to get under the bed, by and by. Mark Twain
Tag: Arts
WF: I surrender
As we continue with what we’ve learned this week, we close this Worship Friday with the basic lesson…Let’s surrender it all!!!
Have a blessed weekend!
WF: How Much
This week the focus was on love demonstrations to those in our lives. We know how much we love others, but do we know how much you are loved, especially by He, the one who is love itself. Join me to worship the Lord knowing that we are worthy of his love, not because of anything we did, but because he created us to Love us.
WF: Worship Friday
Giveaway Winners:
As promised, today we announce the winners of our Book Giveaway: Love Letters to my Queen Bride. Know that you will be individually contacted via email to provide you with your awarded copy in the format of your choice (kindle or paperback)
And the winners are:
- Rachel Hardeman
- De Fleischer
- Michelle Jacobson
Where love starts
February is the month with a heart. It’s the month that people dedicate to talk about love and the demonstrations of love. You can’t talk about love without talking about the source of love.
It says in Deuteronomy 7:9 says “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments” It is wonderful to know that our God has a covenant of love with us. A covenant is bigger than a promise, it deeper than words. It’s a permanent compromise to love us.
His love is unconditional. He gives us the freedom to love him back or not and even if we choose not to love him, he will still love us and receive us when we decide to come back.
Have you ever said that you forgive but don’t forget? Have you ever been told that you were forgiven but your transgressions were not forgotten? He who determines out eternity doesn’t measures us that way. “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.”Micah 7:18
If you have been around for a while, you know that I like things to be plain, simple and down to earth. I ran into a book titled “ 
Love Letters to my Queen Bride” by author Beth C. Walker. This is not only a must read, it’s a book that has personally improved my relationship with Christ because it has really given me practical way too see his love for me… But I’m not going to disclose much about it because I have a treat for you. As a sign of my love for all of you my readers, you can win one of the three copies of this wonderful book that will be given away on …you guessed it…Valentine’s Day. All you have to do is go to the page that says “Book Giveaway” give us your name and email address (at least your email if you don’t want to give your name) and you can win a copy of this fabulous book in the format of your choice (Kindle or paperback)
Also remember that you can obtain a copy of Growth Lessons on sale for $1.99 
until Valentine’s Day as well as a token of my love for all your support.
Have a blessed and loving day!
Naty
NaNoWriMo has arrived!
…and we shall surrender to the fire that runs through our veins. We shall abandon it all for the upmost desire, the one that will allow the adrenaline to run, the words to entangle and the body to stop breathing…
Oops! I had not seen you there! I’m just getting ready for tomorrow…well tonight. NaNoWriMo starts right at 12:00am and I’ll be ready. I did my last trip to the store to stock on goodies for the month.
By now, some of you have gone to your kick off parties and have received tons of tips and advise from experienced Wrimos, but just in case let me do for you a virtual Nano Prep-Kit:
Icy Hot is your friend- I discovered that during my second Nano. When you 
are going to many write-ins and having many word wars your wrist become unhappy, but you need to continue writing to get through that word count. It works like magic…it does smell, but it’ll wake you up to make you write some more.
Fill your pantry with hot pockets and ramen noodles- it’s not because of
budget reasons. You don’t have too much cooking time. Save your grocery money for your write-ins and take that opportunity for a good meal, but unless you have someone else cooking at home… you need to do something quick. You have writing to do! Remember to buy frozen meals for your family if you’re the one in charge of meals…it’s against the law to cook in November for Wrimos…I tried to warn you!
Coffee– This is vital, you don’t need sleep. You can sleep in December. November is for writing. We will allow you a quick nap here and there so you don’t hallucinate…although that may help your story.
The rules for Thanksgiving– I use to host Thanksgiving every year at my home. Nano broke me out of that bad habit really quick. Now I allow others the opportunity to cook for three days and have their houses to clean afterwards and I offer to bring dessert; which will be carefully made by a local supermarket. Lessons to be learned.
Treats- buy your favorite treats and reward yourself after different milestones in your word count. Also buy your kids, dog, cat or all of the above new toys and treats so that they have something to do while you’re writing.
SAVE YOUR WORK!-Omg! You have no idea how many times we have lost 
thousands of words, full pages and some have lost their whole work because someone accidentally clicked on the wrong button, the cat decided to crawl over the keyboard, the baby thought the keys looked appealing, the computer decided to die…the thought alone gives me a panic attack. But do not fret. The other thing I’ve learned is about dropbox.com It’s a free storage place for your documents and pictures. You can access it from any computer as long as you have internet access. You can even access it from your Ipad and IPhone. So if the computer dies your novel doesn’t go to the grave with it…but not even dropbox can save the novel for you. Do not trust auto save…every 15 minutes or so hit the save button, it takes 1 second and it will save you from a heart attack or pulling your hairs out.
I finally want to say that I’m very excited as this year I’ll be hosting some 
write-ins for NaNoWriMo. YAY! Look in the nanowrimo.org site and go to the forums to find out when there will be a write-in close to you. It’s a great experience. For those Pandas in the Atlanta Area that will be going to the write-ins hosted by ‘therisingmuse” look out for these two cute faces.
Happy Noveling!
Related articles
- Prepping for NaNoWriMo 2011 (loveofwords52.wordpress.com)
- Well I have the blog all set up for NaNoWriMo (eoghann.com)
- NaNoWriMo is starting~ (shoujo1daisuki.wordpress.com)
Courageous: The Movie
This past weekend I went to see the movie “Courageous” and I can’t say enough about it. It was a shame that there was not a lot of people at the theater because if there’s a must see movie, this is the one. I have not seen a movie, Christian or not, that has actually evoked so much emotion in me in a long time.
This movie has it all: comedy, drama, action and a powerful message to share. I’ll try not to spoil the movie as I would love for everyone who comes across this post to go see it. The central theme of the movie is men and their calling from God, but at the same time it’s so much more. It deals with the issue of fatherless and its results. It talks about accountability, integrity, honor and commitment.
Every man should see this movie to understand and have a visual aid of what a real father and a man of God is called to do. Every woman should see this movie, to see how her role as a supporter of her household is unveiled. It shows the women in the complementary role as a wife and mother. These were not weak women, but strong and determined as well.
I make a special call to all my single women and teenage girls, go see this movie and see what a real man should look like. I know the Word of God is very clear in our roles within the family and society, but at the same time some of us are slower in understanding and this feature can have a powerful visual aid of what things should look like. And no, these people didn’t walk on water in the movie. They were real people, with real traumas, real issues, real sins and real dilemmas; the same way you and I have them.
On a final note, take a box of tissues with you; you’re going to need it. There were only three rows with people at the theater, our row, two couples behind us and the row next was full. I say that to say, even you men take your hankies with you. I heard sniffling behind me through the whole movie and when it was over I realized that third row was nothing but men and that’s where the sniffling was coming from. It’s a great, great powerful movie.
If you have seen Courageous,come share your thoughts with us. If you haven’t…what’s wrong with you? Go see it this week and come back and tell us what you thought about it!
Until then, be blessed.
Here’s the Trailer:
Related articles:
- Courageous! (familyofgrahams.wordpress.com)
- COURAGEOUS – Tickets Available NOW (believersbattlecry.com)
Christians getting tattoos
I had an interesting conversation the other day about tattoos. Like any form of art, they are quite interesting, some are really nice, and some are not. But the discussion was, Are Christians allowed to get tattoos? This discussion does not relate to those who come to Christ already with tattoos, we are talking about those who are already saved, didn’t have one and are now getting them or contemplating them.
For the longest time I was one of those raising the hand with Leviticus 19:28, “Do not cut your bodies for the dead, and do not mark your skin with tattoos. I am the Lord.” (NLT), but is not as clear cut as that. First of all there’s the judgment part. If I am judging other people for getting tattoos, piercings or men wearing earrings, then I’m the one in trouble for judging. I’ve met true worshipers with all of those or some, these are Christian leaders who I truly respect for their spirituality and who have been mentors in my life. I admit that at the beginning I was conflicted. So I decided to do some research.
First of all I discovered that we need to read things in its context This rule and many others in the Old Testament were placed by God to avoid pagan rituals amongst the Israelites. He wanted for his people to be set apart and he still does. So does getting a tattoo makes you conform to what the world is doing? There are two schools of thought, some that say that the rules in Leviticus still apply to us, some that say they don’t. Well, I agree in Leviticus 19:29 when it says “Do not prostitute your daughter…”, but it also says two verses before, “Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard” (19:27) and we know that men have haircuts and shave everyday.
From the majority of the articles I read that do not attack the tattoos (meaning not necessarily approve of them, but don’t have the notion that they will send you to hell) I gather that it’s all in the motivation and heart. Even tattoos are a matter of the heart. Why do you want to get a tattoo? Is it to fit in within the culture? Will the tattoo bring more attention to you than to Christ? Remember that our ultimate goal is that He becomes greater as I become less (John 3:30)
Some people even claim that God has tattoos using the scripture of Isaiah
49:16 “I have tattooed you on the palm of my hands” Others have said that Jesus has a tattoo as well referring to what is said in Revelations 19:16 “On his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords”
At the end, more than the focus of is it right for a believer to have or not a tattoo look at where your heart is. If you don’t have one, “are you looking at the sawdust in your brother’s eye while paying no attention to the plank in your eye? (Matthew 7:3) If you are considering one, why do you want one? Have you talk to God about it? Will getting one affect your relationship with God or make others stumble?
Personally I’ve looked at some and they are quite interesting, I could never get one and it goes beyond any religious convictions. I don’t see myself sitting for any extended period of time to be voluntarily poked. Also, I don’t think I could commit to a design. I don’t think I could agree to one color as my favorite color for my entire life, it used to be red, and somehow my mom says it used to be yellow and if you ask me now it’s blue. Can you imagine?
As always I’m interested in hearing your opinion. Let me know your thoughts and hope you have a blessed day.
Worship Friday 5/13/11
It’s been a hard and exhausting week. No better way to renew your strength than in His Presence!
Enjoy!
Never give up your dream: Madea’s Big Happy Family
I just finished watching Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family. I’m a big fan of Tyler Perry. I like his style in the sense that he recognizes who gave him his talent and has used it to show for it. Also the fact that through his gift he tells it like it is.
It is late at night when I’m writing this and I should be in bed by now, but I just couldn’t go to bed. God has been trying to get something across to me, and slow poke here had not caught on with the program. As some of my readers remember this post complaining about my writing.
Three years ago when I decided it was time to return to my writing roots, I didn’t think that I would pursue the dream of publishing. Now with the blessing of two short stories out there, I see the possibility of doing something I’ve always wanted to do…becoming an author! Just like when I returned, I feel alive when I do, but then I face the world and see “little me” against the world and I start doubting myself. The more research I do on how to get it done, the farther I see it coming to pass.
The whole movie was awesome. I laughed, I cried, I even had to pause the movie to call my mom just to hear her voice. At the end of the movie, Tyler addressed the audience and said that God told him how he was going to close all doors to make sure that he knew that his success came from HIM. That’s the best success any believer would want. He also talked about moving out of yourself and doing for others while God does for you. Knowing a little about Tyler’s personal journey inspired me a lot.
In different scenes and regarding different subjects the message was God knows you want to go from point A to point B and he will answer that prayer,”How bad do you want it?” Ironically, tonight at church, although the message was about finances. The pastor talked about reproducing from your talents (meaning money) but I kept hearing in my heart about my talent. He talked about how God gave us our talents for us to be stewards of those talents and produce for his kingdom.
It all came full circle. I have a plaque on my desk at work that says, “ Today there’s nothing that God and I can’t do together” Therefore, there can’t be any fear and doubt, what he gave me to produce will produce in his time and as I obediently submit my efforts to do my part. Never stop dreaming and working towards your dream. Breakthrough is around the corner.
Can you relate? Care to share?
Blessings!!!
So far on writing goals
Starting the third month into the year I was prompted to evaluate how my writing goals have worked so far. Kind of assessing if I actually kept my new year’s resolutions or if they were already been postponed. I feel closer to my writing than I have ever felt. Writing has slowly snuck up on me and it’s a need like eating and I love to eat! Every day I feel the need to write, but not every day I think I have something relevant to say.
I’m pushing myself to be a better writer and what are some of those things that I have put in place to accomplish that in 2011…?
- I’ve returned to my reading roots. Last year I dedicated a lot of time to writing, but not enough to reading. I believe that a healthy balance is important for any writer.
- I’m actually following my calendar. In December I created a calendar of contests I wanted to participate (if you’re interested in peaking at that calendar it’s on the publication and achievements page). Last year I created the calendar but actually did only a few of those. So far I have submitted to each and every one of those competitions that I committed to participate in. It doesn’t matter the outcome, it’s about the exercise of meeting deadlines and writing more.
- Joined wordpress post-a-week challenge where I’m committing to at least post on my blog once a week. I’ve been trying to post more than that. At my current rate I could have joined post-a-day, but at least once a week still gives me the necessary breather for days when things get complicated.
- Accountability- I hired a proofreader who is aware of my deadlines, so the expectation of the workload I have to provide for her it’s a constant reminder that I have to come through with my committed contests. Also, I have some readers who have decided to contact me when I go without posting for more than two days to ask when the next post will come. I’m flattered that they enjoy this blog, but also the feedback gives me the sense of responsibility to keep it up.
- Class- I have committed to be part of at least one writing workshop before the end of the year to improve my skills. I have invited a teenager aspiring writer to take the workshop with me. Have you been able to promise something to a teenager that they will forget? Trust me we will go to the workshop!
- Social Media- I’ve subscribe to the Kristen Lamb’s Blog. She not only gives great advice for writers but also advises about how to utilize social media more efficiently. I just found this blog last week and I’ve learned a lot.
So these are some of the things that I’m doing to take my writing to another level and so far so good… Have some tips of your own? Share them!!!
Stay tuned.
Naty Matos 