Friday 23 January 2015

Don't Give Up! Continue To Be Diligent.

On Thurs the 22nd Jan, I woke with the Gaither song KEEP ON CASTING YOUR BREAD UPON THE WATERS, going round and round in my head. It remained with me all day, in fact it's still with me today, so I know God was trying to tell me something.
Life is difficult at the moment; I have a serious health issues to face, among other things, and there are some days, I feel bereft of hope. Understandably, this effects everything I'm doing..my writing and life in general.
But as so often, God in His grace and mercy steps in and gives me the encouragement and tender push needed, to get back up, dust myself off, and get on with life.
After all, it's not over, till it's over. And that's for God to decide. He alone knows the beginning from the end. We none of us know what our futures holds, but if we know God, then we know the one who holds our future!

If you need encouragement at this time, for what ever reason. Take a moment to read this short post,
and listen to this song.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9s7id89Qsk&feature=youtu.be

God knows you, loves you, and has a plan for your future. TRUST HIM.



CONTINUE TO BE DILIGENT

 
Ecclesiastes 11

 Cast your bread upon the waters,

For you will find it after many days.

2

Give a serving to seven, and also to eight,

For you do not know what evil will be on the earth.

3

If the clouds are full of rain,

They empty themselves upon the earth;

And if a tree falls to the south or the north,

In the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie.

 4

He who observes the wind will not sow,

And he who regards the clouds will not reap.

5

As you do not know what is the way of the wind,[a]

Or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child,

So you do not know the works of God who makes everything.

 6

In the morning sow your seed,

And in the evening do not withhold your hand;

For you do not know which will prosper,

Either this or that,

Or whether both alike will be good.

 

Commentary by F.B.Meyer

 

Live not for today alone.

The casting of bread upon the waters is an illusion to the oriental custom of casting rice grains in the field, when they lie submerged beneath the annual inundation of such a river as the Nile. To the inexperienced eye, this would seem the prodigality of waste, but the husbandman knows full well that he will meet his seed again with abundant returns.

So it is in life, whether we befriend young boys or girls, or distribute tracts, or speak kind and loving words, or invest our money in philanthropic enterprise, we are casting our bread upon the waters to find it after many days in this world or the next.

But how wise the advice not to be always considering the winds and clouds v v 3,4.

There is considerable hazard in the life of the farmer. If he waits until all conditions are favourable, he will never begin. So with our work for God. We must risk something.

Often the word spoken at an apparently untoward moment will prove to be the word in season, while that spoken under the most favourable conditions will yield no return at all.

God gives it a body as and when and how it pleaseth Him.

Tuesday 20 January 2015

Such a thrill, when a book you've written for children, is reviewed by a child.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/RTXDTUDH3JMWD/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B0077E3P0Y&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=266239&store=books

5.0 out of 5 stars extraordinary book, 20 Jan. 2015
This review is from: A Rat and a Ransom (Kindle Edition)
overall I think this extraordinary book is a "yes" to reccomend for our school.As soon as I started reading it I was hooked in.

My favourite part was the resolution after the second time he was kidnapped. Whith the character discription like it is,I know that Tom is a tough person.
Overall I would give this 5 stars out of 5
I have also noticed great illustrations, good language used (descriptive) and tremendous scene descriptions.

review by a 9 year old pupil of croft junior school
 
 

Saturday 3 January 2015

It's Obvious Really.

I've noticed just lately that friends...people who know me well, are saying things like, I can see you in the main character of your book. That's exactly what you would do, or say, and that's how you would react in that situation.

I'm pretty sure if I asked some of my author friends, if they get the same reaction, I bet the answer would be yes.

I take it as a positive. My friends know me well, and I consider it a complement that they see me in the characters I portray in my books. To me it's a form of honesty. It's not something I'm conscious of. I don't do it on purpose, it just happens.
I think with most authors, we put ourselves in the lives of our characters, it can't be helped. We all desire to write characters, that come across as believable and real. To achieve that, I believe some of the author's personality has to be seen in a character.

For example as a Christian, there are lines I won't cross, so obviously I'm not going to allow my characters to cross them. Sometimes in a given situation, I may allow them to dabble a toe, so to speak, but only so far, and no further. However, that doesn't mean my characters are weak and wimpy. I've had to dig deep sometimes, in an effort to plumb the darkness I need to express in a story...hence the need always to be honest.

We humans are complex creatures. Lets face it, we each of us are who we are through life's circumstances. A person who lives a dark and troubled life, will express that in their writing.
Before I became a Christian, I was in a very dark place, filled with anger and hatred. There's no doubt that would have surfaced in my writing.

I thank God for where He has brought me from. Nevertheless, I am not afraid to take my characters into a dark place...because I know the way out!
I like the fact my friends see me in my characters, and they're not wrong. After all, my characters are me in disguise. :)

I love to read, honest, gritty, Christian novels. Novels that tell it as it is...Truth!